"Friend Lu, please speak. I am all ears," Han Li said with a slight smile, momentarily taken aback.

"It's not a major matter. Some time ago, a few friends and I discovered some ruins deep within the Tianyue Mountains in the north. However, there are many powerful restrictions and other dangers within. Therefore, my friends and I returned separately to invite some capable individuals to venture in again. Friend Li's strength is among the best in the surrounding valleys. I wonder if you would be interested in joining us for a chance at some good fortune?" Lu Guanzi said with a beaming smile.

Han Li frowned slightly upon hearing this, remaining silent for a moment.

Lu Guanzi noticed Han Li's expression, his smile fading somewhat, but he did not urge him to speak.

"Thank you for the invitation, Friend Lu, but I have some other important matters to attend to recently. I'm afraid I must decline your kind offer," Han Li said after a moment of silence.

"Oh, since you have other matters to attend to, I won't force you," Lu Guanzi said, seeing that Han Li's tone was resolute. He was quite disappointed, but he simply got up to take his leave.

Han Li saw him out of his cave dwelling, then closed the gate and returned to the secret chamber, where he sat down cross-legged.

In truth, his refusal of Lu Guanzi was not solely due to his focus on refining the Divine Refinement Technique.

As he pondered, he formed a hand seal, and golden light radiated from his body. The Treasure Wheel of Truth emerged behind him, its seven hundred and twenty Dao patterns all dim and lifeless.

The Time Dao patterns were completely faded at the moment, and his strength was greatly diminished as a result. Even with the greatest temptation, he would not choose to venture out in search of treasure in such a state.

He waved his hand to dispel the golden light and closed his eyes.

A layer of crystalline light appeared on Han Li's brow, flickering gently.

The gate to his cave dwelling remained tightly shut and unopened.

The others in Wild Crane Valley, seeing this, did not come to disturb him.

Time passed, and thirty years flew by.

On this day, a streak of light shot from afar and landed in front of Han Li's cave dwelling. An old man with disheveled white hair emerged, none other than Immortal Lord Re Huo.

Before he could transmit a message, the gate to the cave dwelling opened from within.

"Friend Re Huo, I've been remiss in not greeting you from afar..." Han Li said, walking out of the gate with a smile.

"You, you, how far apart are our cave dwellings? There's no need for such formalities," Immortal Lord Re Huo said with a laugh.

"Let's go, let's talk inside the cave dwelling." Han Li stepped aside, gesturing for him to enter.

"No need to go inside. I've only come to deliver something to you today. You've been in seclusion all this time, so I could only postpone it until today," Immortal Lord Re Huo said, waving his hand.

Han Li's brow immediately rose upon hearing this, and he exclaimed in surprise, "Could it be that you've found the Profound Zhi Crystal Stone?"

"Such treasures are not easily found. I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you," Immortal Lord Re Huo said with a helpless smile.

"Oh? If it's not that, then what..." Han Li asked, puzzled.

A white light flashed in Immortal Lord Re Huo's palm, and he tossed something forward, causing it to fly up.

Han Li reached out and caught it. It was a white jade token the size of a palm, with a red leaf-like pattern carved on it. To the left of the pattern, the words "Outer Elder Token" were written in ancient seal script.

This was none other than the Outer Elder Token of the Fireleaf Sect, the sect to which Immortal Lord Re Huo currently belonged.

Turning over the other side of the token, a circle of small runes surrounded the two large characters "Li Han" engraved in the center.

"Friend Re Huo, what is this..." Han Li said, looking at the white-haired old man.

"With this little trinket, you'll be a registered cultivator of our Fireleaf Sect from now on. You'll be able to freely enter and exit Jukun Inner City in the future. But this is just a title; there's no Outer Elder's stipend for you. Our family business is small and can't afford a Gold Immortal-level Outer Elder," Immortal Lord Re Huo said jokingly.

"Friend Re Huo, I appreciate your thoughtfulness... Don't worry, since I've taken on the title of Fireleaf Sect Outer Elder, I can't do nothing. In the future, there will be a furnace of True Immortal-level pills every three hundred years, of course... the sect will have to provide the materials," Han Li said, cupping his fist slightly.

"Friend Li, aren't we hiding here to find some peace and quiet? I'm giving you this token not to make a deal with you and put you back in the sect's control, so you really don't have to do this..." Immortal Lord Re Huo said seriously, his expression stern.

"It's just refining a furnace of pills; it's nothing to me as a Pill Refiner, just a little more effort. But you must have gone to great lengths to get me this Elder Token, right?" Han Li waved his hand, interrupting Immortal Lord Re Huo.

Although Immortal Lord Re Huo said he didn't mean to set conditions, how could he not understand the principle of reciprocity? Besides, how could he not see the joy hidden in the corners of his eyes?

A furnace of True Immortal-level pills every three hundred years might not seem like much in the short term, but what would it look like after tens of thousands of years of accumulation? Although it wouldn't be enough to rise to the sky in one step and make the Fireleaf Sect a large sect, it would be enough to widen the gap between it and other sects that had once been on par.

