"Master Lu, has your sect received any word from Master Han yet?" An elderly man seated across from Lu Luo asked. This was Xu Changjing, a cultivator at the initial stage of Yuan Ying, a senior at the Shui Ying Sect of the Tian Dao Alliance, who had only arrived in Tianyi City yesterday. He had previously exchanged a few greetings with Lu Luo. "Not yet. How is it, Master Xu, that you're also so concerned about Master Han's affairs?" Lu Luo was momentarily surprised, but then smiled and replied. "Ah, of course! From the way Master Lu speaks, it seems that other cultivators have also asked the same question. That makes sense—before I even arrived in Tianyi City, my ears were filled with all sorts of rumors about this Master Han. Indeed! At the Yuan Ying stage, managing to escape the grasp of Master Mu Lan—this is no small feat for us ordinary cultivators. Moreover, I've heard that some claim Master Han only recently solidified his Yuan Ying. Is that true? If so, that would truly be astonishing." Xu Changjing smiled and said. Upon hearing the elder's words, the other several cultivators exchanged glances and turned their interest toward Lu Luo. They had naturally heard various tales about Han Li, though they had never before heard that Han Li was a newly attained Yuan婴 cultivator. "Indeed," Lu Luo hesitated slightly, but then realized that others must have already known this, so he openly acknowledged it. "Huh!" The cultivators in the hall were all struck silent; two even drew in their breaths in astonishment. "Han Elder has already achieved such mastery at such a young age. It's certain he will eventually reach the later stage of Yuan婴 cultivation. I'd like to extend my congratulations to Lu brother. The prosperity of Luoyun Sect is surely within reach. Then, our Tiandao Alliance will gain a great cultivator as well!" Xu Changjing was equally amazed, his words tinged with a clear sense of admiration. The others were much the same, expressing admiration while also offering a few polite compliments. Lu Luo felt a sense of satisfaction within, yet spoke with natural humility. "However, Brother Lu, although Han Elder escaped under the God Master's watch, I suspect he must have sustained some injuries. Otherwise, how could he have remained absent for so long? Brother Lu should send more people to search for him. If manpower is limited, our sect can dispatch some disciples to assist." The middle-aged man with mournful, broad brows frowned slightly, his tone somewhat cold. "As for this matter, I'm not entirely clear. Still, I imagine he will have lost some of his vital energy and is likely resting quietly in seclusion." Lu Luo's heart tightened at this, yet he remained composed and responded calmly. Lu Luo, having lived for several centuries, was well attuned to subtle undercurrents of jealousy. This man with the broad brows was a senior elder of Luanming Sect, the foremost branch of the Celestial Way Alliance. The couple who had jointly advanced to the level of senior cultivators capable of challenging the three foremost cultivators within the Tian Dao Alliance were precisely the two senior elders of Luan Ming Sect. Otherwise, how could Luan Ming Sect have stood out so prominently among the other sects of the Tian Dao Alliance? Now, it's said that the senior elder of Luoyun Sect might possibly advance to the late Yuan Yin stage in the near future—this naturally makes the elder somewhat uneasy, and he has quietly cast some cool glances at the matter. Yet on the surface, the elder appears deeply concerned, leaving others unable to say anything. Just as the atmosphere grew somewhat awkward, a flash of red light suddenly shot in from outside the door, spiraling before settling gracefully upon Lu Lu. Everyone was momentarily stunned. Lu Lu himself was equally surprised, yet he still extended a hand to greet the light. Instantly, the red light transformed into a blazing flame and landed in his hands. Lu Lu immersed his consciousness into the flame, and after a brief moment, a look of delight spread across his face. "My junior brother, Han, has already arrived in the city and is now at our sect's headquarters. I shall now step down," Lu Lu said, suppressing He hurried off. Watching Lu Luo's swift departure, the other cultivators stared at one another, each displaying a range of expressions. No one had expected that, just as the name of the famed Han Elder was mentioned, he had already appeared. Xu Changjing stroked his beard, his face showing a thoughtful expression. The middle-aged man with a furrowed brow remained composed, yet upon close observation, a deep, somber hue could be seen flicker in his eyes. Nearly half of the Luoyun Sect's strength. Now, within the main hall of the Luoyun Sect's headquarters, Han Li sat in a wooden chair at the center of the hall, one hand resting gently on his chin, his expression calm and composed. Standing to his left and right were a man and a woman—precisely the red-robed elder from the Huayun Peak and the Song-family woman from the Bai Feng Peak. The red-robed elder maintained a respectful posture, while the Song-family woman stood with hands folded, her face subtly expressing a mixture of emotions, her eyes constantly shifting as if pondering something deep within. At that moment, Lü Luo hurried into the hall from outside, immediately spotting Han Li seated in the chair. He beamed with joy and quickly approached. "Brother Han, you've finally returned! These past half years without any word from you have truly worried me and Master Xiang to no end." "Thank you, Master Xiang for your concern. I sustained a bit of internal injury back then and had to rest and recover for a while. However, upon hearing the