Everything in the cave remained unchanged, including the trio of golden insects that had been released to guard the cave upon his departure—still condensed into a luminous, three-colored sphere, suspended in the center of the hall. The Xuan Tian Immortal Vine transplanted into the medicinal garden and the Ji Qu Ling Sheng roots, both remained perfectly intact, as if he had only just left yesterday. The broken roots of the Xuan Tian Immortal Vine were merely a minor concern; Han Li had never held much hope of reviving them. But the Ji Qu Ling Sheng roots were far more remarkable—this rare medicinal herb had long since vanished from the outside world. Moreover, it had grown so attuned to its environment that it had even developed a tangible form, making it exceptionally precious. If it weren't for the inconvenience of carrying it with him, Han Li would have genuinely considered transplanting it along with himself. Unfortunately, in the ancient formula he had recently obtained, no recipe called for the use of the Ji Qu Ling Sheng roots. Thus, he could only sigh and temporarily set it aside, unable to take further action. Besides the medicinal herbs grown in the herb garden, the young eggs of the six-winged frost centipede and most of the gold-devouring insects that Han Li carried away when he last left the estate were placed in spirit-animal bags. There is no need to worry about them. Even the twenty-four young eggs of the six-winged frost centipede had hatched en route, shortly after Han Li had departed for the westernmost lands. However, over the past twenty years spent trapped within the spatial rift, the small vial failed to regenerate its green liquid, leaving these spirit insects still in their larval stage, never advancing. Han Li had placed them in a specially crafted spirit-animal bag, keeping them in a state of deep dormancy. This has been somewhat regrettable. Now, Han Li first returns the batch of insects awaiting development to their designated insect chamber, then retrieves the specially prepared, extremely cold spirit-animal bag and walks over to the adjacent chamber where the six-winged frost centipede had previously been housed. He gently tips the bag against the chamber's door. As a wave of white light surged through, over twenty young centipede larvae, each a few inches long, appeared in the center of the insect chamber. These six-winged frost centipedes, with bodies pure white and translucent, had not yet developed any wing structures—appearing instead like enlarged white snow silkworms, neither fierce nor intimidating. When Han Li first acquired these six-winged frost centipedes, he had no idea whether they truly evolved through mutual consumption among themselves via the Nishang grass. He had merely intended to test this hypothesis. Yet, to his great delight, he discovered that the larvae indeed possessed such an evolutionary trait. Originally, his plan had been simply to harness the cold essence of these creatures to refine his Purple Lotus Fire cultivation. However, after the battle in the Valley of the Fallen Demons, Han Li's intentions had evolved. While the gold-devouring insects were exceptionally sharp, their flight speed remained notably slow. He now suspected that, even when fully matured, they might still face significant limitations when confronting opponents with extraordinary speed or in certain dynamic situations. Moreover, besides its terrifying ability to exhale freezing breath, the Six-Winged Frost Centipede's exceptional speed of movement ranks among the fastest among all spiritual insects. During its two-winged stage, its speed is only slightly inferior to that of ordinary spiritual insects. However, once it regenerates a pair of cicada wings, forming four pairs of wings, its speed significantly increases, surpassing even the typical flight speeds of spiritual artifacts. Most astonishingly, when it evolves a third pair of cicada wings, its speed becomes among the top three fastest among all spiritual insects—reportedly capable of appearing and vanishing completely, traveling thousands of miles in an instant. Of course, these descriptions are primarily based on accounts from ancient texts and are largely traditional lore. Even in ancient times, only a few spiritual insects managed to evolve into the six-winged form. Han Li remains only half-believing in these claims. Nevertheless, the Six-Winged Frost Centipede is undoubtedly one of the fastest-moving ancient spiritual insects. In the battle against the ancient demon, Han Li had endured the elusive, ghostly movements of his opponent and naturally conceived the idea of cultivating the six-winged frost centipede to its peak stage. Once it reached the six-winged stage, the cold breath emitted from the creature's mouth grew increasingly potent, proving highly beneficial to Han Li's cultivation of the Purple Lotus Fire. With this thought firmly established, Han Li began to treat the young six-winged centipedes with special attention. Observing that the young creatures showed no hesitation or resistance toward their new environment, Han Li grew confident and settled in. While he intended to observe them for a bit longer, his expression suddenly brightened as he glanced toward the entrance of the pavilion, as though sensing something. Then, with a quick movement of his sleeve, a beam of white light shot forth, and Yin Yue materialized before him. "Mù Pèi Líng has now arrived at the entrance. Go and bring her to the hall. I have something important to say to her!" Han Li instructed solemnly. "Yes, Master!" "Yin Yue said nothing further, merely bowed respectfully and then vanished into a streak of silver light from her original spot. Han Li resealed the insect chamber and calmly returned to the main hall. A short while later, Han Li sat motionless at the head of the hall, one hand resting on his chin, as if deep in thought. At that moment, a soft footstep echoed at the entrance of the hall. Yin Yue entered first, smiling warmly, followed by Mu Peilin, who had not seen her in many years. The woman's appearance remained as graceful as ever—indeed, more radiant and elegant than before. The earlier coldness had softened, and now a sense of refined, secluded grace, like a lotus blooming in a quiet valley, had taken its place. "Distinguished Sir, congratulations on