"Master Elder?" Hearing this, "Yes, without any reservation, Brother Han. When you were still at the early Yuan婴 stage, I had originally intended for Brother Lu to serve as the Master Elder, with you as his assistant. But now, you have achieved such remarkable accomplishments and have advanced to the mid-Yuan婴 stage, and have also rendered such great service to our sect. The position of Master Elder is undoubtedly yours, Brother Han. Brother Lu has no objections at all. After all, in most sects, the Master Elder is typically the one with the greatest abilities." The elder with the surname Cheng smiled and said. "Thank you, Brother, but I must respectfully decline the position of Master Elder." After a moment of silence, Han firmly rejected it. "Brother, there's no need for humility. This position only truly belongs to you if you accept it. How could you allow Brother Lu, a Yuan婴 novice, to serve as the Master Elder of our foremost sect in Xixu?" Lu Luo chuckled slightly and then immediately urged, "It's not modestness—I truly do not wish to take on this position." The two senior brothers should know that I, Han Li, am a dedicated cultivator, deeply committed to my practice. For any matter that might interfere with my cultivation, I always adopt the mindset of "better to have fewer concerns than more." Under such a principle, how could I possibly serve as the head of a sect? Moreover, I frequently need to go into long periods of seclusion for cultivation, leaving little time to manage the sect or lead its development. Most importantly, I joined this sect only halfway through. While I don't need to mention the lower-level disciples, even among my nephews and junior disciples who have reached the Dan Stage, I don't know many personally. In this situation, it would be even less suitable for me to serve as the Grand Elder. Therefore, I believe it would be more appropriate for me to remain a regular Elder. The position of Grand Elder should be entrusted to Lü's younger brother instead!" Han Li delivered a series of reasons without hesitation. "But Brother Lü..." Cheng's brows furrowed, and he still intended to speak. "Should you continue pressing this matter, then you would effectively be compelling me to leave the Luoyun Sect," Han Li said, his expression serious and slightly weighty, "As Brother Lu has stated, this matter shall be discussed later." The elder named Cheng and Lu Luo exchanged glances, both sensing that Han Li was not merely being polite—he was truly firm in his refusal to accept the position of Grand Elder. With no other choice, they had to temporarily set the matter aside. "That's all. Though I shall not assume the role of Grand Elder, as long as I remain a senior elder of Luoyun Sect, I will certainly continue to support the Sect. As long as nothing major goes wrong, I believe I can help maintain its flourishing for over a thousand years." Han Li relaxed slightly and spoke calmly. Cheng, upon hearing this, could only sigh and finally dropped the matter. Instead, he asked Han Li about the purpose of Zhiyang's visit. There was nothing to conceal. Han Li delivered the details in a composed tone, and then added, "From what I understand from Zhiyang, it seems this matter may be connected to the newly emerged Qilin Island and the great vortex." The place is not far from our Xingguo. Hasn't Master Xing heard any unusual reports about it? "Unusual reports? Not really. Currently, the news circulating seems genuine. When the great vortex and the Seven Spirit Islands first appeared, since they were relatively close to our Yunmeng Mountain, our sect sent several disciples to investigate personally. Everything matches the reports—only that a large amount of spiritual energy has surged from the vortex, and while the spiritual veins on the seven islands are less abundant than usual, there's nothing particularly out of the ordinary. As for the initial conference where the seven islands were divided, since my younger brother had still not returned, our sect did not attend." Master Cheng said, frowning. "Then, we'll have to wait until we arrive to see what's really going on. I hope it truly turns out as Master Zhiyang described—only seeking the power of the Divine Protective Thunder, with no danger at all." Han Li sighed. "Still, no matter what, Brother should remain cautious." "With three senior cultivators having to join forces, and even gathering additional mid-stage Yuan婴 cultivators, this surely can't be an ordinary matter," Lu Luo said, expressing his concern. "I'll certainly take that into account. But I'm sure they won't expect me to go beyond what's reasonable," Han Li suddenly smiled. "That's true! Brother has already advanced to mid-Yuan婴 stage so young, and possesses nearly as much divine ability as the senior cultivators themselves. Even the three senior cultivators would hardly have any reason to hold a grudge against him!" Lu Luo chuckled heartily. Han Li gave a quiet smile and said nothing further. On the journey ahead, the three of them remained silent. Soon after, they arrived at Luoyun Sect. The two elder gentlemen with the Cheng surname parted from Han Li and immediately headed for the main hall of the council. There, they needed to swiftly inform their key disciples of the news that Luoyun Sect had become the first sect in Yunmeng Mountain, and also discuss necessary adjustments and strategies in response to this development. Han Li directly proceeded to the sealed sanctuary where Nan Gong Wan was imprisoned, spending several hours there before emerging with a slightly weary expression. From that sanctuary, he instantly transformed into a streak of jade-green light and flew straight to his dwelling on the Zimu Peak. While in the sealed chamber, he had expended considerable qi employing a secret technique to examine the condition of the sealing soul spell within Nan Gong Wan's consciousness. The results left Han Li both delighted and concerned. He was delighted that the fire-toad beast's immortal essence indeed proved effective—there was a clear weakening of the soul-sealing spell within Nan Gong