"Of course, I understand the slight favor the elder has shown. Then, I shall not return to the elder's abode, but leave this realm directly." Upon hearing this, Han Li's expression slightly changed, and he remained silent for a long while before finally sighing gently and bowing respectfully to Qingyuan Zi. "Heh, Han Young Master, don't mind me being blunt—indeed, at this crucial moment, the more time I spend with you, the less beneficial it becomes for Yao'er. Should our interactions grow longer, I fear she may struggle to pass the heart-mist trial during her advancement. I therefore need to take preventive measures." Seeing Han Li readily agree, Qingyuan Zi's expression softened slightly and added a few clarifications. "The elder misunderstands. I have no other feelings toward Lady Yuan Yao beyond regard as a close companion and beloved friend." Han Li chuckled, not knowing quite how to clearly express this matter. "You consider Yao'er a cherished friend, yet my own adopted daughter may not share the same sentiment." Qingyuan Zi narrowed his eyes, speaking with a smile that held both amusement and reserve. "The junior doesn't know how to explain it, and I suspect the elder wouldn't wish to hear any further explanations either. Regardless, the senior's unwavering support has been instrumental in my securing the Yinhe Spirit Milk this time—this debt I shall never forget. I shall now make my way, and hope that when we meet again, the elder has successfully passed through the trial of destiny." Clearly unwilling to dwell on the matter, Han Li bowed deeply and immediately spoke his parting words. "Indeed, then I also wish the young friend every success in advancing to the Great Perfection stage!" Qingyuan also solemnly inclined his bow to Han Li. Seeing this, Han Li nodded and, as a shimmer of luminous light passed over his body, once again transformed into a streak of jade-green light, heading straight toward the spatial fissure where he had last departed. Previously, when his cultivation level was still insufficient, he had needed Qingyuan's assistance to exit the fissure. Now, having reached the mid-Consolidation stage, he could effortlessly break through and pass through the fissure on his own. Qingyuan Zi remained motionless in the sky, his robe fluttering gently, until the jade-green light finally vanished at the very edge of the heavens, when he emitted a soft, nearly inaudible sigh: "This young man has advanced so swiftly. With such abundant supplies of Yinhe's milk this time, he should have no difficulty reaching the late stage of the Combined Body phase. Yet to attain the Great Perfection stage, he will likely need some special fortune—unless he happens to have one. Still, he is quite an unusual one, possessing both remarkable treasures and hidden secrets. Reaching the Great Perfection stage may well be a matter of chance. For now, I've given him my very best support. Should he one day truly become a Great Perfection cultivator, there may come a time when I'll need to rely on him again." After finishing these thoughts, Qingyuan Zi gathered his gaze and, with a burst of light, swiftly darted toward his abode. Half a day later, in the high sky of an unnamed mountain peak on the land of Yinhe, a sudden, intense ripple of spatial disturbance occurred, followed by a clearing of hazy mist, revealing a vast, dark fissure that appeared out of Then, with a thunderous roar, a column of five-colored light erupted from the peak of the mountain, flashing briefly before vanishing into the fissure. The spatial disturbances gradually weakened, and the massive crack slowly healed, as if nothing had ever happened. … Time flew by—three centuries passed in an instant. For the vast spiritual realm, this span might have been but a fleeting glance in its endless timeline, yet for ordinary mortals, it represented a lifetime beyond reach. Even for the great adepts capable of soaring through the skies and traversing lands, such a duration was no small measure of time. The great sects and noble families could use this period to begin cultivating several generations of their own descendants and disciples. Yet for the entire human race, these three centuries proved transformative, bringing about profound and far-reaching changes. Today, centuries later, the lands of the human race are dotted with countless ranks of armored soldiers and massive fortress-cities. Around these great cities, a myriad of varied magical arrays and seals spread out like a spider's web, encircling them in layers and layer, rendering any would-be attacker utterly hopeless. Among the common people, cultivators of the Jiandan and Yuanjing stages—once rare in ordinary cities—now appear frequently, and even occasionally, cultivators of the Huzheng stage are spotted. As for the number of physical cultivators among the common folk, having been massively expanded by various powers over the years, they have grown several dozen-fold, each equipped with far superior weapons and armor compared to the past. Moreover, ordinary citizens who cannot even practice physical cultivation now organize large groups of young and middle-aged individuals to learn human martial arts, in order to strengthen their bodies and gain some capacity for self-defense. And all of this was almost entirely voluntary on the part of ordinary common folk. By this time, even young children as young as three were well aware of the clear and precise news that the next great magical calamity was imminent. A century and a half ago, holy messengers from the great island sanctuaries appeared in each of the major metropolitan cities, directly announcing an accurate prediction that the magical catastrophe would arrive within two centuries. With solemn gravity, they emphasized that this time the calamity would be far more severe and devastating than any previous one—so severe that a single misstep might truly lead to the extinction of the entire human race. As a result, the entire human populace, both celestial and terrestrial, reacted with unprecedented urgency, accelerating their preparations at a pace