Gazing at the bronze tripod in the center of the hall and the sandalwood incense smoke, although no disciple dared to speak out spontaneously, those who believed themselves qualified naturally had their eyes gleam. "Does Han brother wish to participate?" After the incense had burned for nearly half the time, Yin Yue, seeing Han Li's expression of unyielding composure, finally couldn't help asking quietly. "Participate? Why wouldn't he? Every other disciple seems deeply excited. If I don't participate, I'll actually stand out even more," Han Li replied calmly through his divine awareness. Hearing this, Yin Yue fell silent. Moments later, the sandalwood incense in the bronze tripod was completely consumed, and the middle-aged man who had been meditating closed his eyes now opened them. "Those who do not meet the qualifications or who are unwilling to take part in the trials may now leave the Xixin Hall." "Understood, Master!" Most of the disciples bowed and slowly stepped out of the hall. Inside, only the foundation-level cultivators and about thirty to forty younger disciples—among them Han Li and Da Han—remained. The middle-aged cultivator glanced at Han Li and the others, nodded approvingly and said, "Excellent. Nearly all the eligible disciples have stayed. I'm quite satisfied. Even if you don't make the cut in this internal selection, going to observe and exchange techniques with your peers from other peaks will be highly beneficial for your future cultivation. Now, let your senior disciple explain the key points of the competition. I have other matters to attend to with your Yushi Patriarch, so I'll be leaving now." With that, the Xing-family cultivator stood up and walked toward the rear hall. The gray-robed elder followed silently without a word. "Ah! Since the Peak Master has entrusted this matter to me, I hope all the junior disciples pay close attention. After all, this competition is essentially among peers, and there are certain courtesies and precautions we should observe." The young cultivator, looking visibly unwell, cleared his throat a few times and stepped forward, speaking calmly and deliberately to Han Li and the others. "Firstly, any technique or artifact that is excessively potent—especially one capable of instantly killing a practitioner—is not allowed to be used during the competition; otherwise, the practitioner may be expelled from the sect, or even have their magical power permanently diminished. Furthermore…" During the internal competition, he did not intend to deploy all his artifacts. Instead, he began crafting large quantities of basic to mid-tier scroll seals, aiming to use these to decisively defeat the lower-tier opponents. However, relying solely on these scrolls would still fall short. To strengthen his strategy, Han Li deliberately revisited the "Lingyan Technique" he had received years ago from the senior Taoist of the Xing Palace in Yue State. While this technique offered little advantage to higher-level cultivators, it proved remarkably effective in concealing his presence when facing Qi and Foundation Stage practitioners. In fact, Han Li had possessed this technique for quite some time, having once taken the time to study it and found it deeply inspiring. Yet, with his current late Dan Stage cultivation level, the technique now seemed rather unimpressive. Within just a few days, he fully mastered the art of manipulating flame, even surpassing the original descriptions in subtle nuances. From then on, Han Li remained fully immersed in the continuous production of various scrolls. During this time, the golden and silver gold-devouring insects within Han Li's body finally began to feed on one another. Han Li took a moment to glance at them, and naturally felt greatly pleased. He believed that even if the evolved insects had not yet reached full maturity, they were undoubtedly approaching the legendary stage of being able to consume anything. On the other hand, the啼魂兽next door proved to be a real headache—Han Li found it still sleeping soundly in the spirit-animal chamber, showing no signs of waking up. Fortunately, through the inner鸣魂珠, he learned that the creature was in no serious danger, otherwise he would have been genuinely worried. After all, this formidable beast had taken far too long to evolve. After all, even without being directly involved, observing the duels of other cultivators would greatly broaden one's horizons and yield significant benefits. The trial competition was held on a vast open plain beneath the mountain peak. There, three large spell arrays, each spanning over a hundred paces, were erected, and a semi-circular, expansive light dome was raised to shield the contestants from accidental injuries to the spectators. Three senior cultivators at the late Foundation Stage served as judges to ensure that the combatants would not suddenly lose control and cause serious injuries. The current selection trials have now reached their third day. The matches held over the past two days have already resulted in several disciples falling short. Indeed, Tianqu Peak has only about thirty to forty disciples participating—this is not a large number. In comparison, the Fire Cloud Peak, which boasts the largest contingent, has over a hundred disciples taking part. Thus, Tianqu Peak, where Han Li is from, seems rather modest in comparison. Yet this meant that there were as many as four or five hundred disciples participating in the trials. Even if the events were spread across three separate venues, it would still take several days to complete just one round. Among these disciples, only a handful—three or four—had reached the Foundation Stage. These individuals did not take part in the initial rounds but were scheduled to compete against the victorious Qi Stage disciples in the final round, and only after winning would they be considered for selection. After all, even if these individuals were not among the seven directly designated for selection, achieving Foundation Stage status before the age of thirty naturally indicated exceptional talent and outstanding potential. At that moment, Han Li stood quietly among several participants from Tianqu Peak, observing a match between a Tianqu Peak cultivator and a Bai Feng Peak cultivator taking place within the vast luminous dome. The Bai Feng Peak was, among the Six Qiao Peaks, a relatively unique presence. Not only were both of its peak masters female and at the Danjing Stage, but the majority of its disciples were also female. Yet because of this, the disciples of this peak have always been relatively few among the Six Odd Peaks. This time, the number of disciples attending the trial is even smaller—only about a dozen young female cultivators. Currently, the disciple from Tianqu Peak engaged in battle with the female cultivator from Bai Feng Peak is a U-named disciple who appears mature in appearance, though is actually around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. Though designated as an external affairs disciple, he hails from a prominent, well-established cultivator family in the Xi State. Thus, the mid-tier spiritual artifact he is currently wielding—the "White Gold Spear"—has proven quite effective, pressing the younger, more attractive female opponent back step by step, and now appears poised to secure victory. The several Tianqu Peak cultivators standing beside Han Li clearly share a close friendship with this disciple, their faces glowing with excitement as they chat and comment enthusiastically. However, just as the U-named disciple transformed the White Gold Spear into a streak of white light and delivered a powerful strike, the opposing female cultivator raised her brows slightly, then extended her hand, launching a beam of green light that successfully intercepted the advancing white streak. Then, with a swift movement, the woman vanished from her spot. Seeing this, the Yuan-family cultivator immediately grew pale, clutching his palms and chanting incantations, attempting to summon a probing spell to force her into appearance. Suddenly, a wave of crimson mist surged from behind him, enveloping him completely. "Plump!" The disciple from Tianqu Peak tumbled to the ground, unconscious. "White Phoenix Peak's Jin Rong has won," announced the slender, tall cultivator overseeing the match from above. Upon hearing this, the young woman named Jin Rong bowed respectfully to the sky. Then, she withdrew a small vial from her storage bag and gently shook it over the unconscious Yuan-family cultivator's nose. Only then did the Yuan-family cultivator slowly regain consciousness. Once he understood what had happened, he blushed deeply and hurried out of the competition arena. Jin Rong, meanwhile, with a touch of pride, soared out of the spell array. Immediately, several female cultivators gathered around her, bustling and chatting excitedly. Several male cultivators nearby were constantly glancing at them. "Next, Han Li from Tian Quan Peak will face Xun Tong from Huayun Peak," the thin cultivator calmly spoke as he exhaled through the space above the luminous dome. Though his voice was quiet, it was clearly heard by all the nearby cultivators. Upon hearing this, Han Li smiled and stepped out of the crowd, slowly entering the array. Just as he had stepped inside, a handsome young man in white robes approached from the side, entering the arena. As soon as he entered, the surrounding cultivators immediately stirred, showing noticeable excitement.