Рубрика: Путешествие к бессмертию

Chapter 14: Mysterious Liquid

Ah! Han Li cried out with excitement and pumped his fist into the air.

By doing so, he revealed that he was indeed still a child.

His assumption seemed to be correct, when the bottle was in the dark room, the amount of light attracted to it was quite small. But when in a wide and open area, the amount of light attracted to it was far greater in quantity.

But what caused the light to gather? What use did it serve? Although he didnt know the answer, Han Li felt he was close to solving the riddle behind the mysterious bottle.

Han Li knew that he would soon unravel the secret of the mysterious bottle, which made him tremendously excited.

At dawn, the light that had gathered around the bottle slowly faded away.

After making sure that there was no one nearby observing his actions, Han Li returned his attention to the bottles status.

Then, he bent down to pick the bottle and inspected it.

However, there seemed to be no difference since it was still impossible to open!

Han Li felt disappointed, but seeing how morning was arriving, he unwillingly put away the bottle and prepared to leave.

After all, he still wanted to return to the stone chamber to practice his cultivation.

For the next following nights at fixed intervals, the bottle would undergo the same experience. Countless specks of light would fly towards the bottle like moths to a flame. No matter how big or small the specks of light were, they were greedily devoured by the bottle.

Initially, Han Li thought that the bottle would continue to undergo the same process for an unknown amount of time, but on the 8th day, something unexpected happened.

Han Li went back to the remote place in the mountains and placed the bottle in its regular spot. The absorbance of the specks of light continued for half an hour when all of a sudden, the bottle stopped absorbing. The dark green designs on the bottle began to emit a green radiance as golden words manifested on the surface of the bottle. The strange words on the bottle were imposing and firm, but the written strokes were unusual. The words seemed to belong to an ancient era, the characters flickering incessantly.

But this weird occurrence had ended as suddenly as it began. Aside from the golden words that were now imprinted onto the bottle, everything else remained the same.

After seeing so many strange things happening with the bottle in the past few days, Han Li was no longer as surprised as he had been in the past. Even the appearance of the golden words did not surprise him very much.

Casually grasping the bottle in his hand, he tried to open the bottle on a whim.

And much to his extreme surprise, the lid popped off with barely any effort.

No way! Han Li stared at the bottle in shock.

With next to no effort or thought, Han Lis problem regarding how to open the bottle had been suddenly resolved. How could it be so easy to open?!

Repeatedly looking down at the bottle to confirm that what he was looking at was not fake, he tried to calm his agitated heart before looking straight into the bottle.

Inside the bottle was a jade green drop of liquid no bigger than a soybean. As it flowed around inside the bottle, the entire inside of the bottle reflected a green luster.

What was this drop of liquid?

Han Li was disappointed, he had put in so much effort only to be rewarded with some seemingly mundane liquid.

Disappointed, Han Li put the bottle back into his pouch before turning around and dejectedly returning to his room. His previous excitement had been thrown to the farthest corners of the earth in a sudden rollercoaster of emotions.

Although he had finally opened the bottle, he was absolutely disappointed with the result.

Han Li was prepared to take his time to discover what secrets that drop of jade green liquid held. Perhaps in the future, it would be able to give him an unexpected surprise!

Right now, what he wanted to do most was to go back and sleep. For the past few days, he had not been able to sleep properly, which even cut into his daytime cultivation, making his progress so inefficient to the point where even Doctor Mo had inquired him about it.

Ever since Han Li had become Doctor Mos disciple after breaking through the first layer of the chant, he felt that there was no longer a need to practice the chant. Disappointed by the chants effects on his body, or lack thereof, he was unwilling to continue relying on it to cultivate.

For that, Doctor Mo fiercely reprimanded him.

As a result, Han Li was unenthusiastic and without spirit every time he cultivated.

Seeing this, Doctor Mo became desperate and angry, beginning to doubt his choice in a disciple.

Thinking about his situation, Han Li couldnt help but feel wronged. However, he was just not in the mood for cultivation.

But what Han Li couldnt imagine was that, after waking up on the second day, he was once again motivated and threw his entire body into cultivating like a madman.

The reason for him to cultivate in such a manner was simply because of a single, simple statement Doctor Mo had made.

For every single layer you improve with this chant, I will increase the amount of silver issued to you by another fold. Doctor Mo had seen the thirst Han Li had for money and figured out a way for Han Li to be enticed. This way, Han Li motivated would have enough motivation to cultivate.

For the next few days, Han Li dedicated himself to cultivation, hoping to break through to the second layer.

Every day from morning to noon and from noon to night, he would enter the stone cultivation chamber and cultivate. Any thoughts about how repetitious, mundane, or boring this lifestyle was immediately got thrown out of Han Lis head.

For the sake of Han Lis cultivation, Doctor Mo had even temporarily sealed off the God Hand Valley. Even when he treated patients, he would treat them outside the valley for fear of disrupting Han Li.

Han Li was now so focused on breaking through that he even forgot about analyzing the effects of the bottles jade green liquid.

Autumn went by as winter came, then spring rolled in before summer arrived.

In a flash, four years had gone by… Han Li was now 14 years old.

He grew up to be a taciturn, determined and tan-skinned rustic youngster. Based on his external appearance alone, he looked no different than any other common peasant farmer. His looks did not warrant any attention, he was not extraordinarily handsome, and neither did he have a nobles elegance.

This was the result of living in the stone cultivation chamber every day. He would travel back and from there to his home. Occasionally, he would go to Doctor Mos residence to learn about medicine and to read from Doctor Mos collection of books. The entire valley was his world to live in, and thanks to his hard work, he had finally broken through to the third layer!

Chapter 13: Strange Phenomena

Because Han Lis leg was injured, Zhang Tie personally delivered the food to Han Lis house and accompanied him for dinner.

Looking at the clumsy Zhang Tie in his house, moving the chairs and setting the table, Han Li couldnt help but find it funny. Zhang Ties care caused traces of warmth to enter his heart.

After the table was set, both of them joked around as they ate, pushing food in their mouths while asking about their individual cultivation progress.

The moment Han Li brought up the Way of the Armored Elephant, Zhang Tie sighed dejectedly.

Currently, Zhang Tie had only managed to cultivate the martial skill to its first layer but was already half tortured to death by the immense pain. He had to soak himself in foul-smelling herbal baths every night as well as suffer beatings from Doctor Mo designed to toughen his body and strengthen his bones.

This method of boorish cultivation had caused Zhang Tie many sleepless nights. Because his entire body was swollen from the beatings, the moment his skin touched his bed, he would grit his teeth in pain.

To him, cultivating the Way of the Armored Elephant was nothing but a nightmare.

With regards to Han Lis cultivation of the nameless oracular chant, Zhang Tie could not help but feel envy in his heart.

He felt that Han Li only needed to spend his time peacefully in meditation like a monk. Hearing Zhang Ties emotions, Han Li had nothing to say in his defense. He was also aware that his cultivation was much easier when compared to Zhang Ties arduous labor.

Han Li could somewhat understand Zhang Ties fear towards the Way of the Armored Elephant. As he progressed through the nine layers of the Way of the Armored Elephant, he would have to bear unimaginable pain.

Despite the difficulty, Zhang Tie had persisted, refusing to give up. Han Li could not help but admire and respect Zhang Tie for his unyielding personality.

If Han Li were in Zhang Ties shoes, he would never have chosen to practice such a domineering skill. Even if the skill could turn him into a world-shaking expert overnight, he would still reject it.

The two of them had almost finished dinner as they were talking excitedly about martial arts. Once the meal was over, Zhang Tie cleared the bowls and bid his farewell. Before leaving, he still reminded Han Li to take care of his injured foot and to go to sleep early.

