"Little sister didn't exert much effort at all—everything relied on the magical array previously set up by Brother Han. Otherwise, with my mere Huashen cultivation level, how could I have achieved such feats?" Ice Phoenix smiled lightly, her gaze flowing like water. "Master, you truly have now reached the mid-stage cultivator level—this is truly wonderful. With that, Master will no longer need to fear even late-stage cultivators." Hai, the young noble, grinned widely, speaking with excitement. "You're talking nonsense. How can a late-stage, fully-advanced cultivator be compared to me? After all, such a master is far beyond my reach. Still, your timing is perfect—right when I was planning to step out after my awakening and return to the Primordial Wilderness. Even if everything goes smoothly, it will take me a hundred or so years to make the round trip. Before I depart, I intend to meet you three once more, and personally guide and arrange your cultivation paths. You three must strive to advance several stages in your cultivation levels before the great magical calamity breaks out." Master didn't mention it, but I've already heard from your ice elder sister about your journey to solidify your true essence. Fruit, this young lady, has already reached the late stage of Condensation, and it's only a matter of a century or so before she can achieve true essence solidification. Yet your own cultivation, only at the mid-Condensation stage, seems rather slow indeed. Master said this with a serious expression. "Master, I am a dual cultivator—body and spirit—so it's quite normal that my progress is a bit slower. I've never once slackened in my cultivation." Hearing Master's tone so serious, Sea Young was startled and murmured this in a hushed voice. "I fully understand the challenges of dual cultivation, but once the magical calamity erupts, the ancient demons won't care whether your cultivation has been difficult or not. Only by strengthening your own power can you survive the demon's onslaught." Master glanced at him with a slightly exasperated expression. "Yes, Master. From now on, I will cultivate with even greater diligence." This time, Sea Young had no choice but to accept it without further argument. "Alright, I'll use the Wanli Symbol to notify the Spirit Child and Guo'er to come back as soon as possible. You needn't go to Tianyuan City yet—I'll guide your cultivation first. Now, go down for now. I'd like to speak with you, Master Bing, alone." Han Li nodded, but immediately added. "Understood, Master!" Hai Dashi naturally responded promptly and then stepped out of the hall. "Lady Feng, congratulations not only on your full restoration of spiritual power, but also on your further advancement in cultivation!" Han Li turned only after seeing Hai Dashi's figure disappear at the hall door, and smiled warmly at Bing Feng. "All thanks to Brother Han's generous assistance. Without such a steady supply of pills, I wouldn't have been able to restore my spiritual power so quickly. It's truly remarkable that Brother Han, having only been around two or three hundred years, has already advanced to the mid-Consolidation stage. It seems Brother Han truly intends to break through into the late Consolidation stage before the magical calamity." Bing Feng replied with a bright smile. "Heh, Lady Feng, your insight is truly remarkable." Han indeed has this intention. But when the mid-stage bottleneck is reached, he may truly have to rely on the Tianfeng Yuan Yin energy of the immortal maiden. Han slowly said. "Brother Han, please rest assured. By then, I myself should have achieved the late stage of the Shen stage. The benefits of the Yuan Yin energy will only be more beneficial to Brother Han. Nevertheless, though my cultivation is still nascent, through reviewing the archives in the estate, I know how difficult it is to reach the late stage of Hé Tǐ. I believe it is far more challenging than any of Brother Han's previous bottlenecks. How confident is Brother Han in this regard?" Ice Phoenix asked with a touch of curiosity. "Heh, among the hundreds of human-origin Hé Tǐ cultivators I've encountered, only a few have truly reached the late stage—fewer than ten. And each of those who have attained the Hé Tǐ stage is a rare talent, one in a hundred thousand human cultivators. How could I possibly claim any confidence? I can only do my best and see what happens." Han stroked his chin, responding with hesitation. "Heh, if others had said something like this, I might have "But since Brother Han has made such plans, I'd say his confidence in reaching the later stages now stands at no less than three or four out of ten!" Ice Phoenix said with a hint of cunning in her eyes. "Haha, if Master Feng truly thinks so, then I'll gladly follow your lead." Upon hearing this, Han Li was momentarily stunned, then burst into laughter. "Still, given how long you've been away from the human realm, leaving now to tackle the later-stage bottleneck seems rather unwise. The magical calamity is on the verge of breaking out. Even though we humans have signed alliances with several neighboring clans, the surrounding wild realms adjacent to these clans will only grow more chaotic." The tone shifted, and Ice Phoenix added a touch of concern. "I fully understand this point. However, this journey