The woman surnamed Mu had always been indifferent towards Han Li, which actually pleased him even more. He would be even happier if she completely forgot about this place and didn’t disturb his cultivation.
After another month passed, Han Li finally grasped about seventy to eighty percent of the Spirit Restriction Array. Once he achieved this understanding, he wasted no time and immediately set up the array outside his cave dwelling based on his insights.
As a result, the faint fluctuations of spiritual energy from the array vanished. From the outside, the small stone mountain appeared completely ordinary, with no trace of anything unusual.
Han Li was very satisfied with this.
Over the next two to three months, the refinement of the Soul-Calling Pearl and the expulsion of the Wind Spirit Force were both successfully completed.
To Han Li’s surprise, after refining the Soul-Calling Pearl to the point where it resonated with his divine sense, he didn’t experience any headaches or discomfort. It seemed the unexpected evolution of the Soul-Crying Beast had also caused unforeseen changes in the pearl, which was intrinsically linked to its life and death.
Han Li was overjoyed.
As for the Wind Spirit Force’s sinister energy, although it was extremely difficult to expel at first—often leaving him utterly exhausted after each attempt—once most of it had been forced out, the remaining portion became much easier to handle.
Not only did the pain from the sinister energy lessen significantly, but the time required to expel it also shortened considerably. In the last few attempts, Han Li effortlessly cleared out the remaining energy.
After carefully inspecting himself multiple times and confirming that there were no more anomalies in his body, he finally felt at ease.
With the most urgent matters resolved, Han Li turned his attention to cultivation and refining the Nine-Curve Spirit Ginseng elixir.
Regarding cultivation, after several days of deliberation, he decided to simultaneously practice the fourth layer of the Great Development Art and the Azure Essence Sword Art. Based on his previous experience forming his Golden Core, it seemed that a powerful divine sense greatly benefited breakthroughs in bottlenecks. Even though the fourth layer of the Great Development Art was extremely difficult to master, Han Li still intended to give it a try.
After all, even if a strong divine sense didn’t directly aid in forming a Nascent Soul, it still offered numerous advantages in combat and anticipating enemy moves.
Even if it delayed his entry into the False Nascent stage, he didn’t consider it a wrong choice. He could afford to spend this time.
As for refining the Nine-Curve Spirit Ginseng elixir, Han Li was even more meticulous. Other materials might be manageable, but the Nine-Curve Spirit Ginseng, the eighth-grade Demon Companion Grass, and the Agate Horn were utterly irreplaceable in the South Sky region—no amount of Spirit Stones could buy them. If the refinement failed, Han Li would have no recourse but to stare helplessly.
Thus, in addition to cultivation, Han Li began studying the Nine-Curve Spirit Ginseng elixir formula and frequently refining other elixirs with similar procedures to improve his alchemy skills.
And so, time passed bit by bit as Han Li alternated between cultivation and alchemy.
During this period, he also studied the demonic script to decipher the contents of the copper piece and the beastskin book in his possession. With his photographic memory, he quickly mastered the ancient demonic script and first translated the contents of the beastskin book.
The book contained a demonic cultivation method called “Nine Changes of the Swift Wind.” After reading it, Han Li realized it seemed tailored specifically for avian demon beasts, including a set of incantations, a movement technique, and two secret arts.
The incantations and movement technique were irrelevant to him—they were designed for demonic cultivators. Unless he possessed the robust physique of a demon beast, attempting to practice them would result in his body exploding midway.
One of the two secret arts, the Wind Concealment Technique, turned out to be a slightly modified version of the nameless breath-concealing technique he had learned before, adjusted to suit human cultivators. Apart from offering some reference value, it held no real significance for Han Li.
However, the other secret art, “Blood Shadow Escape,” genuinely piqued his interest.
As the name suggested, the Blood Shadow Escape was a bizarre escape technique that used the power of one’s vital blood to instantly flee hundreds of miles away.