Standing at the door, Han Li watched as Zhang Tie left and quickly returned back to his house, closing all the windows except for a slight opening in the skylight to allow some air to flow through before taking out the mysterious bottle from his leather pouch.

Han Li was only a ten year-old child with a short attention span. After studying the bottle for a short period of time, he quickly got bored. With his foot injury, Han Li also felt somewhat tired out by todays turn of events. Unknowingly, he fell asleep on his bed with his hand holding onto the bottle.

Time passed by. Just when Han Li was sleeping soundly, he suddenly felt an icy cool feeling flowing from his hand.

Han Li involuntarily shivered, and he forcefully opened his heavy eyelids, gazing at his hand in a daze.

Oh! He immediately sat up with his mouth open from shock, to such an extent that saliva dripped down from his gaping mouth. He no longer felt sleepy, instead, his attention was fixed on the strange sight in front of him.

Rays of white light could be seen beaming through the gap from the skylight. The beams concentrated around the bottle Han Li held in his hand, forming many rice-sized white dots of light on the surface of the bottle. It gave the impression that the bottle was enveloped by the rays of white light.

The rays of light looked extremely gentle, not menacing at all, and that icy cool feeling originated precisely from the rays of light!

Han Li swallowed a big gulp of saliva and finally turned his eyes away from the bottle. As if it burned his hand, he quickly threw the bottle to one side before scrambling to the other side of the room.

After a moment of vigilance, he realized that nothing was wrong and slowly inched towards the mysterious bottle.

The mysterious bottle enveloped by the white light, other than looking beautiful, seemed to possess an aura that was not of this world.

Han Li hesitated for awhile before using his finger to poke the bottle a few times. Seeing there was no reaction, he cautiously picked up the bottle again. Putting the bottle on the table, he laid on the nearby bed and closely examined this never-before-seen phenomenon.

Han Li focused his full attention on the mysterious bottle for about an hour and a half without even blinking before he finally realized some of the secrets that the mysterious bottle was hiding.

The mysterious bottle was incessantly absorbing the rice-sized beads of white light surrounding it. No, not simply absorbing, it was as if the beads of white light had a will of their own and were fighting with each other in order to be the first to enter the bottle.

Han Li viewed this extremely bizarre event and used his fingertip to touch a bead of white light.

It felt icy cold! Other than this, there was nothing special about it.

Han Li inclined his head and looked upward.

The rays of white light were still beaming through the gap in the skylight as if they had no intention of stopping. fгeeebove.cm

Han Li surveyed the interior of his room to make sure the doors and windows were all closed before inclining his head to look at the skylight once more.

Han Li was suddenly hit by a thought. He lightly pushed open the door, popped his head out and peek at his surroundings.

Luckily, it was the middle of the night, other than insects, there was no one else.

Han Li returned back to his room, grabbing the bottle and putting it back inside the pouch before hurrying outside again.

He ran towards a remote location before stopping.

Surveying all four directions and ensuring there was no one nearby, Han Li cautiously removed the bottle from his pouch and placed it gently on the ground.

While the mysterious bottle had been sealed in his pouch, the white rays of light had disappeared.

However, Han Li was not worried.

As he expected, after waiting for a while, rays of white light began congregating around the bottle from all four directions. This time round, the rays were much denser than the rays produced in his house. They tightly enveloped the mysterious bottle in a shroud of white light, forming a ball of light the size of a human head.

Chapter 12: Breaking the Bottle

Peng!

Han Li tightly grasped the bottle with his hands, and with anger in his eyes, used his entire strength to smash the bottle against the table.

If I cant use my own bodys strength, then I shall use other means to break it open, decided Han Li after thinking of numerous ways to open the vexing bottle.

Han Li had long since figured out that using brute strength and violence was not a solution. freewenvel.com

This type of method, although simplistic and crude, was usually the most effective.

But the moment he thought of that beautiful bottle with its mysterious and intricate designs being smashed into smithereens, Han Li could feel a dull ache in his heart pulling him back, causing him to be extremely unwilling to let go of such a beautiful treasure. If there were any other methods to open the mysterious bottle, Han Li would choose those instead of using brute force.

If he asked the other senior disciples for help, they might be able to open it, but Han Li had unknowingly started to treat the mysterious bottle as a treasured item and was extremely reluctant to let others know of its existence.

The current Han Li was almost driven to insanity by his curiosity regarding the mysterious bottle. Although he knew that it might just be an empty bottle, he was still willing to bet that the bottle was protecting something precious!

The more he was unable to open the bottle, the more his curiosity grew.

If he couldnt solve the mystery inside the bottle, then he would never be able to sleep well at night.

After he decided on his course of action, Han Li stealthily sneaked in a tool shed, selected a small iron hammer from the multitude of tools lying about there, and brought the hammer back to his residence.

Back in his house, Han Li pried half a brick from a corner in his room and placed the bottle on top of the brick.

Han Li raised the hammer with his right hand, and swiftly smashed down onto the bottles body!

Peng!

Afraid of using too much strength and accidentally smashing whatever was inside, Han Li used only a fraction of his strength in order to test the bottles hardness.

Only after inspecting the bottle and finding that it was undamaged did Han Li relax. He started increasing the amount of strength he used in each strike.

Peng! 50% strength.

Peng! 70% strength.

Peng! 100% strength.

Peng! 120% strength.

Han Li exerted more and more of his strength into each hammer blow. As the motions of his arms got more and more frantic, the speed of the blows grew faster and faster. Even after he had cracked the brick underneath, the bottle laid there innocently without a single scratch on its surface.

Han Li was dumbstruck, unable to comprehend the hardness of the bottle. Using his hands to feel its surface, there were no traces of damage. That glossy green surface remained unblemished without any signs of Han Lis furious attempts.

This was completely beyond Han Lis expectations!

Han Li was absolutely certain now that this bottle was made from an unusual material. There was a 90% possibility that this item was lost by someone of a high status. The owner may have already sent people to comb the mountainside in search for this mysterious object. If Han Li wanted to keep it, he had to be sure to hide it in an extremely secretive location and not let others know of its existence.

In his heart, Han Li followed the philosophy of finders, keepers, losers, weepers. As long as one did not obtain the item by stealing or robbing, to Han Li, the item obtained was his by right. If it was some ordinary item, Han Li might have been willing to return it back to the owner, but this mysterious bottle? Not a chance! Looking at the bottle, he surmised that this item had most likely been misplaced by either some rich kid from a big family or someone with a high status. Sadly, Han Li did not have any good impression of people from both of these categories.

Since childhood, Han Li was from an extremely poor family. Despite working very hard and living like dogs, they were often unable to afford to have a full meal. In the Seven Mysteries Sect, there were two types of people. The first type were those who threw their money about, wasting it on decadent luxury. They treated money as if it were water, spending it freely and without concern. Every time Han Li saw this, an uncomfortable feeling of rage would rise in his heart. The second type of people were those who looked down on the disciples who were born in rural villages. They would often abuse the less fortunate with scathing words and malicious actions. If there so happened to be any conflict between them and the villagers, however small the conflict was, the second type of person would usually form into groups and beat up the poorer kids. Han Li himself had his fair share of abuse. He had been beaten up by the rich kids until his face was swollen and he was unable to get up from bed. Han Li had to rest for a few weeks in order to fully recover.

As for those within the sect that possessed both money and status, Han Li also did not have good impressions of them. A good example was Protector Wang. Despite accepting his Third Uncles bribes, Protector Wang did nothing to aid Han Li when he was taking the test. Instead, Protector Wang had been biased towards Wu Yan. Despite the fact that Han Li did not have the chance to see many of the grand figures residing in the sect, their image had long been tarnished by the actions of Protector Wang.

Whenever these two types of people lost their belongings, Han Li had no intentions of returning the items. He would even prank them by hiding the items in obscure locations.

