"Hehe, this thing I obtained through great risk—absolutely nothing ordinary," said Jin Yuan, chuckling. "The middle-aged woman smiled and said. Then, she reached to her waist and gently felt around—immediately, a miniature stone cottage, only a few inches in size, appeared in her hands. Han Li was momentarily stunned by this object, but soon composed himself, producing a piece of spiritual stone and handing it over to her, then taking the miniature cottage in his hands to examine it curiously. 'Is it possible,' the woman asked, showing interest at Han Li's expression, 'that this is the first time you've seen a Tianji House?' 'Indeed,' Han Li replied, holding the object gently. It felt light as if it had no weight at all. 'A Tianji House can be considered a magical artifact, though it might not quite fit the definition. It's quite convenient—just infuse it with spiritual energy, and it can expand or contract in size. Of course, lower-tier Tianji Houses can only expand or shrink and offer no other functions, so calling them artifacts is somewhat of a stretch. But higher-tier Tianji Houses can incorporate array techniques and protective seals. In fact, they can even rival true artifacts in capability." Of course, what we are currently offering our guest is a rather ordinary type. Aside from sound insulation and privacy protection, it has no other special functions." The woman explained in detail to Han Li. Upon hearing this, Han Li was greatly surprised. Though he had been informed upon arrival that there were private chambers available for rental, he hadn't expected such a rare item—something entirely absent in the southern heavens. "Thank you very much for the explanation," Han Li said, gratefully. Then, following the woman's guidance, he walked toward a side pavilion. Jin Yuan followed closely behind Han Li, but after a while, couldn't help but remark, "It's truly surprising that our guest has never seen a Tianji House before—this does indeed surprise me. After all, such items are typically sold exclusively by the Tianji Pavilion to independent practitioners and high-level cultivators who frequently travel long distances. Given your young age and such accomplished cultivation level, it's clear you're a carefully nurtured disciple from one of the great sects. It's natural that someone of your caliber would not opt for such an ornamental, yet less practical item." Moreover, such items are quite expensive—having spiritual stones, it would still be more economical to purchase magical artifacts or medicinal herbs. "Oh, how many spiritual stones would a typical Tianji House cost? Are they all roughly the same in shape?" Han Li casually asked. "For lower-tier ones, merely a hundred or so spiritual stones suffice; higher-tier ones depend on the accompanying magical arrays and seals. Generally, though, they cost significantly more than comparable magical artifacts. As for shape, they vary widely—there are tower-like, pavilion-style, courtyard-style, and many other forms. In fact, it's said that the highest-tier Tianji Houses at Tianji Pavilion are actually small dwelling complexes, offering exceptional convenience." Noticing Han Li's evident interest, the elder shared all he knew. "Small dwelling complexes?" Han Li paused, visibly surprised. "Hehe! Han brother, don't expect such a luxury. These complex-type Tianji Houses even require tens of thousands of spiritual stones each—far beyond what ordinary cultivators can afford." The elder chuckled slightly, somewhat self-conscious. Han Li's expression returned to normal, and he nodded. At that moment, they had arrived in the side hall, where five or six stone cottages appeared scattered throughout the hall—each one perfectly matching the miniature cottage in Han Li's hands when enlarged. All of them shimmered with a faint white glow. Han Li's mind stirred as he casually used his spiritual awareness to probe one of the cottages. As soon as his awareness touched it, a simple seal immediately blocked his way. This seal was quite straightforward—his awareness could easily penetrate it, yet once the seal was broken, the occupants of the cottage would instantly sense the intrusion and become alert. Indeed, this proved to be a quite secure method of preventing others from eavesdropping. With this thought, Han Li lifted his miniature cottage and, with a flickering green light, infused a bit of spiritual energy into it. Immediately, the cottage warmed slightly and began to tremble. Without hesitation, Han Li threw it toward an open space. A flash of white light, and then a deep boom, and suddenly a room several zhang in size appeared before them. "Master Jin, please come in!" After glancing at the stone hall, Han Li turned to the elder with a polite nod. "Then, I must be humble. Though I've seen this Hall of Celestial Secrets before, I've actually only entered it a few times." Master Jin stroked the sparse beard on his chin, smiled warmly, and took a few steps forward to open the stone door, then stepped inside. Han Li smiled and followed, walking slowly into the room and closing the door behind him. The room was modest in size but well-appointed. In the center stood a stone table and stone chairs, and there was also a long bed of green stone. The elder had already settled himself comfortably into one of the stone chairs. Han Li extended his palm and pressed it against the