Han Li glanced curiously at the items on the stall. The stalk among the two displayed an extremely thin wood qi, yet it was saturated with a powerful lightning attribute—so strong that it seemed as though the entire stalk had been condensed from lightning. This was quite astonishing. It reminded him immediately of the Tian Lei Bamboo from his early days. Yet even the golden lightning bamboo, which had a ten-thousand-year attribute, did not exhibit such a vigorous and intense lightning energy—the Divine Exorcising Lightning was usually deeply contained and restrained. As for the blood-colored crystal, it emitted a strong fishy aroma, reminiscent of some beast's inner essence, though he could not yet identify its specific origin. Han Li found the stalk particularly interesting, but after a while, he simply remained still and moved on, heading toward the next stall. The next stall was set up by a creature of the spirit race, before which stood a dark, roughly the size of a human head, mineral stone that exuded a piercing coldness. ……Thus, Han Li walked slowly, passing by each stall in turn. Whenever he encountered something unfamiliar or particularly interesting, he would pause, carefully examining it. Yet throughout the entire process, he said not a single word, appearing entirely oblivious to the stall owners. Soon, Han Li had inspected every stall, and felt a subtle sense of disappointment. Though each item on display was rare and valuable, none truly captured his interest. Several of the items, though originating from the remote wilderness, were quite obscure and useful only to specific groups of people. As Han Li scanned the surroundings, hesitating whether to decide to leave the Taixuan Hall, a sudden sound of footsteps came from behind—someone was approaching him. The faint shimmer of white mist on his body shifted slightly, and suddenly, Han Li found himself facing backward, causing the person who had just arrived to pause, seemingly surprised by the speed and clarity of Han Li’s reaction. This was a member of the demonic race, completely enveloped in dark energy, with a slender build. He appraised Han Li from head to toe. However, both of them were veiled by secret arts, so beyond their faint, blurred outlines, neither could discern any specific details. "Shall I offer any suggestions?" Han Li spoke calmly. "Have you not found anything suitable?" the demonic being asked, her voice pleasant and melodious—clearly a woman. "Indeed, there is nothing here that I particularly admire. What prompted your question?" Han Li replied. "It seems you are visiting the Taixuan Hall for the first time. In truth, aside from the items openly displayed, the truly valuable exchanges between our two clans are made privately, one-on-one, without public announcement." The woman spoke with composed ease. "Why is that? Wouldn't it be easier to find suitable buyers if the items were publicly presented?" Han Li furrowed his brow. "You truly don't know, or are you deliberately pretending to be ignorant! Truly valuable items, even when concealed behind light-shielding sashes and Mi Yun banners, are still easily noticed and remembered by others. Moreover, some things are so delicate that they're simply unsuitable for being known by many. Well, then, let's cut to the chase—do you actually wish to exchange items with me?" The female demon seemed slightly impatient, her voice now a bit colder. "As long as you truly have something of value, I am more than willing to exchange. But, why have you come to me specifically?" Han Li readily agreed, yet suddenly asked a follow-up question. "This is quite straightforward. The way you've been carefully examining the items displayed here suggests you're a newcomer to Tianyuan City. Though your cultivation level is limited, your keen observation reveals you to be a Hua Shen cultivator—exactly the kind of person I'm looking for. Besides, you're not the first person I've approached with this intention." Let me share what I have that would be suitable for our elven race. Besides my personal belongings, I've also been entrusted with numerous items for fellow members of the clan, facilitating exchanges among them. So, if my friend has anything valuable, please go ahead and present it. The elven lady spoke with complete ease and composure. Upon hearing this, Han Li couldn't help but give a light, gentle smile. "Regarding items suitable for noble households, I certainly have several. Yet, perhaps you might first share with me what you have at your disposal." "Hmph! My inventory includes everything—from medicinal herbs and raw materials to your human clan's talismans and ancient relics. What do you wish for?" the elven lady scoffed. "Regarding finished talismans and artifacts, I have no particular interest. However, I am quite eager for certain materials. Specifically, do you happen to have the genuine true frog creature's spiritual blood? I currently find myself in urgent need of it." Han Li's eyes sparkled as he asked. "True frog spirit blood? Hah! Your friend truly knows how to select the right things." The True Frog Juice is not only beneficial to your human race, but also of great value to our fairy race—no one would trade it at the Taixuan Hall. The fairy woman was startled by this, but quickly shook her head in disagreement. "If that's the case, then do we have the following items—golden grass over five thousand years old..." Han Li, undeterred by her scorn, immediately listed all the materials missing from the other prescriptions. As she spoke, the fairy woman's expression grew increasingly grim, and only after Han Li finished did she sigh and say with displeasure, "Forget