A Mortal’s Journey to Immortality: Wang Yu’s Rebirth as the Reincarnation Dao Ancestor - Chapter 88

Chapter 87 The Great Evolution Technique: Good Things Happen One After Another, a Lifesaver in an Emergency

Master Hong Fu and Uncle Lei Wanhe discuss something. He only saw Uncle Lei nod at him and give a meaningful smile as he rode away on a cloud.   Then came the impending departure of Master Hong Fu and Dong Xuan’er.   ”Master, these puppets and storage bags.”   Han Li voluntarily handed over his battlefield spoils, not keeping a single spirit stone for himself.   Although he was reluctant to part with them, especially the level four giant tiger puppet, which he coveted most, he didn’t harbor any greed. His mind was as clear as a mirror.   ”Alright, Han Li, these things are useless to me, you can keep them yourself.” Master Hong Fu not only didn’t take the storage bags, but pushed the items back to her: “Keep the matter of the Spirit Eye Spring a secret, no one else should know. I think your formation is quite good; it can even delay an ordinary Core Formation cultivator for a while, and its effect is no less than some mountain-protecting formations. With this formation, I feel at ease. Just cultivate here properly.”   How could a master steal her disciple’s opportunities?   Besides, she had already gained too much from this little disciple.   The two Invisible Needle Talismans from Old Monster Qiong couldn’t be bought with spirit stones, and the youth brought by the Youth-Preserving Pill couldn’t be bought with spirit stones either. Moreover, the favor promised by Junior Brother Lei and the half bottle of Vitality-Enhancing Pills could be left for Xuan’er to use later.   And this casual act allowed Xuan’er to pick up things like Iron Essence worth tens of thousands of spirit stones.   Her little apprentice, seemingly just an ordinary, honest, and somewhat clever person, always managed to surprise her.   How strange!   ”Master, this…”   Han Li, receiving the storage bags, was deeply moved.   He was able to act without greed because the bulk of the profits never came from Huang Long and the others outside the Inverted Five Elements Formation, but from someone else inside.   In his view, the hundreds of puppets and the giant tiger puppet outside, the tens of thousands of spirit stones carried by the Foundation Establishment protectors of the Thousand Bamboo Sect, or their possessions worth tens of thousands of spirit stones, were far less valuable than what the person inside the Inverted Five Elements Formation carried.   The Great Evolution Technique!   The True Explanation of Puppets!   The value of these two items far exceeded tens or hundreds of thousands of spirit stones.   ”I was able to remain calm because of my foresight. But what about Master Hongfu and Senior Sister Dong Xuan’er?”   Even if Master Hongfu was wealthy, she would normally be tempted by something worth tens of thousands of spirit stones. However, her master hadn’t even glanced at it once. This gentlemanly composure and magnanimity were far beyond his reach.   His own scheming was truly petty.   Finally, meeting Master Hongfu’s expectant gaze, Han Li bowed deeply:   ”Thank you, Master!”   This kindness was growing stronger, and he didn’t want to be unable to repay it in the end.   …   ”By the way, Han Li, could you tell me how many Foundation Establishment Pills you have left?”   Hongfu’s question was direct and startling, catching Han Li off guard.   However, his face remained calm.   He then decisively held up three fingers:   ”Three!”   ”How is that possible?” Dong Xuan’er was stunned. “How could you still have so many Foundation Establishment Pills?”   The seven Foundation Establishment Pills awarded in the Crimson Trial shouldn’t be left over, right?   ”Senior Sister, in the Crimson Forbidden Land, my gains weren’t just those spiritual herbs; I also had a few Foundation Establishment Pills!”   Han Li laughed heartily.   He had already prepared his explanation.   ”Ah?”   The girl was taken aback.   She turned to Hong Fu:   ”Master, is what Junior Brother said true?”   ”That’s right.”   Master Hong Fu smiled and nodded:   ”When your Junior Brother came out of the Forbidden Land that day, he gave you his storage bag. Didn’t you check the other items?”   That day, she had scanned most of the storage bag and seen many things.   The Azure Condensation Mirror of the Hidden Moon Sect, the Yellow Silk Umbrella, talismans, the Falling Dust Pearl Silver Radiance Sword, and so on—she saw them all clearly. The disciple hadn’t hidden anything. Because the Foundation Establishment Pills were stored in talisman-covered bottles or boxes, she hadn’t seen them with her own eyes, but she could guess what they were.   She just hadn’t expected her disciple to have so many.   Two more than she’d estimated.   ”I see, no wonder you had extra to sell to the Chen family.” Dong Xuan’er understood, one of her doubts resolved, followed by another: “Then, junior brother, how many Foundation Establishment Pills did you use to establish your foundation?”   Han Li smiled but didn’t answer, instead taking out a bottle containing three gleaming blue Foundation Establishment Pills:   ”Master, you asked me for Foundation Establishment Pills, is it because you need them?”   Hong Fu waved her hand:   ”It’s not that I’m asking for them, but rather doing you a favor.”   Han Li perked up at this.   A favor?   Whose?   Master Hongfu didn’t keep him in suspense: “Didn’t your Uncle Lei take in two disciples with lightning spiritual roots a few years ago? They’re due to reach the Foundation Establishment stage now. But since it’s not yet time for the sect to distribute Foundation Establishment Pills, he asked if I had any extra.”   The normal distribution time for Foundation Establishment Pills is some time after the Blood Trial ends.   To get them early, you need an Ascension Token.   That thing has extremely high priority.   ”If you have any extra, sell them to his two disciples with lightning spiritual roots. If they can establish their foundation a year or two earlier, they’ll owe you a considerable favor.” Don’t   underestimate the seemingly insignificant amount of time.   For geniuses, the earlier they establish their foundation, the more beneficial it is for their path to immortality. As the saying goes, a quick start leads to many more.   And if they can gain an extra year or two to break through bottlenecks in the future, their chances and possibilities are much greater.   ”Thank you for your guidance, Master.”   He hadn’t thought of this before, but now he suddenly understood.   ”Don’t forget to visit Thunder Gang Mountain later.”   ”Understood, disciple.”

