".It was indeed of utmost importance for the elders to overcome the consolidation stage bottleneck, and thus some caution was entirely justified." The young lady smiled gracefully. "When I myself broke through that bottleneck, I sought out an extremely remote location—quite similar to your thoughts, Friend Han." The elder in green robes also chuckled. Han listened and returned a warm smile. Thereafter, the three of them no longer spoke of this matter, but casually discussed other topics. Han's experiences of traveling alone across two continents were truly extensive and profound. As for the elder and the young lady—one the head of a True Spirit family, the other a cultivator who had advanced to the consolidation stage for many years—both had equally impressive insights. Their conversation flowed naturally, and they all found themselves thoroughly enjoying the exchange. Each of them felt their horizons greatly expanded. "Friend Han," the elder said, "from your remarks, I gather you have an extensive understanding of the affairs of the non-human races. Many of your points are not even recorded in human chronicles, and some even pertain to events that have occurred on other continents." Has the young master perhaps traveled to other continents? The elder finally could no longer suppress his curiosity and asked. "Master Qi has keen insight! Indeed, I have just returned from the wild frontier. As for the distant continents, I have been fortunate enough to make a visit." Han Li did not hesitate, answering openly and honestly. Yet the elderly man in green robes and the young woman could not help but take in a sharp breath. After a moment of silence, Xiao Feng the Immortal Maiden spoke hesitantly, "It makes sense that, with such advanced cultivation and mastery, I never heard of this before. It seems that you have been practicing outside the clan for a long time, only recently returning. However, according to Yun Elder's words, you mentioned the Ye and Long families—both true spiritual families. This brings to mind something I had forgotten—whether I should share it or not." "Ah, what is it? Please go on, Master Han," said Han Li, maintaining his composed expression. "Since you have asked, then I shall speak plainly." Not to be modest, after谷云长老 informed me of the matter concerning the senior, I became quite interested and dispatched some personnel to investigate individuals sharing the same name and surname as the senior. Though the investigation period has been relatively short and yielded only limited results, we have gathered some basic information. Among them, there is a "Han Li" from several centuries ago who once served as a member of the Qingming Guard of Tianyuan City—could this very well be the senior himself?" Xiao Feng Lady said softly and deliberately. Han Li's face slightly tightened, but soon settled back into its usual composure as he replied. "So, the person jointly sought by Long Family and Ye Family is also your senior, is that correct?" The young wife looked somewhat puzzled. "Ye Family and Long Family? Have they ever sought me out?" Han Li narrowed his eyes, his expression growing a bit somber. "Ye Family had been searching for your senior for over a hundred years before eventually giving up. As for Long Family, which claims to be the foremost family of True Spirit cultivators, they still haven't officially canceled their search. In recent years, tensions between Ye and Long Families have grown, though they haven't yet engaged in major conflicts—there have been frequent minor disputes between them. This timeline perfectly aligns with the period when both families began their search for your senior." The young wife spoke with evident intention. Han Li furrowed his brows slightly, hesitating before responding, and instead pondered thoughtfully. "You once served as a member of the Qingming Guard in Tianyuan City? That's rather unexpected. Yet this is precisely what allows Qi to speak frankly." My true purpose for this visit, I believe, you have already guessed a good deal, Master Han," the elderly man in blue robes cleared his throat and spoke at this moment. "Ah, Master Qi, are you suggesting that I be formally invited to join Tianyuan City once again?" Master Han raised a brow slightly, responding calmly. "Indeed, I have come on behalf of the Council to formally extend my invitation to you. With your post-merger stage cultivation level, you would immediately become a member of the Council upon joining. As for your future benefits, since you've already resided in Tianyuan City, I'm sure you're well aware of them. There's no need for me to elaborate further." "That's... well," Master Han showed thoughtful consideration, neither immediately accepting nor declining. The young lady, after a glance that shifted several times, gently opened her mouth and said, "Since Master Qi has made the proposal, as the head of the Gu family, I naturally share a similar intention—also to invite you to join our Gu family as our Senior Guest Elder. This position, beyond offering you absolutely satisfactory terms, will ensure that, except for matters of utmost importance concerning the very survival of our family, we will never impose any restrictions upon you." The young lady's proposal was even more appealing. Upon hearing this, the elder in green robes grew serious, yet found it difficult to offer any further remarks. After all, though the young lady's cultivation level was only at the Transcendent Realm, her status as the head of a prominent Zhongzhen Ling lineage made her a figure no Congti-level cultivator could overlook. Nevertheless, after a moment's thoughtful pause, he slowly addressed Han Li, "The number of Congti-level cultivators among both human and feline clans is extremely scarce." Beyond this city, I believe no other of the Three Emperors' Seven Lands could host so many combined-stage cultivators simultaneously. The elders of our city regularly exchange insights gained from their daily cultivation practices. Should you join our city, you will surely reap substantial benefits in your cultivation journey. Moreover, our elder council