Автор: sergey

The earthfire hall was the most important structure of the Tool Refinement Hall. Although it only spanned a little over three hundred meters wide, it was three stories tall.

The top floor was the storage area for materials. The second floor was where one could directly use earthfire to refine materials and refine low-grade spirit stools. And the bottom floor was a hundred meters pit into the ground where high-grade magic tools were refined with the assistance of earthfire essence.

Han Li often used a secluded room on the second floor to refine materials and brought County Lord Luxiu there to refine her Bloodvein Silver. It was slightly cluttered so he set off on tidying it up when they arrived.

This is where Senior Martial Brother Han refine materials? County Lord Luxiu curiously looked around the room and particularly focused her attention at the large cauldron and the eight gourd magic tools that were scattered around it. It appeared this was the first time she saw a tool refinement site.

What? Has the County Lord never seen magic tools refined before? Han Li asked with a slight frown.

She reached out to touch the handle of the cauldron and said, Ever since I was young, Ive followed Aunt Yu in cultivation and havent had the time to learn about tool refinement. I usually remain in the estate to cultivate. freewbne.com

Han Li glanced at the ashes in the cauldron and casually asked, You cultivated in your estate? Could it be the Yu Estate is located above a spirit vein?

The woman yelped in surprise and then curled her lips in a smile, Could it be that Senior Martial Brother didnt know who I was? You truly dont know the royal clan that I claim my status as a County Lord?

Han Lis heart stirred and he chuckled, saying, I am quite ignorant and am unsure of your identity.

Youre ignorant? Hehe, thats great. There is no need for me to act as my position of County Lord. To tell the truth, I only have distant relation to the Great Jins royal family, but Ive never seen the face of the emperor of the Great Jin. Ive always remained in cultivation with my master and have never visited the royal mansion. A trace of happiness flashed across the young womans face and her attitude quickly changed from the graceful poise of a noblewoman to a strangely spirited young woman.

Youre royalty? Han Lis expression changed in surprise.

The young woman sat down in the lone chair in the room and tilted her head. Then with a smile, she asked, What? Are you surprised? My title of County Lord is genuine, but it is only something that the emperor bestowed upon me. Were it not for the fact that my aunt said that I mustnt shame the face of the imperial family before I arrived, I wouldnt have dressed up in this fashion and wouldnt have that group of people bothering me. Their empty talk all day around is truly boring and tiresome. Currently, I am only able to relax around Senior Martial Brother Han. You wont be so tactless and start uttering nonsense, right?

Han Li let out a cough and said, In that case, Ill continue to talk as I am now, but it seems your esteemed ancestor is an unordinary person.

Have you heard of the four great vagrant cultivators in the Great Jin? My grandfather is one of them. Luxiu raised her head when she said this as if in pride.

When Han Li heard this, his expression vastly changed and he astonishedly said, The four great vagrant cultivators? Despite my ignorance, even Ive heard of their fame. So it turned out the County Lord is even more of an important person. Ive been truly disrespectful. That identity is no lesser than your title as County Lord. Your future prospects are boundless.

He had heard of the four great vagrant cultivators from Cao Mengrong. They were at late and mid-Nascent Soul stage and each of them had abilities that far exceeded common Nascent Soul cultivators.

Yes, thats right! Everyone knows of my ancestors name. I believe thats the way others should think of me! Luxiu bluntly accepted Han Lis praise.

Han Li stroked his nose and felt a bit of a headache. He paid no further attention to the woman and then struck the large cauldron with several spell seals. The cauldron began to roil and glow with light.

The young woman didnt conceal her curiosity and glanced at the shining pitch black stone with bright eyes, paying particular attention to Han Lis actions.

Once the cauldron was fully activated, he turned to Luxiu and said, Take out the material!

Here! The young woman blinked and said with a smile, Ill just tell you now that there is no need to speak politely in front of others. If Senior Martial Brother truly fails and ruins this difficultly acquired material, you will have to compensate me. Afterwards, she took out a fist-sized rock and handed it over to Han Li.

The rock was sparkling silver, but it was mixed with countless threads of crimson. He looked at the stone in his hand and inwardly rolled his eyes at the young womans giggling words.

Let alone a Qi Condensation disciple, even a Foundation Establishment cultivator would be troubled to acquire a piece of this rare material. If he were a true Qi Condensation cultivator, it would be strange if he were able to compensate her.

Han Li refocused his attention on the cauldron and tossed the rock into it. Then, after he placed several supplementary materials inside of it, he sat down cross-legged onto the floor.

He proceeded to slap a talisman on his body and a layer of blue light appeared on his body. Following an incantation, the eight gourd magic tools on the ground began to brightly shine with light and release eight streams of scarlet flame onto the lower half of the cauldron.

The temperature in the room began to suddenly rise.

…

As Han Li was occupied with refining the Bloodvein Silver, an old Daoist nun and a middle-aged woman were having a discussion in a secluded building at the top of the mountain.

With a grave expression, the Daoist nun said, We dont have much more time. Our royal family has spent over four hundred years preparing for this already. Eight generations of monarchs had spent a painstaking effort to keep this plan hidden. If this fails, not only will we not acquire those two treasures but the entire royal family will suffer calamity. Our Ye Clan may have amassed strength in secret, but if we were to truly class with the Buddhists and other factions, we would collapse at the first strike. As for those rotten Confucians, they may say they loyally support the throne, but if we attract their attention, I fear they will be the first to act against our royal family. I have always felt our Ye Clan have been playing with fire.

The beautiful woman sighed and said, Aunt, we all knew this, but this is a great opportunity for our clan to free ourselves from the other powers. And dont forget how our Seventh Great Uncle and the others had died, when they saw our royal family increase slightly in power, the many great factions immediately joined hands in dispatching several Nascent Soul cultivators to deal with them. Afterwards, they found a reason in passing as justification for the killings. If we dont break away from this horrible situation, our royal Ye Clan will only be the top noble clan only in name, when in truth we are only an expendable resource that the great factions have agreed upon. So long as the legends are true and we truly acquire these two treasures, our painful efforts over the years will pay off and well force those superpowers to recognize us through power alone. They wont dare to attack us then.

A cold glint flickered from the Daoist nuns eyes and she snorted, then speaking with a fearful tone, Although legends in the cultivation world proclaimed the inconceivable might of Divine Spirit Treasures, I have difficulty believing that two of these treasures will be able to completely turn the world around and put us on equal footing as these superpowers. I fear well overreach ourselves and attract calamity by stirring the superpowers into wiping us out. If I remember correctly, those superpowers should have treasures of a similar level. Although I dont know how many they have, a single one will have the capability of eliminating our Ye Clan.

The beautiful woman frowned and solemnly replied, Deity Transformation cultivators are rivalless in this world. Even with the Divine Spirit Treasures, our three great ancestors would barely be able to defend against such monsters. However, there is no need for you to be too worried about this. Our Ye Clan had secretly investigated this matter over a hundred years ago. After much analysis, assuming the lifespan of those monsters are a thousand years greater than a Nascent Soul cultivator, there have only been a few cultivators capable of reaching Deity Transformation stage in the last two thousand years. A small portion of them may have succeeded and most of them shouldve ascended to the spirit realm, leaving only two or three in the mortal realm at most. Furthermore, these people must be paying an enormous cost to remain in the mortal realm. Not only are their movements restricted and cannot easily take action, but their cultivation should be forcefully suppressed to the late-Nascent Soul stage as well. Furthermore, those monsters most likely wont have any interest in taking action over the rise of a faction.

The Daoist nuns expression turned particularly more gloomy when she heard this. How can you know of this? Dont tell me this is information that youve acquired from conjecture and a few questions. Over the years, countless cultivators attempted to find out about the secret information of cultivators remaining in the mortal realm after achieving Deity Transformation, but all of them failed. How can you clearly understand this knowledge after only a hundred years? Is your confidence an attempt to trick me? Or is there something that you arent mentioning?

Seeing that her aunt was angry, the woman hurriedly explained, We have no intention of fooling you. Although this information isnt something that our Ye Clan had researched, it is something that we acquired from an elder we recently recruited. His information was a complete match for clues that we collected, so it is fair to say that our Ye Clan had managed to properly investigate the matter.

As Han Li felt the intense scorching heat slowly fading away from his body, he opened his eyes and his face revealed a pensive expression.

The Brightjade Arts was beyond overbearing. Despite having gone through the process of condensing a Nascent Soul and purifying his body, he was barely able to tolerate the agony of tempering his body, much to his bewilderment.

Senior! Is there truly no problem with cultivating the Brightjade Arts? Han Li asked Monarch Soul Divergence with a worried tone. Im cultivating only the second layer and it is incredibly painful. I cant believe those bald Buddhists all waited until they were at late-Nascent Soul stage before they started cultivating this technique. Their lifespans wouldve reached their end if they cultivated this technique to completion. And how could Core Formation cultivators endure such anguish? The pain doesnt solely affect the body, but it can clearly be felt by their spiritual sense.

Monarch Soul Divergence lazily replied, Is there anything strange? Since the Buddhists had converted a demon clan technique into one of their own, they naturally researched methods to reduce pain as well. After all, Buddhist techniques were originally meant for those that adept in pain tolerance and perseverance. And with the additional willpower of a cultivator, it is possible to practice the Brightjade Arts. As for why this technique is so overbearing, it may only be that way for humans. This technique was originally meant for demons and Elder Devils, and given how strong their bodies are, the pain shouldnt be much to them.

Han Li frowned and bitterly smiled, That explains it. It is a pity I dont have the time to cultivate other Buddhist techniques and Ill have to forcefully cultivate through the pain. It is still tolerable at this point.

Soon after, he raised his hand and pulled back his sleeve before examining his arm with blue light shining from his narrowed eyes. After the time it took to finish a cup of tea, he poked his arm and pulled his sleeve back down.

He then muttered to himself, Although Ive suffered quite a bit, the Brightjade Arts tempered body is quite unique. This technique is far stronger than other body forging techniques that I know of. In a short amount of time, my body has undergone an astonishing change.

Soon after, Han Li sat down quietly and emerged from the secluded room.

A few days ago when he was purifying his assigned materials, he combined the tool refinement techniques that Elder Wei had explained to him and came to comprehend a new tool refinement skill. As a result, he was able to finish the last step of the crafting process for the crystallized demon core, resulting in the completion of the flying needle. And during the past few days at noon, he also made use of the earthfire reservoir to further temper the flying needle and increase its might.

Just as he was approaching the earthfire reservoir for another round of tempering, he suddenly heard the sounds of the march in the direction of the main gate. Han Li couldnt help but look in the direction of the sound.

