"It's quite simple. Inside the Mysterious Jade Cavern, besides the cold energy, there are certain things one must take note of. For instance, these ten-thousand-year Mysterious Jades — they may appear as though they can be easily extracted, but in truth, every single one of them was fused into the entire mineral vein by ancient cultivators using unknown great divine abilities. On top of that, after being tempered by the cavern's cold energy for so many millennia, they have all become perfectly round and unified. No matter how sharp or powerful your treasures might be, it would be impossible to remove them whole. Otherwise, with so many Mysterious Jades, would our palace have simply left them sitting here unused all this time? If they could all be extracted and refined into magical treasures, our palace's strength would rival that of the Supreme Harmony Sect and the Heavenly Devil Sect overnight." The blue-robed middle-aged man's face bore a look of regret as he spoke.
"These Mysterious Jades cannot be removed?" The old woman's brow furrowed, and she looked somewhat skeptical.
"If Madam Long harbors any doubts, you are most welcome to give it a try. That way you will know that Junior Brother Ou Yang's words are no falsehood," Hanli Shangren said with a smile.
"Oh? Could it really be such a curious thing? This old woman would truly like to try." The old woman's head of crane-white hair trembled as she suddenly raised her cane and pointed it at a bean-sized piece of Mysterious Jade atop the jumbled rocks before her.
A thread of yellow light shot from the tip of her cane and, after a flash, struck the Mysterious Jade.
With a muffled "bang," a gleam of light flickered across the jade's surface, and then it simply returned to normal as though nothing had happened.
The old woman's expression shifted slightly, but her gaze quickly darkened as a layer of murderous intent surfaced on her face. With a sudden flick of her sleeve, a small, archaic-looking green hammer materialized in her hand.
With a slight shake, she tossed it upward, and the hammer transformed into a bolt of green lightning that shot forth.
With a deafening boom, the green lightning exploded the instant it made contact with the Mysterious Jade. The jade's light flickered wildly before it suddenly disintegrated into a cloud of white powder that scattered in the wind.
The old woman stared at the sight, dumbstruck.
"Don't be too surprised, Fellow Daoist Long. Even treasures of far greater power will only destroy these Mysterious Jades — they can never be extracted intact," Hanli Shangren chuckled lightly.
The old woman's expression turned rather grim, but she could only remain silent.
The gray-robed monk standing nearby suddenly spoke up:
"Fellow Daoist Hanli, if that is the case, then your palace cannot have too many Mysterious Jades either. Yet just now you were remarkably generous in distributing them to us. This has this humble monk somewhat puzzled."
"Haha, Grandmaster Mo Jiu, you worry too much. Although our palace cannot mine the cavern's Mysterious Jades in large quantities, extracting a small amount is still well within our capability. Junior Sister Bai, remove one piece and show our fellow daoists!" Hanli Shangren was momentarily taken aback by the monk's remark, but then burst into laughter and gave Bai Mengxin an instruction.
The white-robed woman heard this and gave a faint nod of acknowledgment. She then patted her storage pouch with one hand, and a small white bottle appeared in her palm.
Under everyone's watchful gaze, Bai Mengxin walked a few steps to the pile of jumbled rocks, deftly uncapped the bottle, and with a flash of white light on her hand, used her Magical Power to force out a single drop of liquid as black as ink.
The droplet trailed a faint gray mist as it flew toward another piece of Mysterious Jade in the pile.
Han Li, who had been maintaining his usual calm, suddenly changed expression the moment he saw the droplet. He quickly composed himself, but the flash of shock in the depths of his eyes could not be entirely concealed.
Fortunately, everyone else was focused on the scene before them, so no one noticed Han Li's reaction.
The instant the droplet made contact with the Mysterious Jade, it vanished as if swallowed by the sea.
The jade was immediately shrouded in a layer of gray mist, then emitted a crisp "crack" and fell free from the rock of its own accord, where Bai Mengxin caught it in one fluid motion.
The old woman and the monk both showed expressions of astonishment, and Han Li's eyes mirrored their surprise.
Hanli Shangren, however, simply chuckled and explained:
"An ancient treasure left behind by the founding ancestor of our palace. It can gather earthly yin energy on its own, condensing a single drop of Yin Spirit Water over the course of ten years. This water is specifically capable of dissolving rock and metal — its wonder is beyond compare. Only by using this water can the Mysterious Jades be removed from the cavern without damage. That is why our palace opens the Mysterious Jade Cavern only once every thousand years, and each time can extract only a small quantity."
"I see." The gray-robed monk's face showed a look of sudden comprehension.
The old woman glanced at the cavern floor, carpeted with ten-thousand-year Mysterious Jades, and a flicker of regret crossed her mind before she fell silently back into thought.
As for Han Li, having witnessed the droplet's effect on the jade, his heart was in a turmoil of its own.
"Whatever else there is to discuss, let us first make our way to the Solar Essence Chamber and talk there at length." Hanli Shangren spoke as he strode toward the red stone building.