After thinking of this, Han Li decided to remove the pouch which always hung upon his neck. His mother had personally sewn the pouch out of water-resistant leather. Inside the pouch was a good luck charm made from the tooth of a wild boar. His mother hoped this would protect him from danger and illnesses.

Han Li open his pouch and hid the mysterious bottle alongside his good luck charm. He then swiftly sealed the pouch and placed it around his neck.

After doing so, he surveyed his surroundings, luckily, there was no one who had seen him or the mysterious bottle.

After taking so many precautions, Han Li felt more secure and threw away all of his concerns that the owner would discover the object and take it from him.

Han Li stealthily replaced the hammer in the tool shed and casually walked back to God Hand Valley. As he limped back to his residence, night had fallen.

Chapter 11: Difficult to Open Bottle

Han Li didnt meet many people on the way back except for a few senior disciples who were curious at why Han Li was limping his way back. But because he didnt say anything, they didnt pay much attention to him.

As he returned back to his room, the pain in his toe got increasingly unbearable. Han Li sat on his bed and took off his shoes to examine his injury. freewenovel.cm

The swelling was incredible! His right toe had an impressive bulge on it, while the cuticle on his toe turned blood red and resembled a big chili.

Han Li quickly took out a bottle of herbs from beneath his pillow. Concocted meticulously by Doctor Mo, this medicine sped up blood clotting to an astonishing degree. Doctor Mo didnt easily give away medicine of this caliber. It was originally meant for Zhang Tie, who would inevitably suffer an injury while practicing the Way of the Armored Elephant. Han Li didnt think that he would be the first to use the medicine.

Opening the medicinal bottle, a strong herbal fragrance filled the room. He applied a small amount on his injury and immediately felt a relaxing sensation. Just as Doctor Mo had said, it had an immediate effect, Elder Mos medicine was truly amazing!

Han Li took a clean cloth and wrapped up his foot before putting his shoes back on.

Excellent! The pain was slowly subsiding.

He began to take small steps, as if testing his pain threshold, nodding in satisfaction as he felt that moving was easier than before.

Now, it was time to solve the enigma posed by the mysterious bottle that had caused such an injury to him.

Han Li took out the bottle from his robes and wiped it clean to restore its natural luster.

This bottle wasnt all that big, and a single hand could wrap around the entire length of its neck. It was actually smaller than the bottle that contained Doctor Mos medicine. The bottle had a shiny green luster and was engraved with a dark green leaf pattern that seemed almost alive. When Han Li felt the contours of the designs on the surface of the bottle, it was almost as if there were actual leaves embedded onto the bottle itself.

Weighing the bottle in his hand, Han Li had no idea what type of metal was used to make this bottle, or if it was even porcelain. The bottle didnt have a cold, metallic feeling to it, nor did it have the gloss of porcelain.

Han Li had observed the bottle for a good while, and the only thing he could be certain of was that he didnt know what material was used to make it. The shade of green seemed intrinsically part of the material itself, not a color that was added after it was made.

Seeing how tightly the bottle was sealed, Han Li naturally became curious. Eyeing the bottle, he strongly desired to see whether or not there was something inside.

Once more using his strength, he tried to pry open the cap of the bottle.

One try, two tries, three tries…It was as if the cap of the bottle was fused into the neck. It was almost as if it was refusing to move.

Han Li was astounded, back when he first picked up the bottle, due to waves of pain assailing him, he couldnt use his full strength to open it and didnt realize how stubborn the bottle was. But now that Han Li had finished tending to his foot and was using his full strength, he was surprised that he could still not pry open the bottle.

Han Li tried to twist the lid once more until his arms began to ache, but there was still no success, so he had no choice but to stop.

He stretched and loosened his arms, moving his wrist about. Just now, he had expended a large amount of energy to open the bottle, and his efforts had strained his wrist.

Holding the bottle under his eye, he began to inspect it even closer. Unfortunately, there was no secret mechanism under the lid that would allow him to easily open it.

This made Han Li frustrated. He wasnt able to open the bottle, so how would he know if there was something inside or not? If it was sealed up this tightly, then there was definitely something precious inside.

Han Li held the bottle tightly in his hand, looking at it with a vacant look. In the end, he had decided that he would let Zhang Tie, who was many times stronger than him, give it a try and see if he could open it. He knew that the current Zhang Tie could easily lift over 10 buckets of water up and down the mountains as if it was nothing. These days, it was Zhang Tie who refilled the water in the huge water tank every day.

After he decided, Han Li headed towards Zhang Ties place, hoping that he would return soon.

Waiting for someone was truly unpleasant, Han Li felt that time was passing by extremely slowly. Finally, after waiting for a long time, a creaking sound was heard as Zhang Tie pushed open the door.

Looking up, Han Li saw that Zhang Tie was wearing only a thin piece of clothing. His entire body was steaming as he perspired freely. Han Li knew that this was the result of his cultivation, so he didnt find it strange.

Seeing as Han Li was already in his house waiting for him, Zhang Tie was stunned. But before Zhang Tie could say anything, Han Li impatiently thrust the bottle towards him.

Brother Zhang, please lend me your assistance and help me open this bottle.

Where did you find this? It looks rather nice! Zhang Tie remarked as he took the bottle.

Zi! Zi! Zi! TL Note: Sound of twisting bottle

Ai! This bottle is so tightly sealed. Its so hard to pry it open! What was used to make this? Zhang Tie cut straight to the chase: he wasnt able to open the bottle either.

Gah! I cant do it, this bottle wont open! Why dont you find a senior disciple to help you? Zhang Tie shook his head apologetically and handed the bottle back to Han Li along with the suggestion.

Even you cant open this? Han Li was getting more anxious and couldnt help but pace around the room.

Ai! What happened to your leg? Zhang Tie inquired as he noticed Han Lis foot.

Its nothing, I kicked a rock on the road. Han Li didnt know why but he didnt want to tell Zhang Tie about his surprise encounter with the bottle just yet. Right now, he wanted to keep the bottle his own personal secret.

Han Li was feeling very disappointed in his heart. He didnt want to sit around and chat with Zhang Tie at the moment, and after briefly asking about how his cultivation was progressing, Han Li immediately left the room and returned back to his own place to think of a way to resolve his personal problem.

Returning back to his room, Han Li put the bottle on the table and stared intensely at it. At the same time, his mind was trying to think of solutions to open the mysterious bottle.

Chapter 10: Mysterious Bottle

Han Li slowly followed the path from the God Hand Valley out of force of habit. His steps automatically carried him towards the Crimson Water Peak.

He did not have anything important to do at the moment, and as such, he followed his normal schedule and visited Zhang Tie, who was training at the Crimson Water Peak. Zhang Tie grimaced in pain, allowing the impact of the waterfall to temper his body as he cultivated the Way of the Armored Elephant.

Not everyone could withstand the torturous pain from cultivating this particular martial arts. Even the first layer already required one to suffer excruciating pain. To reach the ninth layer, wouldnt it require one to cultivate to the point of insanity, losing their skin in the process?

Hmm, I wonder if Zhang Tie already regrets his previous decision. The excruciating torture one had to endure to practice the Way of the Armored Elephant is impossible to imagine, Han Li thought as he walked, carelessly kicking the fallen leaves and branches that were blocking his way.

Maybe after a few more days, the two of us will go and beg Doctor Mo for another martial arts skill for Zhang Tie so that he wont need to suffer from excruciating pain each time he practices. Having absorbed himself in thought trying to think of methods to allow Zhang Tie to escape from this torturous path of practice, Han Li slowly roused himself to look at his surroundings.

