Chapter 952

“This piece of Xuan Guang Crystal—friend, see if it suits your needs?” The cultivator in white aura did not open the jade box, but directly handed the entire box to Han Li.

Han Li made no pretense of politeness; he reached out and caught it, then immediately opened the lid.

Inside lay a milky-yellow crystal, emitting concentric rings of pale purple luminescence; upon closer inspection, it induced dizziness and blurred vision.

Seeing this, Han Li’s heart leapt with delight; a flash of blue light darted through his pupils, and the dizziness vanished instantly. He used two fingers to pluck out the yellow crystal and placed it before his eyes for careful examination.

The figure in the white aura, watching Han Li’s brief stumble before he regained composure, was secretly astonished.

Even he, after one glance, dared not look at it a second time. Yet this unknown cultivator could stare at it so long without any ill effect—truly unexpected!

“Excellent. This is indeed top-grade Xuan Guang Crystal. You may take the Magic Marrow Drill.” Han Li showed satisfaction, returned the crystal to the jade box, and casually stowed it in his storage bag.

“Hehe, then I won’t be modest. No one else has claimed the remaining one—it seems no one here possesses the material you seek. Would you be willing to sell the other one to me at a high price, or trade it for another rare material? Whichever way, I’ll make sure you’re satisfied.” The white aura cultivator carefully tucked away the crystal drill, then turned his gaze greedily toward the other Magic Marrow Drill.

“Who says no one has the material? I have a piece of Five Elements Jade.”

“Wait! No one lays claim to this—this item is mine!”

As soon as the white aura cultivator spoke, someone in the crowd could no longer hold back; a man’s and a woman’s voices rang out simultaneously.

The man’s voice boomed like thunder in a clear sky; the woman’s was melodious and soft. Then, a cluster of dark aura and a blinding silver aura shot forth from opposite seats, landing one after the other before Han Li.

This sight stirred murmurs among the other cultivators.

Unlike the obscure Xuan Guang Crystal, Five Elements Jade was famed throughout the cultivation world—everyone knew it was the supreme material for crafting jade magic treasures, though it was exceedingly rare; the last time it appeared in the cultivation world seemed to have been five or six hundred years ago.

Now someone had brought it out—naturally, many were stunned and envious. It seemed the cultivators here did possess true rare treasures, but most had hoarded them, unwilling to reveal them.

Upon hearing the man’s voice, the figure in white aura turned pale; his face, shrouded in aura, darkened and flickered with uncertainty.

“What? Ye Er, are you daring to break the rules of this exchange? Trying to monopolize the Magic Marrow Drill?” The cultivator in black aura ignored the slender figure emerging from the silver aura behind him, and instead glared coldly at the white aura.

Though his face was obscured by black aura, his figure loomed tall, and his voice was icy.

“Brother Kun, you overthink it. I, Ye, would never do such a thing. I merely offered a suggestion to this friend—the choice remains his. Now that two friends have stepped forward, I shall not interfere further.” The host, clearly recognizing the black aura cultivator, sighed and bowed apologetically, then stepped aside with a flick of his body, yielding the space.

“Good for you!” The demon cultivator snorted, crossed his arms behind his back, and spoke with casual arrogance.

The female cultivator in silver aura stood gracefully, seemingly stunned.

A chorus of astonished murmurs rose from all around.

“The surname Kun? Could this be Kun Wují, the Elder of Blood Scream Sect? The build and voice do seem to match.”

“Only a Nascent Soul late-stage cultivator would dare be so bold!”

…

Hearing these words, Han Li’s expression subtly changed. This demon cultivator was a Nascent Soul late-stage cultivator—and Blood Scream Sect was one of the ten famed demon sects.

“So you are the Elder of Blood Scream Sect. I apologize for my ignorance. Do you also possess the material this friend seeks? If so, I shall turn away at once and yield this item to you.” The female cultivator fell silent for a moment, then exhaled softly.

Clearly, she had no intention of surrendering the Magic Marrow Drill despite his formidable cultivation and status.

“Hehe! I, Kun, have neither Five Elements Jade nor Xuan Guang Crystal, but I have other materials nearly as valuable. If you’re wise, return quietly.” Kun Wují’s face darkened, his tone sinister, the threat unmistakable.

“That’s a problem. This Magic Marrow Drill is precisely what I seek. How about this—if this friend truly chooses your materials over the Five Elements Jade, I shall not interfere and yield it to Brother Kun.” The female cultivator smiled lightly.

“Fine! I’m not an unreasonable man. Agreed.” To everyone’s surprise, Kun Wují, confident in his own wares, answered without hesitation.

Han Li, seeing the two ignore him entirely as they negotiated over the fate of the Magic Marrow Drill, felt a surge of satisfaction—but with the Five Elements Jade now appearing, the final material was nearly complete, and he breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

Without a word, he watched the man and woman in cold silence.

