"Alright, you three go about your business. Don't bother with me, this old bat. I still need to carefully study the merits and drawbacks of this game." The young disciple waved his hand at the other cultivators and nodded thoughtfully before genuinely lowering his head to examine the chessboard before him. Upon hearing this, the gray-robed elders and others quickly responded, bowing their heads in agreement. Then, led by the yellow-robed cultivator, they proceeded out of the hall through a side door. "I never expected White Friend to be involved in such a matter—Yue Brother! Did you know about this all along?" The middle-aged cultivator from Bai Qiao Hall, just a short distance outside the stone hall, couldn't help but sigh. "I didn't know either. Blue Senior merely mentioned that she needed to handle some affairs here. How could I possibly ask further questions?" The yellow-robed cultivator's expression was somewhat uneasy. After hearing this, the middle-aged cultivator fell silent without pressing for more details. The younger disciples trailing behind, having just witnessed what had transpired, were even more hesitant to speak up. In some rather dull atmosphere, Han Li and the others passed through a long corridor, turned a corner, and were then led to a pale yellow stone door. Before this door, a man with his hair flowing freely sat motionless. Though his long, disheveled hair obscured his face, making it hard to see his features, his hair was gray-white, indicating he was certainly not young. Upon seeing this figure, the yellow-robed cultivator immediately displayed a respectful expression. "Brother Wei, I've brought the participants from the Sword-Testing Assembly. Shall we have them enter now?" "Since they've arrived here, let them enter. The pure liquid seems to have flowed later than expected. These disciples will have to wait a bit longer." The man with the flowing hair spoke calmly, his voice surprisingly steady and resonant. Han Li quickly scanned the figure, his eyes flashing with a brief glint of frost. This man was a late-stage Ju-Dan cultivator, and already at the peak of the Pseudo-Infant stage. This made him pay closer attention to this person! Upon hearing the voice of the man with his hair flowing freely, the gray-robed elder suddenly showed a touch of excitement, taking a few brisk steps forward and speaking with a slightly trembling voice. "Wei-brother, you... are you well?" It turned out to be a cultivator from Luoyun Sect! "Yi-brother. It's been many years since we last saw each other—you've grown a bit older now." The man with his hair loose sighed gently and said, his tone calm and reflective. "Brother, why...?" "Enough. The fact that we, brothers-in-arms, have managed to meet again here is itself a sign of fate still holding on. There's no need to dwell on what happened back then. When I first arrived here, I made a solemn vow—until I had successfully condensed myself into an infant form, I would never leave this place. Moreover, I've learned from my two senior uncles that all matters within the sect are being managed with remarkable order by Feng-brother. So, I have little to worry about now." The elder Wei spoke calmly. Upon hearing this, the gray-robed elder looked "A few of my junior brothers, just wait a moment or two—I'll release the seal and allow the groups to enter the sacred sanctuary." The senior disciple stood up, launching a spell from his sleeve that struck the yellow stone gate. Instantly, the gate split in two without a sound. Before Han Li could fully examine the interior, a surge of pure spiritual energy rushed out from within. Indeed, it was the abode of the Spirit-Eye Tree. Yet upon comparison, he found the purity of this energy not only equal to, but even surpassing, that of his Spirit-Eye Jade—truly the finest of the Spirit-Eye treasures. Under the guidance of the bearded elder, Han Li and the others stepped inside. Suddenly, they found themselves within a vast cavern adorned with towering stalactites. The cavern stretched hundreds of feet in length and width, and rose twenty to thirty feet high—immediately transforming the scene into one of a subterranean realm. More astonishing still, towering stalagmite pillars of varying sizes rise from the ground, forming a natural stone forest that densely encircles most of the cave chambers, resembling a miniature maze. Upon close inspection, Han Li noticed faint pulses of white spiritual light shimmering between the pillars—clear signs that some kind of spell had been cast within. While pondering this, the bearded elder had already led several companions to the edge of the stone forest. With a hand gesture, he produced a palm-sized ancient white mirror. Without further words, he began chanting, then raised his hand, causing a column of milky-white light to surge forth from the mirror and shoot straight toward the stone