The young man named Bai, seated in the corner, swept his divine awareness over the newly arrived figure. The young Bai seemed to possess an incalculable depth of spiritual energy—clearly a full-body stage cultivator. "Was it you who activated this Guanghan Seal?" Bai focused his gaze, waved a hand at the infantry soldiers, and then turned it directly upon Han Li. "I'd like to deny it, but it seems rather impossible!" Han Li sighed, a faint wry smile playing on his lips. "Deny? Why deny? You've just come upon an unparalleled opportunity!" Bai narrowed his eyes, studied Han Li carefully, and spoke with a half-smiling, half-serious tone. "An unparalleled opportunity, elder—could you elaborate on that?" Han Li's expression brightened, eager to seek clarity. Yet just as he was about to inquire further, Bai furrowed his brows, suddenly turned his head toward a wall in a certain direction, and said: "Since Brother Angang has arrived, why hasn't he appeared? Does he intend to hand this Guanghan Seal over to our Shui Mei clan?" "The Guanghan Seals appearing now are quite rare—each one exceptionally precious. How dare your Water Spectral clan claim one outright? Without the Ever-ancient Clan setting up the activation array, even if you secure one, what good would it do?" A cold, unfamiliar voice spoke. The figure known as "Ceiling Shadow" spoke without any emotional inflection. "Indeed, that's quite difficult to say. As far as I remember, among our thirteen clans, there exists an unwritten rule: should two clans simultaneously express interest in a member of another clan, only the one who receives a formal invitation first may proceed—unless the prospective member declines the initial invitation, at which point the second clan may then extend its own. Esteemed friend, I am Bai Yue, a senior elder of the Shui Mei clan. On behalf of our clan, I formally extend an invitation for you to join us as a guest scholar. Should you accept, I can guarantee that within a century, your cultivation level will advance by one stage, and there are further substantial benefits to be gained." The young man with white hair no longer glanced at the Ceiling Shadow, but turned to ask a question. Yet as he spoke, his gaze remained fixed on Han Li, with a swift, luminous gleam flashing rapidly within his eyes—seeming to draw the very essence of the listener's mind into that gaze as though by an invisible pull. Han Li's eyes flickered, and as soon as his gaze met the unusual gleam in the other's eyes, he instantly felt his consciousness blur, his mouth moving instinctively as if about to utter words of agreement. Yet at the very next moment, the Great Derivation Technique surged within him, his pupils constricting, a brilliant blue light blazing forth, and a mysterious force emanating from his eyes counteracted the allure exerted by the white-haired youth's gaze. Han Li's consciousness stabilized instantly, yet a surge of astonishment and anger surged within him. Though the white-haired youth appeared sincere and earnest, he had already unconsciously employed the *Ruyi Huang Mò* technique after only a few sentences—had it not been for Han Li's innate Qingming Ling Mò, he likely would have agreed on the spot. The white-haired youth, seeing this, was momentarily stunned, his expression revealing genuine surprise. "Hah! I didn't expect the white brother's *Lüli Huan Mò* to falter even against the Saint Clan's lower ranks." White friend, there's no point in wasting your efforts. You yourself know that the rule we mentioned earlier regarding inviting guest scholars from other clans is merely a customary practice—so how could the other clans, before the Guanghan Command, possibly adhere to any strict order of precedence? Cang Ying was equally surprised, yet still managed a dry, mocking remark. Upon hearing this, the young man of the Bai family quickly regained his composure, giving a thoughtful glance to the silent Han Li before calmly addressing Cang Ying: "Since this friend has no intention of joining our Water Mirage Clan, I shall certainly not insist. Cang Ying, why don't you try inviting him from your Yin Yan Clan?" "Who among the clans can actually secure this guest scholar's position—do you think it's up to us to decide, or can he himself make the choice? I certainly won't volunteer to do something that only brings trouble!" Cang Ying scoffed. White Yue listened quietly, offering only a gentle smile without responding. After a few chuckles, Cang Ying too fell silent. As for Han Li, he drew in the blue glow in his eyes and remained silent. The atmosphere instantly grew profoundly still. The nearby cloud city soldiers, however, stared at each other, puzzled and at a loss. But this quietude was soon broken. From the closed door of Han Li's chamber, a series of steady knocking sounds emerged, followed by an elderly voice: "I am Wan Gu Zhu, a thousand-mechanism elder of the Wangu Clan. Would it be possible to meet the master of this place?" Upon hearing the elderly voice, Bai Yue's face slightly paled, and the gray light surrounding Cang Ying rippled slightly. Han Li, however, merely flashed a glance and immediately spoke: "Please come in, Master. It is truly a great honor that you have chosen to grace us with your presence." Upon hearing Han Li's clearly courteous tone, the elder outside did not hesitate, and with a sudden inspiration, stepped directly through the door into the chamber. Turns out to be an elderly man dressed in yellow robes, of medium height but stout and plump, carrying a peculiar, basket-like backpack on his back, with a kind and benevolent expression. "Ah, it's a pleasure to meet both White and Cang Ying, esteemed friends! I've just now realized you're both here," the stout man said warmly, as though he had only just learned that White and Cang were present in the room. "Master Qianjizi is being most courteous—our arrival was only just a moment ago." "Indeed, I was attending to some matters nearby, and by chance noticed the luminous glow emitted when this Guanghan Command was activated, so I came over to take a closer look." Though White and Cang had been sharply at odds just moments before, they now both exhibited the same cautious demeanor, each appearing humble and attentive. Han Li found this quite unusual, and immediately cast his divine awareness toward the elder. In that instant, his mind grew filled with astonishment. This plump elder, known as the "Thousand-Mechanism Master," possesses a depth of magical power so profound that it seems as vast and boundless as an endless ocean—its true depths simply cannot be fathomed. At least, with his current level of cultivation, he has yet to penetrate the master's true stage of attainment. Thus, it is highly likely that this plump elder stands at the pinnacle of the Consolidated Stage. That explains why Bai Yue and Cang Ying both hold such deep respect and caution toward him. Given the gap in their own cultivation levels, even together, they might not be able to match the elder's depth of magical prowess. Han Li's expression shifted slightly. Though he asked the question, his mind had already formed a clear image of Jia Tianmu. Indeed, as he had anticipated, Qi Jī's smile immediately followed: "I've already heard about your matter from Jia Daojun. In fact, I even have your portrait. Originally, I intended to send someone to invite you over for a meeting within the next two days. But now, it seems we must make the visit sooner." "Indeed, Daojun Qi Jī knows this foreign Daojun?" Bai Yue asked, naturally curious. "Ah, yes," Qi Jī said, stroking his beard with a composed air. "One of our four top-tier puppet masters from the Wangu Clan, Master Jia, nearly fell in the region recently occupied by the Jiao Chi clan. Thanks to your timely intervention, Master Jia was safely rescued. How could I possibly not know you?" "Wait—Master Jia actually went to the border region?" This was a question that even Cang Ying found surprising. "Should we not proceed? There is a matter of great importance within our clan that necessitates Master Jia's personal visit. We had originally assigned several guards for this journey, but due to the invasion by the Jiao Chi clan, they all perished in the border regions. Now, do either of you find our internal affairs of the Wangu Clan so pressing?" The plump elder sighed first, then blinked with a smile, and asked with a cheerful tone. "Far from it! Master Jia's mastery of puppetry has long reached an extraordinary level—indeed, he is indispensable to our thirteen clans. I merely have some concerns." Upon hearing the elder's words, Bai Yue's expression changed, and he managed a composed smile. "Indeed, as long as Master Jia is well, we are at ease." The figure in gray light also shifted slightly, appearing somewhat uneasy. "I see now that you both are genuinely concerned—perhaps I have been overly cautious. However, now that the Guanghan Mandate has been revealed and activated by Fr. Han, I would like to invite him to our clan. Would either of you object?" As for this location, naturally, we will immediately establish seals and dispatch sufficient personnel to fully seal it off. Our Wangu Clan will soon send someone here to set up and activate the corresponding spell array." Thousand-Ji's tone was remarkably courteous, yet he left no room for objection from the other two. Upon hearing this, Bai Yue and the young figure from the gray light, though naturally displeased, could only nod reluctantly, bowing to Thousand-Ji's authority. Seeing that both had shown good grace, the stout elder nodded contentedly and then turned to Han Li, smiling gently and asking, "Han friend, would you be willing to make the journey over to my humble abode?" Hearing this, Han Li's face was filled with a deep, wry smile. With Thousand-Ji extending such an invitation at the peak of his Consolidated Body stage, how could he possibly refuse? He could only politely respond, "If the elder does not mind the inconvenience, then the younger servant would be honored to make the visit." "No need to worry, Han friend," the elder chuckled. "After all, you are, in fact, the life-saving benefactor of Master Jia." "Our Wanchu clan is no forgetful of kindness," Qi Jizi seemed to have sensed the hesitation in Han Li's heart, and with a hearty laugh, said.