After listening to her words, the young woman blinked, slightly puzzled. The other party had not only declined the offer to join the Gu family, but instead sought to acquire the genuine spiritual lineage cultivation technique of the Gu family—something that left her quite speechless. After several shifts in expression, she finally managed a weak smile and replied, "Master Han, I regret to say that I cannot accept your proposal. Our Gu family's lineage technique is rarely shared with outsiders. Even if you present the most magnificent cultivation methods or treasures, I would still be unable to agree—unless you are willing to fulfill the prior commitments we discussed." "In that case, there is no need to speak of joining the Gu family. Not only will I not join them, but I also won't join any of the other factions either. It seems this visit has been in vain for both of you." Master Han remained undisturbed by her refusal, speaking calmly and composedly. The young woman could only sigh softly and, with a subtle flash of her gaze, said nothing further. Meanwhile, Qi Xu Bing also furrowed her brows, deciding to drop the invitation to have Han join her. For the rest of the time, the three simply exchanged pure insights on techniques and cultivation experiences. What had initially been somewhat awkward gradually eased. After several more hours, the two rose to bid their farewells. Han Li naturally tried to persuade them to stay a while longer, but the elder and the young wife had already made up their minds to leave. He thus personally escorted them out of the estate. Not long afterward, two streaks of light burst forth from the misty sea, and upon fading, the figures of the elderly scholar in green robes and the young wife reappeared at the edge of the misty sea. "Master Qi, it seems we'll have to return empty-handed this time. I'll directly return to the Valley family. Will you also be returning to Tianyuan City?" the young wife smiled warmly at the elder. "Xiaofeng, you may go as you please. I don't intend to return to Tianyuan City right away. I've heard of a cultivator in Xuanwu who has recently achieved the Consolidated Body stage. Though I understand he has accepted an invitation from the Sovereign of the Realm, I still plan to visit him personally." The elderly scholar paused and replied thus. "Then, I shall take my leave." The young woman nodded, bowed respectfully to the elder, and with a flash of light emanating from her body, transformed into a streak of silver light that soared toward the horizon. In moments, the silver streak shimmered and vanished completely at the edge of the sky. The Xiao Feng immortal woman instantly vanished in a flash of light, disappearing into the misty sea without hesitation. Then, the misty sea seamlessly restored itself to its original state. Time passed gradually, and after two full hours, a passage reappeared within the misty sea. From it, a silver rainbow surged forth, darting several times before vanishing completely. At the same time, Han Li sat in the grand hall of his dwelling, holding a silvery-white jade plaque in one hand. His fingers continuously stroked the surface, his face deeply thoughtful. The plaque shimmered with a bright silver glow, inscribed on one side with the character "Gu" and on the other with a red, three-headed mythical creature. This creature resembled a noble steed, its body covered in crimson scales. One of its three heads was indeed a single-horned horse head, while the other two were a black tiger head and a blue lion head—exactly the appearance of the legendary true spirit, Li Hou. It is said that though this beast ranks only average among the true spirits, it can simultaneously command three distinct elemental powers, each possessing extraordinary feats of prowess. These abilities not only excel in combat but also demonstrate remarkable utility in support and other aspects. This jade plaque was delivered to him upon the second visit of Xiao Feng the immortal maiden. The Gu family inherits the bloodline of the true spirit Li Hou. Han Li was likewise surprised by the return of the young wife, recalling the words she spoke upon her second visit. As soon as she saw him, she immediately offered him the jade plaque and proposed a deal that he found difficult to refuse. She stated that Han Li need not formally join the Gu family for ten thousand years; merely, at the age of over a decade hence, during the grand gathering of true spirit families, he could temporarily join and lend a hand once. In return, as long as he secured sufficient benefits for the Gu family, she would personally arrange to pass on certain ancestral secrets of the Gu lineage to him. Of course, the young wife also made it clear. While this particular secret technique was not the core of the Gu family's heritage, it was far from something other noble families outside the Gu clan could easily produce or share. Hence, it had to be used as a temporary exchange to secure Han Li's one-time intervention. Hearing that he need not commit long-term to the Gu family, but only required a single act of assistance, Han Li indeed found himself genuinely enthusiastic. Although he had mastered the process of blood refinement within the Jingze Sect's technique, this method—originally devised for the Feilings race—still had certain imperfections when applied to human beings. Previously, before reaching the combined body stage, he had not noticed much. However, during the year of solidified cultivation and refinement, he finally, by chance, discovered that even the true spiritual blood he believed had been fully refined still retained numerous subtle remnants, deeply and mysteriously embedded within his physical body. This