With Han Li now at the level of a Mahayana cultivator, he believed that there was hardly any trouble within the human race that he couldn't resolve, and thus his earlier question had been rather light-hearted, as if he hadn't given it much thought. "Brother Han, since you've already taken your seat here, I will naturally explain everything in full. Brother Du, once Brother Han returns to the city, I will personally inform him of the relevant matters—wouldn't you agree that this would be a reasonable arrangement? After all, it involves his disciples." The silver-haired elder cleared his throat and spoke seriously to both Han Li and the young white-robed youth. "My disciples?" "Of course, no problem!" Han Li was momentarily surprised. After a moment's thought, Du Yu readily agreed. "Indeed, this matter does involve your disciples. Brother Han, among your disciples, is there one known for having the Hidden Thunder Root lineage?" The elder, without further hesitation, asked Han Li directly and with confidence. "You mean my disciple Hai Yue Tian?" Indeed, he is truly a Yin Lei Gen. Yet I have never disclosed this to anyone outside. How did you all come to know? Han Li's expression slightly shifted, and he asked in return. "Well... it seems that Han brother's disciple, during a gathering, accidentally revealed this while slightly intoxicated." Master Jin Yue, standing beside him, stepped in promptly, without waiting for the elder to respond, and lightly cleared his throat. "Ah, I see. My disciple has always been rather careless and straightforward—such an incident is quite understandable. Now, please go on, Gu Brother." Han Li sighed, speaking with a touch of resignation. Upon hearing this, the silver-haired elder chuckled lightly and then gathered his strength to continue: "As for the unique qualities of Yin Lei Gen cultivators, I believe Han Master is more familiar with them than we are. When the senior elders of the Sheng Dao Island learned of this matter, they specially sent an invitation to our city a few days ago, requesting that Han brother's son visit the Sheng Dao Island, where they hope to draw upon his Yin Lei Gen abilities to some extent." "As for the specific details, Master Li simply can't go into further elaboration—let Du Yu take over and explain the rest." The silver-haired elder had only said half of his remarks before passing the responsibility to the young white-robed disciple. The other elders of Tianyuan City, including the silver-haired immortals, silently nodded in approval. If the silver-haired elder had covered all the details himself, even if the heavenly island delegation remained silent at the moment, they would likely feel dissatisfied later. By now assigning the responsibility of the subsequent narrative to Du Yu, though no immediate changes might result, the elders had already made a favorable gesture toward the heavenly island delegation, thus preventing any easy complaints from them afterward. Upon hearing this, Du Yu's gaze flickered slightly—seeming to instantly grasp the elder's subtle diplomatic intent—and promptly nodded. "Since Master Gu has spoken so generously, then I shall now take the floor to explain the rest. Indeed, the hidden lightning root of Master Han's disciple is of exceptional significance to our entire clan at this very moment." Our senior cultivators from the Human and Immortal-Fauna clans—besides Master Mo Jianli and Master Ao Xiao—have no others at the Grand Cultivation stage. Yet both of these esteemed elders are now nearing the end of their lifespans, and thus can no longer serve as steadfast pillars for our two clans for many years to come." Du Yu paused slightly as he spoke. Upon hearing this, the present cultivators all looked noticeably more serious. "Once no senior cultivators remain, the standing of our two clans within the Spiritual Realm will be truly precarious. Hence, for some time now, the Sacred Island has not only been diligently restoring the damages inflicted upon our two clans by the Demon Cataclysm, but has also been striving tirelessly to cultivate a new Grand Cultivation-level cultivator. Whether from the Human or Immortal-Fauna lineage, as long as one such cultivator emerges, although our two clans may still not be on par with the larger clans, the safety and stability of our peoples for the next several millennia will be assured." Therefore, after careful deliberation, the elders of the Sacred Island have decided to pool all their resources and simultaneously launch several senior cultivators—already at the late stage of Consolidation—into the threshold of the Great Perfection stage. This makes the recruitment of Mr. Han's disciple unavoidable. Du is still hopeful that Mr. Han will prioritize the overall situation and allow this disciple to join our Sacred Island. Du clearly understands that the current primary obstacle lies with Mr. Han, and thus speaks directly and sincerely, without mentioning the elders of the Tianyuan City Council or anyone else—fully focused on persuading Mr. Han alone. "So, the Sacred Island sends only three elders, and yet relies solely on Mr. Han's one disciple?" Han's face darkened, and his voice grew cold as he asked. Everyone could sense his growing impatience. "I can assure you, Mr. Han, that once your disciple arrives at the Sacred Island, he will be safe from any threat to his life. Moreover, upon successful completion of this mission, the Sacred Island will offer him generous rewards. Du Yu was taken aback, yet remained resolute, speaking calmly. "I can guarantee his safety! My disciple has only been under my guidance for a short time and his cultivation level is not particularly high. If he wishes to use his Yin-Lei Root to help others withstand the true lightning calamity of a late-stage cultivator, he would need to advance at least one full stage of cultivation to make any real difference. There are, as I know, at least six or seven methods that can force such a leap in cultivation, each requiring the sacrifice of his potential and life span. Should he achieve such a dramatic advancement, even if he survives the ordeal, I suspect he will likely be left with little to enjoy