A month later, in a seemingly ordinary town, some people with strange horns on their heads and scales on their faces were walking back and forth along the streets. Additionally, a smaller number—those with particularly strong presences who had gone to great lengths to conceal their appearances—appeared on the eastern commercial street, occasionally entering and exiting some rarely visited, hidden shops. "Wait, senior, you're asking for twenty thousand catties of wind essence gold?" A middle-aged shopkeeper, whose head bore short purple horns, stared in surprise at the guest before him in a somewhat dimly lit store. Though he had grown accustomed to the large transactions that had recently been occurring, the sheer volume of material requested by the guest still left him somewhat astonished. "Is it not possible? I've heard that this shop is particularly renowned on Dragon Island for its wind essence gold—can they really not meet this demand?" The person standing before the general manager spoke in a low, resonant voice, completely enveloped in a soft, pale blue glow, making it impossible to discern their appearance or age—giving off an exceptionally mysterious aura. "If you had arrived half a month ago, we would have been able to gather such a substantial amount of wind essence gold. However, currently, our inventory holds only eight thousand jin. The rest were purchased by several of our senior colleagues in the past half month." The middle-aged manager said with respectful deference. Clearly, such a person, dressed in this manner and making such generous offers, must be a strong contender from outside the island's realm. As a mid-level dragon-human with only a modest trace of true dragon blood, he naturally could not afford to show any lack of courtesy. "Eight thousand jin for eight thousand jin—then I'll take the remainder. This is the payment," the figure in the blue glow merely paused and then made the decision. With a slight movement of their sleeve, a circular ring shot out into the air. "Very well, esteemed elder—please wait a moment. I will immediately dispatch someone to deliver the materials right away." The middle-aged storekeeper merely glanced over the items in the storage ring and immediately agreed. Then he produced a circular artifact from his person, whispered a few words to it, and together with the customer before him, settled into waiting. After a cup of tea had passed, a small, concealed spell array in a back room of the shop flashed with light, and a tall young dragon person materialized. He hurried into the shop and swiftly pulled out three identical jade storage bracelets from his cloak, handing them all to the middle-aged storekeeper. "Master, please check the numbers and see if they're correct," the storekeeper said, immediately turning the newly received bracelets over to the customer. "I trust the noble's word—no need to verify again," the customer replied calmly, gently moving his arm. A sheet of emerald light burst forth and swiftly wrapped the three storage bracelets, pulling them back into his hands. He then turned and walked away without further inspection. Only the two dragon people in the shop remained, staring at each other in quiet astonishment. "This person has such grand bearing—he wouldn't even take a glance at such a substantial amount of Fengjing Jin!" The tall, young dragon-man exhaled softly, expressing a touch of admiration. "You know what? These people must have some connection with the true dragon elders on the island. And at their level of cultivation, could they possibly fear being deceived by us, mere shopkeepers? If they so much as mention it to the island's officials, we'd be in serious trouble!" The middle-aged storekeeper rolled his eyes, speaking with clear conviction. After a moment's reflection, the young dragon-man nodded in agreement, slowly coming to see sense. A streak of azure light shot across the expanse of a crimson mountain range, flashing several times before suddenly descending into a ordinary valley below. At the heart of the valley, on a platform completely open and unobstructed, five individuals of varying appearances and attire sat in quiet stillness. Among them was a young girl seemingly no more than seven or eight years old, an elder with a jade-green complexion, a middle-aged couple in their thirties, and a man whose body bore countless silver patterns etched upon it. The azure streak spiraled once in the air and landed precisely at the center of the platform, from where Han Li stepped out slowly. Han Li glanced briefly at the others present, smiled gently, and then settled into a meditative posture not far from the young girl. None of the people present showed any surprise at Han Li's arrival; they all remained silent and motionless, seated as they were. A short while later, a sharp sound of breaking space echoed from afar, and a second streak of vibrant, five-colored light surged toward them simultaneously. After several flashes from the Honghong, it reached the skies above Shanggu, its radiance dimming to reveal a beautiful woman dressed in a flowing robe. The woman descended slowly from the sky, coldly surveying the platform with a steady gaze, and then settled into