Before departing, Han Li had brought Shi Jian back to Tiannan, sending him to the far west to seize the headship of the Thousand Bamboo Sect—thus inheriting the legacy of the Da Yan Immortal! Shi Jian had long heard from Han Li about the Da Yan Immortal's story. Upon arriving in Tiannan, he paid his respects to Han Li and set off alone toward the far west. With his current Yuan Ying stage cultivation, capturing a mere Thousand Bamboo Sect was a matter of course. Han Li did not worry at all about this development. When Han Li returned to Zui Mo Valley, he immediately began his cultivation toward the Huashen stage. Thanks to the spiritual medicine transplantation technique he acquired from Feng Xi, Han Li successfully transported all the medicinal herbs previously unable to be transplanted within his Ji Zi space to outside of it. As a result, the previously unattainable Jingyun Pills—once hindered by raw material limitations—could now be produced freely and without restriction. Although Jingyun Pills were originally designed for Yuan Ying stage cultivators, their potent properties provided significant benefits even to those at the Huashen stage. Thus, under the unlimited supply of these elixirs, the initially difficult journey to the early stage of Huashen proved surprisingly swift for Han Li. After more than a century of relentless cultivation, he reached the peak of the early Huashen stage and brought the final layer of Qingyuan Sword Technique to a state of great perfection. Subsequently, consuming further Jingyun Elixirs yielded no additional benefits. Moreover, due to the thinness of the elemental qi in the human realm, advancing to the mid-stage of Huashen was nearly impossible. Therefore, he decided to step out of seclusion without hesitation. Upon receiving the news, Han Li naturally felt the same. After more than a century of preparation, Xiang Zhili, Feng Lao, and Hu Lao—following the precedent of Che Lao—the three jointly entered the spatial node. However, not long after, two of their three original life essences, which remained behind on the mortal plane, suddenly went out, leaving only Hu Lao's lamp still burning, though now dimmed. A few days later, even Hu Lao's lamp extinguished as well. It remained unclear whether Hu Lao had successfully ascended to the spiritual realm, thereby severing the connection with his life essence, or whether he too had perished within the node. Only after Han Li, through the ten-thousand-li scroll, learned of these developments from his disciples, did he feel a deep sense of alarm. The peril of this spatial node, he realized, surpassed his expectations—despite the formidable powers of Xiang Zhili and the others, nearly all of them had been lost. Thus, he felt uneasy. Clearly, the danger of spatial nodes as described by Yin Yue had not been exaggerated at all; it truly was a path of life and death. Fortunately, Xiang Zhi Li has been reliable in keeping his word—the location of the spatial node had already been reserved for him, so there was no worry about finding it. Now that he could make no further progress in his cultivation, he needed to personally inspect the entrance to the spatial node and begin preparations early. The more thoroughly he prepared, the greater his chances of successfully navigating the node would be. Even based solely on the description provided by the Wàn Lǐ Symbol, he still felt uncertain. However, the spatial node was not located in the Great Jin realm nor in the southern regions, which he was familiar with, but rather in an unfamiliar sea known as Wǔ Lóng Sea. While the Great Jin realm had limited knowledge of this place, Xiang Zhi Li and the other Chāng Shén elders possessed a direct teleportation array that connected to this sea. He would first have to journey to the Great Jin realm to activate the array. With this round trip, the journey would take considerable time, so before departing, he would need to return to Luàn Xīng Hǎi first. With a clear plan in mind, Han Li entrusted the human-shaped automata to guard the rice-grain space and then gracefully departed from the Fallen Demon Valley. The elder master is proficient in elixirs that enhance cultivation and refine inner energy, but he has never been able to concoct the Xingxiang Elixir. Now that he has this rare opportunity, he naturally won't miss it. The elder didn't grow angry; instead, he smiled warmly and replied. "The two of you needn't compete. This time, I've brought half of my Xingxiang Elixirs to this exchange, which should be sufficient for both of you to share. I only hope the items you bring won't fall short of my expectations." The young woman in green robes spoke gently and gracefully—her manner was more refined than that of a typical Daoist, resembling that of a well-bred lady from a noble family. Yet upon hearing her words, both the elder and the scholar quietly breathed a sigh of relief and offered more courteous remarks. It turned out that these several cultivators had gathered here to hold a small exchange