"Please, come in," the Fire Dragon Child said with a smile, then strolled off with a grand air. As soon as they approached the hall's main door, Han Li glanced inside casually, only to pause in surprise. Inside, it seemed exactly like a regular wine house—filled with guests enjoying meals and drinks, and several young waiters bustling between tables, serving various fine dishes and wines, their clinking glasses and cheerful conversations echoing continuously. On one side of the main entrance, a wooden plaque about a foot in size hung, clearly inscribed with the bold black characters: "This floor is reserved; outsiders are welcome only to the door." "Old Tianjing must be pulling another illusion trick again!" murmured the Fire Dragon Child, yet he paid no attention and strode straight in. Han Li, hearing this, felt a spark of interest, and with a gentle sweep of his awareness, scanned the interior. His expression immediately turned puzzled. Yet he made no pause and followed right behind. As soon as the three arrived at the gate, the light instantly dimmed, and the figures of the guests in the attic, as well as the waiters, vanished like foam, their noisy chatter abruptly ceasing. Han Li casually glanced around and found the room empty, with only a faint gray mist lingering in the corners. In the center stood an old wooden table, upon which a bronze oil lamp was placed. Behind the lamp sat a gray-robed Taoist master, in his fifties or sixties, smiling warmly at the three of them. "I didn't expect Blue Brother not only to come himself, but also to bring along his friend Lu. And this young Taoist in green robes! I must admit, I've never seen him before—perhaps he's a new cultivator who has just reached the Yuan Yin stage?" The Taoist smiled warmly and greeted them enthusiastically, making each of the three feel neither cold nor overlooked, and subtly earning their goodwill. "Tianjing, I've brought two unexpected guests. Won't you mind if we let them in?" On the young fire dragon disciple's face, a seemingly innocent smile appeared, yet his words carried a tone of seasoned experience. "How could it be? I welcome all comers here. Besides, I've known Lyu since long ago. Only this one..." The elder monk spoke with ease, his gaze lingering a moment longer on Han Li. "My name is Han Li from Luoyu Sect. I've just attained the next stage of cultivation, and I hope Master Tianjing will offer me many valuable teachings in the future." Han Li stepped forward slightly and bowed respectfully. "Ah, so you're Lyu's fellow disciple! Remarkable—your appearance suggests you're quite young. I'm sure you'll have a bright future." Master Tianjing beamed warmly, offering kind praise. "Alright, friend. The others have mostly arrived, haven't they? We've already gone up to check on them." It was clear that the fire dragon disciple had a close relationship with Master Tianjing, and spoke without hesitation. "Hmph! Blue brother still so eager. The guests have already gathered nearly all of them. I suspect some of them may have begun exchanging greetings already up above." These two Wuling masks, please take them, both of you. Blue Brother, do you need another one?" After specially asking the Fire Dragon Child, Tianjing True Person flipped his hands, and two flashes of white light passed, each producing an additional mask carved from black wood, with subtle incantations subtly glowing on the surface—clearly no ordinary item. "Hmph! You don't need to be told—I'm not exactly a slender figure, are you? If I could disguise myself through illusion magic, who would believe me?" Hearing this, the Fire Dragon Child puffed out his cheeks on both sides, looking quite dissatisfied. "That's true. Please, the three of you go ahead. I'll join you shortly." Tianjing True Person smiled calmly, then tossed the masks to Han Li and Lu Luo with a simple hand motion. At the same time, a white spell was cast behind him, causing the mist to dissipate and reveal a luminous stone staircase leading upward to the second floor. Without hesitation, the Fire Dragon Child simply walked past the table and ascended directly. After a brief bow, Lu Luo and Han Li followed. At this point, Han Li had noticed that the two masks were identical, and could not see any difference between the one in his hands and the one worn by Lü Luo. Without further hesitation, he placed the mask on his face the very moment he stepped onto the stone stairs. The mask felt slightly cool against his skin, soft yet weightless, an exceptionally pleasant sensation—something that surprised Han Li. He turned to look at Lü Luo. To his surprise, Lü Luo now had a cold, lifeless face of carved wood, and had also donned the mask. Han Li smiled faintly. In the brief span of time, the three of them had already ascended to the second floor of the pavilion. Inside, the space was bright and well-lit, with hundreds of moonstone stones embedded in the ceiling and walls, each the size of a clenched fist, illuminating the area as if it were daytime. Yet what truly astonished Han Li was that the second floor appeared