Han Li tilted his head as he gazed at the line of trees by his side. Currently, the year was approaching the late stages of autumn. The trees branches were all naked and devoid of leaves. Piles of sticks and dead leaves layered the small paths. Walking on them felt like walking on cotton. Han Li found this experience extremely comfortable.

In that moment, the sounds of weapons clashing drifted over from a nearby mountain peak, as well as the many loud cheers.

After hearing the noises, Han Li glanced in the direction of the mountain peak, annoyed that his good mood had been disturbed.

The noise came from disciples of the Hundred Forge Division. They were training the disciples selected to join their division in the various arts of weaponry.

Everytime Han Li saw other sect members gathering and undergoing their training sessions, slight hints of jealousy surfaced in his heart. He wanted to wield a real weapon and demonstrate his skills as well. What a waste! After he officially became a disciple under Doctor Mo, he had been strongly forbidden from practicing such things. Doctor Mo strongly emphasized that Han Li was to devote all of his time to the nameless oracular chant.

Therefore, Han Li could only stare with wide and envious eyes. Occasionally, to scratch his itch, he would borrow a few weapons from some of the other sect members he was on good terms with and practice with them.

How truly useful was it to cultivate the mysterious chant? Up until now, Han Li had not seen any positive effects of his constant cultivation. Other disciples had already strengthened their body and mastered impressive martial art techniques. If the path of martial arts was compared to a marathon, Han Li was certain that he had remained at the starting point and hadnt advanced in the least.

Even Zhang Tie, who had cultivated for two months, had some beneficial changes to show for his efforts. His skin and muscles had become tougher, and his level of strength was also noticeably higher than before.

However, if Doctor Mo had not accepted Zhang Tie as an Unofficial Disciple, he would not have passed the Unofficial Disciple Test two months ago. If he had not passed the test, then staying on the mountain would be impossible, let alone sending money back home!

If Zhang Tie was unable to cultivate another branch of martial arts, his path would be forever sealed.

On one hand, Han Li was grumbling about the unfairness of their situation. On the other hand, he was reassuring himself that since he passed Doctor Mos test, he would not be kicked out of the Seven Mysteries Sect.

Han Li retracted his gaze from the other sect members, but he continued to think about Doctor Mos irritating commands. Distracted and in low spirits, he gazed at the two lines of trees alongside the road as pangs of dejection struck him.

All of a sudden, Han Li sucked in a mouthful of cool air, his facial expression turning ugly. Out of reflex, he squatted down and used both his hands to tightly clamp on the big toe of his right foot, doubling over in the grass. A sudden, painful flare-up had caught Han Li unaware. His face became a pale white as waves of fiery pain assailed his right foot.

Evidently, Han Li had accidentally kicked against an extremely hard object hidden in the piles of leaves.

Han Li arched his body and used both of his hands to wrap around his foot. After he lowered his head and removed his shoes, he began to blow heavily on his injured toe, while his brain flooded with pain, he was worried that his swollen toe might have been injured to an extent that would impact his day-to-day activities

After a long moment, Han Li craned his neck and peered downwards to that pile of leaves, trying to find the ungodly, dastardly stone that caused him to be injured.

Haphazardly lying about, the fallen leaves were all the same reddish-yellow color. They obscured him from finding the target he sought.

Han Li wrinkled his forehead and surveyed the ground before finding a slightly long and thick tree branch. Holding the branch, he stood up carefully.

Unwilling to give up, Han Li used the branch in his hands and continued to probe piles of leaves.

Ai! He spotted an object the size of a fist.

Han Li paused momentarily and considered the object in front of him. The culprit, the sinful object that caused injury to his great self, actually had the shape of an elongated bottle. The surface of it was stained with mud, and its original color was impossible to discern. Overall, it looked extremely commonplace.

Initially, Han Li thought that this was an ordinary little bottle, but in his hands, the bottle was extraordinary heavy, its weight vastly different from that of a normal porcelain bottle.

Could this bottle be made of gold? No wonder it caused so much pain when he kicked it. but.. bottles made of gold were rarely seen…

Made of gold….? Han Lis interest in this bottle peaked as he temporarily forgot about the waves of pain arising from his toe.

As Han Li wiped off the excess layer of mud, the original color of the bottle began to unveil itself. The bottle emanated a shiny green glow, and there were intricate black green leaf patterns engraved on its surface. At the head of the bottle, there was a bottle cap that tightly sealed the mouth of the bottle.

Hmm, could the interior be hiding something precious? Han Li placed the bottle close to his ear and gently shook the bottle, but he didnt feel any movements from the inside of the bottle.

Unwilling to give up, Han Li placed his hands on the cap of the bottle and tried to pry it open. However, no matter how hard he tried, it was to no avail.

Curiosity was burning in his heart, and just when he was about to use another method to open it, the pain from his foot suddenly flared up again.

Damn! He had forgotten that the toe of his right leg had been injured after coming into contact with the porcelain bottle.

Looking at his injury, it seemed he could not visit Zhang Tie today. Han Li decided to return to his residence and apply some medicine on his injured toe before taking his time to figure out the secrets this mysterious bottle was holding.

In order to keep the bottle from being spotted by others, Han Li stashed it inside his robes regardless of how dirty the bottle was. Turning back, he limped step by step back to his home.

Chapter 9: Way of the Armored Elephant

Looking back, Han Li couldnt help but give a knowing smile.

In the half year that Han Li spent with Zhang Tie, because their personalities matched well with each other, the two had naturally become very close friends.

Han Li slowly stood from his crossed-legged position and rubbed his calves. After sitting in the cross-legged position and meditating for a long time, his legs had become numb, and even some of his bloodstreams felt clogged.

After kneading them for some time, his legs returned back to their normal state. Standing up, Han Li dusted himself in his usual custom before exiting the stone chamber.

Turning his head back to look at the stone chamber used for cultivation, Han Li couldnt help but sneer at himself.

This entire chamber was made of solid granite while the doors were made of a giant piece of crocidolite. If a normal human wanted to break into this room, he or she would need to spend at least three hours hacking at the doors with an enormous axe.

In the Seven Mysteries Sect, only the Sect Leader, Elders, and Division Heads were allowed to use this type of silent cultivation chamber. Not even Inner Disciples were allowed to use them as they pleased! This cultivation chamber was created for those practicing profound cultivation techniques to guard their practice against any external disruption and in order to prevent qigong deviation. Han Li didnt know what methods Doctor Mo had used, but the Sect somehow granted him the usage of his own personal cultivation stone chamber, built into the side of the cliff of the God Hand Valley.

After the cultivation chamber was built, Doctor Mo had assigned it for Han Lis sole use. Seeing such a gift, Han Li couldnt help but feel humbled by Doctor Mos benevolence.

Doctor Mos treatment of Han Li was perhaps too good to be true. Ever since Han Li had become his official apprentice, Doctor Mo had personally dipped into his own supply of herbs for Han Li to consume. Not only that, Doctor Mo also created an unknown medicinal bath for him to soak his body in. Han Li didnt know what types of herbs were being used, but as he watched Doctor carefully refine those herbs, his normally impassive face revealed a hint of reluctance. Even Han Li could figure out that these herbs were extremely valuable.

Clearly, these benefits were extremely useful to him, causing Han Lis cultivation speed to increase severalfold. Han Li had recently succeeded in mastering the first layer of the mysterious formula chant imparted to him by Doctor Mo.

During his process of breaking through, his meridians had nearly ruptured several times and he had suffered from some moderate internal injuries. But thanks to Doctor Mos expertise in the healing arts, the injuries to his meridians were easily repaired, and with the aid of the medicinal herbs, Han Li did not suffer from any serious, permanent damage.

Every time Han Li was even slightly injured, Doctor Mo would become even more worried than Han Li himself. This worry manifested itself the entire time he treated Han Li, making Doctor Mo very tense. It was only when Han Lis injuries began recovering that he let out a sigh of relief.

