"What is it?" Han Li turned to glance at Yin Yue. "Since being accepted as a vessel spirit by the master, the master has never summoned me in my spirit form to enhance the power of the flying sword, nor has the master ever called upon me as a vessel spirit to face off against opponents. I wonder if the master could kindly explain the reason for this." Yin Yue asked slowly. "How did you happen to think of this?" Han Li furrowed his brow, slightly surprised. "Nothing special. I was merely casually wondering. After all, my true identity is simply that of a regular vessel spirit." Yin Yue lowered her head slightly and spoke softly. "Vessel spirit? Do you consider yourself a common vessel spirit? Ordinary vessel spirits lack true intelligence—how could they even ask such a question? In reality, while summoning a vessel spirit to take form can greatly amplify the power of a treasure, it comes at a significant cost in spiritual essence. Indeed, there have been instances where the master has summoned the vessel spirit too frequently, resulting in the spirit gradually dissipating on its own." As for me, your presence in the form of a fox spirit has been of great assistance. I would only transform you into a vessel spirit to face enemies under no alternative circumstances, since your cultivation level has been significantly depleted—something that is not at all favorable to me. After a moment of silence, Han Li simply said this in a calm tone, then turned and walked away without further words, stepping out of the hall. Left behind in the hall, Yin Yue blinked her bright eyes several times, her delicate features reflecting a thoughtful expression, lost in her own thoughts. After a while, she glanced down at the jade box in her hands, a gentle smile forming on her lips, and then followed suit, stepping out as well. ...The next day, Han Li appeared in the inner chamber of his dwelling, preparing to begin cultivating the divine technique for the second prenatal stage. Ordinary secret arts simply cannot compare to such a grand divine technique, so Han Li had actually been making preparations for this day's training long before today. Now, Han Li is seated cross-legged on the ground, holding a pale green jade scroll in his hands, his spiritual awareness deeply immersed within it, contemplating something profound. This very scroll records the "Xuan Mu Hua Ying" technique. After a while, Han Li withdraws his spiritual awareness, closes his eyes, and meditates. Then, with a series of hand gestures and low, resonant incantations, his form solidifies, and he remains motionless. Above his forehead, at the vertex of his skull, the light pulses gently, and suddenly, a glowing infant appears—precisely the Yuan Ying he has cultivated through two hundred years of rigorous practice. This Yuan Ying appears slightly more robust than it did a few years ago, with dark, clear eyes that radiate a strong sense of vitality. Though Han Li has only refined this Yuan Ying for a few years, he is only willing to allow it to manifest temporarily in such a secure and stable environment. Otherwise, should any unforeseen incident occur, his Yuan Ying would be exceedingly fragile. After hovering above Han Li for a while, the Yuan婴 tilted its neck to survey the surroundings of the chamber. A flash of green light rippled across its body, and it floated upward as a shimmering sphere of spiritual radiance, gradually drifting through the chamber. At first, it seemed somewhat clumsy, but gradually it appeared to master the art of flight, its green glow accelerating steadily. By the end, the entire chamber was filled with a ghostly, ever-shifting sphere of light, flickering and appearing in and out of sight, breathtaking in its grace. A little while later, the Yuan婴 suddenly ceased its flight and hovered at one corner of the chamber, as though recalling something. With two delicate white hands pressing seals, a brief flash of light passed through it, and the Yuan婴 instantly vanished from its original spot—reappearing the very next moment atop Han Li's head. However, its face had grown slightly pale, as though it had expended considerable spiritual energy. This was indeed the Yuan婴's unique ability—the true art of instantaneous teleportation. Stretching out its limbs, the Yuan婴 once again transformed into a flowing streak of green light and seamlessly merged into Han Li's cranial region, vanishing completely. Han Li's eyelids twitched slightly, and his eyes slowly opened, revealing a serious expression. "It seems that after these years of cultivation, the Yuan婴 has finally stabilized. Though it still falls short of the Yuan婴 of those ancient masters, he now should have no concerns when beginning to cultivate his second Yuan婴." Han Li murmured to himself. Then, with one hand he pressed on his storage pouch, and a jade box appeared in his hands, covered with numerous scrolls. Han Li, his expression serious, swept his sleeve outward, and all the scrolls fell off automatically. With a gentle touch of his finger to a corner of the box lid, the lid opened on its own, revealing a luminous golden sphere inside. This was the captured Zhi Mu Ling Ying, sealed within. "The Li Hún Shù (separation of soul) technique I first employed—now it must be nearly fully effective!" Han Li said, gazing at the sphere and adding a quiet remark. Then, after a moment's thought, he raised his hand and placed his five fingers gently upon the golden sphere. A thunderclap resonated, and as golden light flashed, countless delicate arcs shot off the sphere and swiftly vanished into Han Li's hands. In an instant, the golden sphere within the box dissolved, revealing a small, jade-green figure several inches tall—clearly the true form of the Supreme Wood Spirit Infant. However, at this moment, the Spirit Infant was covered in dense clusters of fine black needles, her eyes closed and unconscious. These black needles, resembling cowhairs, occasionally glowed with faint green light, creating a most eerie sight. Han Li could not afford to be careless; he narrowed his eyes and carefully examined both the Spirit Infant and the black needles. After confirming everything