your safe return and on your great advancement in cultivation, now reaching the mid-stage of Yuan Ying," Mu Peilin said, smiling gently and bowing slightly upon seeing Han Li. "You've already noticed my progress to the mid-stage of Yuan Ying. No need for formalities, then." Back then, you accompanied me on a journey to the far west—though you may not have earned much glory, you certainly bore your share of hardships. Between us, there’s no need to remain overly formal now.” Han Li gave a gentle smile to the young lady and then gestured for her to rise and speak. Over the three years they spent together in the far west, their relationship had grown considerably closer. Though they still hadn’t reached the point of being inseparable, it had certainly improved greatly compared to before. “Thank you, sir!” Mu Peilin stood gracefully. “When I first returned from the far west, I never expected that just after parting ways with you, I would end up trapped in the Valley of the Fallen Demon for over two decades. Your steadfast presence here speaks volumes of your care.” “As Peilin, your personal attendant and one deeply grateful to you, I would hardly know where else to go if I didn’t remain here. Moreover, I never believed you would truly fall from this world.” Mu Peilin replied with a warm smile. “I didn’t expect you to have such confidence in me. Yet this time, the peril has been truly extreme—almost beyond recovery.” Yet, even with some elixirs at your disposal, your progress in cultivation has been remarkably swift. How confident are you about your upcoming Dan-stage attainment?" After a hearty laugh, Han Li shifted the conversation to inquire about this lady. "How could I possibly be confident? The probability of successfully achieving the Dan stage is originally only one in ten. Whether or not I succeed truly depends on fate." Mu Peilin, upon hearing this, expressed a touch of resignation on her face. "Fate? Hm, that's hard to predict. I can certainly lend you a helping hand in your Dan-stage journey, boosting your chances by an additional two or three tenths." Han Li smiled warmly at her. "What? That's impossible! Didn't you just say it was a jest? I've never heard of such a medicinal herb existing in the southern lands." Mu Peilin's lips parted slightly, her expression filled with astonishment. "Most of the elixirs I possess are not native to the southern lands. It's quite natural that you haven't heard of them." "But I can assure you, with your current qualifications, the probability of successfully completing the cultivation process to reach the Dan-Stage will approach half—nothing surprising at all!" Han Li spoke calmly and composedly. Since they had been together, Mu Pei Ling had come to know that Han Li never made grandiose claims, and thus now felt about seven or eight out of ten confident. Yet, after a brief reflection, she still found herself hesitating. "Master has now shared these details with me. Does this mean there is something further you wish to request of me? If so, why haven't you stated it plainly?" Mu Pei Ling said softly. Han Li was momentarily taken aback, somewhat surprised, but after a moment's thoughtful pause, he decided to be direct. "Do you still remember the agreement you made when I first took you as my concubine?" he asked, immediately addressing the key point. "Of course I do. You promised me thirty years to devote to cultivation, during which time you would not take away my original essence of Yin energy." Mu Pei Ling was first startled, then her face flushed deeply, becoming especially graceful and charming. "It's about time now that our agreed-upon date has arrived. But don't worry— I won't interfere with you at the crucial moment when you're about to achieve your Golden Dan stage. However, before then, there are a few matters I'd like to clarify. Once those are settled, you can carefully weigh the benefits and drawbacks. I don't want to end up expending all my precious elixirs to help you form your Golden Dan, only for you to suddenly back out and grow resentful later on." Han Li knew the young lady had some misunderstandings, yet remained calm and spoke slowly. "What exactly do you mean, sir?" Mu Peilin was startled, lifting her gaze to Han Li, her eyes reflecting a touch of surprise and doubt. "I would like you, after you achieve your Golden Dan, to abandon your current cultivation technique and instead learn a method known as the 'Dian Feng Pei Yuan Technique.'" Han Li said, his expression slightly unusual. "The Dian Feng Pei Yuan Technique?" Mu Peilin was somewhat surprised. "It is a rare dual-cultivation method specifically designed for women." Once this technique is refined to its deepest level, it can be achieved through a woman's first act of conjugal harmony, bringing significant benefits to both partners in terms of cultivation. While the enhancement of their cultivation is valuable, the most remarkable effect lies in its extraordinary ability to facilitate breakthroughs at critical junctures. I may openly state that although the technique is primarily practiced by the woman, the man reaps the greatest benefits. This is precisely why I have previously made additional efforts to support and assist you in forming your golden elixir, as my own cultivation has now reached the mid-stage of the Yuan Ying period. The Reverse Phoenix Nourishing Technique will be particularly effective in advancing me toward the late Yuan Ying stage only when it is cultivated to the late Ju Dan stage. Should you agree to switch to this method after achieving Ju Dan, I will continue to supply you with Ju Dan period elixirs to accelerate your progress. While I cannot guarantee all benefits, at the very least, you will save yourself hundreds of years of arduous cultivation. Of course, if you find this arrangement unsuitable, I will not insist. After you complete your current attempt to achieve the Dan Stage—regardless of whether or not you succeed—I will lift the Divine Seal Spell within your consciousness and restore your freedom. From this point on, we shall be entirely independent of one another." Han Li's facial expression remained unchanged, yet his voice was calm and composed. Mu Peilin found this statement deeply surprising, her heart suddenly disordered, her facial expression shifting between clouded and composed.