He saw a group of nine young cultivators with the other three Tool Refinement Hall disciples showing them in. The one in charge of the group was a young woman in emerald palace robes. She had a beautiful appearance and an unordinary temperament, but her eyes were filled with curiosity.

Contrary to their age, these young cultivators possessed high cultivation for their age, at the eighth and ninth layers of Qi Condensation. The woman in palace robes possessed the highest cultivation of them, at the tenth layer of Qi Condensation.

After Han Li swept his gaze past them, he recognized that their identities were sure to be high as each of them wore bulging storage pouches at their waist. There were even three of them with spirit beast pouches at their waist. As for the three Tool Refinement Hall disciples that were guiding them, they all wore a smile on their faces and appeared to be carefully fawning over the group as if in fear that they would offend them.

Han Li blinked and promptly turned around, pretending not to see them as he made his way to the earthfire hall. But as it so happened, the tallest of the three Tool Refinement Hall disciples happened to see him and loudly shouted out, Junior Martial Brother Han, come over here and help us. County Lord Luxiu wants a magic tool refined. There are a few materials that must be specially refined. This is a task that was personally brought by the Fourth Monastery Lord herself. We cannot delay.

County Lord? Fourth Monastery Lord? Han Li was greatly surprised to hear this and could only stop his tracks before turning around.

Having stayed in the monastery for a while, Han Li had a general understanding of the high-grade cultivators of Royal Serenity Monastery. The monastery had four lords at Core Formation cultivation and it was reportedly said that the sole Nascent Soul cultivator of the monastery resided in the monasterys Clear Heaven Courtyard.

Although the four monastery lords had reached Core formation stage at a rather late age, it is said that their techniques were rather peculiar. And the abilities of the Fourth Monastery Lord were the most famous of the four and she was known throughout the entire region. Senior Teacher Lu of Pure Revelations Academy even had revealed shock at the mere mention of her name.

But as each of these monastery lords were of high status, Han Li hadnt had the opportunity to see even one of them.

Han Li walked over and gave the group of cultivators an appraising look before calmly saying, Since it is the Fourth Monastery Lords orders, we must provide our assistance.

When the group saw that Han Lis cultivation appeared to be only at the fourth layer of Qi Condensation, they looked at him with disdain. A blue-robed man from the group then bluntly said, Are you able to refine the materials? Isnt your cultivation too lacking? The county lord requires a very rare material to be refinement, Bloodvein Silver. If the material is ruined, will you take responsibility?

County Lord Luxiu pursed her lips in a smile, but her eyes flickered with a bit of doubt.

Han Li was unflustered by his remark and replied with a smile, Bloodvein Silver is a truly rare material. Im not confident in successfully refining it either, so it would be better for you to find someone more qualified.

When the group heard this, they were at a loss of what to say.

Eventually, a handsome man from the group recovered his wits and disdainfully snorted, They said there was a formidable tool refinement master here. Why wont he come out and refine the materials for the county lord?

Martial Senior Wei is occupied with refining an important treasure and has already spent several days in sealed seclusion. Im afraid that he will not be coming out. One of the three Tool Refinement Hall disciples answered.

It will only take a moment to refine the materials, County Lord Luxiu said in a soft voice, Wont you Senior Martial Brothers assist me in asking Grandmaster Wei to come out? Even inside my estate, Ive long heard of his grand name. I wish to see him with my own eyes. Her noble beauty seemed to melt the hearts of the several Tool Refinement Hall disciples.

Han Li unconsciously frowned when he heard this. The woman appeared to be polite but a trace of cunning could clearly be seen from her eyes. He coldly laughed in his mind when he saw this but he remained silent.

The three men had lost their calm when they heard the womans soft voice and were enticed into agreeing.

Han Li inwardly sighed when he heard this. If he remembered correctly, Elder Wei clearly stated to them that unless the matter was important, he and his two assistants were not to be disturbed in their secluded room. And given that the matter was material refinement, whoever would go to mention this to Elder Wei was sure to suffer.

As expected, the disciple that went into the earthfire hall ran out with a pale complexion a short moment later.

When he returned, he forced a smile and said, County Lord, Martial Senior Wei truly cannot attend to you. It would be better for Junior Martial Brother Han to give it a try.

Since the Royal Serenity Monasterys tool refinement hall is so famous, why cant you three refine the materials for the County Lord? This time, a different young woman from the group asked this with a smile. Her looks were above average and she had a small beauty mark at the side of her mouth.

The three disciples exchanged an embarrassed glance and the tallest one then helplessly explained, I wont conceal this from Young Miss Mingzhu. If it were ordinary materials, we would be able to refine them. But for materials as special as Bloodvein Silver, only Junior Martial Brother Han was taught the refinement process by Martial Senior Wei. Our main knowledge is only to refine common magic tools.

County Lord Luxius bright eyes blinked and she gave Han Li an understanding smile. That will be a bit troublesome. We were brought here by Lady Yuzhu and cant stay for long. If I miss this opportunity, who knows when Ill be able to next find a tool refinement master capable of refining Bloodvein Silver. It seems I will have to trouble this Senior Martial Brother for assistance.

Alright, so long as the County Lord is willing to take the risk, I will try my best. Han Li calmly said.

She answered with a slight smile.That is no matter. Please strive your hardest to refine it. If it fails, it wont be too bad. Itll just be a missed opportunity. Ill find some again later.

Han Li nodded upon hearing this, but after glancing at the group of people in front him, he frowned and said, When I refine materials, I cant have a large number of people observing me or I will be distracted.

The county lord casually replied, Thats fine. When the time comes, only I will be with you. The others will wait outside or perhaps theyll have these three Senior Martial Brothers give them a tour of the area.

Although her followers appeared unwilling, they raised no words of objections.

Han Li then wasted no further words and led the way towards the earthfire hall. The girl then signaled her group to remain in place with her eyes.

Han Li and Nun Hualian were standing in a secret room filled with an assortment of materials. There was a red-faced early-Foundation Establishment cultivator appraising Han Li with a tight frown.

This is Elder Wei, one of the two great tool refinement masters of our Three Royals Monastery. You will be assisting Elder Wei for the time being and will hone your tool refinement technique in passing. Rest assured, we wont truly have you become a tool refinement master since were lacking in resources to do so. It is only because we will soon refine an important treasure that we require a bit more assistance. So long as you perform well in these three or so years, I will reward you will medicine pills and personally provide you cultivation guidance. Naturally, I will not go back on my promise!

Han Li didnt say anything further and only nodded in response.

Elder Wei then said in an annoyed voice, Fellow Daoist Hualian, does this martial nephew truly understand tool refinement? Isnt his age and cultivation too low? Didnt you say you went to Pure Revelations Academy to find a suitable assistant?

Nun Hualian replied with a smile, The refinement of this treasure is vastly important so it would be better to not let other sects involve themselves. Martial Nephew Hans cultivation and experience may be shallow, but with Elder Weis directions, there should be no problem for him to perform material refinement.

With no better alternative, Elder Wei unhappily said, Even refining materials will require talent or else it will result in destruction of the materials. But since Fellow Daoist Hualian has mentioned it, lets have this youngster stay here for the time being.

Dont worry, my judgment isnt that poor. His magic power is remarkably pure despite his low cultivation. At the very worse, his control of magic power and tool refinement techniques shouldnt be too poor.

Elder Wei examined Han Li once more and a trace of astonishment appeared on his face. Yi! So it was like that! He does have a bit of potential. It seems Fellow Daoist Hualian hadnt brought any random person to me.

Since Ive already brought the person you need, the refinement process should take less time. Compared to the other two monasteries, our own monastery is lagging behind in progress. We mustnt delay this great affair by any means or well be to blame. I will be taking my leave.

Elder Wei saw her off and promised, Be at ease, with the youngster, matters will definitely not be delayed.

When Nun Hualian heard this, she departed with satisfaction, leaving Han Li and Elder Wei behind in the hidden room.

With no trace of kindness in his voice, Elder Wei then sternly said, You shouldve listened to what we wee saying. Regardless if you are interested in tool refinement or if you have any talent, I will diligently instruct you on the Dao of tool refinement for a month and then I will assign you to your tasks. So long as you complete my assignments at the end of every month, you may use the rest of your time as you wish. But if you dont finish your assignments, I will send you away and find someone more appropriate to take your place in the tool refinement hall.

Yes! This disciple will strive his hardest! Han Li replied with a calm expression.

Han Lis attitude was to Elder Weis satisfaction. With a relaxed expression, he led Han Li out of the secret room and said, Of course, being a disciple of our tool refinement hall isnt without its benefits. Not only does the hall have a few magic tools and earthfire reservoirs that can be used for free, but we also give our disciples more spirit stones at the end of the month than the other halls. Follow me and Ill introduce you to your fellow disciples. In the future, there will be a few materials that you will need to refine together with them.

After Han Li was introduced to three other Qi Condensation cultivators, he was arranged a residence in passing.

Then, Han Lis cultivation in the Royal Serenity Monastery had begun.

The so-called Tool Refinement Hall was located at the middle portion below the monasterys peak and was a courtyard completely separated from the main monastery. There werent many buildings, apart from the earthfire hall and several buildings for tool refinement, there wasnt much else to speak of. The halls disciples are even required to live in nearby caves.

Apart from the four lower-grade tool refinement disciples that included Han Li, there were two middle-aged cultivators at the eighth and ninth layer of Qi Condensation that acted as Elder Weis assistants.

Given that there were only seven people in the entire Tool Refinement Hall, the small space that it occupied was more than enough.

Day to day, many male and female disciples of Royal Serenity Monastery would arrive to either rent a magic tool or directly request the hall to refine various magic tools.

And since it was a female monastery, a vast majority of the disciples were female, but not all of them were nuns. There were quite a few young woman that had gorgeous appearances that suggested they came from wealthy backgrounds.

Under Han Lis calm observation, he discovered that the other three Tool Refinement Hall disciples were completely captivated by the female cultivators that would pass through despite being worked to the bone every day. But since their cultivation had been struck at a standstill, they knew that they would only be able to curry favor by refining magic tools.

The few male disciples that would stop by were much like the tool refinement disciples. They were disciples that lived outside the monastery and were responsible for researching spell formations, refining medicine pills, and other such tasks. As for the female disciples, they were wholeheartedly focused on cultivation.

Han Li inwardly disapproved these circumstances, but he wasnt about to meddle in these affairs.

Furthermore, the other three disciples were in charge of looking after the other disciples. As for Han Li, he was focused on learning how to refine and purify materials. Everyday, Elder Wei would spend two hours imparting a few tool refinement basics and would even personally give Han Li a demonstration.