matched his expectations, he slightly relaxed and gently extended his index finger, touching it gently to the Infant's forehead and brow. A soft "popping" sound echoed. Before the fingers had fully pressed upon the points, luminous green orbs the size of broad beans suddenly burst forth at the tips, then transformed into a beam of vivid green light that pierced directly into the forehead of the spiritual infant. Han Li's fingers remained perfectly still, steady and composed, as if using the green filaments to probe the condition within the infant's body. After a full meal's worth of time, Han Li exhaled deeply, then gently withdrew his fingers, drawing the green spirit filaments back and having them vanish in a flash. He stroked his chin, paused thoughtfully, and then suddenly raised his hand, summoning the numerous black fine needles embedded in the spiritual infant's body, which instantly turned into hundreds of black streaks and flew into his sleeve. The spiritual infant remained unconscious, lying still within the jade box, showing no signs of awakening. Han Li appeared to have made up his mind, with no further hesitation, and then pressed a strange hand seal with both hands, casting a spell directly upon the wooden spiritual infant. Instantly, the spiritual infant floated gently out of the jade box, rising to the height of韩立's head, then settled into a meditative posture with both hands and legs moving naturally, facing韩立 directly and remaining motionless. 韩立 gently closed his eyes, channeling his inner meditation technique, and a bright cyan glow emanated from his forehead, causing his own immortal embryo to reappear there. This time, the immortal embryo did not display a cheerful expression, but instead held a serious, tense demeanor, with its face tightly drawn. It raised its head and fixed its gaze upon the motionless spiritual infant of Zhi Mu. After a slight movement, it drifted to the opposite side of the Zhi Mu infant and settled into a meditative posture as well. The Zhi Mu infant itself was about two inches in size, while韩立's immortal embryo was only a few inches tall—thus, when they stood side by side, the contrast in size made them appear somewhat uncoordinated. Yet at this moment,韩立's embryo moved its lips slightly, murmuring a few unclear incantations before opening its mouth and projecting a pure, misty stream of refined spiritual energy directly onto the face of the Zhi The Lingying's face suddenly stirred, and slowly opened her eyes—yet her gaze was utterly blank, devoid of any spirit or vitality, as if a puppet. Han Li's Yuanjing, on the other hand, was as if facing a major crisis. His small hands swiftly pressed seals, never ceasing, while his eyes were wide open, fixed intently on the Lingying's, blinking not once. Suddenly, two streaks of azure light shot forth from Han Li's Yuanjing and directly entered the Lingying's eyes. At once, both figures shivered simultaneously. Then the Lingying emitted a piercing, agonized cry, "thud!" and fell from the air, rolling and writhing on the ground as though enduring intense suffering. Han Li's Yuanjing remained steadily floating in the air, though his small face bore a clearly painful expression, yet he managed to hold it together. The sounds of agony within the chamber were intermittent, fluctuating in intensity, lasting continuously for one full day and night before gradually fading away. Two days later, Han Li finally stepped out of the chamber, looking weary, yet with a subtle spark of excitement in his eyes. Initially, he had been afraid that forcibly encroaching upon the Zhi Mu Ling Ying's consciousness might result in a counterattack and even a reversal of fortune. Therefore, he had not immediately cast the spell to implant his second prenatal essence. Instead, that very day, he employed a secret technique from the Xuan Yin Jing—a method of spirit separation—on the Zhi Mu Ling Ying, using a series of spirit-needle devices to gradually weaken and dissipate her consciousness. After this prolonged period, the Zhi Mu Ling Ying's original consciousness had naturally been reduced to its very lowest level. With his own consciousness, no weaker than that of a late prenatal stage, Han Li was now able to effortlessly erase the last remnants of the Zhi Mu Ling Ying's spirit and completely absorb them, integrating his own consciousness into it. Then, using a special method, he gently incorporated the spirit infant into his body, allowing it to gradually adapt and merge. Although there was still a risk that his spirit awareness might be gradually absorbed and assimilated by the innate qualities of the spiritual infant, Han Li believed his own spirit awareness to be exceptionally solid and resilient, so he was unlikely to encounter such an issue. Even if such an event did occur, he would merely have to forgo that portion of his spirit awareness—given his powerful overall spirit, the loss would not impair his spiritual intelligence at all. As for the duration of this assimilation process, however, it was difficult to predict. It could take anywhere from three to five years, or possibly seven to eight years, or even over a decade—essentially varying from person to person. Han Li had never expected the second spiritual infant to prove useful during the journey to the Valley of the Fallen Demon, so he had no pressing urgency. After leaving the chamber, he rested and adjusted for one day before heading to the market to purchase a batch of materials for crafting. He then spent fifteen days in the workshop before returning. In the meantime, however, he had acquired over a dozen large, versatile spikes—each capable of being freely adjusted in size. With these in hand, Han Li set off directly toward the marsh where he had first encountered the Snow-Cloud Fox. When韩立appeared in the stone cottage deep within the mountain, he immediately saw the Shiqiao lying peacefully on the stone platform. Though he had anticipated this, he still felt a sense of relief. He first retrieved a jade box adorned with golden seals from his storage bag, then arranged the large silver pins one by one, and then gazed at the Shiqiao with half-closed eyes.