At this moment, the other cultivators near by—those at the Dan and Ji stages—saw the situation unfold and, upon glancing at the修为 of Han Li and his companions, immediately grew pale and scattered. Once these high-level cultivators truly engaged in battle, how could these lesser ones avoid being swept away like fish in a burning city? Standing calmly by the stone pavilion, they found themselves alone within moments, with several pavilions also activating their protective seals in response to the growing threat. Han Li's facial muscles twitched slightly, and a strange, shimmering green light rose from his face, casting a cold, penetrating glow in his eyes. Seeing this, the four cultivators—Ge Tianhao, Tianlan Holy Maiden, and her companions—also began circulating their inner qi, adopting defensive stances, and their inner treasures stirred to life, each one ready to respond. But at this moment, Han Li seemed to recall something, suddenly snorting a laugh, and instantly dispelling the pale glow on his face. He spoke calmly: "If I'm not mistaken, the Jinxi Market strictly prohibits cultivators from casting spells or using martial arts within its premises. Should anyone violate this rule, they would be jointly pursued and ultimately eliminated by the three great Daoist sects and the four Buddhist monasteries behind the market. Do any of you wish to experience the thrill of being chased for ten thousand li, or do you still believe that with Yin Luo Sect as your backer, you can look down upon these three sects and four monasteries?" "Hmph! Who dares to look down upon our Daoist and Buddhist lineages? I am Wu Bi, and I intend to see just how that works!" As Han Li's words had barely finished, a resounding, defiant voice suddenly echoed from afar. Then, from a pavilion at the opposite end of the street, two brilliant orbs of gold and silver suddenly shot into the air, swiftly approaching and arriving before the group within moments. One of them spiraled and settled, revealing a monk and a second figure stepping out. "I thought it was some "How do you intend to break the rules and settle disputes among us in Jinxi Market?" The道士 speaking was clearly unapproving. His hair was gray-white, his complexion rosy, yet when he narrowed his eyes, he looked fiery and passionate. The other figure was a middle-aged monk with a prominent nose, somewhat unattractive in appearance. Though he never used harsh words, his expression was clearly displeased, observing the members of Yin Luo Sect with a cool, reserved gaze. He did, however, show a moment of surprise when his eyes settled on Han Li and the Tianlan Holy Maiden. It was rare indeed for a mysterious Yuan-Stage cultivator to appear in the Great Jin Dynasty—though not unheard of. Even more uncommon was a Yuan-Stage cultivator reaching the mid-Yuan level without being known. Yet here stood a man and a woman, both at the mid-Yuan level, with completely unfamiliar faces. How could the monk not be quietly astonished? "Wu Bi! I merely wish to verify a few matters with my fellow cultivator here. How is it that you feel the need to intervene?" "Gè Tiān'áo clearly recognized the old monk, and said coldly, "No matter what you intend to do, the rule that no one may physically intervene within the market square cannot be broken. If any of you truly wish to engage in combat, please move to another location. Otherwise, do not expect me to be gentle." The old monk replied with a stern tone. "Wū Bì, you may wait until I have actually begun to act before you intervene. Gè Shí has long wished to witness the true wonders of the Zhenji Men's techniques." Gè Tiān'áo, upon hearing this, grew furious and his tone became firm. "Master Gè need not be agitated. As long as none of you summon your powers prematurely, we shall refrain from interfering in your affairs. These two guests, however, appear somewhat unfamiliar to us. Might I kindly ask for your names?" The portly monk, with a slight smile and eyes shifting subtly, said. "I am Tianlan Lin Yinyin. May I have the pleasure of introducing myself to both of you. In truth, the matter is quite simple—I suspect this guest is a major adversary of our Tianlan Temple. Therefore, I would like "If this noble is not the person I have been expecting, then Silver Screen shall offer him a drink to apologize, and will not press the matter further." Tianlan's Saint Maiden Xue Jing lightly glanced at Han Li, her bright eyes like stars, and said. "Humor me—do you think I'm some sort of humble guest who needs your verification of identity?" Han Li calmly replied, his expression unruffled. "If you are unwilling to do so, then you might very well be the mortal enemy of our Hall. As a Saint Maiden of this Hall, I cannot allow you to simply vanish from my sight." Lin Yingshen pressed her lips slightly, a cold glint of determination appearing in her eyes, and spoke with icy composure. "Saint Maiden of Tianlan—could it be the Saint Maiden of the Tutu Clan from the grasslands?" Hearing this, the elder monk's eyes widened slightly, his brow furrowed in thought. The rather unattractive Buddhist monk beside him also showed a moment of surprise. "Allow me to apologize for the interruption, both of you. Indeed, I am the Saint Maiden of the clan," Lin Yingshen calmly affirmed. "The noble family's Xuan Shenshi possesses extraordinary talent, having reached the middle stage of Yuan Ying at just under four hundred years of age. He has previously met the old master several times; I wonder if he is still in good health today?" The elder Daoist, his stern expression softening slightly, asked with