At that moment, the female cultivator raised her hand; a green wooden box flew out from the silver aura and landed steadily on the table, sealed with a pale silver talisman.

“Friend, please verify the authenticity of my Five Elements Jade,” she said to Han Li with a gentle smile.

“My offerings are clear to you as well—some of these materials are even more valuable than Five Elements Jade,” Kun Wují sneered, flicking his sleeve. Seven jade boxes of varying sizes and colors flew out and landed on the table in sequence.

Han Li said nothing; he reached out with a void-like grasp, and the wooden box shot into his hand with a soft whoosh.

With a flick of his fingers, a flash of green spiritual light passed over the box—the talisman detached itself, and the lid opened effortlessly.

Inside lay a flat, round, warm jade of five colors. Though it emitted no extraordinary radiance, a powerful surge of spiritual energy washed over him.

Han Li held it in his hand, examined it briefly, then forcibly suppressed his inner excitement and nodded slowly to the female cultivator:

“Correct. This is indeed Five Elements Jade.”

Having spoken, he returned the jade to the wooden box and turned his gaze to the nearby jade boxes.

In his heart, he wished to simply trade for the Five Elements Jade—but he had no reason to offend a Nascent Soul late-stage cultivator. Moreover, Kun Wují’s boldness piqued his curiosity about the contents of these boxes.

Kun Wují extended one finger and pointed vaguely at the jade boxes; their lids flew off one by one, revealing their contents.

“Feng Luo Wood, Ning Hun Stone, Wan Lun Flower…”

Before Han Li could identify these items, several cultivators in the crowd with sharp eyes had already gasped and named them aloud. Most drew sharp breaths.

The female cultivator, after glancing at them twice, was equally stunned.

As Kun Wují had claimed, each item was nearly as rare as Five Elements Jade—especially the Wan Lun Flower, which some might value even higher than the Magic Marrow Drill. Such rarities explained Kun Wují’s confidence.

Feeling uneasy, the female cultivator involuntarily turned her head to glance at the blurred figure in green aura—then froze.

Han Li’s gaze had not settled on the obviously most valuable Wan Lun Flower. Instead, he stared intently at a large, pale golden mineral in one of the jade boxes, lost in thought.

Her heart sank.

Sure enough, Han Li raised his hand; the golden mineral flew into his palm, and he lowered his head to examine it closely.

Kun Wují, seeing this, was momentarily stunned—then burst into loud laughter.

“Ah! Friend has taken a liking to my Geng Jing? You have excellent eyesight. If you’re a sword cultivator, this piece of Geng Jing will instantly amplify your power. Such a large chunk—I doubt anyone else in the Great Jin cultivation world could produce it.”

“I’ll take this Geng Jing,” Han Li said calmly.

“Wait—friend, you’re not going to take the Five Elements Jade—”

“Shut up! Do you wish to provoke me?” Kun Wují, delighted at first, suddenly turned furious. A towering, terrifying aura erupted from him, and an invisible spiritual pressure slammed into the female cultivator. Han Li remained untouched; the woman staggered backward several steps before regaining her footing.

Meanwhile, Kun Wují had already seized the Magic Marrow Drill before Han Li and examined it with ecstatic delight.

“Indeed, it’s the Magic Marrow Drill! I came here for good reason. If Jia the Devil and the others knew this item appeared at this exchange, they’d be kicking themselves!” The old devil tucked the drill away, threw back his head, and laughed wildly. Then he swept his sleeve, gathered the remaining jade boxes, flicked his body—and vanished toward the hall’s exit without a moment’s delay.

“Brother Kun, one final treasure remains to be revealed—won’t you stay to see it?” The host in white aura suddenly called out to stop him.

“What treasure? I don’t care. Now that I have the Magic Marrow Drill, I’m eager to return and refine its essence. I’ve no time for other treasures.” With a strange laugh, Kun Wují’s figure flashed with spiritual light at the entrance, triggered the forbidden array, and vanished completely.

“Refine the demonic energy?” Han Li was surprised by this, then suddenly understood. The Magic Marrow Drill formed naturally beneath the Ten-Thousand-Fathom Demon Abyss—its concentrated demonic energy was no trivial matter. For a demon cultivator, refining it would bring immense benefits. No wonder Kun Wují, having obtained it, had no interest in seeing the final treasure.

Seeing Kun Wují depart with the Magic Marrow Drill, the female cultivator in silver aura was filled with regret. Without a word, she reached out to summon the wooden box containing the Five Elements Jade.

But at that moment, a calm voice spoke:

“Wait. I want this too.” Han Li’s hand suddenly appeared over the wooden box, halting her retrieval.

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