Soon, several cultivators found their spiritual stones running low and began offering rare items as collateral—items that grew increasingly expensive and rarer, leaving Han Li utterly overwhelmed. "Exchange this set of tools for the spiritual herb using my Inverted Five Elements Array technique!" Somehow, a cultivator suddenly raised his voice in urgency, drawing attention from the others who were already bustling with activity. It wasn't because his voice was loud, but because the term "Inverted Five Elements Array" was so well-known—almost universally recognized among the cultivation families and sects. In fact, it held equal or even greater prestige than the thousand-year-old medicinal herb. This so-called "minor sealing array," renowned for its magical effects, though limited in coverage area and lacking an active offensive capability, matched the performance of the grand sects' protective arrays in terms of creating illusions to conceal the sect's location and confuse or trap enemies—without any noticeable shortfall. If the family or sect had such a remarkable array safeguarding them, wouldn't that be a great assurance? Yet, logically speaking, such an advanced sealing technique couldn't be established by a master of array arts through years of painstaking effort—spending considerable manpower and resources—let alone transforming it into a tangible array artifact! If this were true, then this current bidding event would indeed be full of extraordinary occurrences, truly eye-opening! Hearing this, Han Li's eyes flashed with brilliance, his spirit lifted instantly, and he turned to face the speaker. A young cultivator wearing a tiger-headed mask was short and stout, quite unimpressive at first glance—hardly someone one would expect to possess such a rare treasure! Yet, the urgency in his gaze suggested otherwise. "Do you possess the array artifact for the Inverted Five Elements Array?" After a moment of surprise, the tall, slender man composed himself and regarded the young man with a steady, skeptical gaze. Though he didn't fully believe the matter to be true, if the other party indeed possessed such a set of ritual instruments, the thousand-year-old herb would surely be theirs. The other cultivators, upon hearing the young man's response, all turned their attention to him. "Yes, it is true, but it hasn't yet been fully perfected—currently, it only achieves ten percent of the array's full power. However, if you allow me to take this herb, I can guarantee that within a few years, I will enhance the instruments' power by several times, at the very least reaching half of their intended potential." Seeing so many eyes fixed on him, the young man felt a bit nervous. Yet, given the importance of this thousand-year-old herb, he stammered through his words. "Ah, so it's not truly complete—it's still a prototype under testing!" Many cultivators expressed disappointment. They had originally intended to commission a full set, even if it meant spending more spiritual stones, should the other party truly possess such instruments. Now, since it was merely a prototype, their interest naturally waned. Array masters in the immortal cultivation realm are actually even rarer than alchemists or artisans! Once one decides to pursue array studies seriously, it effectively means giving up the potential to attain the highest levels of cultivation. After all, human energy is finite, and it's impossible to simultaneously devote time to both cultivation and deep research into sophisticated array techniques within a limited timeframe. Therefore, some people have begun to consider the idea of waiting until after the trading fair to seek out the young array master behind this young man. After all, someone who can study and master this unique array-forged artifact technique surely possesses the ability to implement it in practice! For many families and smaller sects, as long as this extraordinary array can protect their vital areas, whether or not it can be transformed into an artifact or whether it can be carried around becomes entirely secondary. "Are you jesting? This is a competitive bidding event—how could we possibly evaluate the results only after several years? I see you're still young. For now, I shall simply dismiss you. Should you continue to make arbitrary bids and offer false claims in the future, do not expect any courtesy from our shop!" The slender, tall man listened intently and immediately realized it was mere empty words. He frowned, speaking stiffly. The shorter, stockier young man, seeing this, opened his mouth beneath his mask as if he still had something to say. But the man in charge of the auction turned and paid no further attention, leaving the young man to sigh deeply and sit back in his seat with resignation. The sturdy, imposing man who had traded his iron essence for the puppet beast did not immediately hurry away, instead remaining seated calmly as though he too intended to participate in