While Han Li was deep in thought in his bedroom, his expression suddenly shifted. He turned and walked out.
When he arrived at the sealed entrance of his cave abode, which hadn’t been opened for years, he immediately spotted seven or eight message talismans of various colors darting around chaotically within the restriction formation in front of the cave.
Seeing this, Han Li raised an eyebrow, took out the restriction control token, and uttered the word “gather.” Instantly, the message talismans flew into his hand as if granted amnesty.
Han Li didn’t leave but instead calmly examined them one by one.
A small portion of the message talismans contained congratulatory words from nearby Core Formation cultivators. The rest were recruitment offers from various organizations—some offered honorary elder positions, others promised rare treasures as compensation, and one even proposed gifting a pair of exceptionally beautiful maidservants as an incentive to recruit him.
Hearing these offers, Han Li inwardly rolled his eyes.
Aside from politely replying to the Core Formation cultivators’ messages, he outright rejected the offers from the organizations. He didn’t believe that reaching Core Formation meant he could rest easy. It was better to spend time consolidating his cultivation and maintaining a low profile.
In the following days, Han Li began frequently visiting the cave abodes of nearby Core Formation cultivators, humbly seeking advice on matters to note after advancing to Core Formation.
Since the questions he asked weren’t particularly secretive, these cultivators were happy to offer some guidance during casual conversations, which proved quite beneficial to Han Li.
However, these cultivators also expressed great envy over Han Li’s youthful appearance after reaching Core Formation. After all, unless one was born with exceptional talent or, like Han Li, had access to numerous spiritual medicines to aid cultivation, most cultivators were already quite old by the time they formed their cores.
Even though their lifespans greatly increased after Core Formation, their appearances wouldn’t revert to their youth—at most, the aging process would slow significantly. Of course, some cultivation techniques had innate youth-preserving effects, allowing cultivators to maintain a youthful appearance even after Core Formation.
This time, Han Li didn’t keep his secrets to himself. He traded a few Everlasting Pills he had on hand for some rare items from them, leaving everyone satisfied.
After several such exchanges, Han Li and these cultivators, while not exactly close friends, became familiar with one another. They addressed each other as “Daoist” or “Brother,” getting along quite well.
During this time, Han Li also refined the “Green Flamesword” and searched for materials to craft magic treasures and third-level puppets.
There were many materials suitable for crafting magic treasures, and the methods varied widely. Given the same time and effort invested, treasures made from superior materials would have significantly greater power and potential for enhancement compared to those made from ordinary materials. Moreover, even with the same materials, different crafting techniques could result in vastly different powers and effects.
Thus, aside from some commonly known ordinary treasure-crafting methods, most sects and organizations guarded their unique crafting techniques closely.
However, this didn’t mean that having the best materials and the finest crafting method would guarantee an overwhelmingly powerful treasure. The true power of a magic treasure primarily depended on the cultivator continuously nurturing and refining it within their divine sense.
If the treasure’s owner was lazy and unwilling to invest time in it, it wouldn’t be unusual for a rare treasure to underperform compared to an ordinary one.
The “Emerald Bamboo Swarm Sword” Han Li intended to craft, as the name suggested, required millennia-old spiritual bamboo as its main material.
With the nurturing capabilities of his small vial, obtaining such materials would have been relatively easy given enough time. However, Han Li wasn’t interested in ordinary bamboo—he wanted to find legendary rare divine bamboo varieties as the main material for his treasure. Despite waiting in the Astral Ocean City market, he still hadn’t found a variety that satisfied him.
Though he was growing somewhat anxious, Han Li adhered to the principle of “quality over quantity” and decided to temporarily set aside the treasure-crafting project. Fortunately, he still had the “Green Flamesword” and a few talisman treasures for protection, so he wasn’t immediately concerned.
Unable to proceed with crafting his magic treasure, Han Li turned his attention to making new puppets.
According to the Puppet True Scripture, a third-level puppet could deliver a full-force strike equivalent to a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. The materials required for crafting them were increasingly expensive, and several different forms of puppets were available.