news of the fall of Qiantian City, I was genuinely worried about you." Han Li rose from his chair, Hm, where are the others? Why aren't they coming out to greet Han弟? Lu Luo's face relaxed slightly, but upon glancing around, his expression turned serious. "Report, uncles, Yi弟 and the others are on duty today. They've gone to consolidate the independent practitioners," the elder in red robes replied respectfully. "Ah, that explains it. No wonder then." Lu Luo's demeanor softened immediately. At that moment, Han smiled and spoke: "Upon my return, I've discovered that I've become a bit of a celebrity. There are quite a few mentions of me, aren't there?" He had casually overheard several practitioners discussing him along the way, and was quite surprised. "Haha! I've actually been meaning to tell you about this—go on, you two. I'd like to have a private chat with Han弟 for a moment." Lu Luo chuckled and was about to continue, but after a glance at the elder in red robes and the woman, he calmly issued his instruction. These two naturally dared to dissent, quickly agreeing and then retreating. Yet, before leaving, the woman with the surname Song glanced at Han Li with a flicker of intent. Han Li found himself somewhat puzzled, but his expression remained calm, as if completely unaware. Since meeting him, the woman's demeanor had been slightly off, as though she had something to say to him, yet she kept hesitating, unable to bring herself to speak. Though Han Li found this odd, he did not feel the need to initiate a conversation. "Brother, you've made me and Master Liu suffer greatly. With such great capabilities, why didn't you reveal them sooner?" As soon as the two junior disciples had stepped back, Liu Luo immediately sighed and began to complain. "I've only just stabilized my Yuan婴 (spirit embryo), and Master Liu himself knows this well—how could I possibly claim any great power? The reports must have been exaggerated," Han Li shook his head, speaking with a touch of resignation. "Enough, brother. There's no need for such humility. Though Master Mu Lan is our adversary, her assessment of you is surely not far from the mark." But what truly surprised me and my senior brother was that our junior could manage to bring in a Yuan-Stage female cultivator from Yan Yue Sect—this truly earned my deep admiration. Li Luo chuckled, his face displaying a somewhat strange smile. "Have you seen Wan'er, Senior Brother?" Han Li asked, his expression shifting with concern as he heard this. When parting ways, he had given Nan Gong Wan a jade scroll that identified her status, and had only vaguely mentioned her background. However, now that he heard Li Luo's words, it seemed as though he knew everything clearly. "Yes! Nan Gong Lady has already fully informed Cheng Senior Brother of all the details. Now, our junior needn't worry about anything anymore," Li Luo seemed to sense Han Li's concerns, and smiled gently. "What does Senior Li mean by that?" Han Li furrowed his brows, both understanding and still somewhat puzzled. "Did you not know? As far back as several months ago, Yan Yue Sect suddenly announced that Nan Gong Lady had suffered a collapse in her cultivation technique, resulting in a sudden demise due to internal disturbances." The engagement between Wei Licheng of Hua Hua Yi Men and Wen Er was naturally dissolved. Meanwhile, Master Cheng had taken a female cultivator named Wan'er as his adoptive sister and intended to match her with his younger brother as a partner for mutual cultivation. He was wondering how the younger brother felt about this. "Wen'er, bowing to Master Cheng as her adoptive elder brother?" Han Li was left speechless. "Indeed. Master Cheng has already stated that once they successfully repel the southern celestial cultivators, he will formally hold a grand ceremony to celebrate the mutual cultivation between you and your adoptive sister. At that point, even if some people harbor doubts, they would truly dare to challenge the entire Tian Dao Alliance and come to confront them directly. Even if Wei Wuyan himself becomes aware of this matter, under the current circumstances where our Tian Dao Alliance has just united to resist the enemy, he would only have to endure it and accept it. Moreover, your brother's reputation now is no longer insignificant. The members of Hua Hua Yi Men and Yan Yue Sect are likely to deliberately remain unaware of this development." Lu Luo spoke with confidence. After listening to these words, Han Li remained silent with a complex expression on his face, and only after a while did he gently exhale and slowly say, "For the matter concerning me, I truly appreciate the effort both of you have made. This will be remembered by me." Though Han Li's words were simple and brief, Lu Luo found himself deeply relieved. After all, he and his senior had gone to great lengths, and finally, Han Li had acknowledged their kindness. With this single statement, Huang Feng Valley would likely find it very difficult to persuade Han Li to leave. "Heh! Han Li, and I are all family, so why be so formal? By the way, Nan Gong has been rather anxious about the news of your disappearance. She originally intended to come personally, but was finally persuaded to stay here by Cheng Senior's persistent efforts. After all, there are many cultivators from Yan Yue Sect and Hua Yi Gate here. Until the formal Double Cultivation Ceremony is held with you, it would be best if Nan Gong remained out of sight from these people." As for my junior brother's attendant wife, I've also arranged for other disciples to escort her back. With the great battle looming here, it would indeed be too dangerous for her. Qi Luo said this with a warm tone.