"Ah, so that's it. It seems the cultivation of this insect king..." Han Li's eyes flashed with thought as he spoke. "Your young friend truly proves to be exceptionally bright—though not entirely accurate, it's still quite close. However, regarding the Golden-Eating Insect King, outside of our few Supreme Elders from the Fu Yue clan, very few people in the outside world are aware of him. It was no surprise that you mentioned the king's matter just now—clearly, you've already gathered some knowledge on the subject. The one you spoke to was probably Qingyuan Zi, wasn't it? Only he and one of our other Supreme Elders are particularly close, and thus have a deeper understanding." The immortal elder praised, then added with a cold smile. "Indeed, I once heard of this from Master Jiang. I'm told that once the Golden-Eating Insect King reaches his full potential, even true Immortals from the Celestial Realm would have to retreat—do you think this is truly the case?" After a brief pause, Han Li asked slowly. "While perhaps a bit exaggerated, the Golden-Eating Insect King is indeed formidable. If I were to encounter him, I would certainly not wish to The elderly sage smiled lightly and said, "So it is. But I wonder, if you should receive my spiritual insects, what would be your estimated chance of cultivating them into insect kings?" Han Li nodded, then abruptly changed the subject and asked. "How many chances?" The sage narrowed his eyes, pondered for a moment, before finally extended two fingers toward Han Li. "Only twenty percent. That's quite low, indeed." Han Li's face grew serious, and he replied in a steady tone. "Hmph. What do you think the golden-devouring insect king is worth, young friend? Twenty percent—this is only possible thanks to my years of dedicated research into insect cultivation techniques, combined with additional measures as a backup. For someone else, even a ten percent chance would be a great achievement. Well, you've asked all the questions you intended to, and in fact, this one already exceeds our original agreement. Now it's your turn to fulfill your promise. What conditions would you like to propose now?" Upon hearing Han Li's surprised tone, the sage frowned and said. "How could I possibly hold my senior in low regard? As for the transaction, I have already agreed to it, and I will certainly fulfill my end. Regarding the terms of exchange, however, I only have two requests." Han Li seemed to have made up his mind. Upon hearing the elder's words, he immediately replied without hesitation. "What are the two conditions? Please state them." Upon hearing Han Li's words, the elder's expression softened slightly, and he nodded. "First, I would like to request only additional Yinhe Ling Milk, not any of your other treasures. As you mentioned earlier, with sufficient numbers of Golden-Feeding Insects, the Ling Milk no longer holds much value for you. I believe this condition will not be burdensome for you. Second, I am well-versed in the art of nurturing insects, and I still have a few remaining Golden-Feeding Insects at my disposal. Therefore, I would like to attempt cultivating the Golden-Feeding Insect King. Though it may take many years to gather enough insects, I would still like to give it a try. "So I'd like to request the complete cultivation secret of the Golden-Feeding King Beetle from you," Han Li said seriously, one by one. The elder, whose face had previously been composed and smiling, suddenly narrowed his eyes upon hearing Han Li's words, then fell into deep contemplation. "The first condition is quite manageable—I may not be able to hand over all the elixirs I currently possess, but I can certainly provide four or five bottles. The second condition, however, is more challenging. That cultivation secret of the King Beetle is our family's exclusive technique; even some of our senior elders may not be fully aware of it. To now reveal it to a stranger like you, though, is indeed somewhat delicate." After a pause, the elder frowned slightly and spoke. "It may be a bit troublesome, but I believe you're right—my request is not unreasonable. I'm certain you understand that, compared to your own bonded spirit insects or the Xuan Tian Remnant Treasure, my conditions are quite modest." Han Li smiled gently and spoke with confidence. "Hehe, young friend, your words do carry some merit. Very well, I shall accept your terms. However, regarding the second technique for cultivating the King of Insects, you must make a solemn oath before me—using your heart-mind magic—swearing never to reveal this secret to anyone else. At your level of cultivation, the power of your heart-mind constraints is especially formidable. Should you breach this oath, during your celestial trial, you might very well perish as a result. If you agree to this, then I shall personally see that this technique is passed on to you." The elder smiled suddenly. "No problem—this is entirely expected. I am willing to make the oath!" Hearing this, Han Li was delighted. His expression grew serious, and indeed, he issued a particularly potent, unassailable vow drawn from his heart-mind magic, one that even the ethereal elder could not find fault with. "Excellent. Then let us begin the transaction. Here are these five vials of spiritual milk—take them first, young friend." The elder nodded with satisfaction. With a simple flick of his sleeve, five small, emerald-colored vials instantly materialized and shot straight toward Han Li. Han Li's face grew serious as he reached out and grasped the five small vials in his hands. Then, one by one, he opened the bottle lids and used his divine awareness to scan their contents, his expression slightly brightening. "Master, these are the five thousand fully mature golden-feeding insects. Please take a moment to inspect