After Master Hongfu and Dong Xuan’er had gone some distance, he first returned to his cave dwelling and checked the contents of the five storage bags.

In total: over 8,000 spirit stones, over 300 level 2 puppets, one level 4 giant tiger puppet, and various miscellaneous items including top-tier magic artifacts and talismans worth over 20,000 spirit stones, as well as ironwood that was four or five hundred years old. The total value was as high as 50,000 to 60,000 spirit stones.

Should he say that the Thousand Bamboo Sect was too wealthy, with spirit materials and stones everywhere? Or was it that the cultivators there had a more hierarchical system, with a Foundation Establishment cultivator often supported by dozens or even hundreds of Qi Refining cultivators?!

And the storage bags he had chosen did not include Huanglong’s.

Furthermore, he deliberately slowed down and politely gave Dong Xuan’er a few slightly less valuable storage bags, letting her open the blind boxes, thus providing ample emotional value.

In other words, Dong Xuan’er would find even more wealth than him.

Master Hongfu probably had this in mind as well as why she didn’t take his portion?

Perhaps she wanted to treat everyone fairly?

Actually,

all of these factors were at play.

But what Han Li hadn’t realized was that Hong Fu’s true reason for being so generous was her growing desire to bring him and his grandniece, Dong Xuan’er,   together.

Furthermore, Han Li’s earlier willingness to offer the Spirit Eye Spring had deeply touched Hong Fu, even though she hadn’t said anything. It was all a series of

