"Where indeed. I've only just reached the Consolidated stage, and my spiritual cultivation and experience are still quite limited." Han Li naturally adopted a humble demeanor. "Han Brother's progression from the Immortal stage to the Consolidated stage within several hundred years is well known among the Daoist friends of both human and spirit races. With your talent, there's no doubt you'll achieve even greater accomplishments in the future—how could anyone compare to you, especially those of our older generation?" Peng Ju said with a smile. "Peng Brother is being overly generous. But may I ask, who exactly is this young lady?" Han Li chuckled lightly, then shifted his gaze to the woman in black robes standing beside him. This woman's spiritual power was exceptionally refined and profound—she appeared to be a Saint-level cultivator at the late Consolidated stage. Han Li was struck by this revelation and began to quietly wonder about her true identity. As for the woman in purple robes, she had been inadvertently overlooked. "My lady is Xiao Guan. Have you heard of her, Han Brother?" the woman in black said, gazing at Han Li with genuine interest and offering a warm smile. "The Black Phoenix Queen!" Though he had long suspected, hearing the other state it so calmly still caused a noticeable change in Han Li's expression. "It seems Han sir is not entirely unfamiliar with me," the woman in black silk smiled gently. "To be honest, my junior, Xiao Hong, once had quite a complicated relationship with you." Han Li furrowed his brows, intending to say something, but the woman merely waved her hand and spoke softly. "Please don't misunderstand. Xiao Hong, back then, was rather impetuous—she dared to secretly plot with others to secure the Tian Feng True Blood of the Ye family, and as a result, I had to reprimand her, sending her into the Yan Domain of Black Phoenix Palace to face wall meditation for a thousand years. What I said earlier was merely to express my gratitude for your timely intervention, which prevented a rift between our Black Phoenix clan and the Ye family. You may not know, but the Senior Grand Elder of the Ye family and I have been close friends for many years. If we were to grow distant because of this, it would truly be something I would not wish to see." Han Li naturally felt somewhat surprised upon hearing this, though uncertain whether the other's words were true or not. Yet he smiled calmly and replied, "Since Xiao Daojun has said so, I needn't say much more." As for Peng Ju, he naturally had no knowledge of the long-standing grievances between Han and the Black Phoenix Clan. But now, seeing how smoothly the two had resolved their differences, he expressed a subtle sense of satisfaction and bowed to them, saying, "Xiao Daojun, Han Daojun, the auction event is about to begin. Please go in first—Peng will remain here to welcome those arriving later!" "Very well, I indeed should go in now. Dai'er, let's go." The woman in black nodded, gave a greeting to the woman in purple behind her, and, under the guidance of a servant, gracefully moved toward the inner doors. "Dai'er!" Upon hearing the woman's name, Han Li was momentarily taken aback, and then glanced at the woman in purple with a look of surprise. Yet this young lady, having lowered her head slightly at an indeterminate moment, no longer glanced at Han Li once, and drifted away silently beside the black-dress woman, never uttering a single word to him from beginning to end. Han Li, who had initially harbored some doubts upon seeing the purple-robed woman vanish inside the door, found his expression now shifting between uncertain and uneasy. Could it be that this Dai'er—this very girl—was the child who had been taken from beside him by Xiao Hong back then? That child had been of mixed human and immortal-fey lineage, and her origins seemed quite distinguished. Otherwise, why would Xiao Hong, a Black Phoenix Immortal cultivator at the stage of Transformation, have gone to great lengths to enter the human realm specifically to retrieve her? If so, it would indeed be no surprise that the purple-robed woman, once a child, now appeared beside the woman, a Black Phoenix Queen. Yet, in just a few centuries, how could a mere ordinary person, once unable to lift a chicken with strength, have grown into an Immortal cultivator at the initial stage of Transformation? Even if the Black Phoenix clan had cherished her exceptionally, the nature of their Black Phoenix This pace of advancement was no less astonishing—indeed, it did not fall short in the slightest when compared to the time it took him to progress from Immortal to Consolidated State over several centuries. He remembered clearly the appearance of the young girl, Dai'er. Though her age had changed somewhat, he still could not see any resemblance between the robed woman and the child he had known back then. Moreover, if she truly were Dai'er from those days, then why had she not made any introduction to him, given that he himself had not changed at all? Back then, the little girl had been quite fond of him. Han Li quickly went over his thoughts, growing even more puzzled. Meanwhile, Peng Jue, observing Han Li's unusual expression as he stood there motionless, felt somewhat surprised but did not press him, merely smiling and gazing at him silently. "Peng brother, is the young lady named Dai'er also a member of the Black Phoenix Clan? Do you know what relation she holds to Xiao Dao?" Han Li finally asked. "Haha, I thought you hadn't noticed her at all." As far as I know, this Dai is the direct descendant of Xiao's friend, and she's