Han Li had been holed up in the room for an entire day and night. Though the Daoist temple master was a mere mortal, dwelling within a Daoist sect meant he knew a thing or two about cultivators, and he had shrewdly guessed at Han Li's identity. Throughout that time, he made sure no one disturbed him.
When Han Li finally opened his eyes, a trace of disappointment crossed his face.
"The cold energy in the Cold Marrow can't be absorbed by the Purple Extreme Fire at all. It seems this stuff can only be used as raw material for now. I might as well use it to reforge the Snow Crystal Bead." Han Li muttered helplessly, then opened his mouth. With a soft pop, a translucent crystal bead shot out and hovered in the air at a short distance in front of him.
Gazing at the bead, Han Li raised one hand, and the small bottle containing the Cold Marrow materialized in his palm.
His finger brushed across the bottle and the stopper flew off on its own. His other hand immediately struck the bottle's base, and a single silver droplet shot out, plunging straight into the Snow Crystal Bead and vanishing without a trace.
Without another word, Han Li formed hand seals with both hands and opened his mouth again. A wisp of green Infant Fire spewed forth, instantly enveloping the bead and burning it rapidly.
Calmly watching the flames engulf the bead, Han Li closed his eyes once more. Refining this bead again wouldn't take much time — well before the Grand Auction started, he'd have the Snow Crystal Bead fully reforged.
With that thought, he used his spiritual sense to guide the Infant Fire, beginning to slowly condense and purify the treasure before him, bit by bit.
…
While Han Li was wholly absorbed in refining his treasure, in a corner of the Imperial City to the north of the capital, within a grand and imposing estate, a young man in thin green robes stood inside a stone pavilion. His hands were clasped behind his back as he admired the peculiar plants outside, his expression one of pure contentment.
Suddenly, his expression shifted and his face turned sharply, revealing his true features. His appearance bore a striking resemblance to Han Li's — at least seven out of ten features were the same. The one crucial difference lay in his eyes: a pair of utterly emotionless, ice-cold orbs.
Just then, the sound of footsteps came from the garden entrance nearby. An elderly man in a black crown and brocade robe appeared there. As he looked up and met the young man's gleaming eyes, he couldn't help but shiver, a jolt of alarm shooting through his heart.
Fortunately, the cold light in the young man's eyes quickly retracted, and his gaze returned to something perfectly ordinary. He spoke flatly:
"I wondered who it might be. Turns out it's Fellow Daoist Yun Yi. Have you come looking for me?"
"Elder Han, our agents planted in several marketplaces have recently received some intelligence — something that might interest Elder Han." The black-crowned elder gave a dry laugh and walked over.
"Intelligence? You know I've never been interested in matters outside my own affairs, nor do I handle any specific duties. If you need my help, just have Elder Ye pass along a word." The young man turned his head back toward the trees before the pavilion, speaking with cold indifference.
"Heh heh, if it were anything else, I naturally wouldn't disturb Brother Han's quiet cultivation. But this particular intelligence concerns you directly." The elder paid no mind to the young man's frosty manner, his tone carrying unmistakable implication.
"Concerns me? Have you found that person?" The young man paused, then narrowed his eyes, his expression turning frigid.
"Indeed, we do have news of him. Apparently, several cultivators from the Gui Luo Sect have been quietly searching for this individual in marketplaces throughout the capital. This is the portrait they've been distributing — it should match the person Elder Han described. Still, I thought Elder Han ought to confirm with his own eyes." The black-crowned elder raised his hand, and a white jade slip shot out from his sleeve.
The green-robed youth reached out with a dark expression, drawing the jade slip into his hand. His spiritual sense plunged in immediately for a careful scan.
"That's him, no mistake. Do you have any information on why the Yin Luo Sect is looking for him?" A muscle in the young man's face twitched. He quickly withdrew his spiritual sense and asked calmly.