The young man sneered coldly at the sight.
“Since I’ve already taken your attacks, isn’t it my turn to strike now?” As he spoke, he retracted his protective shield, clasped his hands together, and suddenly pulled them apart. A massive crescent-shaped cyan arc blade materialized between his palms.
“Try my Cyan Moon Slash!” the youth said sinisterly, sending the glowing arc hurtling toward the two young men opposite him.
His attack drew gasps from the onlookers. Everyone could see that the Murong brothers were in no state to cast spells, let alone defend themselves.
Panicked, the youths glanced around frantically before splitting up and darting into the crowd on either side.
“Split!” the young man shouted sharply.
Mid-flight, the cyan arc divided into two segments at his command. With a wave of his hand, the arcs veered in different directions, continuing their pursuit of the fleeing youths.
Coincidentally, one of the youths, noticing that Han Li seemed to have the strongest cultivation base among the bystanders, dashed straight toward him without hesitation. Han Li was taken aback.
Han Li had no intention of getting involved in this affair. He knew that no matter how arrogant the young man acted, he wouldn’t dare openly harm the Murong brothers—at most, he was just trying to scare or humiliate them. Han Li had no desire to play the hero.
Besides, this youth was clearly trying to use him as a shield. Han Li wasn’t about to let him have his way. With a slight shift, he vanished from his spot, leaving the youth stumbling forward and cursing in frustration before scrambling away.
A loud rumble echoed from the direction the other youth had fled. The ground shook, dust billowed, and a man’s angry shouts followed. Clearly, someone hadn’t been as shrewd as Han Li and had ended up as an unwitting shield.
As the dust settled, a thick earthen wall several meters high came into view, with a deep crescent-shaped groove carved into it. Behind the wall stood a stout young man in his twenties, carrying a strange wooden crutch. He pressed one hand against the wall and swore loudly. Behind him, the other Murong youth clung closely, grinning.
“Lu, what’s the meaning of this? Couldn’t you see there were others here? Were you planning to take me down along with him?” the stout youth demanded, his voice trembling with anger.
Young Master Lu snorted, ignoring the question. Instead, his face darkened as he focused on controlling the remaining half of the cyan arc, accelerating its pursuit of the youth near Han Li. The arc’s trajectory suggested he intended to leave a lasting mark on the boy.
“Stop!” a clear, sharp voice rang out from above. A blazing firebird descended from the sky, swallowing the cyan arc in one gulp before dissolving into flames and vanishing.
“Who? Who dares break my spell?” Young Master Lu roared, looking up angrily.
Above the crowd, a woman in a blue palace dress had appeared unnoticed. Her skin was like refined jade, her beauty ethereal. With a slender waist, a graceful neck, and her hair styled high, she exuded an otherworldly aura that made others feel unworthy to gaze upon her.
“So it’s Junior Sister Nie! No wonder the spell was broken with such power,” Young Master Lu said, his anger melting away into a polite and charming demeanor.
“Brother Lu, for my sake, could you end this contest here?” the palace-dressed woman said coolly, hovering on her magical instrument.
“Of course, since it’s Junior Sister Nie’s wish, I’ll comply immediately,” the young man replied with a smile.
The woman nodded and descended without another word, walking toward the Murong brothers.
“Senior Sister Nie, you came just in time! We would’ve been in serious trouble otherwise,” the youth who had narrowly escaped said gleefully, running toward her. The other brother also emerged from behind the wall, grinning broadly.
“Return and reflect on your actions. You are not to leave until you’ve mastered the ninth level of your cultivation,” she said calmly, her voice devoid of emotion.
The Murong brothers’ faces fell, and they nodded dejectedly.
After dealing with them, the blue-robed woman turned to the stout young man and suddenly smiled, a sight so breathtaking it seemed to dim the world around her. “Thank you for your assistance, Brother. Had anything happened to Junior Brother Murong, I would have failed in my duty to our sect.”
“It… it was nothing,” the stout youth stammered, dazzled by her radiant smile.
The men around them burned with envy, regretting that they hadn’t been the ones to step in earlier. Their jealous glances seemed to pierce the stout youth like countless needles.
Young Master Lu’s eyes flashed with malice, though he quickly masked it, maintaining his elegant facade. Only the woman beside him and Han Li, who observed coldly from the sidelines, noticed the brief change.
Though Young Master Lu’s female companion was also beautiful, she paled in comparison to Nie. The moment the blue-robed woman appeared, the companion had rushed to Lu’s side, clinging to his arm and glaring daggers at her rival.
The blue-robed woman sensed the hostility but paid it no mind. As she led the Murong brothers away, she cast a faint, almost imperceptible glance toward Han Li. A moment later, her melodious voice sounded in his ear.
“Though your cultivation is not weak, I cannot agree with your selfish behavior. I hope you will change by the next time we meet.”
Han Li frowned slightly. It seemed his evasive actions had not gone unnoticed, leaving a poor impression on her.
But he was no saint. Knowing he was being used and still sticking around would have been foolish. The stout youth hadn’t stood aside, and now he’d earned Young Master Lu’s enmity—who knew what might befall him later? Would this great beauty actually avenge him if something happened? Han Li scoffed inwardly.
For some reason, Han Li had little interest in peerless beauties like her. He far preferred simpler, more modest women. Thus, he couldn’t care less about what Nie thought of him—he only hoped she would pay him no further attention.
By now, the blue-robed beauty and her companions had disappeared. Young Master Lu shot a fierce glare at the stout youth before leaving the mountaintop with his female companion. With the excitement over, the remaining onlookers dispersed.
Han Li also departed, flying back to the Hundred Herbs Garden.
Once inside his room, he eagerly retrieved the two jade slips and selected the one containing the recipe for the Foundation Establishment Pill. He began reading it word by word.
Though his mind was active, his expression remained unchanged. Only after several hours did he finally let out a long breath and set the jade slip down. He then fell into deep thought, pondering intently.
After a long while, he stood up abruptly and walked into the herb garden, scanning the plants with a furrowed brow. “The thirty-one supplementary herbs like Thousand Knot Flower, Black Peony Grass, and Golden Essence Ginseng aren’t a problem—they’re all here in the garden, though they need to be centuries old. But the main ingredients—Jade Marrow Fungus, Purple Ape Flower, and Heaven’s Spirit Fruit—are troublesome. There aren’t any here, and I’ve never even heard of them.”
After hesitating for a moment, Han Li decided to seek advice from someone—naturally, the little old man well-versed in herbal lore.
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