Han Li showed no intention of opposing the woman’s words but asked indifferently, “How many spiritual medicine seeds has the Fairy gathered this time? The few varieties Brother Yan found last time, though rare, were not particularly useful.”
“Rest assured, Fellow Daoist. This time, aside from other seeds, I’ve managed to gather about seventy to eighty percent of the specific varieties you requested. To be honest, if not for the impending war and the tight timeline, I wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to procure these seeds. But now, I can’t afford to hesitate. However, I wonder if the ten-thousand-year spiritual medicines you’ve brought this time are sufficient in quantity?” The woman chuckled softly from within the black mist.
“Fellow Daoist, we’ve traded several times. Have you ever seen me short even a single plant of the promised spiritual medicines?” Han Li smirked and countered.
“That’s true. But this batch of seeds is exceptionally rare—their value is no less than your ten-thousand-year spiritual medicines. The only difference is that ten-thousand-year medicines are priceless yet hard to come by. Otherwise, I truly wouldn’t be willing to part with these seeds.” The woman giggled before flipping her hand to reveal an emerald-green wooden box, which she tossed over.
The box was adorned with intricate ancient patterns and faintly shimmering runes, clearly no ordinary item.
Han Li’s expression turned solemn as he drew the box into his hand. Without opening it, his eyes flashed blue, piercing through the lid, while his powerful spiritual sense swept through the contents for a thorough inspection.
For a moment, Han Li stood motionless, holding the box in one hand.
The woman in the black mist showed no surprise at his actions, nor did she urge him. Instead, she silently observed Han Li, her gaze flickering as if trying to see through the silver radiance surrounding him to discern his true appearance.
After a while, she sighed inwardly and withdrew her gaze.
To say she wasn’t curious about him would be a lie. Anyone capable of providing such quantities of ten-thousand-year spiritual medicines was surely no ordinary figure.
She speculated that he likely belonged to one of the most secretive true spirit families among the human race—perhaps even the Min family, renowned for their expertise in cultivating spiritual medicines.
But Han Li was exceedingly cautious. Despite her subtle probing during their exchanges, she had failed to uncover his origins. Instead, she had inadvertently revealed her own surname, leaving her frustrated for quite some time afterward.
Though he couldn’t possibly trace her background from just a name, the incident had deterred her from further inquiries, and she now avoided any discussion of their identities altogether.
Better to avoid accidentally divulging more about herself.
Still, whenever she recalled the ten-thousand-year spiritual medicines she had obtained through their trades, she couldn’t help but feel exhilarated.
Despite her special status and standing within her clan, such quantities of spiritual medicines were impossible to gather under normal circumstances, no matter how many spirit stones she possessed.
If this trade succeeded, these medicines would be enough to commission several urgently needed pills to help her break through her current bottleneck.
Of course, she was also deeply curious about Han Li’s obsession with collecting spiritual medicine seeds. But as long as he delivered the promised medicines, she had no intention of digging deeper.
As the demon woman’s thoughts wandered, Han Li finished inspecting the box’s contents and nodded in satisfaction. “Good. Most of these are indeed the seeds I mentioned before. Here are the spiritual medicines you’re owed—please verify them.”
With that, he retrieved several jade boxes from his person and handed them over one by one.
The woman didn’t dare be careless. She accepted them and meticulously examined each one.
“Correct. These are indeed ten-thousand-year spiritual medicines. This will be our last trade for the foreseeable future. But if you manage to survive the coming calamity, perhaps we’ll have another chance to cooperate.” The demon woman smiled as she stored the medicines away.
“Let’s hope so. Now that our business is concluded, I’ll see if the other fellow Daoists have anything worthwhile. Given the current situation, some rare treasures must have surfaced.” Han Li glanced around at the nearby stalls, his expression thoughtful.
“Fellow Daoist is quite shrewd. I’ve already noticed several rare items appearing. But I have other matters to attend to, so I won’t keep you company any longer.” The woman promptly bid her farewell.
“Fairy, feel free to go about your business.” Han Li clasped his hands neutrally.
The woman in the black mist wasted no time. She turned and headed straight for the demon race’s entrance.
Once she had left the hall, a faint smile tugged at Han Li’s lips.
The original Jade Purity Pills were only effective for early-stage Deity Transformation cultivators. But through his trades with this woman, he had finally gathered the ingredients for two more types of pills—ones highly beneficial for mid-stage Deity Transformation. It seemed he wouldn’t have to worry about medicinal shortages for a while.