Doctor Mos concern went far beyond that of a normal relationship between master and disciple and caused Han Li to feel a little uneasy about the situation. If it were not for his Third Uncle or the fact that no one ever walked out from these valleys, Han Li would have thought that Doctor Mo was actually his long lost relative based on the attention that he had been showing to Han Li.

Walking out of the cultivation chamber, Han Li lazily stretched his body and walked away from the cliff. After he had become an official disciple, Han Li and Zhang Tie moved from their original quarters into their own personal house.

As he passed by Zhang Ties room, Han Li shot a glance inside.

As it turns out, Zhang Tie wasnt inside. Han Li thought that he was probably by the Crimson Water Peaks waterfall, cultivating his new martial arts technique.

After the examination, Doctor Mo instructed Han Li to continue practicing the oracular formula chant and refused to teach him any martial arts. However, in an attempt to pacify Han Li, Doctor Mo personally instructed Han Li in the art of healing without holding anything back. Whenever Han Li had a question about medicine, Doctor Mo would answer right away, even going as far as allowing Han Li to look through the various books in Doctor Mos library to find an answer to his question.

As for Zhang Tie, Doctor Mo fulfilled his previous promise and imparted a set of martial arts to him.

The martial arts Zhang Tie practiced was extremely peculiar. According to Doctor Mo, it was an extremely obscure branch of martial arts named the Way of the Armored Elephant. Even the name of this particular martial art was rarely heard of, let alone the existence of practitioners who actually cultivated it.

It differed from the martial arts of regular practitioners in Jiang Hu. Generally, the progression of cultivation for normal martial arts ranged from easy to difficult. As the level increased, so would the difficulty. Thus, the higher the level, the more effort it would take for one to achieve a breakthrough. Zhang Ties particular martial art style was divided into nine layers, with the initial three layers being the easiest to cultivate, following the same principle as normal martial arts. However, starting from the fourth layer, the difficulty of breaking through was increased to a monstrous level in addition to suffering the excruciating backlash caused by practicing the Way of the Armored Elephant. Many cultivators of this set of martial arts could not bear such excruciating pain and would stop their progression at the fourth level. Not to mention the 5th level nor the 6th level, the excruciating pain would only increase with each level!

After breaking through from the sixth layer into the seventh, there would be no further bottlenecks, and cultivation would be much smoother. The only drawback was that the cultivator would need to suffer from monthly bouts of intense pain.

This intimidated many people who desired to cultivate the Way of the Armored Elephant. This particular branch of martial arts was slowly dying out.

This martial arts style was very peculiar. When it reached a high enough level, its strength would become truly astounding. It was said that those who reached the ninth layer had bodies as tough as gemstones. They were impervious to all weapons, even fire and water! Even palms strike, fist techniques, and legendary swords and sabers wouldnt be able to injure them.

But what made people most envious was that after cultivating this branch of martial art, practitioners would gain the tremendous strength of an elephant. After reaching a high enough level, their strength would be limitless. They were capable of catching live wolves and ripping tigers apart, as well as other unparalleled feats.

Those who had heard of this style both feared and adored it. Other than the creator of this martial art, there was no other individual who had managed to cultivate it to the ninth layer. Legend has it that the creator of this martial art was born without the sense of pain! That was the reason why he was able to create such a perverse martial art and execute it to its greatest potential.

Although Doctor Mo had explained the benefits and consequences in its entirety to Zhang Tie, Zhang Tie had no concerns about the harm it could bring to his body. He coveted the strength the Way of the Armored Elephant could bring him and promised right away to cultivate in this style of martial arts. Without even looking for another style suitable to him, Zhang Tie had already reached the peak of the first layer in two months.

In order to break through the first layer of the Way of the Armored Elephant, Doctor Mo had suggested that every afternoon, Zhang Tie should go to the Crimson Water Peaks waterfall and cultivate under the impact of the surging waters.

According to Zhang Tie, this method really did have a godly effect. The difference between the peak of the first layer to the second layer was only paper thin, and as long as he worked a little harder, he would break through the bottleneck with relative ease! freewebnvel.cm

Chapter 8: Entering the Sect as a Disciple

After half a year of relentless cultivation, Han Li was finally going to take Doctor Mos test.

Zhang Tie was fidgeting as he stood close to Han Li. His behavior was nothing strange. Zhang Tie had told Han Li that for the past six months, he had made no progress on the oracular chant given to them by Doctor Mo.

Han Li knew that Zhang Ties efforts in cultivating the oracular chant were no less intense than his own. Although Zhang Tie was unlike Han Li, who practiced like a madman, the efforts he expended could still be considered conscientious and diligent!

Strangely, the oracular chant seemed to be useless to Zhang Tie. No matter how much effort he put in, he wasnt able to produce even the slightest amount of effects. It seems like Zhang Tie would never successfully cultivate the oracular chant.

Han Lis mind was unsettled. He knew that Zhang Tie would probably fail the test. Even though Han Li was slightly successful in learning the oracular chant, he was not stronger than Zhang Tie in any way, so there was a high chance of both of them failing Doctor Mos test.

Fearing the worst, Han Li assiduously cultivated. By the time of the exam, the strange energy flowing in his body had increased by a little. If the energy was as thin as a strand of hair in the past, it was now slightly thicker, resembling a thread of cotton. Even so, this did not reassure Han Li, who feared he might not pass Doctor Mos test.

Are you guys prepared? Let me take a look at the fruits of your cultivation. Doctor Mo squinted his eyes as he sat and coldly stared at the two of them.

We are ready! Han Li and Zhang Tie could only put forth a bold face and agree.

Doctor Mo, slowly rose from his chair and stood up. He put the book that always seemed to be nearby down on the table.

Extend your hand

Circulate your Qi for me to see.

Doctor Mo held Zhang Ties right wrist with one hand and placed his other hand on top of Zhang Ties Dantian.

After the time it took to brew a cup of tea, Doctor Mo retracted his hands and closely evaluated Zhang Tie.

Zhang Ties face was flushed as he nervously put his hands behind his back, lowering his head and not daring to look Doctor Mo in the eye. He knew Doctor Mo had most certainly discovered that he made no progress in the oracular chant and would probably punish him to teach the two of them a lesson.

Its your turn.

To their surprise, Doctor Mo didnt even show the slightest indication that he would punish Zhang Tie. Some slight hints of disappointment flashing past Doctor Mos eyes were the only reactions Doctor Mo had. After examining Zhang Tie, he turned to Han Li and motioned for him to come closer. He then held Han Lis wrist and began the inspection.

His touch feels just like ice. It doesnt feel like the touch of a living human, Han Li mused in his mind.

The skin on Doctor Mos hand was dried and full of calluses. As he held Han Lis hand, Han Li could feel slight waves of sharp pain.

Perhaps it was because the external interference agitated the energy within Han Lis body, but the strange flow of energy actually started to circulate by itself. It flowed through his meridians and energy channels, passed all his acupoints from his Dantian to his head, and flowed to his four limbs. It completed a full cycle before flowing back to his Dantian. The moment the strange flow of energy circulated throughout his entire body, Han Lis pain from Doctor Mos touch immediately dissipated.

Ai! Doctor Mo involuntarily let out a sound of surprise, it appeared that he had discovered the strange flow of energy in Han Lis body.

Quick, circulate your energy according to that chant that I taught you once again. Although Doctor Mo tried his best to suppressed his elation, traces of madness and excitement still flashed through his eyes, causing Han Li to be secretly alarmed.

Slowly, slowly…let me take a good look. Doctor Mo added as his usually cold tone of voice became rushed, placing his other hand on Han Lis Dantian.

