Han Li spent some time finally finding a modest, unremarkable Daoist temple in the city. All the Daoists there were genuine ordinary people. This suited him perfectly, so he immediately offered some silver coins, winning over the abbot and settling in for the time being. After spending the night at the temple, the next morning early, Han Li left the temple and headed straight for the academy he had spotted during the day—one that exuded the presence of a cultivator. Since this academy was able to thrive in the capital city and appeared neither small nor insignificant, it must have some notable background, likely connected to the Confucian academies. Yet Han Li paid it no mind. As he quietly entered the academy and appeared before an elderly Confucian scholar with white hair, he radiated the powerful aura of a Yuan婴 (Metamorphic) stage cultivator without any concealment. The elder scholar had been greatly surprised upon first seeing Han Li, hastily concentrating his entire spiritual power. But upon clearly assessing Han Li's true cultivation level, his expression relaxed, and he abandoned his vigilance, stepping half a pace forward to bow respectfully. "Master's arrival at our academy—do you have any matters that require my assistance?" "You are indeed well-mannered. I have come for a matter of minor importance. Let me tell you everything I know about the locations of the several markets in the capital and the various auction events. After all, you local cultivators should be most familiar with these details." Han Li smiled gently and spoke calmly. "The market locations are no problem—I will immediately copy the maps onto my jade scroll. As for the auction events, I know only a little myself. Would Master care to know specifically what?" The elderly scholar responded without hesitation, readily agreeing, and reached into his storage pouch to retrieve a white jade scroll, beginning to inscribe the maps of the market locations onto it. "The specific time and location of the auction, as well as whether any rare materials will be offered," Han Li's smile faded slightly, and he asked calmly. "The time and location are confirmed. The auction will take place nine days from now at the Baoguang Hall in Jinxi Market, divided into two sessions—one for Condensed Stage cultivators and one for Yuan婴 Stage cultivators, held sequentially. Yuan婴 Stage cultivators may attend the Condensed Stage session, but Condensed Stage cultivators cannot enter the Yuan婴 Stage session. As for the specific materials to be offered, I must admit I cannot be certain. After all, this is a major joint event organized by several of the largest markets in the Great Jin. Outsiders typically have little knowledge of what will be presented. However, based on past experience, the auction usually features at least a hundred rare materials. Additionally, senior participants often temporarily offer their own precious items for competitive bidding. As a result, the auction typically lasts for five to six days." The elder replied honestly. "Indeed, the Treasure Light Hall!" Han Li nodded slightly, murmuring to himself. "Master, the jade scroll has been copied. Please keep it." At last, the elderly scholar completed the jade scroll and presented it to Han Li with both hands. Han Li took it without speaking, then scanned it with his divine awareness, and nodded with satisfaction. "Excellent. As for what I've told you today, do not mention it to anyone else, or else—heh—heh…" Han Li gave a sly, gloomy smile, his body shimmering with green light before suddenly vanishing from his spot. The scholar's eyes widened slightly, sat down in his chair, and furrowed his brows, pondering. After a while, he swept his divine awareness across the room, only to find it empty—seeming truly as if no one else remained. Only then did the scholar finally exhale deeply, his face softening into a quiet, wry smile. … After leaving the academy, Han Li carefully reviewed the jade scroll before heading straight for the Jinxi Market. The so-called Jinxi Fangshi is simply a small area along a quiet street in the western part of Jin City, concealed year-round by an ingenious concealment spell array. When Han Li appeared at the entrance of the Fangshi, he effortlessly passed through an invisible barrier imperceptible to ordinary people, and suddenly materialized on a slightly quieter street. Of course, this quietness was relative to the bustling crowds outside—on first glance, there were already hundreds of cultivators moving in and out of the shops along the street's sides. Han Li didn't need to carefully scan the entire street with his spiritual awareness; he already knew that during the days leading up to the auction, there would surely be cultivators at the metamental stage of Yuan Ying stationed here. Otherwise, organizing such a large-scale auction would have been impossible. With these thoughts in mind, Han Li walked slowly, constantly glancing toward both sides. This Jinxi market clearly differed from the markets that Han Li had seen in southern Daijin. On both sides of the market, almost every building was a tall, multi-story structure—seeming to indicate substantial financial strength and the presence of sizable merchant houses. However, some of these buildings' names were ones Han Li had actually encountered in other markets before. It appeared that some of the more established merchant houses in Daijin's cultivation circles had set up branches here. With that in mind, Han Li didn't feel the need to carefully sift through each one. He simply carried his list of required materials and began visiting the merchant houses