With Han Lis original knowledge and cultivation, he didnt believe he had anything to learn from a Foundation Establishment tool refinement master. But in a few days, he was given quite the shock.

Although Elder Weis cultivation wasnt high, he had high attainments on the Dao of tool refinement. From purifying materials and tool refinement techniques, he seemed to have studied the secret tool refinement techniques of many sects. There were even tool refinement skills and knowledge that Han Li hadnt heard of before.

In a short ten days, he greatly benefited from this unexpected surprise. It seemed there was a reason why the Great Jin was lauded as the holy land of cultivation.

The tool refinement master of an unremarkable Daoist monastery was able to grasp so many tool refinement methods ranging from those preserved since ancient times and new techniques researched from successive generations of tool refinement grandmasters. The simple tool refinement techniques of the Heavenly South and Scattered Star Seas couldnt be compared. It was a truly eye-opening experience.

To tell the truth, Han Lis current tool refinement technique was rather ordinary. The techniques he had acquired from Qi Yunxiao 1 were shallow in face of Han Lis current cultivation and knowledge. After his time in the Scattered Star Seas and the Drifting Cloud Sect, he saw many jade slips regarding tool refinement techniques, but there were very few that were actually useful. Now that he encountered such a rare opportunity, he wasnt about to easily relinquish it.

Outside of his time cultivating the Brightjade Arts, he was earnestly taking Elder Weis teachings to heart, showing a great effort that was to the old mans satisfaction. Han Li even asked a few questions that were somewhat difficult for the old man to answer, causing him to unintentionally give a more detailed explanation.

As a result, the old mans attitude towards Han Li vastly changed over the month. His cold demeanor was replaced with a friendly expression, much to the shock of the other three disciples who were well aware of the old mans nature.

Envious, they treated Han Li coldly, but given how Elder Wei favored him, the three couldnt rashly stir up any trouble for him.

This behavior was welcomed by Han Li. He had always been a solitary person and it would allow him for peaceful cultivation with no one to disturb him.

A month later, in addition to the various methods of purifying materials, Elder Wei even taught him a few unique tricks for tool refinement and more, all of which Han Li kept in mind.

Inspired by the knowledge he gained, he planned on immediately setting off to look for tool refinement techniques throughout the Great Jin as soon as he restored his magic power, later allowing for improvements to the Sevenflame Fan and Monarch Soul Divergences puppet body and strengthening their power by an entire layer.

At the end of the first month, Han Li was immediately given a set of assignments for material refinement as he was earlier informed, but he wasnt given tasks that were too difficult for his disguised cultivation. As a result, he was able to finish them with ease and spend the rest of his time cultivating the Brightjade Arts.

Four months passed uneventfully and Han Li found that entering the Royal Serenity Monastery was the correct choice.

At the moment, Elder Wei seemed to be extremely busy. Apart from the tool refinement tasks that he gave to the four disciples at the end of every month, he was sealed inside the secluded room in the earthfire hall.

Nun Hualian did visit a few times during this period, but she would always hide away in the secret room to have a secret discussion with Elder Wei.

The two were quite careful and would always release an alarm restriction for the duration. But since Han Li was set on diligently cultivating the Brightjade Arts, he ignored his curiosity over the matter and chose not to risk detection over an attempt to eavesdrop on them.

One day, Han Li was sitting cross-legged in meditation with the upper half of his body twisted in a strange position with his two hands formed in an incantation gesture as they lied against the mat on the ground. His body was covered in a layer of faint golden light that faintly vibrated.

Under close inspection, one would find that Han Lis skin was densely covered in threads of visible veins and arteries. There were even egg-sized bumps that roamed across his body as if they were alive.

Each time his body trembled, his face twitched and he revealed an expression of agony. Beads of sweat would occasionally flow down from his forehead as if he were putting his body under immense strength, thoroughly drenching his clothes.

But not long after, the golden light from Han Lis body gradually faded away.

He let out a long breath and released the incantation gestures before returning to a regular meditative position. At that moment, the oddities on his body quickly disappeared and it returned to normal in the blink of an eye.

1 Qi Yunxiao was a Qi Condensation cultivator that was introduced in chapter 277. Han Li later acquired his tool refinement experiences and avenged his death.

The offer had thrown Han Lis plans into chaos. He didnt know anything about this sect, or if it would be as fitting for him as the Pure Revelations Academy. Additionally, if he refused such a good offer and entered Pure Revelations Academy regardless, he feared he would attract the suspicion of Senior Teacher Lu. As such, Han Li couldnt help but roll his eyes at Nun Hualians offer and repeatedly cursed in his heart.

Senior Hualian, I will be honest to you. I dont know much about the Royal Serenity Monastery. But since it is a female monastery, it shouldnt be very accommodating in terms of cultivation methods and techniques for male cultivators. As Han Lis thoughts quickly stirred, he found something wrong with the situation and was barely able to raise an objection.

Nun Hualian smiled and calmly said, So it turned out Junior Han was worried over this matter, but there will be no problem. Our Royal Serenity Monastery is only a branch of the Three Royals Monastery. There is also our brother branch, the Royal Yang Monastery, which is our male counterpart. There will be no lack of male cultivation techniques for you. Ive also noticed that your body is lacking noble spirit Qi. You would have to cultivate this new Qi after entering Pure Revelations Academy, so our cultivation techniques should be much easier for you to cultivate. Of course, if you manage to cultivate Confucian sects to completion, you will be able to employ abilities far beyond Daoist techniques, but this is too early to speak of for Fellow Daoist Han. Could it be that you believe the Royal Serenity Monastery to be beneath you?

Senior Teacher Lu calmly added on, Fellow Daoist Hualians words are reasonable. Our Confucian techniques are slower than even Buddhist techniques at the beginning. Young Friend Han, it seems more suitable for you to enter the Royal Serenity Monastery. Since Fellow Daoist Hualian has agreed to look after you, you have a chance of achieving Foundation Establishment if you accept her offer.

When Han Li heard this, he was completely speechless. It seems he had no choice but to deviate from his original plan. Fortunately, the Royal Serenity Monastery also shares the spirit veins of Jadefield Mountain. So long as he was careful, nothing strange should happen.

With that thought, Han Li could only accept his bad luck. With feigned excitement, he said, Since both Senior had made this recommendation to me, this opportunity must be good. I will agree to it!

After hearing this, Nun Hualian nodded and Senior Teacher Lu silently smiled. As for Teacher Yan, he couldnt raise any opposition to his agreement despite his wishes for Han Li to enter the Confucian sect.

With this matter settled, the four chatted in the room for a moment more, speaking not of the fantastical tales that occurred in the cultivation world but rather the changes of the Great Jin political court, much to Han Lis bewilderment.

It wasnt too surprising with regards to the Confucian sects as their interests are tied to the mortal world. But he found it rather strange for a monastery nun to talk about politics with even moderate interest. Could it be that the Royal Serenity Monastery was also a cultivation sect that was involved with the mortal world? Han Li couldnt help but ponder about this.

As conversation in the room was continued with vigor, footsteps sounded out from the outside and a young voice said, Reporting to Martial Ancestor. As per your orders, I have brought the Purple Essence Copper from the storehouse.

Oh, bring it in, Senior Teacher Lu said without another thought.

Purple Essence Copper! Han Lis heart stirred. This ore was an outstanding material for refining top grade magic tools and treasures. It might not be particularly valuable to Han Li, but it was undoubtedly a rare item to those in front of him.

As Han Li thought this, the room doors were pushed open to reveal a fair child that was twelve years old. He walked in with a large red tray covered with a bulging silver cloth. Then, he respectfully placed the tray on the table in front of Nun Hualian and Senior Teacher Lu.

Senior Teacher Lu glanced at the boy and calmly ordered, You may leave. There is no need for you to wait here. The child acknowledged the command and deeply bowed before heading out of the room.

Afterwards, Senior Teacher Lu promptly handed the tray over to Nun Hualian. Then with a smile, he said, Fellow Daoist Hualian, this is the Purple Essence Copper we are lending to you. Your monastery has looked everywhere for this material. It appears you truly plan on refining a precious treasure. Could it be a top-grade magic tool or a magic treasure?

Nun Hualian hesitated for a moment and then apologetically said, This isnt very clear to me. I am only following the orders of Fourth Senior Nun. If Senior wishes to know more about this, it would be better for him to ask her. They should tell you the truth.

When Senior Teacher Lu heard the mention of Fourth Senior Nun, his expression changed for a moment and then he responded with a chuckle, There is no need to do that. It was only a passing question.

Nun Hualian smiled and lifted the cloth off of the tray, revealing a pile of golden stones glowing with purple light.

She grinned after she saw the tray-full of Purple Essence Copper and uttered a word of thanks before taking it into her storage pouch in a sweep of light.

With her objective fulfilled, Nun Hualian uttered a few more words with Senior Teacher Lu before taking her leave.

He didnt urge her to stay and promptly called for the child to lead Nun Hualian out of the academy. Han Li bid his farewell as well and followed after the woman.

After Han Li and Nun Hualian left, silence filled the hall.

Teacher Yan and Senior Teacher Lu didnt speak for some time and simply looked at each other in silence. Teacher Yan in particular had a troubled expression.

Senior Teacher Lu eventually broke the silence and spoke with a sullen emotionless tone, How are your preparations? In order to deal with that monster Niu Tiande, I will have to rely on my Essencejoin Devouring Arts. Now that we are at the final strand, do you have any second thoughts on keeping your life?

Teacher Yans expression turned sullen and he snorted, saying, So long as I am able to take revenge for the extermination of my clan, what is the cost of a single life in comparison? My sole worry is that after you finish cultivating your ability, you would be unwilling to provoke the old devil out of fear for his fierce flames. Reminded of his family, he clasped his hands with force, deeply sinking his fingernails into his palm.

Senior Teacher Lu wasnt angered by his words and calmly replied, Hehe! Why does Brother Yan have such doubts towards me? Didnt I already say once you assist me in cultivating this ability, I will inherit your bodys noble spirit Qi which will contain traces of your resentment? If I dont eliminate this Niu Tiande, there will come a day I will no longer be able to use this Qi. In order to make sure that I can still make use of it, I must eliminate him. Besides, does Brother Yan feel that there is anyone else that will assist you in killing this wretch? And someone that has no fear of retaliation from the Black Yang Sect?

