"Senior? When did the Ye family appoint another senior? A wandering cultivator or a disciple from a smaller sect?" The nun suddenly gasped, asking repeatedly. "Mother need not worry. This person is not one of our great Jin Dynasty cultivators—he is a wandering cultivator from the Tianlan Grassland. He possesses excellent cultivation abilities, and we have already investigated his background thoroughly. His origins are unquestionable. Indeed, there is such a cultivator in the Tianlan Grassland who had to flee due to conflict with the Tianlan Temple. The core family matters have remained undisclosed to him." The elegant woman spoke with confidence. "Ah, that's much better. Though I don't fully endorse your subsequent plans, since all the other seniors have agreed and have already begun implementing them, we must secure these two celestial spiritual treasures. As for the rest, we'll have to proceed step by step. From now on, you must remain vigilant—those major powers have keen eyes and ears." "If we make any move too noticeable, they'll take notice—absolutely don't let the wind blow." The elderly nun added with a gentle reminder. "Auntie, I fear we've already aroused some suspicions among the more observant parties. Recently, several additional cultivators have arrived from these major factions to serve in the capital." The beautiful woman smiled faintly, her tone tinged with resignation. "Has the number of Yuan-Stage cultivators increased?" the nun asked, her expression growing serious and her face slightly pale. "Not exactly—these new arrivals are all Ji-Dan Stage cultivators. The Yuan-Stage ones remain the same, still the same few individuals stationed in the capital." The woman shook her head. "That's good! It seems they're only slightly suspicious, not yet fully aware of anything. Since the Three Emperors Temple announced its plans to forge precious artifacts, it has already drawn considerable attention. Otherwise, your side would surely be under much greater pressure." The elder nun's expression softened. "Auntie, you are absolutely right." However, although the San Huang Pavilion here serves only as a lure, if the replica of that spiritual treasure is truly successfully crafted, it would still significantly strengthen our capabilities. If possible, we should make every effort to complete this artifact." The beautiful woman paused and added. "I have a good sense of this. A treasure like Pingshan Seal—capable of opening mountains and splitting lands—its replica is no ordinary matter. Should it be successfully created, it would be equivalent to adding nearly one more cultivator at the late Yuan-ying stage. I will do my utmost. As for your uncle, how is the effort going to attract high-ranking independent practitioners? Please let me know how it's progressing…." The elder nun shifted her tone and asked about another matter. "We have been working on attracting independent practitioners for some time now. Two out of the four have already agreed to our royal offerings. The other two remain elusive, moving about freely and hard to track down, so we have been unable to make any real progress in attracting them." Yet, the Ghost King of Xibingshan and the Deputy Valley Master of Wan Yao Valley, Xiong Shi, are eager for our imperial family to become independent, no longer under the control of the several major powers. They have promised to lend us their full support. There are other smaller sects as well, showing goodwill toward us...” Meanwhile, the elderly nun and the middle-aged woman from Huang Qing Guan engaged in more detailed conversation on the upper floor, as time passed slowly… In the Earth-Fire Hall, the young lady of Lu Xiu County stared in wide-eyed wonder at the large silver metal disc in her hands, its surface simultaneously illuminated by intertwining silver light and blood glimmers, her face beaming with delight. “Master Han, I never thought you could truly refine this blood-threaded silver to such a high degree of purity. It truly seems that Master Wei must be no ordinary person—his disciples have achieved such refined craftsmanship in metallurgy. I’ve personally visited several market workshops, and none of the metallurgists there could manage to produce such a refined result.” The dressed-in-imperial-attire young lady gently handled the material, smiling warmly as she spoke to Han. Professor Wei's refined craftsmanship, of course, far surpasses that of ordinary artisans in the markets. Moreover, I am not Professor Wei's disciple; I merely assist in the Armory Hall temporarily. Once my time is up, I must return to dedicated cultivation. At present, my understanding of the refinement technique is merely incidental and adaptive. Han Li smiled gently and spoke calmly. "Indeed, that's a pity. Your ability to extract the blood-threaded silver suggests you possess considerable talent in the art of crafting." The young lady listened intently, her expression reflecting a sense of regret. "Having completed the blood-threaded silver for the Lady of the County, I now have other matters to attend to. I shall therefore have to leave without further accompanying you." Han Li began gathering his tools, preparing to bid farewell. "Wait a moment. Does the Lady of the County appear unattractive, prompting your hurried departure? Besides, who says she is limited to just this one item? I still have another material that requires processing. I was initially uncertain about your refinement skills and thus hesitated to present it. Now, however, I am confident in your abilities." The young lady smiled and said, then swiftly produced a jade box about a foot long from her waist satchel and tossed it directly to Han Li. Han Li felt a bit overwhelmed. "There's still material to refine? The