Now that Han Li has parted ways with the ice phoenix and retrieved the Xutian Ding, he naturally does not intend to cause any trouble with the cultivators on the island. His purpose is simply to ascertain his current location and gain a better understanding of the conditions in the Luanxing Sea, before deciding how to return near the Kuixing Island and locate the ancient teleportation array from that day. The middle-aged man directly approaches him with such warmth and enthusiasm that it pleasantly surprises Han Li, who readily accepts without hesitation, as it aligns perfectly with his own intentions. With his current capabilities, he no longer fears any hidden intentions from ordinary cultivators. Upon hearing Han Li's immediate agreement, the Gan-family man is both astonished and delighted, so he promptly sends a transmission scroll back to his three younger disciples, then politely guides Han Li toward the island's interior. At this point, Han Li learns from a brief inquiry about the surrounding sea region that the island ahead is known as Kumen Island—a substantial, large island with several cities for ordinary people, all entirely owned by the Huangsha Men family. Yet, millions of miles north of this suffering island lies the Gui Star Island, one of the Twelve Star Islands. Han Li felt a spark of recognition as he heard this. The map of the Luan Star Sea from his youthful memory remained vivid and clear. If his recollection was correct, he now stood not far from Tianxing City, though somewhat distant from Kui Star Island—precisely along the route that passed through Tianxing City. The abundance of beasts in the Luan Star Sea certainly surpassed that of Tiannan or Dajin. However, he had no interest in the spirit essences of lower-tier beasts at present. Beasts of eighth-level or higher, now endowed with intelligence, could no longer be lured by the Nishang Grass. Otherwise, he would have gladly made another journey into the outer seas. As he pondered these thoughts, Han Li was carried by a mid-level cultivator directly to the sky above the port, and after penetrating over ten thousand miles into the island’s heart, arrived at a lofty mountain, lush with dense spiritual energy and exquisitely scenic. At the summit of this mountain, a magnificent palace complex stands, with countless jade pavilions and terraces. Several rare, resplendent spirit birds, whose names are unknown, soar and glide through the air, weaving together a realm that resembles a celestial paradise. "Friend Gan," said Han Li, smiling warmly at the middle-aged cultivator, "your family has truly flourished!" "Ah, please forgive me, Han brother," chuckled the man of Gan, shaking his head. "It's all just the younger generation causing chaos and making things up." Indeed, for a Yuan婴 cultivator, such a deliberately constructed illusion often seemed rather unimpressive. Han Li smiled again, but said nothing further. Yet before the two had even descended, a melody of celestial music rose from the peak. Two groups of beautiful female cultivators, dressed in colorful imperial robes, emerged from the palace complex below, with the three Dan-stage male and female cultivators leading the way. As they looked at Han Li now, their expressions were both respectful and deeply reverent. Han Li smiled faintly, without ceremony, and settled himself calmly. He was led into a grand hall at the summit of the peak, which, though spacious, was far less striking than the outside surroundings and instead exuded a quiet, serene atmosphere. After the middle-aged man with the surname Gan took his seat as host and Han Li as guest, the other three guests had to stand by. Han Li, equally unceremonious, immediately began inquiring about the current state of Luan Xing Sea. Though surprised internally, Gan's man regarded Han Li merely as a reclusive master of long standing and thus spoke freely, offering all he knew. When Han Li learned that Luan Xing Sea had grown even more chaotic since he had last left, he found himself quietly pondering. "The place where you just came from—was it the famed Xutian Hall? How did you emerge from within?" After mulling over the matter for a long time, and seeing that Han Li did not appear to be a person of violent or decisive nature, the middle-aged man finally asked. After all, he had personally witnessed Han Li being transported out of that massive hall. Hearing this, Han Li's expression stirred slightly, and he regained his usual composure. "Gan brother truly has a broad perspective—his keen eye immediately recognized the Xitian Pavilion. Nothing special, I merely happened to be trapped inside for some time before just now managing to escape." Han Li said casually. "Ah, so that brings me to the question—what about the immortal maiden who traveled with you?" Seeing that Han Li was unwilling to elaborate further, the middle-aged man, named Gan, gently shifted the topic to the ice phoenix. "That was a fellow companion who was also trapped in the pavilion with me. She had urgent matters to attend to and thus departed first." Han Li replied evenly. "Ah, so it seems that the immortal maiden is also a late-stage cultivator, just like Brother Han!" the middle-aged man asked cautiously. "Heh, this fellow has actually reached late-stage cultivation long before me. I'm far behind him." Han Li glanced sideways at the man and chuckled softly. The cultivator from the Gan family naturally felt a sudden sense of alarm, constantly flipping through the names of renowned female cultivators from the Luoxing Sea, yet still unable to associate any of them with the image of the silvery-robed woman. As for Han Li, his appearance was simply ordinary, and he had no clear idea at