Zhu Guo'er stepped forward, nodded in agreement. The twelve young women followed suit, rising gracefully and standing behind Zhu Guo'er. "Besides these twelve fragrant maidens, our alliance has also prepared a few small gifts, which we hope you will kindly accept as well," the purple-robed lady said, her eyes brightening with a smile as she saw Han Li take the maidens. She then raised both hands, and three handsome young men from different ethnic backgrounds entered the hall from outside, each holding a round silver disc covered by an unknown crimson silk cloth. "Your alliance is being most generous. These maidens are already a great honor; how could I possibly accept any additional gifts?" After glancing over the three discs, Han Li clearly saw through the cloth coverings and, with a simple wave of his hand, firmly declined. "Since Master Han finds these gifts unimpressive, I shall certainly not insist." The elder has journeyed far and must surely be somewhat weary. I shall then escort all of you to your quarters for the night, and address the other matters tomorrow. The purple-robed woman paused slightly, but quickly recovered, waving her hand to send the three young foreign youths away. "Indeed, I would like to rest a while, friend. Could you kindly guide us to your lodging?" Han Li nodded calmly. Thereafter, the purple-robed woman proceeded without hesitation toward the outer door, with the others following at a steady pace. As soon as they stepped out of the hall, a sudden commotion greeted them. Han Li's gaze flickered slightly, and he immediately noticed that they now stood beside a modest stone street—though not bustling, it was still lively with people passing by. These people were dressed in all sorts of styles, and along the streets, there were even shops displaying various signs, with many people entering and exiting them—some beaming with joy, others looking gloomy and composed, each exhibiting a distinct demeanor. What struck Han Li was that every passerby exuded an extraordinary aura, with strong cultivation levels—some even among the staff dressed in simple shop uniforms possessed at least Jin Dan stage attainments. When Han Li quickly scanned further out, he realized the area extended beyond just this single street, with other streets stretching in all directions and numerous buildings clustered closely together, though the overall scale was not vast, covering only roughly a hundred miles or so—thus forming a small town-like settlement. As soon as the group stepped out of the main gate, the entire entrance vanished in a flash, as if the entire group had materialized directly onto the street. The nearby pedestrians seemed completely unimpressed by this phenomenon, as though they had witnessed it countless times before. "Are all of these people guests specifically invited by your alliance for the auction?" Han Li asked gently after drawing back his divine awareness. "How could that be? Most of the guests attending the auction are resting at the Foreign Guests' Pavilion. The people here are mostly members of our alliance, who have come merely to purchase some items not commonly available. Even among our own members, regular attendance at the auction is usually not granted." The woman in purple smiled warmly in reply. "I see." Han Li said nothing further. At that moment, the woman in purple pressed a hand seal and a wave of霞light swept beneath her feet. Instantly, a sheet of white mist rose up, lifting Han Li and the others, and she swiftly flew toward the far end of the street. "That is the designated venue for this auction. The elders and other invited friends will gather there at the event." This auction will feature not only several rare treasures already publicly announced, but also several additional extraordinary artifacts that will be of great value to senior cultivators at the Great Perfection stage—guaranteeing no disappointment for our esteemed guests," the purple-robed woman said, guiding the cloud mist as it glided through the sky and pointing to a tall tower surrounded by several streets. "Is this the venue? From the outside, it doesn't seem very large—perhaps there's something remarkable inside?" Han Li examined the tower carefully and remarked. "Your insight is truly remarkable—you've indeed noticed. This tower is directly connected to a celestial realm, and in fact, it serves merely as the entrance to the actual auction hall. This arrangement allows for greater capacity and also ensures that no one harbors ill intentions toward this auction," the purple-robed woman replied with a touch of respectful surprise. "It seems your alliance has truly invested considerable effort into organizing this event. But how many senior cultivators at the Great Perfection stage do you anticipate attending?" Han Li asked once more. "Reporting to Master Han, since there's still about a month until the formal auction begins, we haven't yet been able to determine the exact number of senior cultivators reaching the peak stage. However, twenty or so have already arrived, and the number of peak-stage participants attending the auction has surpassed that of any previous years." These details were nothing to hide; after a brief thought, the young woman casually replied. "Twenty or so—your alliance's prestige must be quite impressive, managing to gather such a large number of peers at the same stage in such a short span." Master Han's expression slightly brightened, and he murmured a