Princess truly has high expectations of me. With my current level, even after refining the blood-threaded silver, I'm already utterly exhausted. To refine the other materials as well—well, I simply don't have the strength left." Han Li held the jade box up, didn't even open the lid, and said with a look of weariness. "Ah, that makes sense. Your magical energy is indeed a bit limited. However, the materials for this one don't require extensive refining. All I need is for my elder brother to gently treat them so that their essence isn't lost. I'd like to emphasize this—once you've seen it, you mustn't reveal it to anyone else. This is something I've worked hard to obtain. I'd say there aren't many like it in the entire world." The court-dressed young lady tilted her head slightly, her expression now bright with pride. "What kind of material is this—so rare?" Han Li was somewhat surprised, glanced at the jade box in his hands, and casually lifted the lid. Yet before he could fully examine the contents, a brilliant red glow erupted suddenly from within the box, causing Han Li to blink rapidly as his vision blurred and shimmered. Han Li gasped, and instinctively a flash of blue light flashed in his eyes—his clear and refined spiritual sight automatically activated. "Huh! Yours—?" "This is—?" The young woman and Han Li both exclaimed, their expressions filled with astonishment. Inside the box lay a feather, about half a foot long, translucent and shimmering with a radiant red glow, as if forged from blazing flames. "Is this the Long Feather of the Haoyang Bird? It seems a bit different," Han Li stared at the feather, murmuring to himself in bewilderment. "What Haoyang Bird? This is actually the long feather from the tail of the Black Phoenix. I took it while my grandfather was visiting a great master abroad several years ago—when he was asleep, I quietly plucked it out." Hee-hee, that clumsy bird was sleeping so deeply the entire time, never waking up at all. Oh, by the way, what happened to your eyes just now? They seemed to glow blue—quite fascinating! Is this some kind of magic? The young girl chattered nonstop, her eyes darting rapidly back and forth between韩立's, as if trying to decipher something. Yet韩立 noticed something was off—he had already withdrawn the subtle powers of his Qingming Lingming sight, so nothing unusual was visible anymore. Meanwhile, he was intently focusing on the feathers inside the box, mentally conversing with the Great Eye Sovereign. "The tail feathers of the Black Phoenix? If I'm not mistaken, this species is one of the most renowned fire-type spiritual birds, on par with the Haoyang bird. Can these tail feathers substitute for the Haoyang bird's long feathers?" asked韩立 seriously. "Indeed, the Black Phoenix is traditionally regarded as one of the offshoots of the Fire Phoenix. It's astonishing that such a spiritual bird has preserved its ancestral bloodline all the way back to ancient times." Unfortunately, these two materials still cannot be used as substitutes for one another. However, with slight modifications and the incorporation of this kind of spiritual feather, your San-Yan Fan's power could be elevated even further. Yet this particular one here has lost most of its spiritual vitality and is no longer suitable as a material. Strange—when I traveled throughout the Great Jin realm, I never heard of any ancient beings taming this spirit bird. The Great Derivative Divine Sovereign first expressed wonder, then grew deeply regretful and puzzled. "Ah, that makes sense," said Han Li, naturally disappointed upon learning that substitution was not possible. At that moment, the young lady in court attire stared at Han Li with eager anticipation, clearly deeply interested in why his eyes had emitted a blue glow. Seeing her expression, Han Li rubbed his nose, sighing inwardly. "The unusual glow in my eyes earlier was actually caused by washing them with a special spiritual liquid." "This method merely clears the eyes slightly, a simple technique for our lower-tier cultivators—nothing remarkable at all." Han Li replied calmly. "What kind of spiritual water do you use to wipe the eyes? Do you still have any here? Could you send me a bottle?" The young woman perked up, asking with eager excitement. "This spiritual water must be freshly prepared to be effective. The one I originally received has long since been used up. I'm afraid I may disappoint the Lady." Han Li expressed his regret. "Master Han, are you telling the truth, or are you just pretending to be young and using empty words to flatter me?" The young woman blinked her beautiful eyes, pouting slightly, clearly unconvinced. "Every word I've spoken is true. How could I deceive the Lady? However, I do have another item that might interest the Lady." Han Li gave a dry smile before slowly adding. "What kind of trade? Isn't it because you've taken a fancy to this black phoenix feather of mine?" The young lady blinked at Han Li's words, then remembered something, and smiled lightly, her eyes flashing with a cunning glint. "You're being too kind, Lady Lin. Such extraordinary talents and treasures—how could a mere Qi Condensation stage cultivator like me possibly dream of possessing them? All I'd like to do is ask you to confirm one matter for me, and have you verify it for me." Han Li covered the box lid again, and said with a wry smile. "The matter itself is simple—no need for any transaction on my part. Just help me settle this Black Phoenix Feathers, and feel free to ask me anything. As long as I know the answer, I'll give it to you straight." The young lady laughed softly, waved her hand gracefully, and spoke with confidence. "Very well, then. That's settled." Han Li paused slightly, then nodded in agreement.