"But when my junior disciple came to the mountain this time to purchase supplies, he insisted that I deliver a specific item to Master Nangong, and also placed a seal on me—only Master Nangong can remove it." Han Li immediately adopted a look of deep concern and distress. "Senior! Is he a Jiadian cultivator?" The pale young cultivator paused, slightly surprised. "Actually, I don't know. He claims to be a former acquaintance of Master Nangong. Hearing that Master Nangong's great celebration is approaching, he has come to present a gift and has also entrusted me with a few words to be personally delivered to Master Nangong." Han Li looked dejected, as though completely at a loss. "A former acquaintance of Master Nangong? Could it be another senior cultivator at the Yuanying stage?" This time, the more robust and clumsy-looking cultivator also expressed some surprise. "That's quite possible. Yet, since this senior has already arrived here, why didn't he personally come to the mountain to deliver the gift?" The pale cultivator, after being stunned, now seemed puzzled. "Who knows?" Perhaps the senior has other matters to attend to, or some inconvenience. Yuan, extend your hand. Let me first examine the seal within your body before making any decision!" After guessing a few words, the sturdy, clumsy cultivator spoke directly to Han Li. Han Li had anticipated this, remaining calm and simply extended one of his arms. As his inner spiritual energy surged, he simulated an unusual magical seal. The cultivator grasped Han Li's wrist and, after a moment of sensing, his face fell into astonishment. The fairer cultivator, equally curious, placed two fingers on Han Li's arm, only to grow equally alarmed shortly thereafter. "Indeed, you have a powerful seal within you. The complexity of this seal suggests it was definitely laid down by a Yuan婴-stage cultivator. However, based solely on this, we still cannot easily allow you to proceed up the mountain. First, retrieve the gift from the senior, and let one of us deliver it to him. Only then shall we verify whether he is indeed a long-time acquaintance of Nan Gong Master. If the senior master recognizes you and is willing to see you, then you may ascend to the mountain. Do you understand, Yuan neice? The pale cultivator's expression grew serious, yet his tone softened slightly. Hearing this, Han Li frowned, but after a moment's thought, nodded in agreement. "That would be fine. However, Master Uncle must clearly explain to the senior master that a seal has been placed upon my body!" From his waist pouch, Han Li retrieved a long wooden chest and handed it over, adding with concern. On the lid of the chest, a faint silvery seal scroll was affixed—its spiritual energy fluctuations suggested it was no ordinary matter. Clearly, this was done to prevent the person receiving it from inspecting it en route. "Understood. You just stay here and wait. Brother Ma, I'll be right back!" The pale cultivator first spoke impatiently to Han Li, then gave a brief instruction to the other cultivator before gently carrying the chest and moving toward the back. Han Li could only stand in place, patiently waiting. Though he was confident that Nangong Wan would surely see him once she saw the item in the box, he still felt somewhat uneasy as the moment approached. He answered the other cultivators stationed there with hesitant, fragmented remarks, merely going through the motions of their various inquiries. But when they asked about the appearance of the elder who had delivered the gift, he managed to deflect the question with a simple remark: the person was wrapped in a cloak, so that neither gender nor features could be clearly discerned. "Even if I am captured, there is no way out," the pale cultivator said coldly, while leading the way. Han Li naturally nodded in agreement. At this point, Han Li had carefully scanned the other with his divine awareness. The young man in the brocade robe was merely a Qi Condensation stage cultivator—nothing particularly noteworthy. Though he thought this in his heart, on the surface Han Li maintained a respectful demeanor, speaking only when necessary. "Master Nan Gong wishes to see this person. What's going on? Please explain it to me," the brocade-clad cultivator said, first startled, then expressing surprise. "Here's what happened—this young disciple, Yuan..." The pale cultivator, unwilling to conceal the matter, felt it was nothing significant and thus recounted Han Li's situation once again. "An old friend of Master Nan Gong? Has a seal been placed upon him?" The robe-clad cultivator slightly furrowed his brows, his gaze suddenly sharp as a blade, fixing itself firmly on Han Li. "Allow me to examine the seals on your body!" the robe-clad cultivator ordered without ceremony. Han Li inwardly cursed the man for being unnecessarily picky, yet had no choice but to comply and step forward. "Hmm! Indeed, something unusual. Though the seals are intricate, they are not particularly severe." It seems that the man indeed has no ill will. Go see Master Nangong!" The robe-clad cultivator grasped Han Li's wrist, examined him for a moment, then nodded. After that, he paid no further attention to the two, his body radiating a glow that instantly transformed into a pale blue streak of light, shooting straight downward toward the mountain base. A short while later, the light faded and blurred, then suddenly solidified into five distinct forms before vanishing completely. "Master Lan's technique of formless flight is truly surpassing even the original—though only at the initial stage of Jin Dan cultivation, he is likely to be difficult to match even by a Jin Dan late-stage cultivator!" The fair-skinned cultivator, upon seeing the robe-clad Jin Dan cultivator depart, exhaled deeply, gazing in the direction where the light had disappeared, and murmured to himself. Han Li felt a spark of interest at this. "Formless flight"—could this person be related to the 'Qiong Elder' who appeared before the blood-colored trial? Perhaps a disciple or descendant of that elder? Han Li found this quite surprising! At this moment, the pale cultivator relaxed his expression and once again guided Han Li to advance with his spiritual artifact. Han Li, in turn, set aside the matter of the silk-robed cultivator. For there were originally only a few high-level cultivators residing at the very summit of Linglong Mountain. Aside from the one silk-robed cultivator at the beginning, they encountered no others, and eventually arrived at the entrance of a cave sanctuary near the highest point of the mountain peak. "This is where Master Nangong's retreat is located!" the pale cultivator said with a touch of admiration. "Be careful to respond appropriately to Master Nangong when she speaks a little later. Besides receiving the seal you're to learn, Master Nangong might offer you some other benefits as well!" Then, he turned and respectfully transmitted his words from outside the main gate: "Reporting to Master Nangong, the disciple has arrived." "Understood," came a voice to Han Li that sounded both familiar and yet slightly unfamiliar, emanating softly from behind the stone gate. "Let the disciple enter on his own. You may now go down." The stone gate then shimmered with golden light and opened of its own accord. Han Li didn't hesitate—he took a few steps forward. To Han Li's surprise, standing gracefully just behind the stone door was a beautiful young female cultivator dressed in yellow short-sleeved robes, looking no older than sixteen or seventeen, yet already accomplished in the foundational stage of cultivation with the initial merits. "Come with me. Your senior master is waiting for you in the main hall," the young woman glanced at Han Li, who had been posing as Yuan Kun, and seeing no special qualities in him, said coldly, then turned and walked deeper into the pavilion. Han Li took a deep breath and quietly followed. Nan Gong Wan's pavilion wasn't particularly large—the young woman only led Han Li through a short corridor and past a few modest rooms before arriving at what was called the main hall. The hall was elegantly and finely furnished, with an unknown type of sandalwood incense burning softly in the corners, and two ancient, compact flower stands placed at the entrance, each housing two rare and precious herbs, lush and vibrant with green. In the center of the hall stood a small, square wooden table, with a light green wicker chair on each side. One of the chairs was occupied by a young girl with black hair and a white robe, her head bowed as she gazed at a great silver sword in her hands. Beside the table, a wooden chest, its lid partially open, lay empty.