the free exchanges. It was the strange figure draped in a cloth bag who, as soon as the stone gate swung open, promptly rushed off, leaving some attentive observers puzzled. Han Li hadn't expected that, just as he was about to move toward the young man, the latter was suddenly surrounded by several to five other cultivators, as if they were going to discuss something with him. This unexpected turn left Han Li feeling frustrated and somewhat concerned—did it seem that these people, too, intended to acquire the arrayed artifact like he had? Yet, his concern proved unfounded. After exchanging a few words with the young man, the others exchanged puzzled glances, then shook their heads and gradually departed, leaving only the stocky young man standing there, looking dejected. Han Li was delighted and took a few steps forward, clearing his throat, ready to speak. But before he could utter a word, the young man glanced at him casually and then said with listless energy, "If you don't have a thousand-year-old medicinal herb, please don't bother me. The array master behind me is in dire need of such herbs to save his life. Right now, we simply can't design a grand array for you!" Han Li was surprised at first, but then chuckled lightly. "If I had a thousand-year-old elixir, yet didn't hire a layout mage to set up the array?" He teased the young man with a cheerful smile. The young man was only at the tenth or so level of Qi cultivation, so Han Li didn't need to be overly cautious—thus, his tone was so relaxed. "Do you have an elixir, elder?" The young man immediately brightened, his face expressing genuine delight as he looked at Han Li. Han Li didn't answer right away, but instead glanced around. It seemed no one had noticed them. The other cultivators were all focused on the one man presenting an interactive artifact at the front. "Why don't we go over there and talk?" Han Li gently pointed to a quiet corner of the hall. "Certainly!" The short, sturdy young man readily agreed. Then, he walked with Han Li to the vicinity of that corner, where they paused. The nearest cultivator was still about five or six zhang away, but after Han Li casually set up an acoustic shield, he no longer feared others eavesdropping on their conversation. Indeed, since achieving Foundation Stage, Han Li had suddenly mastered many previously difficult spells—something entirely different from his earlier clumsy attempts, which always seemed to fall short. It had brought him great happiness for a long time. This acoustic shield was one of the small spells he had picked up effortlessly. "Master, you truly have a medicinal herb? One that's at least a thousand years old! Herbs of seven or eight hundred years would be useless!" The young man, seeing Han Li finish setting up the shield, immediately expressed his eagerness, clearly anxious. Han Li simply glanced at him calmly without speaking, and then directly reached into his storage pouch to retrieve the box containing the medicinal herbs. Though the herbs inside were not the thousand-year-old Yellow Jing Zhi he had previously sold, they were still of comparable value—specifically, a thousand-year-old Purple Osmanthus. Since the other party hasn't specified which herbs they need, it seems that any herb over a thousand years old will do. Han Li estimates that the young man is likely using a thousand-year-old immortal herb as the basis for his remedy, hence his lack of particularity. "This is..." the young man stared straight at the box, his face filled with eager anticipation. "Indeed, these are herbs that have lived for over a thousand years! But before I open the box for your inspection, shouldn't we also discuss what you would like to offer in exchange for these precious medicinal herbs?" Han Li spoke with a clear, composed tone. After all, since the other party has come to him with a request, he naturally wanted them to make a significant offering. Such a rare array of arraying artifacts was something Han Li particularly wanted to secure for himself, as a backup. "What would you like from me, elder? Aside from this set of arraying artifacts, I truly don't have much else to offer!" the young man replied, slightly startled and then hesitating. "Do you really think that a single set of incomplete arraying artifacts is sufficient to secure these thousand-year-old medicinal herbs?" Hán Lì listened to the other’s words without showing any sign of disappointment, his tone remaining as calm and even as before. “This….” The short, stocky young man rubbed his scalp, feeling equally uncomfortable. (Tonight, Wàng Yǔ will have to go to bed early. Having stayed up late for three nights running, I simply can’t take it anymore! I’ll start a bit earlier tomorrow and finish the next chapter by noon. Hehe! Don’t forget to keep voting—we’re fast approaching the sixth spot on the new book rankings! Please help out, this really matters to Wàng Yǔ! After next month, it’ll just be a matter of course.)