Рубрика: Путешествие к бессмертию

Chapter 24: A Panicked Decision

Looking at the rabbits in front of him, he saw that they continued to grow larger and expand.

Han Li had at last realized that something was wrong. He suddenly remembered something. He looked at the porcelain bowl in his hand like a snake and threw it to the side by the medicine field. He then turned around and took to his heels, running straight away from the rabbits for more than ten meters before stopping.

Just as he thought of turning around, one after another, two sounds simultaneously exploded over. Han Li shuddered and turned his head for a look. As expected, each of the two rabbits had turned into a bloody carcass, exploding into several chunks. Flesh and blood were scattered, covering a patch of grass with a blanket of blood. Two pits appeared in the places where the rabbits had been originally tethered to. Surrounding the pits were the rabbits messy remains. Bloody chunks of meat sprinkled the ground. This was a spectacle too terrible to observe.

Han Li let out a breath and sat down on the ground. He feared that if he had not reacted quickly enough at that instance, he wouldve been caught in the explosion. Although he might not have been seriously injured, having his entire body drenched in rabbit blood and dregs of meat would not have been a pleasant affair.

Waiting until after his heart calmed, Han Li stood up and walked next to the pits.

After seeing the mutilation at the site, he took a look at the shattered porcelain bowl by the medicine field and was dumbfounded.

Han Li originally believed that he would have discovered the green liquid to be some sort of panacea, but he did not expect it to be such a frightening thing. Poison was poison, but it made the rabbits die so tragically! No matter what he said to himself, he could not pass this off as a trick. It was far too frightening! Han Li was not unfamiliar with deadly poisons. Under Doctor Mos several years of instruction, Han Li was experienced with many poisons capable of delivering an instant death, but none of them were capable of killing a man so terribly.

After a while, Han Li regained his composure. Keeping his head calm, he made plans to depart from the medicine field.

Because it was soon going to be noon, he had to finish mixing the secret medicine to give to Senior Disciple Li. As for everything here, he would deal with it once he finished delivering the medicine.

With these thoughts in mind, Han Li did not take another look at the scene of the explosion, leaving all these troubles behind for later, and returned to his residence. After resting for a moment, he brought the medicine to the entrance of God Hands Valley.

Han Li was very punctual. He arrived at the entrance just as noon arrived. Li Feiyu seemed to have been anxiously waiting for him for a while now.

He alone waited at the valleys entrance. He wore a white embroidered gown. However, he carried along the longsword that had previously left Han Li a deep impression. Since Han Li had not arrived yet, Li Feiyus face showed a sliver of worry, anxiously looking towards the direction of the valley.

As soon as he saw Han Li finally arrive, he put away his expression of anxiety. The corner of his mouth slightly rose, his face exposing a smile.

Junior Disciple Han, you are truly quite punctual! You said noon, and you arrived right on time. I was waiting here for almost an hour, Li Feiyu said half jokingly, half complaining.

I am quite embarrassed. Blending the medicine took too much time yesterday, so I didnt sleep until it was very late. In the morning, I woke a bit late. As soon as I finished taking care of a few matters at hand, it was almost noon already. Said Han Li. Half of what he said was true.

Junior Disciple Han…medicine, the medicine, did you finish mixing it? Because Senior Disciple Li was anxious and a little hurried, he had actually spoken with somewhat of a stutter.

Han Li did not directly answer Senior Disciple Lis question. He calmly smiled, slowly taking out a large medicine bag out from his bosom. With a swing of his arm, he threw the medicine over to Li Feiyu.

Every time before you consume the Essence Extraction Pill, take the medicine by mixing a spoon of the medicinal powder with cooled boiled water, and it will alleviate all of your pain.

Thank you, Junior Disciple Han! Thank you, Junior Disciple Han! Senior Disciple Li was wild with joy. Even if it could only ease his pain, he would have regarded it as great news. The pain from taking the Essence Extraction Pill made it so that he would shiver even when it wasnt cold. He had tried many painkillers, but they all had no effect. Since Junior Disciple Han knew all of the characteristics of the Essence Extraction Pill and had taken it before, perhaps this medicine would actually be effective.

Dont thank me yet. Wait until after the medicine works before thanking me. In addition, this is only a years worth of medicine. I currently used up all of the medicinal ingredients I had available. I wont be able to make any more for you until I gather enough medicinal ingredients, Han Li spoke bluntly.

No problem. Isnt this a years worth? This is enough for the time being. Regardless of whether or not this medicine is effective, I, Li Feiy,u appreciates Junior Disciple Hans kind intentions. Senior Disciple Li had at last acquired what he desired. His expression returned to normal and was no longer artificial. He very straightforwardly expressed a humble feeling of respect towards Han Li.

Han Li faintly smiled. Not saying anything else, he took the initiative to part ways with Senior Disciple Li.

With the secret medicine in Li Feiyus hand, his head was filled with thoughts of quickly returning and testing the efficacy of the medicine. Seeing that Li Feiyu had no urge to bother Han Li any further, the two mutually took their leave.

After returning from the valley entrance, Han Li first went to clean up the medicine fields. The rabbit remains, bloodied earth, and broken bowl shards were soon completely swept into a hole. Then, he endlessly covered the two earth pits by pushing it flat with dirt. Just like that, it appeared as if there were no difference in the landscape between its current state and its state before the experiment.

Satisfied, Han Li clapped his hands to get rid of any dust particles. He looked all over the place, checking if there was anywhere he had overlooked.

When his eyes fell onto where the porcelain bowl had shattered, he could not help but mutter to himself.

He remembered very clearly that when he threw away the bowl, the diluted water within had spilled all over a small portion of the medicine field, landing on several medicinal herbs. He couldnt help but be somewhat hesitant since he didnt know whether these medicinal herbs would become poisonous after absorbing the water. Also, if someone were to eat these poisonous herbs, would they also experience the same horrible death as the rabbits? Should Han Li immediately destroy these poisonous plants? This chain of questions abruptly rose in Han Lis mind.

Han Li had pondered for half a day, unable to come to a decision. After examining the plants once more, he decided to only do another small experiment. If in the following days, the medicinal herbs really became poisonous, it still wouldnt be too late for him to destroy them.

After deciding, he looked around to see if there was nothing else he could do and went back to the stone room to practice. He hoped that he would be capable of breaking through and continue advancing his foundation.

Han Li currently no longer cared about the chants specific usefulness. His cultivation of this chant had already become instinctive. If he did not cultivate it, Han Li wouldnt know what else he could do in the mountain valley. Stubbornly cultivating this chant to a greater layer of cultivation had already become his current lifes entire goal. freweovel.co

After an afternoon absorbed in cultivation, Han Li dispiritedly discovered that he truly was not a genius. Although he felt the distance from the fourth layer could be pierced through by a finger, he couldnt advance an inch forward and had diligently cultivated the whole afternoon in vain.

It seemed he couldnt cultivate any further without the support of medicinal elixirs. Otherwise, it would be very likely that he would forever stay at the peak of the third layer, unable to advance any further.

Han Lis mind began to hope expectantly that Doctor Mo would return a bit earlier and was lucky enough to have found enough medicinal ingredients to help Han Li break through his current predicament.

Chapter 23: Tests

Maybe lady luck was smiling on him. Abruptly, a sudden thought flashed past his mind.

He quickly rushed towards the leather pouch which he had discarded and with a deft movement, took out the good luck charm that was hidden inside neatly and quickly.

The moment his palm brushed against the good luck charm, a refreshing feeling was emitted from the bottle and eventually calmed his heart. His previous frustrations and melancholy all disappeared without a trace, and his Qi and blood stopped surging, returning back to his normal state.