wall, instantly activating the room's seal, then walked over and took a seat across from the elder. "Earlier, I heard you mentioned something you'd like to discuss," the elder said, suddenly becoming serious. "Could you tell me what it is?" "Nothing particularly." I intend to stay in Guanning Commandery for some time, though I am not yet very familiar with the local noble families and clans, nor with certain matters that might be of concern. Since I hear your accent is quite native, I simply wanted to ask you a few questions. Han Li said this calmly. "Ah, so that's what it is! No exaggeration on my part—indeed, not only in Guanning Commandery, but throughout Liaozhou, I know almost everything. What would Brother Han like to hear first?" The elder relaxed slightly and smiled. "Since the leading families here are among the three major noble houses of Guanning Commandery, let's begin with those families. If possible, could you share some significant events that have occurred in recent years? That would allow me to gain a better understanding." Han Li said with a relaxed expression. "As for the cultivation families of Guanning Commandery, to be honest, this region generally falls under the domain of the Confucian schools, so most of the families trace their roots back to various Confucian sects. However, the four major families of Guanning are not all alike—besides the Kong family, the other three each "Four great families? Isn't it supposed to be three in Guanning?" Han Li raised a corner of his mouth and casually asked. "Hey! The three great families of Guanning is only a recent development. Ten years ago, it should have been four. But the Feng family, for some reason, offended the other three, and overnight, they were completely uprooted—every direct descendant eliminated. It's said that at the time, the Feng family was discussing some major matter, and all their direct disciples happened to be gathered together..." The elder went on, speaking without pause. Han Li sat quietly, listening attentively as the elder recounted the events of the Feng family's past, then comparing each detail with what Feng Zhen had described, looking for any inconsistencies. After finishing the account of the great families, the elder began to speak about the various sects and monasteries in Guanning, large and small. Clearly, the elder named Jin Yuan had traveled widely and experienced many things—his knowledge of not only Jiangning Prefecture but also other prefectural cities was surprisingly comprehensive. Han Li was most satisfied and now had a clear understanding of the entire cultivation world in Liaozhou. This was far more detailed than the intelligence he had gathered about Cao Mengrong. However, this elder seemed to be a veritable fountain of words—once he began speaking, he poured forth a continuous stream of eloquent remarks, never pausing. He even frequently offered his own insights and opinions. And as he spoke, it took exactly a full minute before he finally closed his mouth with a sense of lingering enthusiasm. At that moment, Han Li smiled warmly. "Thank you, dear friend, for sharing so much with me. Now, could we please talk about Jin Brother's rare treasures? Might you please bring them out so I may take a closer look?" "Rare treasures? Of course! In fact, I'd also like Brother Han to help me appraise them!" The elder readily agreed, beaming with confidence. Then, under Han Li's attentive gaze, he withdrew a jade box from his waist satchel with a touch of mystery and placed it gently upon the table. Han Li glanced at the box and immediately cast his consciousness over it. Yet, as he did so, his expression suddenly grew surprised. As the divine awareness swept over it, the object within the box suddenly generated an odd repelling force, preventing it from seeping into the box. Now, Han Li was genuinely intrigued. Jin Yuan carefully opened the lid of the jade box, revealing a luminous golden object, roughly the size of a fist, appearing hazy and indistinct. "Kindly examine this carefully," Jin Yuan said, pushing the jade box gently toward Han Li with earnestness, "and see if you can identify it." Han Li's eyebrows slightly raised, silently picked up the box and held it up before him, studying it closely. Only then did he clearly perceive that it resembled a bubble—shining with an unusual golden glow on its surface, transparent and hollow in the center. Yet, it carried no trace of spiritual energy, appearing entirely ordinary. After gazing at it for a while, Han Li extended one finger, a shimmer of light forming a jade-green glow around it, and gently tapped it upon the surface. To his surprise, the finger sank deeply into the object—soft, yielding, as though it truly existed as a genuine bubble. Han Li frowned slightly, then thought again, and extended his spiritual awareness once more, weaving it around the object. However, the bubbles gently flashed a few times before pushing his spiritual awareness aside. This time, without hesitation, Han Li strengthened his spiritual awareness significantly, sending one after another strands of it spiraling around the object. Suddenly, a remarkable phenomenon occurred. The surface of the bubbles within the box shimmered with golden light continuously, while their volume began to expand and contract in a steady rhythm—subtle yet vigorous, much like a strong, pulsing heart.