unexpected events.   An hour later,   Han Li returned to the area covered by the Inverted Five Elements Array.   He then followed another secret passage to the foot of the hundred-zhang mountain wall.   After only a few steps, he saw a blackened corpse, poisoned, lying on an open ground.   Because this area was still within the array’s coverage, no one outside could see inside, neither with sight nor divine sense. And unless the commotion inside was too great, it wouldn’t be noticed by outsiders.   This was why the corpse hadn’t been discovered by Hong Fu’s master and Lei Wanhe.   Huang Long and the others from the Thousand Bamboo Sect attacked the Inverted Five Elements Formation precisely because of this corpse, not for the Spirit Eye Spring within the mountain wall.   All these coincidences led Han Li to this unexpected windfall.   ”Eh? Isn’t this Senior Brother Lin? Senior Brother, are you alright?”   Han Li asked from a distance, feigning concern.   Unsurprisingly, Senior Brother Lin didn’t reply.   Han Li could only sigh softly,   ”Alas, it seems I’ve been delayed too long; he’s thoroughly dead.”   He then decisively flicked his finger, sending a fireball hurtling towards the corpse.   But the next moment, a cry of alarm came from the corpse:   ”No, Junior Brother, stop!”   The voice belonged to Young Master Lin.   More accurately, it was Young Master Lin’s primordial spirit.   At this moment, Young Master Lin was nothing but his primordial spirit. Originally, after years of melancholy and seclusion in Yellow Maple Valley, he had lost all desire to reclaim the Thousand Bamboo Sect’s foundation in the far west and avenge his father. A few years ago, he had painstakingly cultivated the Great Evolution Technique to the third level, and his mind immediately began to stir again. He thought of contacting his former subordinates and having them steal the last three levels of the technique from the Thousand Bamboo Sect’s headquarters.   He did just that.   However, he never expected that his former subordinates, whom he had so highly valued and nurtured, had already betrayed him. Well, actually, he had somewhat anticipated it, but before being betrayed, he simply refused to believe that his personal charisma was so worthless.   After being ambushed in the Yuanwu Kingdom, he had no choice but to flee, heading towards Huangfeng Valley, towards Taiyue Mountain, and coincidentally passing through this area.   Then ,   he was stopped by a great formation that had appeared there at some unknown time. Trapped   within the   formation, he couldn’t escape no matter what he tried.   Damn it!   Countless curses couldn’t describe his grief and despair at that moment.   He hadn’t seen this great formation when he passed through this place years ago, so why did he have to run into it this time?   It was truly as if the heavens were against him.   And frankly, which damned Foundation Establishment cultivator from Huangfeng Valley dared to carve out a cave in such a remote place? It’s too far-fetched!   He was just thinking about how Huanglong and the others would deal with him after they caught up and broke through the great formation.   Unexpectedly, the commotion caused by Huanglong and the others quickly subsided.   At this point, he thought he was saved, but then this Huangfeng Valley cultivator raised his hand and launched a fireball spell to finish him off. He wanted to burn his body and destroy his primordial spirit in the process.   ”Ah…why?”   Lin Shaozhu’s primordial spirit screamed and questioned.   In a flash, he thought of many things.   ”He’s not completely dead after all!”   Han Li sneered.   ”His primordial spirit hasn’t dissipated, and he won’t utter a sound when questioned. He’s definitely trying to lure me into a false sense of security before suddenly attempting to seize   my body!” “You were trapped here because of my Reversed Five Elements Formation, missing the optimal time for treatment, leading to the poison’s flare-up and   your body’s complete necrosis. With this grudge in place, how could you, Senior Brother, not harbor any resentment towards me? Seizing my body and taking everything from me is your simplest and most direct way of revenge.” He knew Lin Shaozhu’s background inside and out, so he naturally wouldn’t fall for it.   He also knew that as a Foundation Establishment cultivator who hadn’t cultivated the Great Evolution Technique, facing a Foundation Establishment cultivator at the mid-stage who had mastered the third level of the Great Evolution Technique and greatly enhanced his spiritual sense, he would undoubtedly lose.   Once the opponent’s primordial spirit invaded his sea of consciousness and forcibly seized his body, he would be finished.   Therefore,   he would absolutely not approach a problem that could be solved with a single fireball spell from a distance.   ”Junior brother, it’s a misunderstanding. I had no ill intentions. I was just guarding against those who were hunting me…”   Ah, so she had seen through his intention to possess his body and had been on guard against him all along.   ”There’s no misunderstanding between us.” Watching the other’s primordial spirit burn and dissipate, Han Li finally breathed a sigh of relief.   ”Moreover, what I hate most in this life is being possessed.”   …   After destroying Young Master Lin’s physical body and primordial spirit, only a storage bag remained.   Seeing this, he released Qu Hun from his spirit beast bag and had Qu Hun check the storage bag to prevent any ambush. After confirming that Young Master Lin hadn’t left any hidden tricks on the storage bag, he took it, permeated it with his magic power, and then took out the items inside one by one.

The storage bag was completely empty and spotless. There were only a few spirit stones and two bottles of ordinary pills. Furthermore, in order to escape from Huang Long and the other Thousand Bamboo Sect protectors, he had self-destructed his three hundred puppets to buy time, completely depleting his resources. However, even so, a jade slip remained inside.

Upon seeing the jade slip, Han Li immediately beamed with joy:

“Found it!”

He probed it with his mind, his divine sense instantly capturing the three large golden characters “Da Yan Jue” (Great Evolution Technique).

This jade slip was indeed the Great Evolution Technique inheritance jade slip he had been searching for.

It recorded the first four levels of the technique.

Furthermore, after the Great Evolution Technique, the scripture “Puppet True Explanation” appeared. This scripture taught how to refine puppet beasts and puppet humans of various ranks, a very detailed encyclopedia of puppet making.

Unfortunately, the Puppet True Explanation did not cover high-ranking puppets; the highest level was only a level 4 giant tiger puppet.

“It seems the method for crafting high-level puppets, like the last three levels of the Great Evolution Technique, is with the Great Evolution Divine Lord at the Thousand Bamboo Sect’s headquarters,” Han Li mused, stroking his chin.

If he could become a Nascent Soul cultivator in the future, he would definitely travel to the far west.

Cultivating the Great Evolution Technique doesn’t require special pills; those suited to it can quickly grasp the basics. Using the original Han Li as a reference, the first level took six months to a year to master. The second level, about six years. The third level, about twenty years. And the first four levels didn’t present significant bottlenecks. The only problem was the need for considerable time to settle the essence.

During this time, one could simultaneously cultivate the Azure Origin Sword Art and the Third Rebirth.

Of course, without a large amount of pills to aid in cultivating the Azure Origin Sword Art, the Great Evolution Technique would definitely interfere with its progress.

However, with a large amount of spiritual herbs, it would be a different story.

