The scholar roared softly, and at once all the fairy butterflies flapped their wings, sending forth waves of vibrant five-colored powder that surged wildly before coalescing into a massive, acre-sized cloud of toxic hues under the guidance of a single spell. At the same time, the scholar murmured incantations, and as he opened his mouth, a slender bamboo scroll of pale red color emerged. As the scroll unfolded with a gentle glow, a brilliant red light burst forth, and numerous shimmering red characters fluttered out from within. Though these characters appeared profoundly intricate, they immediately began to twist and shift as soon as they emerged, transforming into red phoenixes that surged forward, following the toxic cloud and rushing toward Han Li across the sky. Though this scholar was merely at the early stage of consolidation, his initial display was indeed impressive—no wonder he had dared to advance and challenge Han Li after witnessing his earlier performance against mid-to-late stage opponents. Yet, for Han Li, these maneuvers still held little significance. Upon seeing the fierce assault, Han Li did not flinch but instead broke into a smile. He didn't even summon any of his precious artifacts, merely swiftly pressing hand seals in front of his chest. A flash of golden light, and a golden, three-headed, six-armed phantom emerged behind him. This phantom, in turn, pressed seals with each of his six hands, and a shimmering, ethereal glow rippled across his body, transforming him into a solid, radiant golden form. Three faces, each identical to Han Li's, were clearly rendered, as lifelike as real persons. Golden scales covered each of his six arms, with faint, glowing runes subtly appearing and disappearing on the surface, giving an air of profound mystery. This was precisely the Buddha-Saint Form Golden Body refined by Han Li. "Golden Body Form!" Upon seeing the solidified appearance of the three Buddha-Saint Forms, the elder of the Long family gasped, his previously composed expression now revealing a touch of astonishment. Not only the Long family elder, but also the two mid-stage Consolidated Stage figures from the Ye and Lin families, who were evidently familiar with the nature of such golden bodies, were equally amazed. At the very instant the golden form behind Han Li solidified, the toxic clouds and the countless flaming birds surged forward, seemingly about to completely engulf him. Yet Han Li's eyes flashed with cold light, and suddenly, he roared out a powerful cry. As his back-form shifted slightly, it unexpectedly intercepted the attack at his front, and with a surge of golden light radiating from his body, his form expanded several times over, growing into a towering figure several zhang in height. Raising his six arms, he gently struck the toxic clouds and the flaming birds. Amidst the whirlpool, a thunderous roar suddenly rose, faintly carrying the sound of Buddhist chants emanating from within. In an instant, it expanded into a towering form, reaching three or four zhang in height. Then, a visible wave of golden light surged forth from the vortex, sweeping through the air. Whatever toxic clouds had fallen or fiery birds rushing in from all sides were effortlessly drawn into the vortex, completely unable to resist. In a short while, the once formidable and aggressive assault in the sky was entirely swept away, leaving not a single trace. The scholar-monk, a seasoned practitioner, instantly murmured under his breath upon seeing the scene. The golden giant brush he had intended to use for offense suddenly retracted, drawing a perfect circle in the air. A shimmering golden circular shield materialized before him. At the same time, the red bamboo scroll he had exhaled transformed into a radiant red light curtain, instantly enveloping his form. Combined with the black streak of light formed by his black ruler at the outset, he had instantly established three layers of seemingly formidable defenses. Yet, scarcely as the defenses took shape, six brilliant golden fist-images suddenly emerged from the nearby void—originally no larger than a palm—yet upon appearing, they instantly expanded into massive, head-sized forms, emitting sharp, piercing cries. These fist-images struck with force, their golden light blinding. The first three impacts caused the defenses to burst and collapse in an instant, scattering like mist, and revealing the true form of La'ai. The Confucian scholar was naturally terrified, his soul seemingly flying to the heavens. Without further thought, he brought his hands together in front of him, then parted them—out of nowhere, a white, misty bone mallet appeared. Holding it firmly, he swiftly swept it horizontally before him. Instantly, the white bone mallet expanded into a massive length of one zhang! Three golden fist-shaped shadows followed, one after another, arriving at the scholar's presence with sharp cries. A thunderous roar erupted—like the heavens themselves had been shaken! As golden and white light intertwined, the scholar felt an immense force radiating from the bone mallet, his fingers nearly tearing apart, and he instinctively stepped back. Yet before he could steady himself, the second golden fist shadow struck the mallet with equal force. A second tremendous crash followed, and the scholar's face