It was precisely the morning of the second day when Han Li returned to his residence on Jiuxian Mountain. He summoned the two sea youths and, upon learning that no unexpected events had occurred during his absence, felt a great sense of relief. After dismissing his two named disciples, he entered the inner chamber and settled onto a cushion. With a single hand motion, a blue spiritual beast materialized between his fingers and was then thrown upward. A cascade of blue mist surged from the ring, and a translucent ice cage floated into place before him. The snow-white ice phoenix, about half a foot long, clearly hadn't anticipated being released so swiftly—its wings fluttered urgently, and a silver glow radiated from its body, instantly enveloping it as it scanned Han Li with an unusually alert gaze. "It's you? How is this possible!" "As soon as the appearance of Han Li was clearly revealed, the spirit bird's silver eyes instantly expressed disbelief, and it suddenly spoke out in a human voice—clear, yet slightly cold. 'Lady Feng, it's been many years. I never expected to meet you here.' Han Li gazed at the ice phoenix confined within the cage, then sighed. This ice phoenix, naturally, was the 'Lady Feng' who had once journeyed with him from the mortal realm into the spatial nexus, only to be separated by a powerful spatial storm. Once the foremost being in the mortal realm—the Master of the Ice Sea—had now dwindled to the point of being unable to manifest her true form, and was even sealed as a spirit creature within the cage. Han Li found this deeply moving. As a fellow traveler who had shared the journey into the spiritual realm, he felt a unique, unspoken sense of kinship upon seeing her. It was precisely for this reason that, at the exchange fair, when this lady was presented, he immediately stepped forward and made the exchange without hesitation." "Truly, it's Brother Han! So the one who replaced me at the Exchange Assembly is also a dear friend of yours. Have you already attained the Lingxu stage?" Ice Phoenix's voice remained unusually cool, yet it trembled slightly. "Indeed, it is I, Han. As for my cultivation level, you will soon find out yourself. I never expected to meet a Lady Immortal at the Black Domain Exchange Assembly. In fact, there seems to be a certain fate linking us. Aside from that, let me first free you." Han did not hesitate. With a flick of his finger, a shimmering blue glow struck the gold and silver seals on the ice cage. Instantly, the seals burst into bright light and drifted down, while the ice cage creaked open with a soft "shh." "Thank you so much, Brother Han, for your great assistance!" Though still somewhat astonished, Ice Phoenix felt a surge of joy upon seeing this. With a single flap of her wings, she transformed into a beam of white light and soared out of the cage. Then the silver glow on her body surged and expanded, stretching into a form half a zhang long. Her feathers shimmered with a crystalline brilliance, as if entirely carved from pure ice. "Alas, I currently lack the ability to transform into my true form and can only speak to you in this shape. I feel deeply ashamed!" The ice phoenix gently extended her graceful body and shook her head. "It doesn't matter at all. Given your noble lineage as a celestial maiden, restoring your ability to transform once the seal within your body is lifted will be a simple matter." Han Li glanced at the ice phoenix and smiled lightly. "Indeed, you've noticed. There's a mysterious seal placed upon me by that senior compound-stage immortal. It's quite troublesome. From what he said, only another compound-stage immortal can dissolve this seal." Clearly, the ice phoenix had assumed Han Li to be a cultivator at the Lingxu stage. With a flick of her silver eyes, she expressed a touch of resignation. "Hm, is that so? Let me give it a try!" Han Li smiled, then moved his body slightly, and suddenly extended a hand as pure and white as jade, striking it against one of the ice phoenix's icy wings. Immediately, a surge of five-colored light flames erupted, flowing like a tidal wave into the phoenix's body. The phoenix maiden felt an extraordinary cold, spiritual energy rush through her entire body, swiftly flowing through her meridians, and the waves of power surged so violently that they shattered her internal seals and bindings, scattering them in all directions. She was both delighted and astonished. How could the other party have so effortlessly removed her body's seals? Was he already at the Consolidated Stage? That seemed utterly unbelievable. If Han Li had achieved a rare fortune and advanced to the Transcendent Stage within several centuries, she could have accepted that. But to say he had reached the Consolidated Stage—this was truly extraordinary. Ice Phoenix's thoughts raced swiftly. As she sensed her internal seals completely swept away by the surging cold flow, a flash of brilliant light flashed in her eyes—she was about to speak something to Han Li. Yet, at the very next moment, a sudden shift in her internal condition caused her to pause, her words once again swallowed by surprise. The cold flow, which had been circulating through her meridians, suddenly changed direction and surged violently toward her dantian, pouring into her phoenix essence organ. Though puzzled, the Ice Phoenix found herself unable to resist this remarkable flow of cold spiritual energy under Han Li's powerful internal cultivation control. Her essence organ could only passively receive the influx. In a short while, her overall aura rose