"Brother! Come with me for a moment—I have some things I'd like to speak with you about privately!" After seeing everyone else depart, the cloaked man turned without a word and strode directly toward the side pavilion. Cloud Lu, the elder demon, hesitated briefly, then silently followed, clearly showing deep respect for the cloaked figure. Hearing Zhiyang Shangren's words, Han Li had not yet replied when the graceful woman already furrowed her brows, speaking coldly: "As a single, independent woman, I've always been cautious. Whether it's Mulan invading the southern lands or the southern lands invading Mulan—I would never have come out of my mountain retreat unless you personally sent a message stating that you held something of value. Let me make it clear now: if what you have isn't up to my satisfaction, I'll simply walk away right now." Her tone was remarkably direct and unyielding toward Zhiyang Shangren. "White Friend, there's no need for such formality! Though I did make some mistakes back then, the truth is, all my actions were truly for your benefit," Zhiyang Shangren replied calmly, without showing any anger. "Hmph! As for right and wrong, and faults—those are matters I myself shall judge. Let us drop the past incident altogether. Now, present me with what you have." The woman's expression darkened, and she coldly snorted. Han Li listened patiently, his face remaining composed, though within, he was struck by surprise. It seems this Lady Bai has some lingering connection with the Zhiyang Monks—though the nature of their past bond remains unclear. Seeing the woman's clearly displeased expression, the Zhiyang Monk could only shake his head in resignation, then reached out and touched his storage sack. A white jade box appeared in his hands. On first glance, the box appeared ordinary, no different from common white jade. Yet, as it materialized, the temperature in the entire hall dropped sharply, instantly transforming into a biting winter chill. Even Han Li, who had long been accustomed to extreme weather changes, found himself uncomfortable and glanced at the box with renewed interest. The Lady Bai, sensing the cold radiating from the box, showed a touch of excitement on her face. Without further hesitation, the Zhiyang Monk placed the box before her. Upon receiving it, the woman gently opened the lid and glanced inside. With Han Li's keen spiritual awareness, even without looking, he could clearly sense the contents within. Inside lay a pair of translucent, crystalline silkworm pupae, each emitting a delicate trail of white vapor. Han Li furrowed his brow slightly. This silkworm appeared so unusual—it seemed reminiscent of the silkworms from the Rare Insects List, specifically those ranked lower, such as the ice-silkworms. Though not particularly powerful in combat, this rare insect possessed other extraordinary abilities and was extremely difficult to find. If this lady had a matter that required this silkworm to resolve, then agreeing to join Zhiyang Monks in the wager battle was indeed a reasonable decision. "Wait—it's a silkworm? Not an adult snow-silkworm?" Surprised, the lady's expression grew slightly concerned upon seeing the pupa. "White Friend, this snow-silkworm was discovered deep beneath the hundred-zhang ice layer of Hanjing Cave. It's no ordinary snow-silkworm—it's the premium variety, the 'Green King Silkworm.' With your divine awareness, you can observe the anomalies within the pupa itself." Zhiyang Monk spoke calmly and composedly. "The Green King Silkworm?" The lady's expression brightened slightly, hesitating before using her divine awareness to probe deeper into the silkworm pupa. After a while, her expression eased. "These young Qing Wang silkworms, though still in pupa form, will surely be sufficient even as young larvae once hatched." The Zhiyang Monks stared at the woman, asking her. "I'll take the items. I'll participate in the duel." After a slight hesitation, the woman gently placed the jade box in her hands. "Good. With Bai Daojun's 'Yunxue Decree' technique, defeating mere spellcasters will surely be a breeze." The Zhiyang Monk sighed in relief and smiled. Upon hearing this, the woman remained composed, merely uttering the words "Goodbye" with a calm, quiet tone before walking steadily toward the outer door, displaying an unmistakable coldness. The Zhiyang Monk shook his head and smiled sadly. Meanwhile, Wei Wuyi watched silently, chuckling softly without speaking. "Frater Han, how many Geng Jing do you require? Is there a specific quantity?" After the woman had stepped out of the hall, the Zhiyang Monk turned his attention to Han, smiling gently and inquiring. "I need quite a lot—more is better, actually." Of course, the value of this Jing Gong is quite substantial. As long as both of you are able to provide something of equal worth, I am willing to exchange it with you—without making either of you suffer any loss," Han Li stated plainly, without any hesitation. "If you truly have something that can move us, even the exchange of all our Jing Qi, we would have no objection," said Zhiyang Monks with complete indifference. Then he reached down and