Han Li and the others followed Jin Yue to a grand hall at the heart of the holy city. Upon Jin Yue's simple command, several young attendants immediately arrived from outside, bearing items such as spiritual teas and fruits, and arranged a full table before them. To this point, Jin Yue, the senior elder, still treated Han Li as a distinguished guest, showing no sign of any change in demeanor. Han Li remained courteous, gracefully lifted a cup of spiritual tea, took a delicate sip, and then nodded slightly. "Master Han, what do you think of this tea? It is a special fragrant tea unique to our holy city, produced only in a few dozen pounds each year. This spiritual tea must be harvested at dawn, and the harvesters must be beautiful, unmarried young women—otherwise, the fragrance will significantly diminish." Jin Yue took a small sip herself and then smiled warmly at Han Li. "Indeed, this tea has a delicate, lingering aroma and is truly a rare treasure," Han Li praised in return. "If Master Han truly likes it, I might be able to offer something." Jin Yue's eyes twinkled slightly, a smile playing at her lips, and then, with a sudden motion of both hands, she gave a calm, composed order to a young attendant standing by, hands folded and motionless: "Go to the tea garden and fetch the finest, most premium fragrant female tea from the top tier." "Yes, Grand Elder!" Startled at first, the attendant quickly nodded and stepped out of the hall. "Thank you so much for your generous gift!" Han Li was slightly surprised but quickly regained his composure, bowing slightly to Jin Yue in thanks. The other elders, observing Jin Yue's actions, also felt a subtle sense of wonder, though none of them asked any questions. "Besides Grand Elder Xu and the one here, the rest of the elders have never met Master Han, have they? Then I shall introduce him to you. Simply mention the human cultivator who helped preserve our Tianpeng clan back then—by then, I believe the elders will recognize Master Han." "Jin Yue calmly introduced him to the other several elders who still harbored doubts. "Wait—this very person? How could he have ended up here?" "Shouldn't he have perished in the Deep Abyss?" ...The other Tianpeng elders immediately stirred, their expressions shifting from surprise to astonishment. Only the elder Xu and the beautiful lady, upon hearing this, exchanged a quiet, wistful smile. "Back then, in the Deep Abyss, I had a bit of fortune and managed to escape the hands of those several demonic kings. Since then, I never returned to the noble houses, but settled among the human clans. Jin Daojun, will you not hold me accountable for this?" said Han Li, his expression calm and composed. Hearing Han Li speak so matter-of-fact, Jin Yue's eyes flickered slightly, and she smiled gently. "How could I possibly think so? Had it not been for Han Daojun's assistance, Bai Bi and Lan'er would never have passed the trials and become our clan's sacred masters, thus preserving the very existence of the Tianpeng lineage." Master has fulfilled the agreed-upon task and thus has regained his freedom. Yet, in just a few centuries, Master has progressed from a Huashen cultivator to a Saint-level being—this is truly astonishing. It seems the disappearance of the Four Great Demon Kings of the Earth Deep is likely closely tied to Master. If it's not too much to ask, would Master be so kind as to share with us the details? This senior elder of the Tianpeng Clan, however, did not allow Master only a few words to pass before demanding a full account of the events in the Earth Deep back then. The other elders exchanged glances and immediately adopted a serious, attentive posture. "Master only learned of the disappearance of the Four Great Demon Kings after entering the noble district. This matter is indeed connected to Master's current return to the noble circles. It would be difficult to openly reveal the details to Master Jin. Nevertheless, I can assure the senior elder that the Four Great Demon Kings never returned then, and now they are far less likely to return to the Earth Deep. As for my own cultivation progress, it is merely the result of additional blessings and fortune accumulated during my time in the wild, untamed realm." Hasn't Golden Friend also made significant progress in his cultivation? Upon seeing the calm manner in which Han Li declined, Jin Yue's expression grew slightly serious. Her eyes flashed with cold light several times before she asked, in a deeper tone, "Since Friend Han finds it inconvenient to elaborate, I shall certainly not press him. Yet, Friend Han suddenly transformed into a colossal phoenix and appeared before our city with such grandeur—shouldn't there be some reason behind this? Or have you perhaps achieved a great mastery of your powers and intend to demonstrate your prowess to our clan?" Her voice grew a bit colder as she finished. The other elders, observing Han Li, also exchanged less favorable glances. "How do you find my transformation into the celestial phoenix?" Han Li, instead of being startled, smiled calmly. "Hmph. Your transformation is indeed impressive—having a foreigner fully refine the true blood of the kūnpéng to such an extent is no small feat." "Jin Yue glanced at the words with a slight expression of surprise, yet coldly scoffed, saying, 'Is that all? Really so simple, you mean?' Han Li, however, chuckled softly, his face equally strange. 