Han Li could feel both of Doctor Mos hand tremble slightly. As Han Li circulated the strange energy, Doctor Mo became quite agitated.

Not bad! Not bad! This feeling…this is the feeling that I wanted. Im not wrong, Im not mistaken! Hahaha!

Doctor Mo, after a thorough examination, could no longer hold back and started laughing maniacally, both his hands tightly clutched on Han Lis shoulder. Even his normally squinty eyes enlarged as they intensely stared at Han Li. It was as if he had seen a rare and valuable treasure, his eyes flashing with faint traces of madness.

Han Lis ears were ringing from Doctor Mos unceasing laughter and he felt slight pain on his shoulder. Seeing the madness in Doctor Mos eyes, Han Li could not help but feel terror in his heart.

Good, very good. From the expression on Han Lis face, Doctor Mo could tell that he was terrified. Only then did Doctor Mo realize that he had been overeager, thus, he controlled himself and regained his composure.

In the future, you must work as hard as youre working right now. From this day onwards, you will be promoted to my personal disciple. After saying that, Doctor Mo released his tight grip on Han Lis shoulder and proceeded to pat him in encouragement.

Doctor Mo regained his usual calm look almost as if his loss of control had never happened. But from his occasional glances at Han Li, one could tell that he was still tremendously excited.

As for you… Doctor Mo finally shifted his gaze onto Zhang Tie.

Zhang Tie was thunderstruck by the events that unfolded earlier. Seeing that Doctor Mo shifted the topic of conversation to him, Zhang Tie awoke from his daze with a start.

Just thinking that he failed the assessment and would be asked to leave the mountain caused traces of bitterness to appear on Zhang Ties face as he looked at Doctor Mo.

Your talent is questionable. Despite such a long period of time, you still could not produce even a small trace of energy. Accepting you as my personal disciple would be too much of a stretch. Doctor Mo repeatedly shook his head.

Zhang Ties heart fell down to the bottom of an abyss after seeing Doctor Mo shaking his head.

But suddenly, Doctor Mo seemed to have thought of something interesting, as he gazed at Zhang Tie with a bizarre expression in his eyes.

Looking at your bone structure, I may have a suitable technique for you. I just wonder if you are willing to learn from me… Doctor Mos sudden shift in conversation caught everyone by surprise. It was as if Doctor Mo wanted to allow Zhang Tie to pass the test.

The moment Zhang Tie heard Doctor Mo, how could he reject the offer? He immediately gave his consent and said that he would be willing to learn from Doctor Mo.

Excellent! The two of you can depart first. Tomorrow, I will hand you both new cultivation techniques. It could be seen that Doctor Mos current spirits were excellent!

Han Li and Zhang Tie both looked at each other and felt that todays test had been full of twists and turns. After all, both of them actually passed, leaving them both satisfied and pleased.

Chapter 7: The Difficulties of Cultivating

Han Li slowly transferred energy from his meridians back to his Dantian. He had managed to reach the 7th cycle of Qi circulation today, and Han Li knew that his body had already reached the limit of what it could handle. If he were to try to do another cycle, all his meridians would completely rupture, inciting a pain worse than death. Even though he was a courageous person, Han Li couldnt help but break out in cold sweat at the thought of this pain.

It had already been half a year since Han Li joined the sect, and the official Unofficial Disciple exam had ended slightly over two months ago.

Only a small portion of the Unofficial Disciples were officially promoted to the Inner Branch. Most Unofficial Disciples werent able to pass this point and had no other choice but to pack their belongings and become a disciple of the Outer Branch.

The children that didnt pass would generally enter the Treasure Gathering Division or the Flying Bird Division. For those that showed outstanding performances, they would receive another step further in their training and would then have the chance to join the more respected External Blade Division. Of course, it was only natural that the Four Seas Division was the most respected of the four Divisions, but unfortunately, they only accepted those that made names for themselves through their martial arts. If one didnt have a certain level of expertise in martial arts, it was pointless for them to even dream about joining the Four Seas Division, these immature and inexperienced children were even less worthy of any mention.

When Han Li recalled the details of the examination from two months ago, he couldnt help but feel a bit frightened.

A few dozen miles away from the Celestial Rainbow Mountains was a neighboring desolate mountain where a group of people were sparring. There were a few senior disciples who excelled in martial arts and were fiercely locked in combat. With each and every test, Han Li couldnt help but feel a little bit of joy at the misery of others.

During their entire stay at the Seven Mysteries Sect, Han Li and Zhang Tie had never taken such a terrifying test before. Doctor Mo had said that his examination would only test them on the cultivation chant, but Han Li didnt believe the test would be as easy as it sounded. Looking back, Han Li could clearly remember the intense effort he had to put into his cultivation.

According to Doctor Mo, this oracular chant was only a single part of a set. Within half a year, Han Li and Zhang Tie had successfully comprehended the first layer of the cultivation chant, which Doctor Mo would be examining. If the two were able to overcome Doctor Mos expectations, then they could become Doctor Mos personal disciples and even share the same benefits as the Inner Disciples.

Not to mention, Han Li had also heard from others that the treatment the Inner Disciples and Outer Disciples received was so vastly different that it spoke volumes of how enormous of a difference there was between the two. He then realized how ignorant he had been and cast away any thoughts of becoming an Inner Disciple. Han Li would be satisfied by just joining the Seven Mysteries Sect and receiving some silver to send back to his family. Everything else had seemed irrelevant because, above all else, he truly desired to help his poverty-stricken family. His only goal was to be able to take money home so he could provide his family with a better life.

After learning Doctor Mos chant, Han Li had not once stopped cultivating. He spent every possible moment of day and night relentlessly practicing the chant. Because Doctor Mo hadnt given them any pointers on how to cultivate, Han Li could only theorize by himself. After discussing with other young cultivators, he discovered they were using the Seven Mysteries Sects Positive Yang Energy, a self-meditated cultivation method.

Relying on both the chant and the Positive Yang Energy, he cultivated assiduously for 3 months, but Han Li was shocked to realize that his progress was extremely slow! He had spent a great deal of effort and yet he was rewarded with one small thread of cool energy inside of his body. The energy was so infinitesimal that he could barely notice that it was there. If he hadnt checked his body carefully for results, he would not have noticed the strand of energy.

Could this be the rumored True Qi the instructors had talked about? Han Li suddenly came to this realization.

The other disciples cultivating the Positive Yang Energy had told him that there was a distinct flow of warm energy and Qi being generated within their bodies. However, the thread of energy in Han Lis body was extremely cold, completely opposite from the energy gained from cultivating Positive Yang Energy! Looking at the results, it was obvious Han Li was very far behind the other disciples.

Those who used the True Qi from the Positive Yang Energy cultivation were able to punch a fist-sized hole through a small tree trunk and leap three meters into the air. Han Li, however, after circulating the strange Qi in his body, felt practically no different from his normal state. The only difference he could tell was that his spirit was more vigorous and his appetite was even more ravenous than before he came to the mountain. But what use was that? Seeing that the other children on the mountains were gaining ridiculous power, Han Li couldnt help but feel dejected.

After realizing that he had barely made any progress, Han Li had nearly given up on his several months of hard work. He thought that with such a huge gap between himself and the others, he would not have a chance to catch up to the other children in the remaining amount of time before Doctor Mos test and successfully pass it. It would be better to plan for his trip back home instead.

Incidentally, Han Li one day came across the cultivating Zhang Tie and realized something. Ever since Zhang Tie had started his cultivation with this mysterious oracular formula chant, his body showed no changes at all. There was no effect, not even a small amount of True Qi could be seen!

Knowing that he had at least succeeded in forming one strand of True Qi, Han Li regained the confidence he had thrown away earlier. With the remaining amount of time, he furiously tried to cultivate the oracular chant.

