Han Li listened to the old man’s explanation, his expression unchanged, neither affirming nor denying the words. After hearing him out, he nodded lightly without saying a word, picked up the copied jade slip, turned around, and walked toward the passageway.
“Since you’re interested in pill refining, young friend, would you like to buy a cauldron as well? I can offer you a discount,” the old man hurriedly promoted his goods upon seeing Han Li about to leave.
“No need for now,” Han Li replied without turning back, merely waving his hand dismissively.
“What a pity. The cauldrons I sell here can withstand the intense heat of the Earthfire!” The old man, surnamed Xu, expressed regret at the missed business opportunity.
“Earthfire?” Han Li, who had already reached the passageway, halted in his tracks.
“It’s the Earth Core Fire, slightly more potent than Innate True Fire,” the old man remarked casually.
“But isn’t Innate True Fire required for pill refining? Can Earthfire replace it?” Han Li tried to keep his voice calm, though his heart raced wildly. He sensed that he might have found the solution to his Foundation Establishment Pill refining dilemma.
“Heh! It seems you’re unaware that the cultivation world has long replaced Innate True Fire with Earthfire for pill refining. But it’s no big deal—almost everyone who has refined pills once or twice knows about it. I’ll explain it to you free of charge!” The old man, noticing Han Li’s keen interest, perked up but deliberately emphasized the word “free.”
Han Li understood the underlying meaning all too well. The old man was clearly hinting that while he claimed it was free, the difference between a brief explanation and a detailed one was significant.
However, the matter was too important for Han Li to haggle over. Without hesitation, he walked back and said, “If what you say about Earthfire is true, I’ll select a cauldron here.”
“Hehe! The cauldrons I sell are top-quality treasures. I guarantee you’ll be satisfied!” Old Man Xu squinted his eyes, smiling contentedly now that his goal was achieved.
“Using Innate True Fire for pill refining is an outdated practice. Nowadays, the cultivation world relies on the Earth Core Fire from Sunyang locations to refine pills. Long ago, our predecessors discovered that Earthfire is not only purer and hotter than a cultivator’s true fire but also exceptionally stable and enduring. It significantly increases the success rate of pill refining compared to the old method and is equally effective for artifact refining. So, any well-established cultivation sect or even larger cultivation families have their own dedicated Sunyang fire sites for their disciples to refine pills and artifacts. Only those isolated rogue cultivators, unable to access Earthfire, still use the highly inefficient Innate True Fire method,” the old man explained, shaking his head with an air of importance.
“Does our sect have accessible Earthfire? Do you know where it is?” Han Li asked, suppressing his excitement but maintaining a logical tone.
“Haha!” The old man burst into laughter at Han Li’s question, leaving Han Li blinking in confusion.
“When you entered the Yue Lu Hall, did you see an unmarked passage? That passage leads to the Sunyang fire site. If you pay some spirit stones there, you can borrow the Earthfire!” After a hearty laugh, the old man finally revealed the truth.
“Really?” Han Li couldn’t help but show a hint of joy, a slight smile curling at the corners of his mouth.
“At my age, would I lie to a junior?” Old Man Xu retorted with displeasure.
“My apologies for the misspeak! Please forgive me, Elder Xu.” Han Li felt that even if the old man was greedy, he wouldn’t deceive him about something like this, so he sincerely apologized.
“Hmph, given your youth, I’ll let it slide this time!” The old man’s expression softened, but he immediately added sternly, “But don’t expect any discounts on the cauldron.”
Han Li could only smile wryly. This old man never missed an opportunity to gain an advantage.
“Are these the cauldrons?” Han Li pointed to the various-sized cauldrons on the shelves.
“Of course not! Those are just ordinary items, suitable only for refining low-grade pills. How could they withstand the scorching heat of Earthfire? The real treasures are all here!” The old man reverted to his cunning merchant persona, patting an inconspicuous gray bag at his waist.
He took the bag and lightly tapped it on the empty space beside him. A blue light flashed, and a row of ancient, uniquely styled cauldrons appeared on the ground.
“What do you think? These are all top-grade cauldrons from my collection. Each is a masterpiece, far from ordinary!” The old man picked up the nearest cauldron, tapping it lightly with a proud expression.
“Indeed, they are remarkable!” As soon as the cauldrons appeared, Han Li sensed the faint spiritual energy emanating from them and couldn’t help but murmur in surprise.
But what truly caught his attention was the old man’s unassuming bag. It was undoubtedly a high-level storage bag with ten times the capacity of an ordinary one, otherwise it couldn’t have held so many large items.
“Hehe! I’m not boasting, but I, Old Man Xu, am a master at crafting cauldron artifacts. Most of the cauldrons used by low-level disciples in our sect are made by me, and these are the finest among them!” The old man, seeing Han Li’s impressed reaction, beamed with delight.
Han Li smiled faintly without refuting and slowly walked over to the cauldrons, bending down to examine them carefully.
“This is the Luohou Cauldron. It can absorb intense heat, increase pill refinement success rates, and…” Every time Han Li picked up a cauldron for closer inspection, Old Man Xu would chatter incessantly, praising each as a rare treasure, as if not buying it immediately would be a waste. Han Li found it both amusing and exasperating.
“I’ll take this one,” Han Li said after inspecting each cauldron and pondering for a moment. He pointed to the smallest silver cauldron.
“Tsk tsk! You have excellent taste, young friend. This Silver Thread Cauldron is truly a masterpiece among cauldrons, a rare top-grade artifact. It’s one of the best treasures I have here!” Old Man Xu was slightly surprised that Han Li had chosen the smallest one but quickly resumed his praise, extolling the silver cauldron as if it were peerless.
“What does taste have to do with it? I only chose it because my storage bag has limited space and can only fit this cauldron,” Han Li thought irritably, tuning out the old man’s chatter.
After some haggling, Han Li purchased the cauldron for thirty-two low-grade spirit stones and left without hesitation.
In the short time he had spent with Old Man Xu, Han Li had already spent over fifty spirit stones. Even with his considerable wealth, he felt a sting of regret. He had no desire to stay any longer, despite the old man’s enthusiastic attempts to keep him.
After leaving Old Man Xu’s room, Han Li returned to the main hall with the teleportation array but did not leave immediately. After a moment’s thought, he walked down the unmarked passage.
At the end of the passage, a massive stone door blocked his path, shimmering with multicolored glowing light. It was clearly protected by a powerful restriction, deterring any reckless actions.
Beside the stone door was a small stone hut where an ugly man with a pockmarked face sat. Though only at the peak of basic cultivation, the man acted arrogantly and dismissively toward Han Li, which annoyed him greatly.
But Han Li was not one to show his displeasure openly. Despite his inner disgust, he maintained a calm demeanor. Even though the man reluctantly answered only one out of every three questions, Han Li managed to gather all the information he needed about the place.
Then, seemingly unbothered by the man’s rudeness, Han Li politely bid farewell and left. But before he had taken more than a few steps, he heard the ugly man muttering under his breath.
“A broke low-level disciple trying to learn pill refining? Has he lost his mind? All talk and no action—wasting my time!”
Han Li’s expression remained unchanged, but his back-facing visage turned icy cold, and a flicker of killing intent flashed in his eyes.
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