Teacher Yan pondered for a moment, then saying, Youre right. Although Ive strived to make friends with a few cultivators over the years, none of them have abilities or cultivation as vast as Brother Lus, and only you are willing to assist me in getting revenge for the extermination of my family. It isnt that the others arent capable, but that theyre unwilling to provoke one of the ten Great Devil Dao Sects on the behalf of a mortal like me.

Naturally, Senior Teacher Lu sighed, That Niu Tiande is an external affairs enforcer of the Black Yang Sect. How could a small sect dare to provoke them? Confucian sects like ours were always at odds with the devil Dao, so there is no fear of worsened relations. In a show of my sincerity, I have agreed to every one of your requests in the last five years. This clearly illustrates my kind intentions.

Teacher Yans expression turned icy and he coldly stared at Senior Teacher Lu in silence.

Seeing that Teacher Yan wouldnt yield, Senior Teacher Lu wryly smiled and helplessly said, Fine, in order to set Brother Yans heart at ease, I am willing to face the portrait of our noble sage and swear a heartlock oath. In the future, if I do not fulfill my oath, my noble spirit Qi wont progress in the slightest.

Teacher Yan let out a long sigh and his brow twitched. Then, with a stiff expression, he said, Good, that will do. Then dont hesitate to use this body to assist in your cultivation. It isnt that I cant trust Brother Lu, but as the sole surviving member of the Yan Clan, I cannot help but be more cautious.

Senior Teacher Lu waved his hand and calmly said, I naturally understand why Brother Yan is being difficult. The cultivation arrangements will take place in one month. Please finish making your funeral arrangements before returning to the academy.

Teacher Yan nodded and the room sank into silence once more.

Then, he suddenly broke the silence and asked, Thats right, why did that Royal Serenity Monastery nun had to take away Han Li? Could it be that the academy didnt wish for another tool refinement disciple?

Senior Teacher Lu casually smiled and said, I was merely using the situation for my own benefit. The treasure that the Royal Serenity Monastery is refining should be quite important. They are lacking even subordinates to refine materials. Although our academy can lend low-grade tool refinement disciples to Royal Serenity Monastery, we will find it difficult as we dont know what they will be subject to. With the appearance of Young Friend Han, we were able to fulfill their request without troubling the sect.

When Scholar Yan heard this, he calmly let the matter drop. If he felt truly ill over the matter, he wouldve pressed his friend further.

Meanwhile, Nun Hualian was bringing Han Li along on a scarf magic tool. They were flying toward a shorter point of Illusory Cloud Peak.

When this was said, the white-robed youth led Teacher Yan and Han Li inside.

After walking through a pathway for a short while, they passed through several courtyards where Han Li heard sounds of paper and flipping pages, exactly as one would hear of an ordinary academy. Although it was named as such, why would low-grade cultivators waste their time studying instead of cultivating Qi?

When the white-robed youth saw Han Lis surprise, he smiled and explained, These are our lower academy disciples undergoing their noon studies. To enter the upper academy, one would not only require spirit roots but the cultivation of the noble spirit. After all, most Confucian techniques draw on the aid of noble spirit, the greater and firmer ones noble spirit, the farther one will reach in their cultivation, greatly expanding their future prospects. Since Teacher Yan had brought along a young cultivator with seemingly similar cultivation to his own, the white-robed youth decided to take the initiative to befriend him.

So it was like that! Han Li replied to this show of kindness with a smile.

At that moment, the three were walking through an area filled with pavilions. After making several turns, they arrived at a small serene courtyard. The sounds of turning pages suddenly disappeared as soon as they walked inside, clearly a result of a soundproofing restriction.

Teacher Yan didnt show the slightest difference when this occurred. He seemed to have been there before. As for the white-robed youth, he didnt dare to enter and had bid them farewell outside of the courtyard gate. freewebnvel.com

When he saw the youth disappeared into a pavilion at the side, Teacher Yan tidied up his clothes and approached the largest room with slow steps.

But just as he stepped forward, a light knock sounded from the door and it opened itself. Then, Senior Teacher Lus voice sounded out from above, Brother Yan, please enter! I was just keeping Royal Serenity Monasterys Nun Hualian company. Allow me to introduce you to my Brother Yan.

The Royal Serenity Monastery? Teacher Yan revealed a trace of shock, but he walked in without any further hesitation. Han Li closely followed after him.

Once they entered the reception room, they saw a man and a woman sitting inside.

The man appeared over forty years old and had a thin face with long facial hair. At a glance, one could tell he was an extremely shrewd and calm individual.

The woman appeared to be in her twenties, wore yellow Daoist robes, and had fair skin and black hair. From her magnificent poise and grace, one could tell she was a Daoist nun.

When Teacher Yan and Han Li entered, the two swept their eyes past them.

Before Teacher Yan could even speak, the young Daoist nun smiled and called out to him, So this is the famous Teacher Yan Yao? Although this humble Daoist pay no attention to the mortal world, I have heard of the great fame of the Magnificent Harmony Academys Teacher Yan. Then she swept his gaze past Han Li and paid no further attention to him.

The woman was only a late-Foundation Establishment cultivator, but she was exceptionally calm and at ease in front of Senior Teacher Lu. It was clear she was someone of great background.

Teacher Yan didnt dare to be negligent and hastily saluted her. I dont dare to accept your praise. Ive heard of your grand name long ago as well. It is a pleasure to meet you, Nun Hualian!

Junior greets these two Seniors! Han Li took half a step forward and saluted them as well.

Senior Teacher Lu blinked and calmly asked, Who is this young friend?

This is my Esteemed Nephew Han, said Teacher Yan, A distant blood relative of my good friend. Because he mentioned the reputation of the Pure Revelations Academy, I couldnt turn him down and brought his nephew here to see if he has the qualifications to be a disciple of the academy.

Senior Teacher Lu looked at Han Li and after a moment of silence, he calmly said, Oh! Hes the nephew of Brother Yans good friend. His spirit roots and aptitude seems ordinary. However, lets carefully examine his attributes. Young Friend Han, come here.

Yes, Senior! When Han Li heard this, he walked over without the slightest hesitation and allowed his wrist to enter the middle-aged mans cold grasp.

With Han Lis vast spiritual sense, he had no fear of being seen through. Regardless of his spiritual roots, attributes, or even his bones, Senior Teacher Lu would only see what Han Li wanted to.

However, Han Li didnt wish to be too eye-catching so that he would be allowed to cultivate in the academy without notice. As such, he revealed his true aptitude and spirit roots, revealing the lowest acceptable aptitude to enter the cultivation world, his own four attribute spirit roots. As for his bones, he simply concealed their age so that there wasnt anything strange about them.

After Senior Teacher Lu finished his examination, he let go of Han Lis wrist and calmly said, Four attribute spirit roots lacking metal. It will be quite difficult for him to enter the academy, but from the magic power on his body, it seems hes already cultivated a few low-grade magic techniques. Fortunately, hes cultivated a pure wood attribute cultivation art instead of a wicked devilish one. There will be no problems with this aspect. However, his age is rather large and the possibility of reaching Foundation Establishment stage is next to nothing. It will be likely that he will only reach to the eighth layer of Qi Condensation in this lifetime. In that case, you may as well be a loose cultivator and allow yourself more freedom!

Han Li drooped his head in a display of helplessly and said in a sincere tone, This Junior have heard this evaluation before from other seniors, but I believe that my effort will be able to overcome my deficiencies. I wish to give the path of cultivation a try.

Senior Teacher Lus expression stirred and took a look at Teacher Yan. He then nodded and said, I have nothing to say in front of your unwavering will to tread the path of cultivation, but since youre a loose cultivator entering the sect, have you cultivated any various techniques you are skilled in?

When Han Li heard this, he was stunned. He didnt think that he would ask a Qi Condensation cultivator this question. Could it be that he was testing him on behalf of Teacher Yan?

Han Lis thoughts quickly stirred and he replied without the slightest hesitation, This Junior has touched upon the Dao of tool refinement. But with my cultivation and experience, I was only able to refine a few of the most basic tools. It cant be considered true tool refinement. Afterwards, Han Li displayed an embarrassed expression.

Oh? You understand tool refinement? There are very few vagrant cultivators that have learned tool refinement techniques. After all, they consume much time to master.

When the Daoist nun heard this, an odd expression appeared on her face.

I acquired a tool refinement jade slip and casually practiced it. Han Li belittled his tool refinement techniques as much as he could. Simply mentioning this would greatly influence his odds of entering the sect, but showing true skill would just be asking for trouble.

Also, there are far fewer people capable of pill refinement and spell formations compared to tool refinement. It would be far too eye-catching to mention the other two.

Fellow Daoist Han, you understand tool refinement? That is great. Senior Lu, it seems I wont need to borrow any tool refinement disciples from your sect. Since this Fellow Daoist Han has yet to be a disciple here, how about he enter the Royal Serenity Monastery?

The Daoist nuns suggestion came as a great shock to both Han Li and Teacher Yan.

Teacher Yan couldnt help but sternly say, Nun Hualian, this isnt very appropriate! Your monastery is for nuns. How can a man like Han Li enter?

The Daoist nun pursed her lips in a smile and said, Although the Royal Serenity Monastery is a female institution, there are a few fire-attribute Daoist priests and men that have enter our sect, but they reside outside of the monastery, so there is no need for Teacher Yan to worry.

So it was like that… I knew far too little of the Royal Serenity Monastery. However, Esteemed Nephew Han wishes to enter Pure Revelations Academy. It is still inappropriate for him to enter your sect. Teacher Yan seemed set on having Han Li enter the academy. Despite clearly knowing that he was facing an existence beyond his own, he still decided to raise a dispute.

Unconcerned, Nun Hualian smiled and explained, With Fellow Daoist Hans aptitude, even if he were to enter your academy, he would only be a common disciple with no future prospects. However, my sect is preparing to refine many treasures and we are currently lacking a low-grade disciple that understands tool refinement. So long as he is willing to enter my monastery, your tool refinement techniques will improve and I will even make sure that your cultivation will be looked after. I wont conceal this from you, Teacher Yan, but Ive come to borrow a disciple from the academy that understands tool refinement. Now that one has appeared before me I no longer have to trouble Fellow Daoist Lu.

Teacher Yan hesitated for a moment and then turned to Senior Teacher Lu, asking, Brother Lu, what do you think?

With a calm expression, Senior Teacher Lu said with a deep voice, Young Friend Han had yet to be a disciple, so he is still free. It is naturally up to him if he wishes to enter the Royal Serenity Monastery or the academy, but it is as Nun Hualian says. Even if he were to enter the academy, I cannot offer him any assistance, and she has come to borrow a low-grade tool refinement disciple. Entering the monastery isnt a bad choice at all.