With one major concern resolved, Han Li relaxed slightly and leisurely approached a nearby human stall.
After browsing the area, however, his brow furrowed slightly.
Though there were many stalls and both races had brought out far more treasures than usual, few items caught his eye now. His primary interest lay in secret techniques and cultivation methods, but these were rarely offered. The few available didn’t pique his interest.
Shaking his head, he decided not to linger and slowly exited the hall.
Once outside the Mysterious Heaven Hall, Han Li summoned his escape light and flew toward the stone tower where he resided.
In half a month, the elders of the Heavenly Vast Hall would summon him—an opportunity he had no intention of missing.
Even without this event, he had another matter to attend to and wouldn’t be leaving Skydeep City anytime soon.
Back in his tower, Han Li first exchanged his merit jade token for a special pass at a designated hall before returning to his squad’s quarters. There, he found a quiet room to meditate and rest.
Three days later, a streak of azure light shot out from the stone tower, heading straight for a location outside the city.
By midday, the azure light arrived above a lush valley. Though scenic, the valley appeared utterly unremarkable.
The light circled once before abruptly descending into the valley.
As the radiance faded, Han Li’s figure materialized before a thirty-zhang-tall stone wall.
After a quick glance around to confirm nothing was amiss, he flicked his sleeve, sending a golden talisman flying into the gray wall, where it vanished.
Han Li then stood silently before the wall, waiting.
Moments later, an incredible sight unfolded.
The stone wall’s surface shimmered with a grayish glow, and a two-zhang-tall passageway appeared out of thin air before Han Li.
The square tunnel, lined with faintly glowing green stone, stretched forty to fifty zhang deep. At its end stood a white jade gate veiled by a white light barrier.
Without hesitation, Han Li formed hand seals and murmured an incantation. The light barrier trembled and split open, allowing him to step through leisurely.
Beyond the gate lay a thirty-zhang-wide hall, sparsely furnished with only two dozen stone chairs and a massive stone table at its center.
Eight or nine cultivators—men and women in varied attire—already occupied some of the chairs. Without exception, each exuded the aura of at least a Deity Transformation cultivator.
As Han Li entered, several greeted him warmly:
“Brother Han, you’ve arrived!”
“Fellow Daoist is early this time.”
“I heard Brother Han captured a Green Shadow alive—truly a feat that brings honor to us ascended cultivators!”
Han Li returned their greetings with a smile before taking a seat in a corner.
The remaining cultivators either remained expressionless, indifferent, or didn’t even glance his way. Han Li paid them no mind, simply closing his eyes to meditate.
Shortly after Han Li sat down, more cultivators trickled into the hall, with acquaintances exchanging greetings.
After two hours, the hall held fifteen or sixteen cultivators, and no new arrivals appeared for some time. Yet no one engaged in idle chatter; all sat as steady as mountains.
A while later, a calm male voice echoed from outside:
“It seems all who can attend have arrived. A few fellow Daoists are occupied with missions and won’t make it. Brother Zhao, let’s begin.”
“Indeed, most are here. As Brother Wen suggests.”
The voice sounded familiar. Han Li’s eyes snapped open.
Two middle-aged men strode in side by side—one in white robes with a faint smile, the other pale-faced and clean-shaven, his expression cold.
They were none other than the Wen cultivator who had recently evaluated Han Li’s merit token and Zhao Wugui.
A murmur rippled through the hall at the sight of these two Void Refinement-stage experts, indicating most recognized them.
“Very well. Originally, Fellow Daoist Fan was to oversee this gathering of newly ascended cultivators, but due to pressing matters, we’ve taken his place. Any objections?” Zhao Wugui’s gaze swept the room as he spoke coolly.
The cultivators stiffened slightly but remained silent.
The white-robed man smiled amiably and added:
“Brother Zhao alone would have sufficed, but recent circumstances are unusual. Some important matters require discussion, so I’ve accompanied him.”
“Unusual circumstances… Senior Wen, are you referring to the possible invasion by the foreign races?” A red-faced, ruddy-nosed elder suddenly asked.
At this question, the others tensed, their gazes locking onto Wen and Zhao.
“Heh, we’ll address that later. First, we’ll proceed as usual—an exchange meeting and sharing of cultivation insights. If you encounter difficulties in your cultivation, we may offer guidance, but the usual costs apply. Finally, if you possess any valuable intelligence, report it to us. Useful information will be rewarded with Dust Dispelling Pills or other medicines.” Zhao Wugui stated coldly.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage