Though Han Li did not utter all his words, Xu Laoqiu naturally understood his intent, and with a slightly furrowed brow, asked, "Precisely, what kind of treasures would you like to exchange? Even if I don't have them myself, I am confident that with my wide network of connections, I can surely help you find what you seek." Upon hearing this, Han Li remained silent, pondering. He could not possibly be without something he wished for. After all, the rare materials needed by Qingyuan Zi were quite numerous. Yet precisely because of this, he found it difficult to bring up his request. It would be natural to exchange the True Lion's essence for a few items—indeed, he found that somewhat unwise. But if he asked for many more materials, Xu Laoqiu might suspect he was taking advantage of the current situation, and their relationship might suffer as a result. For the true value of the True Lion's essence was only known to him personally. He could not openly convey this to Xu Laoqiu. "Master Xu, the items I require are quite rare and hard to find, even with your extensive resources. Perhaps it would be better if I simply refrain from mentioning them." As for the primordial qi of the heavens and earth... Han Li sighed lightly, still displaying a hesitating expression. Seeing Han Li thus at a loss, Xu, the old sage, also found his own face shifting between concern and uncertainty. Yet, after glancing at the young man behind him, he suddenly bit his lip and produced from his sleeve another jade box of deep blue hue. With a serious expression, he said, "Han brother, please take a closer look at this item. Its value is actually greater than that of the previous offerings. However, this item is one that even our senior elder in the clan would need—it was originally intended for him, and I had hoped to present it to him in exchange for some additional favor from another sect. But now, for the sake of this younger disciple, I have had to set aside these plans. I trust that even if this item is not exactly what you seek, it will still adequately compensate for your losses." Hearing Xu's words, Han Li found nothing surprising at all. If it were his own request, he would certainly not have presented the most precious item at the very beginning. As for the items the other claimed the elders of his clan required, they were likely merely casual references, made as a pretext—something he wouldn't take too seriously. Thus, Han Li nodded calmly, raising his hand and gently reaching out to seize the blue jade box with a gesture. As his fingers first touched the box, a strange coldness surged through him, causing him to be momentarily startled. The box appeared to be crafted from a rare kind of spiritual jade, exceptionally cold—its chill even surpassing that of the xuan jade he was familiar with. Han Li now found the contents of the box of interest. With a slight movement of his fingers, the lid of the box slowly opened. A flash of golden light revealed an object within—somewhat resembling crystal, a deep crimson metal about the size of a clenched fist, glowing with a brilliant, golden sheen. Han Li's eyes flickered with surprise, as though he recognized its origin, yet hesitated to believe what he saw. Suddenly, he flipped his palm over, and with a flash of cold light, a slender, pale-white short sword appeared in his hand. The sword was only half a foot long, though it gleamed with a cold, sharp luster—it clearly was merely an ordinary artifact. With a simple motion of his wrist, Han Li sent the short sword shooting forward as a beam of white light into the jade box. Instantly, the tip of the sword struck the deep red metal inside the box. A stunning sight unfolded. Without a sound! As soon as the tip of the sword made contact with the red metal, the entire sword seemed to melt like a candle, dissolving into a thin trail of green vapor and vanishing into thin air. "The essence of Inflamed Gold! You've truly found this rare material," Han Li said, his face pale and his voice slightly dry. "Your keen eye, Master Xu! This essence of Inflamed Gold is the highest-grade material used in crafting fire-based artifacts. Even ordinary artifacts gain a natural fire-based ability simply by incorporating a small amount. Even if your consumable treasures are exceptionally precious, this single item alone should be sufficient to compensate for them." Master Xu gazed at the blue jade box in Han Li's hands and spoke slowly. "Are you truly determined to proceed this way?" This refined essence of the flaming gold—indeed, I find it quite useful. Yet, given how rare this item is, I won't let Brother Xu feel shortchanged. Thus, I shall add an additional five hundred thousand spiritual stones as compensation—effectively half-buying, half-exchanging." The surprise gradually faded from Han Li's face, and after a moment's thought, he suddenly smiled and said. "Very well, everything shall follow Han Brother's suggestion." Originally feeling quite strained after offering his precious essence of flaming gold, Xu, the old master, now felt a noticeable easing in his demeanor upon hearing Han Li's words. He nodded and readily agreed. To him, though the essence of flaming gold were rare, it still paled in comparison to the promising future of his esteemed disciple. "But I wonder, Han Brother, what exactly you referred to as the precious item?" Xu glanced at Han Li, who had merely flipped his hand and neatly closed the jade box, and gently inquired. "Xu Brother, please take this bag of spiritual stones first. Then