Hán Lì listened to Kuí Huàn's words, smiled slightly, and then said calmly: "Between me and my two senior brothers, the only matter of mutual interest is that fox spirit. What else could it possibly be?" Hán Lì's expression remained composed. Kuí Huàn listened, opened his mouth, and seemed at a loss for words. It was only Wang Shī, standing beside him, who sighed and remarked: "Frater Hán truly is exceptionally intelligent. Indeed, it was the Snow-Cloud Fox that made a mistake. My brothers and I had intended to sell the creature as soon as possible. After parting ways with Frater Hán, we headed straight to the market. However, after walking only a short distance, I felt uneasy and asked Kuí to open the Bìyún bag to check. To our surprise—” He paused, his face now showing a look of bewilderment. "The fox spirit, using some mysterious trick, simply vanished completely from within the Bìyún bag. This is truly extraordinary." Kuí Huàn, feeling frustrated, stepped in and spoke eagerly. "No trace at all?" Han Li furrowed his brows slightly, pondering deeply, as if weighing the true meaning of what had been said. Wang Shifu, seeing Han Li in this state, silently sighed with growing frustration. He had always known that though Han Li's cultivation level was not particularly high, he was exceptionally skilled in creating seals and even possessed several remarkable magical artifacts—thus, he had already resolved to make a strong effort to cultivate a close relationship with him. Yet, before they could formally establish that bond, such an awkward situation had arisen. If Wang Shifu himself were financially well-off, he could easily accommodate the situation, personally covering the spiritual stones to leave a favorable impression. But unfortunately, like many of his fellow disciples, he himself was financially strained, lacking in spiritual stones. Even now, the effort to win over Han Li seemed increasingly difficult. With this thought in mind, a brief flicker of disappointment crossed Wang Shifu's face, yet he still composed himself and said, "I understand. It may sound hard to believe, but it truly happened." But no matter what, it was my junior brother who personally delivered that spirit fox to us. Now suddenly, it's gone. I should have settled everything with my junior brother. With your spiritual stones, I've already arranged for other junior brothers to sell the Huangjing root, and I'll soon send the stones back to him. As for the spiritual stones my junior brother originally was due to receive, as soon as we have a bit more liquidity, we'll promptly make good on that. As soon as Wang elder brother finished speaking, Kui Huan's face turned pale, and he became visibly anxious, saying, "Elder brother! For us, this is quite a substantial amount. Even if we all contribute together, it will still take at least two or three years. Without spiritual stones to buy pills during this period, won't our cultivation be seriously delayed?" Wang elder brother shook his head, as if he had something to say. But at that moment, Han Li suddenly spoke up. "Why bother so much, both elder brothers? I haven't said a single word of doubt. The Snow Cloud Fox is skilled in evading techniques and escaped from within her bag of spiritual artifacts—this is quite natural." I had originally intended to gently remind Brother Kui of this matter, but then thought that doing so might be somewhat inconvenient, so I decided not to speak up. As for the matter of the spiritual stones, there's no need to mention it at all—merely returning the ones borrowed will suffice. I have truly suffered no loss at all," said Han Li with a smile. Should any matter arise in the future that requires our assistance, please do not hesitate to come to us. As long as we are able, I, Wang Wei, will certainly not decline." Wang Wei thought that although Master Han's words sounded very courteous, his true intentions might be quite different. Therefore, he made a sincere effort to express himself gently and pleasantly, hoping to leave a favorable impression on Han. After finishing his words, he also carefully observed Han's expression. However, Han's demeanor remained unchanged—calm and composed, with no visible signs of joy or displeasure—which caused Wang Wei to furrow his brows slightly. Wang Shiyi, seeing Han Li take the spiritual stones, had just been about to leave, but then remembered something and opened his mouth to ask. "The Sword-Testing Assembly?" Han Li was startled upon hearing this and asked in surprise. "How come, Brother Han, you're not aware of this?" Now even Wang Shiyi was taken aback, and so were the three others, Qu Huan and his companions. Han Li felt a little puzzled, but maintained his composed demeanor and replied, "I didn't know about this event—shouldn't that be unusual?" "Of course it is