"White Fruit, it's only been a short time since I last saw you, yet you've already reached the late stage of the Huashen stage. Your innate talent—your Ice Essence body—truly lives up to its reputation. This potential is finally beginning to shine now." Han Li glanced at White Fruit for a moment, then suddenly smiled and said. "All thanks to my master's guidance and the consistent cultivation of various pills and elixirs. Without them, I would never have advanced so swiftly to the late Huashen stage." White Fruit bowed respectfully and replied. "Master Han, are you now also encountering a bottleneck at the late stage?" Han Li smiled, then suddenly asked the Instrument Spirit. "Reporting to the Master, I indeed still lack just one step to reach the full late stage. Yet, I keep being unable to make that final leap." The Instrument Spirit felt a sudden sense of urgency and stepped forward to answer. "Ah, it seems both of you have reached the point where it's time to embark on a journey to the Wild Frontier. In recent years, your steady progress has largely been due to your exceptional talents and the powerful effects of the pills and elixirs." If one wishes to reach the Tranquil Void realm, merely staying in seclusion and diligently practicing within the clan is far from sufficient—much like a flower grown in a greenhouse that will never truly thrive without experiencing storms and winds. Moreover, only within the wild, untamed world can you truly discover your own unique opportunities and destiny. While I can directly impart some of my personal insights and experiences, they may not necessarily be perfectly suited to your circumstances." Han Li spoke with deep intention. "Thank you, Master, for your guidance. I had indeed considered whether to venture into the wild world for training. Now that Master has approved, I feel even more confident. I and my sister will immediately return to prepare and make every effort to leave the Sacred Island and head to the Sky Deep City!" The spirit of the artifact remained calm and responded with genuine delight. Bai Guo'er also calmly agreed, clearly anticipating this very outcome. "However, the risks of the wild world are far greater than those within the clan. It is by no means unusual for a Consolidated Body stage cultivator to perish there." You and your companion are only at the late stage of Spiritual Transformation, so the risks of falling outside naturally increase. That's why I've prepared several treasures to bestow upon you as means of survival." Han Li nodded and added as such. "Thank you so much, Master!" Though they didn't know exactly what treasures Han Li would bestow, both Qi Ling Zi and Bai Guo Er naturally expressed their gratitude. Han Li smiled slightly, then waved his sleeves, and two circular rings shot out from them, landing in the hands of the two disciples after a brief flash. "I've already prepared these treasures, and originally intended to give them to you after a few more years. But now it seems clear that I must give them to you sooner rather than later. Though the number of treasures isn't large, as long as you remain alert and resourceful, even if you encounter ordinary Consolidated Stage beings, you should be able to save your lives several times over." Han Li spoke with great confidence. After probing their spiritual awareness into their storage bracelets, both Qi Ling Zi and Bai Guo Er were filled with delight and bowed deeply once again, expressing their heartfelt thanks. "Master, since both my senior and junior colleagues are going to journey to the wild, remote world, should I also be able to..." Hearing Master Han announce that the spirit-essence spirit and Bai Guo'er would travel to the remote world, the young sea prince had been fidgeting nervously beside him. Now, seeing Master Han directly produce a precious artifact, he finally stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and said. "Hmph. With your current stage of early Shen stage cultivation, even if I provide you with a life-saving treasure, you'll barely be able to unleash any significant power. Moreover, although you've been away from the Sacred Island for some time and have temporarily set aside the matter of your Hidden Lightning Root, avoiding the current attention, who knows if there aren't still others quietly watching over you. Perhaps, as soon as you leave the Sacred Island, some ancient being will seize you whole and use you as a human-shaped artifact to absorb the divine calamity. For now, just stay quietly on the Sacred Island and focus on your cultivation. We'll discuss further then." With my current standing, as long as I remain on the Sacred Island, even the late-stage cultivators from the foreign clans will have to hold themselves in considerable regard. Still, do you think I should not have punished myself more severely for not being strict enough in my initial dealings with you, and instead, directly impose a heavy reprimand upon my master to consolidate our union?" Han Li did not wait for Hai Dashi to finish speaking; he immediately guessed what he was about to say. He glanced at the disciple coldly and remarked, "I certainly do not dare. I shall simply act as if I had never mentioned those earlier words." Upon hearing Han Koulu's stern reprimand, Hai Dashi instantly stiffened, hesitated, and quickly retreated to the distance. "Heh, you've always been so light-hearted and impetuous. After the Spirit-Resonant Disciple travels to the barbarian realm, he will temporarily entrust his disciples to your care. Once he returns, I will then return the authority to the temple. I hope this period of trial will help steady your temperament." Han Li slightly raised a corner of his mouth, a smile playing in his eyes as he issued this instruction. "Yes, Master." "Yes, Master!" The junior disciple nodded promptly, yet the sea prince's face lengthened slightly, clearly showing his reluctance. Nevertheless, Han Li paid no attention to the second disciple's feelings. After