Fan Paoshi smiled slightly, then shook his sleeve, and from it a palm-sized crimson jade box shot out, its surface adorned with golden seals that nearly covered half of its body. As soon as the box emerged, it flashed and sped toward Han Li. Han Li's eyes flashed, he blurred his arm slightly, and caught the box in his hands. With a fingertip, he lightly touched the box, and instantly all the seals drifted down, the lid opening silently. Inside lay seven scales of varying colors, each radiating an astonishing pressure. "Indeed..." Han Li was greatly surprised. "Master Han, just take a look and you'll understand," Fan Paoshi spread his hands, giving Han Li a relaxed, open gesture. Han Li remained somewhat doubtful, yet he wasn't afraid of any maneuvers the other might employ. He gently shook his wrist, and a pale blue scale leapt out of the box and landed precisely in the other palm. At the very instant his fingers made contact with the scales, Han Li's face changed instantly, as though he had sensed something important. He quickly pressed the scales against his forehead and closed his eyes. Time passed slowly. Han Li's expression rapidly shifted—sometimes filled with astonishment, sometimes with growing alarm, and eventually even a hint of fear emerged. After what seemed like a full cup of tea's worth of time, Han Li gently cleared his throat, lifted the scales from his forehead, and reopened his eyes. "I didn't realize these scales were all..." "That's good, Master Han. To ordinary people, these scales may be entirely useless. But for those who strive to ascend and pass the celestial trials, their value is incalculable. After all, not everyone has the chance to experience the trials of others' ascension journeys." The elderly man in golden robes spoke calmly. "Yet, wouldn't the ascension trials of the noble class differ somewhat from those of ordinary beings?" Han Li, after several changes in expression, asked cautiously. "There is a slight difference, but overall, there won't be much variation. As far as I know, besides our true dragon lineage, few others during their celestial trial would willingly leave anyone nearby, let alone witness firsthand the true power of the ascension ordeal. This art of preserving the dragon's image through its scales is also a unique innate ability of our dragon clan—others, even if they wished to achieve the same, would simply be unable to succeed under the force of the heavenly calamity. Among these scales, some have successfully endured the trial, while others were completely destroyed by the heavenly storm. I believe their significance to Friend Han should be no less than that of the true soul pill." Master Jin, stroking his beard with confidence, spoke. Indeed, these scales cannot be used indefinitely—each one can only be employed three times, and once that number is exhausted, they will naturally disintegrate. As for the method of replication, the clan knows of it only in the case of this senior elder. Otherwise, how could I dare bring such items to exchange for other goods?" The golden-robed elder did not find this at all surprising, but rather calmly acknowledged it. "If each of these items can only be used three times, their practical value is significantly reduced—especially if we're exchanging them for True Soul Pills. That might not be sufficient." Han Li grew remarkably composed. "Should these still fall short, then I shall add one bottle of Immortal Golden Mulberry Nectar. This elixir is not only extraordinarily potent, but also an essential ingredient in the preparation of several famed pills. Even on Dragon Island, there are only a few bottles of it remaining." The silk-robed elder spoke without hesitation. "Immortal Golden Mulberry Nectar? With this addition, the exchange is indeed quite adequate. Very well, Han Li, I shall make the exchange. This time, Han Li didn't hesitate at all. As soon as Fang heard the name of Jin Sang Yi, he immediately agreed. Although the True Soul Pills could greatly enhance one's spiritual power and offer an even greater degree of consolidation, in terms of practical value, they truly paled in comparison to the scales that recorded the Dragon Clan's trials during their ascension to divinity. Moreover, these scales could be used repeatedly, bringing substantial benefits not only to Han Li but also to those close to him—something that could not be matched by a single True Soul Pill alone. Of course, this was partly because Han Li still held two True Soul Pills in his hand; otherwise, he wouldn't have made such a decisive and enthusiastic choice. The golden-robed elder was somewhat surprised that Han Li had agreed so swiftly, and after a brief pause, a touch of joy appeared on his face as he said, "You truly are a generous host. It's no wonder Fan Po had already presented his invitation upon first meeting. I'm certain you'll reap further benefits at the Dao Fruit Assembly." As soon as he finished speaking, he flipped his palm, and suddenly a small golden vial appeared in his hand. With a gentle shake, it slid silently toward Han Li. Han Li then waved his sleeve, and like water, he rolled the vial into his hand, opened the lid, and with a subtle sweep of his spirit sense, nodded and lifted it. Then, with a slight motion of his other arm, a wooden chest the size of a palm materialized before him. With a flick of his finger, "whoosh!" the chest shot toward the opposite side. The golden-robed elder merely raised his hand, and the chest trembled slightly before coming to rest steadily at his side. Without further movement, the lid of the chest opened on its own, revealing a golden pill. The elder narrowed his eyes, lightly sniffed the air, and then smiled with satisfaction. "Ha ha! Indeed, it's a true soul pill. Now I can finally settle matters with that old friend of mine." In the following