Long's elder ancestor retracted his hand. As the space rippled, a figure with emerald skin materialized from the void. Standing about two zhang tall, the figure radiated vibrant purple light, and his face bore a striking resemblance to Han Li, with green glimmers dancing in his eyes. Han Li extended a single hand, and the green figure flickered, appearing suddenly beside him. "The second incarnation! Excellent! Han, you have truly not let Long down. Then, allow me to deliver my third move!" Long's elder ancestor narrowed his eyes, murmuring softly, yet with a cold smile, raised one arm and lunged toward Han Li once more. Though the gesture appeared identical to the previous ones, its momentum was now vastly different. As the golden arm had just extended halfway, a deep, resonant hum erupted throughout the surrounding space, and countless points of multicolored light suddenly appeared on the Ten-Thousand-Immortals Platform. At that very moment, the luminous points formed from the celestial and primordial energies surged wildly toward the old master's arm, pouring into it in a continuous stream. The arm, adorned with golden dragon scales, instantly became translucent and radiant, glowing with a vibrant five-colored aura that gradually intensified until it shone so brilliantly it was almost blinding—like the sun itself, making it impossible to look directly at. Simultaneously, an immense and entirely unfamiliar spiritual pressure radiated out from the arm. In this instant, the glowing arm seemed to have become an independent entity, its presence even surpassing that of the old master himself, a late-stage Consolidation-stage cultivator. As soon as he finished speaking, Han Li didn't wait for the elderly master of Long Family to display any surprise. Even before the elder could react, Han Li's arm paused slightly, and then his body shimmered with a flash of jade-green light, shooting directly outward toward the outer edge of the light shield. In a single flash, the thick, solid shield wall, which had seemed as fragile as crumpled paper, was instantly pierced by the jade-green streak. Han Li surged out beyond the Universal Spirit Platform and, with a swift spiral of his light-form, landed among the cultivators of the Gu Family. The strange green silhouette, however, truly seemed to follow him like a shadow, shifting slightly and settling behind him. The various Gu Family cultivators nearby instinctively stepped back a few paces, gazing at the phenomenon with curiosity. Han Li merely glanced at the green figure calmly and then pressed a hand seal. The green figure's body flashed with a pulse of purple light, and its form rapidly shrank in the shimmering glow, eventually condensing into a sphere of purple light that vanished completely into the sleeve of Han Li's robe. The Xiao Feng Lady and Xiao Elder, observing Han Li's actions, looked at him with a most peculiar and complex expression. After all, such a reaction was entirely understandable. A mere cultivator only at the early stage of Consolidation, daring to challenge a late-stage cultivator and displaying prowess equal to that of a mid-stage cultivator—yet, at the very moment when the final move was due, he suddenly stepped down and conceded defeat. Such behavior seemed utterly out of the ordinary. Nevertheless, inspired by Han Li's astonishing display of strength just moments before, they dared not press further questions, only exchanging a glance and offering a quiet, helpless smile. Though deeply exasperated, their earlier concerns had now completely vanished. In their eyes, Han Li's demonstrated strength was not only on par with, but even surpassed, that of their Ye family's Supreme Elder, Tian Li Lady. Thus, securing the Five True Spirit Families' position within the Valley was now a certainty. "Heh, quite impressive!" The elder of the Long family, finally coming to his senses within the luminous dome, looked out at Han Li beyond the dome and smiled instead of being angry, murmuring to himself. As he spoke, the five-hued radiance on his arms flowed continuously, and a surge of celestial and elemental qi poured forth, vanishing into the void. Simultaneously, the golden dragon scales on his body began to fade, dissolving his semi-mythical, half-divine form. "Let us abandon this plan," the man wearing a bronze mask suddenly said, his voice calm and composed in the hall. "What do you mean by that, brother? Even if this person is no ordinary Consolidated Stage I cultivator—perhaps only comparable to Tian Li's wife, who barely survives—can we truly fear him when we combine our strengths?" The elegantly dressed man frowned, asking. "Hmph. Comparable to Tian Li? I think you truly need to wipe your eyes and take a closer look, second brother. Just consider his second form—no ordinary matter. The very fact that he could single-handedly deflect and send flying the elder Long's powerful strike—something we could never manage." Moreover, this man shows absolutely no fear facing the old master of Long Province—certainly he still has more powerful tactics yet to reveal. Even if we join forces, we would likely find it difficult to defeat him easily. I certainly don’t want the Feng family to offend someone whose strength is truly incalculable." The masked man glanced coldly and replied. "But what about the Lao family? We’ve already received our benefits from them." The dressed-up man remained deeply hesitant. "Our original agreement was only to strive to weaken Tian Li’s power. Now that the Lao family has sent someone else instead of this woman, it’s