Wan's awareness. Yet he was concerned that the effect of the essence was notably weaker than initially anticipated. It remained uncertain whether the spell could ultimately be fully dissolved, and further observation over a longer period would be necessary. Fortunately, Han Li was reassured to learn that even though the essence could not fully eliminate the spell in one go, it could extend the duration of its effects and gradually diminish its ultimate potency. Thus, his journey down to the Mochu Valley to slay the beasts and harvest the essence had not been in vain. …Half a day later, Han Li appeared in the meditation chamber of his abode, motionless, eyes gently closed, in a state of seated meditation. Now, he could only rely on his cultivation to temporarily push the matter concerning Nan Gong Wan from his mind; otherwise, constant preoccupation would easily give rise to heart and emotional obstacles. Since entering the chamber, Han Li had remained in a state of deep concentration, and now, finally achieving inner stillness, he slowly opened his eyes. As he spoke, a golden thread, about the size of a dragon's eye, shot out from his mouth, spinning smoothly around his chest before hovering motionless. Observing the thread, Han Li remained expressionless, raised his hand, and with a flick of his finger, cast a green seal upon it. A thunderous resonance echoed, and fine electric arcs surged from the golden thread, then rapidly transformed into a brilliant golden glow that flashed several times before all the arcs vanished completely, leaving behind a small blue flame, about the size of a broad bean, in place. As soon as the flame sphere appeared, Han Li didn't wait for any reaction from it. With a single breath, another stream of flame of the same hue burst from his mouth, instantly engulfing the sphere. In a moment, it condensed into a flame orb the size of an egg, shot back toward him, and was swallowed whole by Han Li. Han Li said nothing, immediately forming an unusual hand seal and closing his eyes once more. He began to refine the final trace of dry blue ice flame obtained from the Xitian Cauldron. If he could truly master this flame and thus soon command the Xitian Cauldron, he would be secure in his dominion across this realm. ... Fifteen days later, Han Li awoke from his meditative state. After a brief flash of his eyes, he suddenly raised one hand and pointed with a single finger. "Pffft!" A small blue flame appeared at the tip of his finger. Gazing at the blue flame, he remained silent with his lips tightly closed. Yet after a while, his finger gently trembled. The flame flickered and instantly transformed into a slender blue fire serpent, which then swiftly coiled and tightly wrapped itself around the finger. "Go," said Han Li in a low command. At once, a pair of fiery wings sprouted from the back of the miniature blue serpent. As the wings trembled, the serpent launched itself off the finger and shot upward toward the roof. However, just before reaching the roof, it executed another spiral, dancing with remarkable agility around the walls of the chamber. Han Li silently observed the serpent's every movement, watching for a full cup of tea's worth of time before suddenly extending a finger and tapping it. With a "pop," the fire serpent burst apart in midair. The scattered flames erupted like a sudden downpour, striking Han Li, but vanished instantly, fully absorbed into his body. Only then did Han Li break into a gentle smile, murmuring to himself: "It seems the refinement of this Dry Blue Ice Flame is truly accelerating." "Back in the beginning, it took half a year—or even a full year—to fully absorb just a single thread of this ice-flame. Now, however, it's been absorbed in just half a month!" Han Li slightly tilted his head, then tapped his storage pouch at his waist. A flash of emerald light followed, and a small, flat, round cauldron materialized in his hands. Though only a few inches in size, it was ancient in appearance and exquisitely crafted. This was precisely the Xitian Cauldron that Han Li had carefully preserved. Gazing at the cauldron, Han Li's expression grew thoughtful. Yet immediately, he gently tossed it into the air. The small cauldron spun briefly before settling steadily in mid-air. Han Li then rubbed his palms together, and suddenly, a surge of blue flame erupted between his hands, forming a blue fire ball the size of a fist. Then, blue flame tendrils, each as thick as his thumb, shot out from the palms of both hands and struck the fire ball. The fire ball immediately began to swirl and rapidly expanded. A short while later, a massive fire sphere, the size of a human head, appeared silently at his chest. The fire ball flickered incessantly, alternating in size, yet its surface glowed with a steady blue flame—cold to the touch, utterly devoid of heat, which was most unusual. Han Li raised his gaze toward the small cauldron floating in the air, then, with a mere thought, caused the fire ball to surge forth as a bright blue beam, striking the cauldron directly. To Han Li's astonishment, the cauldron did not fly apart or shatter—it instead fused seamlessly with the flame, as if water and fire had merged into one. The blue flame now surged vigorously upon the cauldron's surface, and the Xutian Cauldron began to rotate slowly within this blaze of ice and flame. Han Li stared coldly at the cauldron immersed in the flame, his eyes slightly narrowed, then projected his powerful consciousness outward, fully enveloping the cauldron within his awareness, carefully observing whether any changes had occurred that differed from its previous state. As time passed, Han Li's brow grew increasingly furrowed. Even now, fully encased in the completely refined, dry-blue flame that he had fully transmuted, the cauldron remained unchanged—identical in every way Han Li lowered his head, thought again, then suddenly raised his head, channeling his spiritual energy rapidly into his eyes. Instantly, his pupils glowed with a vivid blue light, fixed firmly on the Void Heaven Cauldron, not blinking a single time.