"Master Qingyuan, is this truly the case?" the elder blinked. "Indeed, Master Jinyan's冥河之乳have been exchanged by me for other items. Brother Xuling, it seems the spiritual milk has no effect upon you. Moreover, don't the noble houses already possess vast stores of it? Others may find it difficult to draw upon, but given your status, shouldn't it be a matter of ease?" Master Qingyuan asked, equally astonished. "Firstly, I have not sought these spiritual milks for personal consumption; rather, I have other purposes in mind. Secondly, the quantity of spiritual milk stored within our Fuyou clan, though substantial, has been significantly depleted—far less than you might imagine. The remaining reserves have already been drawn upon and consumed. That is why we have come here, seeking them so earnestly. I have managed to secure some from others, but still, it is insufficient. Therefore, Master Qingyuan, regardless of your purpose for acquiring these spiritual milks, I am willing to offer twice their value in exchange." The elder said, his tone becoming increasingly serious. Upon hearing this, Qingyuan Zi's face slightly darkened, and he began to ponder. Han Li remained calm on the side, yet his heart suddenly quickened several times. Jin Yan, however, clasped his hands and smiled calmly at both Qingyuan Zi and the elder, appearing completely unconcerned. "Though my temper may not be the most pleasant, I would never do something unworthy of a senior to a young upstart. But if he himself wishes to offer it to me, then you should no longer stand in my way, should you?" The elder yawned, his eyes flashing yellow light as he spoke. "As long as the young friend, Han, is willing, I shall certainly not interfere." The Qingyuan Master replied firmly. "Then that's settled!" The elder nodded with satisfaction, then turned his gaze again to carefully examine Han once more, his expression bright and cheerful. "Senior, regarding those elixirs..." Seeing the elder's demeanor, Han, somewhat nervous, bowed and prepared to explain. "There's no need for any words! Though I may be demanding, I will never treat you as a junior. Even if I require the elixirs from your hands, I shall have you present them willingly and fully." The elder waved his hand confidently, cutting off Han's words mid-sentence. Then, with a swift motion of his sleeve, a ripple of black mist surged before him, and several jade vials of varying sizes appeared on the table. "The elixirs stored in these vials are all the ones I've collected over the past several years—specially potent pills that can refine a cultivator's stage of fusion. With such a large quantity, their value exceeds even a single vial of Yinhe Milk. For every vial of Yinhe Milk you have, I will provide you with as many elixirs as that number." The elder chuckled warmly. Although Qingyuan Zi and Jinyan Hou generally wouldn't need these elixirs, they were both surprised by this generous offer. Indeed, any single vial of these elixirs, when presented outside, would surely command the attention of countless fusion-stage cultivators. When gathered in such abundance, their collective value truly surpasses that of just a few vials of Yinhe Milk. The elder handled the offering with ease, producing dozens of vials without even seeming to notice, which caused Qingyuan and Jinyan to turn their gaze toward Han Li. Upon seeing the elixirs, Han Li was momentarily taken aback, yet he didn't display any visible delight. Instead, his expression grew somewhat unusual. After a brief pause, Han Li raised his arm and extended his palm, reaching out toward the empty space across from him One of the small vials suddenly flew into his hands with a whoosh, and he promptly opened the lid, pouring out a jade-colored pill. Han Li held the pill carefully, examining it closely. "This is the Qing Ying Pill, a sacred herb of the Qinghai clan. Taking just one pill allows one to achieve the same level of cultivation as one would normally attain in a month less than usual. Among all the pills I've brought, this one is only average to above-average." The Xuling elder, seeing Han Li's attentive demeanor, stroked the sparse beard on his chin and nodded thoughtfully. Clearly, he was deeply proud of having gathered so many pills at the combined stage. "Your pills are indeed exceedingly rare, but I fear I cannot trade my Ling Nu for any of them," Han Li said, gazing at the jade-colored pill in his hands and then glancing at the other vials on the table across from him, before shaking his head with a smile. "What? Do you think my pills are counterfeit?" The elder was first startled, then immediately grew furious. Qingyuan and Jin Yan exchanged glances, yet their expressions now differed. "Never in my life have I thought of such a thing," Han Li hurried to explain. "Without being too presumptuous, I already possess a number of refined elixirs that have advanced my cultivation. Therefore, even though your herbs are excellent, they simply don't offer me much benefit." "Already have elixirs! What kind of elixirs are you using—can they possibly surpass mine?" The elder was first startled, then grew increasingly