Han Li stayed in the room for one full day and night. Though the abbot of the temple was merely a mortal, he had some knowledge of the affairs of cultivators due to his position within the Daoist sect, and he had begun to subtly suspect Han Li's true identity. When Han Li finally opened his eyes, a faint sense of disappointment appeared on his face. "The cold essence's cold qi seems utterly unable to be fused with the purple lotus fire. It appears this material can now only serve as raw stock—perhaps it's best to use it to refine the snow crystal pearl once again." With a sigh of resignation, Han Li spoke softly. Immediately, he opened his mouth, and with a soft "puff," a translucent, perfectly round pearl shot out, hovering a few feet in front of him. Gazing at the object before him, Han Li raised his hand, and the small bottle containing the cold essence appeared in his palm. With a gentle stroke of his fingers, the bottle's lid lifted on its own, and then, with a swift clap of his other hand against the base of the bottle, a drop of silver pearl shot forth and instantly vanished into the snow crystal pearl. Han Li said little, merely pressing his palms together in a series of gestures and then opening his mouth again, spouting out another stream of pale blue infant flame that instantly enveloped the spherical orb, igniting it swiftly. He calmly watched the flame dancing within the orb, closing his eyes once more as he began to refine the sphere. This process did not take much time—by the time the grand auction convened, he would have completed the refinement of the snow-crystal sphere. With this thought in mind, he used his divine awareness to gently guide the infant flame, slowly condensing and shaping the precious object before him. At that moment, footsteps approached from the garden entrance, and then an elderly man in a dark robe and black hat appeared there, his gaze meeting precisely with the young man's bright, sparkling eyes—causing him to shiver and feel a sudden start of surprise. Fortunately, the young man quickly drew back the sharp glint in his eyes, restoring them to their usual calm, and said gently: "I thought it was someone else—turns out it's Master Yun Yi. Have you come to see me, Master?" "Hehe, if it were any other matter, Yun would certainly not disturb Fr. Han's quiet retreat. But this news is directly connected to you." The elder didn't seem at all perturbed by the young man's distant attitude; instead, he spoke with clear intention. "Connected to me? Have you actually found him?" The young man blinked, narrowed his eyes, and his expression grew frosty. "Indeed, we have news of him. It seems that some disciples of Gui Luo Sect have recently been quietly searching for him in several markets within the capital. This is the portrait they've sent—according to Fr. Han, it matches the person he described exactly. Still, we would need Fr. Han himself to verify it personally." The elder raised his hand, and a white jade scroll shot out from his sleeve. The young man, dressed in light blue robes, gestured with a gloomy expression and caught the scroll in his hand. His consciousness immediately immersed itself, carefully scanning the scroll. "Indeed, it's him—no doubt. Do you have any information as to why the disciples of Yin Luo Sect are seeking him?" The young man's facial muscles twitched slightly, then swiftly withdrew his awareness, asking calmly. "We haven't heard anything yet. However, all the Yuan-Infant-level elders from Yin Luo Sect have suddenly gathered in the capital—perhaps this is connected to him. Brother Han, you mentioned that the cultivator sharing your name is a major adversary of yours, and you asked the sect to locate him. Therefore, Second Elder has decided to assign this matter to you. As long as Brother Han ensures this person doesn't interfere with the smooth running of the grand auction, it will be sufficient. After all, the Ye family has several key items they absolutely need to secure at this auction. Elder Ye doesn't want any unforeseen disruptions." The elder spoke with composed demeanor. "Hmph. As long as I get accurate information on this person, I'll ensure he vanishes from this world entirely. However, regarding the magical artifacts the sect has been gathering for me—how many have they actually found? I will join the imperial family and serve your Ye family, but on one condition." "Master Han sneered. "Master Han, please rest assured—our team has been closely monitoring the whereabouts of these magical artifacts across the region. Didn't we already assist your friend in locating one earlier? As for the others, however, we're still encountering some difficulties and will need more time to secure them," the elder with the black hat explained calmly. "I don't care how you manage to find these artifacts for me—I have served the Ye family for twenty years, and after twenty years, I expect to see the agreed-upon items delivered directly into Master Han's hands." Master Han pressed his lips together, his eyes flashing with cold resolve. "Of course. Should our family have pledged this to Master Han, we will never fail to uphold our word. Master Han, please rest now. As soon as we receive any further news, I will immediately inform your friend." The elder with the black hat smiled politely but with