event. The two others seated quietly in the stone pavilion exchanged glances and smiled at one another. Then one of the pallid men suddenly raised his hand, placing a golden wooden box on the stone table and pushing it toward the center, then said solemnly to the elder: "This item was obtained through joint efforts between me and my friend Sun. In order to exchange it for your two 'Jiaojiang Pills,' it is only this pill that can enable my Wind-Phoenix Serpent to evolve into a Jiaojiang." "Jiaojiang Pills?" the elder had already mentioned this during our last exchange. "I had stated that without this pill, even my Biling Snake requires it as well." The elder's expression grew displeased, and he shook his head repeatedly. "Heh, Brother Kan, there's no need to respond so quickly. Please take a moment to examine what I have brought forth before making your decision," said the named cultivator, smiling with confidence. "Unless you have materials such as Qingling Zhī, I won't agree to the exchange, no matter how precious the contents of the box may be," the elder thought, yet remained firm in his words. However, with a single gesture, he reached out and directly took the box into his hands, then opened the lid. "A small, luminous blue orb, about the size of a thumb, appeared inside." "That's a Lei Whale's Inner Essence!" the elder exclaimed, suddenly gasping. Everyone else was startled and turned to look. "Brother Kan truly has a keen eye. He recognized this item at once. Indeed, this is the inner essence of a seventh-rank Lei Whale beast. Though only a seventh-rank creature, it is quite rare—everyone in our circle should know of it. I and Brother Sun pursued it for three days and three nights before finally securing it. In exchange for this, how do you find it?" the Daoist named Fan said. The elder gazed steadily at the box in his hands, his eyes never blinking—clearly eager for the essence—yet the Changjiao Pill held equal value. He hesitated. "The inner essence of a Lei Whale beast—this is indeed uncommon. May I have the privilege of viewing it?" At that moment, a soft, unfamiliar male voice suddenly came from outside the pavilion. "Who is that?" Everyone was startled and turned to look. To their surprise, a young man in a green robe appeared outside the pavilion without them noticing when—only in his twenties, with an ordinary face yet eyes unusually clear and bright. The several cultivators within the stone pavilion exchanged puzzled glances. They didn’t recognize him at all. And though the area seemed ordinary, it should have been shielded by the established seals and barriers. How could a stranger appear here? Yet they didn’t immediately grow angry—because upon first glance, the man seemed entirely ordinary, as if he possessed not a single strand of cultivation energy within him. But if he were truly an ordinary mortal, how could he have spoken such words and appeared here at all? Han Li found this place entirely unfamiliar and naturally needed to inquire about its location, then proceed to purchase a sea chart. Though the illusions and restrictions here were no ordinary feat, they could not conceal themselves from his clear and refined spiritual sight. As soon as he noticed a gathering of senior cultivators on this island, he landed gracefully without hesitation. "Looking for directions?" the named cultivator was momentarily stunned, then expressed disbelief. "My good friend, if we could obtain a sea chart from the nearby area, that would be ideal. By the way, although this thunder-beast immortal essence appears intact, the inner vitality of the beast has already begun to dissipate. No matter where we go to seek remedies, it will hardly prove useful." Han Li paid no attention to the other's thoughts, instead glanced at the older man's box and smiled. "Is this truly the case?" "Are you speaking nonsense?" The elder was startled upon hearing this. Meanwhile, the named cultivator's face turned pale, and he grew furious. "Whether you believe it or not, it all depends on the other cultivators." I merely mentioned it casually, but if any of you are willing to sell me your sea chart and answer a few questions, I shall present you with a Rea Whale Beast Immortal Pill—one that is a bit lower in rank, yet sufficient for medicinal purposes." Han Li spoke calmly, flipping his hand, and a pill resembling the one he had just displayed floated into view. It shone with a bright blue glow, though clearly one tier below the first one he had shown. At this, the five Dragon Sea cultivators seated in the pavilion were first stunned, then their expressions varied widely—some with eyes gleaming with excitement, others with expressions of disbelief, while others fixed their gaze tightly on Han Li, as though trying to read a bloom of joy on his face. "How exactly do you come by your credentials? Are you deliberately here to play us for fools?" the scholar named Fan shifted his gaze from the pill in Han Li's hand, suddenly adopting a stern tone and demanded. (Second update!)