In a matter of moments, Han Li landed on a platform at the waist of a small mountain. He waved his sleeve, and at once a wave of azure light surged forth. "Pffft!" The light struck the stone wall and instantly burst out in a brilliant glow. Then, the wall seemed to shimmer and blur, revealing a massive stone gate several zhang high. White spiritual light flickered continuously upon the gate, clearly indicating that it had been sealed with a spell. Han Li examined it carefully, then raised his hand and sent a beam of fire into the gate, which vanished instantly upon reaching it. A short while later, a pleasant, excited voice from within the gate announced: "It's Master Han who has arrived! Please wait a moment—our spouses will come out to welcome you right away." As the voice faded, the white light on the gate flashed several times and then settled into a normal, unremarkable state. Then, a deep rumbling sound echoed, and the gate slowly opened, revealing two women and one man stepping out. It was Wen Siyue and the young lady named Tian Qin'er. After glancing at the young lady, Han Li was slightly taken aback. The young woman, who had previously appeared with a yellowish complexion and extremely thin frame, now looked like a graceful young lady, with a faint elegance reminiscent of her mother in her eyes and expression. It seemed that after eliminating the toxic effects and receiving proper care, she had truly regained her natural vitality—this must be her true appearance. "Respectfully bowing to Master Han! We didn't expect you to arrive so soon. Miss Siyue didn't have the chance to welcome you personally, and we sincerely apologize for that." Since Wen Siyue and Han Li were more familiar with one another, the elegant young woman stepped forward to pay her respectful bow, her face glowing with warm smiles. "My journey has gone smoothly without any delays, so I've arrived earlier than originally planned." Han Li waved his hand, inviting the three to remain seated without further formality. "Nevertheless, we have been eagerly awaiting your arrival. Please, do take a seat in our dwelling." After a gentle smile, Wen Siyue inclined her body slightly and spoke politely. "Yes, that would be good. I'd like to test how well this young lady has understood the array scroll I've given her. If she truly impresses me, I'll take her as my disciple." Han Li nodded, speaking calmly, and then glanced at the young woman once more. Tian Qin'er blushed slightly at Han Li's gaze and hurriedly lowered her head. Wen Siyue and the man of the Tian surname, however, were delighted and quickly invited Han Li into their pavilion. Han Li remained inside for one full day and one night. During this time, the four disciples of Wen Siyue and her husband at the Foundation Stage also visited Han Li and the others once. Among them, the elder brought a young man of about eight or nine years old, who also entered the pavilion and did not leave immediately. One day later, a streak of jade-green light burst forth from the small mountain, carrying within it the faint outlines of a man and a woman. Then it flickered several times and vanished without a trace. A month later, far beyond the reach of Luang Xinghai—spanning countless millions of miles—within the inland region of the southern state of Tiannan Yue, in a vast canyon of a desert plain, several cultivators clad in black robes were flying on their vehicles at a low altitude. Though their elder brother moved with graceful ease, his speed of movement was surprisingly slow, clearly indicating that he was a junior-level cultivator. After flying for some time, the group suddenly turned and flew toward one side of the canyon wall, vanishing into a hidden and secluded cave. A short distance inside, they came upon a stone gate that shimmered with a series of magical seals. A stern black-robed man, clearly the leader, stepped forward and, after taking a few steps to the gate, chanted incantations while forming hand gestures. After a while, he raised his hand and cast a spell, which swiftly disappeared into the gate, sending out a few shimmering streaks of light. The stone gate gently swayed and then rose slowly. "Which of our junior disciples has arrived?" The sound came lazily before the group even stepped inside, and then a swirling mass of black energy shot out from the cavern, darted forward, and settled in front of the tall man. As the dark aura dispersed, a pale-featured elder stepped into view. "Ah, I was wondering who it was—turns out it's Master Meng! Is it indeed Master Meng who has been assigned to take over this duty?" The elder's expression had been initially gloomy, but upon seeing the tall man, he paused slightly before brightening up and offering a warm smile. It was only natural, for the tall man possessed mid-basal stage cultivation, while the elder was still at the initial basal stage—naturally, he couldn't afford to be casual. "Indeed, Master Fan! I've been assigned to take over from you in charge of guarding this spiritual mine. Is the mine's entrance located inside the cavern?" The tall man didn't hesitate, speaking directly and without ceremony. "Ah-ha! Master Meng truly has a keen sense of urgency. The entrance to the mine is indeed inside. But is that all the companions you've brought? It seems a bit understaffed." After surveying the few people behind the young man, the elder grew slightly puzzled. "Now our Gui Ling Sect is quite different from years past. Most of our disciples are devoted to guarding against the Yuling Sect and the Mo Yan Sect—these ones are the very ones I've managed to secure through persistent efforts from the Office of Affairs. Fortunately, this location is within our core territory, and we only need to manage ordinary civilians. They should be sufficient for that." The young man snorted, clearly also dissatisfied. "That makes sense. However, Meng brother will have to put in more effort going forward." Upon hearing this, the