(These days, it's been hot and humid here, and we've almost had heatstroke—how I miss the coolness of winter!) At this moment, Tian Zhuguan began introducing the items inside the box to Han Li. "This is a set of Jin Fu mother-and-child blades: one mother blade and eight child blades, crafted from refined iron and gold by a foundation-stage master who spent three days and three nights perfecting them. As long as you hold the mother blade, you can simultaneously control all eight child blades to attack your opponent, making their defenses nearly impossible to maintain and their attacks incredibly sharp." He pointed to a set of pale golden blades inside one of the boxes. Han Li remained silent, picked up one of the child blades to examine it carefully, then nodded slightly before placing it back. "The Xuan Iron Flying Sky Shield is a rare defensive artifact, refined from large blocks of xuan iron sourced from the cold,阴 (yin) regions. It is not only exceptionally sturdy and impervious, but once activated by spellcasting, it automatically forms a protective barrier around the user." Tian Zhuguan then picked up a small shield, about the size of a palm, and said this. He then casually handed it to Han Li held the shield in his hands, gently running his fingers over the patterns etched upon it, then paused to ask, "Could we try it out with a spell?" "Of course! Please go ahead, Li Brother," the storekeeper said warmly. Since the other had been so generous, Han Li didn't hesitate. He slowly infused spiritual energy into the object in his hands. Instantly, the iron shield glowed with a deep black light, rapidly expanding several times its original size and lifting off his palm to float in the air, circling gently around him. Its dimensions were just right to cover some of his vital areas. Han Li was pleased, and with a slight adjustment of his focus, he found the shield could now move up and down at will—light, agile, and responsive. After testing it, Han Li was thoroughly satisfied. Right now, what he needed most were such life-saving devices. With this shield, his chances of surviving the Blood Ban Trial would surely improve significantly. Yet Han Li said nothing immediately. He merely silently placed the iron shield back into the box and continued to await the next introduction from the other party. The storekeeper did not show any displeasure at Han Li’s quiet demeanor, and remained warmly enthusiastic in recommending the next item—a blue spherical orb about the size of a dumpling. “Tian Lei Zi,” he explained, “formed hundreds of years ago when a mysterious cultivator accidentally captured and refined the thunder and lightning of the heavens. Each bead possesses immense power—supposedly even a Foundation Stage cultivator would be reduced to ash if it directly confronted such a strike. Originally there were seventy-three beads, but only a few remain today. This one, in fact, was only recently secured after considerable effort by our store.” With these words, the storekeeper beamed with pride, clearly emphasizing the rarity and value of the Tian Lei Zi. Han Li was deeply impressed—such a powerful item capable of even defeating a Foundation Stage cultivator was truly rare and hard to come by! If it can be secured, the journey to the sacred sanctuary will truly become a decisive strength. Yet the price—how astonishingly high it must be—otherwise it would have already been sold by now. After introducing the blue lightning pearls, the storekeeper, Tian, fell silent. Instead, he gave a thoughtful glance toward Han Li, then picked up a cup of fragrant tea, sipping it slowly and deliberately. Though there remained a tightly sealed silk box untouched on the table, he said nothing about it. Han Li smiled gently, fully aware of Tian's intent—he now knew it was time for him to demonstrate his own strength, otherwise the treasure within the final silk box would remain hidden. This visit, to be safe, Han Li had brought not only two thousand-year-old immortal herbs but also all his spiritual stones—two mid-tier stones and nearly a hundred lower-tier ones. Yet he would not easily draw upon these stones; his true reliance rested solely on those two immortal herbs. To be honest, although Han Li knew that medicinal herbs over a thousand years old were extremely rare in the current immortal cultivation world and should be quite valuable, he wasn't entirely sure exactly how many spirit stones they would fetch or what kind of artifacts they could exchange for. He was confident that the amount he offered for the small shield and the initial Jin Fu mother-sword was more than sufficient. However, when it came to the Tian Lei Zi—something he particularly desired—he had no clear idea. Instead of presenting both herbs dry and straightforwardly, he first took out a small, remarkably elegant wooden box from his storage pouch, placing one of the herbs inside. Han Li did this precisely because he understood the principle that "people need clothes, and Buddhas need gold," knowing that proper packaging could elevate the herbs' value by a third, ensuring he wouldn't lose out. He didn't open the box lid; instead, he simply handed the entire box directly to the other person. Master Tian had always been quietly observing Han Li's actions. Seeing this situation, he said nothing, took the box, and carefully examined it before opening it calmly. "Hmm," upon seeing the contents clearly, Master Tian was momentarily stunned, then his expression turned displeased. "Master Li intends to exchange these Yellow Root Mushrooms for one of our hall's treasures? These aren't exactly rare—unless they're first-rate specimens over two or three centuries old, they're hardly worth much." Master Tian said coldly. Han Li chuckled softly, said nothing, and without explanation, simply imitated Master Tian's earlier actions, pouring himself a cup of fragrant tea and sipping it thoughtfully. Seeing Han Li's composed and confident demeanor, Master Tian grew somewhat puzzled. He became fully attentive, lowered his head again, and carefully examined the medicinal herbs inside the box once more. "Xī" The storekeeper, watching intently, suddenly drew in a sharp breath, then immediately stood up from his chair, holding the box and moving it to the spot with the brightest light inside the room. He flipped it over and over, examining it closely, murmuring to himself, "It's impossible! Could it truly be over a thousand years old? Or is it merely resembling one?" Han Li, now seeing the storekeeper's expression and hearing his words, finally felt reassured. At this point, he was certain that the value of the thousand-year-old herb far exceeded his initial estimates—his chances of securing the lightning pearl had truly looked promising. After checking it thoroughly, the storekeeper suddenly realized his own awkwardness, revealing several moments of hesitation and uncertainty to the visitor. Yet at this very moment, he no longer cared about such details. The object before him had completely captured his attention. As long as it truly lived up to his expectations of a thousand-year-old masterpiece, he would be willing to pay any price to keep this herb at Wanbao Hall—its benefits for both himself and the hall would be endless. But now the only thing that troubled him was that, though he had heard much about this thousand-year-old herb, he had never seen it in person and thus could not absolutely confirm the exact age of the specimen inside the box. Nevertheless, even if the Huangjing Zhi before him did not actually possess a medicinal age of over a thousand years, it was certainly at least several hundred years old—something truly precious—and he could be certain of that. "Come in!" After carefully inspecting the item, the storekeeper called out, summoning a young servant from downstairs. "Go and fetch Master Ding. Say there's a rare piece here that needs his expert appraisal." He gave the order with seriousness. In the meantime, the storekeeper and Han Li engaged in a natural, unobtrusive conversation, yet neither mentioned anything about the herb—seemingly, for a moment, they had completely forgotten about the item in the box. But not long after, an elderly man with gray hair slowly ascended the stairs, accompanied by the young servant. Upon seeing this, the storekeeper immediately bowed respectfully and offered his seat to the elder, standing aside himself—clearly this old man, Ding, was truly esteemed. However, Han Li had already noticed that this man, like the storekeeper, was merely an ordinary elder, showing no trace of a cultivator's aura. "Master Storekeeper," the elder said, slightly catching his breath before speaking in a trembling voice, "you've brought out even this nearly lifeless old man of mine. Surely, there must be something that you cannot distinguish?"