moments, Han Li said little to the true Dragon Clan senior elder, merely exchanging a few polite words before bidding him farewell. Fan Pozi naturally saw him off personally. "Though I first noticed Master Han's extraordinary prowess during his initial divine journey and deemed him no ordinary strength, I never expected that in just these years, he would achieve such a distinguished reputation. Not only did he defeat the renowned Mother of the Midge, but he even slew one of the true immortals who descended from the immortal realm. Remarkable indeed! Alas, I'm sorry, but I didn't get to witness such a splendid achievement myself." Fan Pozi said to Han Li, half in jest and half sincerely, as they stood in the void beyond a hundred li from the golden great vessel. "Master Han's accomplishments were also made possible through the aid of several external forces and sheer good fortune. Should I have to start over, I certainly wouldn't have been able to match them. I hadn't expected the Dao Fruit Assembly to be such a significant event—thus, the favor of receiving the invitation letter from you is truly a great debt I owe you." Han Li smiled gently and replied thus. "Ha ha, what's this now? I found Brother Han very appealing from the very beginning, which is why I acted as I did. Otherwise, if it had been anyone else, I'd surely have taken a different approach." Fan Paoshi chuckled, speaking with casual indifference. "Regardless, this Dao Fruit Assembly has certainly brought tangible benefits to me. Even without securing a Dao Fruit, I wouldn't consider this trip a waste." Han's expression grew serious. "Ah, Brother Han, I'd say you have a strong chance of winning the Dao Fruit competition several months from now. Though the number of elite attendees invited to Long Island is considerable, I suspect few could truly compare with you. Moreover, I heard that Miss Tian has previously owed you considerable favors—she's also one of the assembly's key officers this time." Fan Paoshi's eyes twinkled, his tone both amused and slightly probing. "Hm... Brother Fan, your praise is quite generous. Just how many of the strong contenders who have arrived at Long Island truly believe they can secure a Dao Fruit? As for Miss Tian, I've only met her twice." Han Li lightly cleared his throat and replied in a somewhat vague manner. Fan Paoshi chuckled, his face clearly skeptical, yet he didn't press further, instead shifting the topic and expressing keen interest in asking about the Mother of the Midge and Ma Liang, the true immortals. These questions had little to conceal, and Han Li answered them all thoroughly, leaving Fan Paoshi deeply engaged. Half an hour later, Fan Paoshi returned alone to the golden great vessel, while Han Li had vanished completely. ... A month later, in a secluded cave, Han Li pressed a white jade scroll against his forehead, his eyes flickering with subtle intensity. "Master Feng Yue, has attained the Great Vehicle stage for 50,000 years, from the Yan Du realm, proficient in the Five Peaks Immortal Technique..." "Master Tian Que, has attained the Great Vehicle stage for 30,000 years, from the Xuan Wei realm, deeply specialized in thirty-six toxic techniques, capable of eliminating peers and even intangible foes, yet unable to allow any to approach within a hundred zhang of himself..." "Master Ban Ruo, has attained the Great Vehicle stage for 60,000 years, from the Ling Luo realm, primarily practicing three major Buddhist powers of the Buddhist tradition, his Arhat golden body now fully formed, having once single-handedly defeated three Great Vehicle-level demonic cultivators within a single day..." Suddenly, several large trees near by blurred and transformed into numerous towering, monstrous giants, each bare-chested and bald, radiating an intense aura of ferocity. With just a flick of their dozen arms, countless waves of emerald lightning crashed down upon them. As the roar erupted! Dense, vivid green fist-images shot forth from the giants' hands, cascading in a relentless stream, as if the very space around them were about to be crushed to dust. "Excellent," said Han Li, who remained calm, even unimpressed. With a cold laugh, he suddenly planted his single foot firmly into the ground. A tremendous boom! First, countless streaks of azure sword energy surged upward, slicing through and dispersing most of the fist-images and lightning. Then, a flash of golden light—out of the dense forest emerged a three-headed, six-armed divine demon, a thousand paces tall. With a mere whirl of his six arms, a vast golden aura expanded, instantly engulfing and extinguishing all the remaining fist-images. A sound of surprise rang out from a towering tree several miles away. The three divine beings instantly turned their six eyes into beams of light, and suddenly, the middle one opened its mouth wide, expelling a glowing green orb—within which a small green bottle, several inches high, was faintly enclosed. As the mortal world seemed to draw to a close, some book lovers, inspired by the opportunity to write reviews, began to embark on their own creative journeys—wishing them well! The author of the "Mortal Discourse" series, "Borderlands Legend (Yan Fei)," has now published a new book titled "The World Is Just a Game" under the pen name "Kong Xing Cai." Drawing on modern scientific theories and interpreting the Dao De Jing, the book unveils a stunning revelation: our universe is, as described in the movie The Matrix, merely a simulated, virtual world. The book is introduced by Professor Zeng Guoping, a doctoral supervisor at Tsinghua University, and has received enthusiastic endorsements from numerous renowned scholars. Published by Beijing Shidai Huashu Publishing House, it is now available for purchase on Dangdang.com. Visit the website: to support the book! (To be continued.)