a more measured tone. "Xu Shenshi is in excellent health. He attained the late Yuan Ying stage decades ago and is now one of the four foremost Shenshi of our clan." Lin Yinping felt a quiet sense of relief upon learning that the elder Daoist had a close connection with one of the clan's senior Shenshi. "Xu Daoist has indeed reached the late stage—this aligns well with my expectations. Achieving such a milestone at such a young age suggests that Xu Daoist may very well advance further still." After a brief pause, the elder Daoist expressed a thoughtful reflection. Han Li subtly sensed something amiss, his mind racing with rapid deliberation. Could it be that he would have to engage in a decisive battle against so many Yuan Ying-level opponents here, and then resort to his Blood-Shadow Evade technique to escape? As he hesitated, a faint, barely audible voice from the divine consciousness of the Great Derivation Sovereign suddenly reached him. After listening attentively to just a few sentences, his expression immediately settled into calm. At that moment, the elder monk asked a few more questions, following up on the words of the Xu Immortal, then glanced at Han Li, paused slightly, and finally asked: "My friend, your cultivation is remarkable. Could you kindly share your origin and background? Perhaps I can then mediate between you two." Though the elder monk was unaware of Han Li's true identity, he knew that even a mid-stage Yuan Ying cultivator—regardless of whether he was a full-time or independent practitioner—would not readily make enemies. Thus, his tone was exceptionally courteous. "I don't recall hearing that entering the Jinxi Market requires one to disclose one's origin and background, Master. If indeed such a rule exists, then I shall certainly abide by it. Otherwise, I shall be grateful if you allow me to remain silent on the matter." Han Li's face stiffened, speaking with a tone of subtle irony. On hearing this, the old Taoist grew serious, inwardly annoyed, but before he could speak further, the monk beside him stepped forward with a cheerful smile and said: "Our monastery market certainly doesn't have such a rule. Just now, Wu Bi's friend was acting in his personal capacity, genuinely trying to help the two of you resolve some misunderstandings. If you don't wish to speak, that's perfectly fine. However, we can only ensure that no conflicts arise within the market premises. Should Lin's friends block the entrance outside the market and prevent you from leaving, that would be beyond our control. Then you'd be facing four Yuan-Infant cultivators alone—what then?" At that moment, Han Li stared at Lin Yinping and suddenly said in a gloomy tone, "All that's required is that you've seen the contents of my package? If I were indeed an enemy of any of you, there would be little to say. But should you have mistaken me for someone else, and the items inside the package not match your expectations—what then? Do you really believe a mere apology can so easily dissipate Li's resentment?" After laughing heartily, Han Li said solemnly. Upon hearing this, the faces of Ge Tian, Hao Lin, Yin Ping, and others slightly tightened. Even the monk and the old monk Wu Bi exchanged glances, each of them feeling a sense of doubt. From the tone of voice, it was clear that this person was not only a mid-stage Yuan-Ence cultivator from a scattered lineage, but also one who was deeply resentful and tenacious—exactly the kind of difficult opponent that major sects strive to avoid. Once a cultivator reaches such a level, if they disregard their status and recklessly target disciples at various ranks within the sect, the resulting damage would be severe. Should this person also master a particularly adept evasive technique, the situation would become even more troublesome—perhaps even requiring a Yuan-Ence late-stage cultivator to intervene, and even then, timely capture might not be guaranteed. Prior to this, if the person had been merely a little more ruthless, the damage inflicted would have been sufficient to overwhelm even the Ten Magisterial Sects. Hence, Yuan-Ence-level cultivators, especially those from the larger sects, are generally actively courted; only when such efforts fail are they carefully avoided. If it becomes unavoidable that they must become enemies, then the only course of action would be for the senior cultivators to step forward and swiftly eliminate the other party. Ge Tianhao and the others had only been so direct and firm in verifying Han Li's identity because of the precious treasures of the sect, such as the Gui Luo Fan. However, there was one issue: if Han Li were indeed the person from Tiannan who had seized the Gui Luo Fan, then such a move would be entirely justified. But if he were not, then this would truly become a serious matter—unwittingly bringing the sect into conflict with a troublesome rival. Thinking of this, Ge Tianhao glanced at Tian Lan's noble maiden. Lin Yinping also furrowed her brows, clearly finding the situation challenging. Should the other party truly hold such deep resentment and later launch an attack on Tian Lan's grasslands for revenge, she would certainly be troubled. "Why have you made such a serious matter out of something so trivial? We merely wish to examine the contents of your package. How about this: if Miss Yinping truly feels misunderstood, Brother Li can propose a reasonable condition to me, which we can use to make amends for our oversight. What do you Lin Yinping blinked her beautiful eyes several times, a rosy glow spreading across her delicate features as she smiled.