them." Han Li also withdrew a spiritual beast ring from his sleeve, and with a flick of his wrist, tossed it over. The elder rolled his sleeve back and gently took the ring into his hands. He did not immediately open it, but instead pressed his fingers lightly against the ring, closed his eyes, and directly immersed his divine awareness into it. After a moment, the elder's face lit up with excitement. "Excellent. Indeed, they are all fully mature golden-feeding insects—better than I had anticipated. Very good. This scroll, you keep it carefully. Do not let anyone else see it again." With a gentle exhalation, the elder opened his eyes and spoke. As soon as he finished speaking, a jade scroll, already prepared, shot out from his sleeve and, after a few flickers, mysteriously appeared directly above Han Li's head. "I shall remember this with great care," Han Li replied with a pleased expression, yet suddenly reached out and grasped the scroll, placing it upon his forehead. Instantly, dense rows of ancient characters and a vivid, lifelike painting of good fortune appeared clearly in his mind. After the ethereal elder retrieved the spirit-ring filled with gold-devouring insects, he felt completely at ease and instead watched Han Li with a gaze that was both amused and thoughtful, as though growing increasingly interested in him. After an indeterminate length of time, Han Li's expression shifted, and he gently shifted the scroll from his forehead, withdrawing his divine awareness. "Then, Master, is the secret technique you've provided satisfactory?" the elder asked with a light smile. "How could I possibly think so?" Han Li replied, clearly humbled. The secret technique for cultivating insects that the elder has imparted is profoundly ingenious, and merely by observing it, I now have a much clearer understanding of several questions I've had before. After folding the jade scroll into his sleeve, Han Li replied with due respect. "Oh, you've already gained some insights just by reviewing it briefly—this clearly shows that you have a solid mastery of insect cultivation techniques. Still, I'd like to offer you one piece of advice: although the Golden-Feathered Insect King is exceptionally powerful, truly cultivating it requires both favorable opportunities and unwavering dedication. You should therefore proceed with prudence and according to your own capabilities." Elder Xu Ligong spoke with deep intention. "Thank you, Elder, I will carefully consider your advice." Han Li said, his expression brightening. "Indeed, that's all that matters. Since our transaction is now complete, you may now proceed to leave the Black Wind Pavilion. I will follow shortly. Please don't keep the two honored guests, Jin Yan and Yan Feng, waiting too long." The elder nodded, giving the instructions calmly and deliberately. "Yes, I shall take my leave first. Han Li naturally offered no objection. After a further bow, he transformed into a streak of azure light and swiftly vanished from the hall, disappearing within the outer black mist moments later. "Hehe, the King of Gold-Eating Worms! Truly, a mere Consolidation-stage cultivator dares to contemplate such a feat. If it were that easy to nurture beings comparable to true Immortals, wouldn't our Eel-Flower Clan have already dominated the entire Spiritual Realm by now? Though we've possessed this worm-cultivation technique for so many years, we've yet to witness a single successful case. The several vials of spiritual milk are indeed a pity. Yet, with so many Gold-Eating Worms at our disposal, I believe I can surely succeed in crafting the Ten-Thousand-Spirits Umbrella for the Flight-to-Heaven trial—there's a strong chance, perhaps even a near-certainty. The mature Gold-Eating Worms themselves possess a nearly indestructible, diamond-like constitution; thus, the umbrella forged from them should be equally unyielding. This gives me a solid sense of confidence in passing the Flight-to-Heaven trial." As soon as Han Li's light faded, the elder immediately broke into Then, the ethereal elder flipped his hand once, and the spirit-beast ring containing the gold-devouring insects reappeared. Immediately, he pressed a hand seal and lightly touched the ring. A flash of light erupted from his fingertip, spreading into a cascade of black mist that swiftly wrapped around the ring. To everyone's astonishment, the entire spirit-beast ring suddenly transformed into a solid slab of dark, shimmering ice, radiating an impressive chill. After chatting about a few other matters and savoring the exquisite spirit wine crafted by Jinyan Hou, everyone gradually bid farewell and departed. Along the way, the two companions exchanged little conversation, simply shooting straight toward the location of Qingyuan's abode. Several days later, Han Li finally spotted the towering, familiar peaks in the distance. At that moment, Qingyuan's flight suddenly halted, and Han Li, startled, came to a stop as well. "Young friend, I believe you have secured what you sought, and perhaps even gained additional benefits. Thus, I have finally settled my personal debt to you. Therefore, upon returning, I no longer intend to stay with you here any longer, but instead plan to seal the mountain immediately and focus on preparing for the next great heavenly calamity. Only when Yao'er reaches the Condensed Body stage of cultivation can she assist me effectively during my ordeal. Hence, I shall take her with me to enter a period of closed meditation. The elixir that has helped her break through her current bottleneck, Master Qingyuan has already prepared in full. Unless she successfully advances to the Consolidated Stage, I won't easily let her leave the mountain. Young Han, do you understand my meaning?" Master Qingyuan suddenly said to Han Xiao you with a calm demeanor.