Not just Han Li — everyone else who saw the ancient text on the light screen stirred with commotion as well.
A good while passed, and not a single person spoke up.
Every one of these materials was something nearly impossible to find in the Spirit World. Even the people from the Black Domain couldn't be entirely certain that those participating in the exchange would possess what they wanted. They had even offered a fallback option of exchanging with large quantities of spirit stones and spirit medicines instead.
What was far more likely was that those who possessed these rare materials simply weren't willing to part with them in exchange for this somewhat niche treasure.
The Qitian Gong was, in general, only useful to those who commanded a certain degree of influence.
Han Li sat in his chair, his gaze fixed on a particular item's name on the light screen, his eyes flickering with an unreadable light.
"I don't have a thirty-zhang-length Snow Spirit Wood. I wonder if a one-zhang-length piece, along with some spirit stones, would be enough to exchange for this Qitian Gong?" The same cool, clear voice from before spoke again — this female cultivator clearly wanted this treasure badly.
"I'm afraid that won't do. The size of the Snow Spirit Wood is crucial to us. Even a small shortfall would render it unusable." The golden-masked man shook his head without hesitation.
"That is truly regrettable. Though this concubine very much desires this Qitian Gong, I'll have no choice but to give it up." The woman sighed and fell silent.
"If you don't have the materials specified by your domain, would other items be acceptable for exchange?" From a flying pavilion tucked away in a remote corner, another voice — utterly devoid of any emotion — posed the question.
"In principle, certainly. However, we only accept materials we need, and they must be of equivalent grade to the items we've listed. Ordinary goods — there's no need for fellow daoists to bring those up." The golden-masked man replied with a light chuckle.
Hearing these words, the speaker seemed to hesitate for a moment, but after a brief pause, spoke again:
"Since fellow daoist says so, perhaps you'd care to take a look at this item in my possession and see if it catches your eye!"
The moment those words left his mouth, a melodious crane's cry rang out from the stone pavilion.
A snow-white crane, entirely pristine, flew out from the pavilion with a jet-black wooden box clutched in its beak. With a graceful sweep of its wings, it glided elegantly toward the white barrier of light.
Whether it was because the golden-masked man on the stage had done something, or for some other reason, the crane passed through the barrier without the slightest resistance, slipping inside in a flash.
The golden-masked man raised his hand and beckoned. The crane immediately opened its beak, and the wooden box dropped neatly into his palm.
The crane itself, however, circled above the stone platform, neither landing nor making any move to return.
The golden-masked man had already opened the black wooden box, and a faint shimmer of emerald light flickered from within.
The moment he caught a clear look at the item inside, his pupils contracted, and the expression behind his mask grew several shades graver.
Without any visible action on his part, strange light continued to circulate in his eyes as he stared fixedly at the contents of the box for a long while, saying nothing.
The crane's owner understood that the other party was carefully appraising the item and made no move to urge him along.
The people in the other flying pavilions were naturally curious about what was in the wooden box and stirred with slight commotion, but quickly quieted down once more.
If this item couldn't be traded for the Qitian Gong, they would still have their chance, so there was no need to rush.
After another stretch of time, the strange light in the golden-masked man's eyes finally dissipated, and he let out a long, regretful sigh.
"What? Fellow daoist doesn't think my item is worth it?" The crane's owner sounded somewhat surprised.
"To be honest, under normal circumstances, the value of your item would indeed be no less than the materials on our list. However, if one truly wished to make use of it, at least ten thousand years of cultivation would be required. And the great calamity will erupt within a thousand years — our domain would prefer to first exchange for spirit stones and materials, which would be more practical." The golden-masked man explained diplomatically.
He then closed the lid of the wooden box and tossed it back into the air.
The white crane let out a sharp cry and dove down, catching the wooden box in its beak once more before turning and shooting out through the light barrier, flying straight back to its owner's pavilion.
"That truly is a great pity!" After a moment of silence, the crane's owner said those words of regret and spoke no more.
"Is there anyone else willing to exchange an item? If not, then this seat will announce that this treasure will be auctioned directly for high-grade spirit stones and spirit medicines of a thousand years or more." Seeing that it seemed no one else was willing to make an exchange, the golden-masked man furrowed his brow slightly and asked with a touch of helplessness.
Auctioning the Qitian Gong with spirit stones and spirit medicines was, of course, a last resort.
But the void around them remained utterly silent, with no one taking up the offer.
"In that case, this seat announces—" The golden-masked man let out a bitter laugh and was about to say more, when at that very moment, a rough, hoarse male voice suddenly echoed through the void.
"Hold on. This one happens to have something your domain desires. No — I should say something even more valuable than those items. Would fellow daoist care to take a look?"
The eleventh maid, who had been standing behind Han Li and gently massaging his shoulders, paused her movements. A flash of surprise crossed her pretty face.
The man who had just spoken was none other than Han Li himself.
With a single turn of his hand, a yellow jade box slowly materialized in the air before him.