"This ring has not yet found its master. However, all of you are discerning guests—whether it's true or not, none of you will be fooled. I intend to trade this ring for a pill that enhances cultivation, specifically one suitable for Yuan婴 stage practitioners. If such a pill is available, I would simply like to examine it." The woman once again transformed the Confined Immortal Ring into a size suitable for her palm, holding it gently and speaking calmly. Although every seated cultivator already possessed their own primary法宝, it was by no means impossible to also have a secondary artifact that served other functions. Moreover, unclaimed artifacts like this one could certainly be acquired for use by disciples and novices. Artifacts personally refined by Yuan婴 cultivators naturally surpassed those crafted by ordinary Jiān Dan practitioners. Most cultivators, in fact, were not particularly skilled in artifact crafting, and even at the Yuan婴 stage, their abilities in this area remained largely unchanged. As a result, upon the appearance of this artifact, several guests immediately expressed interest and made exchanges. The woman successfully secured one of the offered pills and completed the trade. It seems this Bind-Immortals Ring, though less valuable than the Chijing Zhī, proves to be an excellent exchange item. One of the lower-ranking cultivators rose without being summoned by Tianjing Zhiren. "The offering I have brought is a box of Stellar Steel Sand. I intend to use this..." The exchange unfolded smoothly, one after another, each Yuan-Ying cultivator presenting rare and exceptional items—far surpassing anything Han Li had seen in the market before. Even a single such item could leave a common Ji-Dan cultivator bankrupt, and still might not be secured. Indeed, at this level, suitable items for exchange were only available between peers of the same stage. Naturally, not every cultivator succeeded in securing a trade—several failed due to their offerings being too obscure, or though their items were excellent, the items they sought to exchange for were exceptionally rare. Nevertheless, these Yuan-Ying elders were all seasoned experts, and it was highly unlikely that any of them would find themselves facing significant value disparities in their exchanges. The young Fire Dragon disciple and Lü Luo both took positions ahead of Han Li and presented their respective items for exchange. The Fire Dragon disciple offered a rare three-colored flower, the size of a bowl, which was used as a material in alchemy. Though not as exceptional as the initially mentioned Chijing Zhī, it was still a rare find. However, he sought to exchange for a material known as "Toxic Symbol Wood," which none of the present attendees possessed. Unsuccessful in securing it, he reluctantly sat back down in disappointment. Lü Luo's exchange proved highly successful—he traded a bottle of rare elixir juice, one that Han Li had never heard of, for a small, unclaimed crimson sword. It seemed likely that the sword was intended for someone specific, though given Lü Luo's age, it was probable that he would not have the time or resources to further cultivate it. Immediately after completing his exchange, it was Han Li's turn. Recently, Han Li had successfully secured the Chijing Zhī from a scholar in a fine robe, which had drawn several appreciative glances from others. Han Li remained composed, rising to his feet and already holding two pale white jade boxes in his hands. "I have one six-tier water and one six-tier fire spirit embryo each, along with two thousand-year-old immortal herbs. I only wish to exchange for a single piece of Jingjing essence. Should there be no Jingjing essence available, even a mere message regarding its whereabouts would suffice—then I would gladly accept any one of the items inside the boxes." As soon as Han Li finished speaking, he shook his hands slightly, and with a shimmer of azure light, both jade boxes opened simultaneously. The two red-and-blue spirit embryos and the two lush, jade-green immortal herbs became visible to the awareness of all the cultivators present. "What about Jingjing essence?" Han Li's words barely finished, and the cultivators around him all exchanged puzzled glances. Though these spirit embryos and immortal herbs were indeed precious, they were far from matching the value of Jingjing essence. Even if exchanged, they could only yield a speck of essence—no larger than a grain of rice. What could such a small amount of Jingjing essence possibly accomplish? Yet, if he were only willing to accept news of Jingjing essence's whereabouts in return for merely one of the six-tier embryos or a thousand-year-old herb, it seemed rather generous. After all, no one in the Many celestial treasures and ancient cultivator sites are well known, yet they are located in remote, inaccessible regions—either places where even human or immortal cultivators find it difficult to reach, or in areas of extreme peril, where survival is a matter of great difficulty. Even cultivators of the most extraordinary abilities often fail to retrieve what lies there. The most renowned example is the Fallen Demon Valley, situated in the central region of the Tiannan Continent. It is said to have once been an ancient battlefield. During the age of primordial wilderness, numerous great magicians and cultivators established intricate arrays and seals, only to engage in fierce battles among themselves, for reasons still unknown. Ultimately, due