With that said, the three in the room turned to look at Han Li with worry, curiosity, and even excitement.

Royal Serenity Monastery? When Han Li heard this name, he recalled it to be a Daoist monastery on Jadefield Mountain. However, he hadnt known that was a female monastery and didnt know much about it. He found himself at a complete loss.

Outside of Taichang City, there were many unremarkable Confucian schools, one of which was a mid-grade school by the name of Pure Revelations Academy. If there was anything notable to say about it, it was that it was constructed on the renown Jadefield Mountains.

These mountains were a renown spirit mountain range in the Taichang Prefecture with over ten various peaks. Although it wasnt particularly steep or imposing, it had favorable weather throughout the year and beautiful flowers blooming all over. There were also many rare spirit trees and fruits that can only be found there, causing them to be ranked as the greatest of the thirteen spirit mountains in the region.

The Pure Revelations Academy was constructed on the Jadefield Mountains Illusory Cloud Peak. The academy, which could hold over a thousand people, was constructed across the entire upper-half of the mountain.

It is said that this academy didnt have the qualifications to establish themselves on such a famous mountain, as the other mountains were filled with famous and renowned temples that were clearly superior existences compared to it. But strangely enough, when the Pure Revelations Academy was constructed over a thousand years ago, the Daoist Temples in the vicinity hadnt opposed them in the slightest. Rather, the priests and monks would treat the students of the academy with great courtesy ever since its establishment, much to the astonishment of the locals.

Another odd thing about the academy was the disparity of the ages of the disciples they recruit, ranging anywhere from six years old to well over twenty years old. And each year, they would recruit disciples at three to four times at irregular intervals. There were times where they would go four or even eight years without recruiting anyone. In addition, many of the people that are accepted are rarely seen walking out of the front gates, adding an air of mystery to the academy.

Of course, these were only viewed as mysteries to the mortals that inhabited the bottom half of the mountain. Since they didnt know any better, they believed Pure Revelations Academy to be completely unremarkable as their name was hardly heard of throughout the region.

One day, there were two people that were slowly climbing up Illusory Cloud Mountain. One of them was a middle-aged scholar with a dignified appearance and the other was a scholar around the age of twenties who had somewhat tanned skin and a common appearance. He was Han Li, who had appeared at the Gan Estate a month prior.

The middle-aged scholar walked forward with fluttering sleeves, saying, Esteemed Nephew Han, the Pure Revelations Academy had finished recruiting disciples two months prior, but I heard from Old Fellow Gan that youve learned an assortment of Daoist Techniques and know of the existence of cultivators. As such, Ive brought you to this academy for a test. It will be up to destiny to see whether or not they will take you in. Since I share a friendship with the academys Senior Teacher Lu, Ive brought you over to see him. If he finds you acceptable, you may remain at the academy.

Yes, Ive heard of your arrangements, Han Li replied with a sincere tone, Uncle Gan have already spoken of them. Regardless of whether the academy takes me in, my uncle will take this favor to heart.

At that moment, Han Lis body released the aura of the fourth layer of Qi Condensation. Ordinary cultivators would be unable to see through his true cultivation.

A month ago, he had requested Gu Chi, the Feng Clans agent, to assist him in joining any large cultivation sect, regardless of their affiliation.

The reason why he bluntly said this was because the Feng Clan gave him past orders to particularly befriend cultivators that entered the mortal world for future use. As a result, Gan Chi was able to fulfill the request without much difficulty. But what worried Gan Chi was the possibility of Han Li holding malicious intentions and possibly implicating the Gan Clan.

However, all the Gan Clan businesses secretly belonged to the Feng Clan. So long as Han Li took out the deeds for their properties, he could eliminate the entirety of the Gan Clan overnight. Additionally, Gan Chi felt that the origins of the Feng Clan were particularly mysterious despite knowing a few matters about the cultivation world. But after Han Li pledged that he wouldnt cause any trouble for the Gan Clan after entering the cultivation sect, Gan Chi could only summon the courage to follow his request.

After several days of preparation, he eventually chose a middle-aged scholar surnamed Yan to act as a bridge to have Han Li enter the Pure Revelations Academy.

The reason why he selected this person was that Confucian schools had a far more lax policy of accepting disciples. So long as he wasnt a disciple of a wicked or evil sect and had an innocent past, he would be taken in, even if he had a master in the past. Not to mention that Gan Chi had done the middle-aged man, Teacher Yan, a great favor. As someone who stemmed from a Confucian Sect, he viewed matters of loyalty and debt with exceptional importance and would be certain to handle this matter with his greatest effort. And while there were other methods of entry to other sects, they also had a poor probability of success.

After all, great cultivation sects werent as difficult to enter as they were in the Heavenly South, but any low-grade vagrant cultivator wouldnt be allowed to be a disciple.

When Han Li heard the name of Pure Revelations Academy, he asked about its location and stealthily flew off on his flying magic tool to take a look at the Jadefield Mountains spirit vein. He was satisfied with what he found.

Although the spirit vein couldnt compare to the spirit well objects in his cave residence in the Heavenly South, it was far stronger than others veins near Taichang City.

As for the matter of spirit wells, if they were moved around too often without being placed on top of a spirit vein for a long period of time, they would gradually lose their spiritual nature. As such, he only carried two spirit wells on his body, but since he couldnt find even an unoccupied spirit vein in the Great Jin, he resorted to scheming to infiltrate into a large sect to cultivate.

Under these conditions, Han Li assumed the identity of a distant relative of Gan Chi, a low-grade vagrant cultivator that only learned shallow magic techniques but also one that yearned for the path of cultivation. He then relied on his uncle to see if he could aid him in entering a large sect for continued cultivation.

Following that, Gan Chi found a famed instructor of a large Confucian school, a scholar surnamed Yan. He agreed, wishing to repay Gan Chis past favor towards him, and brought Han Li to Pure Revelations Academy as a result.

The middle-aged scholar, Teacher Yan, sighed and said, It seems Brother Gan values you quite greatly. But this is no surprise as those with spirit roots are only found one in ten thousand people. It is only a pity that I dont have spirit roots either, or I wouldve also entered the Pure Revelations Academy in pursuit of the path of cultivation.

Han Li smiled and tacitly remained silent.

Afterwards, Teacher Yan spoke no further and brought Han Li forward. As they traveled up the mountain, they were able to see a mountain peak in the sky. They also heard resonant and melodious bell rings that shook the spirit of those who heard it.

Teacher Yan paused and turned to look the Illusory Cloud Peak. He shook his head and muttered, The Treasure Spirit Temples Clear Hum Bell is a truly rare treasure, but it seems the senior monk in charge of the temple is rather excessive to strike it three times in a single day.

A bright glint flickered from Han Lis eyes when he heard that there was a Buddhist sect on the mountain and then wore a pensive expression. He soon realized that this so-called treasure was actually a top-grade magic tool, nothing that was particularly rare.

He wrapped up his long sleeves and held them behind his back and proceeded to follow after Teacher Yan. Soon, the two arrived at a platform at the center of the mountain, and then, the scenery suddenly opened before them.

They saw a verdant, lust, emerald-green forest of bamboo in front of them with sightings of red and white buildings in the distance. There were also several white stone paths that led directly into the bamboo forest.

Teacher Yan glanced at the forest and said, Lets go. The main entrance usually isnt open. Follow me to the side gate. He then brought Han Li to the side and walked down another road.

After many turns, Han Li and Teacher Yan appeared at a pitch-black gate that was three-meters tall. Teacher Yan sighed and lightly knocked on.

The gate silently opened to reveal a young man in white Confucian robes.

Ah, so it was Teacher Yan. Have you come to find Senior Teacher Lu? The youth had spiritual Qi fluctuations at the third layer of Qi Condensation, but he still spoke to Teacher Yan with great respect. Han Li couldnt help but look better of Teacher Yan when he saw this.

In the Heavenly South, such a situation wouldve never happened, Han Li thought with a cold chuckle, It seemed Confucians were quite strict with their rules, causing even cultivators to bow their heads to mortals. However, this would probably only occur with low-grade cultivators. This definitely wouldnt happen with a high-grade cultivator.

Yes, Ive come to see Brother Lu. Is he present? Teacher Yan calmly asked.

The white-robed youth pondered for a moment and said, He is currently seeing an esteemed guest in his study. I will make report that youve come.

That is fine. Sorry to trouble you! Teacher Yan said with a smile.

Although the white-robed youth knew that he was a mortal, he also had a deep friendship with Senior Teacher Lu and didnt dare to slight him. After a polite word, he hastily took out a voice transmission talisman, uttered a few words into it, and sent it into the air as a streak of fiery light, soon to quickly fly off without a trace.

Not long after, Han Li detected a powerful spiritual sense sweep past them before immediately disappearing.

Han Lis heart stirred, knowing that this most likely belonged to Senior Teacher Lu. From the level of his spiritual sense, he appeared to be an early-Core Formation cultivator. This had come as a surprise as he expected him to have late-Foundation Establishment cultivation at most.

In Han Lis point of view, the lower his cultivation, the better, as it would be less likely for him to see through his disguise.

Soon, a spiritual Qi trembled in the air above them and a mans voice indifferently sounded out, Is it Brother Yan? I am currently seeing a guest. But Brother Yan may as well come in. Oh? And you may bring that young friend of yours as well.

At the border of the central and northern portions of the Jin Empire laid a region that was ranked among the smallest in land of the thirty-six regions of the empire but was also ranked the top five in terms of wealth. There were many fields and rivers amassing a great amount of wealth and there were many large regions of spirit mountains as well. Mortals on those mountains would even commonly see Immortals dressed in Daoist and Buddhist robes fly off into the horizon. Needless to say, Daoism and Buddhism were prevalent in the region and their temples were profusely found throughout. Regardless of ones standing or wealth, they would always pay great respect to either of these schools.

But in addition to these two prevalent schools, one could see the influence of many Confucian schools in the many cities and towns in the area.

There were thirty-nine of these Confucian schools with one of the largest of these schools consisting of experts of Confucian teachings with many government officials in their ranks. On the other hand, the smallest of these schools only had ordinary Confucian instructors that could only explain the most basic aspects of Confucianism. If they felt that any of their disciples were outstanding, they would be recommended to a higher school, granting poorer disciples a good opportunity to advance.

After all, Confucian scholars that graduate from a high-grade Confucian School were welcomed to the higher echelon of the Jin Empire. Confucian scholars that stem from the highest schools are even heavily recruited by nobility of all ranks.

