The Earth-Fire Hall, the most important structure of the Pottery Hall, though not particularly vast—only about a hundred zhang in size—has its upper level designated for storing raw materials, the middle level for channeling earth-fire, refining materials, and crafting lower-tier spiritual artifacts, while the lower level extends deep underground, twenty or thirty zhang, specifically designed to harness the refined essence of earth-fire from the earth-fire pool for the production of higher-tier spiritual artifacts. Han Li's usual chamber for material refinement is located in a room on the middle level. With the young green county princess at his side, Han Li walked into the chamber calmly and without haste. The room appeared somewhat cluttered, and he took care of tidying it up himself. "This is where my senior refines items, isn't it?" the young lady asked, curiously examining the room, especially drawn to the large cauldron at the center and the eight vessel-like magical artifacts arranged around the floor. It seemed as though she had never seen such a place before for refining spiritual artifacts. "Have you never crafted a spiritual artifact before, Your Grace?" Han Li slightly arched his brow and spoke calmly. "I've been practicing techniques with Lady Yu since childhood; I never had the time to learn the art of crafting vessels. I merely practice at the estate." The court-dressed maiden gently tapped the handle of the cauldron and smiled. "Practicing at the estate—then, is the royal residence built upon a spiritual energy vein?" Han Li, while arranging the remnants of materials inside the cauldron, casually inquired. "Ah! I didn't know your true identity, Brother. Surely you don't still consider me merely a county lady from a noble family of the Great Jin?" The maiden paused, then smiled softly, pressing her lips together. "I've always been rather ignorant, not fully aware of the true status of a county lady." Han Li nodded, chuckling lightly. "Ignorant? Ah, that's wonderful. Then I won't have to keep up any formalities as a county lady anymore." In truth, I've never even met the emperor of the Great Jin. My connection to the imperial family is only slight—until now, I've always been residing in my master's mountain retreat, practicing cultivation, never having visited any imperial court or noble residence. The young lady's eyes flashed with a spark of amusement, and her demeanor shifted instantly—from a poised, refined young lady to a lively, somewhat eccentric girl. "Not from the imperial family?" Han Li looked slightly startled. Either surprised by the sudden transformation or genuinely taken aback by what she had just said. "I was indeed startled. Though the title of 'princess' is genuine—it was personally conferred by the current emperor. If it weren't for my aunt Zhi insisting that I mustn't compromise the imperial family's dignity before I left, I would have absolutely no interest in dressing so formally and being so constrained. On the journey, however, these people kept following me, forcing me to speak slowly and deliberately, which grew increasingly tedious. Now that only Master Han is here, I finally feel free to relax and be myself. Will your senior be so ungracious, speaking at random after leaving? The young lady sat down with a thud on the only chair in the chamber, tilted her head back, and smiled brightly. "Hm... Everything shall be at your convenience, Your Grace. I shall simply pretend I didn't see anything. Though, I believe your ancestor must be no ordinary person." Han Li cleared his throat, utterly at a loss. "Have you ever heard of the Four Independent Practitioners of the Great Jin Dynasty? My grandfather was one of them." The young lady showed no intention of concealing her pride, nodding and swaying proudly, as though deeply satisfied. "The Four Independent Practitioners. Even if I were the most ignorant of all, I should surely have heard of them. It's truly a great honor that Your Grace comes from such a distinguished lineage. Your status is surely no less than that of the noble title you hold—indeed, I believe your future prospects will be truly bright." Upon hearing this, Han Li's face slightly changed, and his heart was genuinely stirred. These four independent cultivators, he had heard about from Cao Mengrong back then—some were at the late Yuan-Ying stage, others at the mid-Yuan-Ying stage—each possessing extraordinary abilities, truly far surpassing ordinary Yuan-Ying cultivators. "Indeed? Almost every person who has heard of my grandfather speaks to me in just this way. I believe it must be true!" The young woman didn't hesitate to accept Han Li's praise. Han Li rubbed his nose, feeling a bit headache. He then turned his attention away from the young woman, pressing two hands together and casting several spells that struck the great cauldron. Immediately, the cauldron resonated with a deep hum and gradually rose, glowing with a steady red light. The young woman, full of curiosity, fixed her dark, gem-like eyes on Han Li without blinking, watching every move with intense interest. "Bring out the materials!" Han Li said once the cauldron was fully activated. "Here you go!" I'll tell you right now—what you say outside isn't really what you mean. It's just polite talk in front of others. If Master truly ruins the blood-threaded silver