"You wish to enter the Purifying Pool and consume the Pure Spirit Lotus!" Bao Hua's expression grew serious, her gaze cold as she spoke slowly. "I have risked so much precisely to secure even a chance of attaining the stage of Great Perfection. After enduring such hardships to reach this place, I most certainly will not abandon my pursuit." Han Li's expression remained calm, responding gently. "Even if you succeed in entering the Purifying Pool and obtain one or two Pure Spirit Lotuses, you'll truly consider your wishes fulfilled. Allow me to tell you plainly—yours are by no means the only beings capable of reaching deep into this region." Bao Hua said with evident intention. "Indeed, I am well aware of this. Should it not be for the visits of certain senior figures from the Spirit Realm, how could we, a group of us, have known of the existence of the Purifying Pool and the Pure Spirit Lotus here?" Han Li replied without surprise. "The Spirit Realm? You must be underestimating the allure of these two spiritual treasures among some of the more powerful beings." Over the long centuries of our existence in the magical realm, countless powerful beings from other realms—including the spiritual realm—have entered the Spirit-Cleansing Pool. Some of them boast immensely powerful patrons, so strong that even our five founding ancestors couldn't refuse them. Others possess truly extraordinary abilities, and while we may accept a modest fee, we simply allow them to pass without further obstruction. Yet among all these, only one in ten truly succeeds in advancing to a higher realm through the aid of the Spirit-Cleansing Pool and the Pure-Spirit Lotus. "I'm explaining this calmly to you, Han Li," said Bao Hua. "For other realm beings, a one-in-ten chance is already enough for me to take a bold bet." Han Li furrowed his brows initially, but then scoffed and replied. "But what if, upon learning that those who failed to emerge from the pool have since lost all hope of advancing to the next level, you find yourself unsure of what to do next, friend?" Bao Hua gave him a half-smiling, half-arched expression. "Losing the hope of advancement?" "Han Li was truly surprised this time." "Indeed. As far as I know, any entity that failed to leverage the Washing Spirit Pool and the Purifying Spirit Lotus in its advancement, though initially benefited from them, ultimately never reached the Great Perfection stage in the long run. Otherwise, do you think the guards on Kǔ Ling Island would be so relaxed? If such a restriction were lifted, even our several founding ancestors would have willingly sacrificed considerable costs to completely destroy the island. After all, to our magical race, the Washing Spirit Pool and the Purifying Spirit Lotus hold absolutely no value. It would be far better simply to eliminate them altogether rather than allow other realm-level cultivators to benefit. Han, would you like to enter the Washing Spirit Pool once more?" The beautiful eyes of Bao Hua subtly twinkled, hinting at a gentle smile. "Such a thing actually exists!" Han Li's face shifted between expressions of surprise and concern, but then recalled something, turning his gaze toward Yuan Yan, the Saint Ancestor. After a hearty chuckle, the young cloaked figure said solemnly, "Han, in this matter, we have no need to deceive you. The Xiling Pool and Jingling Lotus indeed possess extraordinary powers that can aid in breaking through the Great Perfection stage—yet they also come with serious drawbacks. Nothing in this world is perfect. The trade-offs are entirely up to you to weigh." "Is there no way at all to resolve these lingering concerns?" Han's gaze grew steadily serious, half to himself, half in a low murmur. "Methods to eliminate these drawbacks certainly exist. Yet, in my opinion, Han, you should give up on them now. These measures simply lie beyond your reach. Indeed, even if it were me and my companions, we would not dare to hope for them." The precious flower shook her head, adding a touch of scorn. "Indeed? There are ways to overcome the risks of the Xiling Pool!" Yuan Yan's Primordial Ancestor was startled. "Need not be surprised, Yuan Yan. You have only recently ascended to the status of Primordial Ancestor." I've been waiting with Nirvana in the Mahayana realm for countless ten-thousand years. You don't know how many more secrets there are, do you?" The white-robed woman coldly glanced at Yuan Yan several times, speaking without mercy. Upon hearing this, the young man in black robes naturally grew furious. His aura of anger flashed briefly, but then he firmly suppressed it. "If there are methods available, then I'd be grateful if you could share a few. Perhaps I myself have a way to achieve one or more of them," said Han Li, speaking without hesitation. "Very well. Since you're still determined, I'll tell you these methods. But before that, you'll need to give me some of the spring water you're using to nourish your medicinal herbs, so that I may examine it first," said Bao Hua, suddenly smiling and blinking her eyes. "The spring water—you mean these very waters—I have no problem," Han Li replied instantly, without a moment's thought. Then, he gently tapped the spring water with a single finger. "Pffft!" A cluster of milky-white liquid, neither large nor small, immediately弹ed out from the spring and, after a few flickers, arrived before the Buddha of the Sacred Blossom. The white-clad woman smiled with delight and reached out a jade hand to grasp it. A series of sharp "shush-shush" sounds echoed as an intangible potential surged forth, swiftly drawing the liquid into the air and lifting it to hover just an inch above her palm, where it spun continuously. The Buddha of the Sacred Blossom kept her gaze steady upon the liquid in her palm, sending out a