Since the arrival of the burly man, no other cultivators had appeared for quite some time. The three of them went about their own business, none showing any inclination to strike up a conversation with the others.
Nearly half a month passed before the miasma had mostly dissipated. Only then did another astonishing streak of light appear on the horizon—two radiant arcs flying side by side, swift as a bolt of silk, heading straight for the mountain peak.
The streaks of light circled once above the three before landing precisely in the middle of them, revealing a man and a woman. The man was none other than the elderly Fu from the Nine Serenities Sect, while the woman was a beautiful but cold-faced matron dressed in black, her eyebrows slightly thick and her expression icy.
“All three fellow Daoists have arrived as promised. It truly is an honor for Fu. I had even prepared for the possibility that some might not come, but it seems such precautions were unnecessary,” the elderly Fu said with a pleased expression, sweeping his gaze over Han Li and the other two.
The black-clad woman beside him remained silent, her demeanor frosty.
“I may have come, but if what you propose doesn’t interest me, I’ll turn around and leave immediately. I’m at a critical juncture in breaking through a bottleneck and have no time to waste on trivial matters,” the burly man retorted bluntly with a cold laugh.
“Brother Yuan, rest assured! Now that you’ve met Fellow Daoists Han and Bai, surely you don’t think I’d deceive you? Before we proceed, allow me to make introductions. This is my junior sister, Chang Zhifang, an inner hall elder of the Nine Serenities Sect. Brother Yuan, as a local, hails from the Southern Border’s Poison Sage Sect, and we’ll be relying on his expertise. Fellow Daoist Han is an overseas rogue cultivator with astonishing abilities. Fellow Daoist Bai…” Elder Fu pointed at Han Li and the others, introducing them one by one.
When Elder Fu mentioned Han Li’s “astonishing abilities,” both the burly man and Bai Yaoyi glanced at Han Li with a flicker of surprise in their eyes.
Han Li frowned slightly, maintaining a calm expression. “You flatter me too much. My cultivation is ordinary—I don’t know where this talk of ‘astonishing abilities’ comes from.”
“There’s no need for modesty, Fellow Daoist Han. I’ve heard that not only did you eliminate the early Nascent Soul cultivator Xiao Laozhe in Jinjing, but after the underground auction, you also killed the infamous Fiery Monk in a single encounter. With such feats, what more need be said?” Elder Fu remarked meaningfully.
“You killed the Fiery Monk?” The burly man’s expression changed drastically as he abruptly fixed his gaze on Han Li. Bai Yaoyi’s eyes also flickered with shock. Only the black-clad woman remained indifferent, as if she had already known.
“Brother Fu may have misunderstood. While I did kill an early Nascent Soul cultivator in Jinjing, the so-called Fiery Monk was not my doing—it was another cultivator. Do you really think a rogue cultivator like me could possess such heaven-defying abilities?” Han Li replied with a bitter smile.
“Another cultivator? I did hear that two similar-looking cultivators confronted the Fiery Monk at the time. So it truly wasn’t you?” Elder Fu’s expression relaxed slightly, though his tone remained skeptical.
“You overestimate me, Brother Fu. If I had the power to instantly kill a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator, why would I have avoided the Yin Luo Sect members back then? I could have simply walked away without fear of anyone stopping me,” Han Li said lightly, stroking his chin.
“That does make sense. Still, Xiao Laozhe, despite his modest cultivation, was exceptionally cunning and skilled in several escape techniques. Killing him is no small feat. By the way, do you know the cultivator who killed the Fiery Monk? Could they be some reclusive great cultivator from overseas? Tsk tsk, for someone of such power to remain unknown even in the late stage—such things only happen overseas,” Elder Fu mused, seemingly fascinated by the ancient demon from that day.
“I did hear that shortly after the Jinjing auction concluded, a two-headed, four-armed demon resembling a ghost appeared near the underground auction site. It devoured several Nascent Soul cultivators single-handedly. Rumor has it that if not for a great cultivator overseeing the auction who drove it away, all those present might have perished. Brother Han, did you witness this?” the burly man suddenly interjected.
“The cultivator who killed the Fiery Monk was merely an acquaintance—nothing more. As for the demon, that must have happened after I left. I know nothing about it,” Han Li replied with a slight shake of his head, his expression unchanged.
“I see. What a pity. If we could have enlisted that cultivator, our chances might have been greater,” Elder Fu said with a dry chuckle, seemingly unwilling to dwell on the matter further.
The burly man, however, narrowed his eyes, suspicion evident on his face.
