"I'll have it sent to the senior for review—no problem at all. Though, that will have to wait until I've recovered my cultivation." Han Li spoke calmly. "Very well! Once we've agreed, that matter is settled. However, there actually is a cultivator aboard the ship—just a young girl at the early stages of Qi Condensation, barely two or three layers, not particularly noteworthy. Just keep an eye out for her." The Grand Sovereign of Daxian softened his tone and then fell silent. "Early Qi Condensation, two or three layers?" Han Li was momentarily surprised, yet he kept his eyes open. "Hmm, Master! She's awake!" Han Li immediately noticed a girl of about fifteen or sixteen years old standing by his bedside. As soon as he opened his eyes, she beamed with joy and exclaimed. The girl had fair, delicate skin, a round face, and large, bright eyes—quite endearing. "Yes, I've certainly noticed her," the elder replied. Sitting on a chair beside her was a gray-robed man of about sixty, with a kind expression and gentle demeanor, observing Han Li with quiet attention. "Master Han, you stay with him first. I'll go inform the lady!" Before Han Li could even ask anything, the round-faced young woman had chattered excitedly to the elder and then dashed off after him. Han Li was momentarily stunned. "Heh! That girl is just like this—don't mind her, sir!" The elder shook his head gently and smiled warmly at Han Li. "Not at all. It was you two who saved me, wasn't it? Where exactly are we? And may I ask your name?" Han Li returned a smile, sat up slowly, and asked in a measured tone. "We're on the surface of Shun River. You were in peril in the river, and it was my second daughter who sent for help and rescued you. As for me, old Wen, I am a tutor hired by the lady's mother." The elder stroked his short beard and nodded. "Ah, so it is. My name is Han. I must certainly express my deep gratitude to this lady for saving my life." Han Li exhaled softly and bowed. "My lady truly has a heart of compassion. But whether or not she'll see you—that remains to be seen." "But could Master Han explain how he ended up inside the ice, and yet still alive? I find this most interesting." The elder smiled, yet his eyes were filled with keen interest. "This? I would not wish to deceive the Master with empty words, though there are indeed some matters that are difficult to disclose." After a moment's hesitation, Han finally spoke openly. "That's quite natural. Everyone has moments of discomfort at times." The elder was generous and composed, waving his hand with ease, as though it were nothing. At that moment, a young girl with a round face bounded in, skipping lightly. "Master, the lady has instructed this young gentleman to rest and recover. All other matters will be addressed later," she said, while curiously observing Han. Noticing her attention, Han smiled at her. Immediately, the young maid blushed slightly and lowered her head, thinking to herself, "This person seems unimpressive. He is far from the level of the lady's previous friends." "But I wonder why the lady has taken such interest in this person?" "As the lady has instructed, Master has just woken up. He should rest well. I shall now step aside." The elder rose to bid farewell. Han Li naturally offered a series of thanks, watching the elder and the young lady leave the room. Alone, Han Li gazed silently at the wooden roof, and after a while, sighed softly. For the next two days, aside from a clumsy servant bringing meals three times a day, no one else came to disturb him. This arrangement pleased Han Li, who made good use of the time to take his elixirs and meditate. As for the young woman mentioned by Da Yan Shen Jun—someone in the early stages of Qi cultivation—Han Li, with his awareness slightly extended, soon noticed her. She was a young woman of graceful appearance, resembling a modest, refined young lady. From the way others addressed her, it was clear that she was precisely the "Second Lady" who had saved him earlier. Han Li was not particularly surprised—seemed this young lady had already discovered his status as a cultivator. By eavesdropping on the casual conversations of the others aboard, he also gained a general understanding of the ship’s circumstances. The passengers appeared to be the family of a county magistrate named Cao from Liangzhou. Due to the sudden nature of their transfer, the magistrate had departed first to take up his new post, leaving the family to follow at a more leisurely pace. However, the official family members were only a few in number: one primary wife, two concubines, and three sons and daughters. This second daughter was the eldest daughter of the primary wife, known since childhood to be frail and ill. She had once been temporarily cared for at a female temple during her early years, and only recently returned home. The other two were children of the concubines—one, the eldest daughter, had reached marriageable age and had already secured a suitor, with her wedding expected soon. The third, the third son, was only about eleven or twelve years old. The others with some standing included the Master He and the Deputy Magistrate Zhou. Long was a stern, composed house steward, responsible for overseeing all the maids and servants. The镖masters on board were Wang Tieguang and his companion. However, with a little attention, Han Li noticed that not only was the second lady a relatively low-level cultivator, but even the steward himself exhibited a strong flow of true qi—far surpassing the more basic martial arts skills of the two镖masters. Among the servants, several moved with agile grace and carried an undercurrent of sharp, martial energy, suggesting they were no ordinary individuals. Though somewhat puzzled, once Han Li had a clear understanding of the ship's situation, he withdrew his awareness and resumed his own cultivation. Two days later, the second lady indeed sent a young maid to invite Han Li. Naturally, Han Li accepted and finally met her in one of the larger rooms aboard the ship. Upon seeing Han Li, the lady waved her hand to dismiss the others and then smiled warmly at him. "Han brother, aren't