forest. A soft "pffft" sound echoed as the light column vanished as if it had sunk into the ground, disappearing without a trace. The elder then returned the mirror to his hands and stood motionless, arms folded, silent. Some younger disciples were still puzzled when the ground began to tremble slightly, and then a scene that left the lower-ranked cultivators utterly stunned unfolded. Simultaneously, large and small stone pillars emitted a luminous, milky glow, followed by vast patches of golden light rising from the forest. Some stone pillars, right before everyone's eyes, started to shimmer and drift away. When the young disciples finally recovered from their astonishment, a straight path had already been cleared through the stone forest. Seeing this, Han Li's expression slightly shifted, but soon settled back to its usual composure. The group followed this path effortlessly and reached the center of the stone forest, where they finally laid eyes on the legendary Tree of the Divine Eyes. "Is this indeed the Tree of the Divine Eyes?" Han Li murmured, looking at the object before him—about ten paces tall. He found himself at a loss. This slender, pale green, straight shaft, roughly the thickness of an arm, could easily be mistaken for a piece of blue stone. Most people would readily accept it as such, and hardly think of it as a tree. Yet the astonishing spiritual energy permeating the entire cavern indeed emanated from this rugged, pillar-like stone formation. Moreover, a delicate golden light shield enveloped the entire structure—from its top to its base—sealing it in completely. The careful manner in which it was protected clearly indicated that this was no mere coincidence—the Spirit-Eye Tree was genuine. Although Han Li harbored numerous complaints, the gray-robed elders and other cultivators who saw the tree all expressed eager, enthusiastic glances. If cultivators could train directly beneath this tree, and did not encounter any bottlenecks, they might well halve their training duration. Han Li, however, paid little attention to the Spirit-Eye Tree and, in a single glance, noticed a jade vial resting beneath the tree. The vial stood about half a foot tall, slender at the top and broader at the base, and subtly released a familiar medicinal fragrance, drifting gently. Could this be the partially prepared "Qing-Ming Spiritual Water," Han Li thought. All the others, standing several zhang away from the Spirit-Eye Tree, naturally halted and paused. Only the bearded elder stepped forward without hesitation, and that faint golden light shield seemed entirely ineffective upon him, as if it were invisible—allowing him to pass through it unimpeded. After a few steps, he circled the Spirit-Eye Tree twice before raising one hand and placing it gently upon the central part of the tree. With a subtle infusion of spiritual energy, green light flickered at the tips of his five fingers. "Then it shall all follow Wei Brother's suggestion!" The middle-aged cultivator and the yellow-robed cultivator nodded in agreement, and the elder named Yu had no further objections. Thus, under the instructions of several Dan-stage cultivators, the younger disciples, including Han Li, settled one by one in the center of the stone forest, either closing their eyes to meditate or practicing breath control and cultivation. Meanwhile, the bearded elder lowered his body slightly, reached out, and picked up the jade bottle beneath the spiritual tree. With a casual sweep of his sleeve, a delicate golden light shield suddenly flashed brilliantly, making it impossible to see anything inside. While the others remained indifferent, Han Li furrowed his brows and, without hesitation, silently summoned the spirit of his artifact, Yin Yue. "Han Brother, may I call upon you? What is it you wish to ask?" came the gentle voice of Yin Yue. "I recall you are skilled in earth-transcendence techniques. Could you, without doing anything else, quietly enter the light shield from beneath the ground and simply retrieve a section of the spiritual root of this sacred tree?" Han Li said calmly. "Brother Han, just wait a moment. I'll try using my spirit vessel form and return shortly." As soon as he spoke, the silver moon instantly transformed into a miniature wolf about the size of a fist, silently slipping through the ground beneath Han Li's body without a trace. Han Li maintained his composed expression, his eyes slightly narrowed, appearing as though he were quietly meditating. Suddenly, Han Li's brow lifted slightly, and his narrowed gaze shifted subtly—almost imperceptibly—landing on the large man, Du Dong, who sat still in a corner of the crowd, his head bowed, hands forming seals as if deeply engaged in breathwork and cultivation. Upon observing this, a faint, almost imperceptible smirk played at Han Li's lips, hinting at a quiet, subtle sense of irony.