compliment. "Master is mistaken. The reason so many senior cultivators have made the journey is not due to our alliance's prestige, but rather our long-standing reputation. Many of them have consistently gained some benefit at past auctions, which is why they've come all this way, despite the distance." The young woman smiled lightly. "Heh, from the way the仙子 speaks, it seems your alliance is truly confident about this year's auction." However, I heard that in past auctions, there were special allocation slots for intercontinental transportation. I wonder if such slots will still be offered this time?" Han Li asked calmly about the matter he was most concerned about. "Intercontinental transportation slots are one of the special auction items of the auction event, specifically designed to enable certain friends and elders to reach other continents. They are naturally not easily canceled. However, this time, the receiving super transportation array on the Leiming Continent has encountered some issues, so the intercontinental slots to Leiming Continent have been temporarily suspended, and instead, the number of slots to Xuetian Continent has been increased." The purple-dressed woman replied truthfully, slightly surprised. "The slots to Leiming Continent have been canceled?" Han Li's expression slightly changed. "Indeed. Did you originally intend to go to Leiming Continent?" The purple-dressed woman was momentarily intrigued. "That's not certain, though." The Xue Tian Continent shall be the Xue Tian Continent, after all—though the plans have slightly changed from what was originally envisioned. Han Li stroked his chin and soon settled into his usual composure. Upon hearing this, Zhu Guo'er, the Blood Spirit, and the others were all startled, each displaying a different expression. In a short while, the cloud mist carried the group to the outskirts of the town, where they finally landed within a lush, verdant forest. The forest was filled with exceptionally pure qi, and within it stood only a few intricately carved pavilions and pavilions. Each group of buildings was separated by several miles, naturally separated by dense, towering trees, creating a serene and elegant atmosphere. The purple-dressed woman led Han Li and the others directly to one of these structures. Without any formal greeting, several maids and servants immediately stepped out and promptly knelt before Han Li and his companions. "This is the premium guest area. These are the servants here. Should you find them useful during your stay, you may keep them to serve you for a while. If, however, you feel they become a burden, you may send them away at any time." The dressed-in-purple woman smiled at Han Li without even glancing at the maids and servants. "I have just received a gift of fragrant female attendants from you. I no longer need these servants. Let them go." Han Li replied with a neutral tone. The dressed-in-purple woman naturally had no choice but to comply and issued a simple command to the servants. After a respectful bow, the maids and servants departed the area with grace and courtesy. "Master Han, please rest here comfortably. I will personally send someone to notify you shortly before the auction begins. By the way, if other guests have time, I recommend taking a walk around the town—there may be some unexpected discoveries. I shall now step down." The dressed-in-purple woman also gracefully concluded her remarks. "Good luck, Master Han. I won't be staying any longer." Han Li said this casually, without any intention of挽留, and simply watched as the other figure reascended, swiftly flying away into the dense forest. "Now that they've gone out of their way, we don't need to be overly formal either." After saying this, Han Li calmly strode toward a certain pavilion. Blood Purity and the others followed close behind. A short while later, all of them gathered in the main hall on the first floor of the pavilion, where Han Li sat composedly in the central seat. Blood Purity, the Elder of the Stone Body, and the others stood respectfully at the side. As for the twelve fragrant maidens, Zhu Guo'er had already assigned them specific duties and sent them off early. "Master Han, you really intend to head to Xiantian Continent first?" Blood Purity murmured, her expression complex—full of hope, yet with a subtle hesitation beneath. "Indeed, our original plan will need to be adjusted." Could it be that you have another method to visit the Leiming Continent first? Han Li replied without showing any surprise. "You must be jesting. If there were another way to reach the Leiming Continent earlier, why would I have kept it hidden all this time?" Xue Po chuckled. "Since you have no other means, then let us first proceed to the Xuetian Continent. Should it prove necessary, we can always make arrangements to return to Leiming later. As for the Xuetian Continent, though I have never visited it personally, I have long been familiar with its peculiarities. It is said that besides the renowned Blood Path Magic Technique, several other highly mysterious lineages remain. These are said to enable one to defeat powerful opponents at a distance of thousands of miles, even to eliminate adversaries completely without them ever realizing it. Such a defense is truly unpredictable and formidable. I believe you must have encountered these wonders at some point, Xue Po." Han Li spoke slowly, and for the first time, a sense of seriousness appeared in his expression.