“I still have a few bottles of ancient pills suitable for Foundation Establishment stage cultivators, plus a ten percent acceleration from the Spirit Eye Spring. The acceleration effect of the Spirit Eye Spring can just offset the ten percent drag from the Azure Origin Sword Technique…”

“Furthermore, once the first level of the Great Evolution Technique is mastered, the bottleneck at the peak of the early Foundation Establishment stage will loosen, which is also a great benefit of cultivating the Great Evolution Technique…”

“In that case, I should adjust my cultivation mode according to plan.”

“…”

Before Han Li could sell the three Foundation Establishment Pills to the three young geniuses and go into seclusion for cultivation, Dong Xuan’er came to visit again, bringing Senior Brother Yu Kun from the Azure Wave Cave lineage, asking him to come with her to Azure Wave Cave.

Upon hearing that it was Li Huayuan’s cave, he roughly knew what had happened.

It was most likely the incident from three years ago.

Sure enough, on the way, he learned the whole story from the “talkative” Senior Brother Yu.

It turned out that three years ago, Li Huayuan’s wife suddenly went into qi deviation while cultivating a certain technique, almost dying from the backlash of the technique. It was around that time that their adopted son, Yu Kun, provided a Qingxin Pill as a lifesaver, helping the young woman through her most difficult period. In the following years, Li Huayuan searched far and wide for medicinal herbs to refine a cure for the aftereffects, eventually finding Hong Fu.

Hong Fu generously gifted him some herbs and a bottle of pills.

Only recently did Li Huayuan’s wife finally recover.

When the couple asked their senior brother, Yu, about the origin of the original Qingxin Pill, he didn’t try to hide it but directly revealed Han Li’s identity.

Out of gratitude and due to the limitations of her cultivation method, the young woman immediately insisted on reciprocating with a generous gift.

Thus, Old Li not only owed Hong Fu a great favor but also had to give Han Li a thank-you gift.

And so,

after Dong Xuan’er found his cave, she invited him to visit Bibo Cave.

Upon his return, he had another golden page in his hand.

Dong Xuan’er now held a large piece of iron essence.

Of course, Li Huayuan couldn’t repay the favor to the Red Tassel Mountain lineage with just a piece of iron essence worth nearly ten thousand spirit stones.

It was a long and arduous road ahead.

“I got this golden page with just one Clear Mind Pill, saving me a huge trouble. Indeed, to be an investor, you have to be an angel investor.”

…

After making a deal with the Dong family head with Dong Xuan’er, he caught some small animals and returned to his cave, immediately entering seclusion.

He didn’t rush to unlock the inheritance of this golden page, but instead devoted himself entirely to cultivating the Great Evolution Technique. Calm and focused, without distractions, abandoning all external thoughts, aside from his usual pills to enhance his magical power, he concentrated solely on cultivating the Great Evolution Technique.

Time flew by, and three years passed.

The cave door hadn’t been opened since it was last closed.

A thin layer of dust had accumulated at the entrance.

On this day, the door was opened from the inside.

A figure emerged.

This person had an ordinary appearance, yet his aura had reached the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. And not just a beginner in the mid-stage, but a significant leap forward from the mid-Foundation Establishment level.

At this moment, the young man exuded confidence and composure with every gesture.

“The first level of the Great Evolution Technique, the fifth level of the Azure Origin Sword Art… truly time-consuming.”

For three years, he had devoted himself to cultivation. He

refined pills and consumed them himself.

Not only did he master the first level of the Great Evolution Technique in just over half a year, but he also took advantage of the surge in his spiritual sense after mastering the first level, further loosening the bottleneck at the peak of the early Foundation Establishment stage by consuming large amounts of pills. Then, in one fell swoop, he naturally stepped into the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.

Furthermore, he used his spare time to study the True Explanation of Puppets, and used the centuries-old ironwood and other spiritual materials readily available in his storage bag to try and refine more than a dozen puppets.

Initially, his forging attempts, like his initial foray into alchemy, were fraught with setbacks. Fortunately, he was quite talented in both weapon crafting and alchemy, and his skills improved rapidly after he entered the field.

He first practiced with ordinary animals like weasels, learning the “Soul-Trapping Technique,” a common method used by demonic cultivators as recorded in the “True Explanation of Puppetry.” The Soul-Trapping Technique, as the name suggests, is a spell that draws the soul from a corpse. Next,

he tried the “Soul-Condensing Technique,” which could condense dozens or even hundreds of weak souls into a single, powerful artificial soul. This artificial soul had many drawbacks, such as not being as effective as naturally powerful souls; however, it also had its advantages, such as being plentiful and suitable for practicing and creating first and second-level puppets.

Finally, there was the “Soul-Refining Technique,” a spell for refining and modifying souls, allowing puppeteers to combine artificial souls with magical artifacts to create obedient puppet soldiers and beasts.

Here, we must mention some of Young Master Lin’s unconventional methods.

It turns out that all the second-level puppet soldiers he possessed were actually created by Young Master Lin using human souls to condense powerful artificial souls and then refining them.