several times greater than before. Materials and medicinal herbs in the bustling markets and towns were swiftly depleted. Only the private herb gardens of the great sects and noble families remained somewhat stocked. And even these herbs differed from the rare ones previously cultivated—most had been replaced by varieties with shorter maturation periods, yet the most commonly used medicinal plants and flowers. As for the various secrets and hidden matters that the major powers had previously carefully concealed, they are now emerging in an overwhelming surge. Some powers have even begun to frequently exchange their respective secret techniques and cultivation methods, striving to significantly enhance their strength within a short span of time. Naturally, among the human-origin powers, the two most prominent are Tianyuan City and the Three Imperial Cities. The former houses the elite forces of both human and spirit races, with ten fully merged cultivators stationed there, making it fundamentally stable and secure. The latter gathers high-level cultivators from across the three realms, personally guarded by the Three Emperors, and is likewise considered impregnable in the eyes of the general public. As for slightly less powerful forces, the Ten Great Sects and the Three True Spirit Families stand out, drawing in a growing number of ordinary people and independent cultivators who have rapidly gathered in their ranks, increasing their populations by more than tenfold in just a few centuries—now nearly reaching the limits of their capacity. Not only the human race has shown a determination to go all-in against this magical calamity, but the spirit race and several neighboring ethnic groups have likewise mobilized their entire populations. Over the past three centuries, messengers have been sent frequently among the clans, exchanging vital information related to the magical crisis, each one approaching the current ordeal with the utmost seriousness and vigilance. Amid this atmosphere of full-scale military readiness, in a range of mountains not far from the Sky-Deep City, approximately three or four hundred cultivators gathered atop a mountain peak, intently listening to a white-clad woman seated upon a massive stone, who was explaining an exceptionally profound cultivation technique. Though the woman appeared only in her late teens, around seventeen or eighteen, her body was enveloped in successive layers of pale lotus-like light, and a deep blue lotus-shaped emblem was embedded in her brows, enhancing her ethereal grace and making her seem like a celestial maiden untouched by earthly affairs. And among those who had gathered to listen, although there were both young and old, men and women, most of them wore traditional Daoist robes, while a smaller group wore blue robes and carried swords, as though belonging to the same monastic order. Nevertheless, their levels of cultivation were evidently not very high—only a few had achieved the Jie Dan stage, while the majority were still at the Zhuo Ji level. "That concludes today's lecture," the beautiful woman said, after a full hour of delivering her teachings, then calmly issued the farewell. "The next session will be three months from now, when your senior teacher will personally explain the Five Elements. You may now depart." Upon hearing this, hundreds of disciples bowed respectfully to the woman, then, either activating their tools or directly riding their magical artifacts, gracefully left the gathering. A young woman in white, gazing at the fading light of the departing figures, suddenly furrowed her brows and softly said to a tree on one side: "Sea-brother, these disciples were clearly under your and Master Qi Ling's guidance. Yet you insist on having your sister take their place as lecturer—doesn't that seem rather unfair?" "I never intended to take on any disciples at all. It was only after being tricked by Master Senior that I ended up with all this hassle. Moreover, when Sister teaches through the art of divine influence, she far surpasses both me and Master Senior in ability. Otherwise, these disciples wouldn't have achieved such remarkable progress in just a few centuries—several Jin-Dan cultivators have even emerged." A soft flash of white light appeared beneath the tree, and a handsome man in a blue robe stepped forward, smiling warmly. "Such progress among these disciples is hardly due to my efforts alone—it's largely thanks to the residual pills Master bestowed upon me in the past." Those elixirs—we have long since grown too weak to use them, and now they’ve come in handy for your two disciples instead. Yet Master Qi Lingzi took on disciples specifically to ensure the flourishing of the Wei Hai Pavilion. Why should you also be joining in this effort? said the woman in white, still sounding rather displeased. "It’s not my fault at all. It was Master Qi Lingzi himself who deliberately provoked me, and that’s what led me to this state," replied the man in blue, his brow furrowed with worry and his voice full of complaint. "Heh—he’s saying something rather insincere, isn’t he? I wonder who, back then, could have kept their mouth shut when so many disciples called their master by name." A soft laugh came from behind a nearby tree, and then, with a sudden flash of light, a Taoist in yellow robes appeared unexpectedly. These three were precisely the three named disciples of Han Li—the White Fruit Girl, Master Qi Lingzi, and Sea’s Young Master. Though their appearances had not changed at all from when they last met three hundred years ago, their demeanor and aura now stood in stark contrast to their former selves. (Hehe, I'm flying to Chengdu for the annual conference tomorrow afternoon and won't be back until around the 28th. During this time, I'll do my best to keep the updates for the ordinary people consistent and avoid any interruptions! With the wedding date getting closer and closer, I'm finding myself increasingly stretched thin—truly feeling very tired! This must be exactly what many people often describe as the coexistence of happiness and suffering.)