skeptical. Upon hearing this, Han Li sighed inwardly and could only add, "How could I deceive you with empty words? If you still doubt, then please take a look at my elixirs." As soon as he finished speaking, he flipped his sleeve and palm, and with a flash of luminous light, a small jade vial appeared in his hand. He then shook it gently and tossed it directly to the elder. Though the elder still looked unconvinced, the composed manner of Han Li gradually made him hesitate, unsure of whether to believe or not. He caught the bottle in one hand. As he just opened the lid, a fresh, invigorating fragrance immediately filled his senses. The elder's face changed instantly, and instead of rushing to pour out the pill, he gently tilted the bottle toward his nose and inhaled deeply. In the next moment, his expression grew uncertain and fluctuated. "Master Xuling, as a master of alchemical medicine, could it be that the medicine prepared by Han Xiao has some issue?" Jin Yan, being indifferent to the matter, asked directly out of curiosity. "The medicine itself is flawless, though the aroma seems rather unusual," the elder shook his head briefly before opening the lid and pouring out a pill the size of a thumb. The pill was a deep crimson throughout, adorned with golden patterns running across its surface, and its inner glow shimmered and shifted constantly, as though it were alive. "This... this is the *Shi Xian Pill*. There's no mistake—how is it that you've found the *Shi Toxin Immortal Grass*, a plant that has long since vanished from the world? "The elder, no stranger to the impending ordeal of a great being, merely glanced at the crimson pill and was suddenly astonished. 'Is it truly made from the Eroding Toxin Grass?' Hearing this, Jin Yan Hou, who had been seated calmly, sprang to his feet, his expression now filled with great excitement. Qing Yuan Zi's eyes flashed, and he too showed a touch of surprise. The elder did not immediately speak further. Instead, after carefully examining the pill once again, he placed it back into the vial with solemnity and, without a word, tossed the vial directly to Han Li. 'Since it's the Eroding Immortal Pill, its potency far surpasses the medicinal herbs I possess. You've indeed not deceived me. Yet, to have discovered the Eroding Toxin Immortal Grass and successfully refined this pill—such a feat speaks of great fortune. Indeed, even for beings at the stage of Great Enlightenment, this Eroding Toxin Immortal Grass holds considerable value.' The elder nodded, speaking to Han Li with clear intent." "The junior disciple only knows that this herb can be used to prepare pills beneficial to cultivators at the Consolidated Stage. I hadn't realized it could also be of use to those at the Great Achievement Stage. I hope the elder could kindly share some insights!" Upon hearing this, Han Li nodded in thought and bowed deeply to the elder. "This isn't exactly something to keep secret. If one extracts the toxic properties of the Eroding Herb and consumes it directly during the Great Achievement Stage, the strong stimulation from the toxin may offer a certain chance to break through the current bottleneck. However, this method is extremely risky—should one make a single misstep, they might indeed succumb to the poison. Moreover, regardless of whether the breakthrough succeeds, significant depletion of vital energy is unavoidable. It's essentially a self-sacrificing approach. The main issue, though, is that the probability of success through this method is quite low, making it truly not worth the effort! Nevertheless, if one genuinely feels that no hope of breaking through the bottleneck exists, and if the next lightning calamity is also beyond reach, then it might be worth attempting a final, desperate effort." Yet the amount of this rare herb required to distill a single, one-dose Eroding Toxic Immortal Elixir was truly astonishing—rarely had anyone achieved this before. After glancing at Qingyuanzi and Jinyanhou, the elder chuckled warmly. Qingyuanzi smiled slightly, his expression calm and unremarkable. Jinyanhou, however, his eyes flickering, showed a touch of hesitation. "Well, since you're not lacking in medicinal preparations, I'll exchange with you for a few of my artifacts. Take your pick—any three you'd like!" As soon as the elder finished speaking, his large sleeve suddenly fluttered upward into the sky. The sleeve's glow burst forth in a dazzling flash, instantly expanding several times in size. Then, accompanied by a resonant hum, a steady stream of various treasures surged forth from the sleeve, flowing out in a continuous wave, numbering in the hundreds. Some of the treasures radiated an dazzling brilliance, others resonated with continuous, resonant chimes, while a few seemed to shimmer and fade in and out, like a veil of clear mist... Regardless of their forms, every treasure exuded an astonishing aura, all of them clearly of the highest-tier spiritual relics—some even matched, or even surpassed, the spiritual pressure of the silver measuring rod held by Han Li. For a moment, even Han Li found himself dazzled, utterly astonished, at a loss for words.