After hearing Zhao Wugui's words, Zhao Wugui and the hermit cultivator exchanged glances and immediately walked to the large stone table in the center. Several nearby cultivators rose promptly, respectfully clearing space for the two Lingxu cultivators. The two nodded and settled themselves at two of the stone chairs. Thus, under the personal presence of two Lingxu cultivators, the exchange proceeded smoothly. Han Li exchanged a piece of jade that was over a thousand years old for several rare scrolls. His mastery of scrolls was now at a crucial stage. Though these scrolls were not silver tadpole scrolls, they were quite unique, and with careful study, they might offer him some valuable insights. Once the exchange was complete, each person took turns sharing their personal insights on cultivation or their unique understandings of certain secret techniques and practices. Most people spoke simply or vaguely, and some, though detailed in their explanations, deliberately paused at key points, choosing to remain silent. Others who were genuinely interested did not rush—they would later send messages, exchanging items or sharing unique cultivation techniques one-on-one. The two cultivators named Wen paid no attention to these exchanges. Han Li had recently been studying the art of seal scrolls and had shared some of his more basic insights. Yet clearly, few of the flying-into-heaven cultivators in the hall showed much interest in seal scrolls, and thus paid little attention to Han Li's explanations. Interestingly, both the cultivators named Wen and Zhao Wugui, upon hearing Han Li's remarks, noticed a clear connection to the Silver Tadpole Seal Scroll, and their faces briefly expressed surprise. While many high-level cultivators understood the Silver Tadpole script, it was extremely difficult—nearly impossible—without a one-on-one, dedicated explanation to truly grasp and study the art of seal scrolls. After everyone had finished speaking, several eager newcomers immediately approached Zhao Wugui and the Wen-family cultivator with questions about their cultivation practices. Some of the questions the Wen-family cultivator answered briefly and directly, while others merely smiled and remained silent, leaving it to Zhao Wugui to send a private message and discuss the matter further with the inquirer. Regardless of whether the inquirers nodded or shook their heads, they promptly sat back down, saying nothing more. These newly elevated cultivators all faced various challenges in their cultivation journeys, so aside from Han Li, everyone was determined not to miss this rare opportunity. Han Li, who practiced the Fanying Zhenmo Technique—a dual cultivation method of body and spirit—though also had some uncertainties in his practice, found that since no one else had ever cultivated this technique before, he naturally had no desire to ask questions, simply observing quietly from the sidelines. After another full hour, all the attendees had gone through the routine inquiries, and some even exchanged exclusive news and information with Zhao Wugui and the two of them for rare elixirs and medicinal herbs. Thus, following the established customs of past gatherings, every procedural step had been completed. Then, the named cultivator cleared his throat and slowly rose to speak: "Now that all the formalities are settled, I would like to share the instructions from Elder Lei Luo. Please listen carefully." Upon hearing this, Han Li and the others immediately grew serious, their expressions becoming solemn. There were five human elder cultivators in Tianyuan City, among whom Elder Lei Luo and Master Jin Yue were two. These two cultivators, both at the combined stage of attainment and having achieved transcendence, were among the most powerful. However, Master Jin Yue had long remained detached from external affairs, consistently in seclusion and deep cultivation. Thus, Elder Lei Luo naturally became the leader among the transcendence cultivators of Tianyuan City, enjoying the highest prestige and recognition among them, unmatched by any other. Yet, since arriving in Tianyuan City, Han Li had never once seen either of the two. Though he had heard several lectures from the Tianguang Hall, he had only encountered the lectures of the other three elders. "Recently, Elder Lei Luo has compiled and analyzed intelligence from various sources, and finally arrived at a clear conclusion. Over the next decade, there is over a 60% chance that Tianyuan City will face an assault by alien forces, and over a 20% chance that it will encounter a coalition of three or more alien armies. Although the likelihood of a full-scale war among the Hundred Clans remains slim, it cannot be entirely ruled out," said Zhao Wugui, his voice cold and resonant, echoing throughout the hall. Although the people in the hall had anticipated much of what Zhao Wugui had said, their hearts still sank as he spoke, and many grew pale upon hearing the term 'War of the Hundred Clans.' Even though these individuals had only recently ascended to the spiritual realm from the lower realms over the past century, the legendary war of the Hundred Clans was surely a well-known tale. This was a super race war that nearly wiped out both human and immortal clans. It's said that from the very beginning to the end of the conflict, the war lasted for ten thousand years—how fierce and devastating it must have been. Even Han Li, who had been sitting quietly in the corner, rarely speaking, now exhaled deeply and smiled faintly with a touch of wryness. The situation seemed far worse than he had originally anticipated. He would indeed need to devise some strategies for self-preservation. Otherwise, if a war between alien races broke out, not only would he, a mere Shen stage cultivator, be in danger, but even the elders at the Consolidated stage might very well meet their end. For these years, every time a flying-climb cultivator arrives in Tianyuan City, we are assigned to serve as the Qingming Guards—seemingly quite entrusted. Yet, whenever a crisis arises, the Elder Council always considers us the first choice to handle it. Although a few of our peers join each several years, over the years, the number of senior cultivators who have perished in Tianyuan City has consistently been higher among us flying-climb cultivators. In fact, our numbers among senior cultivators still fall short of even one-tenth of the total. The native cultivators of the spiritual realm, on the other hand, often only need to manage steady, routine duties. By now, I believe this situation should be deeply familiar to all of you. Some of you have already been assigned several high-risk missions. As for you, perhaps you're unaware—this very treatment is the result of our flying-climb cultivators' strong unity and the persistent efforts of the Lei Luo Elder. It is said that even before Master Jin Yue and Elder Lei Luo joined the Elder Council, our flying-ascending cultivators were in dire straits—during their shifts in Tianyuan City, half of them often perished. Zhao Wugui added coldly. The expressions of the people in the hall grew somewhat uneasy. Indeed, the accounts given by the Wu-family cultivator had resonated with them to some degree, and in recent years, several of them had personally witnessed flying-ascending cultivators succumbing during particularly perilous missions. Otherwise, more of them would have come to attend this gathering. Han Lin remained expressionless. Since he became a member of Qingming Guard, he had been assigned to the perilous Floating Li Marsh. Among the other three teams that regularly rotated duty there, all but one of the leading cultivators were also flying-ascending cultivators—only one being a native of the Spirit Realm. This fact alone had long fueled his skepticism. Hence, when Zhao Wugui later actively approached him and invited him to join this so-called gathering, he readily agreed. From his interactions with others, he naturally observed the subtle hesitation and caution that the other cultivators held toward the immortals who had achieved transcendence. Otherwise, how could the elder monster, Míng, who had failed in retrieving treasures from his spiritual realm, and others like him, have been so easily dismissed? With such a powerful ally proactively reaching out, he naturally had no reason to refuse. Indeed, after joining the gathering, no further matters or assignments came his way—nor were any additional tasks assigned to his small team. Of course, this also stemmed from the fact that patrolling the Floating Li Marsh was inherently a perilous assignment. "I've shared this information with you earlier," said the named cultivator, speaking calmly, "because Elder Leiluo wished to provide us with an opportunity to preserve our vitality and strength in the face of a potential great calamity." "Your meaning, Elder, is that Elder Leiluo has a plan to enable us to leave Tianyuan City and thus avoid the impending conflict?" "A woman in light green court robes, wearing a veil over her face, smiled with delight and asked, 'Hmph. The foreign forces launching an assault—this is a matter of life and death for our human race. Though we may have disagreements with one another among the cultivators, we all share the same duty to jointly resist the invaders. To leave Tianyuan City without cause and evade our responsibilities in defense—without even being summoned by the enforcement team, we would personally come to you and eliminate you.' Zhao Wugui's eyes flashed with cold intensity as he spoke, his tone solemn and stern. Yet this approach remains highly risky—thus, it is precisely for this reason that we have been sent to inform you all of the details. You may now freely decide whether or not to join this initiative." The named cultivator smiled gently. A wave of mild agitation rippled through the crowd, with many of them exchanging puzzled glances. Han Li's brows furrowed first, then narrowed slightly. "What exactly do we need to choose? Please state it plainly, elders," one of them asked calmly. "It's quite simple. Recently, Senior Lei Luo has issued a series of lengthy, highly prestigious assignments. These tasks are extremely demanding and perilous—most native cultivators are reluctant to undertake them. However, upon successfully completing these assignments, you will have earned significant merit and will be able to formally retire with distinction. Should the great conflict not materialize, you may return to Tianyuan City. Should the war indeed break out, and if your cultivation levels are insufficient to remain engaged, you may choose to step back and retire, thus preserving the vital strength of our fellow cultivators striving for transcendence. Hehe, let me lay the groundwork first! Based on our estimates, nearly half of the personnel assigned to carry out these missions are expected to perish. Whether or not you accept this risk is entirely up to your own judgment. After all, it's still uncertain whether an actual siege by foreign forces will indeed unfold, yet the mission itself carries a very high likelihood of resulting in death. For anyone hoping to leave Tianyuan City without any risk—well, that's pure fantasy. "Zhao Wugui said with a cold smile.