In no time at all, a composed young man in blue robes, an elderly sage with white hair and beard, and a vibrant young woman in green attire chose different spots and quietly entered the forest ahead, moving with remarkable coordination. Han Li waited another nearly fifteen minutes, seeing no one else appear. Finally, he neatly arranged his belongings and, following the example of the previous visitors, selected a path that had not yet been taken and slipped into the forest silently. Han Li was unaware that just shortly after his entry, Zhong Wu—the rather unattractive man he had met the day before—had already appeared at the entrance of the pass. Glancing at the dark, winding path leading up the mountain, Zhong Wu chuckled coldly, releasing about a dozen yellow dots that flew into the forest before he calmly followed. At this moment, outside the sacred precinct, the representatives of the seven sects stationed at the breach looked concerned toward the sacred grounds, with Han Li’s Li Shizhu among them. Only he didn't know—was it concern for his disciple's performance, or was it more worry about his own bet? The other Qingxu Valley cultivator at the Danjing stage fared no better. Since the Dome Elder of Yan Yue Sect had firmly stepped in to mediate the wager, this cultivator had lost much of his earlier confidence and now seemed increasingly anxious and uncertain. It was no surprise, for the blood-line jiang inner dharma had been hard-won—almost depleting his entire fortune. Should he lose it so easily, even with the highest temperament, he would surely suffer sleepless nights for years to come. The cultivator quietly observed the only person in the crowd who remained composed—the leading young lady from Yan Yue Sect, Nishang the Immortal. Among the seven senior cultivators with the Dan stage, this is the only female. Since the disciples from the seven sects entered the sacred precinct, she has never shown a single sign of concern, always chatting and laughing with others, seemingly fully confident in the performance of her own disciples—so much so that she doesn't need to exert any effort or worry at all. The Daoist observed her cheerful demeanor and grew increasingly anxious. When he recalled the composed, assured expression the old master, Qiong, had when placing his bet, he felt as though his inner jade dragon dan, once securely in his own grasp, had now flown out of his pocket and was entirely in the hands of others! As he pondered this, the depth of his concern grew ever more intense. To anyone who didn't know, it would seem as though he were genuinely worried about his own disciples within the sacred precinct. Eventually, the Daoist could no longer bear it. Seizing the moment when no one was paying attention, he quietly approached Li, who stood at another location, and with a face full of anxiety, asked: "Master Li, I believe your disciples from Huangfeng Valley are quite capable, aren't they?" We've been waiting for the two parties, and it turns out we've truly lost to that old master from the dome! As for the disciples of Qingxu Sect entering the sacred realm, I still have some confidence in them!" "What do you mean? Does Brother Li think we, of Huangfeng Valley, are unimpressive?" Li's senior immediately looked displeased. "Ha ha! Of course not! What I find rather strange is the disciples sent by Yan Yue Sect this time—there's something unusual about them, and I simply can't feel confident!" The Taoist chuckled, offering a strong, reassuring explanation. "That's true! I've also noticed something amiss. In past several instances, the disciples sent by Yan Yue Sect have always been so young, and often paired—male and female together. Do they really think entering the sacred realm is just like children playing house?" Li's senior said, frowning. It was clear he too remained uneasy about this bet. The Taoist nodded vigorously upon hearing Li's senior's words, clearly agreeing with his earlier remarks. "But don't worry, Master Dao. Since I've dared to place my bet, I must have some confidence in my disciples—indeed, their strength is no less than that of your disciples." Li Shizhu glanced meaningfully at the Daoist before speaking slowly, his voice filled with confidence and vigor. "Heh! With you saying that, I feel much more at ease. Then I shall not disturb you any longer." Having obtained the answer he sought, the Daoist relaxed visibly and smiled warmly before bidding farewell and departing. He returned to his original spot to meditate and restore his inner calm, preparing to wait patiently for the results several days hence. Though I don't know exactly what remarkable disciple from Qingxu Sect has entered the sacred sanctuary, this time, I've sent out all of my top students—those ranked among the top three in Qi Stage strength—en masse. Otherwise, do you think I'd have made this wager with you? Master Li said this with a hint of cunning in his eyes, the earlier concern completely gone, revealing himself as a well-hidden old fox. At that moment, after a few deep, rumbling breaths from its nostrils, the "Mountain-Pressing Beast" flashed with a yellow glow, and a layer of white, crystalline armor covered its entire body. Then, it charged straight toward Han Li with great force. Han Li remained calm, standing still and waiting for the beast's charge, only stepping into action when the creature was just seven or eight zhang away. With a swift motion of his right hand, he moved swiftly and positioned himself behind the beast. Han Li had entered the dense forest within the ringed mountain several hours ago. Yet within this brief span, he had already encountered four beastly creatures. Three of them were lower-tier beasts, which he naturally dispatched without hesitation. However, the mid-tier Flying Peacock proved particularly troublesome—its vibrant, five-colored tail feathers could detach from its body to pursue and attack, or serve as a defensive barrier. This caused Han Li considerable difficulty. Fortunately, though it was a bird, the peacock did not move swiftly. Thus, he eventually adopted a swift footwork style, using his agility to outmaneuver it completely, thereby avoiding an otherwise unnecessary battle. But after a while, as he delved deeper into the central basin of the ringed mountain, he expected clusters of mid-to-high-tier beasts to appear—beyond that, aside from fleeing in panic, he simply couldn't think of any other way to escape. That's why the records mention so little about the hidden locations of medicinal herbs! Previously entering disciples must have spent half their efforts merely avoiding these beasts, leaving only brief periods to check just a few to seven or eight spots—making it far from guaranteed that each visit would yield any results. "It seems my chances of gathering a sufficient quantity of medicinal herbs aren't very promising," Han Li thought, feeling rather frustrated. Han Li couldn't help but chuckle at this thought! What Han Li truly needed were these delicate seedlings that others would never dare touch. It was precisely because he had set his sights on these immature medicinal seedlings from the very beginning that he had been willing to risk so much, and so confident in securing the "heavenly and earthly medicinal herbs" amidst so many skilled practitioners. Only by focusing on these young seedlings could he minimize conflicts with disciples from other sects, and thus visit more locations, gathering what others considered useless. Once he collected these seedlings, he could use the mysterious green night liquid stored in his small bottles to stimulate their growth. In that way, the result would be no different from harvesting fully matured herbs. Although Master Ma had mentioned that these seedlings could only survive for about one or two years outside the sacred grounds. Yet these periods were sufficient to mature them several times over, for as the primary herbs of the foundational elixir, they only required a relatively short time—mere four or five centuries—to become medicinal. The only concern now was whether, within the remaining three days, he would be able to gather enough of these medicinal herbs. For the young plants grew scattered here and there, and furthermore, he might encounter obstacles from the beast creatures along the way, as well as potential conflicts with disciples from other sects. All of these uncertainties left Han Li without confidence.