Many sects, especially demonic cultivators, possessed secret arts that used vital blood to unleash powerful abilities in an instant. But the Blood Shadow Escape differed slightly from these human techniques.
First, the distance of the escape couldn’t be controlled—once activated, the user would transform into a blood shadow and shoot out hundreds of miles in an instant.
Second, the technique required a fixed and substantial amount of vital blood. If the user’s reserves were insufficient, their body would explode mid-flight, turning into a bloody mist—an extremely dangerous technique.
Lastly, the technique required a pair of wings. The Blood Shadow Escape was so fast that without wings to maintain balance and apply a special weight-reducing technique, the user would either tumble to the ground or spin in place, unable to escape in a straight line.
After carefully reviewing the technique multiple times, Han Li felt he might actually be able to practice it.
While others lacked wings, he possessed the Wind and Thunder Wings—a treasure that could manifest spiritual wings as naturally as real ones.
If the Blood Shadow Escape truly lived up to its reputation, it would be the ultimate escape technique against formidable enemies. Even his Wind and Thunder Wings’ Thunder Escape only allowed him to flicker within a small area, unable to flee as thoroughly.
Han Li silently memorized the Blood Shadow Escape’s cultivation method before turning his attention to the copper piece.
The demonic script on the copper piece didn’t include a name or explanation of the technique’s origins—just a disjointed incantation and some bizarre cultivation postures, leaving Han Li utterly confused. After some contemplation, he felt even more bewildered.
Later, he vaguely recalled the Poison Flood Dragon mentioning that this supposed “True Vajra Fragment” was already incomplete, which explained why the technique was incomprehensible.
Realizing this, Han Li felt deeply disappointed and could only store it away.
From then on, while cultivating the Great Development Art and the Azure Essence Sword Art, Han Li also began practicing the Blood Shadow Escape.
Though he later believed he had mastered the technique, he didn’t dare test it recklessly—losing a large amount of vital blood was no laughing matter.
Unbeknownst to him, half a year passed.
One day, as Han Li sat meditating in his quiet room, practicing the Great Development Art, his expression suddenly shifted. His eyes snapped open, and a flicker of surprise crossed his face. In a flash of azure light, he transformed into a streak of green light and flew straight out of the room, heading for the herb garden outside his cave dwelling.
Moments later, after recalling the puppets in the garden, Han Li stood before the thatched hut.
Glancing toward the southeast, he pondered briefly before turning and entering one of the huts. He leisurely poured himself a cup of tea, appearing completely unhurried.
Before long, a polite voice sounded outside the garden’s restrictions: “Excuse me, is Senior Sister Yuan inside? I’m Kuihuan from Hidden Sword Peak.” The voice belonged to a young man, slightly sharp in tone.
“Senior Sister Yuan? The female disciple who used to oversee the herb garden?”
Han Li’s expression remained unchanged. After waiting for the man to call out a few more times, he drained his tea and replied leisurely, “Brother, there’s no need to call out. Senior Sister Yuan left this place a year ago. I’m currently in charge of the herb garden. If you’re looking for her, you might want to check at Venerable Mu’s cave dwelling.”
“What? The herb garden has changed hands?” The young man sounded surprised, as if his purpose wasn’t to find someone but to visit the garden for another reason.
“Haha, since Senior Sister Yuan isn’t here, I suppose speaking with you will do just as well. Might I trouble you to let me in for a chat?” The man chuckled amiably.
Han Li stroked his chin. The man’s polite request made outright refusal seem unreasonable.
After a moment’s thought, Han Li stepped out of the hut and retrieved the yellow token. A beam of light shot out, dispersing the thick mist surrounding the garden.
Standing outside the southeastern restrictions was a young man in a yellow robe.
He had small eyes, thick eyebrows, and a large upturned nose, yet his head was oddly smaller than average. While not exactly ugly, his appearance was undeniably comical.
His cultivation was only at the eighth or ninth layer of Qi Condensation—even lower than Han Li’s surface-level cultivation. It was a mystery how he had managed to join the Fallen Cloud Sect.
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