Han Li's divine awareness swept across the area within hundreds of miles, confirming that no cultivator remained hidden. Then, the jade glow faded, and Han Li materialized before a pale green stone wall. After a brief glance at the wall with a subtle blue shimmer in his eyes, he shook his wrist, and several glowing jade orbs shot out from his storage bracelet, instantly transforming into several tall, ape-like automata. Without any instruction from Han Li, these automata raised their arms, and their ten fingers immediately emitted streams of jade light, each surging toward the stone wall. As the light flashed, the solid wall crumbled like tofu, and within moments, a massive gate, approximately ten zhang high, emerged. Several of the automata moved swiftly and stepped into the newly formed gate. At this point, Han Li paid no further attention to them, but instead, with a subtle motion of his sleeve, a golden light burst forth, spiraling before landing as a small creature about a zhang long on the ground. The creature was covered in lustrous golden fur, resembling a young leopard at first glance—none other than the Leopard-Scaly Beast! This beast shimmered with golden light across its body, rapidly swelling in size, and within moments had grown to a towering scale. Its fangs protruded prominently, and dark, eerie patterns emerged across its form, while a pair of slender silver horns of several inches in length sprouted unexpectedly atop its head. It exuded an atmosphere of unmistakable dread. "Scan the area carefully and ensure no one approaches the mountain peak," Han Li instructed. With a powerful roar, the great leopard-mane beast surged forth, black mist rising instantly from its four limbs, and then vanished in a flash beneath the ground. Han Li remained seated in meditation at his original spot, patiently awaiting the completion of the cave sanctuary before him. The transformation of the leopard-mane beast into this form had surprised him as well. The reason lay in the King-tier dark beast's inner essence pill it had ingested during its time in the Cold Palace Realm. After taking the pill, the beast had remained in a deep slumber for over a decade before finally awakening. And upon waking, this beast immediately made remarkable progress in cultivation, effortlessly advancing to the Lingxu stage, its appearance now taking on the fierce form it has today. Han Li naturally marveled at this development. However, since the beast already carried a trace of Qilin true spirit within its lineage, and had also consumed the immortal fang of a royal dark beast, such extraordinary growth after reaching adulthood seemed quite plausible. The potential of the Bao Lin beast, it appeared, had only just begun to be tapped. Over the following decades, nurtured by Han Li's abundant spiritual elixirs, the beast achieved another advancement a few years ago, reaching the mid-Lingxu stage and acquiring several exceptionally powerful techniques. Han Li estimated that ordinary Lingxu late-stage cultivators would no longer be able to match it. The beast's current appearance still reflected only the beginning of its maturation. This inspired great anticipation for its future development. Now, releasing it, Han Li felt entirely at ease. No cultivator at the Consolidated Stage could possibly approach this mountain peak. With this in mind, Han Li slowly closed his eyes. After several hours, the several giant ape puppets finally completed the establishment of the dwelling, one after another stepping out through the entrance. Han Li opened his eyes, waved his sleeve, and the puppets, transforming into several clumps of emerald light, vanished into the folds of his sleeve. Then, he rose to his feet, and with a single hand motion, a stack of array flags suddenly appeared in his hands. He raised his hand, and dozens of luminous streaks of varying colors shot out in all directions, fading instantly into the void. A countless number of white, hazy misty vapors rose spontaneously, then spread out in all directions. In a short while, the entire mountain peak, along with everything within a hundred li or so, transformed into a vast sea of mist, rendering everything indistinct. Seeing this, Han Li raised one hand, pressed a series of gestures, and reached out into the void—white light flashed, and suddenly, a circular platform of palm-sized dimensions appeared in his hands. Han Li pointed a finger at the magical disk and murmured a low command. Instantly, thousands of large silver characters floated into the mist, only to spin and vanish in a flash. Only then did Han Li withdraw the disk and walk toward the entrance on the stone wall. As soon as his figure disappeared into the entrance, he shook his sleeve, and a jade-green stone door dropped down from the ceiling, sealing the entrance completely. The surface of the door flashed with luminous energy, seamlessly blending with the surrounding stone walls so that even at close range, no unusual features were apparent. Since the estate had originally been created by Han Li himself through the manipulation of puppets, he was fully familiar with every aspect of the entire complex. Without hesitation, he first proceeded to the medicinal garden, planting several rare herbs. Then, he established several additional small magical seals within the estate before heading directly toward the inner chamber. However, as he turned several corners and approached the stone door of the chamber, he suddenly pressed his hand against his waist. A faint white figure surged forth, and instantly a beautiful white-clad woman appeared before him, poised and elegant, radiating a subtle coldness. This was the spirit puppet known as "the Child." Unlike her former self, the Child now bore a distinct difference—beside a blue orb the size of a thumb, now embedded prominently in her forehead and brows, her eyes had also grown more alert and expressive. This was clearly the effect of the "Líshuǐ Pearl." Over the course of nearly a century of nourishment from this rare treasure, the Child's puppet body had grown increasingly cold, as if gradually transforming into a true form of liquid crystal. Though the change was not yet dramatic and only became