"Not much effort, really." Han Li drew his gaze inward, calmly shaking his head. "Now, how about this lunar arc sword? It's forged from refined purple copper—light as air yet remarkably resilient, a rare first-rate soft sword." "Too short—it doesn't feel right in my hands." Han Li glanced at it evenly, showing no particular interest. "Too short?" The attendant, who had been smiling politely all along, now paused, clearly at a loss for what to say next. "That thing over there—seems quite interesting." Han Li suddenly stepped a few paces over, pointing to an object on another table and asked slowly. The object he pointed to was a thick, dark, coiled cord, about the width of a thumb. "This is the dragon's sinew cord, made from golden threads, specifically designed for binding. Even the most powerful low-tier beasts can't easily break free when bound by it." The attendant stared at it, then began to explain. "Dragon's sinew cord—let me take a look at it." Han Li didn't hesitate, reaching out to take the object into his hands. After a slight shake, a soft "whoosh" sounded, and the black cord instantly straightened, becoming as rigid as a slender rod. The attendant standing beside him was momentarily stunned. Having served countless customers at this weapons shop, he certainly had a good eye for such things. To be able to manipulate a soft cord so effortlessly into such a refined state—this customer was no ordinary person, likely a body-forge cultivator, and he couldn't help but show a touch of respect. "This is quite good," Han Li said, "though still a bit thick. Do you have anything finer of the same kind?" He gently waved it a few times, then furrowed his brows in thought. "Finer? Well, that's... actually something we don't carry here," the attendant murmured, somewhat embarrassed. "Oh, you're looking for something finer? I do have an item here that might interest you. Though, please be advised, it comes at a premium price." Suddenly, a solid voice came from behind Han Li. Han Li's expression shifted, and he slowly turned to face the speaker. Standing behind him were two robust men. One was tall and broad-shouldered, with long hair flowing over his shoulders, exuding a wild, feline aura. The other had a pale, slightly emaciated face. Both wore leather robes. The taller man carried a long golden spear over his back and had a large bundle slung across his shoulder, while the thinner one held a wooden chest several feet long in one hand, his expression somewhat gloomy. Han Li nodded without hesitation. Immediately, he followed the two men out of the weapons shop and back onto the street. The two seemed extremely familiar with the area, winding east and west before eventually arriving at a quiet, unobtrusive alley where no one was in sight. "Right here," said the thin man, turning to the younger brother. "Xin, hand this item over to the gentleman here for him to examine." As soon as the three stopped, the thin man hurriedly instructed the tall man. "Understood, Bo Brother!" The tall man replied, grabbing a bundle from his shoulder and shaking it vigorously. A series of clinks and rattles followed, and a pile of items spilled to the ground—some glass bottles and jars, others animal skins and horns. The thin man bent down and retrieved a wooden box about the size of a palm. "Please take a look," he said. "This is the dragon's sinew obtained by my brother and several other body-builders when they defeated a terrestrial dragon." This item is not only delicate and remarkably strong, but also possesses exceptional elasticity, capable of being stretched and extended several times its original length with ease. "Earth Serpent?" Han Li naturally had no idea what kind of mythical beast the so-called Earth Serpent was, but judging from its appearance, it seemed to be merely a low-tier creature. Without any expression of surprise, he reached out, took the wooden box, and opened the lid. Inside, a slender, creamy-yellow substance was neatly tied into a bundle with a red cord and placed calmly. Han Li did not hesitate; he simply pressed his fingers against the red cord, and the cord snapped into fragments inch by inch. Then, with a soft "pffft," the previously compacted bundle of sinew shot out like a spring, one end rushing straight toward Han Li's face. Han Li raised his hand, seemingly with a slow, deliberate motion, yet somehow his five fingers caught the end of the sinew instantly. With a slight movement of his fingers, the once rigid sinew instantly softened and sagged, as if its elasticity had vanished completely. He then held the two-zhang-long piece in front of him. The lean man across from him, along with the bearded man beside him, exchanged a glance upon seeing Han Li's swift movements. At that moment, Han Li had carefully examined the section of earth-jade tendon. With his keen eye and experience from having defeated countless low-tier beast creatures in the past, he immediately recognized its nature, characteristics, and how to slightly modify it for better personal use. After fiddling with it for a while, he finally shook it gently with one hand. The tendon swayed and danced, spiraling rapidly around his wrist before coiling into a slender, pale-yellow bracelet. As he lowered his arm and let his sleeve fall, the tendon was completely concealed, leaving no trace visible from the outside. "Indeed, this material is quite rare among low-tier beast creatures. However, for cultivators, it's not particularly useful—though it would be ideal as a bowstring. It suits me well as well. As long as you don't ask for an exorbitant price, I'll take it," Han Li said calmly, looking at the two across from him. "Hehe, looking at you, I'd say you must also be a Body-Forge cultivator. In that case, we'll settle in Spirit Stones. This piece of Earth-Jiāo tendon should cost thirty Spirit Stones!" Upon hearing Han Li's words, the thin-nosed man's stern expression softened into a smile and quoted his price. "Thirty Spirit Stones? A bit high, but acceptable. Please take it." Yet, even for a low-tier beast's rather unimpressive material, thirty low-tier spirit stones were still somewhat high. Although韩立 had left his storage bag and all his treasures behind in the desert, he never forgot the importance of spirit stones once he reached the spiritual realm. To be safe, he had also kept a dozen mid-tier spirit stones as backups. Now, as he reached into his chest and raised his hand, a golden-orange spirit stone was tossed into the air. The man with flowing hair stepped forward, grasped the stone with his large hand, and after a quick inspection, nodded contentedly. The man with the surname Bao, seeing this, smiled gently on his pale face. He immediately pulled out a common leather pouch from his person, selected seventy low-tier spirit stones from it, wrapped them in a piece of animal hide laid on the ground, and threw the bundle toward韩立. "These are for you," he said. "With your generosity, I'd like to propose a partnership with you should the opportunity arise." The thin, wiry man chuckled softly as he spoke. "Cooperation—we may have the opportunity later. But for now, I have matters to attend to, so I shall step aside." Han Li smiled slightly, bowed politely to the two of them, and then turned with composed grace to leave. The bearded man hesitated, speaking with some uncertainty. "Xin, brother, can you truly be certain that the land-jade sinew the other party purchased is intended as a weapon? Perhaps it's merely a raw material they intend to use for crafting special spiritual artifacts. There's been a steady influx of external body-builders into An Yuan City lately, many of whom are exceptionally formidable. Though we're not weak ourselves, we'd still be wise not to rush things. After all, I only have one life to spare." "As long as we're careful with our spending, it'll be enough to keep us alive," the thin man said with confidence, as if he already had a clear plan in mind. "That makes sense. According to the agreement between the Three Emperors and the Seven Dragon Kings, cultivators at the Jading level and above are not allowed to assist the major cities in defending against the wave of beasts. If the city leaders want to save their cities, who else can they rely on besides us, the Body-Forgers?" Hearing this, the bearded man also brightened up. "You see that, good. In fact, the agreement is somewhat reciprocal—there won't be any high-level, fifth-tier or higher beasts among the herds. It's actually hard to say who truly benefits from this arrangement." The thin man paused, reflecting. The bearded man also fell silent, thinking. Not long after, the two gathered up the items on the ground and stepped out of the alley, blending into the crowd on the street.