A group of cultivators wore uniform robes of the Star Palace. Han Li, thus carelessly floating ahead, was immediately noticed by them. They flew swiftly toward him, arriving at his side within a short while. However, Han Li had now employed a technique to conceal his qi, fully masking his cultivation level. As a result, whether it was a Juzhi-level or a Jiedan-level cultivator, their awareness would only perceive the figure across as a vague mist—unable to discern Han Li's precise cultivation stage. At that moment, however, a gasp arose from the opposing group. Han Li's expression shifted, and he turned to gaze at a cultivator wearing a snowy white cloak. The entire figure was enveloped by a large cloak, making it impossible to determine gender, and even Han Li's sharp awareness could not penetrate the cloak. Han Li was deeply astonished! Yet the aura emanating from this person stirred a sense of familiarity in Han Li, and since he knew only one other Yuan-Ence cultivator, he certainly wouldn't let matters rest. With a flash of blue light, Han Li decided to activate his Qing-Ming Spiritual Gaze to forcibly penetrate the cloak. "Ah, it's actually Master Han! It's been so long since we last met—how have you been these years, Han brother?" At that moment, a warm, melodic laugh drifted from within the cloak. The figure suddenly removed the large cloak, revealing a delicate, porcelain-like face, gently smiling. "Lin Yuling!" Upon seeing this strikingly beautiful face, Han Li was momentarily stunned and exclaimed aloud. It was indeed the young attendant from the Star Palace whom he had saved outside the city of Tianxing years ago! Gazing at her face as radiant as a peach blossom, Han Li rubbed his nose and managed to smile. "I never thought that after all these years, Master Han would still recognize me so instantly—what a privilege that is! Also, I'd like to extend my congratulations to you on your successful attainment of Yuan-Ence stage!" "Ling Yuling smiled gracefully, her phoenix-like eyes carefully scanning Han Li before flashing a touch of surprise. Though she too could not discern Han Li's exact cultivation level, she was fully aware that Han Li's修为 was certainly no weaker than her own—this knowledge only made her smile warmer and more earnest. "Ling Daojun is jesting. Haven't you all also condensed your prenatal essences?" Ling Yuling smiled slightly, choosing not to immediately respond, but turned her head and issued a cold, firm command: "You go ahead first. I'll have a few words with Han Daojun, and we'll catch up with you shortly." "Yes, Ling Elder!" The star-sky cultivators at the Jie Dan and Zhu Jian stages immediately bowed and agreed, their expressions full of respectful deference, clearly showing their deep regard for this "Ling Elder." Han Li observed the scene, his eyes flickering several times, yet his face remained unchanged. The cultivators continued on their way, led by another late Jie Dan elder, vanishing into the horizon in a matter of moments. "Forgive me, Brother Han, I've been ordered to assist a coastal island under siege by the Nixing Alliance. I'm afraid I won't be able to stay with you for long!" Ling Yuling turned around, sighed, and said. "Indeed, on my way here, I've heard that your palace and the Nixing Alliance seem to have renewed hostilities. That explains why you've been unable to stay put." Han Li said calmly. Ling Yuling could only offer a wry smile, yet as soon as he glanced at Han Li again, a strange expression crossed his face. "Brother Han, you're no longer just at the initial stage, are you?" he hesitated before finally asking. "Ah, I've progressed a bit ahead of Ling Daojun, but with your potential, it's only a matter of time," Han Li chuckled, giving a vague reply. Upon hearing this, Ling Yuling's expression grew momentarily stunned. A wave of restless agitation surged within him. The other party had truly reached the stage of a Yuan婴中期 cultivator—this was simply unbelievable. After all, it had been less than two hundred years since he and Han Li parted ways, and yet he had progressed so swiftly from a Jie Dan cultivator to a Yuan婴中期 one. That was truly astonishing. After several sudden shifts in expression, Ling Yuling finally regained her composure, though her tone still subtly carried a tone of admiration: "It seems that Brother Han must be a rare and exceptional cultivator, one in a thousand, who has achieved such rapid successive advancements. I am truly in awe of him!" "As for me, I hardly qualify as a remarkable cultivator—merely fortunate enough to have encountered certain favorable circumstances," Han Li replied with a light, half-serious, half-fake smile. "Now that Brother Han has come here, is there any matter you'd like to discuss? Though I may not be particularly skilled, I believe I can assist you in some way." With a warm smile, Ling Yuling shifted the conversation, not lingering too long on Han Li's cultivation level, and suddenly asked about his purpose for visiting. "There's nothing special. I've decided to make a trip to the outer sea, and I'll likely need to borrow your palace's teleportation array." Han Li spoke openly and without reservation. "If that's the