Currently, Han Li had no interest in discovering the root of the problem that occurred earlier. Holding the good luck charm in his palm, he brought it forward in front of his eyelids, pressing it against his face. Gently caressing it, Han Li focused all of his attention on the bottle.

After half a day, Han Li heaved a sigh of relief, diverting his attention away from the good luck charm.

Han Li didnt know that the phenomenon that happened to him earlier was not because of Qigong Deviation but rather because he suffered from a Heart Demon that all cultivators would eventually face. Luckily, he discovered it in its early stages and fought it off by focusing on an object that was familiar to him. If he hadnt, the Heart Demon would have entered his soul and controlled his body from within, causing him to bleed to death from his meridians. Of course, Han Li wouldnt learn about this until after he truly stepped on to the path of cultivation in the future.

Han Li circulated his Qi around his whole body and realized there was nothing abnormal. What made him gasp in astonishment was that instead of suffering injuries, his cultivation level had unknowingly increased by a great extent! Although he did not make a breakthrough from the third layer to the fourth, but because of his struggle against the Heart Demon, he had reached the peak of the third layer earlier than expected and was only a hair length away from breaking through to the 4th!

Because of this unexpected stroke of luck, Han Li had a smile on his face. However, he had to forcefully suppress the agitation in his heart. He was afraid that his unstable emotions would lead to another attack by the Heart Demon. Han Li was uncertain whether he could survive it intact if another attack took place. He took the good luck charm that had saved his life and replaced it inside the leather pouch before hanging it on his neck.

Yi! Han Li realized that there was an object long forgotten by him inside the leather pouch. An object that had been left lying about in there for a few years the mysterious bottle!

Han Li had completely forgotten about the mysterious bottle. The moment he saw it, he remembered the past events.

The current Han Li was an archive of knowledge and wisdom that far surpassed the Han Li from four years ago. In these 4 years, he had read all the books in Doctor Mos residence and gained much knowledge. He also cultivated the nameless oracular chant, which effectively strengthened his mind. Looking back at the disturbance to his Qi, he could effectively deduce that this mysterious bottle was a treasured item with effects that were far from ordinary

What Han Li needed to do now was to delve into and unravel the secrets of the bottle and to see if it could be used to benefit himself. There was no way he would just leave it lying around in the leather pouch and waste such a mysterious object.

Han Li took out the bottle and inspected its entire surface as if he were trying to look for something that he had missed out on during his inspection 4 years ago.

But no matter how much he inspected, there were no new discoveries.

Han Li wasted no time and opened the cap of the bottle. Floating inside of the mysterious bottle was the jade green droplet of liquid that had manifested 4 years ago! It was no different than from when it first appeared in the bottle.

However, Han Li was positive that the secret of the bottle lay in the jade green droplet of liquid. To test his theories, he would need to find some small animals to perform a few cruel, live experiments.

It was midnight, the sky pitch black outside. The darkness made it simply impractical for him to hunt for live animals. And after experiencing the attack of the heart demon earlier, Han Li was already somewhat exhausted. Even if he could catch a live animal, how would he be able to see if there were any changes to the test subject if it was pitch dark? Any actions Han Li could make would be a waste of effort.

After contemplating, Han Li decided to rest and recover his energy before experimenting the next day. He told himself that there would be a big surprise waiting for him tomorrow, and with that thought, he drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, after washing himself, Han Li went to eat a hearty breakfast. After that, he immediately went to speak to the head of the kitchen of the Seven Mysteries Sect, procuring two lively gray hares for a few tales of silver before returning back to the valley.

After he returned to the valley, Han Li chose a more spacious location inside the herb garden and tied the rabbits to a stake, letting them stay outside in the blazing sun for quite a period of time.

After the rabbits were dizzy from the heat and were almost dying of thirst, Han Li took out the mysterious bottle and poured the mysterious jade green droplet of liquid into a bowl before diluting it with water.

The mysterious droplet of liquid was about the size of a bean and easily dissolved in the water, causing the whole bowl of water to turn into a jade green color.

Han Li placed the bowl near the rabbits and waited for them to drink the water. Being out in the blazing sun for such a long period of time, the rabbits scampered up and drank the water in the bowl in big gulps. Han Li was unwilling to allow the rabbits to drink the entire bowl of diluted water, and after half of the water was gone, he removed the bowl from the rabbits reach.

After that, he stood to the side and observed, patiently waiting for any reactions from the rabbits.

After a short moment passed, about the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn, the rabbits started to frantically jump about, their actions becoming more and more agitated and ferocious. Their bodies began to undergo an astounding mutation. Their fur and skin started to protrude lumps the size of a chicken egg. The lumps multiplied until they covered the rabbits bodies. From afar, Han Li felt that the rabbit looked quite comical. The lumps had caused the rabbits to grow bigger by a single size, swelling up until both of the rabbits grew to the size of watermelons.

Looking at the mutation of the rabbits, along with their tortured shrieks, Han Li felt a bit of fear in his heart. гeewbnovel.com

What just happened before his eyes was completely outside of his expectations. If the mysterious liquid was a potent poison or a miraculous medicine to increase cultivation, he would still not be so shocked. He did not expect that the rabbits would actually grow lumps all over their bodies and expand to such a size, becoming grotesque beyond belief.

Chapter 22: Qigong Deviation

Looking at Li Feiyus back as it gradually disappeared as he walked away, Han Li quietly stood where he was, lost in contemplation.

After they had agreed to meet at noon the next day, Senior Disciple Li took the initiative to bid Han Li goodbye, saying that he had to meditate to fully heal his injuries.

After they had spoken for a long time, Han Li did not ask Li Feiyu why he had consumed the pill. Han Li knew that even if he had asked, it would be useless because things that already happened could not be changed.

From his observations, Li Feiyu was willing to forsake his future, just for a short 10 years of fame and glory. This probably meant that he had some underlying reason, which left him with no choice but to do so. No one would willingly commit suicide, so if Han Li really did question Li Feiyu, it would be like rubbing salt on his wounds.

Obviously, what Han Li did was correct. Before Li Feiyu left, when he saw that Han Li did not question him about the reason why he was taking the Essence Extraction Pill, he was grateful for Han Li being considerate. Han Li knew that although Li Feiyu did not mention anything, he assumed that he owed Han Li a favor.

Han Li was prepared to fulfill his promise to Senior Disciple Li, so not only would he not spread the secret, he would also concoct the pain-relieving medicine for Senior Disciple Li.

The reason for him doing so was simple. Since Senior Disciple Li was not a vile person, nor did he really want to kill Han Li, Han Li thought that he might as well use this opportunity to increase the amount of favors that Senior Disciple Li owed him. So, in the future, Senior Disciple Li would find it hard to turn down his requests.

In the next few years, Li Feiyus martial skills would only exponentially increase as the Essence Extraction Pill burnt his life force, so he would be of immeasurable help to Han Li in the future. Even if Han Li did not need this favor, it did not matter much. Being able to help a character like Senior Disciple Li also caused Han Li to feel happy in his heart. Although Senior Disciple Li may not be a good person, Han Li knew that after the events that transpired today, Li Feiyu wouldnt jeopardize him.

Han Li ran the whole sequence of events that happened today through his mind again. It was only when he was certain that everything had been accounted for that he returned to God Hand Valley.

After he strolled back to the God Hand Valley in a relaxed manner, Han Li began preparations to concoct the pain-relieving medicine for Senior Disciple Li. It was relatively simple for Han Li to concoct this medicine, as he could find all the ingredients he needed in the nearby medicinal herb garden. The only thing that was slightly complex was the concocting process. One must give it their full attention, if not, the chance of failure would be high.