entirely reasonable for us to adjust our plans. At the very worst, we can return the items to them for ninety-six parts. What more can the Lao family possibly demand? When we finally step onto the stage to compete, we’ll simply use our ordinary techniques." The masked man replied coldly. "Then, with your decision settled, I shall follow accordingly." Yet it was still a bit of a pity. They had hoped this time would push the Gu family out of the Five Great Houses, but it seems it will have to wait until next time! The well-dressed man sighed and agreed, though his tone carried a clear sense of reluctance. "The magical calamity will not take long to arrive. At the next True Spirit Ceremony, how many of the great houses will vanish entirely? Then, why should we think too far ahead?" The masked man, however, was remarkably optimistic, chuckling warmly as he spoke. This time, the well-dressed man could only shake his head and remain silent with a wry smile. At that moment, a group of cultivators from the Lao family, several senior elders gathered around the only one at the Consolidation Stage initial level, were quietly debating within the spell-bound circle. Though the specifics of their conversation were not audible, it was clear that everyone's expressions were deeply troubled. The Lao family's Consolidation Stage cultivator, a middle-aged scholar dressed in white robes, also frowned, his brow deeply lined. Clearly, the strength displayed by Han Li on the Ten-Thousand-Spirits Platform had caused the family—once the most likely contender to displace the Gu Family and enter the Five Great Clans—to feel suddenly unsettled. "Now, the Feng and Gu families, who have each lost one match, will compete for the fourth and fifth positions. Han Brother and Feng Brother, would either of you like to step onto the platform and engage in a bout?" Elder Long announced calmly once again from the stage. Upon hearing this, the two Consolidated Stage cultivators from the Feng family instantly turned their gaze toward the Gu family. Xiao Feng the Immortal Lady and Elder Xiao both turned to look at Han Li. "Actually, no need for a match—I concede this one!" Surprisingly, Han Li raised a smile and immediately decided to step down. A ripple of excitement spread through the crowd. "Master Han, this match—how exactly—" Xiao Feng the Immortal Lady quickly grew restless and hurriedly asked. "Fu's family also has two fused cultivators who excel at cooperative techniques. I'm not very confident I can outperform them, so I've been conserving my strength, focusing solely on handling the challenges below. As long as I can ensure Valley Family remains among the top five clans, I believe I'm not violating the agreement with my friend." Han Li glanced at the young woman and said softly. "Senior, you certainly haven't breached the agreement. However, each promotion within the top five clans brings significantly greater benefits—perhaps I've been a bit greedy in my expectations." The young lady's expression changed twice before she finally nodded in agreement with Han Li's words. It seemed that the two had long-standing grievances, and as soon as they stepped onto the stage, they immediately unleashed a series of powerful techniques, creating such a commotion that the scene appeared even more impressive than the elder of Long family and Han Li's performances. Though both were mid-stage consolidators, the young lady in the flowing robe clearly surpassed the bearded man in strength. Despite the man continuously demonstrating several newly acquired techniques, he was ultimately forced out of his luminous aura and had to sink back into his seat with a composed, somber expression. Regarding the contest against the Long family, the young lady recognized that she could not possibly match the elder of Long family and thus decisively submitted. The Feng family also wisely chose not to challenge any of the top three families. As a result, the rankings among the five families remained nearly unchanged from the previous session, with the Gu family still trailing last. Nevertheless, the Gu family's disciples did not appear overly concerned, given Han Li's impressive display of power earlier. But when the elder of the Long family announced that the free challenges from the other noble houses had begun, among the families ranked just below the Gu family, a young scholar dressed in white slowly rose and said in a steady voice: "I am La Ai, representing the La family, and would like to challenge the Ye family. I hope Friend Han will be so kind as to demonstrate his skills!" Immediately after speaking, a shimmer of white light radiated from the scholar's body, and he stood within the luminous aura, calmly awaiting Han's appearance. Seeing this, Han smiled slightly, said nothing, and with a flash of azure light, appeared directly opposite the scholar. La Ai's expression remained serious; after uttering a single word, "Please," he swiftly gestured with both hands. In one hand, a black ruler suddenly materialized, while in the other, a brilliant golden brush of several feet in length flashed to life, its tip glowing with a vibrant, radiant five-colored spiritual light. As the black ruler moved, a cascade of ethereal light spread out, instantly forming dozens of unknown black spiritual flowers before him, which gracefully encircled and protected his form. With the golden giant quill in the other hand, continuously sweeping and tapping the void, one after another, magnificent, multicolored giant phoenix butterflies emerged spontaneously from the empty space.