Han Li was both delighted and curious. If he continued to nurture the Gold Lightning Bamboo, would it undergo any further changes?
Driven by this thought, Han Li spent several months continuing to drip the green liquid onto the bamboo. However, the bamboo’s color and potency showed no change, and its size remained at the level of around ten thousand years, not growing an inch further. Instead, during this period of nurturing, a young shoot sprouted beside the original bamboo.
As the green liquid was applied, the young shoot gradually grew. After a few months, the new Sky Lightning Bamboo looked exactly like the original one in its early years, though this time it was a complete bamboo.
Seeing this, Han Li was not disappointed but overjoyed.
To be honest, a single Sky Lightning Bamboo was barely enough to refine a set of twelve “Emerald Swarm Swords.” Now that he knew the green liquid could nurture new shoots, the problem of insufficient raw materials was completely solved.
However, this also fueled Han Li’s ambition even further.
Since he no longer had to worry about the quantity of raw materials, he decided not to settle for just twelve flying swords. Instead, he conceived the idea of refining the maximum number of “Emerald Swarm Swords”—a set of seventy-two.
Although his early-stage Core Formation cultivation base was far from sufficient to refine and control so many flying swords, he was in no hurry. He could refine them one by one, adjusting the pace according to his cultivation progress.
After all, as long as the flying swords formed a set, they could be stored in his body as a single treasure or used individually without any issues.
Once this idea took root, Han Li grew excited and began contemplating whether he could truly accomplish it.
The biggest challenge in refining a set of magic treasures was the differences in the main materials, which often made it difficult to succeed. However, since he was using Sky Lightning Bamboo from the same root, this was no longer a problem.
The next step depended on his refining skills and the preparation of auxiliary materials.
He had already gathered the auxiliary materials. Refining seventy-two swords required the same amount of auxiliary materials as refining twelve, so he didn’t need to search for more. The only thing worrying him was his lack of experience in refining magic treasures.
After all, he had never tried artifact refining before. While refining ordinary magic treasures would have been straightforward with the Core Flame refining process, the “Emerald Swarm Swords” were different. Even a single sword from the set was far more complex to refine than ordinary magic treasures.
Moreover, since they form a set, these semi-finished single swords must be refined through specific special formations, which requires mastery of formation knowledge. Without this knowledge, it is impossible to forge this treasure.
Han Li was a man of unwavering determination. Despite the numerous challenges, he resolved that if he were to refine the swords, he would create the best possible set. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so persistent about obtaining the Sky Lightning Bamboo in the first place.
After pondering for a day and a night in his cave dwelling, Han Li finally laid out his cultivation plan for the next twenty years.
A few days later, in the market of Heavenly Star City, an inconspicuous small shop suddenly changed owners. The new proprietor was an ordinary-looking man in his thirties, accompanied by a tall, burly servant with thick eyebrows and large eyes.
The young man took over the shop and immediately changed its name from “Li’s Grocery” to “Green Bamboo Pavilion.” Initially, he only sold talismans and medicinal herbs, but half a month later, he added some crude low-grade magic tools to the inventory.
What surprised the neighboring shop owners was that the young man rarely stepped out of the shop. He spent his days reading a tattered, coverless silk book, occasionally gesturing excitedly as if deeply engrossed. At other times, he would retreat to the back of the shop and not appear in the front for half a day.
All customer interactions and business matters were handled by the seemingly honest and simple-minded servant.
Most of the neighboring shop owners were mortals born in Heavenly Star City, running their shops merely to make a living. Only one, an elderly man surnamed He, possessed a low-grade spiritual root and had reached the third or fourth level of Qi Refinement. Despite this, he was highly respected by the other mortals, who often addressed him as “Immortal Master He.”
When the young man first arrived, the others asked He about him and learned that the young man had no spiritual power and was merely a mortal. This put them at ease, and they occasionally visited the shop to chat with the young man, who claimed the surname Han.
After all, the area was quite remote, with little business, so socializing was a way to pass the time. The arrival of a new face naturally provided more topics for conversation.
However, the young man seemed socially awkward, speaking slowly and spending most of his time secluded in the shop. Even when other shop owners visited, he mostly listened and rarely spoke, appearing rather dull.
He never spoke of his background, smiling but remaining silent when asked. Naturally, no one pressed him further.
After a few such interactions, the others gradually lost interest and stopped visiting the “Green Bamboo Pavilion.”
This, however, came as a relief to the young man.
The young man and the servant were, of course, Han Li and Qu Hun in disguise. Though they used the most common Jianghu disguise techniques, it was more than enough to fool a few mortals and a low-level cultivator.
Han Li had come here to run a shop not to earn meager spirit stones, but to temper his worldly mindset while studying artifact refining and formation knowledge. He had specifically chosen this place for this purpose.
In the past, Han Li had not ventured into these areas because his time during the Foundation Establishment stage was too short. Now that he had formed his Golden Core and needed knowledge and experience in these fields for refining his magic treasure, he decided to use the time nurturing the Sky Lightning Bamboo to study the “Cloud Soaring Reflections” and the formation texts given to him by Xin Ruyin.
Deep down, Han Li was very interested in artifact refining and formation spells.
With only twenty years and the need to balance both studies, he didn’t expect to reach the level of those two geniuses. However, he hoped to acquire some of their skills and be satisfied with that. At the very least, he wanted to be able to refine the simplest array flags and array disks.
But studying these subjects wasn’t just about reading; it required hands-on practice. As a result, he ended up with a pile of crude, low-grade magic tools that were difficult to dispose of.
It seemed wasteful to discard them, yet they were practically useless. To test some of his sudden ideas, he also needed to purchase various unusual materials, which made frequent trips to the market necessary.
Coincidentally, the fourth layer of the Great Development Technique required tempering his mindset in the mortal world. Without this, he would struggle to withstand the inner demons during cultivation and find it difficult to master the fourth layer.
After careful consideration, Han Li decided to kill multiple birds with one stone by purchasing this shop.
The location was quiet enough not to disturb his studies in artifact refining and spell formations, yet close enough to the mortal world to observe ordinary life. He could also easily acquire materials for practical refining and setting up spell formations, and place the items he crafted on the counter for sale. If they sold, so be it.
Seeing low-level cultivators purchase the magic tools he had refined with his own hands brought Han Li a sense of satisfaction.
Of course, every few days, he would return to his cave dwelling to nurture the Sky Lightning Bamboo and check on the Gold Devouring Beetles. The two Jadeblood Spiders were left behind to guard the cave.
Not long after, however, something surprising happened in the medicine garden.
When the second bamboo reached five to six thousand years of spiritual nature, the first one unexpectedly detached from its root on its own. Its few leaves fell off completely, and upon touching the ground, they transformed into vibrant, pure golden leaves.
Though unsure of their use, Han Li collected all the golden leaves and stored them in his pouch. The still lush green main stem was carefully preserved in a box made of “Jade Paste.”
Once he had gathered six or seven such stems, it would be time for him to start refining the “Emerald Swarm Swords.”
Thus, Han Li, with his spiritual power concealed, fully immersed himself in the mortal world. In this remote corner of the market, he began his journey of worldly experience.
Every day, he devoted himself to studying the silk books copied from the jade slips while quietly observing the complex emotions and behaviors of the mortals around him, reflecting on and savoring them slowly.
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