When Han Li quietly returned to the meditation chamber, he found the disciples still sprawled unconscious, with no one having come to check on them.
This was hardly surprising. At such a critical moment in the battle, why would anyone pay attention to these low-level disciples? No matter how talented they were, they were still just low-ranking members of their sects—hardly a priority.
The white fox, which had taken on his appearance, lay in its original spot, feigning unconsciousness. But as soon as Han Li returned, it instantly reverted to its small fox form and leaped into his sleeve.
“So? Did you succeed? No one came here—seems like you were overly cautious!” Silvermoon chuckled softly from within his sleeve.
“Yes, I did. But I’d rather be overly cautious than risk exposing myself,” Han Li replied indifferently.
“But, Brother Han, how will you explain surviving? That might be tricky,” Silvermoon shifted the topic, sounding slightly concerned.
“Just tell the truth,” Han Li said dismissively, as if it were no big deal.
“The truth?” Silvermoon was taken aback.
“I’ll say I used an expensive illusion talisman to save my life. What’s so hard to explain? The art of illusions is inherently ambiguous—even high-level cultivators can be deceived if they’re not careful.” Han Li spoke calmly, clearly having already planned this out.
“Good point. That’s a solid excuse!” The white fox let out a soft laugh.
What followed was simple. After most of the day had passed, the yellow-robed cultivator entered the chamber with a grim expression.
Seeing the unconscious disciples, he sighed lightly, then formed a hand seal and flicked his fingers, sending out seven or eight beams of white light that entered the disciples’ bodies.
Clearly, the spell Du Dong had used to knock them out wasn’t particularly advanced. Moments later, the disciples began waking up one by one. Seeing the yellow-robed cultivator and the absence of Du Dong and his companion, they immediately relaxed, knowing the danger had passed.
Of course, they were startled to see Han Li unharmed among them. But Han Li simply took out a self-made illusion talisman, waved it before their eyes, and smoothly explained it away.
As expected, few had deep knowledge of illusion techniques, so no one questioned him further. Even the yellow-robed cultivator merely gave Han Li a curious glance before moving on.
Only Sun Huo and the Mu woman seemed slightly doubtful, recalling how Du Dong had singled out Han Li before attacking him.
Han Li noticed their skepticism but wasn’t worried. Without evidence, they wouldn’t dare spread baseless suspicions. Besides, Du Dong had clearly tried to kill him—not recruit him.
With the spirit liquid gone and the loose-haired cultivator responsible for brewing the Brightsight Spirit Water missing, the eye-washing ritual was canceled.
The high-ranking members of the three sects hastily compensated each disciple with a magic tool before declaring the Sword Trial Conference over. The disciples were ordered to return to their respective sects, while the Core Formation elders remained behind.
The disciples could tell something major had happened—especially from the anxious expressions of the elders, particularly the red-robed elder from the Dreamcloud Sect.
Though frustrated, low-ranking disciples like the Mu woman had no choice but to obediently return to their sects.
Upon returning to the Falling Cloud Sect, Han Li and the others were immediately summoned by the higher-ups and questioned in detail about the events in the restricted area. Afterward, they were dismissed with strict orders to keep silent.
Later, Han Li learned that the three sects’ plan to expose internal spies had failed spectacularly.
Not only had Du Dong and his allies successfully smuggled the spirit liquid back to the Righteous and Devil Dao under the cover of the Heavenfiend Sect Master’s possession technique, but all but the white-robed scholar had escaped safely from the Stream Country. The scholar had been killed on the spot by the Fu elder and his allies.
Once the possession technique wore off, the loose-haired cultivator was captured by the childlike elder and vanished without a trace—whether killed or imprisoned, no one knew.
The two Nascent Soul elders of the Falling Cloud Sect and the Core Formation cultivators of the three sects had been ambushed by forces from the Illusion Demon Sect and the Heavenfiend Sect. Several Core Formation cultivators died, and one Nascent Soul elder, Elder Cheng, was severely wounded in a battle against multiple enemies. Though he survived, his vitality was greatly depleted.
This incident sent shockwaves through the three sects. They pressured the Righteous and Devil Dao through the Heavenly Dao Alliance, but both sides denied involvement. After much wrangling, no resolution was reached, leaving the three sects powerless.
Fortunately, the Heavenly Dao Alliance’s spies later confirmed that the spirit liquid had failed to revive the Profound Heaven Vine—whether due to insufficient quantity or ineffectiveness, it remained withered.
This news brought some relief to the three sects and other alliance members.
Tensions between the factions escalated, shattering the century-long peace and raising fears of renewed conflict.
After reporting to the sect elders, Han Li returned to his cave on Little Stone Mountain and transplanted the Spirit Eye Tree root near the Ninecurl Ginseng, hoping the two spiritual plants might nourish each other.
In the following days, Han Li fended off inquiries from fellow disciples about the Sword Trial Conference and resumed his cultivation. Perhaps due to the conference’s impact, the bottleneck in his Great Development Art unexpectedly broke, allowing rapid progress. Delighted, he intensified his training in both the Great Development Art and the Azure Essence Sword Art.
He suspected the Soul Nourishing Beads around his neck played a key role. Since wearing them, his spiritual sense had grown stronger without conscious effort, making his Great Development Art training effortless.
Moreover, during cultivation, faint wisps of cool energy from the beads flowed into his soul, doubling his progress with half the effort.
Meanwhile, Han Li used the green liquid to accelerate the growth of the Spirit Eye Tree sapling. Within months, a new sprout emerged. Though it would take over twenty years to reach full maturity, Han Li wasn’t in a hurry—he estimated needing that long to reach the False Nascent Soul stage anyway.
Besides, he already had a Stabilizing Spirit Pill. Even if he fell behind schedule, it wouldn’t matter.
The thought of the black-robed youth discovering the missing pill amused him.
His primary goal in obtaining the Spirit Eye Tree was to brew Brightsight Spirit Water. Having spiritual eyes would give him a significant advantage in battle, much like his superior spiritual sense already did.
At the same time, Han Li continued refining his alchemy skills to prepare for crafting the Ninecurl Ginseng elixir.
Thus, time passed as Han Li immersed himself in cultivation and alchemy.
Unless absolutely necessary, he never left his cave. During critical cultivation periods, he had Silvermoon take his place, using her illusions to handle occasional visitors.
Silvermoon’s fox form advanced rapidly thanks to the pills she consumed, and her illusions grew increasingly flawless, never raising suspicion.
The Mu woman initially harbored doubts about Han Li, but after years of his low-profile behavior, she eventually dismissed her suspicions and treated him like any other Qi Condensation disciple.
With this, Han Li settled even more comfortably into life at the Falling Cloud Sect.
In the blink of an eye, twenty years passed with Han Li posing as a Qi Condensation disciple.
The day of his Nascent Soul formation was finally approaching.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage