Though he gathered many medicinal herbs within the ruins of Lingmiao Garden, none of them were capable of extending his lifespan—something he could do nothing about. "Brother, don't be overly discouraged. Who knows, we might still find another opportunity within the next few years!" Han Li could only offer such reassurance. The elder shook his head, his expression calm, clearly having a deep understanding of life and death. Han Li then naturally shifted the topic, palm outstretched, and in his hand now appeared a white jade scroll. "With your arrival, I've just recalled something. I actually need several materials collected by disciples across various markets and towns within the sect. Since the range of items is quite diverse, the more we gather, the better—just do your best. As long as the materials aren't too out of the ordinary, let the disciples take them regardless of how many spirit stones they cost. They can simply come to me later to claim their payment." Han Li handed over the scroll casually. "Let me take a look!" "Lyuo grew more interested, took the jade scroll and scanned it with his spiritual awareness, his face gradually revealing a sense of wonder. "Brother, I never realized you only said you'd done your best—most of these things are quite hard to find. Several of them seem to be legendary, and we in Tiannan probably won't have any at all," Lyuo said, expression stunned. "Ah, what kind of materials are these? Let me take a look as well!" Upon hearing this, Cheng, his senior, showed clear curiosity, reached for the jade scroll, read through it himself, and then likewise became surprised. "Indeed, all of them are rare and hard to come by. Does Brother intend to refine some kind of divine artifact?" "A divine artifact? Well, perhaps that's a fair description!" Han smiled slightly, without elaborating further. Seeing this, Cheng didn't press for more details, simply agreed wholeheartedly and promised to immediately assign his disciples to gather these materials across various regions of Tiannan. At this point, the elder and Lu Luo exchanged a glance, after which Lu Luo suddenly removed a sturdy, well-filled storage sack from his waist and placed it before Han Li. "Wait—what is this?" Han Li was somewhat surprised, instinctively taking the sack and glancing at the two of them with mild curiosity. "Didn't you forget, back then, when you asked several disciples within the sect to gather some unusual materials and Jing Jing essence for you? Over the years, aside from receiving a small piece of Jing Jing essence, all the other items have been collected. I had originally planned to surprise you with this, but now it seems you need even more materials. It appears you've truly developed remarkable expertise in crafting artifacts," Lu Luo said with a smile. "Another piece of Jing Jing essence found?" Han Li's heart leaped with excitement, and he quickly opened the storage sack. Among the various miscellaneous materials, there indeed lay a small piece of golden-yellow Jing Jing essence, about the size of a walnut. The other materials, meanwhile, were precisely those he had been missing for crafting the ancient Yuan Ying puppet. Otherwise, he would have already crafted a puppets of Yuan婴 level when he entered the Valley of the Fallen Demons. "These are exactly what I need. Thank you both, senior brothers, for your thoughtful efforts. These items are quite valuable—they must have consumed a considerable number of spiritual stones. I..." Han Li's face brightened with delight, but as he mentioned the cost, the elder interrupted him with a hearty laugh and a wave of his hand. "Brother Han, how could I say otherwise? Though these items do require some spiritual stones, during the time when the Mu Lan people launched their invasion, you fought two battles on behalf of our sect consecutively. It is only right that our sect should cover a portion of the expenses for you. Please take them and use them as you see fit." "If Senior Brother says so, then I shall certainly not hesitate." Han Li was momentarily surprised, but after a moment's thought, he smiled and gracefully accepted the storage bags. Seeing that Han Li had no further objections, the elder beamed with satisfaction. "By the way, Cheng Senior Brother, when I was drawn into the spatial rift, I failed to retrieve two of my flying swords." Did Brother see them that day?” Han Li recalled another matter and asked without hesitation. That day, when he was drawn into the spatial rift, he had no knowledge of the whereabouts of the rift’s traces. The elder had remained outside the entire time—he should have known where the flying swords had ended up. "Regarding this matter, even though Brother didn’t mention it, I’ve wanted to inform you as well. The two flying swords you left behind outside were not retrieved by me in time. The demonic creature seized them and now holds them in its own hands. However, during the later campaign to defeat this demon, I heard that it never used these swords in combat. It seems the demon still cannot master their use as your essential artifacts. The only issue now is that the demon has vanished without a trace, and thus, these swords may be difficult to recover." The elder seemed to have anticipated this, and spoke with a touch of regret. "At the ancient demon’s place? That does pose some difficulty. Still, it’s merely an external object. We can simply craft two more." Han Li’s expression slightly changed, but soon settled into calmness. "I agree." My younger brother has many signature flying swords; losing two is nothing to worry about. "Fang Buzhe will surely take on greater risks to locate this mysterious demon, whose fate remains unknown." Upon hearing this, the elder relaxed slightly and spoke with a sense of reassurance. When it came to his fear of the demon, Master Cheng was actually even more apprehensive than Han Li by a considerable margin. Naturally, he didn't want the senior monastic elder of Luoyun Sect to encounter any unforeseen mishaps—after all, Han Li's success would be pivotal to Luoyun Sect's future prominence in the