Jingyang Shangren, who received the voice transmission from Han Li, visibly paused slightly.

He seemed to hesitate for a moment, and after quite a while, he replied via voice transmission:

"I am truly sorry, this Golden Jade Silk is not easily obtained, and I cannot resell it to you, fellow Daoist. However, please rest assured, as long as Mysterious Orchid Crystal Stones appear at the auction, I will definitely find a way to secure them for you."

"Since you cannot resell it, fellow Daoist, surely you can at least tell me how you obtained this Golden Jade Silk?" Han Li asked again.

"Although the Yu Kun Tower auction is still more than two hundred years away, the preparations have already begun. It is said that this year they are short of an Alchemist to appraise pills. I see that you, Li, are quite skilled in Alchemy, so why not give it a try?" After another pause, Jingyang Shangren said via voice transmission.

"So, you are saying that you obtained your Golden Jade Silk in the same way?" Han Li's eyebrows twitched slightly as he replied via voice transmission.

"I am trying to help you out of kindness, but you are digging too deep, fellow Daoist..." Jingyang Shangren sighed and replied helplessly.

"Then thank you very much." Han Li actually stopped asking.

Hotflame Immortal and the others were completely unaware of this and continued to drink and laugh, berating Jingyang Shangren for being too stingy.

…

Half a month later, Han Li left Idle Cloud Mountain again.

Following the instructions given by Jingyang Shangren, he headed straight for Yu Kun Tower after entering Ju Kun Inner City.

Yu Kun Tower was still the same as when he had last visited, with its doors tightly closed and sealed with talismans.

Han Li bypassed Yu Kun Tower and continued along the street behind it, eventually entering a narrow alley less than six feet wide.

Reaching the gray-white stone wall at the end of the alley, he raised a palm, gathered spiritual power in his palm, and pressed it against the wall. Immediately, he was pulled into the wall by an invisible force.

Han Li felt a momentary darkness before his figure appeared in a spacious courtyard.

Immediately afterward, the clanging sound of armor colliding echoed as several warriors clad in bright silver armor surrounded him.

Han Li's gaze swept over these "people" and he was surprised to find that they emanated no vital energy. They were all Dao Soldiers. What surprised him even more was that the armor worn by these Dao Soldiers was covered in spiritual patterns, each appearing to be extraordinary with waves of powerful fluctuations emanating from them.

Each of them likely possessed strength no less than that of a Mahayana cultivator. Although insignificant to a Golden Immortal, who knew what other special restrictions were hidden within these Dao Soldiers.

"Who goes there, and what is your purpose?" A somewhat mechanical voice came from one of the Dao Soldiers.

"I heard that Yu Kun Tower needs an Alchemist, so I have come to try," Han Li said directly without moving.

"Follow me." After saying this, one of the Dao Soldiers turned and walked toward a large hall at the rear of the courtyard.

Han Li followed him towards the hall, while the remaining Dao Soldiers formed a line and followed closely behind.

Arriving at the entrance of the hall, all the Dao Soldiers split into two groups, standing side by side on either side of the door, no longer moving.

Han Li glanced around and then stepped forward to push open the door and walked inside.

The hall was brightly lit. Directly opposite the entrance were three large chairs. Two crimson-robed old men sat on the left and right, one wearing a tall hat and slender, the other with a crimson face and a robust physique. The chair in the middle, however, was empty.

The old men wore the same style of clothing, with a flame pattern embroidered on their chests, above which were two crossed objects resembling iron hammers.

"You say you have come to apply as a Pill Appraiser?" The tall-hatted old man on the left asked, his voice somewhat hoarse.

"That's right," Han Li said loudly.

"Do you know our requirements for Alchemists?" The robust old man on the right asked.

"No," Han Li replied, shaking his head.

"We require an Alchemist who can at least refine Taiyi-level pills. Are you qualified?" The tall-hatted old man said, his voice still without any emotion.

"So, if I can refine Taiyi-level pills, I can obtain a Golden Jade Silk?" Han Li's brows twitched slightly as he asked.

"That's right. If you can truly do that, you will naturally be qualified to participate in this auction and fulfill the responsibilities of a Pill Appraiser," the robust old man said, nodding.

"Does your esteemed establishment have an Alchemy room that I can borrow?" Han Li asked without further ado.

"The side hall on the left is it," the robust old man said, pointing a hand.

Han Li had already prepared for this. Without saying another word, he turned and walked into the side hall, closing the door behind him.

At this moment, a figure slowly walked out from the rear hall and sat down heavily on the chair in the middle. He glanced at the side hall and said, "Heh, quite cautious, even setting up isolation restrictions... Heh, and not low-grade ones either..."

"Deputy Mountain Lord, can this person really refine Taiyi-level pills?" The tall-hatted old man turned to the person in the main seat and asked.

"How would I know? Just trying our luck... Let's wait and see the results," the person said with a smile.