turned pale, his hands slipping from the mallet. With a sudden rush, he and the second fist shadow were both hurled sideways. At that moment, the third fist shadow had no time to allow the scholar any reaction—swiftly flashing forward, it struck solidly upon his protective luminous aura. The Confucian scholar's face turned pale as a sheet, and then a brilliant golden glow flashed before his eyes, followed by a tremendous surge of force. With barely any resistance, the scholar was thrown back violently, crashing into the side wall with a deep thud, and was forcefully ejected from the Wàn Líng Platform, flying several dozen feet beyond the stone dais. Only after a sudden flash of inspiration did the laborer's cultivator finally regain his balance in the air, and immediately checked himself, exhaling in relief. "Thank you so much for your mercy, Daojun," said Lao Ai, bowing deeply and expressing his sincere gratitude to Han Li. "I must admit, with your magnificent prowess, I felt myself utterly outmatched." Clearly, given the overwhelming power of Han Li's earlier punches, he had managed to remain unharmed, and thus attributed his survival to Han Li's leniency. "It's nothing at all," Han Li smiled gently, his tone calm and composed. "Since this is a mutual demonstration of our abilities, such a gesture is entirely appropriate." He wouldn't readily hold grudges against others unless absolutely necessary. Yet the true spirit-descendant youths seated below were all speechless, staring in astonishment. Although most had already recognized that Han Li was no ordinary early-merged cultivator, even after just one exchange with Lao Ai—without even blinking several times—the opponent was suddenly sent flying off the Ten-Thousand-Spirit Platform. That was truly astonishing! Among the true spirit-descendant cultivators of merged stage, those gazing at Han Li on the stone platform displayed a range of expressions—many expressing both caution and reverence, while a few showed expressions of genuine bewilderment and complexity. Han Li, meanwhile, calmly stepped out of the light shield and returned to the valley cultivators, taking his seat once more. "Master, please have a cup of tea!" Bai Guo'er gently presented a cup of spiritual tea she had brewed at an unknown time, placing it before Han Li. Han Li glanced at the young girl, noting her flushed cheeks and bright excitement. It was no wonder she looked so animated! Though she knew Han Li was a cultivator at the Consolidated Stage, she had never witnessed any great feats of his before. Now, seeing her master truly possess such astonishing power, she could hardly contain her delight. Han Li smiled gently, took the spiritual tea, and sipped it lightly. At the same time, Xiao Feng, the Immortal Princess, and Xiao Elder, amazed at the extent of Han Li's abilities—far beyond their expectations—were also beaming with joy. Only now did the esteemed status of the Five True Spirit Families of Gu Valley truly solidify. The events below were remarkably simple. Since each family generally knew the approximate strength of the others, the actual challenges between families were few. After only a few such encounters, the ranking competition concluded. The subsequent arrangements were then carried out according to the rankings, involving the distribution of numerous tokens created by the myriad spiritual beasts, as well as the reallocation of resources and interests among the various families. Under these circumstances, there was nothing for Han Li to do—everything would be handled by Xiao Feng, the head of the Valley family, and by Xiao Lao. Han Li sat quietly in his chair, watching the various family heads gathered on the Platform, arguing passionately and incessantly. A slight upward curve formed at the corner of his mouth. What a pity these family heads and elders had lost all sense of decorum. Even the slightest concession in the allocation of resources would entail staggering interests, so naturally no family would willingly give way. This was even under the current ranking system of the families. Without it, after days of heated debate, a genuine consensus would likely remain out of reach. As for the combined families, naturally they did not participate in such vigorous debates—instead, they sat quietly below the stone platform, waiting for the final agreement to be announced. Among them, some combined cultivators still occasionally cast curious glances at him. Fortunately, this time, their gazes no longer carried the slightest malice, and Han Li simply closed his eyes, acting as if unaware. "Second embodiment, Form-Body of Gold! Han Brother's powers must surely extend far beyond what he demonstrated on the platform just now!" A soft voice suddenly reached his ears—clearly that of the elder of the Long family. "Oh, the elder of the Long family's powers, surely aren't limited to merely half-dragon transformation." Han Li's expression brightened slightly, glanced at the elder of the Long family in the distance, and then calmly transmitted his reply in a quiet tone. "That is certainly true. However, Han Brother's powers surpass even my expectations. I wonder—does Han Brother have any connection with the Sacred Island?" After a brief pause, the elder of the Long family suddenly asked a question that left Han Li momentarily stunned.