a quiet corner, finding a place to sit. "The number is sufficient. Then let us begin the exchange immediately. If none of you have objections, I shall begin with a few words of my own," said the elder with jade-green skin, rising gracefully as soon as the woman settled. "Since you are willing to start, please go ahead at your convenience." "Such an exchange naturally has no preference for order." ... The others, including Han Li, offered no objections—either speaking in agreement or remaining silent to imply their acceptance. Thus, the old man didn't hesitate, merely shook his sleeve, and at once a thunderous roar echoed from the center of the platform. A long, rectangular stone table, glowing with a soft white light, materialized right out of the ground. Then, with a simple hand motion, he flipped his palm, and in a series of shimmering flashes, a dozen or so items settled steadily upon the table. Han Li's eyes narrowed, and he soon made out the forms of these items. Aside from several objects sealed in jade boxes and wooden caskets, the rest were rare treasures seldom seen in the spiritual realm—some of them even beyond his recognition. "These items I have brought," the old man said, pointing with his finger at the several jade boxes and wooden caskets, "are to be exchanged for a thousand-year supply of dark marrow, the Xuanwu wood, and the nine-holed spirit jade. Of course, if the exchange includes something like the remnants of the Heavenly Treasure, I shall be most pleased to satisfy the one making the offer." After he finished speaking, everyone who had examined the items on the table either remained expressionless or furrowed their brows, yet none of them immediately spoke up. "How is it, Master Elder, that none of my humble offerings seem to appeal to the esteemed friends here? If so, then I shall immediately set them aside and invite the next guest to step forward." After waiting a moment without seeing any interest, the elder grew slightly impatient and said so. The young girl pointed to a jade box on the table with her finger and replied without ceremony. "A Taiyi Golden Pill would be about the same value. I'll take it!" The old man agreed immediately this time. The girl pursed her lips slightly, then gently flicked her finger at the jade box on the stone table, and instantly, a golden pill rose into the air, hovering and drifting to her side. Grasping the pill firmly, she tucked it away and then resumed her meditative posture as if nothing had happened. "I'm particularly interested in this jade pavilion. How about exchanging it for a bottle of impure yin liquid, similar in quality to a liquid of ten thousand years of yin essence?" The man, who had been speaking only in the manner of a couple, finally spoke up when someone began to make an offer. "Agreed," the old man nodded after a brief thought. Over the following time, others gradually began to exchange items, and by the end, most of the things on the table had been successfully traded away. Han also obtained a material that was neither quite gold nor quite stone. After asking three more times and confirming that no one was willing to exchange, the elder finally settled with a slightly satisfied expression, gathering up the remaining items. "Which of you would like to go up next?" asked someone lazily. "If no one else wishes to compete, I shall go first," said Han Li, his eyes flashing briefly before he stood up with a smile. …… Four months later. On a golden-hued giant vessel floating above a vast lake, nearly a hundred guards clad in silver armor patrolled the surrounding areas. In a grand hall at the highest level of the vessel, Han Li sat facing an elderly man dressed in a long golden robe. Standing behind the elder was a young man with silver hair, pale-faced yet smiling—none other than Fan Po, who had invited Han Li to Long Island. "Then, Master Han, would you like to first examine the items I have brought for exchange before deciding whether to trade your genuine soul pill?" The elder in the golden robe bore a pair of purple horns resembling those of Fan Pozi, with a square face, brows like blades. As soon as he opened his mouth, he exuded an aura of calm authority without needing to speak. "Excuse me, Daojun," said Han Li, speaking with quiet composure. "Over the past few months, I've traversed most of Long Island and secured several rare materials from many of my fellow Daoists—my harvest has been truly substantial. Yet, to date, I have not encountered anything comparable to the True Soul Pill. Therefore, I am particularly interested in the items presented by the elder here." The elder in the golden robe was indeed the senior Golden Elder of the True Dragon lineage. "Heh, it's quite natural that you'd think so," he replied. "In truth, the True Soul Pill itself holds little value for us True Dragons—rather, it's a token to repay a long-standing favor owed to an old friend from years past. As for the materials I used to exchange for the True Soul Pill, they will surely exceed your expectations. Fan Pozi, please present the items." Upon hearing this, the Senior Jin did not show any sign of displeasure; instead, he smiled slightly and then gestured back. (To be continued.)