After a busy afternoon, Han Li concocted a years supply of the pain-relieving medicine Senior Disciple Li needed. He did not produce more intentionally as he wanted Senior Disciple Li to seek him out after all of the medicine was consumed so that he could increase his importance in Senior Disciple Lis eyes. This way, Senior Disciple Li would not be able to easily forget his favor.

In the middle of the night, Han Li was suddenly struck by a sense of loneliness as he raised his head to gaze at the stars in the pitch black sky and begin reminiscing.

He was thinking of his family back in his village!

He had left the village 4 years ago, and ever since he arrived at the mountain, he had been assiduously cultivating the nameless oracular formula every day and had no time to visit his family. The only thing he did to lessen his heartache was to send taels of silver back every month, hoping that his family was living a better life. He deeply treasured the letters that his parents wrote, even though there wasnt much written in the letters other than telling him that everything was good in his family, his Second Brother had married, and things were getting better because of the silver he sent back. Reading these letters made Han Li feel much better. However, over the years, Han Li felt that the tone of the letters was gradually becoming more and more polite as if they were writing to a stranger! Initially, this caused fear to blossom in his heart, as he did not know what to do in this situation. However, as time passed, this feeling of fear gradually numbed as the image of his family in his mind gradually became blurred.

He reminisced about matters of the past, thinking back to that warm feeling of the time when he was still back in the village when melancholy suddenly hit him. That warm feeling was very valuable to him as he knew that he would never be able to savor it again.

Han Li placed his hand on his chest, using his fingers to grip the good luck charm that was in the leather pouch hanging around his neck.

Whenever he was frustrated, he would only need to hold the good luck charm to calm himself down… But tonight, after holding it, his heart only got more and more flustered, and he was unable to calm down.

He was unable to control his emotions because there was a depression in his heart, which in turn caused bizarre bodily reactions from Han Li. His blood started to surge as the Qi in his body ran rampant.

Qigong Deviation! These two words appeared in his mind. Han Li stood up, and drew in a huge breath, forcibly suppressing his chaotic state as he told himself to calm down. Now that Doctor Mo was away, he could only depend on himself to solve this crisis.

He did not know why he was suffering from Qigong Deviation, and his mind continued to ponder. Even though now was not the best time to question the reason, he still tried finding the root cause and cut the problem at its root as it was the best way to recover from Qigong Deviation.

Han Li rotated his head as he surveyed his surroundings, but nothing seemed suspicious.

He touched his chin with his right hand and at the same time, his hand also knocked against something on his chest.

Leather pouch, Good Luck Charm, the names of these 2 items appeared in his mind.

Could it be the good luck charm that caused the reaction? Han Li was not sure, but he had no time to hesitate now as the condition of his body was getting worse and there were signs that he would soon be unable to control the surging Qi.

Han Li tore the leather pouch off his neck decisively and flung it away from him.

No, something is wrong, I feel even worse. The surge in my Qi and blood is getting more violent.

Han Li forcefully suppressed the surging Qi as he stared at the leather pouch with his bloodshot eyes, hoping to find the reason why he had suffered more after he flung the pouch away.

Chapter 21: Painkilling Medicine

Senior Disciple Lis eyelids lightly shuddered as he pondered intensely, trying to decide which was the better path for him.

After a short moment, his tightly closed eyes snapped open as he stared intently at the pill in Han Lis hand with a feverish gaze.

Han Li did not say anything more and inserted the pill into Senior Disciple Lis mouth. The white foam around his mouth did nothing to stop him from swallowing the pill, and after it was fully ingested, Han Li slowly retracted all of the silver needles from Senior Disciple Lis body.

After the retrieval of all the silver needles, the Essence Extraction Pill began to take effect. Senior Disciple Lis pale face started to take on a reddish hue. At this moment, his body started to convulse again and his limbs started to shiver as a low drone issued from his throat. reeebnovel.om

Senior Disciple Li did not want to be a laughing stock in front of Han Li, so he tried unsuccessfully to suppress his pain-filled voice.

The low drone involuntarily got louder and louder as the shivers got more intense. It was only after a long period of time that the droning began to slowly subside.

Finally, Senior Disciple Li recovered as his face returned to its normal, pale color, and his body stopped convulsing. This signaled that he successfully endured the last of the backlashes from consuming the Essence Extraction Pill.

Senior Disciple Li straightened his body, crossed his legs, and close his eyes in order to enter meditation, attempting to circulate his Qi to heal his injuries. Han Li found a clean, large rock nearby and sat down on it, watching Senior Disciple Li.

After the time it took to eat a meal, the Senior Disciple Li, who was in a state of meditation, abruptly wrenched open his eyes and drew his saber in a flash, placing the shining blade on Han Lis neck.

Give me a reason not to kill you! Senior Disciple Lis eyes were full of coldness and filled with killing intent.

I just saved your life. Is that not a good enough reason? Han Li stated calmly with no change to his expression except for the twitching of his brows. If one did not study Han Lis face intently, they would not have seen it.

Senior Disciple Lis face slightly softened, but his eyes were still filled with killing intent as he stared at Han Li.

Before I made the decision to save you, I already guessed that you might kill me to protect your secret, but I didnt think that your action would be so fast. Han Li bitterly laughed as his face was filled with self-mockery.

Ke! Despite knowing that saving you would bring calamity upon myself, I, a student of medical arts, couldnt simply sit by and watch you die. Han Li sighed.

As Senior Disciple Li heard his words, his face took on a somewhat embarrassed expression, and he shifted the saber from Han Lis neck a little but did not fully remove the blade.

Han Li secretly let out a breath of relief, and he continued his speech more determinedly.

You have no need to worry that I would divulge your secret. One look at my face and you would know that Im not one to gossip, if you are still worried, I could swear a binding oath. You should be able to tell that Im not skilled in martial arts, so if you discovered that I broke my vow, you could easily kill me, Han Li calmly suggested.

Okay, swear a binding oath then. Senior Disciple Li said straightforwardly.

It was only now that Han Li relaxed. Before he saved Senior Disciple Li, he could infer that Senior Disciple Li was not one to forget a kindness, but he was not completely sure of his assessment. If he was wrong and Senior Disciple Li was a person that returned kindness with viciousness, he would only be able to defend himself with his secret life-saving method.

Knowing that he would not have to use it, Han Li stealthily retracted his hand from within his robes.

After Han Li swore a binding oath, Senior Disciple Li finally retracted the saber and returned it to its sheath.

Han Li slightly felt a slight trace of blood on his throat, caused by the keen edge of the saber. It was sticky to the touch, and as Han Li heartbeat returned to normal, he could feel cold sweat trickling down his back.

What a close call! My evaluation prior to saving Senior Disciple Li was not comprehensive enough. Im determined to learn from this mistake and to prevent my life from being in the control of someone elses hands ever again. He still had some fear lingering from this event.

If theres no guarantee of my safety, I will definitely not save others in the future. Han Li decided immediately.

This was the first time Han Li had saved someone, but the experience left him with a bad taste in his mouth. This event only helped to reinforce that the world was full of unexpected turnouts, and the last vestige of kindness in him was slowly being discarded away. Even though he had not turned evil, he was far from being a saint.

You have saved my life and agreed to keep the matter a secret. I, Li Feiyu, owe you a big favor henceforth. As long as Im still alive, no matter what you need help with, you can look for me. As long as I am able to accomplish the task, I will definitely help you. As he reclaimed the items that Han Li ransacked through, Senior Disciple Li stated his vow straightforwardly, using his own name as a guarantee after he fully recovered from the pills backlash.

