Not long after, Yuan Kun successfully procured all the necessary items and, together with his two subordinates, departed from the small town. However, just twenty or thirty li beyond the town, a sudden flash of silver light appeared in the sky, and a graceful, beautiful young woman materialized there, smiling warmly at the three of them, exuding an unusually alluring charm. "We are disciples of the Yan Yue Sect. May I ask, esteemed elder, your name?" Though Yuan Kun's cultivation was modest, he immediately sensed the extraordinary nature of this situation upon seeing the woman's appearance and swiftly introduced his sect to establish a sense of security, in case she should suddenly turn against him. Yet the woman paid no attention to his words as he finished speaking, and instead chuckled softly. Then, with a gentle opening of her lips, a delicate pink fragrance mist burst forth from her mouth. Though the mist seemed to move slowly, it swiftly reached the three of them and enveloped them completely, rising directly to meet their faces. Alas, Yuan Kun, with his relatively basic cultivation, offered no resistance at all. As soon as he inhaled the subtle fragrance, he felt his consciousness sink and lost all awareness of his surroundings. The three instantly rolled over and fell straight downward toward the ground. Yet the young woman showed no hesitation—she swept her sleeve outward, and a shimmering streak of white light shot forth from the sleeve, sweeping the three up and instantly drawing them close to her. With a gentle glance at the three, she smiled, and at once a silver glow radiated from her body, carrying them off together. In a moment, they vanished from sight. He naturally traveled nonstop for over a month, finally arriving at Han Li in the Northern Liang state. Since he intended to secretly seek out Nan Gong Wan, he didn't want to draw unnecessary attention by making a formal visit—thus avoiding any additional complications. Therefore, he needed to gather information about the Linglong Mountain Yan Yue Sect's internal situation, and stayed in the small town for one full day, searching for its cultivators. As a cultivator who had risen steadily from the lower ranks, Han Li well understood that lower-level disciples, especially women, still couldn't fully detach themselves from worldly affairs like the higher-ranked cultivators could. Consequently, the towns closest to the sect were naturally the most frequented by these junior disciples. With his powerful consciousness, Han Li could detect and locate any cultivator in the city regardless of their numbers. Originally, he had targeted another Yan Yue Sect disciple at the Qi stage. However, upon the appearance of Yuan Kun, dressed in the office attire, Han Li naturally shifted his focus. The disciples of the Yanyue Sect with higher status naturally knew more. After weaving a thread of divine awareness around the target and instructing Yin Yue and the other two to proceed out of the city, he had them seized and then came to this forest to wait quietly. "Master need not worry," Yin Yue seemed to sense the current mood of Han Li, and wisely refrained from casual conversation or laughter, instead speaking earnestly. "With their current attainments, I have nearly accomplished the capture without any other cultivator noticing." Han Li glanced at Yuan Kun with a composed expression, then said coldly, "Good work this time. Your fox-bodied form is adept at illusions. Use this ability in conjunction with my Dream-Invoking Technique, so that this person will unconsciously reveal everything." "Understood, Master," Yin Yue replied promptly. Then, turning around, she once again exhaled a pink mist from her tathagata mouth, spreading it over a width of several zhang, fully enveloping the three figures on the ground. Han Li rose and slowly stepped into the mist. Not long after, a faint green light began to shimmer within the mist! ……Though Linglong Mountain is named "Linglong," those who have never seen it find it difficult to associate the name with the mountain at all. Far from being delicate and refined, the mountain appears bulky and strange. Despite having only a single main peak—spanning dozens of miles in width—the lower portion of the mountain is remarkably gentle, with scarcely any steep inclines, resembling a vast, broad slope. However, starting from the mountain's midsection, the terrain suddenly becomes rugged and imposing. The mountain's form becomes straight and fierce, creating a stark contrast with the lower, more gradual part, and its spiritual energy surges dramatically. Only cultivators who have attained the Jading stage or above typically establish their abodes atop this upper section. To prevent aerial invasions by external enemies, numerous powerful spells and defensive array systems have naturally been installed throughout the upper reaches of Linglong Mountain. Lower disciples must ascend to the mountain peak via the several fixed paths—there is