Hundreds of puppet soldiers, considering the one-third failure rate of the Soul-Binding Technique and the fact that the Soul-Condensing Technique requires the fusion of dozens of souls to produce a usable artificial soul: this alone has claimed the lives of at least seventy to eighty thousand, or even hundreds of thousands, of young and middle-aged mortals. This is

blatant demonic behavior.

The key point is, they could have created beast puppets, but they chose to create humanoid puppets.

I don’t understand what that young master Lin was thinking.

No wonder he wasn’t well-liked in Yellow Maple Valley.

Most likely, many Core Formation experts had already seen through his trickery.

On the other hand, the Thousand Bamboo Sect mainly produced beast puppets. These were clearly level 2 puppets created by hunting ordinary wild animals, using soul-binding, soul-condensing, and soul-refining techniques. Their record is much cleaner.

As for him, his record isn’t exactly clean either.

After all, he also practiced with ordinary wild animals.

But he absolutely had no intention of harming mortals.

In his view, matters between cultivators shouldn’t involve mortals. Therefore, after accumulating initial experience with wild beasts, he directly targeted the high-level fire lizards among the dozens he had captured alive in the forbidden area.

The puppets he ultimately crafted were level 2 puppets represented by the souls of these high-level fire lizards.

Although only level 2 puppets, their agility was comparable to the twelfth or thirteenth level of Qi Refining.

They were among the best of level 2 puppets.

“No wonder the original owner was more at ease overseas; it turns out that the souls required for crafting puppets were a major limitation.” In

the Chaotic Star Sea, there were numerous demonic beasts, and soul-binding, soul-condensing, and soul-refining were easy to practice, allowing for the creation of level 3 and 4 Foundation Establishment stage puppets.

However, in the Southern Lands, demonic beasts were scarce, and puppeteers could only find ordinary wild beasts and ordinary humans to condense and refine souls to create suitable artificial souls. In the end, creating level 2 puppets was common, while creating level 3 or 4 Foundation Establishment stage puppets was quite rare.

In other words, it’s not that puppet making is difficult; raw materials like hundreds-of-years or even thousands-year-old ironwood are not uncommon. The real limitation to the development of puppetry is the soul.

“I’ll have to go to the mine soon.”

The Heaven-Mending Pill, the Great Teleportation Token, and that Blood Jade Spider…

…

Mountain Gate Council Hall.

Han Li found Zhong Lingdao.

He first briefly inquired about the Blood Trial two years ago, and after confirming that Huangfeng Valley had won again, he felt relieved.

Then he inquired about the Yu family member who guarded the mine at Tianque Fortress, a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Yu Yuan, a three-spiritual-root cultivator at the early Foundation Establishment stage of Tianque Fortress, only achieved Foundation Establishment in his fifties, and now, at over a hundred years old, he’s still only at the early Foundation Establishment stage. He’s a family cultivator who, knowing his path to immortality is hopeless, has spent many years shining for his direct descendants in the Yu family.

This man has been guarding the mine for many years and has accumulated some wealth. After all, guarding the mine, although tedious, is a lucrative job, with a yearly reward of at least four or five mid-grade spirit stones.

Furthermore, considering that the mines are protected by formations such as the Four Fiends Formation, there is basically no need to worry about external disturbances. Minor matters are handled by dozens of Qi Refining stage disciples assigned by various sects, so in many ways, things are quite relaxed.

“Junior Brother Han, is there anything else you’d like to inquire about?” Zhong Lingdao asked with a smile.

Han Li shook his head, then bowed, “Thank you for your trouble, Senior Brother Sect Leader.”

He then prepared to leave, saying, “I have other matters to attend to, so I won’t bother you any longer.”

“Not at all, not at all. Come visit often

when you have time.” Just as he was about to step out of the main hall, someone entered from outside. Upon seeing Han Li, he immediately smiled and said,

“Junior Brother Han, I was just saying I was going to look for you at your cave dwelling.”

The person was none other than Senior Brother Wang, the steward.

The one in charge of the Ascension Assembly and accompanying his companions in the Blood Trial.

“Senior Brother Wang, what is it?”

“Junior Brother, a young cultivator from the Yuanwu Kingdom named Qi Yunxiao just delivered a message to the mountain gate, asking the disciples guarding the mountain to deliver this jade slip to Hongying Mountain or directly to you.” As Senior Brother Wang spoke, he handed over a jade slip.

Han Li, without suspicion, took it and immediately immersed himself in it.

He quickly learned why Qi Yunxiao was in such a hurry to find him.

It turned out that the ice lotus and some auxiliary spiritual herbs he had given him three years ago, used up all the cold-attribute pills he had made, and Qi Yunxiao’s close friend was still forcing himself to cultivate, causing the dragon’s roar energy within his body to erupt and run rampant, even causing the man to faint.

Qi Yunxiao immediately thought of Han Li and rushed over to seek a way to save him.