After careful consideration, Han Li chose an ape-shaped puppet made primarily from wood.
Although this type of puppet required ironwood of much higher age and the incorporation of rare Sky Crystal Wood during crafting, since these were wooden materials, Han Li could use his green liquid to accelerate their growth, significantly reducing costs.
Even so, the other auxiliary materials needed for the upgrade still amounted to a staggering sum. Combined with the increased number of puppets he could now control, the total cost became even more astronomical. While these spirit stones didn’t bankrupt him, they left him nearly penniless after gathering all the materials.
Left with no choice, Han Li released another batch of rare materials from fifth-level demon beasts to alleviate his financial strain. However, despite his utmost caution, this release caught the attention of certain interested parties.
One day, after completing a transaction with a small merchant from out of town, Han Li was on his way back to his cave abode when a stunningly beautiful young woman stopped him on the street.
“Are you Senior Han? My mistress invites you to the Clear River Teahouse not far from here for a chat. Would you honor us with your presence? If you refuse, this junior will face severe punishment from my mistress,” the young woman said with a pitiable expression.
“Not interested,” Han Li replied without hesitation after a glance at her.
He could tell at once that although she was only at the Qi Refinement stage, she practiced some form of charm technique and had been recklessly attempting to use it on him. Naturally, he saw no reason to be polite.
Hearing his refusal, the sixteen- or seventeen-year-old girl panicked and pleaded urgently, “Senior Han, if you don’t come, this junior will truly be unable to account for it. Please, I beg you…”
Before she could finish, Han Li turned away coldly. He had no idea who these people were, nor was he interested in meeting some strange woman.
“Senior Han, please wait! This junior, Fan Jingmei of the Mystical Sound Sect, pays her respects to Senior Han. I failed to discipline my subordinate properly—Lian’er has offended you. I hope you can forgive her,” a sweet, feminine voice called out from behind him just as he took two steps away.
He couldn’t help but stop and glance back.
Standing beside the girl was a woman veiled in light gauze. Though her face was obscured, her skin was snow-white, her glossy black hair was elegantly coiled, and her bright eyes, clear as water, were fixed unblinkingly on Han Li.
“I don’t know you, madam. If you have something to say, make it brief. I need to return to my abode to cultivate,” Han Li said impassively, his tone distant.
The woman who called herself Fan Jingmei paused briefly upon hearing this but soon chuckled lightly. “Since Senior Han is so straightforward, I’ll speak plainly. Has Senior recently sold a large batch of rare demon beast materials? Our sect is very interested in these materials and would like to discuss a deal with you. However, this street is too public. Would you accompany me to a quiet room in the teahouse?”
Hearing her introduction and invitation, Han Li narrowed his eyes and studied her intently for a moment, until she grew visibly embarrassed under his gaze. Then, he said stiffly, “Fine, lead the way.”
“Thank you for honoring us with your presence, Senior Han. This way, please,” the woman said, a hint of delight in her eyes as she gracefully stepped forward. The young girl followed behind, dejected.
Though walking ahead, the girl couldn’t resist stealing another glance back, only to meet Han Li’s gaze directly. Startled, she quickly turned her jade-like neck away, her ears flushing red.
This drew a faint, amused smile from Han Li, who found the situation somewhat laughable.
The teahouse the Mystical Sound Sect woman mentioned wasn’t far. Shortly after, Han Li followed them into a building adorned with a large “Tea” banner.
There weren’t many tea drinkers inside. A middle-aged man who had been sipping tea hurriedly stood up and approached them, saying, “Elder, the room is ready. You may enter with your guest.”
“Good. Stand guard outside,” Fan Jingmei instructed indifferently.
“Yes.”
Led by the middle-aged man, the two women and Han Li went upstairs and entered an elegant private room.
Inside, a gray-robed elder was already calmly brewing a pot of hot tea, steam rising steadily. He didn’t even bat an eyelid when Han Li and the others entered.
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