I fear that I currently have nothing to trouble you with, but you should already have plenty of troubles, no? Han Li had a slight smile on his face as he faced Senior Disciple Li with another question.

How did you know? Li Feiyu was startled and slightly lost his composure.

Anyone would have easily guessed. You are just a normal disciple under a Protector, yet with your skills, you have surpassed disciples of the Vice Sect Leaders, Division Heads, and Elders. How could they possibly let you live peacefully!? Han Lis response was like a needle drawing blood, with a single prick, he went straight to the heart of the matter.

Senior Disciple Lis expression was gloomy and overcast as he agreed in silence.

Your troubles are your own, I have no wish to interfere and cannot interfere even if I wanted to, but, for the excruciating backlash from consuming the Essence Extraction Pill, I could help you lessen the pain.

Is this true? Li Feiyu suddenly snapped to attention as his previous gloomy expression was replaced with anticipation and excitement. He was giddy since the backlash of the Essence Extraction Pill was extremely torturous.

Why would I lie to you when there is nothing beneficial for me to gain by doing so? Han Li glanced at Senior Disciple Li. He had already concocted a remedy that would greatly lessen the pain felt by others, a medicine that he researched in his spare time for Zhang Tie. It was extremely effective, greatly cutting off the nerves ability from to feel pain.

This is truly excellent! Excellent! Li Feiyu clasped his hands as he looked at Han Li with wonder and excitement.

Why are you looking at me with such an expression? I do not have the medicine on me right now. I need to return to God Hand Valley before I can concoct it for you.

After Li Feiyu heard what Han Li said, he had a slightly embarrassed look on his face. He had just threatened to kill Han Li and now, he was requesting his help.

Tomorrow at noon, wait for me at the entrance of the God Hand Valley. I will hand you the remedy in that location, but since Doctor Mo is currently away, I cant allow anyone to simply enter the God Hand Valley, Han Li explained.

Very well, I shall be there on time. Thank you, my dear brother. Scared that Han Li would change his mind, Li Feiyu quickly responded with his confirmation.

My name is Han Li, the personal disciple of Doctor Mo. Your cultivation in martial arts is so high, you can just directly call me Junior Brother Han in the future.

After Han Li heard the words my dear brother he couldnt help but shiver and thus, quickly told Senior Disciple Li his name to prevent him from calling Han Li any more embarrassing titles.

Chapter 20: Essence Extraction Pill

After leaving the mountain region, Han Li could still hear the voices discussing how to settle Fatty Wang and Zhang Chang Guis dispute. Han Li decided not to concern himself about the matter.

Whenever he thought Little Abacuss dumbstruck expression, he could not help but laugh out loud. His small excursion outside the valley had indeed lifted his spirits, and he was no longer as depressed as before.

He ventured out of the forest and walked straight ahead. A small creek appeared at the end of the path.

Han Li inclined his head upwards and looked at the fiery hot sun before lowering his head to avoid the glare and to drink some water from the creek. He felt that taking a bath right now would not be a bad idea.

As he bent downwards, with both of his hands entering the cool creek water, a voice filled with pain sounded out and reached his ears.

Han Li was surprised. To think that there would be people in such a remote region.

Following the sound of the voice, Han Li wandered upstream and found a person wearing a disciples robe lying on the ground, his body convulsing while his limbs flailed about.

The moment Han Li saw the person, he knew that the disciple was suffering from an acute illness and if he didnt help now, there might be a danger of death.

Han Li rushed over and took out a wooden box from his robes. From the wooden box, he drew out silver needles that seemed to reflect the light as he pierced them into the acupoints on the disciples back.

After he was done with the acupoints on the disciples back, he turned the body of the disciple around and began to work with the acupoints located on his chest.

When the disciples body was turned, Han Li sucked in a breath. He was shocked beyond measure. This person… this person, who was flailing about earlier, was none other than the Senior Disciple Li that participated in the battle earlier!

Stunned, Han Li could only gaze at the facial features of Senior Disciple Li.

The current Senior Disciple Li did not have the air of a peerless expert at all. There was no heroic demeanor to be seen anywhere, only a cold face full of pain and suffering as his features contorted together and white foam leaked from his mouth. It was obvious that Senior Disciple Li from suffering from too much pain to bear, and he was almost to the point of being unconscious.

Han Li regained his calm as he muttered to himself. Akin to flowing water, the silver needle in Han Lis hand begin to prick the acupoints on Senior Disciple Li body continuously over 10 times. At the final prick, Han Li wiped the sweat that had formed on his forehead and released a breath. The usage of the silver needle and strength needed to pierce each acupoint exhausted a huge amount of energy from him.

After Senior Disciple Lis body was riddled with silver needles, he finally woke up and regained consciousness.

You are… Senior Disciple Li tried to say something, but he didnt have enough strength, so he could not say more than a few words.

Im from the God Hand Valley. Save your breath and slowly recover your strength. I can only remind you that your illness is very strange. In my estimation, only my teacher Doctor Mo would be able to save you. But sadly, he is currently away from the mountain. Han Li took the pulse of Senior Disciple Li as he furrowed his brows in thought.

The… Medci..ne..is..at.. Senior Disciple Lis face paled as his lips shivered, lifting his arms to gesture at something, but he was unsuccessful.

You have medicine to cure the illness on your body? Han Li roughly understood his meaning, and he questioned Senior Disciple Li.

Ye….s Senior Disciple Li saw that Han Li understood his meaning, relaxed his features and nodded his head.

Han Li was no longer polite as he searched Senior Disciple Lis body for the antidote. He found many useless items, and amongst them, there was a small white jade bottle which he took out. This bottle was made of expensive material and was also tightly sealed. He guessed this was what Senior Disciple Li was looking for.

As he took the bottle and glanced at Senior Disciple Li, his guess turned out correct. Senior Disciple Lis expression was full of joy as he frantically blinked his eyes.

Han Li unsealed the bottle, and contrary to his expectations, there was no fragrance of herbal components drifting out, but rather extremely pungent smell.

The moment Han Li smelled the pungent smell, his expression turned nasty as he cautiously took out a pink color pill out from the bottle. This pill was extremely beautiful to behold, yet the pungent smell that was emitted from the pill caused people to have difficulty breathing.

Is this a medicinal pill? Han Li regained his calm face.

Senior Disciple Li was still unable to speak, but he blinked his eyes to convey to Han Li that this was the right pill.

This Essence Extraction Pill was created from orchids, crab tailed flower, hundred year-old egg of blue ant… as well as 23 other rarely seen ingredients. After the pill is concocted, it takes on a pinkish hue and emits a pungent smell. Ingesting it could unlock all of the potential of the human body, consuming the lifeforce in exchange. Am I right?

Han Li coldly glanced at Senior Disciple Li as he listed the pills descriptions word by word with an unmistakable tone in his voice.

The moment Senior Disciple Li heard Han Li words, his face paled as if devoid of blood, and a frantic expression appeared on his face.

If you ingest this medicine, you would need to repeatedly ingest it after a certain period of time in addition to suffering the excruciating pain. If you refuse to ingest the second pill after eating the first, in the best scenario, you would be paralyzed and in the worse scenario, you could even die! From the first time you ingested this pill, fate has already decreed that you would be dead in less than 10 years as the pill forcefully unleashes your potential at the expense of burning your life force, Han Li said without stopping.

Dont you try to lie to me that this is not the Essence Extraction Pill. Han Li said.

After hearing what Han Li had said, an expression of hopelessness appeared on Senior Disciple Lis face while an indescribable shock appeared in his eyes.