At that moment, Bai Yaoyi spoke up, her voice soft but firm: “Fellow Daoist Fu, you invited us here years ago. Shouldn’t you finally reveal the details? If not for a past favor I owed you, I wouldn’t have traveled so far for this.”
“Of course. But this matter is of great importance. Let me first set up a barrier before we discuss it in detail,” Elder Fu agreed, then flicked his fingers toward the surrounding space. Over a dozen ghostly green flames shot out, exploding into clouds of mist that vanished in an instant.
Han Li swept his spiritual sense around and detected faint ripples of a barrier. Though he couldn’t discern its nature, the ease with which Elder Fu had deployed it made him wary, raising his estimation of the man.
Bai Yaoyi and the burly man also scanned the barrier with their spiritual senses, their curiosity piqued by Elder Fu’s solemnity.
“This matter has been thirty years in the making. Only now has the time truly ripened, which is why I’ve invited you all here. Have any of you heard of the ancient wonder drug known as the Nascent-Nurturing Pill?” Elder Fu exhaled deeply before speaking gravely.
“Nascent-Nurturing Pill?” Bai Yaoyi and the burly man exchanged blank looks, unfamiliar with the name. Han Li, however, showed a flicker of recognition, his expression thoughtful.
“Oh? Brother Han knows of this pill?” the burly man asked, noticing Han Li’s reaction.
“Yes, though only a little. The Nascent-Nurturing Pill was supposedly a treasured elixir of an ancient sect from the primordial era. It’s said to greatly benefit a Nascent Soul cultivator’s infant, making it easier to break through bottlenecks. For us Nascent Soul cultivators, it’s practically a divine medicine. However, that sect’s lineage was lost by the end of the primordial era, and the pill’s formula vanished. Few in the current cultivation world even know of its existence,” Han Li explained after a moment’s thought. Were it not for his expertise in pill refinement and extensive study of ancient texts, he wouldn’t have known either.
Hearing this, the burly man and Bai Yaoyi brightened with excitement. The burly man eagerly pressed Elder Fu: “Brother Fu, since you bring this up now, does that mean you’ve found a lead on this pill?”
For Nascent Soul cultivators, any method or pill that could aid in breaking through bottlenecks was considered priceless—even in ancient times. Yet such treasures were exceedingly rare, and those who possessed them guarded them jealously, never sharing even with close kin.
Over the millennia, most of these methods had been lost, and those that remained were often unusable due to changes in the cultivation environment. In today’s world, aside from a few legendary items, Nascent Soul cultivators could only rely on pills that boosted cultivation. Thus, the burly man was visibly thrilled upon hearing of the Nascent-Nurturing Pill’s effects.
“Haha, I’m surprised Brother Han knows of this pill. Indeed, this is related to it—because over a century ago, I obtained its formula,” Elder Fu declared with a hint of pride.
“You truly have the formula?” The burly man rubbed his hands together, his dark cheeks flushing with excitement.
Bai Yaoyi and Han Li exchanged glances, their faces also alight with anticipation.
“Yes, I possess the formula, and I’m well-versed in pill refinement. As long as the materials are gathered, crafting the Nascent-Nurturing Pill won’t be an issue,” Elder Fu confirmed without hesitation.
“Judging by your tone, Brother Fu, the materials must be difficult to gather. Is that why you’ve called us here?” Han Li asked, his brow furrowing.
“Brother Han is as sharp as ever. If not for the lack of one key ingredient, I would have refined this pill long ago. This time, I seek your aid precisely for that material.”
“Given your status as a Nine Serenities Sect elder, if even you couldn’t obtain it after all these years, this ingredient must be exceedingly rare,” Bai Yaoyi remarked with a frown.
“Rare? I once thought it extinct in the human realm and had given up on the pill entirely. But by chance, I discovered traces of it thirty years ago—right here in the Southern Border,” Elder Fu said with a wry smile.
“Enough with the riddles, Brother Fu. What is this material? Just tell us,” the burly man demanded impatiently.
“The flesh and blood of a Shadow Ginseng Horse!” Elder Fu declared plainly.
“A Shadow Ginseng Horse? Does such a spirit creature even exist in our world? Where did you find it?” Han Li asked, his eyes narrowing in surprise.
Bai Yaoyi and the burly man exchanged bewildered glances.
“Heh, I too once believed this spirit creature had vanished from our realm. But thirty years ago, purely by chance, I stumbled upon its traces—right here in the Southern Border,” Elder Fu chuckled, his expression inscrutable.
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