"Though I'm not certain, beyond those few, who else possesses such vast influence and such extraordinary capabilities? Moreover, the inner pages of the Golden Hall and Jade Scroll are not something ordinary beings can claim." The young man in white robe emitted a similar cold laugh. The bearded man listened, his face shifting between gloom and composure, before finally exhaled, saying, "You should know this yourself—there's no need for you to inquire about my exact identity. All that matters is that I am the only one who can assist you in achieving the reverse spiritual transformation. All I ask in return is that, once you reach your full maturity, you help me weather the approaching celestial calamity." "This is a mutually beneficial arrangement between us. As soon as I attain a true spiritual form, I will certainly ensure your safety. However, I have now reached the peak of the Late Stage of Immortality Refinement. After absorbing the negative qi from this pyrocrystalline wall, I shall need to find a suitable location to break through the bottleneck of the Consolidation stage. If this reverse spiritual transformation truly proves so remarkable, then advancing to the Consolidation stage should be entirely feasible." At that time, I would enter the wild, solitary, and solely target ancient beasts with cold attributes, devouring their immortal cores and seeking out the most bitterly cold regions to absorb the most yin energy. Thus, within a thousand years, my cultivation would soar dramatically, allowing me to advance all the way to the late Consolidation stage in one breath. Then, I would be ready to begin preparing for the attainment of a True Spirit Body." The young man in white robes replied solemnly. "Good, I'm glad you understand! Had it not been for the arrival of the demonic calamity, I would have had to remain within the clan to make preparations—indeed, I would have much preferred to accompany you personally into the wild realm. However, once the Six-Winged Companion reaches the Consolidation stage, combined with his astonishing reverse-spirit technique, he will be able to thrive and dominate throughout the wild realm, provided he does not encounter the great powers of other ethnic groups." The bearded man also softened his expression. "The Wind Yuan continent is so vast; ancient beasts with cold attributes are abundant. Having taken on form and attained spiritual awareness, I will surely not act blindly in encountering powerful beings from other ethnic groups." The young man in white robes spoke calmly, and then no further words came. The bearded man listened attentively, nodded satisfiedly, and likewise chose not to speak, his eyes flickering as if pondering something in his mind. A yellow wind surged from afar, gradually engulfing all of this in its flow... Two months later. Han Li sat in a lush green wooden chair, calmly holding a finely crafted golden wine cup in his hands, while beside him sat Xiao Feng, the Lady of the Gu Family. The elder Xiao sat on the opposite side, clearly positioning himself as if riding upon her. A number of Gu Family disciples at the stage of Shen and Yuan Yin levels stood in orderly rows behind the three of them, each displaying a subtle sense of excitement. Before them, facing the group, stood a large stone platform, circular in shape, its surface paved with large blocks of dark green stone—though the stones had subtly darkened, suggesting they had been in place for a long time. Standing at the edges of the stone platform, tall array flags of various colors rise, radiating cascades of light and forming a vast, luminous dome hundreds of zhang high, completely enveloping the entire light field. Surrounding the platform are clusters of people, much like the Gu family's own gatherings—ranging from two or three hundred to just a dozen or so. There are thirty or forty such clusters in total. While the Gu family's cultivators make up only a moderate number among these groups, they are grouped together in a prominent circle near the front of the square, while the other four clusters of people are positioned further back. Looking even farther beyond these groups, one can faintly discern massive cliff-like stone walls and the silhouettes of tall buildings constructed against them. The site is indeed a grand valley enclosed by mountains on all four sides. When Han Li arrived here, the great stone platform within the valley naturally became the gathering place every three thousand years for all the True Spirit families of the Three Realms, converging at the Universal Platform of the Ten Thousand Spirits. As the Gu family, ranked fifth among the previous era's true spirit clans and one of the five foremost true spirit families, naturally holds a position closest to the Ten-Thousand Spirit Platform, drawing envy and admiration from many smaller and mid-tier true spirit families. Being among the top five truly signifies not only status and prestige, but also substantial, tangible benefits. Indeed, several mid-tier family cultivators now gaze at the Gu family with a noticeably somber and unusual demeanor. With so many gathered around the stone platform, all remain silent, as though awaiting something significant. Although Han Li sits quietly in his chair without lifting his head, he can clearly sense at least a dozen pairs of eyes constantly observing him—some even accompanied by subtle spiritual awareness, as if they were unbothered and confident. It's no surprise at all. To the surprise of the other noble families, the senior elder, Tian Li Lady, who was