case, then your encounter with me has truly been timely. Recently, to prevent reverse-star alliance cultivators from infiltrating our palace, most of the outer sea teleportation arrays have been shut down. Only two backup arrays remain operational. I'll give you a token; as long as you hold this, you'll be able to use our palace's teleportation arrays at will." After a smile, Han Li took the token without further ceremony. After chatting casually with the two, Han Li then set off and soon transformed into a streak of azure light, heading straight toward the distant great island. After a cup of tea's worth of time, floating motionless in the sky several dozen miles away, stood a man—none other than Han Li himself. At that moment, his face was expressionless, hands behind his back. A figure materialized before him—his humanoid automaton—appearing suddenly and strangely. With a simple lift of his hand, a flame resembling a fire serpent leapt and danced in his palm, yet was tightly sealed by a shimmering silver glow, unable to move an inch. Han Li raised an eyebrow slightly, then reached out with one hand—“pffft”—and effortlessly drew the fire serpent into his grasp, where it instantly burst into a vibrant, roaring ball of flame. With a swift mental scan of the flame, his expression darkened immediately. After a few flickers of his gaze, he suddenly snapped his five fingers holding the flame, scattering it into fragments. Then he turned his eyes toward the great island where Tianxing City stood, his eyes narrowing. "Apparently, the fact that I possess the Xitian Ding has become widely known throughout the Luanxing Sea. I suppose I'll have to rebrand myself entirely." "Han Li murmured softly in his mind, and at that moment, a shimmering glow suddenly enveloped his face, blurring his features. A series of crisp crackling sounds like popping beans erupted from his body, causing his form to surge upward by a foot or so. A short while later, he had transformed into a broad-shouldered man with a dark purple complexion. He then retrieved his puppet and shot off toward the nearby Tianxing City. Han Li was unaware that, precisely as he shattered the transmission scroll in his hands, within a dim underground cavern somewhere on the sacred mountain of Tianxing City, a faint figure seated there suddenly stirred. With a single hand reaching out toward the space before him, patches of flame instantly appeared nearby and coalesced into a concentrated glow, miraculously reassembling the fire ball that Han Li had scattered. The flame then settled into the figure's hands. The figure silently scanned the information within the fire ball with his divine awareness, then gently turned his hand, and the flame vanished. "What's going on? Why has Yu Ling used the Evade Scroll we gave him? That scroll is exceptionally rare—he shouldn't have used it so casually. Has something happened to him? He should have just left the Star City not long ago." Suddenly, from a corner of the cavern, a voice came through—pleasant and melodious, as if a young woman were speaking. "He's fine. He simply met someone interesting nearby and wanted to personally notify us, asking that we bring this person into our Star Palace to serve as an ally!" The first figure spoke up, clearly a man, but his voice was slow and somewhat stiff, as though he didn't often speak. "Oh? Who is this person? Someone worthy of Yu Ling personally coming to us?" Upon hearing that Ling Yu Ling was unharmed, the woman immediately relaxed, though her figure shifted slightly in the corner, showing curiosity. "Do you remember the incident involving the Xitian Ding over a hundred years ago?" "Naturaly, how did this treasure come to be remembered?" The woman was somewhat surprised. "The man who seized the scroll from the bearded man and Wan Tianming, and who once saved the child Yu Ling, is actually the same person. He has now arrived at our Tianxing City, intending to use the teleportation array to journey to the outer seas—exactly when Yu Ling happened to encounter him." The man added a few brief explanations. "Ah, so that's it. If I'm not mistaken, this person is named Han. Back then, he was merely a Jiedan cultivator—how remarkable that we should take steps to attract him?" The woman remained puzzled. "Heh, you might find it hard to believe. Yu Ling even suspects this man has now reached the level of a Yuanying mid-stage cultivator! If that's true, he has achieved such a level within less than two centuries—indeed, he's no ordinary person." The man chuckled. "When the Xutian Ding was first removed from the Xutian Hall, we specifically dispatched personnel to investigate the origin of the Ding's master. We had expected him to be a cultivator from outside the region—yet, the very possibility of that Finally, he should return to his origin! Could he possibly be a cultivator from a prestigious sect of the Great Jin dynasty? Otherwise, he would truly be a rare talent in the realm of cultivation—without the full backing of a sect, such a rapid achievement to the mid Yuan婴 stage would have been impossible. The woman seemed remarkably well-informed about the Great Jin dynasty and spoke with unwavering confidence.