quite renowned among the younger generation of the immortal race. It's said that not only does she possess extraordinary cultivation potential, but her true appearance is absolutely breathtaking—earning her the title of "Phoenix Immortal Maiden" among the immortals. Countless young noble men from the immortal clans have been deeply enchanted by her, pursuing her tirelessly yet unable to reach her. Peng Ju replied with a smile. "True appearance?" Han Li blinked, his gaze sharpening at this. "That's why Han's friend hasn't heard of it! Currently, her face is concealed by a fundamental true feather of Xiao's friend, which has been transformed into a veil. Unless that feather is removed, even with the greatest powers, no one can glimpse her true face. According to Black Phoenix's friend, this was done specifically to minimize complications during the Universal Treasures Assembly, so as not to have her constantly pursued by others. So, Han's friend also finds this Phoenix Immortal Maiden appealing? Indeed, although Han has achieved the Consolidated Body stage, he's still relatively young. If he were to take her as his disciple, it would certainly not be entirely out of the I’ve heard that this young lady isn’t purely of the Black Wind Clan, but rather a mixed descendant of both the human and spirit clans,” Peng Ju said with a cheerful smile, clearly treating it as a jest. Though he made this remark, it was evident he didn’t take it seriously. “Peng brother, you’re truly being playful. I merely noticed her unique demeanor—she’s no ordinary person—and thus asked this question. Hehe, it’s getting late now; I’ll go in ahead.” Han Li smiled slightly and replied with a warm expression. “Peng brother still has other companions to wait for, so I won’t see you off further.” Peng Ju said without further thought, bowing slightly. At that moment, naturally, another maid stepped forward to guide Han Li and his companions toward the inner hall. As Han Li turned around, a subtle thought crossed his face. After passing through a long corridor built entirely of white jade, they arrived at a vast hall divided into several levels. Within the circular hall, stretching over several thousand zhang in width, stood a towering white jade platform, nearly fifteen zhang high. The stage was empty, with no one present, yet at each of its four corners, clusters of luminous light shimmered continuously, within which faintly hovered four silver flying swords, each three feet long. Below the stage, eight strongmen clad in golden armor stood at the periphery, each covering their faces with silver masks, their bodies wrapped in swirling black aura that gave them an unusually mysterious appearance. Han Li silently pondered as he followed a maid to a specially arranged room on the third floor—the highest level of the hall. Though the room was modest, only about seven to eight zhang in size, it was fully equipped with tables and chairs, and even had a pot of flourishing spiritual flowers placed at each of the four corners. Facing the high platform, a square window stood open. A faint white mist hovered within the window, yet surprisingly, the view outside remained perfectly clear, with no obstruction at all. The maid naturally withdrew and gently closed the door behind her. Meanwhile, Hai the young lord and Qi Lingzi wandered curiously around the room, eventually both fixing their attention on the window. Han Li calmly took two steps forward and sat down on the low wooden chair by the window. In front of the chair stood a green-hued wooden table, upon which rested a ceremonial jade disk used for bidding. Han Li glanced at it briefly, remained expressionless, and then moved away to gaze out the window. From this vantage point, he could see most of the scene below—thousands of human and spirit-beings had already filled the seats on the first and second floors. The city's immortals and transcendent beings of the Divine and Immortal levels were present there. As for the senior cultivators of the Consolidated Stage, like Han Li himself, they were naturally settled in the individual rooms on the third floor. After a quick survey and finding nothing of interest, Han Li closed his eyes and began to gather his inner energy. Hai Da Shao and Qi Ling Zi naturally stood quietly behind him, hands folded, motionless. It was not known how long it had passed before the multitude of noisy voices from below suddenly ceased, and the entire vast hall fell into an instant silence. Han Li's expression shifted slightly as he reopened his eyes, then looked down through the window toward the elevated platform. There, side by side, stood two figures of remarkably unusual appearance. One stood nearly two zhang tall, with black light constantly flowing and shifting across his body—somewhat resembling a bearded man with strong facial muscles—but his true face remained indistinct. The other figure was even taller than the bearded man, with a single crimson, strange horn growing from his head, large emerald eyes, and shimmering, translucent scales faintly glowing on either side of his cheeks—clearly a fully transformed immortal creature of the fabled beast race. Han Li studied their forms carefully, his pupils briefly narrowing, before quickly returning to their usual expression. And at that moment, the tall figure in the dark light suddenly spoke: "Ladies and gentlemen present, I'm sure most of you already know both the Imperial Lord and my companion, Li Huo. Therefore, I shall not dwell on introductions. Now, I announce that the first auction of this Universal Treasures Gathering begins right here, right now."