subtle spiritual awareness that silently penetrated into it. After a while, she gently parted her lips, and the small cluster of water trembled before transforming into a beam of white light, which then flowed into her mouth. A faint white vapor shimmered briefly over her face before gently fading, and the Buddha slowly closed her eyes, as though savoring the taste of the liquid within. Han Li and Yuan Yan, the Saint Patriarch, both felt a subtle shift in their expressions, yet neither spoke a word. A little while later, the white-robed woman slowly opened her eyes, her gaze filled with delight. "Indeed, I was only confident at six or seven tenths before, but now I'm certain at least nine tenths. This elixir is exactly what I've been seeking. As for the methods to avoid the purification pool and the cleansing lotus, I've recorded them in a jade scroll—consider it a complimentary gift to you." The precious flower seemed fully prepared; as soon as she finished speaking, she raised her hand, and a blue glow shot forth, revealing a pale blue jade scroll. Han Li extended his hand, gently drawing the scroll into his grasp, all the while maintaining a composed demeanor. With a subtle mental touch, he explored the contents. Indeed, the scroll bore several vividly rendered illustrations, followed by dense, detailed explanations and descriptions. "Immerse the Dao-Repository Lingsheng Fire for seventy-seven days, then consume three pills of Huatian Buxuan...," Han Li had barely glanced at the first two entries when his face turned slightly pale. Aren't these precisely the famed immaterial treasures of the immortal realm! It's said that not only in the realm of spirits, but even within the true immortal realm, these two items are longed-for treasures by countless true immortals. Indeed, in the eyes of some true immortals, their value surpasses even that of the Washing Spirit Pool and the Purifying Spirit Lotus. Where could he possibly find such two immortal treasures from the realm of immortals? Fortunately, the jade scroll also mentioned several other items, and with a steady breath to suppress his growing frustration, Han Li focused once again and continued reading. "Grind the Qi-Heaven and Harmony Flower into a fine powder... use the spirit embryo of the seven-legged true crow as the primary ingredient, combined with other various medicinal herbs to create a spirit elixir. Apply this elixir to the body for a hundred years, following the formula below..." As Han Li read the details, his face darkened noticeably. The seven-legged true crow, though not quite on par with the celestial dragons or phoenixes in terms of strength, was still a well-known true spirit, far beyond Han Li's ability to influence. As for the Qiankun and Hehuo Flower, he had never even heard of it—without even considering it, he knew it was absolutely beyond his reach. However, when his divine awareness swept over the painting below, his heart leapt suddenly. The painting clearly depicted a small golden bird, yet at the very center of the bird, there was a golden pill drawn in, its surface densely adorned with intricate pill patterns, appearing remarkably mysterious. His divine awareness remained firmly locked onto the painting for a while before finally shifting slightly to read the accompanying text below. Han Li silently recited the two names in his mind twice, his heart swelling with joy. The elixir depicted in the diagram was precisely the one he had obtained from the sealed sanctuary of Guanghan Realm—the so-called "Xuling Elixir." With his exceptional memory, he immediately recognized that the Taihu Miaoling Elixir and the Xuling Elixir illustrated were essentially the same, indistinguishable in every way. Back then, several cultivators at the Realm of Lei Ming had nearly broken off their relations over this very elixir. Han Li had secretly retained one of the elixirs through a well-planned scheme, yet had never fully understood its specific effects, carefully preserving it ever since. Now, upon reading the detailed explanations and annotations beneath the diagram, everything suddenly became clear. Its remarkable efficacy in aiding cultivators at the Consolidated Stage to transcend into the Great Mastery Stage explained why the foreign cultivators at that level were so enthusiastic and eager. After reading the annotations on the first set of illustrations, Han Li merely glanced over the next few sets before withdrawing his divine awareness from the jade scroll. He then fell into quiet contemplation, expressionless. "There's a one-in-ten chance that it can enable the cultivation to advance to the Great Perfection stage. With a fifty-percent chance, it can eliminate the hidden risks associated with the Spirit-Soaking Pool and the Pure Spirit Lotus." Han Li began swiftly weighing the pros and cons. Bao Hua observed Han Li's demeanor, her gaze shifting several times, and a subtle sense of surprise flickered across her face. After an indeterminate period of time, Han Li suddenly opened his eyes and calmly addressed the white-clad woman: "I'm sticking to my original decision—I'll still go down to the Spirit-Soaking Pool. Once I return, I'll naturally present you with whatever you need." Then, without waiting for Baohua's reply, he suddenly turned his head and continued, one word at a time, to Baoyuan Yan: "Master Baoyuan Yan, as long as you agree to allow me to enter the Xiling Pool and seek the Jingling Lotus without obstruction, I will likewise present you with the Lingmago herbs at a later time. Should either of you refuse this condition, I shall immediately destroy these two medicinal herbs here and then engage you both in battle, each of us relying solely on our strength. Let us see whether, together, you two can truly keep me forever confined to this island."