steadily, soon reaching a critical threshold. A loud, resonant "thud" echoed as a brilliant white light erupted across her body, completely engulfing her form. Only then did Han Li smile slightly and withdraw his hand. A brilliant white light surged and then instantly subsided, revealing a graceful woman dressed in silver robes. The Ice Phoenix had once again transformed into a human form. "Thank you so much for your assistance!" the silver-robed woman could not conceal her excitement, gazing around at her restored, delicate figure, and then bowed gratefully to Han Li. "Please don't mention it, Lady. Had it not been for our joint efforts back then, I would have been unable to cross the spatial nexus and reach the spiritual realm alone. Moreover, the true energy I just transmitted, though compatible with your inherent nature, only temporarily granted you the ability to take on a human form. Should you wish to maintain this form for the long term, you must immediately enter meditation and diligently cultivate. Otherwise, once this energy dissipates, you will revert to your original state." Han Li waved his hand, clearly explaining. "Of course. With your true energy supporting me, I believe I can expedite my journey to the stage of Divine Immortality, thus saving considerable time." It seems that Master Han has truly attained divine mastery, with an incalculable power, and has genuinely reached the Consolidated Body stage! From now on, I shall have to address you as Master Han!" The silver-robed woman sighed softly, gazing at Han Li with a gaze that carried a touch of unusual admiration. "My reaching this stage is merely a matter of luck. With your ice phoenix body, attaining the Consolidated Body stage should be inevitable—only a matter of time. Among the immortals in my realm, I know of only you from the mortal world. We remain peers, then—otherwise, I would feel somewhat uncomfortable." Han Li replied with a calm demeanor. "Then, if Master Han feels so, I shall not hesitate to call you that." The silver-robed woman, sensing that Han Li's words were sincere, unexpectedly did not press further. "Still, after the spatial nodes separated, how did the phoenix master end up being captured and come to this state?" Han Li could not help but inquire about the phoenix's experience. "As for my current predicament, I must admit there's truly something that can be blamed on you." Upon hearing Han Li's words, Bing Feng's eyebrows slightly furrowed, and a faint wry smile played at the corner of her lips. "Perhaps it's the seal I implanted within you that has finally activated?" Han Li was first taken aback, then quickly realized what was going on. "Indeed, your seal is remarkably intricate. I spent nearly a century struggling to fully refine and integrate it. As a result, my vital energy was severely depleted, and I was eventually besieged by a group of lesser rivals. Though I managed to escape through a secret technique, my cultivation level dropped several layers in succession, leaving me in the situation I'm in today. In fact, it was thanks to that senior cultivator at the Consolidated Stage who intervened and saved my life—otherwise, I might have perished. However, once I lost my ability to take on a tangible form, that elder merely regarded me as a spiritual bird and intended to make me his life-spirit beast. Naturally, I refused such a fate, and thus ended up being confined within this ice cage." Bing Feng explained. "Oh, what is this combined-stage marvel's identity? Do you know?" Han Li nodded, and asked with a slight spark of interest. "Actually, I don't know for certain. This marvel is skilled in illusions—he frequently changes his dwelling and appearance, and I've never been able to discern his true form. I can only be sure that he is a human cultivator of the magical lineage, not one from our feline clan." The silver-robed woman thought for a moment and replied carefully. "A magical cultivator? Among the renowned combined-stage cultivators in our human lineage, there are only a few. He must be one of them!" Han Li nodded, pondering thoughtfully. "Though, as for who exactly he is—he saved my life that day, yet later compelled me to serve as his spirit beast. In that way, things have evened out." Upon hearing of the blood-tinged man, the ice phoenix didn't display any resentment at all, but simply mentioned it with calm ease. Whether she truly felt this way, or whether she simply realized that she could not exact revenge against a combined-stage cultivator, remained unspoken. Han Li listened quietly and smiled slightly, without interrupting the other's words. Instead, he shifted the topic and asked, "Now that the immortal maiden has regained her freedom, what plans do you have? Do you intend to return to the elven clan? The Black Phoenix Clan among the other elven families also inherits the Heavenly Wind True Blood, and the phoenix maiden herself possesses the bloodline of the Heavenly Phoenix. If she joins them, she should certainly receive proper care and attention." Though human and immortal beings differ, given Master Han's status as a harmonious and well-established cultivator, he should be more than sufficient to protect me. Currently, my cultivation level is still low, and I possess the body of a Frost Phoenix. If I were to practice alone, even if I retreated to the farthest corners, misfortunes would inevitably find me. At that point, my fate might even be worse than today! The silver-dressed lady's expression shifted between gloomy and uncertain for a while before finally speaking with some hesitation.