you also from the Daoist sect?" My younger sister, Cao Mengrong, is a disciple of the Xuanyu Sect. I haven't heard of Brother Han belonging to any particular sect. She said this with great politeness. In her view, Han Li showed neither the aura of magic nor the radiance of Buddhist enlightenment, nor the profound, Confucian spirit of righteousness—so naturally, he must be from the Daoist tradition. "Xuanyu Sect?" Han Li slightly raised his brow, having never heard of this name. Yet this was quite normal—besides the Ten Major Sects and the Ten Major Magi Sects, he knew very little about the other sects in the Great Jin realm. "Our sect is merely an obscure one in Liaozhou. Brother Han may not be familiar with us, which is no surprise at all," Cao Mengrong explained with a gentle smile, noticing Han Li's hesitation. "Brother Cao is being too modest. As a solitary cultivator, I've only recently entered the Great Jin cultivation world and am still unfamiliar with the various sects. I must have been a bit of a disappointment to you." Han Li bowed slightly, appearing genuinely embarrassed. "Ah, so Brother Han has just begun his journey outside the mountain After all, Brother Han is so young yet has achieved such refined cultivation. Truly admirable and wonderful! Cao Mengrong's eyes sparkled as she smiled warmly. "Not much, truly. It's all by chance. I had a bit of fortune along the way; otherwise, I wouldn't have reached this point." Han Li could only respond vaguely. Seeing that Han Li was unwilling to elaborate, the woman nodded gently, smiled understandingly, and changed the subject. "How did Brother Han end up frozen in ice in the river? Did he encounter a powerful opponent?" "More or less so. I'd like to sincerely thank you for your timely rescue." Han Li chuckled slightly, avoiding further details. "Such a minor matter, really. In fact, I've already noticed this. Even if Brother Han didn't intervene, he would eventually thaw and free himself within a short time. But floating thus on the river surface—this is truly extraordinary. That's why I've taken the initiative to remark on it. After all, as a small sect and an independent cultivator, we should naturally support and assist one another." "This goddess spoke with a composed tone. Hearing this, Han Li was somewhat surprised. After carefully observing the woman, he nodded silently without saying a word. 'By the way, I'd like to know how you're recovering. If you don't mind, you might stay on board for a few more days. I'd greatly appreciate it if you could offer me some guidance on my cultivation journey!' 'I don't have any pressing matters that would require me to stay for several days, so that would be quite convenient. However, I'm not sure I could offer you direct guidance—perhaps we could simply exchange experiences in cultivation.' Han Li paused, seemingly considering something, and surprisingly did not outright refuse. Upon hearing this, Cao Mengrong was overjoyed. Back then, due to her limited aptitude, she had left her monastery early and had not received deep instruction in advanced techniques. Now, to receive guidance from Han Li, who had clearly achieved a much higher level of cultivation, was truly a blessing. After arranging a time, Han Li and the woman conversed a bit longer before politely bidding farewell and departing. "Han Xi, how could you possibly agree to stay here? Didn't you plan to quickly seek out a prime spiritual vein location to restore your spiritual power?" The Great Derivation Immortal couldn't help but inquire as soon as Han Li returned to the room. "I naturally intend to find such a location. However, these prime sites are surely already claimed by the major and minor sects of the Great Jin Dynasty. Moreover, I had expected the number of cultivators in Great Jin to be greater than I anticipated. With my current level of cultivation, venturing out at random would be quite risky. I certainly don't want to meet an untimely end on the road before I've secured my own safety." Han Li replied calmly. "Ah! So your plan is—" "The pills I'm carrying are ample, and I also have several items of spiritual sight, which will allow me to restore my foundational cultivation level within a year. Then, I can proceed to seek out the method to dispel the malevolent aura at my own pace. As for this young lady, though she may appear somewhat calculating, her cultivation level is still relatively shallow, and she holds no ill will. This is a perfect opportunity to first gain a better understanding of the current state "We've already arrived in the Great Jin Dynasty, so a couple of extra years won't make much difference." Han Li spoke slowly. "Fine by me. But my time is running short. If we delay any further, I fear I may not see my efforts come to fruition. After all, gathering the necessary materials takes considerable time." The Great Derivation Sovereign seemed somewhat concerned. "Rest assured. While I've been seeking a method to dispel the maleficent qi, I've also been keeping a close eye on the materials. However, the most effective approach would still be to leverage the resources of a particular sect to assist us in gathering them. This way, we could save a great deal of time." Han Li seemed confident and explained calmly. "How exactly would we do that? This isn't the southern region—your reputation as Han Elder may not carry much weight here. Larger sects won't pay much attention to you, and smaller ones simply lack the capacity to undertake such a task. After all, the materials we need are all rare and hard to find." The Great Derivation Sovereign appeared unconvinced. "The specific method still hasn't been finalized. We'll have to proceed step by step and see what unfolds." "Perhaps we didn't even need to look for it—the opportunity might have come knocking on its own," Han Li replied with a touch of self-mockery. Then, without further words to the Da Yan Divine Sovereign, he casually took a set of array flags from his storage bag and established a simple seal around the room. He then lay down on the bed, took a pill, and settled into meditation, his legs folded in a lotus position.