The Taichang Prefectures capital city, Taichang City, was the location of one such of these prestigious Confucian academies.

Although the city wasnt ranked amongst the best in the empire, it was one of the centers of commerce in the Nan Province and was where the rich and powerful took residence. There were four families titled as nobility that resided in the city as well as countless people of every trade.

In the Taichang Citys west side resided the Gan Clan, a clan of particularly wealthy merchants. They possessed over twenty restaurants in their prefectures cities. In smaller cities, they were hegemony of wealth, but in Taichang City, there were simply among the many elites that resided there.

But even among the elite, the Gan Clan did own a particularly large estate in the district where the wealthy resided and had over forty servants in their employment.

One day as the sun blazed at noon, a youth in Confucian robes slowly walked down a street. The young man appeared in his early twenties and wore a package on his back that was thickly wrapped in grey cloth and covered in dust.

As he walked down the street, he repeatedly looked around and soon spotted the Gan Clans glossy gate. When he read the words Gan Estate, he unconsciously smiled.

When he approached the gate, he examined it for a moment before pounding the iron door.

Thud. Thud. Hurried footsteps arrived from the other side of the gate.

The gate cracked open to a middle-aged man wearing servant robes who had a respectful expression on his face.

When the servant saw the youth, his respectful expression suddenly froze before quickly fading away. He stood up straight and asked with a doubtful tone, Who is your esteemed self looking for? He then examined the youth as if trying to make out his origins.

The youth cupped his hands in a salute and smiled. Is this Uncle Gan Chis residence?

After examining the quality of the youths clothes, his original display of contempt had disappeared. Instead, he was now greatly alarmed after hearing Han Li speak and he respectfully said, Uncle Gan Chi? Gan Chi is the esteemed name of my master. Then young sir must be…

I am Han Li. Uncle Gan Chi is a distant relative of mine. I have made this trip to pay my respects to him. Han Li continued to smile as he spoke.

It was now a year after he had cultivated in whole-hearted seclusion. During this time, he drawn the aid of the Heavenly Corpse Pearl and the vajra relic to refine the first layer of the Brightjade Arts. With that done, the roiling baleful Qi was mostly calmed, much to Han Lis delight, but it still remained a priority for him to deal with. As such, he had hurried over to the Gan Clan for the next step in his plan to rid himself of the baleful Qi.

After a moment of hesitation, the middle-aged servant said, So it was Young Sir Han. Unfortunately, the Master had left in the morning to meet with his colleagues. Currently, the Eldest Young Master is in charge of the residence. Shall I make a report to him?

Please, I must thank you for the trouble, Han Li calmly replied.

Please wait a moment, Young Sir. I will immediately make the report. The middle-aged man bowed and closed the gate before heading back.

Han Li idly stood in front of the gate and examined the surroundings of the huge estate, occasionally catching sight of a few carriages that passed by.

Although he hadnt swept his spiritual sense past the city, it was clear there were a large number of cultivators in it. Furthermore, there were many areas that housed many high-grade cultivators. This was rather odd to him as he couldnt fathom why these cultivators would have such a high interest in the mortal world.

After the time it took to finish a cup of tea, the door creaked open to reveal an embroidered-robed youth with a refined appearance. Standing behind him was the servant from before.

After the youth gave Han Li an appraising look, he courteously said, You must be Sir Han. I am Gan Yu. I heard that you were a distant relative of the Gan Clan. Although Ive never heard of this before, I cannot forget my manners. If youd like, will Sir Han like to follow me to the living room?

So youre the Son of Uncle Gan. Since youve given me the invitation, I will not refuse it. Without another thought, Han Li promptly agreed.

With a faint smile, Gan Yu stepped to the side and welcome Han Li inside. Then, the black gates silently closed.

…

Two hours later, the Gan Clan Master, a plump fifty-year-old man wearing blue noble robes named Gan Chi, returned to the Gan Estate by carriage.

Gan Chi looked at the gatekeeper below the carriage and asked, Has anything happened while I was away?

The middle-aged gatekeeper sincerely replied, Lord, there is a young man surnamed Han that had arrived. He claims that he is your nephew and is waiting in the living room with the young lord. They seem to be having an excited conversation.

Just as Gan Chi stepped off the carriage and approached the estate gate, he paused and muttered, A nephew? Surnamed Han? A trace of doubt could be heard from his voice.

What? Is this person a fraud? In his alarm, the gatekeeper hastily suggested, Shall I call for the guards?

Its hard to say if hes truly a fraud. I do think I have such a relative, but it has been quite some time so my memory fails me. Continue to guard the gate. There is no need to involve yourself over the matter! Gan Chi recovered his calm and rebuked the gatekeeper before hurrying into the estate. Without even taking the time to change his clothes, he rushed into the main hall.

Just as he entered the entrance of the main hall, he heard a cheerful and familiar voice speak, I admire Brother Hans deep understanding of the Confucian teachings. But with regards to those great words, my understanding is that… The voice clearly belonged to his eldest son and he seemed to be excitedly conversing with the guest.

When the old man heard this, his expression grew somewhat sullen and a trace of unease was betrayed from his eyes. But a short moment later, he gritted his teeth and walked into the hall.

Lord Father, this is Sir Han. When Gan Yu saw his father walked in, he immediately stood up and saluted him.

Yes. Ive already heard from the gatekeeper, Gan Chi waved his arm at his son and then stared at Han Li, asking, Then your esteemed self must be the one who claims to be my distant relative. Do you have a letter or a keepsake perhaps?

At that moment, Han Li stood up and couldnt help but smile when he heard that question. Then without another word, he handed over a sparkling white jade pendant.

When Gan Chi saw this jade pendant, his expression became moved.

He solemnly took the jade pendant and closely examined it once through before saying, So you must be the young descendant, Brother Han. Please follow me to my study. I wish to ask about a matter pertaining to my deceased aunt. Gan Chi grabbed Han Lis wrist with great excitement and pulled him out from the hall.

Remaining behind in the hall, Gan Yu stood up in shock and muttered, Your aunt? Was there such a relative in the Gan Clan?

After they entered the study, Gan Chi carefully closed the door of the study and deeply saluted, saying, I pay my respects, Sir Han!

Stand up, Han Li said. Then with a wave of his sleeve, he shook Gan Chis body straight with a gust of blue light before continuing, There is no need for you to ask about my origins. You only need to know from today on that I was sent here by the people in charge of you.

Gan Chis doubts were washed away by Han Lis display of magic power and he respectfully replied, Yes! So you are close to the two sirs that were related to the Gan Clan… but they disappeared since twenty years ago. Young Master Han couldnt have come at a better time.

Han Li nodded and then said in a commanding tone, Ive only arrived at your Gan Clan in passing. I have more important affairs to attend to, but I will require assistance from your connections to the mortal world.

Perhaps! Han Li had no objections over the claimed power of the altered Sevenflame Fan. Regardless of their shape or form, fire-attribute treasures were most likely specialized in attacks. After all, fire-attribute spiritual power was unrivaled in destructive power amongst the elements.

After Monarch Soul Divergence finished speaking, Han Li said nothing else and lightly waved his sleeve, tossing the two pearls into the air and striking them both with a spell seal. Gold and white light began to glow from the two pearls as they floated motionlessly in the air.

Han Li blinked and proceeded to slap his storage pouch, suddenly taking out an assortment of bottles and boxes and suspending a small cauldron in the air as well.

With his hands in an incantation gesture, he pointed at the cauldron, causing it to tremble as its lid shot up into the air. The lid then flew a circle before suspending itself midair.

Meanwhile, one of the jade boxes opened itself, revealing a pile of overflowing green dust. Han Li blew a mist of azure light onto it and in a flicker of light, about half of the powder was brushed into the air by the light and flew in a circle before entering the small cauldron.

Then with a soft shout, a slim thread of azure flame shot out from his mouth. Despite the meager size of the flame, the small cauldron was immediately ignited upon contact, wrapping its bottom half in roiling fire. But after Han Li released this flame, his complexion paled as his strength had weakened.

Han Li couldnt help but wryly smile. He didnt think that forcibly extracting a thread of Nascent flames while his magic power was still sealed would prove so challenging. Of course, this was also in part due to the grave injuries he received in the Moulan Plains that he had yet to fully recover from1.

1 While Han Li was in the Moulan Plains, he was ambushed by a late-Nascent Soul cultivator and have yet to fully recover since.

Then, he pointed at a slender jade bottle and had it slowly float over to the small cauldron. The lid of the bottle opened by itself and poured a stream of green liquid into the cauldron, instantly fusing with the green powder.

Han Li uttered an incantation and struck the azure flames into the cauldron with a spell seal, causing it to surge in strength and cover the entire cauldron.

After only a short moment, a faint medicinal scent emitted from the cauldron.

Han Lis brow stirred and he waved his hand. A jade box then flew halfway into the air and a stalk of fire-red spirit grass flew out from it and directly into the cauldron.

Then as time passed by, Han Li added more materials into the cauldron at regular intervals with meticulous control.

A day later, the refinement process was complete.

Han Li swept his sleeve and caused the Nascent flame lighting the cauldron to disappear. Then the cauldron slowly flew through the air and onto his hand.

Han Li lowered his head and looked into the cauldron, seeing an extremely dense liquid that was several inches deep. It was translucent emerald green and had a strong fragrance.

After looking at it for a moment, Han Li saw that it was exactly the same as the jade slip described. Then he cautiously asked, Is this spirit liquid acceptable?

That is it, Monarch Soul Divergence slowly said, I didnt think that your pill refinement techniques have reached such a profound level. It appears to exceed even mine when I was at my peak. I originally believed that you would fail at least two times before you could refine the spirit liquid! After you immerse the Heavenly Corpse Pearl in the liquid for an entire week, the corpse poison will be entirely extracted. Afterwards, you may consume the pearl as you wish.

Han Li smiled when he heard this and pointed to the golden pearl that was floating in the air. In the blink of an eye, it shot into the small cauldron and the lid soon followed it down, rigidly sealing it inside.

Han Li placed the cauldron down at the corner of the room and paid no further attention to it.

Refining the other pearl wouldnt take much more effort. He muttered an incantation and summoned a small ball of purple flames with a flip of his hand. He flung the fireball onto the Snow Crystal Pearl. Then, the crystal brightly shined with white and purple light as the Purple Apex Flames merged with the pearl. гeewebnovl.com

A trace of delight appeared on Han Lis face and he breathed out a mist of azure light to completely cover the crystal.

The crystal pearl suddenly shrank to the size of a medicine pill and was quickly swept down Han Lis throat. He then closed his eyes with a solemn expression and his hands formed an incantation before he peered into his body.