simply wait at the summit. I will immediately activate the item and summon the celestial phenomena once again. All you need to do is gather the vital energy at the mountain top." Han Li chuckled and explained, then brushed his hand over the storage bracelet, instantly pulling out a bag of spiritual stones and tossing it to Xu, the old sage. "Very well, I shall await your good news on the mountain," Xu said, clearly surprised that Han Li had so promptly and efficiently fulfilled the transaction. He first paused, then beamed with delight. Immediately, he rose to bid farewell, taking the young man with him and heading straight for the mountain peak. Han Li saw them vanish into the shimmering light at the entrance and could no longer contain his excitement, a gentle smile spreading across his lips. "Such swift acquisition of the essence of Injin Gold! Combined with the Golden Mucus Crystals and Blood Apricot I previously obtained, the primary materials for refining the Buddha-Saint's true magical form are now complete. All that remains is to gather the remaining auxiliary materials, and then I can begin the process of solidifying the form—giving it a tangible body," Han Li murmured softly, his eyes brightening slightly. Then he closed the stone gate, returned to his abode, and headed straight for the main hall. What followed was remarkably simple. Han Li once again released Ti Hun and extracted a true Lian essence crystal from its body, deliberately wrapping it in spiritual flame to refine it. Once again, the very same scene as the day before unfolded. The crystal transformed into a beam of golden light, piercing straight through the roof and shooting upward, where it plunged into the mountain peak, creating a stunning celestial phenomenon that stirred the surrounding primordial energies. Xu, the old sage who had been waiting at the summit since early on, naturally rejoiced and immediately summoned his crimson gourd from his waist, transforming it into a fiery dragon that surged upward with great momentum. Yet within just a brief moment, the seemingly dramatic celestial display vanished entirely, and the primordial energies of the heavens were completely drawn off by the fire dragon. The entire process was even faster than the previous time, and it barely stirred the other ethnic cultivators within the spiritual mountain. After restoring the fire dragon into the gourd, Xue Lao Gui happily took the young man back to his cave dwelling. Upon observing the entire scene through a bronze mirror in the hall of the dwelling, Han Li smiled and immediately halted his secret technique, then folded the mirror away. With a mere mental command to the young attendant, he departed the dwelling once again. This time, Han Li personally visited several major material stores in Yun City, spending a substantial sum of celestial stones—amounting to a truly astronomical figure—and acquired thirty-plus different materials before returning to his dwelling. This was fortunate, as Yun City was one of the top-tier megacities under Tianyun; otherwise, several less common materials might have been difficult to source in other cities. Just半个月 after Han Li returned to the inner chamber and began his meditation, a rare and largely unknown event unfolded in Yun City, causing the already stringent city defenses at the city gates to grow even more rigorous. The number of patrol personnel throughout the city has suddenly increased nearly double. Some newcomers who have recently arrived in the city have been approached by enigmatic figures and subjected to extremely thorough investigations. Among them, several individuals with questionable identities have mysteriously vanished from the world altogether. A young man in a white robe, about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, stood there, while the woman was an elderly matron with a head of golden hair, deeply etched with wrinkles that made it difficult for her even to open her eyes. The matron was tolerable enough. But if Han Li took a closer look at the young man in the white robe, he would surely be startled. For this young man was none other than the young master from the previous four-tribe auction, a senior cultivator of the Wang family. Yet now, his face was as still as water, and his entire body exuded an inexplicable, eerie stillness. "It has been this many days, and still no trace of any member from the Jiaochi tribe has been found. It seems he must have either vanished far away or is hidden somewhere deep within your territory—someplace you simply cannot reach. White Friend, it has been your Water-Meiling clan that has been handling this matter continuously. What do you think?" the young man suddenly turned to the one standing beside him, his voice cold and measured. To his surprise, the visitor was a man dressed in a rich crimson robe, with completely white hair yet a face that looked youthful. Upon hearing the young man from the Weng family's question, his expression grew slightly uneasy, yet he quickly rose and bowed slightly, responding: "Weng Senior, I have already mobilized all our clan members proficient in the arts. Nearly every person entering Yun City over the past half-year has been thoroughly examined. In fact, I've even identified hundreds of agents sent by other clans operating within Tianyun. Yet the member from the Jiao Chi clan who entered the Hall of the Supernatural Officials remains completely absent. I believe he has truly left Yun City. Otherwise, he would surely have escaped our rigorous scrutiny."