These two clearly weren't ordinary body-tempering cultivators; otherwise, their presence would have been far less impressive upon a mere glance. To him, they seemed even stronger than Zhang Kui. "Brothers, this is Han brother, who has recently joined our merchant house. My lady mentioned she'd like to meet him personally—please do inform him of that." The young man with the Luo surname stepped forward, bowing with great courtesy. "Oh, it's indeed this man who has refined the Jade Pill Technique to its third stage. He looks quite young, though—I wonder if he's been taking any facial youth-preserving elixirs?" The slightly shorter, stockier man studied Han for a moment before remarking. His tone came across as notably unkind. "If you believe I've taken such elixirs, then so be it." Han's heart gave a slight leap, yet he smiled lightly on the surface. "Hmph. I'm not convinced you've truly reached the third stage of the Jade Pill Technique. Allow me to test you—would that be acceptable?" This tall man clearly had only spoken casually a moment ago, but now his eyes flashed with cold intensity, and suddenly grasped Han Li's wrist firmly, speaking stiffly. Han Li merely twitched his brow, neither flinching nor withdrawing, allowing the man to hold his wrist. Immediately, Han Li sensed the man's fingers were unusually cold, and then a tremendous force surged forth, tightening progressively—far beyond what one would expect from flesh and blood. Han Li smiled instead of being angered, though his gaze grew steadily darker. Under the man's powerful grip, a faint golden hue appeared on the spot where Han Li's wrist was pressed, only to vanish instantly, then fade away completely. Han Li remained still, calmly accepting the pressure. After a while, seeing that he had exerted nearly seven or eight parts of his strength and still finding Han Li completely unruffled, the man's face finally grew pale. Yet, after a brief hesitation, he did not release his grip; instead, he took a deep breath, and suddenly a dark glow spread across his fingers, further intensifying his strength. Han Li's smile finally faded, and with a soft exhalation through his nose, he casually waved his arm. The large man instantly felt his five fingers gripping Han Li's wrist tremble, his body instantly going numb halfway. Just as he gasped in surprise, a tremendous force surged through him, lifting him completely off the ground. Watching Han Li remain expressionless, the large man seemed destined to be violently thrown against a nearby stone wall, crashing headfirst and bleeding profusely. Yet, as his figure flickered, another guard—until now silent—suddenly darted forward several paces, positioning himself in front of the first man, and swiftly reached out with one hand to catch him. However, as soon as his palm touched his companion's sleeve, his expression changed abruptly, and his other hand quickly extended, soon forming a dual-hand grasp. A loud "thud" echoed, followed by several sharp "taps" in quick succession. Although Han received the blow, he had to retreat several steps consecutively before he finally steadied himself with a pale face. Han narrowed his eyes and glanced at the large man who had attacked after him. This man, having exerted considerable strength himself, had still managed to withstand the blow from his companion—clearly his body cultivation was superior to that of the other. The Luo-named youth was now utterly stunned. These two gate guards were the personal bodyguards of Lady Fang. Though they rarely interacted with the knights, their exceptional body cultivation skills had even earned the quiet admiration of their team leader, Zhang Kui. In fact, knights who considered themselves proficient in martial arts had all secretly challenged them, each time suffering a crushing defeat. Yet this newly arrived Han, with just one hand, had reduced these two guards to such a state of disarray that they could hardly defend themselves. Indeed, once the Jade Firmness Technique reached its third level, did it truly possess such formidable power? The Luo-named youth's expression now shifted between concern and uncertainty. He naturally had no idea that韩立's remarkable strength stemmed largely from his continuous consumption of dragon-scale fruits over several centuries in the human realm, coupled with his long practice of the Bone-Quenching Technique. Otherwise, even though the Jade-Body Technique possessed the power to enhance strength, at the third level it would have only been comparable in size to these two sturdy men. Moreover, in reality,韩立 had already advanced the Jade-Body Technique to the fourth level. "Frater Han, your movements are truly impressive; we bow to you. Please enter," said the elder brother, who, after several consecutive cycles of circulating his internal energy, finally expelled the accumulated pressure in his chest during the conversation, restoring his composure—though his gaze upon Han now carried a clear sense of reverence. The man thrown aside by Han looked particularly displeased. Han smiled slightly, said nothing further, bowed briefly, and then calmly stepped into the courtyard. The young man of the Luo family, naturally, had no right to enter—so he remained outside. The main hall door was closed, and as Han Li reached to knock, a pleasant female voice came from within. "Mr. Han, please come in! I've been waiting for you for some time now." Han Li's eyes flickered slightly, but he didn't find it surprising in the least—calmly, he pushed the door open and stepped inside. Upon taking a quick glance, his expression changed. To his surprise, there were so many people present. At the head of the room, facing the entrance, sat a woman in a light blue robe, in her thirties, with fair skin and a refined appearance. Behind her stood a young man in a blue robe, in