one by one. Naturally, the items that had still not been secured by now were each exceptionally rare and difficult to find. Han Li remained calm and unperturbed—neither had he expected to easily locate all the materials within the market. His visit here was primarily driven by another important matter he needed to attend to. Participating in an auction certainly required a substantial amount of spiritual stones. Han Li originally had a considerable number of spiritual stones, but after the masked cultivator, who had taken on a physical form, gathered various materials, he had already spent most of them. Now, facing such a large-scale auction, the stones he had left were clearly insufficient. Han Li intended to find a large merchant establishment to sell some rare items, thereby acquiring more spiritual stones. Given the enormous quantity of stones needed, the buyer had to be a powerful and well-established entity. When Han Li approached a three-story pavilion, his eyes narrowed slightly. The pavilion was clearly much larger than the ones of the previous merchants, and there were numerous cultivators entering and exiting, suggesting it would be an excellent candidate for selling his items. However, upon seeing the plaque above the pavilion, inscribed with the three bold characters "Tianji Pavilion," Han Li was momentarily stunned. Was this indeed the very "Tianji Pavilion" known for specializing in selling Tianji houses? Han Li hesitated slightly, then raised his leg and stepped inside. The first floor of the pavilion was spacious, measuring about thirty to forty paces in both length and width. Several young servants at the early cultivation stage were busy introducing various items displayed on the shelves to a group of guests seated in the hall. As Han Li entered, one of the servants approached with a warm smile, eager to greet him. "Please step back," said a middle-aged man in a white robe, who was leisurely sipping a fragrant tea at a corner chair. After a moment's mental assessment of Han Li's cultivation level, he set down his teacup in surprise, quickly interrupting the servant. He then smoothed his robes, walked a few steps, and bowed respectfully to Han Li, saying: "Your arrival at our Tianji Pavilion is truly a privilege. The first floor will not have anything of interest to you. Shall we proceed to the third floor for a more detailed discussion?" "Well, I had actually been looking for someone with authority here," Han Li said calmly, his eyes flickering slightly. Then, under the guidance of the middle-aged man, he calmly ascended the stairs. The seven or eight cultivators below, who had been shopping, immediately realized that Han Li was a Yuan婴-level cultivator, and their expressions turned lively with excitement. "A Yuan婴-level elder! I've never seen someone so young before." "This must be a major business deal for Tianji Pavilion. Indeed, quite impressive." A series of exclamations and expressions of wonder followed one after another. The third floor of Tianji Pavilion was not particularly large, merely more elegant and refined in its layout. Upon seeing the middle-aged man bring a guest in, two young and beautiful female cultivators promptly served a fine cup of tea. "Please try this, Master," the middle-aged man said warmly as soon as Han Li sat down. "This is a specially acquired mist-rain spiritual tea, purchased by our pavilion with great investment—it has a unique flavor." "The tea doesn't need to be tasted right away. I'd like to first check whether you carry the several materials I'm interested in. Honestly, I've already visited quite a few shops in front of here. None of them have offered any of the items I'm looking for, and I didn't really hold much hope for your Tianji Pavilion." Han Li glanced neither at the mist-rain tea nor at the surroundings, and spoke calmly. Then, with a simple sweep of his sleeve, a green jade scroll materialized on the table. "Since the senior is so eager, I'll take a look. However, since none of the shops ahead have carried the items you're seeking, it seems these materials must be quite special." The middle-aged man smiled and immediately extended his hand, drawing the scroll into his grasp before immersing his consciousness into it. After a moment, his expression subtly changed. Han Li remained composed—this very scene had already unfolded several times before at the counters of the shops ahead. Who could have thought that the materials he sought were all things exceedingly rare, with two of them even unheard of among ordinary cultivators? "It makes sense now why the senior didn't find anything in the shops ahead. These materials truly aren't accessible to regular merchants. Aside from the 'Thunder Spirit Stone,' which our hall still holds in small quantity, we're unable to assist with the rest." After withdrawing his divine awareness from the scroll, the middle-aged white-robed elder smiled faintly and said to Han Li. "Do you have Thunder Spirit Crystals?" Han Li, who had already prepared himself for further disappointment, brightened visibly upon hearing this. "Yes, it's quite a coincidence that you've come just in time. This Thunder Spirit Stone is one we recently received. However, there's a complication—this rare material isn't entirely ours. It's actually stored here by another senior cultivator at the Yuan Ying stage, with whom we have a close relationship, and is intended to be exchanged for other items." "If it can't be exchanged anytime soon, then we'll simply set it aside for auction at a later date." The middle-aged man hesitated, and spoke something that left Han Li momentarily stunned.