The Snow Crystal Pearl was residing in his Dantian and the purple flames had wrapped around it in the form of a continuously-revolving, inch-large lotus flower. Below the pearl, there was a Nascent Soul that was sincerely meditating with its hands held in an incantation gesture. The contrast of the purple flames with the Nascent Soul made for a mysterious appearance.

Han Li felt relief when he saw this.

With Han Lis Foundation Establishment cultivation, it was impossible for him to directly cultivate the pearl, but fortunately, the Purple Apex Flames were overbearing to the point that he could use the flames to take in the pearl within his body. When he recovers his cultivation, the pearl will have already been partially refined, and in case of an emergency, he would be able to forcibly control it with the Purple Apex Flames.

With the matter of the two pearls dealt with, Han Li didnt immediately move on to the next matter at hand. Instead, he sat down cross-legged for half a day and recovered a portion of his magic power before he took out a spirit beast pouch from his waist and flung it into the air.

A white mist of light flew out to reveal a golden bubble suspended in the air. Inside the half-finished vajra barrier, the Weeping Soul Beast was lying down and was soundly asleep.

When Han Li saw this, his mouth curled, at a loss of whether he should laugh or cry.

The Weeping Soul Beast was truly too fond of sleeping. Most of the times he would summon it, it would already be asleep.

He wryly chuckled and flicked his finger, striking the golden bubble with a small streak of azure light.

The bubble trembled upon impact and began to bounce around, gently awakening the Weeping Soul Beast inside.

When it saw that it was outside the spirit beast pouch, it let out a series of cries before shooting out of the vajra barrier in a streak of golden light. It flew a circle in the air before nimbly landing on Han Lis shoulder, then proceeding to rub its soft fur against Han Lis neck.

After spending the past years with Han Li, it had begun to treat Han Li with great intimacy.

Han Li smiled when he saw this and petted the monkeys head before turning his attention back the vajra barrier floating in the air.

With a wave of his sleeve, he sent out a gust of azure light at it and engulfed it. Then as brilliant light flickered, the light repeatedly revolved around the treasure, but the golden bubble didnt react in the slightest.

Han Li wore a pensive expression when he saw this and then quickly formed an incantation gesture and uttered an incantation. Streaks of spell seals followed, striking at the vajra barrier, but apart from a few ripples from the bubble, nothing had changed.

Han Lis expression changed when he saw this. With his current knowledge and abilities, those were the only two types of treasure possession methods that he knew of.

After letting out a long breath, he repeatedly formed different hand incantations and his voice fluctuated in intensity as he uttered more incantations. A series of rainbow spell seals then struck the vajra barrier with flickers of his fingers, but the vajra barrier still showed no sign of change.

Senior Soul Divergence, whats going on? Although my current cultivation is only at Foundation Establishment stage, I should still be able to put this treasure under my ownership.

Monarch Soul Divergence calmly said, Vajra barriers are a protective treasure refined by corpse flames using Buddhist crystal relics. It was a treasure that was originally rarely seen as crystal relics and corpse flames would mutually oppose one another. It should come as no surprise that ordinary treasure possession techniques wouldnt work. How about you try and use the incantations I gave you for possession of the vajra relic?

Alright, Ill give it a try. Han Li agreed without another thought.

After half a day had passed, Han Li used his newly learned spell seals to force the vajra barrier to shrink and fall into his hand, much to his relief. However, if he wished to finish the refinement process for the vajra barrier, it would prove quite troublesome.

Not even his Nascent flames would be able to temper the vajra barrier, and Monarch Soul Divergence didnt have any answers to this problem as well.

According to Monarch Soul Divergence musings, the final step of the vajra barriers refinement process would require myriad year corpse flames.

When Han Li heard this, he couldnt help but roll his eyes and gloomily snort, Myriad year corpse flames? Are you suggesting I go to the Snowmound Mountains and deliver myself to King Glorious Blaze?

When Monarch Soul Divergence heard this, he snorted back in response but remained silent afterwards.

Just as Han Li felt completely helpless over the matter despite having already acquired the vajra barrier, the Weeping Soul Beast sitting on Han Lis shoulder suddenly spat out a wisp of grey-white flames from its mouth out of boredom, striking at the vajra barrier floating in the air.

The originally still vajra barrier then let out a series of groans as the flames engulfed it and began to fluctuate in shape within the grey flames.

Han Li was greatly shocked by the sight of this.

Myriad year corpse flame! Monarch Soul Divergence muttered in amazement.

Han Li felt as if lightning struck through his mind and wore a doubtful expression.

When King Glorious Blaze saw this, he hesitated for a moment before taking the initiative to explain, Please dont feel this is strange, Fellow Daoist. Although this is a Heavenly Corpse Pearl, it isnt the one that I cultivated. When I first acquired the Heavenly Corpse Arts, I obtained this corpse pearl as well. As my own Heavenly Corpse Pearl is extremely important, I conceal it in my tomb instead of carrying it on me.

So it was like that! In that case, Ill be taking this. Han Li nodded his head in realization, but just as he thought to ask something else, his expression stirred and he raised his head to look into the distance, then saying, It seems your men have arrived. I will be taking my leave.

Before King Glorious Blaze could say anything, Han Lis body glowed with azure light and he streaked through the sky.

The old devil glanced at Han Lis departing figure with a wavering expression, skeptical of Han Lis words. But soon, he heard ghost wails screaming in the distance and a green cloud that surged across the horizon.

King Glorious Blaze was delighted to see them. Now that Master Wildsand and Lord Heavenwind have retreated, he had nothing to fear.

He then turned into a streak of grey light and flew off to welcome them.

…

At that moment, Han Li was streaking through the sky at the speed of lightning. He didnt dare to waste the remaining time he had left before the Soullock Seal went back into effect. He needed to shake off King Glorious Blaze and the other two heretical cultivators, or else he would face them with his cultivation sealed.

With Han Lis magic power temporarily restored to full strength, he was able to fly with incredible speed. By the time his magic power was sealed once more, he had arrived at a mountain range thousands of kilometers away, having changed direction several times along the way.

Han Li sighed with relief. Having recognized his location, he then calmly took off on his flying magic tool.

Two days later, Han Li dropped down on a small desolate mountain. Soon after, he released several magic tools and easily carved out a cave residence. As a finishing touch, he placed down a concealment spell formation at the entrance.

Han Li walked into the cave residences sealed room and sat down cross-legged.

You plan on comprehending the Brightjade Arts here? Monarch Soul Divergence suddenly broke the silence.

What? This place wont do? Han Li asked.

Monarch Soul Divergence snorted and said with an annoyed tone, There isnt a spirit vein here. By the time you finish cultivating at this speed, my soul will have already scattered.

Hehe! Senior, please dont be angry, I was only joking. Ive already comprehended a portion of the Brightjade Arts along the way. Fortunately, the first layer of the technique doesnt have large requirements for spiritual Qi. I reckon Ill be able to cultivate it in a year, but the second layer will be much harder to cultivate and requires a large quantity of spiritual power. I will find a spirit vein when the time comes, or it will take unbearably long. And to eliminate the possibility of a baleful Qi backlash, I will have to cultivate the first two layers of the Brightjade Arts. Han Li then continued, Although there are many spirit veins in the Great Jin, they will all be taken, even the inferior ones. And since I plan on quickly recovering my magic power, I will require a spirit vein of appropriate quality. It would be best to sneak into a large sect and quietly cultivate the technique there.

From your tone, it seems you already have a plan. Monarch Soul Divergence said with a curious tone.

Thats right. I already have a target, and I wont even have to forge an identity.

Oh! Thats quite good. How about you tell me about it? Monarch Soul Divergence asked with surprise.

Its quite simple, Han Li explained, Among the deeds inside of the Feng Clans secret cave, there were a few documents mixed together, detailing a few secret affairs of the Feng Clan. It just so happened that the Feng Clan Master had prepared an escape route for the clans disciples many years prior, creating a completely unrelated background as a rich merchant clan in the Nan province. This wealthy merchant clan has over a dozen successful businesses, but it was actually something the Feng Clan had nurtured in secret. The clan is simply a front while all power and control belongs to the Feng Clan. Now that the Feng Clan is extinct, Ill be able to use this wealthy clan as cover and enter a large sect in the region. In only three years, I should be able to free a majority of my strength from the baleful Qi and Ill be able to safely search for your materials.

So it was like that! That seems like a good idea, but why have you stopped here? You plan on cultivating the first layer of the incantation?

I do plan on completing the first layer of the Brightjade Arts. I want to see if there are any problems with cultivating it. And I also want to take advantage of this desolate area to make that vajra barrier recognize me as its master and turn that crystalized demon core into a flying needle. But more importantly, I will have to deal with these items first. Han Li sighed and with a flip of his hand, he summoned a white and a golden pearl into his palms. They were the Heavenly Corpse Pearl he had just acquired from King Glorious Blaze and the Snow Crystal Pearl he acquired from the Nine Immortals Palace disciple1.

1 In Chapter 893, one of the Foundation Establishment cultivators, a renegade Nine Immortals Palace disciple, had snuck away with the snow crystal pearl. Han Li became drawn into the situation when the Nine Immortals Palace attempted to exterminate the caravan.

Needless to say, the Snow Crystal Pearl is a rarely seen ice-attribute treasure, and it has yet to recognize a master. If I manage to refine it and nurture it, it will certainly benefit the Purple Apex Flames. And since the Heavenly Corpse Pearl is so heavily desired that even mid-Nascent Soul cultivators wouldnt hesitate to kill for the treasure, it must be valuable. Does Senior know how to use it?

After some thought, Monarch Soul Divergence said, This item involves demon and ghost Dao cultivators so I dont know too much of it, but I do know a bit about corpse pearls as a result of their large reputation. Items of these nature are something only corpse monarchs can produce from cultivation. Cultivators that rely on body refinement techniques will see this as a miraculous body purification medicine. After it is swallowed, it will slowly nurture a cultivators constitution and have their tempered body surge in strength. Once the pearl is completely refined, ones body will be as durable as a corpse monarch. Given that the name of this corpse pearl is the Heavenly Corpse Pearl, its effects should be unordinary. That King Glorious Blaze most likely cultivated a body cultivation technique.

Han Li lowered his head to look at the golden pearl and hesitantly asked, Swallow it? To refine this magic treasure, Ill have to refine it inside of my body?