to be several times larger in area than the first floor—quite the opposite of what he had observed when he first saw the pavilion from outside. It was truly beyond his expectations. However, the second floor would no longer be empty, but instead filled with tables and chairs placed against the walls, many of which were already occupied by cultivators dressed in various garments—both men and women, of different ages. As the three young cultivators—Fire Dragon's Child—approached, countless beams of cold light swept toward them simultaneously. Yet clearly, several of the onlookers recognized the Fire Dragon's Child without any attempt to conceal his face, their expressions shifting instantly to kindness, hostility, or indifference. Among them, a few even carried a faint, unyielding aura of lethal intent. It remained unclear how they had come to hold such deep grudges against the Fire Dragon's Child, yet they could not suppress their murderous feelings. The Fire Dragon's Child remained undisturbed, guiding Han Li and Lü Luo to an unoccupied spot where the three sat closely together. Only then did Han Li, peering through his mask, carefully observe the others in the hall. These individuals, their faces concealed by masks, even the most powerful spiritual awareness like Han Li's could barely discern their features. Yet the streams of spiritual energy emanating from each one were unmistakably those of Yuan-Ence stage cultivators. Among them, even two had reached the mid-Yuan-Ence level—yet these two sat isolated, one in the south and one in the north, with no other cultivators daring to sit beside them. Within a modest pavilion, twenty-some Yuan-Ence cultivators had gathered simultaneously—an event truly astonishing. Han Li had never before encountered so many such senior Yuan-Ence cultivators. It seemed clear that one's cultivation level determined the level of cultivators one could reach. As Han Li's gaze shifted, he suddenly paused at a corner of the pavilion. As Tian Jing had mentioned, several eager cultivators had gathered around a table, whispering to one another and occasionally withdrawing jade boxes and small bottles from their storage bags, already engaging in small-scale exchanges. However, aside from these few cultivators, everyone else was seated quietly with eyes closed, seemingly prepared to begin exchanging items only after all had gathered. It was likely that the items being exchanged by these few cultivators were not truly valuable. Yet, perhaps unwilling to have familiar faces recognize them, all the seated cultivators remained silent, and even those who exchanged brief words did so through whispered, confidential messages. The second floor of the pavilion remained utterly silent throughout—quite unusual and somewhat oppressive. The young fire dragon cultivator, who had not brought his wooden mask, stood out somewhat on this floor. Yet, he was not alone among the seated cultivators in revealing his true face. Opposite where Han Li and the others sat, there was another remarkably stout man, also without a mask. This man’s waist was nearly three or four times the normal width, and his presence caused the wooden chair beneath him to visibly warp and bend. Yet, this man appeared utterly unconcerned. When Han Li glanced at him, he even smiled warmly. But his face, thick with fatty flesh, made it difficult to truly appreciate his good intentions. Sitting beside him was a well-built female cultivator, her face veiled by a mask. Though one could not see her delicate features, the mask bore two bright, alluring eyes that glistened and shifted with every turn of her head—most captivating. Nevertheless, none of the seated cultivators seemed to notice her charm at all; they treated her presence as if she were invisible. At that very moment, Han Li heard Lü Luo’s voice in his mind. “Brother Han, be cautious. Though this man appears harmless, he is part of the famed ‘Fleshy and Radiant Twin Witches’ of the Magic Gate’s Huanhuan Sect—along with the woman beside him. Together, they use a dual cultivation technique that enables them to match even a mid-stage Yuan-En phase cultivator. They are quite formidable. Avoid getting involved with them!” Upon hearing this, Han Li felt a sudden sense of alertness and immediately added both figures to his list of those requiring close attention. No longer looking at the person across, but mimicking the others who were sitting quietly with their eyes gently closed. After a long while, one after another, several Yuan-Enlightened cultivators arrived, each wearing masks. When the last of the Tianjing cultivators came forward, all the seated cultivators simultaneously opened their eyes and turned to gaze at him. Tianjing the True then walked directly to the center of the second floor, raised his hand, and with a gesture summoned a wooden table, which was enveloped in white light and drawn to his side. Then, with a smile, he said: "The time has come. All the guests who were meant to arrive have now come. If there are no objections from any of you, let us begin the exchange session."