He first went to his cave, and after waiting for two days without any response, he left a communication talisman and came to the Huangfeng Valley mountain gate of Taiyue Mountain to seek contact information.

Qi Yunxiao was like an ant on a hot pan.

“So anxious, it seems Xin Ruyin’s cultivation has been going smoothly these past three years, her power has increased considerably, which is why the sudden backlash is even greater,” Han Li murmured to himself. “

Senior brother, where is that young man?”

“He went towards the Tianxing Sect market in the Yuanwu Kingdom in the northwest.”

“Thank you for delivering the message, senior brother. I will definitely invite you to my cave for tea sometime.”

“Alright, I’ll wait until you have time, junior brother.”

After the two parted ways, Han Li went straight to the Hundred Machines Hall to report, and then headed northwest to chase after him.

In less than half an hour, he caught up with a short and stout figure.

“Fellow Daoist, please wait.”

The figure in front, upon hearing this and sensing the aura of a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator chasing after him, initially trembled in fright. However, upon seeing Han Li, she was overjoyed:

“Senior, Senior, I’ve finally found you!”

“Alright, I understand the situation. It’s urgent, so let’s go rescue her first. I still have a vintage Iceberg Snow Lotus here. After refining it into a pill, it should be able to temporarily stabilize the Dragon Roar Qi within your friend’s body. However, you should still persuade her not to force herself to cultivate. Unless she finds a Nascent Soul Ancestor for protection, or at the very least, a late-stage Core Formation expert for assistance, she’s really courting death.”

Xin Ruyin’s pursuit of the Immortal Path was exactly the same as Mo Caihuan’s in the original story—knowing it was impossible, yet still doing it.

But, under the impact of the helplessness and despair that her enthusiasm brought, she seemed somewhat irrational.

Or rather, she was too rational.

Qi Yunxiao didn’t care about anything else. Hearing that Han Li had a way to save his life, he was overjoyed:

“Thank you, senior! Thank you, senior! I will remember your great kindness…”

“No need for that. We’re just taking what we need. By the way, how’s your research on the Reversed Five Elements Formation coming along?” Han Li brought up the important matter.

“My friend and I have devoted much more effort to studying that formation over the past three years, and we’ve even reforged a set of array-setting tools. Theoretically, it should be equivalent to thirty percent of the power of the complete Inverted Five Elements Formation.”

“Thirty percent power?”

Not bad, not bad.

“Senior, please give us some more time. My friend and I are confident we can recreate and simplify the formation using the array-setting tools to make it complete.” Qi Yunxiao wiped the sweat from his brow, afraid that his friend might be dissatisfied and suddenly change his mind and leave.

“Alright, I trust you both.”

Han Li, piloting his flying sword, carried Qi Yunxiao at an even faster speed, arriving at a hidden mountain range in Yuanwu Kingdom after three days.

This place was remote, shrouded in mist year-round, and lacked any spiritual herbs or materials, making it even more sparsely populated. Yet, within this inconspicuous mountain range, half-hidden by mist, lay a paradise.

It was left to Xin Ruyin by her parents.

Hidden by an extremely powerful array,

it was difficult for even Core Formation cultivators or Nascent Soul elders to detect without careful attention.

Centuries later, this place was discovered by a Nascent Soul stage expert, who also discovered a hidden but valuable spiritual vein. He then established a small sect there as their base.

“Fellow Daoist Qi, since your friend didn’t invite me in, I won’t go in,” Han Li said to Qi Yunxiao beside him after a moment’s thought upon arriving.

Qi Yunxiao was alarmed: “Senior, why?”

How could he expect to receive the spiritual herbs needed to save him if he refused entry?

“Don’t worry, I’ll build a temporary cave nearby and then start refining pills. Once they’re ready, you can give them to your friend.” One should always be cautious.

Although he knew Xin Ruyin and Qi Yunxiao’s character well,

he was ultimately used to being cautious first and then acting like a gentleman.

After all, once trapped in a powerful formation, his life or death would be out of his control.

“Thank you, senior. By the way, please accept this set of array-setting tools.” Qi Yunxiao was quite accommodating, taking out the complete set of array-setting tools for the Inverted Five Elements Array.

Two days later, the pills were ready. To be on the safe side, Han Li initially only refined three pills. Fortunately, they were all successful.

“Take them to save people first.”

“Thank you, senior.”

The three pills were given to Qi Yunxiao as an emergency measure to see if they could suppress the dragon’s roar energy within Xin Ruyin’s body.

The feedback was quite good: the girl woke up, and her condition improved. However, she was still unwell, so she did not leave her secluded place to thank him in person, but instead asked her maid, Xiao Mei, to express her gratitude.

Han Li didn’t say much about this.

Later, he refined more than two bottles, giving half to Qi Yunxiao.

This kind of pill was easier to refine than the Foundation Establishment Pill. With his current alchemy skills and control over his divine sense, he could reliably guarantee a success rate of over 80%.