no other way. Han Li now stands on a simple, ancient cobblestone street at the foot of Linglong Mountain, arms folded behind his back, gazing upward toward the summit, his eyes softening with a gentle expression. His appearance has changed dramatically; through the secret technique of "Form-Shifting," he has now taken on the exact form and features of Yuan Kun. His cultivation level has also been refined to match that of a Qi Condensation stage practitioner. After gathering intelligence from Yuan Kun and the other two, he immediately sealed them with spells, cast them into a hollowed-out ancient tree, and then proceeded confidently toward Linglong Mountain. Using Yuan Kun's official token and the information he obtained through dream-guiding techniques about Yan Yue Sect, he effortlessly integrated himself into the sect's mountain gates. The place where he now stands is a marketplace established by Yan Yue Sect itself on the outskirts of Linglong Mountain, designed to allow its thousands of disciples to freely trade and exchange goods among themselves. Several shops specializing in worldly goods were managed by this Yuan Grand Attendant. Han Li did not immediately head straight for the summit, but instead calmly carried the goods procured by Yuan Kun to these several shops and delivered them there. Then, after being warmly escorted by the shop owners, he stepped out of the premises and stood on the street of the marketplace, gazing distantly at the summit. According to the memories of these three disciples, although Nan Gong Wan had not entered deep meditation due to her impending marriage, she was rarely seen by guests—high-ranking disciples within the sect often found it difficult to even meet her. As for how Nan Gong Wan had agreed to become the mutual cultivation partner for Wei Licheng of the Hua Yi Sect, these three, being of lower status, were completely unaware of the matter. This left Han Li somewhat disappointed. However, from the memories of these three, it became clear that Nangong Wan, as the youngest Yuan-Enping female cultivator of Yan Yue Sect, with her exceptional beauty and grace, was deeply admired by the lower-level disciples, and many male disciples even secretly harbored deep affection for her, viewing her as a kind of spiritual elder. Yuan Kun was one such disciple. Though he had only seen Nangong Wan a few times over several decades at the sect, he had grown deeply infatuated with her. When he heard that Nangong Wan was to marry someone else, he felt deeply saddened and mourned her loss for a long time. Han Li, upon receiving these memories, found himself somewhat at a loss. Now, after delivering the gifts, Han Li calmly handled several minor matters as per Yuan Kun's memories. Fortunately, Yuan Kun's standing within the sect was not particularly strong—he had few close friends and had not revealed any signs of distress. After a few days had passed, Han Li observed the sky growing darker and quietly realized that the time had finally arrived. As usual, Yuan Kun proceeded calmly and steadily toward the mountain. Though Yuan Kun's cultivation had only reached the Qi Condensation stage, he held the position of an internal office steward within the sect, and thus resided in a modest, unremarkable pavilion on the second level of Linglong Mountain. Of course, any plans for a personal dwelling or abode were likely out of the question. The Yuan Kun assumed by Han Li encountered no obstacles in entering the second level of Linglong Mountain. However, along the way, several Foundation Stage cultivators expressed clear disdain upon seeing Han Li manifest as Yuan's official steward—some even failed to glance at him at all. This made Han Li, when alone, rub his chin and chuckle with a touch of frustration. It seemed that Yuan's stewardship, beyond a few close aides, was not going particularly well. Upon reaching the second level, Han Li did not proceed to Yuan Kun's small pavilion, but instead took to low-altitude flight, gliding along the mountain path toward the summit. As for the other areas, though they appeared equally empty, Han Li knew that each of them had favorable or detrimental restrictions in place. He naturally would not deliberately disturb them. Consequently, at the intersection between the second and third floors, Han Li was promptly and firmly stopped by two Foundation-stage cultivators on duty. "Yuan Kun! What are you doing here? You should know this isn't your usual place," one of the two, with a pale face, frowned and barked out. "Report to the two senior uncles, my junior wishes to see Master Nangong, if you could kindly convey that message," Han Li hesitated, his face showing uncertainty, before finally stammering out the words after a long pause. "What? Yuan Kun, are you out of your mind? You're actually wanting to see Master Nangong? Are you serious? You're not dreaming, are you?" Upon hearing Han Li's words, the two cultivators were startled and immediately shouted in surprise.