At this very moment, even some rumors about it have begun to circulate, subtly heard among certain distinguished ordinary people. However, since the magical calamity didn't occur until several centuries later, and the lifespans of lower-tier cultivators and ordinary people typically didn't exceed two or three hundred years, although they took it very seriously, they didn't panic. Nevertheless, many mid-sized noble families and various power groups among the ordinary people have started making preparations specifically for the magical calamity. In these two centuries, ordinary people in smaller cities have gradually begun relocating to the major power centers. Naturally, to ordinary people, the matter of the magical calamity is never openly discussed—instead, various other justifications are used to deflect the topic. As year after year passes, an increasingly solemn atmosphere has begun to take shape within the human-populated regions. Cultivators, who previously rarely appeared in the lives of ordinary people, now appear in groups and in growing numbers across the major cities. They either began to establish various defensive array systems for the city in an official and systematic manner, or directly organized the physical cultivators among the common people to undergo specialized training tailored specifically against the demonic forces. Although the current trainees might not even survive to witness the actual outbreak of the magical calamity, their training had to be vigorously promoted among the common populace in advance—only then could a sufficient scale be achieved over the course of a few generations, enabling them to provide meaningful support to major powers at the time of the disaster. After all, the base population of ordinary people is nearly a hundred times greater than that of cultivators. While the highest-ranked physical cultivators may only match the level of infant cultivators, their sheer numbers alone would constitute a reliable force capable of mitigating regional magical disasters. Past magical calamities have already proven that well-equipped physical cultivators proved highly effective even against lower- and mid-level ancient demons. Some "spirit artifacts" previously deeply stored in the secret vaults of various powerful factions have now been gradually drawn out and distributed to their respective human-affiliated forces. Even more astonishingly, in greater numbers and with even greater power, spirit artifacts are being crafted one batch after another by the master artisans of these factions. Meanwhile, lower- and mid-tier spirit tools, as well as specially formulated pills tailored for lower- and mid-tier cultivators, are also being produced at great expense. As a result, the raw materials originally stored by these factions are consumed at an unprecedented rate. Consequently, the prices of various materials in the major markets have surged dramatically—often rising several fold, even multiple times over. Despite this, shortages of materials frequently occur in these markets, presenting a situation where there is demand but no supply. The same scenario holds true in the Seven Spirit-Beast Kingdoms of the spirit beings. Of course, these transformations within both clans have developed gradually over more than a hundred years, and have not caused any significant disorder or upheaval in their respective territories. Yet for one person, all of this seems to have had absolutely no impact, and scarcely a single word has been heard about it throughout the entire century. On this day, as the sky above the clearly much larger walls of Tianyuan City—now several times taller than before—was streaked with a brilliant white arc, a slender figure shimmered through the radiance, vanishing from the eyes of several sentry soldiers stationed at that section of the wall within just a few swift movements. "Huh! Who is this person? What boldness! A mere Jin Dan cultivator dares to fly straight through without passing through the city gates, right under our very eyes!" One of the black-armored men stood stunned, then erupted into rage, his body flashing with black light as if he immediately intended to pursue. "Hold on, Brother Hu. This White Lady does not require our inspection or clearance to enter Tianyuan City." The other warrior beside him, however, swiftly seized the Han man. "Ah, what could this be? She is merely a Jiandan cultivator—how could she possibly have such privileges?" The Han man was startled upon hearing this. "But her master is a Heting cultivator, and even more remarkable—he achieved Heting status in just several hundred years, from Hushen to Heting. He may yet advance to the peak of Heting in the future. As for this White Lady, she too reached the Jin Dan mid-stage just over a hundred years ago—her cultivation talent is equally astonishing. Brother Hu has only recently joined Tianyuan City and thus has not yet met her." The warrior who had blocked him explained. "Achieving Heting in several hundred years—from Hushen to Heting—did you mean the elder, who once faced off against the old patriarch of Long Family?" The Han man's face turned pale, and he gasped aloud. "Ah, so Brother Hu is also aware of the elder's accomplishments." Yet, this is not surprising. Though the senior has received little news lately, his name is scarcely unknown to us. Otherwise, the Council would not have specially ordered that his regular inspections be waived. "The young lady is a designated disciple of Master Han, which explains her privileges. However, from the tone of several of you, it seems that Lady Bai visits Tianyuan City quite frequently?" The Han nodded, still somewhat puzzled. "Not