restrained sincerity, finally bowed and departed. The young man watched the elder's figure vanish through the garden gate, then shook his head with a quiet smile. Then, remembering something, he gently shook his sleeve, and a small, shimmering golden sword suddenly appeared in his hands. The sword was wrapped in several black filaments, yet it remained lively, constantly bouncing and striving to break free. Yet the nature of these black filaments remained a mystery—no matter how vigorously the golden sword struggled, they clung firmly to it, tightly binding it. The young man furrowed his brows, then suddenly opened his mouth and expelled a jet of black blood, splashing the golden sword all over his body. The sword immediately emitted a mournful cry, its glow dimming, yet it continued to murmur stubbornly. "Indeed troublesome. A sword from the human realm still so resistant to being stripped of its spirit. If it weren't for the fact that it's crafted from golden thunder bamboo, I wouldn't have gone to such lengths." The young man murmured these words, his expression showing clear impatience. "Still, since your master has now arrived in the capital, this is quite a rare opportunity." As long as we eliminate him, not only will we avenge the grievance of his execution of the main soul, which left me unable to recover my full cultivation, but the flying sword will immediately become an unclaimed asset, easily brought under our control." The young man spoke, his expression flashing with fury, and deep within his pupils, subtle streaks of black and purple glowed, transforming him into an eerie, otherworldly figure. Meanwhile, in a more secluded corner of the estate, in a side pavilion, two men and a woman were seated around a round table, engaged in conversation. One of them was the elderly man with a black hat who had just returned from the young man's presence, while the other man was a dignified middle-aged man adorned with jade sash. The woman present was precisely the beautiful woman who had previously appeared at the Huang Qing Pavilion. Yet now, her expression was solemn, attentively listening as the black-hatted elder recounted their conversation. "So, it seems Master Han has agreed immediately," the man with a square face said, reflecting slightly upon the elder's words. "Indeed." Moreover, although the Han elder did not display excessive excitement upon hearing of this person sharing the same name, the intensity of his gaze clearly conveyed genuine hostility. It seems his claim of a deep grudge against this individual is well-founded. "Yet these two not only share the same name but also bear remarkably similar appearances. That particular 'Han Li' recently infiltrated the Huang Qing Pavilion, where our royal cultivators reside—what could be his purpose? Is he specifically targeting our Ye family? Now, he is being actively and seriously pursued by the Yin Luo Sect. I still feel uneasy about this." The beautiful woman raised her delicate brows, saying this. "Certainly, there are aspects within that we are unaware of. Yet why should we concern ourselves with so many details? As long as the Han elder is not a spy sent by the Buddhist or Taoist sects, and is fully committed to assisting the Ye family in achieving their major objectives, we need not constantly inquire into every matter." This Han elder not only possesses strong cultivation but also knows many ancient secrets and rare events—making him an indispensable asset for our journey in the coming years. We must therefore secure his loyalty without fail before then. Additionally, we should keep a close eye on the other individual who shares the same name. A cultivator of such prominence that Yin Luo Sect takes seriously must surely possess exceptional qualities. Since we are still uncertain whether this person is targeting our Ye family, it would be wise to send someone to assist the Han elder in eliminating him as soon as possible. The middle-aged elder with a square face gently tapped the armrest on one side of the chair and spoke in a steady, measured tone. "Your second elder's suggestion is sound. However, this Han elder seems rather unusual—I often feel he has been concealing his true strength, asking us to gather magical artifacts that are both damaging to him and to us. It's hard to understand his true intentions. I believe we should likewise remain vigilant toward him." The elder with a black hat suddenly interjected, saying this. "I fully agree with that assessment. Besides our core elders from the Ye family, I won't believe a single outsider. I certainly won't allow them to reveal our true plans. Yun Yi, you needn't worry about that. What matters now is that the several key items we need to secure at this auction must remain undetected by the other factions. Otherwise, they either will intervene deliberately to disrupt things, or will inevitably deduce certain aspects of our strategy from these materials. Such a situation must absolutely be avoided. Therefore, you must ensure everything is arranged flawlessly—without a single mistake. If we miss this auction and fail to collect all the required materials to craft those several artifacts, our future treasure-hunting expeditions several years down the line will no longer proceed smoothly. The serious elder said this with a weighty tone.