unusual. Oh, by the way! Brother Han only joined a year ago and has been staying in the Herb Garden the entire time. It's understandable that he wouldn't know about the Sword-Testing Assembly." Qu Huan blinked, seeming to finally grasp the situation. Upon hearing this, the others exchanged glances and nodded in agreement—indeed, it seemed quite true. It was indeed surprising that Brother Han had no knowledge of the Sword-Testing Assembly, especially since the event was drawing near. Currently, among our disciples—whether from the inner gate or the external affairs division—nobody is silent on this matter. Those eager to make their mark are especially enthusiastic, rubbing their hands with anticipation. After a brief pause and a slight change in expression, Wang Sheng lightly exhaled, saying, "By the way! This gathering has seen several promising young cultivators from within our monastery. For instance, our senior, Gu from the Yin Jian Peak, and Sun Huo, who recently achieved foundation stage just at the Fire Cloud Peak. Also, your senior, Mu from the Tian Quan Peak—these three are all strong contenders who could truly shine at this event. Unfortunately, although our external affairs disciples are eligible to participate in internal selection processes, we have never had one of them actually triumph in the finals to represent our monastery. At best, they secure a commendable ranking and are awarded a mid-tier artifact." With a touch of admiration, the short and stout young man suddenly added. "Ah! So even a loss in the internal selection earns an artifact reward. It truly seems this gathering is no ordinary affair." Master Wang, could you elaborate on this matter a bit? Upon hearing this, Master Han felt a slight curiosity and asked, "Of course not at all. This trial sword-fencing event is actually a special gathering organized by the three sects of Yunmeng Mountain specifically for new disciples. Essentially, regardless of their status, any disciple below the Foundation Stage with an age under thirty is eligible to participate. And looking at you, Master Han, you seem to be only about twenty-five or twenty-six—perfectly fitting the criteria." Master Wang glanced at Han carefully and spoke slowly. "Indeed. Yet, if that's the case, it seems there wouldn't be many eligible disciples." Han stroked his chin thoughtfully and asked calmly. "That's a fair point, brother. The organization of this trial sword-fencing event is closely tied to the 'Sacred Tree' jointly managed by the three sects." Upon hearing this, Han was momentarily surprised, but soon understood that the 'Sacred Tree' referred to was the Spirit-Eye Tree of Yunmeng Mountain. At once, the previously relaxed expression on his face vanished, replaced by a serious one. "What connection does the Sword-Testing Assembly have with this spiritual artifact?" asked Han Li in a low, steady tone. "In fact, the Sword-Testing Assembly is held in advance, according to the timing when the Zhao-Sheng Tree is expected to release its rich nectar. It also serves as a means by which our Luoyun Sect, the Ancient Sword Sect, and the Hundred Skills Academy divide the nectar. Any sect that emerges victorious over the other two during the assembly secures half of the nectar supply on its own, while the remaining two sects divide the other half equally. Thus, although the assembly is officially designated as a competition among new disciples, every level of the three sects treats it with great importance. Those who achieve significant accomplishments during the event naturally gain the favor of senior masters and enjoy countless benefits in the future," said Wang Shifu, delivering the full account of the Sword-Testing Assembly in one breath. After a brief pause, he said with solemnity: "Of course, even without considering the future benefits, merely securing a top position at the Sword-Display Gathering—outperforming other disciples—would come with an exceptionally generous reward. Not only would the top few receive top-tier artifacts, but the champion would also be granted a single Ling-Stabilizing Pill as an additional prize. Though this pill may not be particularly useful to us, low-ranking disciples, it can easily be exchanged with other Condensation-stage masters for three or four top-tier artifacts. Yet, it seems that since our sect moved to Yunmeng Mountain, the title of champion has consistently been held by the Ancient Sword Sect. We and the Hundred-Tricks Academy's disciples have always had to settle for second place. This is no surprise—after all, the Ancient Sword Sect specializes in sword cultivation, and both their techniques and sword artifacts are exceptionally sharp. It is truly difficult for peers of the same level to surpass them!" Wang's final words seemed to convey either frustration or admiration.