Hearing Han Li's words, Lü Luo, standing nearby, put on a thoughtful expression, vaguely guessing what was going on.
"What material? Brother Han, please speak plainly," Long Han asked slowly.
"I need some Geng Essence to refine magical treasures. And the more, the better. But rest assured, fellow daoists — I will exchange equivalent items for all of it. I'm not asking for anything for free. I simply need to borrow the Alliance's strength to help me gather it, or to find out where Geng Essence might be obtained," Han Li said calmly.
The inability to acquire large quantities of Geng Essence for refining the Grand Geng Sword Formation had long been a sources of constant headaches for Han Li. Now that an opportunity had presented itself, he naturally intended to make the most of it.
"Geng Essence!"
Upon hearing the name of that material, everyone present could hardly conceal their astonishment.
How could they possibly not know of the famed "Supreme Metal Treasure"?
Even though they had harbored some expectations beforehand, hearing Han Li name such a heaven-defying material of heaven and earth still left most of those present momentarily stunned.
"Brother Han, what kind of magical treasure are you trying to refine that it requires Geng Essence in such quantities? Brother Han, are you aware that even a tiny amount of this substance, when added to an ordinary treasure, can dramatically increase its power? Likewise, adding too much will not produce any further significant improvement," the surnamed Elder Kuang said, furrowing his brows in puzzlement.
"Rest assured, this point is naturally known to me. What I want to know is whether the Alliance can gather a certain quantity of this material," Han Li replied, his expression unchanged and his tone calm.
"Since Brother Han is willing to exchange equivalent items for it, helping you gather this material and inquire about related information is certainly not out of the question. However, this sort of thing — once people get their hands on it, they tend to use it immediately. And from the way Brother Han speaks, it sounds like you need a rather large quantity. That will be very difficult to manage. Even if we were to find some leads, the owners would likely treat it as a priceless treasure and keep its location a closely guarded secret. We cannot very well press for details; otherwise, the recent auction would not have featured only a small piece," Long Han sighed, shaking his head.
Hearing this, Han Li's heart sank. He had, of course, already considered these objections long ago.
But apart from this method, he truly had no other recourse.
If the Tianan region truly could not yield this much Geng Essence, would he really have to journey to the legendary Great Jin Empire, or the Tiansha Continent, or some other distant land to seek it?
But then again, the Great Jin Empire's territory was more than ten times the size of Tianan — there might actually be a chance of finding that much Geng Essence there.
Moreover, he still carried with him a bone box brought back from the Yin Ming Land, which contained the method for refining the "Soul Descent Talisman." If he were to go to the Great Jin Empire, this item would naturally have to be returned to the Tianfu Gate.
As Han Li's thoughts reached this point, a wave of vexation washed over him.
Seeing Han Li's hesitant expression, Lü Luo could not help but speak up to advise him: "Junior Brother Han, why not choose a different condition? Geng Essence is truly something that comes along only by chance."
Hearing this, Han Li's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. After a moment's thought, he still shook his head: "Regardless, Geng Essence is extremely important to me. Even if the chances are slim, I still hope the Alliance will agree to this."
As he spoke, his face was filled with resolute determination.
"Since Brother Han is so insistent, then we will have the Alliance's disciples do their utmost to handle this matter. However, it is entirely possible that not a single piece of Geng Essence will be found. Brother Han, you must not come to regret this." Long Han, having apparently seen that Han Li's mind was made up, said nothing further and finally nodded in agreement.
After all, for a force as powerful as the Heavenly Dao Alliance, this only meant having their lower-ranking disciples run a few more errands and keep a sharper eye out for related information. It was not exactly a difficult task.
Elder Kuang and the other cultivators naturally had no objections either.
But Long Han and the others seemed to feel that this compensation was somewhat too casual. They promptly produced a bag containing over a hundred mid-grade spirit stones as an additional form of recompense.
Han Li smiled when he saw this and accepted them without standing on ceremony.
With the matter thus settled, the atmosphere in the hall became entirely cordial.
The Heavenly Dao Alliance members then continued chatting in the side hall for a while, during which Long Han and the others inquired in detail about the battle at Yellow Dragon Mountain. They paid particular attention to the black-robed figure and the sudden appearance of the Mulan Divine Master's powers.
Han Li did not try to conceal anything about this either, recounting the entire sequence of events.
Of course, whenever matters concerning his own cultivation techniques or magical treasures came up, he naturally glossed over them with a brief mention, offering no specifics.
Long Han and the others would not commit the cardinal sin of cultivators by asking about Han Li's techniques.
However, when they heard Han Li mention his suspicion that those black-robed figures were not some form of monster or ghost, but merely demonic cultivators who had practiced a certain dark art, Long Han's brow twitched wildly for a moment.
In this way, Han Li remained at the location for a good half-day before finally taking his leave one by one.
Just as Lü Luo and Han Li had stepped out of the great hall and passed through the gates, a transmission talisman flew straight into Lü Luo's hand.
After reading it, Lü Luo gave Han Li a helpless, rueful smile: "I have some urgent matters to attend to, I'm afraid I cannot continue accompanying you, Junior Brother Han. You should go ahead and look around Tianyi City on your own. Tonight, we can have a proper chat."
"Senior Brother Lü, please go ahead and attend to your business. I was actually hoping to explore the city by myself." Han Li returned Lü Luo's good intentions with a warm smile.
Relieved, Lü Luo cupped his fists in a hasty farewell, then rushed off from Han Li's side, transforming into a streak of brilliant light that shot off into the distance.
It really did seem like something urgent.
Han Li watched the departing streak of light vanish into the distance, shook his head, then chuckled softly and nodded to himself.
He looked up at the sky, pondered for a moment, and then set off toward the central district.