glancing at Zhu Guo'er, who had remained silent throughout, he smiled gently and said, "Indeed, your cultivation has improved somewhat—seems you haven't been idle during your time on the Sacred Island either. Come to my bedroom at noon tomorrow, by yourself. I have a few things I'd like to ask you specifically." "Yes, Master Han. I'll be there on time," Zhu Guo'er replied with a pleased expression, quickly agreeing. "By the way, has any news come back from your ice phoenix aunt?" Han Li nodded and asked the spirit-keeper. "Reported to Master, the aunt has not yet sent word back. However, the spirit tablet remains stable—she must still be traveling through the wild lands." The spirit-keeper bowed and replied. "Considering the time, she should have returned by now." Could it be that something truly troublesome has arisen? Even if the spirit cards are unharmed, it doesn't mean the person won't end up trapped somewhere. Han Li pondered, speaking thoughtfully. "It shouldn't be the case. Ice Phoenix Sister, after all, is a high-ranking entity at the Lingxu stage, and moreover, she possesses the body of the Ice Phoenix. Even against a typical Héti stage being, she should be able to hold her own." Hai, the younger brother, replied without hesitation. "I hope so." Han Li furrowed his brows, but at this moment, he could only say that. Almost simultaneously, in the skies above a certain body of water on the Tianyuan Continent, a young man dressed in a white robe adorned with gold and silver patterns was confronting a group of ancient beasts resembling roaring lions. The young man's face was ordinary, yet upon closer inspection, there seemed to be a faint resemblance to Han Li's expression, as if deeply contemplating him. At a distance of several dozen zhang behind him, a silver-robed woman with a crystalline complexion floated motionless in the air, her face cold, observing the scene between the young man and the fire lions with a calm "What dull creatures! They dare to step forward and provoke me after merely taming their breath and aura—truly, they're setting themselves up for certain death. Well, it's been a long time since I last had a blood meal. Let's have a feast on you all!" The young man in white robes scanned the group of fire lions at the divine realm level, murmuring to himself. Then, with a single hand gesture, a flash of white light rippled behind him, and six identical cicada wings materialized instantly. Each wing was barely a foot long, yet astonishingly thin, almost translucent. Though their intelligence wasn't particularly high, the fire lions immediately grew fierce upon seeing this display. At once, under the roar of the largest and most imposing of them, all surged forward, each unleashing a surge of hot waves. Several even opened their mouths the moment they launched, spewing out dense streams of fiery balls in rapid succession. Faced with such a thunderous, furious assault, the young man in white robes only smiled faintly, a cold chuckle playing on his lips. Suddenly, the six delicate cicada-wing forms behind him trembled, and he blurred into the air, vanishing completely from his original position. The fiery sphere instantly shattered into countless blazing flames, exploding with a thunderous roar and sending out waves of fire reaching tens of feet high, rolling out in all directions—so powerful that even the woman in silver robes nearby was caught in the surge. Her expression darkened, yet she remained motionless. A beam of white light surged from her back, revealing a translucent white phoenix spirit stretching over fifteen zhang in length. With merely a flutter of its wings, the spirit released a dense, cold mist that enveloped the woman completely. Upon contact with the fiery waves, the heat immediately began to dissipate, producing a series of hissing sounds as the flames neutralized each other and vanished. At that moment, six identical winged spirits materialized ghost-like among the ranks of the fire lions. "Puff, puff"—a series of swift movements, the white spectral forms merely flickered and settled beside a fiery lion, one after another, while simultaneously inserting a translucent arm with lightning speed into the body of an ancient beast before it. As the glimmer on the arm spiraled, an inexplicable, profound cold surged forth, instantly extinguishing the lion's blazing flames and transforming its entire body into massive ice blocks, sealing it firmly within. The other fire lions, witnessing this, were naturally startled and furious, turning sharply and charging forth in haste. Yet, with only a slight flutter of the translucent wings behind the white forms, they vanished once more into the air. The ice-bound lions, meanwhile, cried out in distress as their massive ice shells shattered into fragments, bursting open. Then, a ripple of energy surged around several other fire lions, and six winged spectral figures reappeared, their arms blurring as they pierced through the bodies of the ancient beasts before them. Thus, these winged white forms, flickering in and out, swiftly and suddenly eliminated half of the fire lions. The other fire lions, witnessing this, finally stirred with fear. At the low roar of the leading fire lion, the ancient beasts suddenly turned around en masse, transforming into massive fire orbs that burst forth, fleeing in panic. "Now you want to retreat? That's not going to be easy!" Six white silhouettes suddenly converged, instantly coalescing into the original white-robed young man. He swept his gaze over the retreating fire lions, his expression growing fierce. Then, the light on the young man's rib area blurred slightly, and he instantly manifested several dozen arms—each as graceful and powerful as the others. As these arms moved, their hands opened, fingers splayed, each precisely aiming at the fleeing fire lions. A flash of white light! A series of soft "pffft" sounds erupted as dozens of shimmering light pillars surged forth from the young man's rib area, all at once.