his late twenties or early thirties, whose features bore a resemblance to the woman. Across from her sat a man in a brocade robe, younger in appearance but with gray hair at his temples, his expression somewhat cold. Beside him stood a pair of young couple—elegant and handsome, the man noble and the woman beautiful as a blossom. It seemed these individuals had already been aware of what had transpired outside the courtyard, and thus all turned to gaze at Han Li as he entered. The woman's gaze carried both surprise and delight, while the young man in blue robes showed curiosity. The man in silk robes, on the other hand, furrowed his brow slightly. The young couple, meanwhile, displayed a touch of astonishment. "Mr. Han, please don't mind—when the two guards stepped forward to test me, it was actually my idea. I simply wished to see whether the Third Layer of the Golden-Body Technique lives up to the reputation it holds. This method is known for its broad and intricate flow, yet it is among the most difficult of the body-shaping arts. Few manage to reach the Second Layer, let alone someone like Mr. Han who has achieved the Third." The graceful woman rose to greet them, bowing slightly. "Mr. Han, I am already a member of the merchant house, so a mere test of skill is hardly significant. I would simply like to know whether you are satisfied with my performance." Mr. Han smiled gently, showing no particular concern. Though he intended to remain relatively concealed within the merchant house, he did not wish to be treated merely as a mere clerk or subordinate. Naturally, he was not averse to briefly demonstrating his abilities. Her previous performance had evidently caught the Lady Fang's attention. "The power of the Third Layer of the Diamond Scripture far exceeded my expectations—naturally, it has broadened my horizons considerably. By the way, allow me to introduce the young gentleman to the young master. This is my son, Pan Qing, who is studying celestial arts under the Golden Jade Sect. These three masters are all his fellow disciples." Upon hearing Mr. Han's words, the lady smiled gracefully and gestured toward the others. "Ah, so you are the young master and these esteemed masters!" Mr. Han bowed slightly and spoke calmly. Though his consciousness could not fully detach from his body, the keen sensitivity of his awareness allowed him to roughly sense the levels of cultivation of these individuals at such close range. All of them were at the Foundation Stage or above. However, Pan Qing and the young couple seemed only recently established at the Foundation Stage, with relatively weaker inner qi. In contrast, the gentleman in the brocade robe radiated a dense and powerful aura, clearly having reached the advanced stage of the Foundation Period—nearly the stage of a perfected Jade Pill. Indeed, he was far from to be underestimated. Given Han Li's recent display of prowess, no one dared to truly bear it with boldness, and all offered their own courtesies. The man in the brocade robe smiled slightly and inquired, "Though I have never practiced the Body-Forging Technique myself, my former master once had a high-level Body-Forger as a friend. It's said that this elder single-handedly defeated several six- and seven-tiered beast creatures. At first, Qin thought this might have been an exaggeration. But now, having witnessed Han brother's extraordinary feats of the Jade-Body Technique, I am convinced. However, I observe that Han brother's immense strength seems not solely due to his training in the Jade-Body Technique—rather, it appears to be a natural, divine power." This man clearly had a good eye, having discerned the unique quality of Han Li's strength. "Qin brother's insight is truly remarkable," Han Li replied, naturally acknowledging that his strength did indeed have a natural origin—without needing to elaborate on the Dragon-Scale Fruit or similar matters. The man in the brocade robe nodded, and his lingering doubt was now largely dispelled. Next, the men in the brocade robes said little, and it was actually the Lady Fang who engaged in a warm, conversational exchange with Han Li, gently probing to learn more about his background—though Han Li naturally remained composed and deflective. Seeing Han Li’s demeanor, Lady Fang decided not to press further, but instead clearly explained to him that the men in brocade robes, including Pan Qing, had all been dispatched by their respective monasteries to assist the city of Anyuan in withstanding this current wave of beasts. This was due to both the high-level ties between Anyuan’s administration and the Jin Yu Monastery, and the fact that each major surge of the beast invasions provided an excellent opportunity for lower-level cultivators to break through their current developmental barriers. Hence, they had sent out their foundation-stage disciples. Of course, the Jin Yu Monastery was not the only one sending representatives—several other smaller monasteries also dispatched their disciples. As for the staff from the Dong Shang Trading House, since their arrival in Anyuan, following established practice, their guard team had inevitably been called upon to serve the city’s needs. Therefore, Lady Fang temporarily appointed Han Li as Zhang Kui's deputy to assist him in leading the guard unit. Upon hearing the lady's appointment, Han Li paused briefly and then nodded in agreement. Seeing this, Lady Fang smiled with satisfaction and then sent Han Li off to rest. As she had mentioned, the outbreak of the beast surge was imminent and truly involved a coordinated assault by multiple beast herds. Han Li and the others would naturally need to conserve their strength. Han Li gave a slight smile and immediately left the room. "The woman didn't hide her thoughts; she slightly furrowed her brows and said. (First hour!