Of course, it isnt so simple that you can directly refine it. Corpse pearls are extremely poisonous. You will need to first prepare a kind of spirit liquid to remove the poison from it. Although the materials to create spirit milk is rare, I recall that you should already have the materials on hand. It is possible that the pearl could greatly benefit the cultivation of the Brightjade Arts. Ill duplicate the liquid on a jade slip for you. Take a look!

So it was like that. Many thanks for the trouble, Senior! Han Li said with a smile.

A jade slip shot out from the bamboo tube on his back and Han Li caught it, then immersing his spiritual sense into it.

A short moment later, Monarch Soul Divergence then asked in a strange tone, Youngster Han, havent you forgotten about something important ever since you escaped from the Moulan Plains?

Han Li withdrew his spiritual sense from the jade slip and asked with a confused tone, Something important? What does Senior mean?

Monarch Soul Divergence sighed and said, Could it be youve forgotten? Your Divine Spirit Treasure, that small cauldron, has something sealed inside of it!

You means to say the incarnation of the Holy Endless Sky Beast? Han Li replied with a smile.

Monarch Soul Divergence chuckled and said, Thats right. Ever since you put away the beast, havent you left it alone? Could it be that youre overlooking it?

Overlooking it? Of course not. In fact, Ive attempted to deal with. However, I will only be able to bring out the cauldron once my magic power has recovered. It is natural that you dont know of it.

What did you do? Monarch Soul Divergence curiously asked.

Han Li responded with a wry smile, What could I do? The cauldron isnt something that I can easily take out, and the beasts capture was far beyond what I couldve anticipated. I was only able to use my spiritual sense to communicate with the beast.

What was the result? Monarch Soul Divergence asked with great anticipation.

Han Li let out a gloomy snort and said, The beast hasnt been in this world for long and it doesnt possess much intelligence. I cannot communicate with it.

Monarch Soul Divergence indifferently said, That is normal. However, since the beast was formed from the spiritual sense of a creature from a greater realm, I reckon that its intelligence will fully develop in several years. It wont be too late to deal with the creature later.

Then all I can do is wait! It is a pity that the Endless Sky Saintess cauldron is also sealed inside of it. The might of its spirit sand makes it an extremely powerful treasure. It seems that her cauldron was an imitation of the Heavenvoid Cauldron. Han Li said with a pitiful expression.

The Saintess cauldron doesnt seem to be a magic treasure specialized in combat, unlike the Sevenflame Fan. If you are able to collect enough materials to form the imitation that I devised, the fan will certainly be above that of the Endless Sky Saintesss cauldron. I cant wait to see it! Monarch Soul Divergence said with a cold smiled.

Soulfall Sand truly wasnt an ordinary treasure. Master Wild Sand had to secretly kill many low-grade cultivators, using their primal souls, large quantities of materials, and over a hundred years of strenuous effort in order to refine it so that it could corrupt other magic treasures.

Whenever he encountered an enemy in the past, he would simply released the Soulfall Sand and caused his opponents treasures to suffer a great loss in power. This was effective in many occasions, eventually earning him the grand title of Master Wild Sand. He was considered amongst the most illustrious figures of the Heretical Daoists.

One of the main reasons of why he dared to provoke the illustrious evil cultivator King Glorious Blaze was his confidence in the Soulfall Sand.

But now, this unknown cultivator entered the formation and was able to easily dissolve it without the slightest harm to himself or his spirit beast. As a result, Master Wild Sand no longer dared to use the Soulfall Sand to attack them and hastily withdrew it with an incantation gesture. Then, he began to hesitate on what he should do next.

At that moment, Lord Heavenwind revealed his original appearance with a shriveled black face and small eyes, saying, Brother Wild Sand, dont you have the Bluecrystal Heavensand? Use it to deal with that person. Although we dont know what that huge ape is, it seems to only be capable of restraining Yin Qi and soul ghosts. It shouldnt have any power over a pure Daoist treasure like the Bluecrystal Heavensand. So long as we manage to kill this person, we will be able to advance our original plan.

For this plan, the two had spent a great amount of effort in order for this to succeed. They were unwilling for their plan to fail at the very last stage.

Master Wild Sand strongly shook his head and said, The Bluecrystal Heavensand was something I spent quite some effort acquiring. Because of my deep relationship with Madam Heavenstone, she allowed me to borrow it, but I had to repeatedly swear I would only use the treasure to protect myself. If anything happened to even a single grain of it, it would be difficult to explain.

But the cultivator before us has incisive techniques and treasures, Lord Heavenwind said anxiously, If we dont use it, we wont be able to block him. All of our previous efforts will be for nothing. Let alone the other treasures, we absolutely must acquire the old devils Heavenly Corpse Pearl! It is a rare body cultivation treasure and is crucial for us to break through to the next layer of cultivation!

Master Wild Sand snorted and said, The Heavenly Corpse Pearl is important, but so is the Bluecrystal Heavensand! This sand isnt something that can be repeatedly used. After a single use, I will have nothing left. Madam Heavenstone might be close to me, but I wont be able to acquire heavensand a second time. Additionally, this persons abilities are deep and immeasurable. It might not be able to defeat him. If he manages to endure the attack, then matters will become even worse.

But… Although Lord Heavenwind felt that his words made sense, he was still unwilling to give up. Just as he thought to further persuade him, a fiery light suddenly streaked across the sky and flew a circle above the cloud before flying into Master Wild Sands hands.

This is… Master Wildsand looked at the sound transmission talisman with surprise and sank his spiritual sense into it without any further hesitation.

Soon, his face turned sullen and he waved his hand, extinguishing the talisman.

Lets go! Master Wild Sand coldly shouted. Even the Bluecrystal Heavensand wont be able to do anything now. Those useless Earthfiends and Devilwind Seeds were broken through by the corpse soldiers under control of that concubine Jadeflower, and shes sent large numbers of high-grade spirit corpses in this direction. It will be dangerous if we stay here any longer.

Lord Heavenwinds plans were completely stifled and could only helplessly follow.

The two hastily cast incantation gestures and flew alongside the cloud of black sand as it gathered together in the sky before taking off into the distance. During that entire time, neither Lord Heavenwind and Master Wild Sand had made another appearance.

As Han Li stood on the shoulders of the huge ape, he stared in the distance with a cold expression.

As his time was limited, he wouldve released the Heavenvoid Cauldron if the battle showed no signs of coming to an end. Given how the cauldron sealed the Endless Sky Saintess spirit sand, dealing with this cloud of sand shouldnt have been a problem, but the main cause for concern was that the Heavenvoid Cauldron was a Divine Spirit Treasure. Although few cultivators outside of the Scattered Star Seas should recognize it, he was unwilling to reveal it to others, else if someone were to realize what it was, there would be no end to the trouble ahead of him.

When King Glorious Blaze saw that Master Wild Sand and Lord Heavenwind make a complete retreat, he felt great relief. However, the corpse flames on his body remained ablaze as he saluted Han Li, saying, Fellow Daoists abilities are vast. You were actually able to break through the Soulfall Sand. It was an eye-opening experience. I must thank you for the kindness of saving my life.

When Han Li heard this, he shot an appraising glance on the ten thousand year old corpse monarch and wore an expression of indifference.

The mist of sand had quickly retreated, but the corpse monarchs condition was far from good, the spiritual Qi released from his body was less than half of his original state. It appeared that spitting out his corpse flames to block the Soulfall Sand while he was heavily injured came at the great cost of vitality.

Although King Glorious Blaze was an unordinary cultivator, with his heavy injuries and Han Lis recent display of power, he couldnt help but feel a chill in his heart as he grew more wary, fearing that Han Li would turn to attack him while he was weakened.

As for the huge ape underneath Han Li, it stood in place with half-closed eyes ever since the mist of sand left, as if it were savoring the feeling of the large quantities of black sand in its stomach.

At that moment, Han Li immediately sensed King Glorious Blazes hostile gaze and met his stare. Then, the Weeping Soul Beast opened its mouth and clicked its tongue at King Glorious Blaze, looking at him as if he were something tasty.

King Glorious Blaze felt his blood run cold at the sight of this. After seeing the ape easily swept away the Soulfall Sand and realizing how fearsome it was, he felt a faint sense of dread. He guessed that the beast was a natural nemesis of his nature and inwardly cursed as a result.

When Han Li had examined him, he sensed a corpse Qi that was present in the vajra barrier, and from his name King Glorious Blaze, Han Li managed to piece together his identity.

The refined corpse that Jin Yuan had mentioned was actually the corpse monarch before him.

But after forcefully using the Great Development Technique to clear his mind, Han Li pondered about how time he had left until the Soullock Seal took effect once more, the possible secret techniques that King Glorious Blaze still possessed, and the abilities he revealed in his recent display of strength. He would no longer be able to catch him off-guard, and even with the assistance of the Weeping Soul Beast, his odds of slaying him in the short time he had left wasnt very high.

After a moment of deliberation, Han Li forcefully stifled his killing intent, but since he ended up saving him in passing, he wasnt about to allow this opportunity to pass him by. Breaking the tense atmosphere, Han Lis expression relaxed and he slowly said, Although my show of force was a result of their own actions, I did end up saving your life. Didnt you say you were going to compensate me? I am quite interested in how youre going to do that.

Han Li didnt believe himself to be an upright man of honor, and with the baleful Qi backlash coming closer each day, he wasnt about to spare this gravely injured corpse monarch.

King Glorious Blaze relaxed upon hearing this and chuckled, I dont have much on me. Only a few spirit stones and other materials. If it is to your liking, we can return to my cave residence and Ill be sure to pay you in full.

After staring at him for a while, Han Li calmly said, There is no need to trouble you so much. However, I have taken a liking to your golden pearl. Would you be able to gift it to me?

King Glorious Blazes expression grew sullen, but after he looked at the huge ape, he forced a smile and said, Do you mean this item? Then he opened his mouth and spat out the golden pearl.

Han Li indifferently nodded upon seeing it.

This item is called a Heavenly Corpse Pearl. It is a treasure that is formed after a corpse monarch refines the Heavenly Corpse Arts. This isnt something that can be easily revealed to others. If I guessed correctly, the two demons of Fangjian Mountain were most likely going after this item. King Glorious Blaze blinked and then smiled before pointing at the golden pearl in front of him, saying, However, the pearl is no longer useful to me, so you can go ahead and take it.

To Han Lis surprise, the pearl shot towards him and he reached out towards it, catching it in midair with the sudden appearance of a large azure hand.

The old devil had simply given him the pearl?

Han Li wrapped in the pearl in azure light and examined it with narrow eyes, finding there to be nothing wrong with it.

When he mentioned this item, he intended only to haggle and see what King Glorious Blaze could give him. This sudden turn of events left him bewildered.