Han Li didn’t hesitate to sit cross-legged on the spot and began regulating his breathing. Immediately, the icy sensation in his eyes diminished significantly.
If someone had been in front of Han Li at that moment, they would have noticed a faint blue glow, extremely subtle, appearing on his closed eyelids.
A full half-hour later, the chill gradually faded from his eyes. Han Li let out a long breath, blinked a few times, and then opened his eyes. He instinctively glanced around, a trace of confusion flashing across his face.
“Really no change at all? Could it have no effect whatsoever?” Han Li muttered to himself, blinking his eyes.
After a moment of thought, he raised his head and forcefully channeled spiritual power into his eyes. A flash of blue light appeared deep within his pupils.
“Huh?” Han Li couldn’t help but exclaim softly. The forbidden wall of the meditation chamber opposite him turned into a hazy pale blue in his vision. Startled, his concentration wavered, and the wall returned to normal.
“No wonder Golden Core cultivators from the three sects aren’t interested in this spiritual water. With such a negligible penetrating ability, no one would bother. Several auxiliary spells can achieve far better results. But that’s only after cleansing the eyes once. If I use this spiritual water to wash my eyes every half-month, what kind of abilities might they develop over time? I’m actually a little excited!” Han Li thought to himself, gazing at the floating droplet of spiritual water before him. Without hesitation, he repeated the cleansing process.
This amount of spiritual water would be enough for over a dozen cultivators to cleanse their eyes once. Given Han Li’s current profound cultivation, though he used more, it would still take several attempts to finish.
After exhausting all the spiritual liquid, Han Li’s eyes showed no visible change. Only when he channeled spiritual power into them did the blue glow briefly appear. The ability to see through restrictions didn’t seem significantly enhanced either. Han Li wasn’t discouraged—after all, there was plenty of time to gradually develop his eyes’ abilities.
The next day, after informing Silvermoon, Han Li entered his secluded chamber and retrieved the golden page inscribed with the “Green Origin Sword Art.”
This sword art consisted of thirteen layers, forming a complete cultivation method. Its techniques progressed from Green Origin Sword Aura, Sword Shield, and Sword Shadow Splitting Technique, each increasing in power.
The first two techniques were nothing special—convenient to use but not particularly powerful. The third technique, Sword Shadow Splitting, however, satisfied Han Li.
Though it hadn’t immediately defeated strong opponents in past battles, he believed that against ordinary cultivators of similar cultivation, the hundreds of sword lights would overwhelm them instantly. Now that he could cultivate the tenth layer, he could learn new techniques.
Ironically, though he had obtained the complete Green Origin Sword Art from the golden page, the final technique’s cultivation method had been deliberately obscured. Despite knowing the glowing, illegible characters contained the last technique, his cultivation had been insufficient to decipher them—even after forming his Golden Core.
As for the thirteenth layer, whether due to transcending this realm’s limits or sheer complexity, Han Li found it utterly incomprehensible. It seemed only after reaching the Deity Transformation stage—or even leaving this world—could he grasp its mysteries.
Han Li hadn’t been in a hurry. It wasn’t uncommon for sects to conceal powerful techniques behind cultivation-based restrictions to prevent disciples from recklessly pursuing power. He knew that once his cultivation reached the required level, the method would naturally reveal itself.
Now, with his Nascent Soul-stage cultivation, deciphering the final technique posed no issue.
With that thought, Han Li tossed the golden page into the air and exhaled a stream of azure light, gently suspending it. Calmly, he flicked his fingers, sending streaks of Green Origin Sword Aura into the page. After absorbing them, the page erupted in golden light, revealing lines of ant-sized glowing characters.
Without hesitation, Han Li summoned the page back into his hand. Instantly, the dense characters surged through his palm into his mind.
Han Li remained composed as the previously obscured parts of the Green Origin Sword Art unfolded clearly before him. He immediately closed his eyes to study the newly revealed technique.
“Great Geng Sword Formation? What is this? How is it related to formations?” Han Li’s mind flashed with these bold golden characters, and he couldn’t help but show surprise.
One by one, the pale golden characters emerged in his consciousness as Han Li immersed himself in deciphering the incantations, sitting motionless for three days and nights.
His expression shifted strangely—sometimes excited, sometimes troubled, even breaking into cold sweat at times. By the third night, his face finally settled into calm. After a deep breath, he opened his eyes, a profound glint flickering within.
“This sword formation’s claims are too exaggerated. Even if it only achieves a third of its described power, it would be enough to dominate the South Sky,” Han Li murmured, licking his dry lips with a peculiar expression, as if struggling to believe what he’d learned.
“Still, actually performing this technique is a distant prospect. The number of sword lights required is absurd—at least a hundred. No wonder there were two golden pages—one for the incantation and one for the Emerald Swarm Sword’s forging method. They’re inseparable. The Sword Shadow Splitting Technique was probably created for this purpose—without it, the formation can’t be deployed,” Han Li mused.
Naturally, the more powerful the swords and the more sword lights, the greater the formation’s might.
Han Li estimated that with enough time, using seventy-two flying swords to manifest four sword lights each, forming a three-hundred-and-sixty-light formation, even mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators would be hard-pressed to escape unscathed. Late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators might not be invulnerable either, especially if his cultivation advanced further.
However, besides requiring an immense number of sword lights, performing this technique also demanded reforging the Emerald Swarm Swords with a material called “Geng Essence.”
Han Li was familiar with this substance—it was the renowned “Sharp Metal Treasure” of the cultivation world, as rare as the Refining Crystal he once obtained. To some cultivators, Geng Essence was even more valuable.
Adding even a small amount to a blade or sword would drastically enhance its sharpness, making it a life-or-death treasure for sword cultivators.
But for Han Li, this posed a massive problem. No matter how little Geng Essence each sword required, distributing it across seventy-two swords would demand an astronomical quantity. Where could he possibly find so much of this “Sharp Metal Treasure”?
Whenever this material appeared, cultivators either fused it into their own treasures or traded it immediately. Even in the treasure-rich Chaotic Star Seas, it hadn’t surfaced in millennia. No amount of spirit stones could buy what didn’t exist.
Faced with the astonishing might of the “Great Geng Sword Formation,” Han Li could only stare helplessly at an unattainable dream.
After much deliberation, Han Li sighed wryly and set the matter aside. He retrieved a jade box from his storage pouch, opening it to reveal a golden sphere faintly crackling with thunder.
“Dry Blue Iceflame!”
Gazing at this supreme treasure, Han Li’s expression turned solemn. Now that his cultivation had reached great heights, he could finally attempt to control this flame. If he succeeded in refining it, claiming the Void Heaven Cauldron would become a real possibility.
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