exactly frequent. Sometimes once every one or two years, and at other times, perhaps every seven or eight years. Nevertheless, some of you have mentioned that each time Lady Bai comes, she purchases or sells materials in the market districts. This is not surprising either—material shortages are widespread across the realm, and Tianyuan City remains one of the few that can still supply them." The officer intercepted the Han, responding without hesitation. "Ah, so it is! But since the named disciple of Master Han resides near Tianyuan City, Master Han himself should also be living in the vicinity." The large man pondered, then added. "That, however, remains unclear. After all, no one has the courage to follow this White Immortal maiden. Well, let's not dwell too long on the matters of the Consolidated Immortals. Brother Hu, could you please recount your experience when you discovered a piece of purple-gold iron at the market?" Someone chuckled lightly, carefully shifting the conversation. "Ah, that incident. Indeed, on that occasion, I missed a great opportunity and ended up making a modest fortune. That day, I happened to pass by a small shop while visiting the market..." The large man, stirred by the reminder of recent events in his own life, began to recount with renewed energy. The others, having momentarily set aside their earlier topics, listened intently as he spoke without pause. At that moment, the white streak of light that had long since faded into the distance surged directly toward the marketplace of Tianyuan City. Several hours later, it settled precisely before the grand hall where humans and immortals traded goods. As the light faded, a young girl in a silver brocade robe stepped forth—about sixteen or seventeen years old, with a round face, dark eyes, fair skin tinged with a healthy rosy hue, and an exceptionally sweet appearance. Without hesitation, she paid several spiritual stones to the guards at the hall’s entrance, received a set of items to conceal her identity, and then entered the hall, her form veiled in a shimmering aura. In a short while, she appeared in the main hall, where already over a hundred other cultivators were engaged in bustling trading and stall-keeping, the scene lively and prosperous. Yet, after a quick glance around with her dark eyes, the silver-robed girl suddenly brightened and strode purposefully toward a corner of the hall. There, a cultivator of the demonic race, enveloped in dark qi, stood quietly. As the silver-robed young lady approached, the dark qi surged suddenly, and from within it emerged a pale hand, holding a fragment of a jade pendant. Upon seeing this, the silver-robed young lady immediately stirred, flipping her hand to present another broken jade pendant. When the two fragments were brought together, they instantly fused into a complete piece. "May I ask, then—?" Her expression relaxed slightly, yet she still asked with a cautious tone. "Ah, it's you again, young lady," came a pleasant female voice from within the dark qi, as if recognizing her immediately. "How is it that you've personally come? Is your master still in seclusion?" The silver-robed young lady hadn't even had time to draw near when the voice spoke. "Ah, Qin elder, how come you've come personally? My master hasn't yet emerged from seclusion!" the young lady exclaimed, somewhat surprised. "The materials the previous master sought were exceptionally precious. I couldn't possibly entrust them to anyone else—so I had to go myself. Indeed, your master is truly remarkable; in just a century, you've not only broken through the Foundation Stage and formed a Golden Elixir, but have even advanced to the mid-Stage of Golden Elixir." The woman in the dark aura sighed softly. "All this is thanks to my master's generous supply of various elixirs, which have completely revitalized and transformed Fu'er's essence. Without these, merely relying on my own aptitude, such a seamless formation of a Golden Elixir would have been impossible." The young lady in the brocade robe expressed her deep gratitude toward her master. She was none other than Han Li's designated disciple, the young girl known as Bai Guo'er. Though only two centuries had passed since their last meeting, she had grown from a child into a graceful young woman and now stands as a mid-stage Golden Elixir cultivator. The woman in the dark aura was none other than Qin Su'er, the celestial fox clan member who had originally agreed to conduct extensive trade transactions with Han Li. Over the years, Bai Guo'er has come to this place at regular intervals, naturally to fulfill the series of transactions agreed upon between Han Li and this young lady. "Regardless of how one looks at it, I must admit that I deeply respect Han Senior's skill. Given the current situation, your young lady may well advance to the stage of Chi Shen and then to the stage of Lian Xu. Well, then, let us proceed with the transactions as agreed." Qin Su'er praised Han Li once more and then proposed the transaction, suddenly producing a purple wooden box from somewhere and handing it directly over. "The young servant has no objections at all," Bai Guo'er smiled warmly, flipping her hand gently, and at once producing a blue circular ring in her hand. ...An hour later, Bai Guo'er stepped out of the hall once more and proceeded to a secluded corner, levitating into the air and swiftly shooting straight back along the path she had come. Two months later, as she flew past a mountain range exceptionally rich in spiritual energy, Bai Guo'er rode the stream of light above the peaks and finally descended gently at the summit of a towering mountain deep within the range.