Are you shocked because this particular medicine is very rare, and yet I know what it is? Han Li could tell what Senior Disciple Li was thinking.

The answer is simple. I, too, have eaten a pill like this.

Han Lis words broke the tension as he continued to shock Senior Disciple Li. After a while, Senior Disciple Li had an expression of disbelief.

The way I ate the pill was different from how you ate it. I only ate a total of 1 pill, but I separated the pill into 10 portions, which I slowly ingesting over a long period of time. The small amount of drug I consumed was not able to do any harm to my body. Because this particular pill and the smell it emitted was too obvious, I had a very strong impression of this pill, so I easily recognized yours. I had always thought that other than me, there would not be a second person to ingest this type of pill, but who would have thought, my fellow disciple had consumed the pill as well.

After saying this, Han Li gaze contained a hint of admiration as well as pity for Senior Disciple Li.

Unwilling to see the pitiful gaze fixed on him, Senior Disciple Li closed his eyes. However, his heartbeat was erratic and his mind was in chaos.

You should have consumed these pills for a few years already. If you refrain from consuming it now, I could beseech Doctor Mo to concoct an antidote for you. Although the medicine cannot recover the life force you lost, it should still be able to grant you 20-30 years worth of life. But sadly, your martial skills would be lost forever. If you continue ingesting this pill, I can deduce from the backlash that happened earlier that you would have at most 5-6 years worth of life left, but obviously, your martial arts would only get better and better, even stronger than the might you displayed today. Since you dared to eat such a pill, this tells me that you are a person with an iron will. Since only you can decide your own fate, do you want to throw away this medicine or keep relying on it?

Chapter 19: Battle in Jiang Hu freewebnvel.cm

Senior Disciple Han, you are really deaf to the outside world. This was such a massive event in the sect and yet you didnt know about this? Even though you were in seclusion, your master should have spoken of it to you. Little Abacuss tone seemed to get more and more suspicious.

After hearing the question, Han Li did not even bother to speak. Instead, he took out a medallion and passed it over for Little Abacus to inspect.

Senior Disciple Han, what are you doing? When have I ever doubted you? How could I not believe you?! The moment I saw you, I realized that you looked familiar, I must have met you a long time ago, hehe! Little Abacus quickly scanned the medallion, and upon finding out that Han Li was indeed the disciple of some Elder, he frantically laughed to defuse the tension.

Now, can you tell me? Han Li was still concerned about the question he asked earlier.

Of course, theres no problem.

Damn, this is terrible, I hope I didnt offend this guy. Little Abacus mumbled as his heart shuddered, then he told the whole truth of the matter to Han Li.

For the past few years, the Seven Mysteries Sect and the Feral Wolf Gang had more and more clashes for the sake of the control of the nearby wealthy towns. In total, the two major powers had over 10 clashes, and they both suffered plenty of casualties. Trained as mounted bandits, the members of the Feral Wolf Gang were extremely ferocious as if they were unafraid of death, and they would go berserk at the sight of blood. The disciples of the Seven Mysteries Sect despite having superior martial arts, did not possess the right kind of killing intent that was necessary, and when fighting the Feral Wolf Gang, they would always avoid causing too much damage. Thus, in the end, the Seven Mysteries Sect would suffer more casualties. After a few rounds of battle, the higher ups of Seven Mysteries Sect could not take this lying down and thus, they had mobilized the majority of disciples within their sect to smash the Feral Wolf Gangs members into smithereens. There were two reasons why the Seven Mysteries Sect did so. First, the control of the towns within its territory was too valuable to be lost, and secondly, to have the disciples become used to bloodshed, allowing them to gain practical battle experience in Jiang Hu.

Even so, despite the Inner Disciples of the Seven Mysteries Sect holding the advantage during the last few battles, there had been too many casualties. Even some of the older seniors had failed to return to the sect alive. After Little Abacus said this, he could not help but sigh.

After that, the sect leaders changed the strategy by letting the Inner Disciples take care of some minor missions and gain experience elsewhere in Jiang Hu. After they were used to combat, they would come back and join the clash against the Feral Wolf Gang. By doing so, it effectively minimized the number of casualties. Now, after each Inner Disciple had two years of training in the sect, they would be sent down the mountain to take charge of some minor missions to gain experiences before they were tasked to fight against the Feral Wolf Gang.

And so, the older senior disciples had already been sent out of the mountain, leaving only a few defenders and the junior disciples who had not yet completed their training.

After listening, Han Li suddenly understood why there were differences on the mountain now compared to 4 years ago.

Dang! A sound rang out as a sword flew into the sky.

Zhao Zi Lings left hand was pressing on a wound on his right hand, and as he retreated a few steps, his face turned pale while he breathed heavily.

Under Senior Disciple Lis ferocious saber techniques, Zhao Zi Ling had no time to retreat, and thus, he had no choice but to use the sword in his hand to block the attack. Because his internal strength was insufficient, the weapon he held had been flung into the air because of the clash.

Senior Disciple Li, you are formidable indeed. This junior brother admits his defeat. Zhao Zi Ling forcefully smiled as he bowed slightly.

Loud exclamations rang out among the spectators.

Senior Disciple Li, what a graceful martial skill!

Senior Disciple Li, excellent saber techniques!

Senior Disciple Li, please give me some guidance!

Cries of admiration rang out for their idol, the sound reverberating through the entire region.

Senior Disciple Li kept the huge saber lifted in the air while his cheeks turned red. Initially, it seemed that he wanted to say something, but his expression suddenly changed as he furrowed his brows as if thinking of something.

Senior Disciple Li said coolly, I still have urgent things to do. Goodbye.

Turning around, Senior Disciple Li relied on a movement technique to swiftly leave the area.

Ze Ze! Not only is Senior Disciple Li proficient in the saber arts, his movement technique is superior as well!

Yup!

Yup!

Words of praise began to ring out.

Han Li furrowed his brows. This Senior Disciple Lis martial arts were indeed not bad, but it seems that he liked to be in the limelight, just like a teenager.

After he reflected, Han Li could not help but smile bitterly. He himself was not any older than Senior Disciple Li, and yet, his thinking was so overly matured, just like an old mans. It seems that after practicing the oracular chant, his mental state had matured at a faster rate when compared to his peers.

Junior Brother, up to now, I still havent learned your true name, Han Li eyed Little Abacus nearby as he suddenly thought of the question.

My name is Jin Dong Bao. However, Senior Disciple Han can just refer to me as Little Abacus. Little Abacus was excited after Han Li asked for his name. He figured that he had gained the favor of Han Li and would be able to use him to back him in the future.

Next time you are sick or injured, come look for me. I will treat you for free. Han Li patted his shoulders, turned his body and walked back into the forest region.

He left behind a dumbstruck Jin Dong Bao, who was still pondering over what Han Lis words meant.

Chapter 18: Senior Disciple Li

Was this Senior Disciple Li very famous? What is his background? Han Li was extremely surprised by this Senior Disciple Lis popularity.

You dont even know who is Senior Disciple Li?

Well, I was in seclusion for a few years.

Oh yes, I had actually forgotten. My memory is really bad. How could there be any disciple in the Seven Mysteries Sect who dont know about Senior Disciple Li? It was this preconception that caused me to accidentally forgot about your seclusion. Little Abacus suddenly realized as he hurriedly apologized.

Could you tell me more about this Senior Disciple Li?

Senior Disciple Han, of course I can! Well, every junior disciple within the sect knows the story of Senior Disciple Li. Little Abacus, seeing Senior Disciple Lis opponent hesitating, took this opportunity to explain the legend of Senior Disciple Li to Han Li.

