"Oh, I've also cultivated a bit of lightning power, so I naturally find this rather intriguing. What would you like to exchange it for?" Han Li gently played with the piece of lightning wood in his hands, responding calmly. Upon hearing that Han Li truly intended to trade for willow twigs, the elder in the white mist was momentarily stunned, studying him closely before speaking in a hoarse voice: "Though I haven't yet discovered the true purpose of this lightning wood, I know its value is hard to estimate. How about this—recently, I've been refining a batch of 'Qianyuan Pills,' and I'm currently short of one kind of five-thousand-year-old rare herb, regardless of type. If you can provide me with a single specimen, then you may keep this piece of wood. Of course, if you have a top-tier spiritual stone or something of equivalent value, I would also be delighted to accept that." "How do you know I have medicinal herbs at all!" Han Li was taken aback, his expression instantly darkening. "Master need not be surprised. I have always been a bit of a prodigy in my cultivation, with a sense of smell far surpassing ordinary people. When you and the female member of the demonic clan exchanged goods earlier, the wooden box you presented released a distinct aroma—something I could detect. It appears to be a medicinal herb of about three thousand years old. To present such a rare herb so easily suggests that the presence of one from five thousand years or more is quite possible." The elder spoke in a calm, resonant tone. Han Li showed not the slightest hesitation or negotiation. With a simple gesture, a flash of white light emanated from his hand, and a rectangular wooden box materialized, which he then gently tossed to the elder. The elder was slightly surprised, having never expected Han Li to fully accept his terms so readily. He was overjoyed and immediately grasped the box, opened it to inspect its contents, then promptly closed it again. "Indeed," he said, "these are five-thousand-year-old elixirs—perfectly suited for my alchemical preparations." With that, he carefully closed the box and was exceptionally pleased. Seeing this, Han Li offered a gentle smile, then gave a slight flick of his willow branch, and the branch vanished as well. After a brief bow, he turned and walked away without further words. Before such seasoned, shrewd elders, speaking too much often meant losing one's advantage. After leaving the Taixuan Hall, Han Li wandered through the rest of the marketplace. Yet, with his unparalleled celestial treasures and countless medicinal herbs, how could he easily be persuaded to make purchases in these shops? Within a few hours, he returned to the towering stone pagoda. As soon as Han Li stepped into the tranquil chamber of the small team's hall, he raised his hand and cast a spell upon the stone door, temporarily activating the chamber's seal to prevent any interruptions. Yet even thus, Han Li still felt uneasy. With a swift motion, several beams of varying colors shot out, flickered briefly, and then vanished without trace into the four corners of the chamber. Then, with both hands pressing a series of gestures, a translucent, silvery veil materialized on the stone walls, completely blocking any possibility of observation. Only then did Han Li feel at ease, settling cross-legged upon the cushion. With a simple gesture of his hand, the lightning-wood stick—about half a foot long—appeared in his grasp. The stick was only as thick as his thumb, with an unusually vivid green hue, and fine, delicate patterns resembling spirals running across its surface, drawing the viewer's gaze deeply into its intricate details. Previously, in the Taixuan Hall, he had not paid close attention to it. Now, with his eyes closed, he gently traced the surface of the stem with his fingers, inch by inch. The electric power beneath the spirit wood was wildly turbulent, yet somehow managed to solidify into the present form—something truly astonishing. As he pondered this, he reopened his eyes and began slowly channeling a stream of spiritual energy into the branches. However, as soon as he introduced a single pulse of energy, the branches gently trembled, and an immediate counterforce emerged, pushing the energy back. A moment of surprise flashed through Han Li's mind, and the glow on his hands gradually intensified, becoming sharply brilliant. Amid the trembling, the branches began to emit a faint white light, interweaving and flickering with the vibrant green glow from Han Li's hands, yet clearly incompatible with it. After a while, a subtle hum began to resonate between the two lights. Han Li furrowed his brows, then swept his hand forward, causing the green glow on his palm to dissipate and vanish. Clearly, further increasing the flow of spiritual energy might allow him to force it into the branches, but the branches themselves might inevitably explode and be destroyed in the process. With Han Li's experience, he certainly wasn't limited to just this one method of studying the object. As soon as he grasped the branch, a series of thunderclaps rang out, and golden filaments of electricity surged forth, instantly enveloping the branch. The branch remained perfectly still, showing no unusual reaction. Han Li didn't display any signs of disappointment—had it been so easily studied, the previous owner wouldn't have treated it as a mere afterthought. Suddenly, Han Li tossed the middle section of the branch into the air, where it immediately floated suspended. With a flick of his finger aimed at the branch, a golden sword-like aura shot out and struck precisely at the center. A deep