He worked even harder than before, training like a madman.

Han Li began to use every single second to meditate and cultivate. Even when he was sleeping, he kept his body upright in a meditative position in hopes of having even a slight breakthrough. Of course, this intensive training method could not be maintained for longer than a few days. If he strained himself past his limit, his lack of sleep would make him unable to efficiently cultivate.

What puzzled Han Li the most was that after Doctor Mo imparted the oracular chant to the two of them, he stopped interacting with them. Even their questions on cultivation had been ignored by him as if he did not even notice their existence. freewebnvel.co

Every day, Doctor Mo would bring out the book with the three black characters written on the back cover and study it, staring intently as if the lines of text outlined the image of a beautiful woman and the cover was made of pure gold. At the beginning, Han Li and Zhang Tie thought that Doctor Mo no longer wanted to be a medical doctor but rather was studying bitterly to pass an imperial exam. After the two children learned to read, however, they recognized the three words on the back cover, which read Scripture of Longevity. Doctor Mo was reading a book about how to cultivate oneself to the point of extending ones lifespan.

In that moment, the two children suddenly realized that Doctor Mo wasnt trying to pass the imperial exam, he was trying to live thousands of years like a river turtle.

Chapter 6: Nameless Oracular Formula

Get up, get up.

A barely audible sound came from above Han Li, rousing him from his deep slumber. As soon as he opened his eyes, a huge face appeared in front of him. In shock, Han Li pushed himself backwards. Only then was he able to see that the owner of the face that had frightened him to death was the boy named Zhang Tie.

Hurry up and come eat something. After youve finished, we need to see Old Mo. Zhang Tie passed some steaming white buns over to Han Li.

Where did you find this food? Han Li stared blankly for a moment before accepting the buns.

At a kitchen near the valley, I saw a ton of people eating food, so I also grabbed a portion. After I had finished, I realized that you hadnt eaten yet, so I grabbed two buns for you. Zhang Tie smiled sincerely at Han Li.

Thank you very much, Brother Zhang. Han Li was somewhat touched. Seeing that Zhang Tie looked quite a bit older than himself, he couldnt help but blurt out the words Brother Zhang.

No…no problem. Im too used to labor. If Im idle even for just a moment, I always feel a bit….uncomfortable. If you ever need any help in the future, dont hesitate to tell me. I have nothing else but strength. Zhang Tie seemed to be somewhat embarrassed, as he began to stammer.

Han Li hadnt eaten breakfast or lunch and was somewhat starved. In just a few bites, he devoured one bun. With just a bit more effort, both of the large buns completely disappeared into his stomach.

Its getting late, we should go see Old Mo. Han Li burped a few times and looked out the window towards the setting sun. After mentally calculating the time, he decided that it was probably about time to go see Doctor Mo.

Zhang Tie didnt object, following Han Li to Doctor Mos house.

There were rows of bookshelves along all four walls of Doctor Mos residence. These shelves were densely packed with various books.

Old Mo!

Old Mo!

……

Doctor Mos back was tightly pressed against his chair as he was currently engrossed in reading the book in his hands. He didnt seem to have noticed the two peoples arrival, nor had he heard their greetings. The two of them were still children after all, so when they saw Doctor Mo ignore them, they were at a loss on what to do, unsure of what would be the best course of action. Thus, they could only stand to one side and wait.

Finally, by the time Han Lis feet had begun to turn numb, Doctor Mo slowly placed his book down onto the table next to him. He coldly looked over at the two children and picked up his teacup to drink a few sips before slowly saying:

From this day on, you two will be accepted as my Unofficial Disciples. I will teach you some general knowledge on picking medicinal plants and refining medicines. I may also teach you two some life-saving healing techniques. But I will absolutely not teach you any martial arts. Doctor Mo expressionlessly put down his teacup.

I will teach you two a set of body and spiritual cultivation chants. Although it wont allow you to successfully subdue your enemy, it will strengthen your bodies. If you guys really want to learn some martial arts, you can go learn them from some other instructors. If you do so, I wont object, but Ill check your progression on this set of cultivation chants in half a year. If you dont meet the standard, Ill force you out to become an outer disciple. Do you two understand? Doctor Mos tone suddenly became much more serious. It looked like he attached great importance to this set of chants.

We understand. Han Li and Zhang Tie replied in unison.

You two should leave now. Come back tomorrow morning. Doctor Mo waved his hands at the two of them, gesturing for them to go out. He then picked up his book and began reading it again.

Before Han Li left, he couldnt help but glance back at the book in Doctor Mos hands. It was a pity that he didnt know how to read, he could only tell that the title was made up of three large, black characters. Unfortunately, Han Li didnt recognize them.

As soon as Han Li walked out of Doctor Mos residence, Han Li couldnt help but let out the breath he had been holding. He didnt know why, but just now, he hadnt even dared to breathe in Doctor Mos presence. His mind had also been incredibly tensed. Now that he had left, he immediately loosened up, returning to his normal state.

During the following few days, Han Lis excitement never faded. Hed finally become a disciple of the Seven Mysteries Sect. Although he was still just an Unofficial Disciple, it was still better than the children that had been sent home. Even if he didnt pass the test in half a year, he could still become an Outer Disciple like Third Uncle. In Han Lis opinion, Third Uncle was a person of great status and position, so he didnt concern himself over the examination in half a year. He even secretly hoped from the bottom of his heart that he wouldnt pass. That way, he could leave the mountain earlier to see his parents and his most beloved younger sister.

During the following few days, Doctor Mo would teach them some medicinal knowledge in the mornings. In the afternoons, he would make them study the bodys twelve main meridians, energy channels, and acupoint locations. As for the little he taught them of martial arts, he made them maintain the horse stance and hit straw dummies.

A month later, the two of them were completely isolated from the other children. They no longer spent time learning anything else besides the chant. Ever since Doctor Mo had begun teaching them, they spent most of their time practicing the nameless chant. Doctor Mo strictly ordered them to not tell the chants to anyone else. If even a small segment was leaked, Doctor Mo would harshly punish them and kick them out of his apprenticeship.

During this period of time, Han Li began to have a better understand of the Seven Mysteries Sect and Doctor Mo. The Seven Mysteries Sect had a disciple named Wang Lu, who possessed the teachings handed down by the Sovereign Seven Supreme. Wang Lu became the Sect Leader of the Seven Mysteries Sect, and he split the sect with the help of the three other Sect Leaders. They divided the sect into two segments the Inner and Outer Branch. The Outer Branch had a total of four divisions, namely the Flying Bird Division, Treasure Gathering Division, Four Seas Division, and External Blade Division. The Inner Branch also had four divisions, namely the Hundred Forge Division, Seven Supreme Division, Consecrated Division, and Blood Blade Division. In addition to the Inner and Outer Branch, there was a Council of Elders that reported to the Vice Sect Leaders and the Sect Leader.

Doctor Mo was originally not a disciple of the Seven Mysteries Sect. A few years ago, Sect Leader Wang carelessly fell into an enemys trap while outside of the Celestial Rainbow Mountain and was heavily injured by the multiple attacks from the opposing party. As he wavered on the brink of death, his allies were unable to do anything about it. Just then, they happened to encounter Doctor Mo whose brilliant healing and effective medicines saved Sect Leader Wangs life. Sect Leader Wang naturally couldnt help but feel extremely grateful for Doctor Mo. He later found out that in addition to his profound medical expertise, Doctor Mo was a strong martial arts practitioner, which convinced Sect Leader Wang to invite Doctor Mo to join his sect. The elders carefully picked a small valley in the mountains to erect a residence specifically for Doctor Mos use in order to make the shift as comfortable as possible. The valley soon became a venerated place within the Seven Mysteries Sect thanks to Doctor Mo. Although none of the disciples had ever witnessed his skills, nor did they know how strong his martial arts was, Doctor Mo had used his brilliant medical expertise to save quite a few disciples lives. Thus, although he was normally expressionless and was a man of few words, he received a great amount of respect from the Inner Disciples.

