"The Sacred Flame of Shura! Silver Moon naturally remembers — it's the demonic flame known as the sacred fire of the Ghost Dao. If Xuan Gu had truly succeeded in cultivating it, while he wouldn't necessarily be invincible across the entire realm, very few would have been his match. Could it be that Master has fused this very flame? It doesn't quite look like what I saw that day." Silver Moon said with a hint of surprise.
"This is naturally not the Sacred Flame of Shura — even I don't know what this flame truly is. But its power is clearly superior to the Frozen Azure Ice Flame. If my guess is correct, as the Six-Winged Frost Centipede's exhaled cold energy continues to upgrade, this flame will only grow more powerful after each absorption. In the end, it should be no less potent than that Sacred Flame of Shura. I discovered this only by accident after absorbing the centipede's cold energy. You could call it a fortunate coincidence."
As he spoke, Han Li's finger twitched slightly, and the small purple-flamed bird circled around his finger twice before vanishing into his palm without a trace.
Silver Moon froze for a moment, then a look of delight bloomed across her face.
"Then this servant congratulates her Master. The Frozen Azure Ice Flame alone was something that ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators wouldn't dare touch. Now that Master has this newly fused demonic flame, sweeping through the entire Tian Nan region is well within reach!" Silver Moon performed a graceful bow, her face radiant with a smile that made her appear all the more enchanting.
"Sweeping through the Tian Nan? That's quite an exaggeration. The Tian Nan region alone harbors countless mid- and late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators. Every one of those old monsters has survived for who knows how many years and honed their wits to a razor's edge. Each has their own trump cards. It's entirely possible I could run into something that counters this demonic flame." Han Li shook his head, his expression grave.
"Master is far too modest. What are the chances of such a coincidence?" Silver Moon pressed her crimson lips together, a look of disbelief in her eyes.
"You'd be surprised. The Gold Devouring Beetles are formidable — ranked in the top dozen or so on the Strange Insect Rankings — yet the Blood Jade Spider, ranked far below, happens to be their natural counter. If you encounter cultivators who know the beetles' origins and possess treasures like jade or spirit wood, the situation becomes rather grim. This demonic flame will have its own counters too. In this realm, there can truly be no invincible technique or treasure." Han Li smiled faintly.
"Master truly is cautious and meticulous. In that case, it really would be wise to prepare several different trump cards, lest the opponent find a way to counter us." Silver Moon's expression shifted slightly, and she nodded thoughtfully.
Han Li seemed to have more to say, and continued at an unhurried pace: "I didn't take disciples before because my cultivation wasn't high enough, and I was always on the move with no fixed abode — taking on a disciple would only have been a burden. But now that I've settled down at the Falling Cloud Sect, it's only natural to cultivate a sphere of influence of my own. In the world of cultivation, individual strength is paramount, but being completely alone brings its own inconveniences and dangers. At the very least, information dries up — you can't get timely intelligence that matters. Take the trading fair in the Kingdom of Yu two years from now: nobody thought to inform us. I expect those two elders will eventually tell us about it, but we won't have time to prepare in advance. As for Liu Yu, although her cultivation isn't high, she doesn't seem like the sort who would spend her life in seclusion. Now that she's entered the Falling Cloud Sect, I suspect she'll work hard to build her own network even without my instructions."
"This woman has Master's Soul-Constraint Technique placed on her — unless her cultivation surpasses Master's in this lifetime, she cannot possibly betray him. Her network is naturally Master's network as well. And this makes her far more reliable than a disciple taken in through normal channels." Silver Moon added with a cheerful grin.
Han Li glanced at her and said coolly: "Glad you understand."
His gaze then shifted to the Iron Rhino Beast.
The spirit beast had staggering risen to its feet once more, though its ferocity had been greatly diminished, and the look it cast toward Han Li carried a faint but unmistakable trace of fear.
"This spirit beast is of little use to me personally. But since it's a clan-bound spirit beast, there's no need to refine it — one can control it directly with a command tool. That makes it an ideal item for trade. Once you've trained it properly, lock it in the spirit beast chamber. When the trading fair in the Kingdom of Yu comes around, we'll see if we can exchange it for something rare and valuable. I'm going to place the Soul-Constraint Technique on Liu Yu." Han Li pulled a jet-black command token from his storage pouch and tossed it to Silver Moon as he spoke.
"As you command, Master!" Silver Moon caught the token and answered respectfully.
Han Li rose to his feet and left the hall without another word.
Left alone, Silver Moon turned the token over in her hands a few times, her expression pensive, apparently reflecting deeply on what Han Li had just said. But after a moment, she suddenly held up the token with a smile and aimed it at the spirit beast inside the light barrier.
A broad beam of yellow light instantly shot from the token, enveloping the Iron Rhino Beast within it.
From the hall, there came a piercing, anguished shriek.
……
The next day, after Han Li had placed the Soul-Constraint Technique on Liu Yu, he brought her to the white-haired elder.
Of course, he didn't tell the whole truth — only that this woman had some connection to him, which was why he had brought her from the Spirit Beast Taming Sect back to the Kingdom of Xi, and that he intended to take her in as a disciple so as to look after her.
The white-haired elder was stunned at first, but then his face cleared with sudden understanding, and he burst into hearty laughter.