The vast hall was clearly divided into two distinct sections. One half resembled the typical shops of Pu, featuring rows of stone counters displaying a variety of materials and treasures. Behind each counter, ten zhang long, a young and beautiful maid stood attentively. Nearby, several men and women were browsing and selecting items. The beautiful maids occasionally smiled and offered explanations. The other half of the hall was partially obscured by a hazy, jade-colored light curtain. At the entrance to the curtain, two young attendants in green robes stood motionless. Within the curtain, several shelves were visible, bearing treasures that clearly held greater value than those outside. Han Li's brow furrowed slightly, and the strong spiritual pressure that had been suppressed within him suddenly began to radiate outward. Though only at the late stage of Lingxu, her presence was enough to make everyone in the hall instantly aware, their eyes turning toward her with expressions of reverence. At that moment, the jade-like light screen shimmered, and a female mage of the Magian race stepped out—her appearance and cultivation far surpassing that of the attendants outside. In her early to mid-twenties, dressed in a sumptuous silk robe, she carried herself with graceful elegance. With a single step, she moved several paces to stand beside Han Li, then bowed slightly and said, "Welcome, esteemed master, to Caixuan Pavilion. I am Xiao Yan, the deputy general manager of this pavilion. How may I serve you?" "Oh, then, I must have found the right place. I indeed have several items I intend to purchase in large quantities." Han Li nodded, speaking calmly. "It is a true honor that you have chosen our establishment. This isn't quite a suitable setting for conversation—please follow me to the贵宾 lounge on the second floor." Xiao Yan was delighted, quickly responding. To her, for someone of such cultivation to use the word "large quantities" was, by itself, a clear indication of a significant transaction. Han Li showed no hesitation, simply nodded and followed her down the stairs. After a short while, Han Li sat in a room adorned with exceptional elegance, sipping a fragrant, pale silver tea. The lady in silk robes stood beside him, smiling and speaking softly: "Senior, this taro tea is also a specialty of Lanpu Lake. It has the effect of calming the spirit and nourishing the mind. Even our hall receives only a few catties each year—thus, it is extremely rare." "Indeed, quite remarkable." "Only at my current level of cultivation is this effect truly negligible," Han Li said casually after sipping his tea. The lady in the brocade expressioned a look of hesitation. "Before I arrived, I did hear that Blue Cascade City strictly controls the supply of Blood-Tooth Rice—despite one's high cultivation level, one might only purchase a few grains per year. Yet, given your esteemed guild's standing, shouldn't this restriction be somewhat flexible?" asked Han Li, raising a brow. "It seems you are entirely unaware of the local production levels of Blood-Tooth Rice. Your assumption, as just stated, is quite mistaken." smiled the lady in the brocade. "I've only just arrived here, so I'm still quite unfamiliar with the details. Would you kindly explain further?" Han Li asked calmly after a brief pause. "This matter does not require confidentiality, and I'm sure it will be of no inconvenience to share it with you. Not that I'm exaggerating! While we at Cai Xuan Guild may not claim to have every kind of material or treasure, we do maintain established supply channels, which allows us to keep a steady inventory." The blood-dent rice, a specialty of this city, is entirely controlled by the city magistrate's office. Each year, we can only receive a fixed quantity according to strict regulations. Although our shop is one of the larger establishments in the city, we actually have very little of this blood-dent rice. Moreover, according to the magistrate's office's rules, every sale of this rice must be registered, and it is strictly inspected annually." The lady in silk robe stated truthfully. "Then there's truly no room for flexibility at all?" Han Li frowned, and asked again. "I'm truly sorry, but this matter lies beyond my ability. However, if the senior merely needs a few more rice grains—say, two or three—then I'll endure criticism from above and see what I can do. If the request is any larger, our shop is truly at a loss." After a moment's hesitation, the lady replied. "Heh, just two or three? If that's all, then what's the point of coming to your Caixuan Pavilion at all? Well, since you find the blood-dent rice difficult to arrange, let's now focus solely on the Yijiao Gold. How many pieces do you have, and what are the prices? Han Li chuckled and smoothly changed the subject. "Regarding the Heterogeneous Demon Gold, please rest assured—just yesterday, our guild received a batch of goods, totaling over a hundred pieces. However, I'd like to know how many pieces you need. If you require a large quantity, I can personally negotiate a slight reduction in price." The lady in the silk robe brightened at this, speaking with confidence. "A hundred or more—then take all of them." Han Li replied with a composed expression. "All of them? I didn't catch that!" The lady gasped, visibly surprised. "Are you suggesting I'm joking?" Han Li narrowed his eyes, speaking calmly. "How could I think that? Please wait a moment—I'll have someone fetch the items right away and let you inspect them first." The lady, though excited, managed to suppress her enthusiasm and offered a polite smile. "Very well. Then I'll wait here until then!" Han Li smiled slightly and nodded calmly. ... After a meal, Han Li was personally escorted out of the Cai Xuan Pavilion by the lady in rich brocade. He then stopped again at the roadside, hiring another beast carriage and instructing the driver to take him to a different large merchant house, where he settled back to meditate. Thus, over the course of the day, Han Li visited five or six major shops in succession, nearly clearing out their entire stocks of Yiji Jin, yet still found no trace of Xieda Mi. The large merchants, in unison, refused to sell him substantial quantities of Xieda Mi. Han Li remained undaunted. That evening, he checked into an inn, and the next morning, he resumed his visits to merchant houses throughout Blue Falls City. This time, however, he specifically targeted the medium-sized shops. In this way, Han Li stayed in Blue Falls Lake for seven consecutive days, visiting nearly every merchant in the city, and gathered a substantial amount of Yiji Jin. So many of these rare magical golds naturally required a staggering amount of magic stones—yet, relative to Han Li's personal wealth, it was merely a minor expense, one he hadn't even given much thought to. Nevertheless, despite gathering so many of these golden pieces, Han Li still failed to find any containing that mysterious crystal pearl, which left him deeply disappointed. Yet he did not abandon his efforts to acquire more rare magical golds, instead continuously purchasing them from various shops and stores. As for the blood-tooth rice, after encountering resistance at several early establishments, Han Li never mentioned it again to the smaller or mid-sized merchants. As a result, word naturally spread among the more informed residents of the city that a foreign magical race had recently arrived from Blue Cascade Lake, actively seeking out these rare magical golds. While most people paid little attention to this development—given the city's reputation and the constant influx of foreign magical merchants, such occurrences were nearly routine—those with keen awareness noticed it as something truly significant. On the eighth day, Han Li had just stepped out of his residence, about to stop a beast carriage, when suddenly a figure flickered before him. A magian man with a beard shaped like two parallel lines appeared in front of him, smiling warmly at Han Li. "I've heard that Master is currently acquiring large quantities of Heteromagical Gold. My companion actually has a batch on hand. Would Master be interested?" Han Li's expression slightly stirred, as though he were both moved and slightly doubtful. "Please don't worry, Master. My companions are already waiting for you at the most renowned Xianju Building in the city." The magian man hurried to explain. "From your appearance, it seems your words are genuine. Very well, I'll make this trip then." Han Li's eyes flashed several times, and a sense of ease settled upon his face. Upon hearing this, the magian man naturally rejoiced and quickly raised one hand, signaling to his side—immediately, a vehicle that had been prepared in advance sped forward. The two then boarded the vehicle and departed toward the far end of the street. Several hours later, in a more secluded hall, Han Li finally met several male and female magians whose faces were unfamiliar to him.