frequently collaborates to venture into the wild realms, hunting powerful ancient beasts—something that no other place can match. Brother Han, I sincerely invite you to join us. Your consideration is most welcome. Upon hearing this, Brother Han's expression shifted, clearly showing genuine interest. "Though our Valley Family currently has only one combined-stage Supreme Elder stationed here, as a true spirit lineage family, we possess unique secret techniques in the application and command of true spirit blood. I have heard that during your breakthrough into the combined stage, you manifested the form of a mountainous giant ape. To my knowledge, among the various human true spirit lineages, no family has inherited the bloodline of the mountainous giant ape." It seems that the elder has obtained the true spirit lineage from outside the human race. Should the elder be willing to join our Gu Valley family, I shall personally teach and pass on the art of refining and commanding the true spirit lineage. Moreover, should the elder, in the far distant future, wish to establish his own true spirit lineage, our Gu Valley family will not only never obstruct but will wholeheartedly support such an endeavor." This was the greatest strength the young wife had brought to the table. Upon hearing that Han Li possessed the true spirit lineage, the scholar in green robes was utterly astonished. When he learned the terms proposed by the young wife, his expression completely transformed. "A new true spirit lineage!" Han Li's eyes flashed, and he too was deeply surprised. "Indeed. With the elder's profound abilities and the true spirit lineage inherited, how could we Gu Valley allow the elder to remain merely as a titular Grand Elder for all these years? As long as the elder agrees to serve as our Grand Elder for the next ten thousand years, we will certainly assist him in establishing his own true spirit lineage in the far future. Otherwise, even with the senior cultivators' abilities, it would be possible for them to establish their family independently through their own efforts, but such a task would surely face significant resistance. After all, the major families have already divided up most of the benefits among themselves; adding another family would inevitably thin out those shares. The others would likely be unwilling to accept this change. "The younger wife smiled gently and said so. Han Li stroked his chin, remaining silent. Qi, the senior elder, could not help but smile sadly at this development. Though Han Li had not yet responded, it was clearly evident that if he were to join any faction, it would certainly not be their Tianyuan City. The younger wife of the Gu family, though composed on the surface, was equally nervous within, uncertain whether her generous offers would truly appeal to the other party. After all, not all high-level cultivators were particularly eager to establish their own families or power bases. Many dedicated practitioners were solely focused on cultivation, and in name, they were fundamentally unwilling to bear any constraints or obligations. Otherwise, Tianyuan City would have found it exceedingly difficult to replenish its cultivators who had reached the Consolidated Stage after losing so many in a single instance. "I heard that the Tianmiao Ling Huang, one of the Three Emperors, passed away recently. A new Ling Huang will be selected after a century. Is this truly the case?" Han Li pondered for a while, and when he finally spoke, his words left both Qi Xu Ice and Xiao Feng the仙 Lady utterly stunned. "Indeed, this is accurate. A cultivator at the Consolidated Stage will be chosen during the Holy Cultivation Grand Competition held a century from now to serve as the new Ling Huang. Does your esteemed friend also have an interest in the position of Ling Huang?" The elderly man in green robes stared at him for a moment before responding with a strangely puzzled expression. "How is it that I am not qualified to participate in the selection for the position of Ling Huang?" Han Li smiled gently and replied with calm ease. "As long as a human cultivator has reached the Consolidated Stage or above, they are eligible to compete for the position of Ling Huang." However, throughout the ages, the throne of the Three Emperors has almost always been held by late-stage, fully-matured cultivators. Occasionally, there have been exceptions—those with extraordinary, transcendent abilities at the mid-stage. To the best of Qi's knowledge, since the human race established itself in the Spiritual Realm, there has never been a cultivator in the early stage who has ever assumed the title of Sacred Emperor. The elder paused, his expression shifting with a look of surprise, then smiled gently and replied. "Master Han possesses true spiritual blood, and thus his abilities are undoubtedly remarkable. Yet if he wishes to vie for the position of Spiritual Emperor, he may be somewhat premature. Over a hundred years may only be sufficient for Master to become familiar with the refined state and powers of his advanced cultivation stage. It will likely be difficult for him to compete with cultivators at the mid-to-late stages." After taking a deep breath, the younger woman also offered her gentle, diplomatic advice. "Ah, Master Han certainly does not believe himself to be so arrogant as to think that, merely having advanced to the Combined Body stage, he can claim the title of Spiritual Emperor. Indeed, the Spiritual Emperor's Grand Competition will gather many peers of similar As for the kind invitations from the two esteemed friends, Han Li has always been reluctant to stay too long in one place or become deeply entangled in numerous causal relationships with others, and thus can only respectfully decline. However, he does have a genuine interest in the art of refining and commanding the True Spirit lineage blood of the True Spirit Clan. Should Lady Xiaofeng be willing, he would be happy to exchange these secret techniques for other treasures or cultivation methods. What do you think, Lady? After a flash of bright light in his eyes, Han Li spoke thus.