Senior Disciple Han, I dont like to boast, but the story of Senior Disciple Li is known to both the junior and senior disciples of the Seven Mysteries Sect.

After a short introduction, Little Abacus began to reveal the story of Senior Disciple Li, and the story was legendary indeed.

This Senior Disciple Li entered the sect about 4 years ago but was from a different batch than Han Li. He too failed the preliminary test and entered the sect as an Unofficial Disciple. But after half a year, not only did he achieve the best results out of all the Unofficial Disciples in his group, he also sparred with the other senior disciples. Defeating over 30 senior disciples single-handedly and breaking many records, Senior Disciple Li had gained a lot of attention from the higher ups in the sect. After an intense inspection, everyone was shocked that the bones of Senior Disciple Li were extremely ordinary and even his potential was determined to be limited. This made all the higher ups disappointed, so none of the higher ups accepted him as their personal disciple. After the 2 years of basic training, he was delegated as a disciple of a Protector and only after managing to learn the most basic of martial skills in the Seven Mysteries Sect. The Windstorm Saber Technique that he was proficient in was one of the most commonly taught martial skills in the Seven Mystery Sect.

If that were the end of his story, Senior Disciple Li could not be considered legendary but rather someone with a good beginning and a weak ending. But after a short while, relying solely on this seemingly common martial skill, the Windstorm Saber Technique, he swept across all of the disciples in that years annual competition. Using just a single technique and ranked 16th, he became the cream of the crop within his generation, which garnered the attention of the higher ups once again.

In the subsequent yearly competitions, Senior Disciple Li was incomparably bold and powerful, sweeping across all of the competitors like a sharp sword. He obtained an astonishingly high rank, gaining pride and face for all the new disciples. In last years annual competition, he actually was ranked 3rd! One must know that the disciples in the first 2 ranks had already been in the sect for over 10 years! These two disciples were members of an older generation, their age roughly 27 or 28, and they had a much greater internal strength compared to Senior Disciple Li. There were also many who believed that if Senior Disciple Li had the same level of internal strength as the 2 top ranked disciples, Senior Disciple Li would undoubtedly be ranked the 1st.

Precisely because of this, Senior Disciple Li captured the attention of the higher ups once again and was specially nominated to be sent outside of the sect to undergo training and help out with the Seven Mystery Sects various external affairs. While disciples of the same generation were still undergoing training, Senior Disciple Li had long rendered meritorious service for the sake of the Seven Mystery Sect and had even been nicknamed Tiger Li in Jiang Hu. After which, he was allowed to enter the Seven Supreme Division and obtained the chance to practice higher grade martial arts.

Han Li could not help being moved. After he heard the story, if everything he heard was real, Senior Disciple Li was indeed extraordinary. Senior Disciple Li started as an Unofficial Disciple and yet he could achieve the results he had today, how admirable indeed!

On the side of Zhang Changgui, they reluctantly sent out someone out after a long period of discussion.

The disciple they sent out looked to be relatively strong, unsheathing a gleaming sword with the thickness of a finger from the scabbard that hung around his waist. The disciple holding the sword was certainly not a person with an ordinary background.

After Senior Disciple Li sensed that someone entered the ring, he slowly opened his eyes, which seemed to be filled with radiance.

Senior Disciple Li shouted out loud. His sudden shout, akin to a thunderclap. reverberated through the entire region, causing buzzing sounds in everyones ears. His opponent was likewise affected by the shout and an expression of fear began to surface on his face.

As he shouted, Senior Disciple Li had already drawn his saber. With a flash of movement, one deceptive action released over tens of blade shadows, trapping his opponent in an encirclement of numerous blades.

However, Senior Disciple Lis opponent was quick witted and vigilant. Although he had panicked slightly, the movement of his sword was insidious and crafty, and he managed to parry all of the blade strikes with an impenetrable defense!

Who is this person? Han Li could not help but ask.

He is the son of the fifth Elder, Zhao Zi Ling. The skill he executed, Willow Swordplay, is extremely tough to fight against.

How good is he compared to Senior Disciple Li?

Naturally, Senior Disciple Li is still stronger. Little Abacus said with pride glowing on his face. freewebnove.com

Hmm, why didnt Zhang Changgui send out a stronger expert instead?

Hehe! Zhao Zi Ling was already the strongest among them. Among us, the junior disciples, who would be able to defeat Senior Disciple Li? No matter who they send, it is useless. Little Abacus gloated with a hint of taking pleasure in their opponents misfortune.

Indeed, although Zhao Zhi Lings swordplay was not chaotic, he had lacked any killing intent. He was pressured almost to the point of defeat by Senior Disciple Li. Also, those with more experience could tell with a single glance that Zhaos defeat was only a matter of time.

Han Li watched for a moment before another suspicion rose in his heart.

There is one thing I still find strange. Why are all the disciples here of the younger generation? What about all our seniors? Even if the rules prohibit them from entering the fight, for the sake of excitement, there should still be one or two coming to spectate. However, there isnt even a single senior disciple. Why is that so? Han Li candidly voiced out the suspicion in his heart.

Little Abacus, after hearing Han Lis question, had a total change in his expression and had a bizarre look on his face as he gazed at Han Li. This made Han Li feel extremely puzzled. Could it be that he had asked a question that was considered taboo in the sect?

Chapter 17: Senior Disciple Li

Their weapons could only be seen as flashing blurs as the saber and the sword clashed with no clear victor.

Han Li wasnt able to keep up with the fight at all, only understanding that the fight was very intense. The difficulty or effectiveness of their movements and which person had the advantage were far beyond his scope of knowledge.

Junior apprentice brother Han, I dont know which sect master youve trained under, but Im sure your martial arts has made massive improvements after training in isolation, right? Little Abacus curiously asked.

Every Inner Disciple of the Seven Mysteries Sect, after two years of practicing their fundamentals in the Hundred Disciples Hall, would be separated and be apprenticed to a master to learn more profound martial arts. Only after they finish their apprenticeship would they be able to hold a permanent position within the sect.

In the case that a disciple displayed remarkable strength in the Disciple Examination, they wouldnt even need to practice fundamentals for two years. Instead, they would directly enter the Seven Supreme Division, where the Sect Leader or Vice Sect Leaders would personally impart some knowledge onto them, giving them a formidable advantage akin to a carp leaping over a dragon gate.

Within those two years of practicing ones fundamentals, those with outstanding potential, would also be noticed by some elders and accepted as their personal disciple. Backed and taught by such a powerful figure, these disciples prospects couldnt even be compared to those of other disciples.

After hearing that Han Li had only just come out of seclusion, Little Abacus was even more sure that he hadnt heard of this person before. He naturally assumed that Han Li was a prestigious Inner Disciple, so he had been very respectful to him in hopes of gaining favor.

A few years ago, an honored elder took me in as his disciple, but please understand, I cannot disclose just who this elder is. Han Li knew what the other disciple was trying to do, so he had to maintain a matter-of-fact expression while also pretending to carry around an air of arrogance.

Is that right? Senior Apprentice Brother Han is quite lucky then. Your position within the Inner Sect must be high and your potential unlimited. This Junior Disciple hopes that, in the future, Senior Disciple will lend a hand towards his juniors. Little Abacus didnt particularly care about why Han Li concealed the name of his master. Whichever honored elder he was, he was surely stronger than his own master, so Little Abacuss tone had immediately changed.

Senior Disciple Han, just one look at you and I know that you are definitely not someone ordinary and that you will be successful without any difficulties. He continued to flatter Han Li.