Being in the cage of the sect for a long time, how can one truly return to nature?

In the end, this Immortal Lord Re Huo still couldn't let go of the sect and couldn't forget to plan for the sect.

In Jukun City's jurisdiction, all formal personnel changes in the various large and medium-sized sects are not only internal sect matters but also subject to review and registration at the Black Mountain Immortal Palace.

Outer Disciples are not considered formal staff. From Inner Disciples to Outer Elders, from Core Disciples to Inner Elders, the higher the level, the greater the scrutiny.

"There are still some old acquaintances at the Black Mountain Palace, so registering didn't take much effort," Immortal Lord Re Huo said.

"In any case, thank you, Friend," Han Li said, bowing to him again.

"Friend Li, if you're going to be so polite, I'll have to take back this token," Immortal Lord Re Huo said.

"Haha, then I won't stand on ceremony..." Han Li said with a smile.

After chatting for a few more words, Immortal Lord Re Huo took his leave and flew away.

Han Li played with the jade token in his hand, pondered for a moment, and then turned back to his cave dwelling.

……

Two months later.

The streets and alleys of Jukun City were crisscrossed, and shops and cargo trucks pulled by exotic beasts could be seen everywhere, mixed in with the bustling crowds and shouts, creating an extremely lively scene.

Above the sky, huge merchant ferry boats could be seen flying along fixed void trajectories in an orderly manner, rising and falling in the city's ports, transporting all kinds of goods.

The division between the inner and outer cities was a huge city wall more than a hundred feet high, with patrolling cultivators stationed on it. There were four magnificent city gates in the east, west, north, and south, each guarded by True Immortal cultivators.

At the north gate of the inner city, the flow of people was relatively sparse. Apart from a few people passing by in a hurry, only a hundred or so people remained here, lined up in a long queue, waiting to be checked by the stationed cultivators before entering the city.

In the middle and rear of the queue, Han Li, dressed in a cyan robe, was observing the city gate with his eyes wandering around.

He saw that the entrance to the gate and the inner wall were engraved with arrays of runes. Whenever someone entered the gate, they would light up with cyan light, which seemed to be used to check the cultivation level of the person entering the city.

Whenever the cyan light lit up, it meant that the person's cultivation was above the True Immortal stage. As long as their identity was verified and confirmed as a registered cultivator of a local sect, they could enter the inner city smoothly.

Han Li followed behind the others, moving slowly forward with the queue.

At this moment, a figure suddenly swept past the crowd, not queuing up or showing any proof of identity, and walked directly into the gate, completely disregarding the gatekeepers.

Just as everyone was puzzled, the runes engraved on the wall of the gate suddenly shone brightly, releasing dazzling golden light.

"Grand Prime Jade Immortal..."

Everyone around was stunned and exclaimed in amazement.

Although Jukun City was the number one city in the northern part of the Black Mountain Immortal Territory, it was usually populated by True Immortals and Gold Immortals. The opportunity to see a Grand Prime Realm cultivator was not common, but now one had appeared before their eyes.

Just as everyone came back to their senses and wanted to see the person's appearance clearly, they had already drifted into the city and disappeared without a trace.

After a brief commotion, the queue returned to quiet and continued to move towards the city gate.

About a quarter of an hour later, Han Li arrived in front of the gate, and the runes above his head lit up, releasing a dazzling white light.

"Gold Immortal cultivator..." The cultivator guarding the gate was a middle-aged man. He looked up at Han Li.

Han Li then smiled and handed over the Fireleaf Sect Elder Token.

The middle-aged cultivator nodded slightly, took the token, and placed it on a stone platform next to him.

The small rune array on the stone platform immediately began to operate, releasing brilliant light.

"No problem, Senior, please enter," the middle-aged cultivator said, handing the jade token back after a moment.

Han Li took the token, nodded to him, and walked into the gate.

As he walked out of the gate, as soon as he stepped into the inner city, he immediately felt that the surrounding light had become brighter, and the spiritual energy contained in the surrounding air seemed to have become richer.

Han Li looked around and found that the ground and the walls of the buildings were all engraved with shallow, strange runes that were connected to each other and seemed to cover all the streets.

"What a grand gesture, building this inner city like an immortal sect. No wonder those guys from Idle Cloud Mountain, although they have few opportunities to come in, all yearn for this Jukun Inner City," Han Li couldn't help but praise.

After saying that, he walked along the wide street in front of him towards the city.

Compared to the bustling outer city, the inner city was much quieter. There were not many pedestrians on the street. Most of them were shuttling between one shop after another, hurrying.

Han Li did not delay and chose a three-story pavilion that looked quite large among these shops and walked in.

But not long after, the shopkeeper politely sent him out with an apologetic expression.

According to the shopkeeper, this "Profound Zhi Crystal Stone" was a top-level spiritual material. There might be no more than three shops in Jukun City that might have this item, and they were all very likely not to sell it.

Han Li had expected this, so he wasn't too disappointed and still intended to try his luck in the city.