that I've so carefully obtained, you'll have to make good on it." The young girl blinked her beautiful eyes, laughing lightly. Then, with a graceful gesture of her jade hands, she pulled out a block the size of a clenched fist from her waist satchel and tossed it directly into the air. The silver gleamed brightly, like ordinary silver ore, yet threaded with countless delicate veins resembling blood. Watching the ore in her hands and hearing her cheerful words, Han Li could only roll his eyes. Such a rare material—few even at the Foundation Stage could secure a single piece. If he were a Foundation Stage cultivator, he'd be hard-pressed to afford compensation. Without further words, Han Li raised his hand, tossed the object into the cauldron, added several other auxiliary materials, and then settled himself cross-legged on the ground. With a scroll pressed against the body, a faint blue glow emanated from the surface, accompanied by a series of incantations. At the same time, the eight gourd-shaped artifacts on the ground emitted bright luminescence, and as the red light flashed from their mouths, eight crimson pillars of flame suddenly erupted, precisely striking the lower half of the massive cauldron. A wave of intense heat and suffocating warmth immediately filled the entire chamber. Though our Ye family has quietly concealed much of our strength over the years, we would likely still fall short when truly confronted by forces such as the Buddhist and Daoist sects. As for the Confucian scholars—though they constantly speak of upholding the imperial authority—they would be the first to strike against our imperial lineage the moment their own interests are threatened. I always feel that this time, we are playing with fire. The nun said solemnly. "Your words, we fully understand. Yet this is also our best opportunity to completely free ourselves from the pressure exerted by other powers. Remember how our seventh and eighth ancestors fell? It wasn't because of any particular reason—only that our imperial family's strength grew slightly, with a few Yuan-Stage cultivators added. Immediately, several major sects united, launching both overt and covert attacks on them. Afterward, they merely found some excuse to conveniently dismiss all responsibility. If we fail to break free from this predicament, despite our esteemed status as the leading family in the immortal realm, we will remain nothing more than mere sacrifices to the will of these powerful sects." As long as the rumor is true, and we truly obtain those two immortal treasures, combined with the networks of influence we've nurtured over the years at the Ye family, other powers will be hesitant to act against our family members—fearing to strike while they're already vulnerable. The risk is well worth taking," the beautiful woman sighed gently, speaking slowly. Even if the third-uncle and his companions hold celestial spiritual treasures, they would likely only be able to barely defend themselves against such ancient beings. Nevertheless, the aunt need not worry too much about this matter. Our Ye family has been quietly investigating the existence and vulnerabilities of these ancient beings as far back as a century ago. Through extensive analysis, we estimate that even if these ancient beings indeed live thousands of years longer than Yuan-Ying stage cultivators, as previously speculated, there have been only a few cultivators in the Da Jin dynasty over the past two thousand years who have reached or are on the verge of advancing to the Chariot-Stage (Hua-Shen). Moreover, a small portion of them have even peacefully ascended to the spiritual realm. Of the remainder who remain on the mortal plane, there are at most only two or three. And these individuals who have chosen to stay on Earth have done so at a significant cost—neither able to easily engage in combat with mortals, nor even when they do, able to fully unleash their full potential, often settling for a level of cultivation no higher than late Yuan-Ying stage. Although the exact reasons remain unclear, this means these ancient beings are not as invincible as commonly believed. Moreover, these old beasts are unlikely to intervene in matters of a particular sect's rise or fall...” The middle-aged woman furrowed her brows and spoke seriously. “How do you know all this? Don't tell me it's all mere speculation or information gathered by yourselves. For years, countless cultivators have sought to uncover the secrets and details of the Shenshen-period cultivators who remain on the mortal plane, yet none have succeeded. Yet you, in barely a hundred years, have managed to piece it all together with such confidence. Are you really going to think I'm old and forgetful, easy to deceive? What else are you holding back, then? The elder nun not only remained unconvinced but her expression suddenly turned cold. “But we have no intention of deceiving Mother. Though these details were not discovered by our own family lineage, they were learned from a newly appointed elder recently incorporated into our family. After cross-referencing our calculations with other available clues, everything aligns perfectly. Therefore, it is indeed accurate to say that these revelations came from our family.” Upon seeing her aunt grow angry, the beautiful lady quickly spoke up to explain in detail.