Chapter 5: Doctor Mo

After a brief moment, Han Li felt a tightening sensation on his waist as his body grew light. His body was suddenly lifted upwards.

Turning his head, Han Li saw the lanky senior helping him ascend the cliff. With one hand around Han Lis waist, the senior disciple climbed up the cliff with nimble legs. Han Li could not help but notice that the sun had already reached the center of the skies. It was noon.

So I failed the test after all. Han Li felt depression set in his heart. It seemed unfair. Even though he had desperately pushed forward, almost to the point of disregarding his life, why couldnt he compare to the other children?

In an instant, the Bone Refining Cliff appeared before him. There were six other children resting on top of the cliff. Out of the six, only Wu Yan had the strength to have a conversation with a middle-aged old man wearing a dark blue garb. Division Head Yue as well as Protector Wang were also standing near him. They were waiting for the senior disciples to escort the rest of the children up the Bone Refining Cliff.

After all the children had been escorted up the cliff, Division Head Yue stepped forward with a solemn expression on his face as he began to address the kids:

This time round, only seven of you passed. Out of this group, six will enter my Bai Duan Division and formally become our sects Inner Disciples. Division Head Yue spoke slowly at the crowd of children.

As for Wu Yan, the first disciple to reach the top of the Bone Refining Cliff, he performed outstandingly and, as such, will be directly sent to the Seven Supreme Division to learn the sects secret skills and martial arts. After speaking, Division Head Yue glanced at the old man wearing the dark blue garb. The old man twirled his beard around one hand while nodding in satisfaction at Division Head Yue.

As for the others… , Division Head Yue contemplated the outcome of the remaining children for a moment before rubbing his chin and saying softly:

Zhang Tie and Han Li, although these two did not pass the test, they still performed admirably. Their determination will allow them to cope with the pain of practicing martial arts. The two of you will be Unofficial Disciples assigned to an instructor of our sect for the next half year. After half a year, you will be tested again. If you pass, youll be able to become Inner Disciples, but if you fail, you will be sent to join the Outer Disciples, helping the sect handle its external affairs.

Han Li stole a glance at the person named Zhang Tie. Like Han Li, Zhang Tie had begun climbing the rope but failed to reach the summit of the Bone Refining Cliff before midday.

Protector Wang, give the rest of the children some silver coins and send them back to their homes, said Division Head Yue as he gave a cold stare at the children who failed the exam.

Understood!

Protector Wang complied with the order and he led the remainder of the children back down the cliff.

Zhang Jun, Wu Ming Rui, the two of you will assist me in sending the rest of these children to the Vice Division Head and Instructor Li.

Two senior disciples stepped forward and separated Han Li and the rest into two groups before leading them down the cliff. One of the senior disciples was the lanky senior that had always been behind Han Li. As they were descending the cliff, Han Li could not help but steal a glance at Wu Yan and discovered that he was still chatting with the old man in a dark blue robe, seemingly without any intent of moving from the spot.

Hes different from the rest of you. In the future, he will most likely be a core disciple. Only core disciples are sent to the Seven Supreme Division to train in the sects secret arts. Once he completes his training, at the very least, he will have the rank of a Protector. The voice belonged to the long and thin face, who could tell what Han Li was thinking. From his tone, Han Li could hear undisguised hints of envy mixing with jealousy.

Hmmph, isnt Wu Yan just pulling strings and depending on his familys connections? If it wasnt for his older cousin being married to Sect Leader Ma, how could he be selected as a core disciple with such meager skill? He already surpassed the age limit but he was still sent to the Seven Supreme Division, the senior said in a freezing tone that was comparable to a cold wind on a winter day.

Zhang Jun, have you gone mad? How dare you gossip about the Sect Leaders decisions? If this news was spread, both of us could suffer from cruel punishments and end up in dire straits! After hearing Zhang Juns words, the other senior with the long and thin face felt shock in his heart and rapidly checked his surroundings to make sure no one heard Zhang Jun. Only after discovering that there were no other disciples did he heave a sigh of relief.

The senior with the cold countenance snorted as if he were harboring hatred in his heart, but after Wu Ming Ruis warning, he stopped talking. Only then did Han Li understand that the senior with the cold countenance was Zhang Jun. Listening to their conversation, Han Li could roughly understand what they were talking about. Wu Yan entered the Seven Supreme Division, not because of his own skills, but because he had the backing of the Sect Leader!

As they walked along the mountain path, these two seniors both thought of the sects internal affairs, which filled them with sadness. Lacking the mood to converse, they silently led the children forward. The rest of the children also dared not speak out of turn, perhaps they were thinking of the differences between the Seven Mysteries Sect and their hometowns.

Just as they were passing through a forested region, a sixty year-old man emerged from the woods. He was tall and thin with a yellow tinge to his skin and a head full of white hair. As he approached them, he coughed with every step, causing many of them to worry that he was suffering a great deal and could collapse at any moment.

The senior disciples, upon seeing this old man, did not show a trace of worry on their faces. Instead, they respectfully greeted the old man with a bow.

Doctor Mo, this disciple greets you. Is there anything that you need this disciple to handle? Zhang Jun, unlike his previously cold demeanor, now had an expression full of respect. To Zhang Jun, this old man in front of him was worthy of more respect than Division Head and even the Sect Leader.

Oh, is this the latest batch of disciples? The old man continued coughing and asked with a hoarse voice.

Yes, among the eight of them, six are official Inner Disciples and two are Unofficial Disciples, responded Zhang Jun.

Coincidentally, Im currently in need of some manpower, specifically an alchemy apprentice and an herb gatherer. Let these two follow me instead. Doctor Mo randomly raise his finger and pointed, just as luck would have it, towards Han Li and Zhang Tie, the two Unofficial Disciples.

This disciple will obey your words. These two Unofficial Disciples actually caught eyes of the esteemed Doctor Mo, their karma must be exceptional…The two of you, why are you still standing there? Hurry and come to pay your respects to Doctor Mo. If you are able to learn a thing or two about the arts of healing from this esteemed elder, you will be extremely fortunate. The two seniors had no traces of hesitation or objection on their face. The senior with the long and thin face, Wu Ming Rui, flattered Doctor Mo in order to curry favor with him.

Han Li and Zhang Tie, upon seeing the two senior disciples sudden change of heart, had no objections. They could only accept in silence and follow the old man into the forest.

Doctor Mo led the two of them down a small path that meandered through the forest. The path turned east and west before suddenly stopping in front of an entrance leading to a luscious green valley.

On the left side of the valley was a courtyard used for farming medicinal herbs that emitted a fragrant smell into the air. After they entered the courtyard, Han Li spotted many herbs that were unknown to him. On the right side of the valley were lines of houses in various sizes. Looking in all four directions, Han Li saw no exit besides the gateway from which they entered.

This valley is called the God Hand Valley. Other disciples will not dare enter this valley unless they are suffering from injuries. The old man stood in the middle of the line of houses and pointed to a smaller house. For now, this will be your home. Rest and replenish your energy. When night falls, look for me in my house so I can inform you about several things.

The two of you can call me Old Mo. The old man huffed and considered for a moment before saying:

Doctor Mo is also acceptable.

After speaking, Doctor Mo ignored the two of them and slowly walked towards an impressive looking house, coughing with each step.

Completely exhausted, Han Li did not bother to check with Zhang Tie before entering the house and selecting a bed to fall asleep on. He was satisfied, because, at this moment, he was halfway to becoming an Inner Disciple of the Seven Mysteries Sect.