apparent after a century, it had greatly pleased Han Li. Moreover, the Child's spirit had also subtly deepened, showing a gentle increase in vitality—an unexpected bonus indeed. At this moment, Han Li merely stirred his divine awareness, issued a few simple commands to the young woman, and then flashed into the inner chamber. With a gesture of his hand, a pale yellow mat soared out. Seated cross-legged upon it, he closed his eyes and remained motionless, occasionally revealing a shimmering jade-green glow gently pulsing across his face. Han Li remained in this meditative state for three days and three nights, never opening his eyes once. Outside the small mountain range where he now resided, however, a significant commotion had erupted. So many cultivators had been forcibly displaced—some simply chose to depart entirely, while others sought refuge with close friends in nearby mountain ranges. Neighboring cultivators quickly learned of the situation and all agreed that a remarkable high-level cultivator had recently appeared in the region—one whose divine awareness was so profound that it could effortlessly restrain Yuan婴-level beings merely through mental power, suggesting a cultivator of the Lian Xu stage. Thus, the cultivators naturally grew anxious and vigilant, fearing that this "senior" might also come knocking. Upon learning soon after that the region where Han Li was located had been completely sealed off by a white mist, their minds finally eased. They now knew that this high-level presence had no intention of claiming any other territories—seemingly content merely with that small area. Though still somewhat uneasy, they were relieved that they no longer needed to relocate from their current abode. On the fourth morning, Han Li subtly shifted his body, and as the azure glow on his face stabilized, his eyes suddenly opened. Two bright blue flashes appeared and then swiftly faded. Han Li then exhaled deeply. After three days of rest, his spirit and cultivation energy had fully revived, and the fatigue accumulated from his prolonged journey had entirely dissipated. Now, he was finally ready to attend to his duties. After a brief pause, he single-handedly flipped his hand and suddenly found a delicate jade scroll in his grasp. This jade scroll was peculiar—emitting a faint golden glow, and within his palm, it swelled and contracted with a lifelike vitality, as if it would slip away at the slightest tremor. Han Li didn’t pay it any mind; with a simple pinch of his fingers, he pressed the scroll against his forehead and closed his eyes once more. Time passed slowly, and after an indeterminate length of time, Han Li sighed softly and gently shifted the scroll aside. Then, opening his eyes, he looked deeply thoughtful. Naturally, the scroll contained the "Refining the Spirit Technique," inscribed with dense golden characters. This divine technique was divided into three layers. Even merely achieving the first layer could amplify one’s spirit awareness by more than double. Such an astonishing enhancement, combined with Han Li’s already exceptionally strong spirit awareness far surpassing that of peers, would nearly eliminate half of the difficulties he faced when breaking through the Consolidation stage bottleneck, should he succeed in mastering it. Nothing could compare to it—far superior to any elixir or remedy. Thus, as soon as Han Li obtained this scripture, he immediately began to study and comprehend it. After arriving on the continent of Thunderous Transmission, he promptly started practicing the technique without hesitation. During his century-long journey back, aside from researching other secret arts, he devoted most of his attention to this method. The first level of the Art of Spirit Refinement—though not exceedingly difficult, nor remarkably easy—was indeed a challenge. This was because, in the Spirit Realm, only a rare few met the necessary conditions to practice it. Those who failed to meet these criteria had no chance of successfully mastering it; even if they attempted it, they would ultimately be overwhelmed and destroyed by powerful counterforces, bursting apart in the process. With Han Li’s exceptional spiritual awareness and robust physical constitution, however, he was well-equipped to achieve the first level. As a result, after more than a century of dedicated practice, Han Li had fully comprehended the first level of the Art of Spirit Refinement and had advanced to the point only one final step away from complete mastery. Since this technique is a celestial secret originally inscribed in golden script, as described in the scripture, each time it reaches a major stage of mastery, it produces a significant celestial phenomenon... Therefore, when taking the final step, it is best to choose a secluded location, preferably one without any powerful beings nearby. Although Han Li had nearly completed the first stage of the Spiritual Cultivation Technique several years ago, he was then in a remote wilderness, and if any powerful ancient beasts were truly summoned, he might have faced serious danger. Now, residing within the human race and in such a remote place, he can finally achieve mastery of the first stage. As for his earlier sigh, however, it stemmed from the profound complexity of the second stage of the Spiritual Cultivation Technique, which proved far more difficult to comprehend and master than the first. Without several centuries of focused study, it would be nearly impossible to fully grasp. Even more, the conditions required to cultivate the second stage are exceptionally demanding. With a simple flick of his hand, the jade scroll that had been held between his fingers suddenly flashed and vanished. He then produced several jade vials of varying sizes, poured a portion of the pills into each and consumed them. With a swift motion of his sleeve, nine shimmering silver discs flew out, circled around his body once, and then settled quietly, hovering motionless at his sides. Han Li's expression grew solemn, pressing a series of ancient hand seals with both hands, and suddenly a brilliant golden glow emanated from his body. A golden, three-headed, six-armed phantom materialized instantly behind him.