This was Han Li’s first time seeing mid-grade spirit stones. One was a fiery red fire-attribute spirit stone, while the other was a deep yellow earth-attribute spirit stone—both the most commonly seen mid-grade types.
They were indeed strikingly different from the low-grade spirit stones with their faint elemental hues. Not only did their luster differ, but the powerful spiritual waves they emitted made it impossible to mistake them for anything else.
The three magical artifacts were also impressive, worthy of being crafted by a Foundation Establishment expert. They were far superior to the junk Han Li had seen at the Tai Nan Fair.
One was a ring made of what appeared to be refined steel. When activated with magic, it could fly out automatically to lock onto enemies and even change size freely within a certain range. Once, out of curiosity, Han Li channeled all his spiritual power into it. The ring emitted a faint yellow glow and expanded to a terrifying size—large enough to encase the entire thatched hut he lived in. He was left speechless for a long time.
Another artifact was a small black triangular flag. Using this artifact was even simpler. By infusing it with spiritual power and giving it a wave, it would immediately conjure clusters of black mist around the user, blinding any attackers and concealing the user’s presence. It was an excellent defensive tool.
The first two artifacts were already rare and exquisite treasures, but the one that initially thrilled Han Li the most was the last auxiliary artifact—a brass bottle that could prevent the spiritual energy of stored items from dissipating.
As soon as he obtained this bottle-shaped artifact, Han Li immediately thought of a solution to the long-standing problem of storing the mysterious green liquid.
Ever since Han Li learned about spiritual energy, he had suspected that the small bottle absorbed and condensed the natural spiritual energy of the world every night. However, without the means to verify this, the idea remained nothing more than a buried conjecture.
The appearance of this brass bottle finally gave him a way to test his theory. That very night, he placed the condensed green liquid into the bottle to see if it could preserve it.
But the results left him deeply disappointed.
The brass bottle only extended the preservation time of the green liquid from a quarter of an hour to a full day. Beyond that, the liquid would still vanish without a trace. It seemed the liquid was not merely condensed spiritual energy but something far more complex.
After this test, Han Li wisely concluded that solving this mystery was beyond his current capabilities. He decided to set the matter aside and let nature take its course. After all, the bottle’s current functions were already immensely beneficial to him.
Free from this mental burden, Han Li began using the green liquid to produce batches of “Yellow Dragon Pills” and “Golden Marrow Pills.” He planned to consume these less potent pills while searching within the valley for more effective alternative formulas.
However, Han Li knew this was not something to rush.
As a newly admitted disciple, openly inquiring about pill formulas would be like announcing, “There’s no silver buried here!”—an obvious invitation for suspicion and danger. Instead, he resolved to quietly cultivate in the medicine garden for a few years, familiarize himself with the sect’s affairs, and become an established member of Yellow Maple Valley before pursuing the matter further.
As for the medicinal herbs he had to submit periodically, Han Li had no concerns. With the help of the diluted green liquid, he could mature any herb overnight—a trivial task. He planned to settle in the medicine garden long-term, and he doubted Elder Ma would object.
Thus, Han Li fell into a routine of busy yet orderly days.
After studying the old man’s notes during the day, he frequently visited Senior Disciple Wu Feng, the cultivation instructor, to learn practical incantations for beginner spells. He would then return to the medicine garden to practice and refine his understanding.
Moreover, Han Li consumed “Yellow Dragon Pills” and “Golden Marrow Pills” like candy. In his mind, if quality was lacking, quantity would make up for it. Accumulating the effects of these pills would still yield results.
Time flew by. Unknowingly, over two years had passed since Han Li joined Yellow Maple Valley, one of the Seven Great Immortal Sects.
During these two years, many events unfolded. Shortly after Han Li began his secluded cultivation, the sect held its once-in-a-decade recruitment drive. Over a thousand youths with excellent spiritual roots and attributes from various cultivation families joined Yellow Maple Valley. Among them were even two brothers with the same rare “variant spiritual roots”—specifically, the “Lightning Spiritual Root,” renowned for its destructive power.
The appearance of these brothers captivated the attention of the valley’s higher-ups. Even a Core Formation elder who had been in seclusion for a long time made an exception to emerge. After inspecting the brothers’ spiritual roots, the elder publicly declared that if they could successfully build their foundations, he would take them as his disciples and personally guide them.
Naturally, this declaration filled other disciples with envy. Beyond these two brothers, this batch of recruits also included several other prodigies.
For example, a young Li from a minor family, only eleven or twelve years old, had already reached the peak of the ninth layer of the foundational cultivation technique without consuming any pills. His progress was astonishingly fast, seemingly no less impressive than those with variant spiritual roots.
Another child, a seven- or eight-year-old Wang, was even more remarkable. Not only was he a direct descendant of the prestigious Wang family, but he also possessed the innate “Mystic Yin Eyes,” allowing him to cultivate the long-lost “Stern Gaze Divine Light,” which could suppress all ghosts and evil spirits.
Of course, there were other exceptional talents who far surpassed ordinary disciples. Compared to previous recruitments, this batch was a remarkable harvest, leaving Sect Leader Zhong overjoyed for days. He even wondered if heaven had smiled upon Yellow Maple Valley, intending to elevate it above other sects.
However, when news arrived that the Masked Moon Sect, the strongest of the Seven Great Sects, had discovered a young girl with a “Heavenly Spiritual Root” among their new disciples, Sect Leader Zhong, who had been brimming with ambition, was left speechless for a long time.
Regardless, these new disciples completely captured the attention of everyone in Yellow Maple Valley. Even the earlier low-level disciples spent their days discussing which prodigy junior had made progress in their foundational techniques or performed some astonishing feat.
Under the dazzling spotlight of these new talents, Han Li, who had entered the sect using the Ascension Immortal Token, was completely forgotten by Sect Leader Zhong and the valley’s administrators.
Moreover, since Han Li spent all his time in the medicine garden and rarely ventured out, few people knew him. Perhaps only Senior Disciple Wu Feng and Steward Yu of the Hundred Duties Hall occasionally remembered him, as they would meet during cultivation guidance and monthly spirit stone distributions.
Regardless of how others viewed him, Han Li was very satisfied with his semi-reclusive cultivation life. The old man who came every few months to collect medicinal herbs was even more pleased with him! After all, where else could he find a garden manager like Han Li, who always submitted the required items on time without ever falling behind?
To keep Han Li, this gardening prodigy, the old man increasingly rewarded him with spirit stones, raising the monthly allowance from two low-grade spirit stones to five. This made Han Li one of the highest-earning low-level disciples, as the average income for ordinary disciples was only three spirit stones per month. Han Li’s gratitude toward Elder Ma grew accordingly.
As for Hall Master Ye, who had reneged and taken most of his items, Han Li heard that his highly anticipated grandnephew had failed to build his foundation after consuming the Foundation Establishment Pill, remaining stuck at the peak of Qi Refining. Hall Master Ye was reportedly quite frustrated. Hearing this, Han Li chuckled inwardly, feeling much better.
Additionally, thanks to the massive consumption of pills, Han Li’s Eternal Spring Art stubbornly broke through two layers, reaching the eleventh level. This placed him at the medium level among the valley’s low-level disciples. However, by this time, the “Yellow Dragon Pills” and “Golden Marrow Pills” had completely lost their effectiveness. No matter how many he took, they had no further effect.
Thus, Han Li had to advance his plans and turn his attention to other pills.
Fortunately, at this point, no one in the valley would take an interest in an unknown disciple like him. As long as he acted cautiously, his actions would not attract attention.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage