Han Li found himself in an extraordinarily peculiar hall—a massive cylindrical chamber about thirty zhang in diameter and four to five zhang high. The surrounding bluestone walls were embedded with pale red crystals, while the floor was covered with a thin layer of white sand, giving the entire space a clean and tidy appearance.
However, if one were to look up, they would be astonished to discover that the ceiling was densely covered with hanging white stalactites. This was, in fact, a rare stalactite cave that had been slightly modified to serve as a hall.
Evenly spaced around the hall were three passageways. Two of them bore ancient inscriptions: “Artifacts” (器) and “Pills” (丹). The third passageway, however, was completely unmarked.
At that moment, the hall was empty. After a quick scan and a moment of hesitation, Han Li headed toward the passage marked with the character for “Pills.”
The passage was not long. After a dozen steps and a turn, he arrived at a slightly larger room. Inside stood a long table, and beside it was a ruddy-faced elderly man who smiled warmly at Han Li.
Behind the table were several worn shelves leaning against the wall, filled with various cauldrons, raw materials, and an assortment of strange items Han Li had never seen or heard of.
Before Han Li could speak, the old man cheerfully greeted him: “Young friend, your face is unfamiliar—this must be your first time here! These days, newcomers to this godforsaken place are rare. I’ve long grown tired of seeing the same old faces. It’s wonderful to have a fresh young visitor!” The old man shook his head with a somewhat mischievous expression.
But Han Li had already noticed that his Heavenly Eye Technique had no effect on the elder—he couldn’t gauge the man’s cultivation level. This indicated that the old man was another Foundation Establishment expert. How could Han Li dare to be disrespectful?
He quickly bowed and said, “This junior pays his respects, Elder Uncle. Indeed, this is my first time visiting Yue Lu Hall. I humbly request your guidance.” Han Li kept his attitude extremely deferential.
“Feel free to ask if you have any questions, young friend. Also, my surname is Xu—you may call me Uncle Xu or Elder Xu. None of that ‘Elder Uncle’ business—I don’t care for such formalities!” The old man promptly corrected Han Li’s form of address, seeming quite particular about it.
“Then… this junior will comply,” Han Li replied after a moment’s hesitation, finding the man rather eccentric.
“Good, that’s more like it. Now, tell me your purpose for coming here,” said the satisfied Elder Xu.
“This junior wishes to study pill-related formulas and books, hoping to delve into the art of alchemy,” Han Li said, phrasing his words carefully to avoid drawing unnecessary attention.
“Pill formulas and books? Just head up those stairs!” To Han Li’s surprise, the old man showed no intention of questioning him further. With a casual wave of a black token and an incantation, a stone staircase materialized out of thin air in the empty space behind him, leading upward.
Overjoyed, Han Li hurried to the staircase. Just as he was about to ascend, Elder Xu suddenly revealed a sly expression.
“Viewing the collection on the second floor costs one low-grade spirit stone per hour. Original texts may not be removed. If you wish to make copies, each copy will cost an additional ten spirit stones.”
Before Han Li could set foot on the stairs, Elder Xu, now behind him, calmly stated the rules. Han Li froze mid-step, almost cursing aloud.
The fees were exorbitant! Not only was the copying fee ten low-grade spirit stones, but even the browsing fee of one spirit stone per hour would deter many disciples with meager resources.
After all, a low-level disciple might only earn twenty to thirty spirit stones a year through various tasks. Factoring in daily cultivation expenses and other costs, the actual savings would amount to just a few spirit stones at most.
Such pricing was undoubtedly exploitative! Han Li’s impression of the old man did a complete 180—what a ruthless profiteer!
Though his expression shifted slightly, Han Li didn’t hesitate. Without looking back, he tossed a low-grade spirit stone into the old man’s hand and quickly ascended to the second floor.
“How interesting! He wasn’t scared off by the fees—must be a little rich kid. Hehe, looks like I’ve got another small fortune coming my way!” The self-proclaimed Uncle Xu grinned, his eyes narrowing into crescent moons as he rubbed the spirit stone against his robe and examined it closely. His miserly demeanor was a far cry from the amiable impression he had initially given.
Meanwhile, Han Li suppressed his frustration and took a moment to calm himself before carefully surveying the second floor.
Contrary to his expectations of a spacious, bright room filled with countless books and bamboo scrolls, the second floor, though not small, was sparsely furnished. Two dark bookshelves, a grimy table, and a broken chair were all that occupied the room. The shelves held twenty or so yellowish old books, while the table had a few bundles of tattered bamboo scrolls and two jade slips whose original colors were long faded.
“So shabby? Did I come to the wrong place? This is hardly the secret library of a major cultivation sect—it looks more like a poor scholar’s dilapidated study!” Han Li was deeply disappointed. If not for his fear of Elder Xu’s unfathomable cultivation, he would have rushed downstairs, grabbed the old man by the collar, and demanded an explanation.
Taking a deep breath, Han Li calmly approached one of the bookshelves, pulled out an old book, and began reading carefully.
“The five elements of heaven and earth correspond to the five organs. Gold needle acupuncture can transform essence and generate vitality…” After just a few sentences, Han Li was taken aback. He closed the book and looked at its cover.
“Secret Techniques of the Hua Family’s Gold Needle”—five large characters greeted his eyes.
Han Li’s face instantly darkened. It wasn’t that the book was worthless—it contained rare acupuncture techniques, even boasting miraculous effects like reviving the dead and stimulating a patient’s potential. But what did acupuncture have to do with alchemy? To make matters worse, he had already read this book countless times under Doctor Mo’s guidance and could even recite it backward. This was clearly a secular medical text—what was it doing here?
A series of questions flooded Han Li’s mind, furrowing his brow in confusion. But as his gaze fell on the remaining books, a sense of foreboding washed over him.
Han Li frantically flipped through the remaining books one by one. With each book he finished, his expression grew darker. By the time he had examined every book on both shelves, his face was as stormy as the sky before a tempest.
None of the twenty or so books were about alchemy. They were either secret medical techniques, folk remedies for rare diseases, or, most bizarrely, a toxicology manual written by a master poisoner—all secular texts.
“One hour is up! Any longer will require additional spirit stones!” Elder Xu’s voice suddenly rang out from downstairs.
Han Li was speechless. Charging spirit stones for a pile of garbage? Still, clinging to a sliver of hope, he took out another spirit stone and tossed it down the staircase.
“Spirit stone received! Feel free to continue, young friend. I won’t disturb you further,” Elder Xu said cheerfully from below.
Han Li ignored him. He knew that, for someone so openly greedy, respect mattered far less than his ability to pay.
Not wanting to waste another spirit stone, Han Li quickly skimmed through the bamboo scrolls on the table, focusing only on their general content rather than reading every word.
Under the soft white light of a large Moonlight Stone embedded in the ceiling, Han Li’s expression shifted between delight and gloom as he browsed the scrolls. When he finished, he stacked them back in place and sighed softly.
This time, the scrolls did contain several pill formulas and some alchemy insights. Unfortunately, judging by their ingredients, these pills were similar in effect to his “Yellow Dragon Pill” and “Golden Marrow Pill”—useless to someone like him, whose Eternal Spring Art had already reached the eleventh layer.
With that, Han Li’s last hope rested on the two fist-sized jade slips. He could only pray that their contents would not leave him empty-handed.
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