". The "Taiyi Silver Spirit Mushroom" mentioned only in legends among humans—turns out it truly exists. It's said that consuming it causes a layer of silver-spirit scales to grow on one's body, making it impervious to blades, arrows, water, and fire. That must be why these beasts are so eager. Yet in terms of defensive power, it falls far short of the Jade Resolve. To me, it's rather underwhelming! Still, I'm certain it would be a hit with mid-tier body-builders." Han Li murmured softly, flipping his hand and suddenly producing a jade shovel about the size of a palm. He bowed slightly, lifting the silver spirit mushroom from the ground, admired it for a moment, then took out a jade box to store it. Such legendary herbs, long extinct in the human realm, he had collected quite a few since entering the Sunset Tomb. Yet, with his current perspective, most of them—except for a few—were no more useful than the Taiyi Silver Spirit Mushroom. It's quite natural to think so. Truly valuable items for Yuan-Shen stage cultivators are likely beyond the reach of ordinary beings from the Human and Spirit-Beast clans. As for the special products from the Sunset Tomb, they are extremely scarce, growing in deeply hidden locations and requiring painstaking searches—like fishing for needles in a haystack. Thus, the Sunset Tomb rarely sees Yuan-Shen cultivators in its ordinary days, with the highest ranks typically being the eighth-level Spirit-Beast beasts of the Clan or Yuan-Ying cultivators from the Human Clan. Beyond the Three Realms and the Seven Spirit-Beast Territories, in the vast, truly wild world stretching endlessly, one finds countless heavenly materials and earthly treasures—so diverse that even the most seasoned observers can barely identify a fraction of them. Some are so extraordinary that they can awaken the celestial and terrestrial roots in ordinary mortals or enable low-level cultivators to advance to the next stage overnight. Yet, despite their widespread appeal, cultivators who have not yet attained Yuan-Ying stage should still remain within the territories of the Human and Spirit-Beast clans. For in this wild realm, countless beings possess powers comparable to those of the Perfected and the Subtle Realization stages, and the various astonishing natural disasters are truly breathtaking. Advancement to the Yuan Ying stage merely signifies that one has acquired the basic survival capabilities in such a wilderness—whether one can truly find satisfactory spiritual herbs still depends on individual fortune and ability. Once one reaches Yuan Ying stage, however, the pace of cultivation becomes astonishingly slow. Unless one ventures beyond to seek out useful resources from the outside world, one tends to remain stagnant at this level, ultimately either living out one's days in retirement or succumbing to successive waves of celestial calamities. Thus, every year, numerous high-ranking beings from both human and spirit races leave the Three Realms and Seven Lands to enter the wild realm. Regardless of whether they succeed in finding what they need, only a fraction—less than one-third—manage to return. The losses are indeed severe! This situation leaves the senior echelons of both human and spirit races deeply frustrated. Yet, to preserve the number of elite members within the clan, they had to allow this to happen. Han Li was aware of several related matters and had long been curious and eager about that remote, wild ancient realm. Had it not been for his current state of complete loss of magical power, he might have intended to venture out there himself. Now, after stretching his limbs, Han Li immediately prepared to leave the area. But at that moment, a soft sound came from among the nearby bushes, and suddenly a yellow figure flashed into view, materializing ten or so zhang away—revealing a small, delicate form. "Ah!" Han Li was startled at first, but upon recognizing the true nature of the yellow figure, his face lit up with delight. It was the small creature that had once granted him enlightenment! The creature had appeared unexpectedly at this very spot, appearing agitated, its fur muddy and disheveled, looking quite distressed. After a moment of surprise, Han Li found himself questioning its sudden appearance. The creature, upon seeing Han Li, seemed to recognize him as well, and likewise paused, startled. But immediately, the beast surged forward, shooting off like a bowstring toward the other side, showing no intention to pause or attend to Han Li. Han Li, having finally caught sight of the creature, could not allow it to leave so easily. With no hesitation, he merely shook his sleeve, and instantly a silver cord shot forth, coiling like a silver serpent straight toward the small beast. Upon seeing this, the small creature was furious, yet forced to gently sway in midair before suddenly dissolving into a shimmering outline, causing the silver serpent to soar past and miss its mark. As a result, the small beast's movement was momentarily delayed. And just as this slight pause occurred, a flash of white light erupted nearby, from which a slender white sword shot out, then unexpectedly transformed into a luminous white arch, appearing precisely in front of the creature as it attempted to flee. The white light settled, and the sword instantly materialized into a figure only a few inches tall, dressed in a white robe, with a pale complexion—gender indistinct—and silently gazing coldly at the small beast. It was strange. As soon as the small creature saw this small human, its body jolted and twisted, instantly settling its four limbs to the ground, then bending its front toward the earth, with all the fur on its back standing upright—like it was facing a great threat. "Ling race!" exclaimed Han