Shen Han watched from a distance, not daring to move closer.

If he got any closer, he might be mistaken by those powerful figures as a rival for the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, which would be troublesome.

Heading towards a high mountain on the side, standing a bit higher up, he should be able to observe more clearly.

Climbing to the mountain's peak, observing from there offered an even broader view.

As Shen Han looked on, his brow couldn't help but furrow slightly.

Including the mountain he stood on, there were eight towering peaks surrounding the circular plaza.

The peaks formed a surrounding stance, encircling the circular plaza below.

At the center of the circular plaza was that hole.

It didn't seem like a naturally formed terrain; rather, it appeared to be arranged by someone.

There was some doubt in his heart, but it was merely doubt.

Shen Han was well aware that he didn't understand this world very deeply.

Perhaps Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures were just this special, capable of even altering the surrounding geography.

In any case, he figured it was best to just watch honestly and not get involved in their disputes.

"If you're just here to broaden your horizons, it's best to stand further away."

The sudden voice startled Shen Han immensely; he hadn't even noticed anyone was nearby.

Following the sound, he saw it was the Fairy who had helped him with fifty taels for lodging the day before.

She stood amid the clouds, stepping on a Flying Sword.

Some advanced Body Techniques, when combined with a Qi Manipulation Device, allowed for flight.

But this Fairy could suspend in mid-air.

This alone was enough to demonstrate her power.

At least Fourth Grade!

There was even a possibility that she had stepped into the Third Grade Immortal Realm!

Shen Han knew very well that he was just a chance acquaintance with this Fairy, without much deep interaction.

Precisely because there was no vested interest between them, he needed to pay more attention to her advice.

"Thank you for the guidance, senior; I will stand further away."

"Since you're here, there's no need. Guard your mind, just watch from here."

As her voice fell, the Fairy waved her jade hand gently, and a Jade Pendant floated over to Shen Han.

Upon receiving the Jade Pendant, a calming aura permeated his mind.

Before Shen Han could even express his gratitude, the Fairy on the Flying Sword was already gone.

When he saw her again, she was already at the edge of that circular plaza.

It seemed that to qualify to enter that circular plaza, one had to be at least Fourth Grade and above.

He looked back at the Jade Pendant in his hand.

Fine purple characters appeared upon the Jade Pendant: [Jade Artifact of Calming and Heart Guarding]

No wonder, holding the Jade Pendant, the pressure he felt before had greatly diminished.

Shen Han now understood why many of the younger generation dared not approach too closely.

The closer to the center, the stronger the pressure became.

Regularly visualizing the Celestial Dao Sword Momentum, extracting entries also enhanced his Spiritual Power.

This allowed him to have the capability of observing from such a position.

Others of the same generation might experience a splitting headache before getting even halfway there.

Understanding this, Shen Han no longer made any moves and waited honestly atop the mountain.

According to the information he bought earlier, the transition between 5:00 PM and 7:00 PM was when the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures would appear.

Who knows if the information he bought for one tael of silver was accurate.

Looking at the sky, it wouldn't be much longer.

Everyone seemed to be waiting for this moment to come; the earlier chatter had entirely stopped.

In the vast mountain forest, occasionally a few bird chirps could be heard.

It truly echoed the poem, "The mountain becomes more serene with bird calls."

Time flowed neither too fast nor slow.

The originally faint pressure actually began to gradually intensify.

Not something the younger generation could withstand.

The temples throbbed as if they were about to explode, swollen and painful.

Holding the Jade Pendant given by the Fairy in both hands, the pain slightly alleviated, but it was still very uncomfortable.

Unpleasant as it was, Shen Han persisted in keeping his gaze on the circular plaza.

The pressure grew stronger, and the circular plaza began to emit a strange light.

It's rumored that before Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures emerged, abnormal phenomena would occur.

This light should be the sign of the birth of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures!

In the circular plaza, a group of strong figures had a trace of excitement on their faces.

Many had been stuck at a certain Realm for years, longing for this Heavenly Treasure to help them break through.

Amid their anticipation, there was also wariness in their eyes.

With many wolves and little meat, who wouldn't want the Heavenly Treasure?

But how much Heavenly Treasure was there to go around?

Once the Heavenly Treasure emerged, conflict would be inevitable.

The abnormal phenomena became more pronounced, and the experts standing in the center of the circular plaza grew increasingly tense.

Shen Han lay prostrate at the mountain's peak, his gaze fixed on the abnormal phenomenon.

He wasn't sure if he could extract the item's entries from such a distance.

After a while, the abnormal phenomenon began to shine with brilliant light.

At the same time, the ground beneath began to tremble.

"The Heavenly Treasure is about to appear!"

The more violently the ground trembled, the more excited the powerful figures waiting there became.

The surrounding high mountains also shook.

Huge rocks tumbled down, crashing continuously.

The circular plaza in the center, too, cracked due to the tremors.

The ground revealed a network of fissures.

Amid the crowd's expectant gazes, suddenly thorns reached out and tightly bound the strong figures.

The powerful figures around the circular plaza were at least top Fourth Grade experts.

Seeing the thorns attack, they paid it no mind, preparing to leap away.

But when they exerted force, they found they couldn't make any movement, just watching helplessly as the thorns entangled them.

The thorns' spikes tore through their clothes, scratching their skin.

Experts above Fourth Grade had bodies like copper skin and iron bones.

By rights, they should fear no such thorns, but without exception, everyone was injured by the thorns.

These experts realized they had fallen into a trap set by someone else.

The so-called emergence of Heavenly Treasure was merely a lure to gather everyone!

But realizing that now changed nothing...

Prostrate on the mountain peak, Shen Han also faced a thorn attack.

But the further away from the circular plaza, the finer the thorns.

Much like what happened to those experts, Shen Han couldn't exert his Seventh Grade power.

His movements were dulled significantly.

Thorns attempted to wrap around his feet; though they lacked spikes and wouldn't scratch him, he couldn't pull the thorns off.

After a moment's hesitance, Shen Han quickly extracted a negative entry, [Corrupt], from his sea of consciousness.

He then applied this entry to the thorns.

In a blink, the thorns began to wither and decay.

Pushing ahead, Shen Han easily removed the thorns.

After clearing the entangling thorns, Shen Han began to assess the surroundings.

Looking towards the circular plaza at the mountain's base, every expert was thoroughly bound by thorns, unable to move.

The pressure that had initially pained him had disappeared by this moment.

Hesitating for a moment, Shen Han gripped his long sword and started towards the circular plaza.

Climbing up the mountain had been easy, but now descending proved quite challenging.

For reasons unknown, his Seventh Grade strength had completely vanished.

To descend the mountain, he could only rely on his physical strength, painstakingly climbing down step by step.

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