Originally, he thought he was very capable.

However, he learned from Qi Yunxiao that once alchemy masters were familiar with the formulas, their success rate was generally around 95%. Those with skilled techniques could even achieve an astonishing 98% success rate. The batch of Snow Cloud Pills he refined three years ago was made by an alchemy master he had requested through the Qi family’s connections. Because he provided the formulas, no extra payment was needed, and the master was very willing to try new types of pills.

After learning this, Han Li fell silent, his earlier smugness vanishing completely.

Indeed, he was still far from mastering the art of alchemy.

A few days later, after Xin Ruyin had recuperated and confirmed that her condition had improved considerably and she was ready to receive guests, she emerged from her secluded array and met Han Li, who had been waiting for her for many days, in her simple cave dwelling.

“Eh? Qi Refining Level 10?”

In the original timeline, this woman was only at the Qi Refining Level 6 or 7 at this point.

It seems this girl has been diligently cultivating for the past three years, suppressing the dragon’s roar energy within her body with cold-attribute pills refined from the Ice Mountain Snow Lotus. No wonder she was caught off guard and suffered a backlash from the dragon’s roar energy.

“This humble servant, Xin Ruyin, greets Senior. Thank you for saving my life.”

Upon meeting, the girl first gave a graceful bow, her movements gentle and delicate yet elegant and poised.

“You’re too kind, fellow Daoist.”

Han Li nodded in return.

In his eyes, Xin Ruyin’s features weren’t particularly striking at first glance, even less so than the maid Xiao Mei. However, she possessed an innate air of refined elegance and grace, and the more one looked at her, the more comfortable one felt.

It seemed that Qi Yunxiao was captivated by

her for this very reason. “Senior, I have been neglecting you due to my health condition. I hope you will forgive me.”

After thanking him, the girl began to express her apologies.

This reassured Han Li considerably.

After all, his time was precious. He had been traveling for several days, and now he had been delayed for another seven or eight days; if he couldn’t find anyone after a few more days, he would have to go back to do something else.

“Sit down,”

Han Li gestured for everyone to sit, then asked,

“Miss Xin, are you the poor person with the Dragon Roar Physique?”

“As you said, senior, I do indeed possess the Dragon Roar Physique,”

Xin Ruyin nodded after sitting down.

Earlier, she had been very wary and cautious of this person, because this Foundation Establishment stage senior exuded too much mystery and strangeness. For example, although they had never met him before, why did he seem to know so much about her and Qi Yunxiao? His methods of contact were also proactive and easily manipulated, precisely targeting their weaknesses, and extremely blatant.

This kind of person was too terrifying.

Therefore, she tried every means to persuade him, which finally got Qi Yunxiao to temporarily cut off his contact with this person.

Even their original contact information had been changed.

She hadn’t expected that they hadn’t bothered them once in the past three years; it was all her petty suspicion. Furthermore, due to her overconfidence and momentary carelessness, the Dragon Roar Qi had backfired, almost causing irreversible and severe aftereffects such as meridian depletion and dantian atrophy.

If she had been treated any later, her life would have been over.

Only then did she realize just how troublesome her Dragon Roar Body truly was. It was probably true, as the other party said, that she needed the constant suppression of Yin Qi by a Nascent Soul ancestor, or the help of a Nascent Soul cultivator specializing in ice-attribute techniques to cure her completely with cold energy.

Then, she realized the other party’s goodwill towards her, or rather, that they were mostly using her and Qi Yunxiao, and had no other malicious intent.

“Senior, is it really true that only those two methods can treat this strange constitution of mine?”

Even knowing the outcome, she was still incredibly unwilling.

“I wouldn’t claim my method is the best, but it’s certainly very practical. Moreover, one aspect of it is feasible; it’s up to you, Miss Xin, to choose.” Han Li poured each of them a cup of Ye family spirit tea and said calmly, “With your pride, you surely wouldn’t be content to waste your life like this, would you?”

To be able to replicate a Core Formation level formation during the Qi Refining stage, and to compress the grand formation within a formation artifact, greatly simplifying it—such skill is beyond the reach of 99.99% of formation masters. And to achieve this in just over ten years—how could such innate talent not inspire pride?

What more could be done if this woman had more time?

“Indeed, Senior has seen through many of my grievances,”

Xin Ruyin said without concealment.

Yes.

She was indeed unwilling.

Why could other mediocre people cultivate immortality smoothly, while someone with her astonishing talent in a certain area was destined for a short life?

Why did she possess this intractable Dragon Roar Body?

Why was she limited by this torturous and strange constitution?

She was unwilling.

Even if Heaven only bestowed upon her the talent of a pseudo-spiritual root, she believed she could go far through her own efforts.

Since Heaven was torturing her, she would find a way to break free of these shackles herself.