…

In the blink of an eye, more than five months had passed, and the door of the side hall, which had been tightly closed in this hidden hall, finally opened.

After one failure, Han Li finally refined three "Jade Purity Pills" using the last of his spiritual materials.

"This pill has abundant spiritual energy and excellent quality. Among the Jade Purity Pills I have seen, it is no less than in the top three," the tall-hatted old man said, holding a freshly made pill in his palm, praising it.

"Indeed, indeed! Fellow Daoist, your Alchemy skills are superb, and you are indeed qualified to serve as our Pill Appraiser." The robust old man with a crimson face was much calmer, a smile on his face as he said.

"Since that is the case, then you should invite your person in charge, Jingyang Daoist, to come and meet me," Han Li took back the Jade Purity Pill from the tall-hatted old man and suddenly changed the topic, saying with a smile.

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the two crimson-robed old men stiffened. They looked at each other, and for a moment, neither of them spoke.

"Haha... As expected of Li, you guessed my identity immediately." At this moment, a hearty laugh came from the rear hall, and Jingyang Shangren walked out slowly.

At this time, he was also wearing a crimson robe, the same style as the other two, but the flame pattern embroidered on his chest was golden.

"What's so hard to guess... That day when I first arrived here, they didn't even ask about my identity and immediately asked me to try refining pills, so it was clear that they already knew who I was. And thinking about it, it seems that only Jingyang Daoist knows that I would come here. Moreover, you, Daoist, were afraid that I wouldn't guess that you were the person in charge, so you had to leave the main seat in the hall empty?" Han Li said with a smile.

"Haha, Li, in the future, you should learn to see through things without revealing them..." Jingyang Shangren glanced at the empty large chair and said with a smile.

With that, he waved his sleeve, and the tall-hatted old man and the other immediately excused themselves and turned into the rear hall to leave on their own.

"Ahem, ahem, I say, Fellow Daoist Li, actually, I originally wanted to tell you directly, but the auction is jointly organized by Black Mountain Immortal Palace and our Hundred Refinements Mountain branch, so there are some rules that must be followed. I have confidence in your Alchemy skills. In fact, I just wanted you to go through the motions." Jingyang Shangren coughed lightly and said with a smile.

"Thank you for your kindness. I hope you, Jingyang, won't hide anything from me either. What exactly is your identity?" Han Li frowned slightly and asked.

Hearing this, Jingyang Shangren sighed and did not answer directly. Instead, he took out a wine gourd from under his robe and took a swig of wine.

"I am one of the seventy-two Deputy Mountain Lords of Hundred Refinements Mountain, responsible for managing the branch sect in Black Soil Immortal Territory." Only after the fine wine entered his throat did he continue to speak.

"Black Soil Immortal Territory? Why not Black Mountain Immortal Territory?" Han Li asked with some doubt.

"Black Soil Immortal Territory, Black Mountain Immortal Territory, Fuzawa Immortal Territory, and Yuanjing Immortal Territory are relatively close to each other, and now there is no Wilderness Realm to block them, so they are collectively called the 'Four Alliance Immortal Region'. Our Hundred Refinements Mountain branch sect is located in Black Soil Immortal Territory, but it covers the entire Four Alliance Immortal Region, otherwise, I, a dignified Deputy Mountain Lord, wouldn't be stationed here," Jingyang Shangren said directly, without hiding anything.

"If that is the case, then why did you hide your identity in Wild Crane Valley?" Han Li asked, his brow furrowed.

"My temperament is similar to that of Hotflame, and I can't stand the trouble of these trivial matters. I heard that Black Mountain Immortal Territory had such a wonderful place, so I traveled far and wide to come here. Later, I met Yu Ziqi on the way and became close friends, so we went to Idle Cloud Mountain together and stayed in Wild Crane Valley," Jingyang Shangren explained.

Seeing that Han Li still looked doubtful, Jingyang Shangren couldn't help but scold with a smile:

"Don't be ungrateful, you! I didn't want to handle this Ju Kun City auction at all, and I didn't want to get involved, but I had to search for news about 'Floral Heart Stone' for you, so I got involved again... Now I'm being suspected by you for no reason. Tell me, am I being wronged?"

"Is that really all?" Han Li's expression relaxed, and he asked with a light laugh.

"Hehe, actually, that's not entirely true... I come to this Yu Kun Tower auction every time, but I used to come as an individual to bid. This time, I exceptionally intervened in the auction affairs," Jingyang Shangren said with an embarrassed smile, teasingly.

"In any case, I still have to thank you, Daoist. You have always wanted the brewing methods for Fire Saliva Wine and Red Mulberry Wine. After I sort them out, I will give them to you along with some of my own brewing experience. As for Wild Crane Valley, don't worry, Li is not a gossipy person and will never say a word," Han Li said with a slight bow.

Jingyang Shangren gave a thumbs up and praised: "Li, righteous! Come, come, let's have a drink! Today, we won't go home until we're drunk!"