This persons skin is so dark, and his face looks rather stupid as well. How could he be the disciple to an honored elder while I am so clever but havent been noticed by any elders yet? Little Abacus secretly muttered to himself while maintaining a respectful expression.

Han Li had recognized the change in his speech as well. One second he was Junior Disciple Han, and the next he was Senior Disciple Han. This was far too funny for Han Li to bear.

However, Han Li didnt look down on Little Abacus for that. Trying to gain favor with those higher than oneself was ones natural instinct. Someone who wanted a better life first needed to know his or her place. The people who understood this were ones who were successful in life.

But what was most disappointing was that the words Han Li had just said were primarily true. Han Li could only be considered nothing more than smuggled goods when compared to those true personal disciples of honored elders. Any other disciple of the Seven Mysteries Sect could easily beat him. If he were to try to flaunt his status and be arrogant, the truth would be quickly revealed.

Han Li forced out a smile as he calmly listened to Little Abacuss flattery. It was almost as if he were at a dinner party.

Senior Disciple Han must be strong in martial arts. If he were to enter the ring, he would definitely beat these fighters into sorry states, definitely… Little Abacus continuously flattered Han Li while also watching the match.

Ai! How strange, such a prestigious disciple should have formidable internal strength but why does he look utterly unimpressive? He looks scrawny and weak, and his eyes dont have the shine of those who had broken through their acupoints. No matter how closely I look, he is nothing but a normal kid that doesnt know any martial arts. Little Abacus became more and more bewildered.

The outcome has been decided. Han Lis light voice had immediately broke Little Abacus from his pondering.

Surprised, Little Abacus swiftly look back at the ring.

As it turns out, the saber wielder had his weapon knocked to the side. One arm was limp, while the other clutched at a wound. His face was ashen, but he did not declare his surrender. This wasnt surprising since the strength between the two disciples wasnt all that much different. If he hadnt slipped up just then, they would have been evenly matched.

When Little Abacus saw this, there was a look of disappointment on his face, and he said softly, What a shame.

Whats wrong? What do you mean by shame? Han Li didnt see anything noteworthy, but it seemed that this was not the case for the youth next to him.

If Fatty Wangs team had won this fight, then this would have been their 3rd victory, and their best-three-out-of-five contest would have ended. Its a shame that he couldnt end it here!

Oh!

But that doesnt matter. Right now, the remaining person on Wang Dapangs side is our strongest disciple in martial arts. He uses the Lightning Fast Saber, which is incomparably fierce and able to smash through metal! Haha! To be able to witness Senior Disciple Lis strength firsthand, I didnt come here for nothing. No matter who appears on Zhang Chang Guis side, our victory is assured. Little Abacus, who was just depressed about their loss, quickly became excited once more as he began to talk about this Senior Disciple Li.

So this will be the final match? Han Li asked. He wondered who this Senior Disciple Li was. It seemed he really knew nothing about the major figures in the sect.

At this moment, a grim figure came up to Fatty Wangs side. The youth was holding a long saber as he walked up to the middle of the ring. Without saying a single word, he closed his eyes.

Senior Disciple Li! Senior Disciple Li! Senior Disciple Li!

Seeing this youth come up to the ring, everyone grew excited as they all began to call out his name. With each shout, they grew louder until they eventually began to shake the entire ring with the magnitude of their voices. At this moment, there wasnt one single person that was cheering for a specific side, there was only one unanimous cry for this youth.

Chapter 16: Little Abacus

Down below, two barehanded youths were locked in close quarters combat. One was fat but held a steady composure and possessed herculean strength. This was Han Lis good friend, Fatty Wang. Fatty Wangs plump body boasted fists of mighty strength and a loud yell to accompany every punch. With each punch, a gust of wind followed. The other fighter was like a rat. He did not bother to block any of the punches thrown at him and instead chose to evade them. It appeared that he wanted to fight a war of attrition, exhausting Fatty Wang before finishing him off.

Seeing how his good friend was in the battle, Han Li naturally hoped Fatty Wang would win.

After a while, Fatty Wang still showed no signs of slowing down. Although Han Li did not practice martial arts, his intuition told him that Fatty Wang would not lose.

He looked around in hopes of finding someone who could explain what was happening here.

Han Li saw a person sitting not too far away on a rock. It was a youth constantly gesturing while crying out, Hit his head, kick his waist, ai ya! Almost! Thats right, kick his butt, use all of your strength…

This youth was beaming radiantly as he cheered.

It almost felt as if he was standing right next to Fatty Wang, giving words of encouragement as his personal coach.

Han Li concluded that this person was pretty interesting, so he slowly climbed down the tree to get to where he was.

Senior, do you know the two who are fighting and why theyre fighting? Han Li asked politely.

What do you mean do I know? Is there anything that I, Little Abacus, dont know? Of course I know everything about the fight! Who are you? How come Ive never seen you before? Did you just join the sect? No, thats not right, theres still over half a year until the next disciple examination, so who are you then? This person was very enthusiastic at first, but when he realized he had never seen Han Li before, his expression became serious and even a little suspicious.

I am Han Li, a friend of Fatty Wang, who is fighting there, Han Li replied simply.

Fatty Wangs friend? I know all of his friends, and youre not one of them! The person became more and more wary.

Oh, Ive been in closed door training for the past few years. Not knowing who I am is not surprising, Han Li half lied.

Is that right? You too joined the sect as a disciple 4 years ago? To think that would be something, that the omniscient me didnt know . He looked at Han Lis clothes, appearing to believe in Han Lis word.

The person known as Little Abacus and Han Li talked about a few unrelated subjects until he finally answered Han Lis question.

Junior Disciple, what you dont know is that this is all because of a woman. That is… the self-proclaimed smartypants said as he began to explain in great detail. Indeed, he seemed to know most of the sect matters that were floating around.

It seemed that there were 2 people involved. One was called Wang Yang, who was Fatty Wangs cousin, and the other was Zhang Changgui. The two were both disciples of the Seven Mysteries Sect, but one was an Outer Sect Disciple while the other was an Inner Sect Disciple.

While these two had grown up in the same town, neither of them had ever spoken with each other. This all happened because of a girl. The girl was betrothed to Wang Yang from an early age, but one day, while traveling back home, the head of the Zhang family had caught a glimpse of her and decided to give her to Zhang Changgui. Using his money and influence, he had taken both her and her family, ignoring Wang Yangs engagement. This grievous news had dealt a heavy blow to Wang Yang as he had long since been infatuated with her. Knowing that there was no way hed be able to oppose the Zhang family, he jumped to his death in the river.

Even though it was a tragedy, his death should have ended the matter.

But who could have guessed his close cousin Fatty Wang, after learning what had happened, would refuse to let his cousin go unavenged? After confronting Zhang Changgui, the two vowed to duel, agreeing that the loser would be the winners slave.

Zhang Changgui may have been arrogant, but he was not stupid. He understood that, in martial arts, he was inferior to Fatty Wang. He requested that he be allowed to bring friends who could help out and join in to fight multiple rounds. Fatty Wang readily agreed. Afterward, Zhang Changgui used his money to look for disciples within the Outer Sect to help him. Although Fatty Wang was poor and had no money, he was a good friend to many disciples within the sect, and many of them had decided to come to his aid

As a result, many had come to show their support, which led to a great amount of hostility on the verge of exploding.

Hearing this, Han Li had realized that this conflict had grown too serious to settle without any bloodshed.

Unexpectedly, a small spar had blown up into such an enormous affair.

You are here to help Fatty Wang, right? If they dont abide by the rules, then we will move in and beat them until they wet themselves in fear. Let them know that we peasants are not easy to bully. The youth spoke without stopping for a single breath.

