Master Wang led Han Li, stepping on the leaf-shaped artifacts, and after a few hours of flight, landed on a lush mountain ridge, settling into a dense cluster of plain cottages. These simple stone-built houses were remarkably humble, and not a single figure was visible throughout the entire group—seeming entirely empty. This left Han Li somewhat puzzled. "Never mind, these houses are indeed empty. This area was originally designated for new disciples just beginning their training. Once they develop sufficient magical prowess, they move out to find new quarters. Right now, it's exactly the ten-year rotation period, and the new disciples have not yet arrived, so all the houses remain vacant," Master Wang calmly explained, sensing Han Li's confusion. This finally made Han Li understand. Master Wang then led Han Li through several twists and turns, winding him around until he finally stopped in front of a house much larger than the ordinary stone cottages. Then, without explaining anything to Han Li, he shouted loudly: "Lin Shizhi, open the door to the room. I’ve come with a new disciple to collect the items!" As soon as the Wang Shishu finished speaking, the room door suddenly swung open automatically. Seeing this, Wang Shishu stepped in without hesitation, and after a brief pause, Han Li followed. To his surprise, the room appeared even more spacious than he had first perceived from outside—Han Li found this quite remarkable, wondering what adjustments had been made to the room. Upon closer inspection, the overall impression of the room was one of disorder. Various items—clothing, weapons, and blades—were scattered haphazardly throughout the space. However, judging by the subtle fluctuations of spiritual energy emanating from the weapons, they were all well-crafted magical artifacts. In addition to these items, there were also other everyday tools such as shovels and hammers inside the room, which had likewise absorbed spiritual vitality and were now transformed into objects akin to magical artifacts, greatly broadening Han Li’s horizons. He wondered what extraordinary functions these tools might possess when in use. At the center of the room stood a square, eight-immortals-style table, facing the entrance. Behind the table, a gray-robed elder with flowing hair was seated, intently carving a piece of yellow wood with a small, gleaming knife. The gray-robed elder moved his hands with swift precision, and wood shavings drifted gracefully from between his fingers. After just a cup of tea's worth of time, a lifelike little monkey materialized in his palm. "Lin弟's carving skills have improved significantly since we last saw them!" Wang Shishu smiled and praised him. "Not much at all—just passing the time, doing nothing in particular. As for why Master Wang has come all the way to my humble abode, though?" said the gray-robed elder, casually, yet his eyes were already fixed on Han Li, clearly already sensing the underlying intentions of the two. "It's nothing major—just to collect personal belongings from the new recruits entering the valley and bring this young disciple, Han, the necessary items." He spoke with a warm smile. "Didn't all the new recruits for the Immortal Assembly gathering already receive their supplies? Why has another one come now? And isn't his talent rather mediocre? Does it mean our Zhong Master's standards have dropped so much that even such an ordinary candidate is being accepted?" The gray-robed elder was not at all courteous, openly criticizing Han Li in front of him, and from the tone, it seemed he did not hold much respect for the Zhong Master either. Han Li, upon hearing this, felt deeply embarrassed, while Wang Shishe could only smile helplessly. He knew that ever since the incident years ago, this Lin disciple had been holding a grudge against the current Master, his senior. But now, in front of Han Li, his junior, how could he possibly pick up the thread of that conversation? Thus, he cleared his throat several times and changed the subject. "Disciple, this Han Shizhi has come with the Divine Ascension Mandate, joining our Huangfeng Valley—this is a special case, as he's been accepted outside the usual criteria. So while talent is important, the key point is that our sect must uphold its promise." "The Divine Ascension Mandate!" The gray-robed elder was genuinely surprised, and looked at Han Li again with fresh interest. "Hm, hm! So this young man clearly has great potential—he might even be able to take a Foundation Pill now!" "The elder looked at the young man with a look of sheer fortune—how could he have spoken up at all!" "By rights, that should have been the case. However, my junior, Han, and my