Li upon seeing the small human. Without hesitation, he suddenly moved, transforming into a shimmering silhouette and shooting backward. Over the past several decades since arriving in the Ling realm, Han Li had become well-acquainted with the several rival races adjacent to the human race. The Ling race capable of taking humanoid form were already at the level of Ling generals—capable of matching human cultivators at the Wushen stage in strength. If Han Li had been at full power, he might have chosen to observe and wait. But under current circumstances, he naturally had no choice but to move as far as possible. As Han Li moved, the small human turned its gaze and immediately looked toward him, while simultaneously sending out a surge of spiritual awareness. Upon discovering a human cultivator specializing in physical refinement, the young man sneezed with a disdainful snort, then casually flicked his fingers several times toward Han Li. "Pffft!" A few soft sounds followed as five slender white filaments shot out, vanishing almost instantly, only to fade away in a sudden shimmer. "Sword filaments," Han Li immediately recognized the substance, his heart suddenly stirred with alarm. He reached out with one hand, and a black lance materialized in his grasp. With a loud cry, he poured all his strength into the lance and sharply snapped the shaft forward. A strange roar erupted, and a brilliant black aura burst forth, completely shielding Han Li. At the same moment, the five sword filaments unexpectedly appeared before him, colliding directly into the black aura. Though the black aura seemed overwhelmingly powerful, it immediately emitted a series of crackling sounds upon contact with the filaments, being effortlessly torn apart as the white filaments flashed in and out. The lance, now appearing as fragile as clay, cracked and splintered piece by piece, and within moments, only half of it remained! Five strands of sword energy flashed directly toward Han Li. Han Li murmured in dismay, moving his hand and sending the half-length spear shaft shooting out as a streak of dark light. At the same time, he roared, and the gray battle armor he wore shimmered briefly, then transformed into a swirling gray mist that detached itself and surged forward to meet the sword strands. Then, he clenched his fists tightly, radiating a brilliant golden light, and instantly reached the peak of the Seventh Layer of the Diamond Technique. At this moment, Han Li, like a ghost, flickered several times and in an instant vanished twenty paces away. After one final leap, his figure disappeared into the underbrush, leaving no trace. Only then did the gray cloud burst apart, shattering into a small, unknown plate about the size of a fingernail, scattering in all directions. The five strands of sword energy finally became visible. The white figure floating in the sky paused, startled. As he was about to act, a sudden surge of stern determination flashed across his face, when the small creature opposite turned its eyes rapidly and suddenly blurred, transforming into dozens of identical translucent images that shot off in every direction. "Where are they going!" The figure, now completely focused on the fleeing beasts, could not ignore Han Li. With a thunderous roar of anger, he spun swiftly in midair, launching countless white sword streams that converged densely upon the scattered forms of the creatures. For a moment, the piercing cold of the sword energy weaved through the lower air, creating a formidable and impressive display. As a result, except for a small creature whose strange twist of form allowed it to evade several sword attacks, all the other beast silhouettes were severed. The white figure, seemingly intent on capturing the small creature, merely raised a hand and with a single gesture, the sword attacks instantly dispersed and vanished. Meanwhile, the figure himself sneered, leaping forward and transforming into a streak of silver light, rushing straight toward the fleeing creature. The creature, having suffered a major defeat at the hands of this spiritual race being, dared not turn around to meet the attack, but instead swiftly transformed into a yellow blur and fled toward the distance—its speed nearly twice that of Han Li. The white figure, determined to secure the creature, spun his small sword once and launched after it with equal urgency, matching the creature's pace precisely. In a matter of moments, both the creature and the sword vanished without a trace. After an indeterminate length of time, a figure appeared suddenly behind a nearby massive tree—Han Li himself, appearing there in a most unexpected manner. It turned out that although Luo Yan's steps were strange, Han Li's speed simply couldn't evade the pursuit of the Ling race. So he decided to take a risk and employed a human-world tactic, hiding himself nearby. He wagered that the small creature would surely escape at that moment, and that the Ling race warrior would have no time to attend to him, immediately turning to follow the creature. Of course, his prediction proved incorrect—should the warrior actually come to pursue, Han Li would have one hand gripping a Shengxian Pearl in each, and would not hesitate to deliver a decisive blow. Fortunately, everything had indeed gone as he had anticipated. This Ling race warrior had come specifically for the small creature, and showed no concern whatsoever for Han Li, a mere Body-Forger cultivator. Han Li watched the small sword fly off in its direction, his expression dark and composed. At the same time, he felt a growing sense of unease about the unexpected presence of a Ling General-level cultivator here. Could something significant be about to unfold, something he was unaware of? He found himself wondering.