rumble echoed, and a flash of white light rippled through, cleanly severing the branch into two segments, which then gently fell to the ground. Without hesitation, Han Li extended his hand and, with a simple gesture, captured both smaller pieces in his palm. A quick glance revealed that the broken ends were a silvery-white. Han Li's eyes flashed with blue light, and as he gazed intently, he immediately realized that the supposed silvery hue was actually countless fine filaments intricately interwoven in a highly regular pattern, forming an astonishing and unusual design. Remarkably complex and refined! Without his divine vision, he would have absolutely failed to detect any anomaly. In an instant, a layer of emerald green emerged on the silvery surface at the break, instantly transforming the two broken branches into two completely independent ones. Han Li was genuinely surprised now. While controlling electric arcs and shaping lightning into forms had always been one of his strengths, refining lightning to such a fine degree and organizing it into such an unprecedented state was something he had never imagined before. The intricacy of this technique far surpassed his earlier method of transforming the Divine Exorcising Lightning into a grid and then condensing it into a sphere—by a considerable margin. The level of mental control required was absolutely extraordinary; otherwise, such a feat would have been impossible. Han Li held the two stems, lowering his head and pondering deeply. Suddenly, his gaze flashed, and with a finger he pointed at one of the stems, drawing a clear arc of space. A flash of golden light illuminated, and the stem was once again severed into two pieces within the white electric arcs. But this time, having anticipated the movement, Han Li merely moved his consciousness, and one of the segments instantly appeared directly before his eyes, its silvery cut fully exposed. Han Li's eyes glowed with a deep blue light, fixed unwaveringly on the severed surface, his expression grave. Though the cut was the same silvery hue, the patterns formed by the electric filaments on the surface were entirely different from those he had first observed. Within a short while, the cut surface was once again veiled by a layer of emerald green. Han Li then slowly closed his eyes, as if carefully contemplating something. Suddenly, he rapidly flicked his fingers, severing each stem in turn; whenever the lightning patterns repeated, he glanced at them once and then moved on; but whenever new patterns emerged, he remained motionless, intently observing. Thus, in the span of a moment, the Beijing section of the branch had been sliced into countless small pieces, scattered across the ground. When Han Li showed a look of sudden comprehension, the next stream of fine swordlight changed direction, cutting directly through the other half of the branch from its center, dividing it neatly into two even-sized pieces as silver light flashed. Observing it carefully, golden sword filaments continuously emerged, and this half of the thunderwood eventually transformed into a pile of thin, sheet-like fragments—so thin that they seemed like sheets of white paper. Despite this, the remains of the thunderwood maintained an extremely stable condition, even though they contained a terrifying and unusual power of electricity, showing no signs of eruption or activation. Suddenly, Han Li flipped his palm, and a white jade scroll appeared in his hand. Holding the scroll in one hand, he instantly replicated every single cut he had just observed, reproducing them precisely. Then, he exhaled deeply. Even with his remarkably sharp memory, it was no easy task to recall all these intricate and complex lightning patterns at once. After briefly steadying his mind, Han Li began to quietly contemplate the patterns. Without any reason, as soon as he saw them, he instantly felt confident—about seven or eight out of ten—that these very designs were the essential elements forming the essence of the lightning wood. Seated in this manner, Han Li remained motionless for a full day and night, his entire body as still as carved wood. Suddenly, a flicker passed through his eyelids, and his ten fingers snapped out with sudden force, sending a thunderous sound. A series of golden arcs shot forth, then instantly shattered into countless fine, hair-thin filaments that burst out in all directions. Han Li murmured continuously, his fingers constantly pointing and gesturing toward the air. When the filaments momentarily slowed and converged toward the center, they began weaving and interlacing in the space, forming a remarkably swift pattern—almost indistinguishable from the one he had memorized in his mind. As it was about to take final shape, a special existence resembling a golden fabric suddenly burst apart with a soft "pffft" sound. It dispersed and vanished in the thunderous roar reminiscent of a firecracker. Han Li took a deep breath, and instead of showing any disappointment, his eyes gleamed with growing excitement. He had correctly sensed a mysterious force emanating from the golden fabric at the very moment the golden patterns solidified. Unfortunately, before he could carefully examine it further, a minor error occurred during the weaving of one of the electrical filaments, causing all his efforts to be wasted. Han Li took another deep breath, then rubbed his hands together, launching a thick golden arc between them that hummed steadily with a low roar. The same fragmentation occurred once again, and countless golden filaments emerged, densely packed—now several times more numerous than before.