revelation naturally caused him considerable surprise, prompting him to conduct an in-depth investigation. The results showed that, under the current circumstances, he could effectively maintain these residual true spiritual bloods through his own magical power, and thus remain unharmed. Yet, should he continue to draw upon the true spiritual blood of others in the future, unforeseen major issues might well arise—either the residual true blood would reverse its effect and harm his physical body, or he would be unable to execute the evolving techniques of the Jingze Sect any longer. Thus, in recent days, he has been steadily consolidating his body-melding cultivation while simultaneously contemplating solutions. It was precisely for this reason that, when the young wife earlier mentioned the true spiritual lineage refinement technique of the Gu family, he became particularly interested. While these noble families' refinement methods might not directly enable him to fully eliminate the residual true blood, they undoubtedly offered valuable reference points. Should he lack the Jingze Sect's technique, mere rudimentary refinement methods would prove insufficient. However, with the Jingze Sect's technique as a benchmark, he merely needed to identify the differences between human refinement methods and those of the Jingze Sect to resolve this core concern. Nevertheless, as previously noted, he would not be bound to the Gu family indefinitely, nor constrained for ten thousand years simply because of this matter. Moreover, even if he could not secure the refining technique from the Gu family, he would resort to various unconventional methods to obtain a similar technique from other true spirit clans. Of course, such efforts would inevitably bring some inconvenience and might even lead to strained relations with certain true spirit clans. Thus, after listening to the young wife's explanation of the Grand True Spirit Canon and realizing that all he needed to do was to compete with other true spirit clan cultivators at the Canon event to secure some benefits for the Gu family, he simply nodded in agreement, greatly pleased the young Xiaofeng Immortal, and departed. As for the jade plaque in his hands, it naturally served as his temporary proof of status as a Gu family elder. After carefully reconsidering the matter several times and confirming that there was nothing amiss, he set it aside and returned to his inner chamber, continuing to consolidate his Body-Unity cultivation stage. In the following period, several major powers made their way to him, even including envoys dispatched by the Tianyuan Holy Emperor. With his decision already formed, he politely declined each one in turn. Time passed swiftly, and in just a few years, Han Li stepped out of the inner chamber, transforming into a streak of azure light and departing from the abode. After these brief periods of meditation, he felt confident that he had fully mastered his physical body and spiritual power, and thus decided to attend to the matters he had long cared about. The nearest city, Tianyuan, was the first place he visited. On his journey, everything went smoothly, and after two months, Han Li appeared above the city walls of Tianyuan. After a brief pause, he took off directly toward a specific destination. These four cultivators of Huashen level are said to possess formidable abilities, having resided here for over a hundred years. Moreover, they have successfully returned unscathed on several occasions when venturing deep into the wild frontier regions, thus earning them a certain reputation within Tianyuan City. However, in recent years, they have rarely left their pavilion, spending most of their time in seclusion and meditation at their residence. Some of the nearby cultivators, who are more informed, have vaguely heard that several years ago, the four ventured deep into the heart of the wild frontier, suffering a significant setback and losing considerable vital energy—thus explaining their current state. Yet such events are so commonplace in Tianyuan City that after others express their admiration for the dangers and unpredictability of the frontier world, the matter is soon forgotten. On this particular day, however, two male and two female cultivators who were meditating within the pavilion suddenly heard, simultaneously, a soft voice: "Respected friends, may I have the honor to pay a visit?" "The voice completely ignored the layered seals the four had set up outside the pavilion, and they heard it clearly and distinctly. Upon hearing it, the four naturally gasped, but immediately recalled someone, and at once grew pale, rising swiftly and hurrying down the stairs toward the first floor. The scholar at the head of the group, whose previously severed arm had now fully recovered, promptly flashed forward upon reaching the first floor and opened the pavilion's main door. Outside stood a composed young man in a light green robe—none other than Han Li. "Young servant, I am honored to meet you, Master Han! I did not expect you to come, and I beg your pardon for the disturbance," said the scholar, his face filled with surprise, quickly bowing deeply and inviting Han Li inside. Han Li, in turn, did not hesitate, merely nodded to the scholar and stepped in. At that moment, the red-armored man and the other two women also arrived at the first floor. Upon seeing it was indeed Han Li, they bowed respectfully in greeting. "Never mind," said Han Li. "I've known several of you for a long time—there's no need for such formalities." Han Li merely waved his hand and then sat calmly in the principal seat. The four scholars, however, could not stop their respectful gestures, standing aside with humility.