expected to attend such an important True Spirit Ceremony, had not shown up—instead, it was Han Li, a clearly temporary guest with a supporting role, who had appeared. This naturally drew attention from several of the established families. At first, Han Li remained indifferent, merely observing them. But as time passed and these guests still failed to show restraint, their demeanor clearly took on a tone of challenge. The young Lady Xiao Feng noticed this shift and her expression gradually grew concerned. Han Li sighed inwardly, his face suddenly darkening. Without any prior warning, his golden wine cup trembled slightly and then instantly dissolved into fine golden powder, flowing seamlessly through his fingers. At the same time, a layer of silvery flame shimmered to the surface of his body. As soon as those several unwelcoming glances of intent touched this silvery flame, they instantly recoiled, as if struck by a venomous serpent, and vanished. At this moment, Han Li suddenly raised his head and coldly swept his gaze along the lines of those several figures. Clearly, all of them were at the Consolidated Stage. Two of them belonged to the five great families closest to the Universal Spirit Platform, much like the Gu Family, while the other three were from the mid-tier families situated further back. The three Consolidated Stage cultivators among the mid-tier families, who were only at the initial Consolidated stage themselves, had naturally grown displeased upon learning that the Consolidated Mid-stage Tianli Immortal Maiden—whose presence was expected—had not attended the grand ceremony. Among the two from the same group of the five great True Spirit families, one was the senior elder of the Feng Family, whom Xiao Feng Immortal Maiden had specifically mentioned earlier—a middle-aged man with a broad, square face, holding a dark cane in both hands, his gaze steadily and gloomily fixed upon Han Li. The Feng Family ranked fourth among the previous True Spirit families and had long-standing rivalries with the Gu Family. It was therefore not at all surprising that this senior elder had thus scrutinized Han Li, the Gu Family's temporary guest. Another figure was a cultivator from the Long family, renowned as the first noble lineage of true spiritual cultivation. However, the one who had been casting an unfriendly glance at Han Li earlier was not the senior patriarch of the Long family, but a black-robed man seated beside him—also a mid-stage Consolidation cultivator, with a slightly flushed complexion and a deep purple scar running across his forehead, giving him a particularly fierce appearance. This man was naturally the Long family's recently recruited second senior guest elder, a Hui-family cultivator reputed to have mastered the top-tier magian cultivation technique, "Qing Mang Ju," and likewise possessing mid-Consolidation stage cultivation. In contrast, the Long family patriarch, since seating a group of Long family cultivators in the front row, had been quietly closed his eyes, meditating, seemingly lost in thought. Yet, upon Han Li's brief survey of the Long family cultivators, aside from the black-robed man glaring at him with fierce intensity, another individual was fixing him with an especially venomous gaze. Han Li's expression stirred, and his eyes narrowed, fixing upon the man for a moment before he settled into a look that was half-smiling, half-skeptical. The gentle smile on Han Li's face vanished instantly, and a brilliant blue glow flashed sharply in his pupils.陇 East, who had been fixated on Han Li, suddenly felt a surge of heat in his eyes, followed by a deep, resonant pain as if a sharp spike had pierced his brain—immediately clutching his head, he cried out in a voice of anguish. Yet moments later, the elderly陇 family patriarch, who had been closed-eyed, suddenly opened his eyes and, with a swift motion, delivered a palm strike to陇 East's arm. A golden light flashed and then faded instantly. The pain on陇 East's face disappeared, though when he lowered his hands, his face was now filled with a look of deep alarm and uncertainty. Still, he was remarkably perceptive and quickly realized what had happened, promptly bowing deeply and saying, "Thank you, Elder Patriarch, for your timely rescue! Without you, I would have surely been killed!" As he spoke, he continued to glance at Han Li with a mixture of resentment and growing fear. Clearly, at this moment, he truly realized that Han Li, now fully advanced to the combined stage, had grown vastly stronger than he had back in the beginning. "Master Han, what do you mean? Why would you intervene against a mere junior disciple?" The elder of Long Family didn't acknowledge Long Dong's thanks, but instead calmly asked Han Li. Long Dong's earlier cry of pain, combined with the elder's direct question, naturally drew the attention of all the cultivators present. "There's nothing special—only that he looked at me with undue disrespect, so I gave him a slight reprimand. Master Long, is there anything amiss with this?" Han Li, having withdrawn the blue glow from his eyes, now smiled with a touch of coldness. Such a response, so dismissive of the elder's dignity, naturally drew a wave of surprise, with murmurs gradually rising from the surrounding attendees. "Hmm. My grandson is indeed somewhat proud—he deserves a little reprimand!" To everyone's greater surprise, the elder of the Long family showed no intention of pursuing the matter further. After nodding and speaking, he simply closed his eyes and paid no attention to anyone else.