to the sheer power of their cultivation, their combat feats were so intense that they created countless fine spatial fissures, destabilizing the very fabric of the valley’s space. Finally, the ancient cultivators who engaged in the fierce combat perished here, one by one, their very space disrupted. The presence of the ancient array and seals turned this battlefield into a place of relentless danger—Zui Mo Valley thus became a remarkably perilous locale. For decades, countless high-level cultivators, confident in their prowess, ventured in seeking the relics and master techniques left behind by the ancient cultivators, only to never emerge alive. Now, the number of such high-level cultivators who have perished in this valley—though not quite a thousand—has surely reached eight hundred. Their various precious possessions have likewise been scattered throughout the valley. In the past ten thousand years, no one has dared to venture in with any hope of survival; thus, Zui Mo Valley has firmly earned its reputation as the foremost deadly site in the southern lands. Though all cultivators across the southern realm are well aware of the abundance of treasures within the Dark Mo Valley, none have dared to risk their lives to seek them. It seems, however, that the name of Bing Jing is indeed known beyond the ordinary. Thus, the cultivators in the hall all looked at Han Li, yet none transmitted a word. Seeing this, Han Li felt somewhat disappointed. With no more valuable treasures offered, it was clear that he could not secure what he needed simply through one exchange session. That was precisely why he had deliberately chosen these less valuable feline essences and spiritual herbs—to keep his wealth discreet. Yet, with so many Yuan-Stage cultivators present, they remained entirely unaware of the matter, which truly disheartened him. He sighed quietly, glanced casually around at the other cultivators, and unconsciously furrowed his brows, a look of surprise briefly crossing his face. Nevertheless, he sat down without hesitation. Immediately, a cultivator from below produced a dark, metallic crafting material and began to introduce it. Han Li paid little attention to what the man was saying, but closed his eyes and began to ponder internally. If my observation is correct, when I glanced at Tianjing the other moment, though his face remained composed, I caught the subtle hesitation in his eyes—something he immediately perceived. It seems that even without the Gengjing in hand, Tianjing must have at least heard of its whereabouts. Han Li didn’t hesitate to form a judgment in his mind. Yet, being a composed and steady-minded person, he did not immediately send a message to inquire. Instead, he simply sat down, feigning ignorance. He was confident that, with this single clue, he would eventually learn what he needed from Tianjing—only waiting for the most opportune moment. After another while, the last cultivator also completed the exchange of what he required. Only then did Tianjing reposition himself to the center and smiled, saying, “It appears most of you have now obtained what you needed. Those who haven’t need not worry—after all, only a fraction of the Yuan-Stage cultivators who have arrived in Qian Tian City have come so far.” There will be plenty of opportunities ahead. Even if others don't mention it, I, Tianjing, will surely host an even larger exchange gathering in the future, and I hope all of you will continue to attend. However, before that, I have a few items I'd like to exchange with each of you." As soon as the old Taoist finished speaking, his hands flashed with bright white light, and within a moment, he had pulled out no fewer than seven or eight items from his storage bag, neatly arranging them across the table. The other cultivators, upon seeing the items laid out, were all astonished. When Han Li examined the items closely, his face immediately turned pale. There were seven or eight differently sized automaton beasts on the table—white wolves, green serpents, and even red oxen-like creatures. Though these appeared to be lifeless objects, they radiated an astonishing amount of spiritual energy, surpassing even the giant ape automaton stored in Han Li’s own storage bag. They clearly possessed the quality of a Jiedan Stage initial cultivator, yet they did not match the types described in Han Li’s own Automaton True Classic. This left Han Li both puzzled and intrigued. Could this Yet, isn't the Qianzhu Sect home to cultivators with Yuan Ying stage or above? Or perhaps this person is practicing a different kind of puppetry technique? As Han Li's mind flashed to this thought, he involuntarily turned his gaze again to the puppets, hoping to spot any subtle differences. But before Han Li could discern anything unusual, the plump elder from the Hehuang Sect had already smiled and spoken. "Ah! Tianjing Brother, when did you start practicing puppetry? Have you decided to abandon your original 'Jingguang Technique'? If so, I must say, I'm truly impressed!" "Brother Jiu is being too kind. I'm now well into my old age—how could I possibly switch to a new cultivation technique? These puppets were all found by me recently, together with a few friends, in an ancient site. Now that my funds are running low, I can only use them to exchange for other necessities. While their power may not be particularly impressive for us, they prove quite effective in certain special circumstances," Tianjing the True Man replied with a smile.