"Are you certain that place will be activated within the next two years? If I've just miscalculated the years by a few, then all my risks will have been for nothing—and I'll miss this incredible opportunity entirely." The delicate figure gazed intently at the qilin spirit before her, her tone serious and weighty. "Now, do you still doubt my word? Have I ever failed you in the past? Had it not been for the great benefits you gained from the other site I mentioned earlier, you wouldn't have achieved what you have today. With the crystalline clan's natural talent, reaching your current level in just a few centuries is truly exceptional—considered a prodigy in your own eyes." The qilin spirit lifted its head lazily and replied. "Since I've been born, you and I have always been bound as inseparable companions. If I were to meet any misfortune, you would likewise perish. How could I possibly doubt you? Yet, you are only a fragment of spirit from the true divine qilin of that time—there's always a chance you might have overlooked or forgotten something. That's simply why I feel a bit uneasy inside." The crystal-kin woman stared at the miniature qilin before her, remaining calm and unbothered. "Indeed! I am but one of the ten thousand divine consciousness fragments released when the qilin's true spirit exploded. Back then, he was already on the brink of defeat, pressed by overwhelming enemies—even without self-explosion, he would have perished. Though he ultimately employed a miraculous, transcendent technique to split his spirit into ten thousand fragments, in order to achieve a revival from the brink of death, he ensured that several of the most crucial pieces of information were fully replicated across each fragment. This true spirit essence is one of those most vital elements. Rest assured—nothing will go wrong." The miniature qilin chuckled. "Indeed. My current cultivation has been made possible by your presence when I was still an unborn infant. However, when you first took up residence within me, your intention was likely to leverage that fetal state for a rebirth. Though I never fully understood why you ultimately failed to achieve that rebirth and instead formed a symbiotic bond with my spirit, I must admit that your early treatment of me was far from kind. Her delicate gaze flickered, and she smiled gently. "How can you still bring this up? Didn't I ultimately succeed? It's just unfortunate that I ended up inhabiting your body. If not for that, I would have easily found someone else to take over—perhaps I could have already been at ease by then." Upon hearing this, the miniature Qilin's body shimmered with intense luminous flashes, as though her mood had suddenly soured. "Forget it. Do you really think I didn't know what happened back then? In my crystal race's small village, when I was born, there were no other unborn fetuses—only me. You merely thought that my spirit and consciousness hadn't fully formed yet, so you could more easily settle into this body. That was your real reason." Fibby chuckled. "At the time, I had already nearly exhausted my spiritual awareness just to escape into the heavens. Naturally, I would have sought the easiest possible host. After all, even a mere one-hundred-thousandth of a true spirit-level consciousness could effortlessly inhabit an adult crystal race's body. How could I have possibly chosen you?" The miniature Qilin hummed a few times, sighed, and said, "Well. The matter from back then—we don't need to go over it again. Though you didn't successfully reincarnate, you did manage to survive. This journey into the True Spirit Cavern has proven highly beneficial for both of us. We must absolutely ensure there's no mishap. Otherwise, I feel my cultivation has now reached a bottleneck; even after several hundred more years, I'm not sure I'll see much progress. In that case, I could simply wait until my cultivation has advanced significantly before seeking out the True Spirit Cavern. Though that would mean waiting much longer, it would still be preferable to entering the Black Mountain Range now alongside two beings who are both more advanced in cultivation than myself." The crystal-people woman mused. "Your crystal people's innate talent is truly rather modest. Even with my guidance and having taken numerous spiritual elixirs over the years, I still don't think you'll be able to achieve the same rapid progress as before. On the contrary, if you delay this journey for too long, you might actually end up losing out." But to be honest, if it hadn't been for the True Spirit Nexus being precisely occupied by that wounded Divine Rank beast, you'd still have been safer sticking to solo action despite taking some risks." The Qi-Lion silhouette paused slightly before continuing, "Rest assured. Haven't you already prepared several countermeasures against those two? If they have no other intentions, that would be ideal. But should they indeed have ulterior motives—when those countermeasures are deployed, even a common entity several ranks above you would find it difficult to withstand them unprepared." "Common entities? You mean one of these two isn't ordinary? Then wouldn't those countermeasures falter?" The crystal-born woman was exceptionally perceptive, instantly picking up on something significant, her expression growing serious. "You've only met each of them twice. Though I'm hidden within you, I can still sense certain things." The Qi of Yue Zong fluctuated, sometimes strong, sometimes faint, as if barely present. Near the end, a subtle aura of ferocity seemed to radiate from his brows and foreheads. If I'm not