it. These materials that enhance cultivation are rare even in the wild, and we fairies are equally in need of them. Even if we have them, we would never trade them to your human race." "My friend, there's no need to rush. I don't necessarily require the finished medicinal herbs. Even the seeds or young shoots of these herbs would be highly valuable to me, and I am willing to pay a substantial price for them." "Heard this, Han Li was not disappointed but calmly added, 'If that's the case, it's not necessarily impossible to find. However, it would still be quite troublesome, and I currently don't have any.'" The fairy of the demonic race hesitated slightly and did not immediately refuse. "Should I truly manage to gather this item, I will certainly come back to you and exchange it with you." Han Li was delighted. "Indeed, this is something I can only try. After all, rare wild herbs from the remote wilderness—seedlings and young plants are especially scarce—few people are willing to sell them. However, should I actually find these, what would you like to offer me in return? As for spirit stones, I'd rather you skip them. Even high-grade spirit stones, I'm not lacking." The fairy spoke with dignified confidence. Hearing this, Han Li's expression remained composed, yet his lips moved slightly, and then he whispered a few words. "Wait—do you really have a thousand-year-old medicinal herb?" The woman in the dark aura stirred slightly, her tone suddenly filled with astonishment. "As long as my friend can find what I need, I will naturally be able to offer such a spiritual item," said Han Li with a gentle smile. "With such precious herbs, wouldn't you rather prepare your elixirs yourself instead of exchanging them with me?" After a moment of surprise, the fairy-people woman grew doubtful again. "I'd rather you not ask too many questions about my matters. Should you find it suitable, simply gather what I need. When I return next time, I'll exchange directly with you. This herb shall serve as my deposit." Han Li spoke with a more serious tone, then gently brushed his hand over his storage bracelet, flipped his palm, and a wooden chest about half a foot long appeared in his hand before being casually tossed forward. The fairy-people woman in the dark aura was momentarily stunned, instinctively grasping the chest tightly, her face shifting between expressions of surprise and uncertainty, and then opening a narrow crease to swiftly scan the contents with her spiritual awareness. A soft, slightly surprised murmured sound was heard as the woman carefully examined the contents of the wooden box for a long time before slowly closing it, her expression instantly growing serious. "Really, you intend to use this as a down payment? Are you not afraid that I might take the items and never return?" the female demon asked coldly. "It's merely a three-thousand-year-old rare herb! First, I believe, given your standing, you wouldn't act so unkindly. Second, this serves as proof that I am genuinely committed to making this business transaction work. As long as you can fulfill your promise and find what I've requested, I will certainly honor my commitment to deliver the herbs you've agreed upon." Han Li replied calmly. "It seems you do have some sincerity. However, the items you seek will certainly not be available within the short term. Give me several years, and I will gather at least two or three suitable ones for you." The woman didn't hesitate, flipping her hand and neatly setting the wooden box aside, speaking with confidence. "Very well. Then Han Li shall await your favorable news." Han Li was equally pleased, and bowed slightly with both hands. To him, such a thousand-year-old elixir was far from rare—offering it to gain the other's trust was nothing at all. Moreover, he was confident that his promise of a ten-thousand-year elixir would fully convince this fully-formed immortal beast to dedicate himself entirely to seeking what he needed. For Han Li, who had always preferred to remain unobtrusive among the human cultivators, this was precisely the ideal strategy. The immortal female nodded and then turned to depart without further words. Han Li, his eyes slightly narrowed, watched the slender figure emerging faintly from the dark mist, and then also turned to walk toward the entrance, as if intending to leave the grand hall right then. Yet, when he reached the first human cultivator's stall, his gaze briefly swept over the jade-green branch, and his steps instinctively halted. After a moment's hesitation, he turned and walked toward it. "Could you kindly tell me the origin of this item, friend?" Han Li walked up to the stall and asked calmly, simultaneously reaching out with one hand to grasp the slender green branch, which he then gently stroked. "Origin? This piece of spirit wood was personally witnessed by me—when a heavenly lightning bolt struck a previously dead spiritual tree, causing it to sprout and grow into this section of spirit wood. I'm not entirely sure about its specific origin or purpose." A hoarse, elderly voice emerged from among the white mist, indicating that the stall owner was an elder. "Lightning forming wood—this is quite interesting," Han Li said, examining the branch repeatedly with one hand, murmuring to himself. "Heh, indeed rare. But I must confess to my friend, the lightning energy contained within is exceptionally powerful—so potent that it cannot be forcibly absorbed or refined within the body, nor can it be used for crafting tools or artifacts. I'll have to see if any of the beast-folk are interested. Shall I take this item, my friend?" The elder chuckled warmly.