all. This was not unusual—some deeply dedicated cultivators, even those with extraordinary abilities, might go centuries without appearing on the scene. Such tiered treasures were naturally of little consequence to Han Li, yet in a place like Luan Xing Hai, where rare materials and artifacts were scarce, they were truly eye-catching. Moreover, merely by observing the aura of these two treasures, one could clearly see that they were both exceptional upper-tier artifacts among the ancient relics. "Han brother, thank you for the kind words. As for mid-tier spiritual stones and materials, our sect has ample reserves—should any be missing, we can simply dispatch someone to gather them from the island's market towns. Regarding the higher-tier spiritual stones, however, our island possesses only a few, just seven or eight in total. Should Han brother need them, he is welcome to take them." The middle-aged man with the surname Gan glanced at the two ancient treasures, his heart warmed by the sight. He was entirely unsurprised that Han Li could so effortlessly present such refined artifacts, and readily agreed. "Only seven or eight higher-tier spiritual stones!" Han Li stared, his face now showing a touch of astonishment. As far as he knows, the spiritual stones of Luan Xinghai are still lacking compared to those of Dajin and Tiannan—how could a mere Huangsha Sect possess so many high-tier spiritual stones! Upon seeing Han Li's thoughtful expression, the middle-aged man with the name Gan was first startled, then suddenly recalled something, and instantly realized what was going on. "Ha ha, this is my oversight—I forgot to mention this to Master Han. In fact, over a hundred years ago, someone discovered a large deposit of spiritual stones on a remote island in the outer seas. The deposit contained a significant quantity of high-tier spiritual stones. While high-tier stones remain scarce, they are far more available than they were a few years ago. Almost every sect now deliberately reserves some." "A high-tier spiritual stone deposit! How rare is such a deposit in the human realm!" Han Li was deeply impressed. "Indeed, initially, others doubted the news was genuine. But when the Star Palace and the Inverse Star Alliance made significant efforts to secure this island, everyone realized the information was true. It was reported that this ore vein had even stirred the high-ranking celestial beasts of the extraterrestrial sea, drawing them into the competition as well. As a result, numerous cultivators and beasts perished in the process. Now, with this ore vein divided among these three parties, the hostilities have finally come to a temporary halt! The Yellow Sand Sect's senior elder explained. Han Li nodded silently, saying nothing at first. To him, this was indeed a favorable development. His human-shaped automaton, having drawn upon several high-tier spiritual stones in previous uses, was nearing exhaustion—this was the perfect opportunity to gather more materials. Fortunately, the region was not far from the Tianxing City, and the journey was also a convenient detour. He could simply utilize the Star Palace's teleportation array to reach the ore vein area, and the trip would not take long. Han Li made up his mind instantly. Without further words, he casually drew out a jade scroll from his waist satchel and copied a list of required materials into it. Meanwhile, the Yellow Sand Sect's senior elder issued a few instructions, and immediately the large Han in yellow robes took up the jade scroll and went out to handle the matter. Below, Han Li naturally began chatting with this elder. Under the elder's deliberate attentiveness, Han Li appeared relaxed and composed. Of course, it was rare to meet a late-stage cultivator, so the middle-aged man naturally raised several questions about his cultivation practices. Though Han Li had only recently reached the late Yuan婴 stage, he had read numerous cultivation treatises and even practiced some unusual secret techniques from both the positive and negative sects. As a result, after only a few brief answers, the middle-aged man was greatly inspired and grew increasingly respectful toward Han Li. As for the young, robe-clad elder and the graceful woman who had been waiting by the side all along, they also straightened their ears, intently listening to the conversation between the two speakers without missing a single word. Indeed, this was a rare opportunity—after waiting for several hours, a streak of light suddenly shot through the hall, and a sturdy man emerged, dusty and weary, carrying a bulging storage sack. "Senior, aside from a few materials not available on this island, all the rest have been gathered as per your list. The several high-level spiritual stones have also been included," the man said, stepping forward several paces and placing the sack gently into Han Li's hands. Han Li took the sack at random, then swept his consciousness through it, instantly taking in all the contents. He immediately smiled with satisfaction. "I have other matters to attend to," he said, "so I shall not linger any longer. I shall now be on my way." Han Li closed his storage bag and immediately gave a slight nod to the middle-aged cultivator across from him, showing no interest in exchanging words with the Huangsha Sect cultivators. He then transformed into a brilliant azure streak, vanishing swiftly against the horizon. "Finally, the elder has departed! I thought we were going to face a major issue this time. Master Han seems quite impressive!" As Han Li's glow disappeared from the hall, the graceful woman sighed in relief, quickly patting her chest, displaying a look of having narrowly escaped trouble. (First update!)