As soon as the spirit of the dragon merged into the spiritual skin, Han Li didn't hesitate—his hand flipped, and a slender, bluish spiritual brush appeared in his palm, about six or seven inches long and delicate. With his other hand, he gestured toward a green jade box whose lid was open, and a golden liquid floated gently out of the box. Han Li swiftly dipped the brush into the liquid, then his face tightened as he aimed it at the floating skin, beginning to skillfully sketch symbols in the air. Golden characters flowed out of the brush tip one after another, shooting forward and vanishing into the blood-red spiritual skin within moments. Immediately afterward, golden characters of varying sizes emerged on the surface of the skin, shining brightly and neatly engraved as if carved. Just as these symbols first appeared, the skin trembled violently, and a roar of dragon's voice erupted from its surface. Then, the skin bulged and rippled, and the blood-red dragon spirit surged forth, attempting to flee. At that very instant, the golden runes on the spiritual skin burst with brilliant light, twisting and pulsing as if coming to life, tightly enclosing the dragon soul within them and then forcefully pulling it backward. Though lacking spiritual awareness, the dragon soul, as the refined essence of a celestial and terrestrial spirit-beast, instinctively sensed the danger and continuously struggled, tearing at the golden runes in desperate attempts to break free and escape. At the same time, the golden runes activated by Han Li's brush points grew faster and faster, gradually forming a dense network of large and small golden symbols that completely surrounded the dragon soul. After a brief moment, the dragon soul was fully ensnared and slowly drawn back into the spiritual skin. Taking this opportunity, Han Li paused his hand movements and immediately switched to a different purple liquid, dipping his brush into it and then drawing out strange, calligraphic-like symbols with a steady, unhurried motion, one after another. Thus, at regular intervals, Han Li would replace the liquid with another, resembling precious medicinal sand, each time adding a variety of unique symbols and creases to the surface of the spiritual skin. Not long after, the compact scroll of luminous spirit paper shimmered with a dense array of colorful glimmers, exuding a vibrant and lively spirit energy. Yet Han Li's expression grew increasingly serious, and his writing grew slower and slower. The blue light in his eyes flickered incessantly, his spirit senses of the Ming and Qing dynasties pushed to their utmost limits. As soon as a red character was completed and flew into the spirit paper, an unusual surge of spiritual energy erupted from the half-finished spirit scroll, growing progressively more violent. Han Li's face turned pale, and he silently cursed within himself. But immediately, without hesitation, he swept his broad sleeve across the ground, and a wave of azure light surged forth, instantly gathering all the materials. At the same time, with his other hand he swept through the space before him, launching a small blue shield from his sleeve, which rapidly expanded to form a protective barrier in front of him. Just as Han Li had finished these actions, the spirit paper burst apart with a thunderous roar, like a dragon's cry. Five vibrant light spheres shimmered brilliantly, radiating an astonishing surge of spiritual energy that surged outward, as if a massive wave had struck the blue shield. The shield wavered slightly before steadying and holding firm. Han Li was momentarily stunned, more than a little surprised. According to the immense power of the Spirit-Calling Seal, such an explosion from a failed seal should have caused considerable damage. Yet here, the shield had withstood it so effortlessly—quite unlike his expectations. Just as Han Li was pondering this, a streak of bloodlight shot forth from the light spheres, swiftly reaching the ceiling of the chamber and then attempting to vanish into the room. However, as soon as it touched the roof, a sudden white light curtain materialized without warning, instantly reflecting the bloodlight back and revealing its form. It was the blood-colored young dragon—its toxic dragon essence. Han Li was first taken aback, then immediately filled with joy. Without a moment's hesitation, Han Li lifted his hand single-handedly, reaching out and grasping at the void. Suddenly, a large hand of jade green materialized above the jiao hún's head, snatching it into his hands and sending it shooting downward. At that moment, Han Li extended a finger and lightly tapped the shield before him. After a ripple of blue light, the shield rapidly shrank and, spinning once, shot itself into his sleeve. Then, Han Li gazed intently at the jiao hún now captured, and once again employed his Ming-Qing spiritual clairvoyance. Of course, if the process of refining is repeated too many times, the spiritual power will inevitably diminish significantly, and the effectiveness of the Calming Spirit Scroll will surely be greatly reduced. Understanding the underlying reason, Han Li exhaled gently, his expression slightly easing. Even with some loss of spiritual power, it was far better than the exquisite essence of the toxic dragon spirit dispersing entirely at once. It was truly a blessing in disguise! Han Li chuckled softly, then retrieved each of the auxiliary materials, arranged them neatly once again—of course, replacing the original spirit-animal hide with a new one. The refining process began anew. All knew that in this great conflict, either the Mulan forces would suffer a decisive defeat and retreat, or the Tiannan region would fall firmly into the hands of the Fashis, resulting