“Miss Xin, have you considered first joining a powerful force, then showcasing your array formation talent to gain attention and thus obtain a way to prolong your life? As long as you can reach Foundation Establishment, you can temporarily halt cultivation and live for over a hundred or even two hundred years without any problem. If you’re lucky enough to form a Core Formation, it’s not impossible to live for four or five hundred years. What do you think, Miss Xin?” Han Li was now subtly extending an olive branch.

“A very good suggestion, but it’s not suitable for a junior like me,”

the girl said apologetically , politely declining

the offer.

Han Li nodded, indicating his understanding:

possessing a second Nascent Soul secret technique and an array formation inheritance, how could he constantly be under the watchful eye of a Nascent Soul stage ancestor? Especially the second Nascent Soul secret technique; if it fell into the hands of a Nascent Soul stage monster, it would likely immediately unleash a bloodbath in the cultivation world.

Given her quiet and secluded nature, she most likely wouldn’t want to bear the consequences or risk her life. After all ,

would a Nascent Soul ancestor who has obtained a secret technique still have a burden to carry around?

Even the most talented in array formations can’t significantly improve the cultivation of Nascent Soul elders.

“Then, we can only continue our cooperative transaction.”

Han Li didn’t press the issue, steer the conversation towards a more relaxed atmosphere.

“A mutually beneficial transaction is always best.”

Xin Ruyin nodded, secretly relieved.

She was afraid the other party would kidnap her and force her into marriage.

This current arrangement, without coercion but through a transactional approach, was truly the best solution.

“Yes, I have already taken out two portions of two 800-year-old Ice Mountain Snow Lotuses and related auxiliary spiritual herbs. These are priceless, even nearly extinct, treasures. You two fellow Daoists do not deny this, do you?”

“Indeed, and thank you for saving our lives, senior.”

“In return, you two fellow Daoists have given me two incomplete Inverted Five Elements Arrays. While the arrays are also precious, they are far less life-saving than the spiritual herbs, are they?”

Qi Yunxiao nodded.

Xin Ruyin frowned slightly.

It was undeniable that this was true.

“Although I am not the type to take advantage, I am also not used to always being at a disadvantage.” Han Li said pointedly.

His earlier approach was too abrupt, causing Xin Ruyin to be extremely wary of him.

It was impossible to eliminate this wariness in a short time.

Therefore, their interaction should be treated as a series of mutually beneficial transactions.

Besides, apart from the matter of repairing the ancient teleportation array, he might not need to ask this woman for help in other matters. On the contrary, it should be the other way around. When asking for favors, it’s unacceptable for the person being asked to always be at a disadvantage and have to be extremely cautious.

“What do you think would be fair, Senior?”

Xin Ruyin asked.

“How about this,” Qi Yunxiao replied, “after I finish some tasks, you can impart as much experience and insight as possible in the art of array formations, helping me to quickly grasp the basics. In return, you can share your insights on weapon crafting, helping me avoid some pitfalls. Don’t laugh at me, but in all my years of cultivation, no one has yet guided me on how to craft weapons or set up arrays. Although I’ve consulted with elders in my sect, some things can’t be explained clearly in just one or two lessons, nor can they be explored in depth. So, are you two willing to grant me this small request?”

The two pondered for a moment, then Qi Yunxiao spoke first:

“Senior Han, my weapon crafting skills come from the Divine Weapon Sect, passed down from my grandfather. I can use them myself without any problems, but if you were to use them, I’m afraid someone might cause trouble later.” It was

n’t that he was unwilling, but rather worried about causing trouble for the senior before him.

That wouldn’t be good.

“It’s alright, Fellow Daoist Qi. Just teach me the way your grandfather taught you. We’ll set a three-year limit. After three years, no matter how well I’ve learned, you’ll have completed the deal. How about it?” Han Li held up three fingers.

He was already planning to leave Tiannan. What did it matter if he learned the Divine Weapon Sect’s weapon-forging technique? Could they come after him to cause trouble?

“Alright.”

Qi Yunxiao had no more worries.

Xin Ruyin sighed and nodded:

“I have no way to repay your life-saving grace. I will do my best.”

“Very good.”

Everyone was happy.

“By the way, you two, in your spare time, please try to complete the Inverted Five Elements Array. Also, you can study the ancient teleportation array. I might need it in the future.”

“We will definitely not disappoint you, senior.” The two looked resolute.

Seeing this, Han Li took out the remaining Snow Cloud Pills and gave them to Xin Ruyin to express his goodwill.

Incidentally, he gave Qi Yunxiao a pill bottle:

“I, Han, rarely take advantage of others. Fellow Daoist Qi, you should focus on improving your cultivation. With your current mere eleventh level of Qi Refining, you can’t protect Fellow Daoist Xin. You should at least reach the Foundation Establishment stage.” “

This junior understands.”

Qi Yunxiao took the pill bottle, opened it, and exclaimed softly, then gasped in shock:

“This…this is…”

“A Foundation Establishment Pill?!”

(End of Chapter)