mistaken, he practices a powerful cultivation method emphasizing concealment and decisive, one-hit knockout techniques. Of course, he must also master other specialized arts and techniques, otherwise he wouldn't be able to move freely within the Magician's Mountain Range. Still, compared to Han Li, who is the one mentioned, Yue Zong is only slightly exceptional—nothing to be overly concerned about. Han Li, in fact, not only possesses a far superior cultivation level but also has a complex array of techniques and spells, so much so that even I find him quite threatening. However, the methods I've entrusted to you for countering them are the most effective available at this stage—particularly the life-preserving techniques, which are highly versatile. Even if a direct confrontation fails to result in a kill, he will certainly be able to secure his own safety and escape. The Mini麒 said this with confidence. "Given what the Mini麒 has just explained, I now feel at ease with what I've written." "But regarding this matter, I've always been more concerned about another issue." Xin Xin gently exhaled, her eyes flashing as she spoke. "Oh, what's the problem?" The miniature qilin tail swayed slightly, showing curiosity. "When the qilin's spiritual core exploded, its residual soul could fragment into over ten thousand pieces and escape. Not only you, but several others also made it out, didn't they? Those survivors all knew the exact location of the True Spirit's Nook. Over the course of several centuries, that place must have been accessed and explored by others. The benefits it offers have likely already been claimed by them. We might end up working all this hard for nothing." Xin Xin carefully articulated each sentence as she spoke. "Although the number of fragmented spiritual consciousnesses was exceptionally large back then, the actual ones that managed to escape were surprisingly few. After removing those who failed to attach or encountered other unforeseen incidents, it's hard to say whether any other spiritual consciousnesses still remain. If they do, they may have evolved into distinct personalities—just like myself—over the years." No one will easily be assimilated or absorbed. However, until truly opening their true spiritual core, no one can truly know what lies ahead. But I believe that possibility is rather slim!" The Qilin phantom's voice deepened, speaking with serious gravity. "I hope so. As long as we can reap the benefits from the True Spiritual Core, our cultivation should advance rapidly thereafter." Xin Xin murmured to herself. "Heh, that makes sense. Otherwise, why would I have retained such clear details about this?" The Qilin phantom added, gently reminding her. This time, Xin Xin smiled slightly, choosing to remain silent. After circling and dancing around her several times, the Qilin phantom suddenly spoke swiftly, "Alright. The individual named Han Li possesses a strong spiritual awareness. When traveling with him in the future, you need not make frequent contact with me—otherwise, he might notice something. And when the items reappear next time, they should ideally already be within the True Spiritual Core." Then, the Qilin silhouette leaped onto the crystalline maiden's body and vanished in an instant. The woman sighed softly, moved her form slightly, and stepped into the teleportation array as well. With a gentle flick of her hand, her silhouette disappeared in a shimmer of light. Three days later, on a small mountain near Yun City, a young man of ordinary appearance stood on a massive stone at the summit, dressed in a green robe, arms behind his back, gazing down at the lush green scenery before him. He remained motionless, his expression calm and composed—exactly as agreed. He had been at this spot for some time now, and the sky had just begun to brighten. It seemed he had arrived a little early. Nevertheless, it was a rare moment of such peaceful leisure for him. After drawing in several deep breaths of fresh air, his mood instantly lifted. Han Li did not wait long. After a few more minutes, his expression shifted, and he turned his head toward the sky. After a brief moment, a sharp crack echoed across the sky, and a streak of blood-red light shot forth, flashing several times before settling beside Han Li. A figure emerged, the glow gently fading to reveal Yue Zong. "Greetings, Master Han. I've kept you waiting," said Yue Zong, bowing politely. "It's quite all right—I came a little early on purpose," Han Li shook his head, his expression unchanged. Hearing this, Yue Zong smiled and settled at a clean spot nearby, assuming a meditative posture. Han Li, however, remained standing on the massive stone, still gazing ahead, showing no intention to move. Eventually, after a meal's worth of time, Xian, the young lady, arrived as well. When her form transformed into a sphere of white light and descended directly from the sky at an angle, Han Li's brow slightly lifted, and Yue Zong instantly rose. "Miss Xian has arrived too. Now we are all here. Let us set off." The figure of Han Li, of the First Rank of the Crystal Clan, stepped forward with remarkable directness. With a simple motion of her body, she transformed into a streak of azure light, soaring upward. Seeing this, Yue Zong and Xian Xian naturally followed without hesitation. The journey took about a month—neither particularly long nor short—and adding another month to enter the Mountain Range of the Magic Peaks. Thus, if everything went smoothly, they would return to Yun City three months later. Han Li silently calculated this in his mind, driving his flight light ahead.