'Master Han, what exactly do you mean? Just say what you have to say—there's no need to keep playing games!' Jin Yue's expression slightly changed, but her eyes narrowed coldly immediately. The elder Xu and others listening found themselves somewhat puzzled, their faces now filled with growing curiosity. Han Li tilted his lips slightly, displaying a half-smiling, somewhat enigmatic expression. Without responding to the woman across from him, he simply flicked his hand once, and a white jade scroll instantly materialized, then tossed it forward. 'What is your intention?' the woman instinctively caught the scroll, yet raised her dark brows and asked. 'Senior Elder, there's no need to be anxious. Whatever you wish to say, just wait until you've seen the contents of the scroll before speaking.' Han Li replied calmly. Jin Yue's complexion remained somewhat pale, but after glancing at the object in her hands, she paused thoughtfully before pressing the jade scroll against her forehead and directly channeling a strand of spiritual awareness into it. "Huh—what is this?" The girl suddenly gasped, her voice startled. This caused the other attendees in the hall, aside from Han Li, to exchange murmured comments. After her gasp, Jin Yue was filled with joyful excitement and could no longer attend to anything else, appearing completely absorbed in the jade scroll. Han Li watched this scene with a subtle smile, then raised his hand again to take the spiritual tea from the table, sipping it leisurely. Thus, within just a meal's time, the expressions of the various people in the hall shifted and changed. At last, Jin Yue gently exhaled, removing the jade scroll from her forehead, and then stared at Han Li with a gaze filled with profound complexity before slowly saying, "Where did you obtain this technique, friend? Please don't tell me that you yourself invented it. Though this method is remarkably profound, it clearly appears to have been specifically designed for our Tianpeng people." "Jin friend indeed possesses sharp insight—your immediate recognition of its subtle intricacies is impressive. However, who originally created this technique is not truly significant. What matters far more is that you have clearly grasped its value to the noble class." Han Li smiled calmly, as though he had anticipated Jin Yue's questions all along. "Friend, you have brought forth only half of this technique—will you merely expect me to merely glance at it and be satisfied? Then, please, let me hear your true intentions for your visit to our Tianpeng clan." Jin Yue's eyes flashed with an extraordinary light, and suddenly a terrifying spiritual pressure surged from her body. She said to Han Li in a solemn tone, "Haha! Since Master Jin has spoken so, then I shall follow your wishes. However, this matter is of great importance to me, and I would only like to discuss it with you in private." Han Li chuckled, but as he glanced at the other several senior elders of the Tianpeng Clan, his expression grew serious. "Very well, I'll accept your request! Senior Xu, Senior Qing, please step out for now. Come back in after I've spoken with Master Han." Jin Yue nodded without hesitation and issued a simple command to the others. Clearly, she held the method recorded on the jade scroll in high regard. "Yes, Senior Xu shall retire then!" "Senior Grand Master, we shall wait outside the hall for now." ... Though the other senior elders of the Tianpeng Clan felt deeply frustrated, they dared not defy Jin Yue's orders and merely bowed, then quietly departed the hall. In a moment, the entire hall was left with only Han Li and the white-robed woman. "Master Han, if you have any confidential matters, please share them with me," said Jin Yue, her expression now relaxed. Han Li, however, did not immediately respond. Instead, he suddenly shook his sleeve, and at once sprayed out more than a dozen small five-colored flags in all directions. As these flags flashed, they transformed into vibrant, multicolored glimmers and vanished into the nearby space, dissolving into the ambient aura. Instantly, a shimmering five-colored light screen materialized, fully enclosing both Han Li and Jin Yue within its protective embrace. "Is it possible," Jin Yue thought, initially startled, "that Master Han still fears someone might eavesdrop? Yet upon observing that the screen merely constitutes a simple sound-sealing spell, she soon grew reassured, though her expression remained slightly displeased. "Master Jin, please do not be concerned," Han Li replied with great caution. "This matter is far from trivial, and I must therefore take extra precautions." "Then it shall be as Master Han sees fit." But before we go into detail, there's one matter I must confirm first—does the other half of this technique also reside in your hands?" Jin Yue furrowed her brows, suddenly raising the jade scroll in her hands and asked. "Hehe, Grand Elder, please rest assured. If I didn't have the completed technique, how could I dare negotiate this deal with the noble house?" Han Li replied without hesitation. "Very good—that settles it! You mentioned a transaction, so could you tell us what kind of terms you'd like to propose with our Tianpeng Clan?" Jin Yue exhaled gently, her expression now noticeably relaxed. "Han Li intends to journey down into the Deep Realm once. I would like the noble house to arrange for me to go on the next trip. This special method of refining Tianpeng blood—exactly that—is my compensation for this journey." This time, Han Li made no further delay, gazing steadily at the white-clad woman, and delivered the statement with serious gravity.