in countless sects losing their lineages. Thus, morale was already soaring without any need for stimulation. As for the rumors surrounding the ten betting battles, they spread far and wide. Fearing that spies from Mulan might reveal the names of the participating cultivators, enabling the Fashis to deploy targeted reinforcements, the names of Han Li and his companions remained confidential—known only to the elder master of the Thatemple Hall and a few others. Consequently, the identities of these ten Yuan-Stage cultivators became the subject of extensive speculation and discussion among the other cultivators. Predicting the outcome of the battles was no easy task, especially since the fate of thousands of cultivators' lives hung in the balance. Those from sects who had placed their hopes on their disciples being included naturally became even more attentive. Meanwhile, disciples from Luoyun Sect gradually joined the departing groups and left Tianyicheng. Seeing this, Lu Luo found himself compelled to follow suit. However, he instructed the lady named Song to remain at the outpost, waiting for Han Li to emerge. Within a few days, the city of Tianyi gradually grew sparser, with only a few remaining cultivators stationed there. As day after day passed and Han Li showed no sign of emerging, the lady grew increasingly anxious. Though Han Li's meditation chamber was protected by numerous seals, faint sounds of dragon roars or explosive bursts could still be heard emanating from within—something that both surprised and worried her. By the fifth day, she made up her mind. If her senior master Han Li still hadn't emerged, she would have no choice but to take a determined step and forcibly break through the seals. Otherwise, if the delay continued even one more day, she would likely miss the great battle altogether. Now, seated in the hall of the outpost, the lady named Song sits in anxious silence, occasionally glancing out the window at the fading afternoon sunlight, her expression shifting between worry and uncertainty. As the sky darkened, her brows tightened, she bit her lower lip, and suddenly rose to her feet. Just as the young woman moved gracefully two steps, a clear, resonant bell sound suddenly reached the hall, causing her to pause, then brighten with delight. A moment later, at the hall entrance, a shimmer of emerald light flashed, and Han Li's figure emerged suddenly within the glow. "May I have the honor of addressing you, senior uncle!" The woman with the surname Song quickly advanced with delicate steps, bowing respectfully. "By now, how many days have passed? It seems most of the city's cultivators have already departed," Han Li remarked as he stepped out of the chamber. His awareness immediately sensed the city of Tianyi to be largely empty, with only a few cultivators remaining. Seeing this woman, he naturally asked. After all, within the chamber, he could only roughly estimate the time, though he felt it had not exceeded the scheduled days—so asking now gave him greater reassurance. "Reporting to you, senior uncle, it is now the fifth day," the woman with the surname Song replied with sincere composure. "The fifth day? That's more than ample time. Still, we should arrive earlier. Let us go," Han Li said decisively. "Understood!" "A woman of the Song surname softly agreed. Han Li raised his hand and shot a beam of white light from his sleeve, which drifted toward the courtyard outside the hall. After the light faded, a white, four-sided vehicle with wings appeared there—exactly the Wind-riding Car. "Get in and take this vehicle. It will get you to your destination faster than your own light-step travel," Han Li said, stepping into the car himself and then turning to the woman. The woman glanced at the vehicle, her eyes briefly widening with surprise, before silently getting in as well. Seeing this, Han Li lightly tapped the car with his foot. Instantly, the Wind-riding Car flashed with a white glow, forming a translucent white shield that enclosed both the vehicle and its passengers. After a slight tremor, it burst into a brilliant white light and sped off through the air. Indeed, the Wind-riding Car, as a specialized flying artifact, required little spiritual energy and moved with a speed far surpassing that of ordinary cultivators. In moments, it had already slipped out of Tianyi City and was racing swiftly toward the city's borders. The woman of the Song surname now felt even more at ease. And in her heart, she silently pondered whether it was precisely because of this precious artifact that the young Master Han had remained so composed, only now finally stepping out of seclusion. She wondered what profound secret techniques the enigmatic master had been practicing these past days, and what exactly had caused the thunderous roar of the dragon’s voice within the sealed chamber. While this young lady was lost in thought, Han suddenly asked a question that came as a surprise. "Have both of you, Master Zilin, still remained at your original location?" "At first, I was startled, but then I replied promptly," said the woman with the surname Song. "Master Zilin has already temporarily left Tianyi City, intending to return after this great battle concludes and decide on their future plans." "Ah, indeed! Master Zilin is quite perceptive. This is truly a wise move. If I were in her position, I would likely have done the same," Han said, with a calm, gentle smile. Then, with a subtle touch of her foot, she further accelerated the wind-car, increasing its speed significantly. To the astonishment of the woman with the surname Song, it swiftly surged forward, covering over ten zhang in an instant, and soon faded into a small light dot, vanishing at the edge of the sky.