elder could only nod in resignation. "Alright, then, Brother, let's first go to the ore vein area and get a feel for the situation here before we proceed further." The young man glanced toward the cavern, yet said this with firm determination. "Of course. Follow me, brother." The elder nodded and immediately chanted a spell, closing the stone gate once again, then led the young man and his companions deeper into the cavern. To the east and west, the path wound through the cave, and after a short journey, a vast fissure appeared on the ground ahead, several zhang wide, with a soft, shimmering white light pulsing faintly, as if extending deep into the earth. At the entrance of the fissure, two black-robed cultivators in the Qi stage were seated cross-legged on either side. Upon seeing the elder and the tall man approach, they were startled and hurried to pay their respects. The elder merely waved his hand calmly and led the group directly into the fissure. Dahhan listened intently throughout, his expression gloomy and rarely speaking. After a few turns, a new passage suddenly appeared ahead, slanting downward, as if leading deeper into the earth. Upon seeing this passage, the black-robed elder furrowed his brow, shook his head, and instead of proceeding with Dahhan and the others, turned around to take the group back. "Master Fan, where does this passage lead? Why aren't we going to take a look?" Dahhan studied the passage carefully before stopping, expressing his curiosity. "Many years ago, this was a sealed sanctuary. Special disciples were assigned to guard it, but now it has long since been abandoned, and those personnel have all been withdrawn," the elder replied casually. "A sanctuary? What exactly lies within? And why was it abandoned?" Upon hearing this, Dahhan grew even more interested. "There's not much here—just an ancient teleportation array. However, it appears the array has been abandoned for a long time and is now completely non-functional. As for why it was once designated as a sacred site and then later withdrawn from that status, I'm not entirely sure. It seems there's some connection to Master Wang, though?" The elder hesitated, as though considering it unimportant, before finally sharing the information truthfully. "Master Wang—yes, the one who used to be..." The Han man suddenly stiffened, his words cutting off mid-sentence, as if deeply apprehensive. "All you need to know is that Master Wang's matter isn't something we can casually discuss." The elder chuckled, speaking with evident weight. "Then, if I may, would you be so kind as to accompany me there first? I must confess to Master Fan that, over the past few years, I've been deeply studying the principles of array magic, and I've always been particularly curious about ancient teleportation arrays." After a brief silence, the Han man suddenly added. "Studying array magic, you say? The place is quite far away—it will take quite some time to reach." The elder stared, his face revealing a touch of surprise. "Master Fan, there's no need to be puzzled. I fully understand the principle of 'more is better.' However, I've now reached a bottleneck in my cultivation. I can only resort to various methods to stimulate progress. Perhaps, while studying the art of array formations, I'll naturally gain insights across different areas." The tall man sighed and said this. "Then, as my brother, I'll guide you through the path. But if you truly wish to study this transmission array, it would be best to find a more suitable time." Hearing this, the elder could only agree. Upon hearing this, the tall man smiled gently. Thus, the group proceeded forward. In no time, they entered a deeper underground passage. After winding through it for the duration of a meal, under the elder's guidance, they arrived at a complex network of interconnected stalactite caves, branching out in every direction. Here it seemed as though a small maze, yet by following a few clear markers, several of them finally came to a halt in a spacious stalactite cave. In a corner of the cavern, an ancient, hexagonal teleportation array stood. "Brother, that's where we are!" the elder gestured toward the ancient array and said to the young man. "Hmm, this is indeed an ancient teleportation array. I've only seen descriptions of it in various texts before—never actually had the chance to see one in person." Upon seeing the array, the young man's eyes immediately lit up. He stepped forward, walked around it several times, and then settled to gaze at it intently. The elder, meanwhile, gently stroked his beard, smiling quietly without speaking. As for the younger disciples still in the early stages of Qi cultivation, though they were also curious, they naturally did not dare to stand beside the young man. They simply stood patiently at the entrance. "It's said that this teleportation array remains in perfect condition." The reason the array couldn't be activated was simply that the counterpart array on the other side had likely encountered problems. Otherwise, the old man would have been genuinely curious about where this teleportation array actually led. Still, with time on our side, Brother will need to remain here for over a decade—there's ample time for him to study it thoroughly. For now, let's return." After gazing at the young man for a while, the elder felt the moment had arrived. With a casual remark, he urged the young man to begin the journey back. "Return? I don't think so. This place is so secluded—Brother will stay here forever." The young man, facing away from the elder, didn't even lift his head, yet his words came out strangely out of place. Upon hearing this, the elder was startled, then a cold dread settled in his heart. Yet before he could react, he suddenly felt a coolness at his neck. A blade of light flashed by, and his head rolled lifelessly to the ground. The elder's body, now lifeless, swayed once and collapsed to the earth! (First chapter!