Han Li gave a bitter smile as he realized that he should not get involved. After all, picking a side would only serve to make enemies, and because of his few years of cultivation, his impulsiveness had long since been whittled away. Plus, Han Li had never learned any martial arts and wouldnt be able to beat even the weakest disciple. After watching the competition, it would be better for him to return back to the valley.

Good! Suddenly, the youth cried out loud.

Upon hearing the youth, Han Li turned his head back to look at the fight. As it turns out, Fatty Wangs enemy slipped up and was struck in the forehead by a large fist, smacking him to the ground already unconscious.

Immediately, a part of the crowd cheered in support while the others had nasty looks on their faces.

Fatty Wangs face had a look of pride on it as he pumped his fist upward. Slapping his butt, he walked swaggeringly back towards his side, smug about his victory.

From Zhang Changguis side came two people who took the fainted disciple away.

Then, each side produced one individual. One was carrying a saber while the other carried a sword.

Each of them had fiery looks on their faces, but neither said a word. Holding their weapons up, they began to clash, the sound of ringing metal filling the air.

Chapter 15: Four Years Later

Doctor Mo was extremely satisfied with the amount of effort Han Li dedicated to his cultivation.

However, he still felt that Han Lis rate of progress at breaking through to the next layer in the oracular chant was too slow.

These past few years, the illness Doctor Mo was suffering from had been getting more serious. He would cough countless times a day, with the bouts of coughing getting more and more frequent while lasting longer and longer.

As the condition of his body worsened, Doctor Mo started to pay more attention to Han Lis cultivation. From his relentless urging, one could see the anxiety in his heart.

For some reason, Doctor Mo attached enormous importance to Han Li. Not only did he increase payment in terms of silver, Doctor Mos gaze was even filled with the tender emotion as if he were examining a rare treasure.

Despite this, Han Li, who had reached the third layer in the oracular chant, noticed an underlying truth with his extremely acute senses. Han Li inadvertently discovered that behind Doctor Mos warm and friendly gaze hid a trace of coldness and extreme greed, which made Han Li feel uncomfortable

That gaze that Doctor Mo threw at him actually caused Han Li to be frightened from the tips of his hair all the way to the marrow in his bones. He felt that Doctor Mo saw him more as an object instead of as a living being.

This made Han Li felt puzzled. What could he possibly have that Doctor Mo desired?

Of course, there was nothing I have that he would be interested in, Han Li assured himself after thinking deeply.

There were even times when Han Li thought that he was overly tired from cultivating the nameless chant, but he would shake his head in shame. He could not help but blame himself, after all, berating Doctor Mo behind his back was an ungrateful act.

However, he did know the exact reason why, in the deepest recesses of his heart, he still held a feeling of caution whenever he interacted with Doctor Mo. As time passed, this feeling of caution got stronger and stronger.

Currently, there was a huge problem facing Han Li. He had already reached the bottleneck of the third layer, but Doctor Mos stock of precious herbs had already run dry.

Obviously, Han Li was not a genius by any means. If it was not for the assistance of the medicinal herbs, his cultivation progress would have long stagnated.

Every time he met Doctor Mo, Han Li could not help but to feel a sense of shame.

Doctor Mo had practically spent all of his fortunes to painstakingly aid Han Li in his cultivation, creating favorable conditions for Han Li, and yet… Han Li was unable to satisfy his request.

This made Han Li extremely unwilling to meet Doctor Mos gaze whenever there was an inquiry by Doctor Mo regarding his state of progress.

Strangely enough, for God knows what reason, the highly skilled Doctor Mo was unable to know Han Lis progress without being told by Han Li. Thus, he was kept in the dark regarding the problem of Han Lis bottleneck.

However, not long ago, the guilt in Han Lis heart caused him to seek out Doctor Mo and confess about the bottleneck he faced in his cultivation.

After Doctor Mo heard that in the past year, there had not been the slightest progress in Han Lis cultivation, his normally expressionless face became extremely unsightly.

To Han Lis surprise, Doctor Mo did not rebuke him. Instead, he told Han Li that he would be gone from the valley for a period of time to gather the necessary herbs and reminded Han Li to continue devoting his efforts into cultivating the oracular chant.

Two days later, Doctor Mo brought along a case filled with tools needed to extract herbs and left the Seven Mysteries Sect.

After he left, Han Li was all alone in the God Hand Valley.

As for his good friend, Zhang Tie, he had already cultivated to the third layer of the Way of the Armored Elephant two years ago and had disappeared without a trace. Zhang Tie only left a letter of farewell, stating that he wanted to explore Jiang Hu. This incident caused a great disturbance in the sect. After that, there were rumors that Zhang Ties family was spared from punishment after Doctor Mo pleaded on their behalf. Han Li felt that the entire matter was extremely bizarre, and after thinking about it, he was sure that there was more than meets the eye regarding this matter. Regardless, Han Li held no position of importance in the sect, thus his words were ignored, and this matter had long since been swept under the rug. After contemplating, Han Li thought, Could it be that Zhang Tie was so afraid of the backlash caused by the fourth layer of his martial skill that he ran away?

Putting his thoughts of Zhang Tie aside, Han Li cultivated for a few days inside the valley but was still unable to make the slightest bit of progress. Since he was a hot-blooded male, he decided to explore the Celestial Rainbow Mountains instead of staying cooped up in the God Hand Valley.

As he walked along the mountain paths, the paths that he knew so well actually held a tinge of unfamiliarity, he could not help but feel slight traces of sadness in his heart.

These past few years, because of his cultivation, it was as if Han Li was staying in a prison, unable to take a single step outside the valley.

The disciples of the Seven Mysteries Sect should have already long forgotten his existence.

On the roads, Han Li met a few disciples that were under patrol duty. From their perspective, this stranger wearing the robes of an Inner Disciple filled them with suspicion. It was only after much explanation that Han Li managed to convince them that he was indeed a disciple of the Seven Mysteries Sect.

To avoid any more situations like that, Han Li decided to traverse along the small trails that were separated from the main road.

As he expected, he met no other disciples, and this enabled him to travel faster with no interruptions.

Looking at the beautiful scenery and listening to the birds chirping, Han Li felt that, for that moment, it was as if all that was troubling him had melted away.

Suddenly, the sound of weapon clashing rang out as the air erupted with a cacophony of cursing voices emitted from the ravine of a nearby mountain.

What? There are so many people gathered in such a remote location?

Great curiosity arose in Han Lis heart, and no longer fearing the questions of other disciples, he followed the noises and came close to the source of the sound.

What a big crowd! Han Li stare mutely in shock.

The ravine, completely hidden by the forest, was a small area. Despite this, there was a total of a hundred people crowding together in the ravine! There were also people standing on the branches of giant trees.

Two groups of people were staring at each other, and a thick sense of enmity emanated from both groups.

The group of people standing on the left side consisted of a total of 11 or 12 people while the group on the right side consisted of 6 or 7 people.

Han Li discovered that these two groups were of similar age as him! All of them were about 15 20 years old.

A slight smile hung on his lips as he thought, What a coincidence!

From this group of people, Han Li could pinpoint a few familiar faces.

Fang Yu Bao, Zhang Da Lu, Ma Yun, Sun Li Song…., Ai! Fatty Wang is even more obese than the last time I saw him! This person is… Metalhead Liu. Ze! Ze! He was actually so tanned back then. To think that his skin is so fair and white now, has he become someone that lives on the earnings of a woman so he can sit and be lazy the whole day? Han Li sniggered as he climbed the huge tree as he began to lose himself in his memories.

fewebnve.com