immortal realm. After a while of further conversation with Han Li about matters within the sect, Cheng and Lü Luo jointly bid farewell and departed. Han Li rose to see them all the way out of the outer boundary of the magical array before calmly returning to his abode. "Master, you've now acquired another Bingjing crystal—doesn't that mean you can craft two more flying swords and reestablish the Da Bing Jian Array?" As soon as Han Li stepped into the hall, the walls shimmered with silver light, and the silver moon appeared silently, smiling warmly. "Not so simple, though." The Qingzhu Fengyun Sword is a set of divine artifacts. This Jingging essence is insufficient to craft another set of twelve flying swords. Even if the two missing swords are supplemented with other flying swords, they cannot harmonize with the如意 (the如意 being the one that allows effortless manipulation). Even if the Great Jingging Sword Array is forcibly activated, it will still be unable to contain the opponent. Those two lost flying swords must be recovered without fail." Upon hearing Yin Yue mention this, Han Li's face suddenly darkened. "But those two swords have fallen into the hands of the ancient demon. Though the master has greatly advanced in cultivation, if the ancient demon has not perished, he still stands no chance against it." Yin Yue expressed her concern. "I don't need you to say this—I already know. I will not act hastily until I am certain. I will only go in search of this demon once either the Xitian Cauldron is fully activated or the replica of the Seven-Flame Fan is perfected." Han Li's eyes flashed several times as he settled back into his seat with a serious demeanor. "Han junior, how could you have forgotten the puppets I developed?" Though that ancient demon was formidable, you managed to gather the materials to craft this puppet. While you may not claim a decisive victory against it, you certainly have no trouble ensuring your own safety. Suddenly, a voice from the Great Yanshan Immortal resonated within Han Li's consciousness—seeming slightly displeased that Han Li had not mentioned his puppet. Han Li's lips curled slightly, revealing a gentle, quiet smile. "Given the great effort the Elder has invested in this puppet, I naturally believe it is no ordinary one. Moreover, the rarity of the materials used alone speaks volumes about its exceptional nature. Yet, the specific method of crafting it and its capabilities remain shrouded in silence from the Elder. How could I possibly have full confidence in it?" "Hmph! You needn't resort to tactics of persuasion. As long as you haven't gathered all the materials, I shall keep my information strictly confidential. I can only tell you that once this puppet is fully crafted, its power will even surpass my own peak strength from years ago. Surely, that should give you a clear sense of confidence," the Great Yanshan Immortal declared with an air of dignified assurance. "Not inferior even to your peak performance?" Han Li was genuinely startled this time, his face revealing a look of sheer disbelief. "Then, do you doubt it?" The Daxian Immortal's voice suddenly grew cold, as though slightly irritated. "It's not a matter of belief at all! These puppets were even recently developed by you. As for their actual power once crafted, I suspect even you yourself are merely guessing." Han Li calmly resumed his composed expression. "Hah! That does make sense. Yet, with my own wisdom, how could I possibly misjudge the strength of puppets I myself have designed? Rest assured on that point!" The Daxian Immortal truly was capricious—within moments, he burst into laughter again. Han Li offered a gentle smile, turned away without further comment, and rose to walk toward the outer chamber. Though he would be attending the so-called ceremony tomorrow, it would still be better to consume that final strand of dry blue ice flame sooner. Yet after refining the dry blue ice flame, it seemed he would still need some time to first process the newly acquired materials and craft two ancient puppets at the Yuan婴 level. Thinking this over, he ran a hand along the new storage pouch at his waist. Previously, during his stay in the Fall Demon Valley, he had witnessed the evil spirit puppets driven by Tian Jing the Master. Though they could not withstand the attacks of ancient demons for long, their strength was indeed solid, no less than that of ordinary Yuan婴 cultivators. With this in mind, Han Li entered the inner chamber. The next morning, Han Li and his senior, Cheng Sheng, met up and headed directly toward the Bai Qiao Academy. Since the three sects shared the same mountain range, they reached the other end of Yun Meng Mountain Range—the location of the Bai Qiao Academy—without much delay. To recall, Han Li had once attended the three sects' trial sword competition as a junior disciple. Now, thinking back, it truly seemed rather amusing. As soon as Han Li and his companions approached the outer defensive array of Luoyun Sect, three cultivators at the Jie Dan stage were already waiting there. Upon seeing Han Li and the other two arrive, the three immediately transformed into three streaks of light and approached. "Respectfully greeting the three senior masters," said the eldest elder, his glow fading as he materialized before Han Li and the others, "I have come on behalf of several senior uncles to welcome you all." The two middle-aged cultivators behind also bowed and paid their respects. "There's no need for formality, simply lead the way," said Cheng's senior brother with a calm, composed smile. Han Li's gaze shifted to the elder's face, where a half-smiling, half-reflective expression settled upon his features. It was no coincidence that this elder was precisely the Fu elder who had presided over the Sword-Testing Ceremony that day. With a cultivator's exceptional memory, he surely could not have failed to recognize the present scene—yet his face showed no sign of surprise or recognition. Indeed, though his cultivation level was somewhat lower, his depth of strategy and inner composure was truly remarkable.