Huayun Province is a large coastal state located in the eastern region of the Great Jin. Numerous port towns have been established along the coast, and many overseas cultivators frequently appear in the coastal markets of this province. As a result, the major markets in the province maintain thriving business, and the sects overseeing these markets enjoy substantial financial inflows, receiving significant amounts of spiritual stones annually. Even smaller, more remote markets, as long as they benefit from favorable geographical locations, achieve considerable revenues. Kaijiang Town is a small town situated merely about two hundred and twenty li from the sea, and several miles beyond it lies a modest mountain. This mountain stands only two or three hundred zhang high, spans approximately ten li in area, and possesses a short, underdeveloped spiritual energy vein—so weak that even moderately large cultivator families find it unimpressive. Yet within this small mountain, barely worthy of being called a spiritual mountain, there resides a modest sect known as the Tian Fu Sect. This sect ranks among the most humble of the immortal cultivation orders, with its abbot, senior elders, and disciples totaling no more than a hundred or so. Thus, despite its modest spiritual vein, it is still sufficient to accommodate its members. Nevertheless, though the Tian Fu Sect appears rather diminished, it boasts a long-standing heritage. While not as ancient as the Taiyuan or Yin Luo Sects, which trace their origins back to the prehistoric era, the founding Tian Fu True Person once wielded his three unique secret seals to achieve renown throughout the Great Jin Dynasty—so renowned that he nearly secured a place among the ten foremost sects of his time. At its peak, the sect numbered tens of thousands and once controlled an entire province. Yet, it is both its triumph and its downfall—its strength lies in seal-making, while its core cultivation practices remain unremarkable. Consequently, after several generations, the sect gradually declined. Today, after tens of thousands of years, the Tian Fu Sect can only rely on some special techniques inscribed on its talismans to勉强 sustain its lineage. As a once-thriving sect now in decline, it sees few high-level cultivators coming to visit, aside from a few from similarly struggling smaller sects. The daily on-duty disciples naturally find themselves extremely busy—most are either meditating or chatting idly. On this particular day, however, two Qi-level disciples stationed at the mountain gate gathered together, sighing and looking listless. "Li brother, is the market really closing down? Though I've only just joined, I know that the San Yuan Market accounts for nearly half of our sect's income. Without this steady stream of spiritual stones, our finances will surely struggle to keep up." One of the younger male disciples, around sixteen or seventeen, with a clear and bright appearance, murmured this question to his companion. "Whether it opens or closes is not something we can decide on our own. Just a few days ago, the Ling Feng Sect delivered a final notice to the abbot. Either the market must merge with theirs, or it must shut down within three months." "It's simply bullying through strength!" said another young man, in his twenties or early thirties, slightly heavier in build, speaking with a touch of resignation. "The merger of the markets—doesn't that sound reasonable?" the younger disciple was surprised. "What's reasonable about it? I heard from a senior teacher that after the merger, we won't be allowed to interfere in any market operations. All we'll receive each year is a few thousand spiritual stones—something barely enough to cover a third of our original income." The young man snorted, then continued with growing frustration. "Only a few thousand stones? How can the Lingfeng Sect agree to that? Even if Lingfeng Sect holds considerable influence, what about Jinxia Mountain and Mingyang Valley? The Three-Yuan Market has been jointly managed by these two and our Tianfu Sect. If we three work together, we shouldn't have to fear Lingfeng Sect all that much." The younger disciple, after a moment of thought, expressed his confusion. "Hmph. Even just Lingfeng Sect, we truly don't need to fear them that much." But I've heard that the Shaya Sect's influence is also involved—this is a genuine mid-tier sect, something we, as a smaller sect, simply can't compete with. The Abbot has invited the heads of the other two sects to the mountain today, clearly to discuss strategies for dealing with this situation. Neither of those two sects is much stronger than our Tianfu Sect; they certainly won't easily give up their market revenues. The young disciple explained. "Shaya Sect? Indeed, this is something our Tianfu Sect cannot afford to challenge. It seems our current challenge will be difficult to overcome." Hearing the name Shaya Sect, the young disciple felt deeply discouraged. If the sect's income were to decline significantly, the amount of spiritual stones the junior disciples received annually would naturally follow suit. "Well, these matters aren't something we low-ranking disciples can directly influence. We'll simply leave them to the Abbot and the elders. After all, even if our sect doesn't fare well, it will still be better than becoming independent practitioners. We should just stay focused on guarding the mountain gate and refrain from discussing this further." Otherwise, other senior uncles would notice and deduct more spirit stones... Hmm, what is that?" The young man sighed, as if he had finally resolved the matter, but upon casually glancing upward, suddenly grew startled. The younger disciple, hearing this, paused and turned to look as well. There, far off at the horizon, flashes of luminous light danced, and then a streak of jade-green light, several zhang long, suddenly burst into the sky, rushing swiftly toward them. "Which senior is this? It seems to be heading directly toward us!" The streak of light was moving with astonishing speed, and in a moment's