senior, Ye, made a trade and willingly gave up this Foundation Pill." Wang smiled and said. "Gave up the Foundation Pill?" The elder had been momentarily stunned, yet for no clear reason, his expression soon turned somber. After a pause, he uttered a remark that completely surprised Han. "It's actually a good thing they gave it up! The most important quality in life is self-awareness. At your young age, you already understand the value of making choices—something I can't even claim to have mastered!" The gray-robed elder's tone was deeply reflective. His initially cold gaze toward Han now carried a touch of warmth. Yet Han found himself utterly puzzled upon hearing this. He couldn't help but feel deeply unconvinced. "What does self-awareness mean? They gave up the pill out of sheer necessity—out of desperation! If it weren't for that, who would have willingly surrendered it?" "Without mentioning Han Li's inner complaints, the elder suddenly stiffened, then suddenly stood up. With both hands, he gently swept the space around him several times, and gradually, a series of items appeared in his hands—more and more as the process unfolded, leaving Han Li utterly astonished. 'One yellow silk robe, one green-leaf artifact, a set of daily refining tools, the Sword of Scorching Sun and the Blade of Cold Moon, and one storage bag with tenfold capacity,' the elder coldly recited each item before placing them neatly on the table. 'All the items are here. Take them, young one! As for Master Wang, he's very busy—I won't stay any longer. I'm sorry, but I won't be able to see you off further.' After saying this, the elder pulled out a piece of wood from his cloak and began carving it again, then turned his back and paid no further attention to the two of them. Seeing this, Master Wang sighed and said nothing, simply instructing Han Li to pick up the items and exit the room. As soon as the two stepped out of the stone pavilion, the door closed automatically with a loud clang!" Master Wang gazed at the closed door, gently shook his head, and then prepared to take Han Li away. "Ah! You don't need to carry all these items in your arms—just place them into your storage bags!" As soon as Master Wang turned around, he saw Han Li standing beside him, still clutching a large pile of things, looking dazed and foolish, which made him find it quite amusing. He promptly offered a gentle reminder. Upon hearing Master Wang's words, Han Li only realized then and carefully set the items down on the ground, then reached inside to pull out a black cloth bag. "Is this what they call a tenfold storage bag?" Han Li felt somewhat puzzled. He picked up the bag, examined the narrow opening, and then glanced at the large, imposing swords and blades beside it. For a moment, he hesitated, unsure of how to fit them all inside. "You're using the storage bag for the first time, so I'll demonstrate how to do it!" "Master Wang was quite amiable. Noticing Han Li's confusion, he reached out and took the bag from him. "Simply align the opening of the bag with the item you wish to store, then channel a bit of spiritual energy into the bag to lock onto the item—it will automatically absorb it!" Master Wang explained while demonstrating personally. He held the cloth bag with the opening facing downward, and with a brief flash of white light in his hands, a streak of luminous white light shot out from within the bag, enveloping all the items on the ground. These items immediately shrank rapidly under the light until they reached a certain size, after which they were drawn into the bag. Han Li stood by, both amazed and delighted. "To retrieve an item, the process is the same—only you need to first lock the desired item with spiritual energy," Master Wang said, then returned the bag to Han Li. "However, there are several precautions when using a storage bag that you must remember well!" Master Wang crossed his arms and spoke seriously. Upon hearing this, Han Li nodded so vigorously it seemed as though he were tapping his head like a chicken pecking at grain. "First, storage bags have a certain capacity and a limit on how much they can shrink items—overly large objects or those that absorb too many items will render the bag ineffective, preventing further storage." "Second, storage bags cannot hold living beings; if you place a living creature inside, it will inevitably perish!" "As for the final point, this is especially crucial: lower-tier storage bags lack a 'master recognition' function. Whoever secures your storage bag can claim all the items within. Therefore, do not easily reveal your storage bag to other cultivators—keep it well concealed yourself, or you will surely face a deadly threat."