from the generous gifts offered by the Sacred Island afterward." Han Li's voice deepened, growing cold and sharp. Anyone could sense the subtle undercurrent of mockery in his words. "Indeed, Master Han, your disciple's journey may leave behind some lingering concerns." But this matter concerns the future rise and fall of my two clans, and the balance between the safety of one individual and the well-being of the entire clan—this should be clear to my esteemed friend Han. I need not elaborate further. The yellow-haired, green-eyed man standing beside Du Yu finally could not contain himself and suddenly interjected. "I certainly understand the relative importance. However, I would like to ask: will my disciple's intervention certainly result in one additional cultivator reaching the Great Transcendence stage on the Sacred Island? If you three are willing to pledge a heart-mad blood oath to me, then I am more than happy to send one of my disciples to serve you. But if I'm not certain of the outcome, why should I make such a sacrifice without guarantee? Do you think I am easily intimidated?" Han spoke with no further hesitation, his tone cold and firm. Upon hearing this, the faces of Du Yu and the other two envoys from the Sacred Island immediately grew somewhat uneasy. Meanwhile, the elders of Tianyuan City, including Gu the Elder, exchanged glances and then remained silent, each one holding his peace. It seems these elders have decided to step back and merely focus on preserving their own positions. "Master Han, Du believes that as long as the two clans gain even a slight chance of reaching the stage of Great Immortality, the disciples' sacrifices will not have been in vain. Master Han surely does not intend to disregard the orders from the Sacred Island and the entire clan, does he? If indeed he plans to do so, then I and the other two will be unable to return and report to the elders of the island." The barefoot, plain-looking woman smiled slightly, her tone carrying a clear sense of negotiation and pressure. "Now, are you really going to threaten me? You keep mentioning the Sacred Island and the clan without cease—can you truly represent us two clans just because of these three of you? Though I have not been practicing for very long, I firmly believe that merely relying on such superficial words and phrases to ask me to surrender my disciples is utterly impossible. Otherwise, how would the others view me, a master who cannot even protect my own disciples?" Master Han glanced at the ceiling, his voice firm and resolute. The ugly woman's face turned pale, slightly embarrassed and annoyed, and she opened her mouth to speak further. But Han Li merely waved a hand, cutting her off coldly and stating, "At this very moment, I can clearly tell the three esteemed friends: unless the Sacred Island has a ninety percent certainty that, by sacrificing our disciples, they can successfully bring in a great transcendental cultivator from our two clans, I will not allow any of my disciples to go with you." "A ninety percent certainty? What exactly is Han Master implying by treating the attainment of the great transcendental stage as such a mere probability? If such great cultivators were so readily available, the Sacred Island would not have devoted so much effort and cultivated several promising candidates over the years just to see them reach this stage. Han Brother is clearly deliberately making things difficult." Du Yu's face had already turned unusually pale, and after taking a deep breath, his tone grew increasingly unkind. "You wish to sacrifice my disciples without even mentioning a single word of difficulty?" I see Du Dao-you has no weak spell either. Is it also true that you are one of the candidates for the late-stage bottlenecks during this Saint Island's grand ascent? "Han Li's expression remained unchanged, and with a sharp, cold laugh, he asked the white-robed young man again. "Indeed, Du has been favored by several elders on the island, and thus is one of the candidates for this great ascent to the Multiplicative Stage. Might I ask, does Han Dao-you think Du is not worthy?" A cold glint passed through Du Yu's eyes, and his brows darkened as he replied. "Worthiness isn't something I can decide. Yet, since Du Dao-you speaks so generously and impartially, wouldn't it be fitting that, when Han Dao-you faces his bottleneck in the Multiplicative Stage, you also hand over all your prepared pills and treasures to him, giving him an added edge in his own ascent? If you truly commit to this, then Han Li shall have no further objections." Han Li spoke with an expression of calm composure. "That... I恐怕 I shall be unable to agree to Han Dao-you's request." All the elixirs and treasures Du Yu had prepared to address the bottleneck were allocated by the Sacred Island—myself have no authority to make such a promise," Du Yu evidently did not expect Han Li to speak thus, and after a brief pause, replied with some embarrassment. "It's truly a pity. Since Du friend has himself determined that he cannot achieve this, then I shall not be able to sacrifice my disciples to fulfill others' expectations. If you three have no further matters to attend to in this city, you may now return to the Sacred Island to settle your affairs." With a slight scorn on his lips, Han Li waved his hand and said so. Upon hearing this, Du Yu and the other two guests' faces grew even more somber. "Brother Gu, Master Jin Yue, you have long-standing ties with Han friend. Please also try to persuade him a little. This time, if I am unable to take Han friend's disciples with me, I shall be unable to return to the Sacred Island to report back. And your city will surely face difficulties in explaining this to the Sacred Island," Du Yu, after a moment of shifting expressions, suddenly turned to the silver-haired elder and others who had remained silent throughout, and said with clear intent "This... well, we really don't feel comfortable stepping in. How about if Friend Han and all of you each retreat a little further?" The silver-haired elder muttered under his breath, but after hesitating for a while, managed a苦笑 and said it aloud.