time, it had drawn near. The younger disciple gasped in alarm. Though he had only recently joined the sect, such a remarkable form of flight was certainly beyond the capabilities of any of the few foundation-level senior uncles—his unease was therefore understandable. "I don't know. Perhaps they're coming to see the senior uncle." The young man himself was equally uncertain, and could only offer this self-soothing explanation. Qinghong arrived at the vicinity of Bai Zhu Mountain shortly thereafter, seemingly spotting two disciples of the Tian Fu Sect at a distance. With a flash of light, Qinghong descended directly, and as the glow faded, a young man in his twenties, dressed in a green robe and arms folded behind his back, materialized several zhang ahead of the two disciples, gazing at them. I have brought something that has a deep connection with your sect. I would like to see the abbot of your sect—please inform him at once." Han Li nodded, speaking calmly. "Yes, senior, please wait a moment." The young man fumbled, pulling out a communication scroll, whispering a few words before quickly tossing it back. The scroll instantly glowed with a flame, vanishing in a flash into the seal. Though it appeared as though Han Li had not moved at all, his consciousness had subtly swept over the small mountain. Though separated by a layer of seal, he could still sense the general presence of the inhabitants. Yet, upon closer inspection, a slight furrow formed between his brows. Although he had anticipated that Tian Fu Sect would be modest in size, he had not expected it to be so small—only around a hundred people, with only one cultivator at the Jian Dan stage detected on the mountain. It seemed, indeed, as the old Yun elder from Yinming had described—just a minor, peripheral sect. This time, if it weren't for the fact that the several evil jiao dragons appeared precisely within Huayun State, and if he hadn't learned the method of crafting the Jingling Seal, he would never have come specifically to this place. A moment later, a series of golden flashes erupted behind the two mountain guards, and then a mountain gate several dozen zhang in height materialized. Inside the gate, several cultivators emerged side by side. As these cultivators passed the two disciples and glanced at Han Li, they all suddenly grew pale. One elderly man dressed in yellow brocade hurried forward, bowed several times deeply to Han Li, and spoke with great respect, "My name is Yue Zhen, the headmaster of Tianfu Sect. I didn't have the chance to welcome you personally, as you were unexpectedly honored with your visit. I beg your indulgence for my oversight." Although he himself was only at the Foundation Stage of cultivation, he could not discern precisely the level of Han Li's cultivation either—yet as the head of his sect, his insight naturally far surpassed that of mere disciples. He had even personally witnessed several Yuan婴-stage cultivators before. Thus, upon sensing a similarly powerful aura emanating from Han Li, he felt a growing sense of apprehension. Such a powerful cultivator might easily extinguish their small sect with a mere gesture—what a precarious situation for Tian Fu Sect now! Originally, when he received the message, he had assumed it was merely a Jin Dan Stage cultivator. To be safe, he had even dispatched someone to invite the only senior elder—the Jin Dan Stage senior teacher—within the sect. Yet now it seemed, all that had been unnecessary. "Heh! Don't worry, everyone—my visit here is at someone else's request, and I have no ill intentions," Han Li remarked, seeing the anxious expressions on each of the cultivators. "At someone else's request? I find myself rather confused." "But this isn't quite the right place for a conversation. Why don't you take a seat on the mountain and we can discuss it in more detail later?" Hearing this, Yue Zhen felt at ease and then spontaneously invited Han Li to go up the mountain. "Up the mountain, yes, well, that's reasonable. This matter truly can't be explained in just a few words," Han Li paused thoughtfully and nodded in agreement. "Then, please, enter, Master," Yue Zhen was delighted and quickly shifted his body aside, inviting Han Li to go first as a sign of respect. Han Li didn't hesitate either, and simply stepped into the mountain gate. The other cultivators followed with respectful demeanor, moving steadily behind. White Bamboo Mountain wasn't very large, so there weren't many buildings on the mountain peak—besides one main hall and several pavilions, the disciples' training quarters were located elsewhere. To Han Li's surprise, he was directly invited by the master of Tian Fu Sect into the main hall. What surprised him even more was that there were already two middle-aged cultivators seated there, neither of whom wore the attire of Tian Fu Sect. Upon seeing Han Li, the two instantly reacted, startled, leaping from their chairs and hurrying to pay him homage. Han Li merely waved his hand calmly, then sat down directly on one of the chairs without ceremony. The other cultivators, however, remained standing, hesitant to take seats and waiting in the background. Yue Zhen, somewhat apologetic, spoke to the two representatives from his sect: "Esteemed friends, our gate has arrived at a distinguished guest. It seems the matter will have to be rescheduled for further discussion." "Ah, with such a distinguished elder visiting, it is only natural that you should take the lead in hosting him." "Indeed. I shall accompany Lu brother and step out now." The two representatives quickly expressed their understanding, their faces filled with admiration. After bowing once more to Han Li, they respectfully withdrew from the hall. At the same moment, a flash of luminous energy appeared outside, and a beam of white light pierced directly into the hall, revealing the form of an elderly man dressed in a white robe. Yu Zhen and several other cultivators saw this, immediately beaming with joy and hastening forward to pay their respects, greeting, "Uncle Wen" and "Senior Uncle Wen."