removed the storage sack from his waist, gently shaking it so that the opening faced downward. A cascade of white light surged forth from within. Three stones of varying sizes, pale gold in hue, burst forth from the light and were instantly caught by the Daoist, who handed them over to Han Li. Han Li's eyes widened slightly as he took them without hesitation, carefully examining the precious items he had longed for. There were three in total—one large and two smaller ones—indeed all of them were pure Jing Qi stones. The largest one was nearly identical in size to the one he had seen at the trading fair, about the size of a walnut. The two smaller ones were each roughly half that size. The quantity should be sufficient to blend into several dozen flying swords. Yet, still, it fell short of what Han Li had envisioned, and though his face remained composed, a subtle sense of disappointment lingered in his eyes. Seeing Han Li's expression, Zhi Yang Monks was now somewhat surprised. Can so much Jinggeng be insufficient for this person? That does indeed seem strange. Thinking this, he glanced at Wei Wuyi. Wei Wuyi naturally noticed the expression on Han Li's face, and upon receiving the gaze of Zhiyang the Elder, immediately remained composed, brushing his robe slightly, and a piece of Jinggeng the size of a clenched fist materialized in his hand, which he gently lifted. Upon seeing the substantial piece of Jinggeng in Wei Wuyi's hand, Han Li felt a surge of relief. Although even with this addition, the total supply was still far short of what was needed for seventy-two flying swords, a little more would make a significant difference toward gathering thirty-six flying swords. With thirty-six flying swords and the divine technique of "Dividing the Sword Shadow into Light," a modest Great Jing Sword Array could be established. Excited yet, Han Li took the Jinggeng offered by Wei Wuyi, took a deep breath to calm his mind, and then spoke again. "It seems these are all the Jinggeng available. Though still somewhat short, they are sufficient for participating in this wager competition." "Also, would you two be pleased with what I've exchanged?" Han Li gathered the Jing Jing into his hand, then took out two jade boxes of different colors from his storage pouch and tossed one to Wei Wuyi and the other to Zhiyang Master. Zhiyang Master opened the lid of his box casually and glanced inside, while Wei Wuyi first weighed the box carefully before opening it with quiet composure. One box contained numerous fresh red claws, each with scales, while the other held a large, dark turtle shell, the size of a clenched fist. "What is this?" both were surprised. Seeing their reactions, Han Li explained: "Indeed, the scales in Wei Master's hand are from the eighth-tier poisonous dragon-jade creature, and the turtle shell is from the eighth-tier turtle spirit. While I wouldn't claim these are heavenly wonders, the original materials of such fully-formed creatures are quite rare in Tiannan. I believe this exchange should be more than sufficient for the Jing Jing you've provided." "Han Li's voice was calm and confident. An eighth-rank beast was exceptionally rare even in the Chaotic Star Sea. Even among cultivators who frequently traveled to the outer star seas, encountering such a beast was a rare occurrence, let alone slaying one to obtain its materials. In Tiannan, the situation was even more dire—eighth-rank beasts were nearly extinct, and even sixth- and seventh-rank ones were fast disappearing. Outside a few major sects that maintained a few guardian beasts, there had been no news of high-tier beasts in the region for years. "The scales of an eighth-rank toxic dragon!" Master Zhiyang remained composed, though his face was clearly astonished. Upon hearing the origin of the scales from the box, Wei Wuyi, however, could not help but exclaim aloud, his voice brimming with sheer excitement. Han Li was momentarily surprised, but then recalled that Wei Wuyi specialized in toxic cultivation techniques. Given that the toxic dragon itself was exceptionally potent, perhaps its scales held even greater benefits for him." At the moment of hesitation, Wei Wuyi eagerly extended two fingers, plucked a piece of blood-scale, and carefully examined it, his face filled with anxiety and uncertainty. "Heh! It seems that the gift you've brought precisely matches my preferences. I've always been particularly interested in this turtle demon's shell. If indeed it is material from an eighth-rank beast, it must be no ordinary thing—excellent for crafting battle armor and shields. It would certainly be worth exchanging for these Jing Jin materials." The Zen Master, slightly surprised by Wei Wuyi's unusual demeanor, saw the odd expression fade quickly and instead smiled warmly at Han Li, gently holding the dark turtle shell in his palm and methodically assessing it. Although he had no doubt that Han Li was sincere, he still found it hard to believe that a cultivator at the early stage of Yuan Ying could offer material from an eighth-rank beast. Naturally, he needed to verify the authenticity of the turtle shell before placing full trust.