is of utmost importance—it's something that must be undertaken without delay." Han Li's smile faded, and his tone grew more serious. "Then, I suppose, there must be good reasons behind your decision. I won't urge you further. After all, you're only just entering the mid-stage now. It would be wise to consolidate your foundation in this stage before setting off." "Ice Phoenix smiled gently and said, 'Thank you, Lady Feng, for your reminder. I never intended to leave immediately. At least, I'll wait another two or three years before setting off. In the meantime, I'll surely need your kind guidance and care for my three disciples.'" Han Li smiled slightly, then spoke with confidence. "Heh, your three named disciples have always shown me great respect. Even if Brother Han doesn't mention it, I'll be more than willing to take the time to guide and instruct them. So, please rest assured on this point." Ice Phoenix nodded warmly and agreed readily. "Then thank you, Lady Feng. By the way, after I leave, should you encounter any difficulties that you can't resolve, feel free to present my token to the Gu Valley family or to Jin Yue, the Zen master of Tianyuan City..." Han Li was delighted and continued to relay several matters to Ice Phoenix, his clear voice echoing throughout the hall. Two months later, the Spirit-Soul Master hurried back from Tianyuan City to Han Li's dwelling. Six months later, Bai Guo'er also returned to this place. Thus, the two of them, along with Hai Da Shao, began receiving personal guidance from Han Li, which clarified many previously obscure aspects of their cultivation. Despite Han Li's strict prohibition on outside communication, the outside world remained completely unaware of his advancement to mid-Body Fusion stage. Thus, three years passed swiftly. One day, the gate of the dwelling slowly opened, and Han Li stepped out in a deep green robe. Behind him came Ice Phoenix and her three designated disciples. "Phoenix Lady, there's no need for you to see us off. You three should never neglect your own cultivation. Should you have any questions in the future, feel free to seek advice from the Lady," Han Li said, bowing slightly to Ice Phoenix before turning to Bai Guo'er and the others with a calm tone. "Yes, Master. We will certainly not fall behind in our cultivation." "Good journey, Brother Han!" Bai Guo'er and the others bowed deeply in respectful farewell, while Ice Phoenix also offered her parting gesture. Han Li nodded, and with a flash of green light emanating from his body, instantly transformed into a streak of jade-colored light, spiraling once before vanishing into the sky. A short while later, the jade streak disappeared at the horizon. At once, a resonant hum of golden light surged, and the creature vanished into the palm, its glow subsiding to reveal a formidable, fist-sized beetle. The spirit beetle shone with a brilliant golden hue, resembling the mature form of the golden-devouring beetle as before, yet its surface was adorned with vibrant, colorful patterns, making it appear strangely enchanting. Han Li gazed at the creature and suddenly emitted a low whistle. The beetle's wings instantly spread and began to vibrate rapidly, while its colorful patterns on the body suddenly came to life, flashing vividly. A flash of five-colored light from the five fingers caused the previously hidden spirit insect to reappear and be firmly held in hand. Yet the insect's body still flickered and shimmered. "Indeed, the seven-colored pills seem to live up to the legends—each mature-bodied golden-devouring insect has undergone renewed evolution. Not only have their flight speeds significantly improved, but they now possess the innate ability to conceal their forms. In combat, this would prove truly effective." Han Li murmured softly, his face expressing satisfaction. This fierce, armored insect was precisely the one Han Li cultivated using numerous seven-colored pills crafted from the flying-harbor fish spirit pills, resulting in a further mutation and advancement of the golden-devouring insects. This time, the outcome of the mutation was exceptionally satisfactory. These evolved golden-devouring insects now not only possess the ability to conceal themselves at will, but are also significantly more formidable in both ferocity and resilience compared to the original mature-bodied insects. Han Li was confident that if he could simultaneously command tens of thousands of such spiritual insects against his enemies, even a late-stage Consolidation-stage cultivator would only be able to flee in panic. Unfortunately, even after advancing to mid-Consolidation stage, his spiritual awareness remained far insufficient to support such a large number of insects. However, once he reached the late Consolidation stage and successfully mastered the second layer of the "Refining the Spirit" technique, he would certainly be able to command such a vast force at once. This was precisely why Han Li was eager to advance to the late Consolidation stage—only then would he gain this decisive advantage. Taking a deep breath, he shook his sleeve, and the golden-devouring insect vanished from his hand. With a further incantation in his mind, the azure lightning shimmered and surged forward toward Tianyuan City, now moving at a speed faster than before.