Han Li felt greatly disappointed upon hearing this, though he wasn’t particularly surprised. After all, “Yellow Dragon Pills” and “Golden Marrow Pills” were merely revered medicines in the mortal world. They might be miraculous elixirs for ordinary people, but for cultivators, they were indeed a notch inferior.
Since the other party wasn’t impressed, Han Li had no intention of dragging things out. He reached out to take back the porcelain bottles.
“Even though these pills are a bit lacking, if you had a few more bottles, I’d be willing to make the trade!” the young man suddenly spoke up, wearing a regretful expression.
Han Li, who had already extended his arm, immediately pulled it back upon hearing these words and chuckled softly.
“Did I ever say I only had these two bottles of medicine?” Han Li narrowed his eyes, staring at the young man as he spoke slowly.
“You have more?” The young man was slightly startled but quickly broke into a delighted expression.
“Of course. But if you’re asking for too much, I’ll have to consider whether this trade is worth it,” Han Li said noncommittally, worried the other might make an exorbitant demand.
“Excellent! I don’t need too many—just three more bottles will be enough to help me break through my bottleneck in a short time.” The young man grew excited, his enthusiasm a stark contrast to his earlier cold demeanor.
This was hardly surprising. After all, who would willingly trade away pills that could consolidate one’s foundation and enhance cultivation? Most people couldn’t get enough of such pills for themselves! This was also the main reason the young man had failed to trade away his “Flight Talisman” over the past few days.
Even though Han Li’s “Yellow Dragon Pills” and “Golden Marrow Pills” weren’t top-tier elixirs for cultivators, their sheer quantity was enough to help someone long stuck at the peak of the ninth layer break through to the tenth layer, significantly boosting the young man’s power.
However, only someone like Han Li, who treated such medicines as snacks, would be willing to trade them away. Yet Han Li was well aware of the principle of not flaunting one’s wealth. He didn’t want to give the impression that he could easily produce large quantities of pills without a second thought.
So, he stroked his chin and put on a pained, reluctant expression.
“Is that so? That’s a bit too much. You’re asking for all the pills I have on me!” Han Li muttered under his breath on purpose.
“This isn’t too much at all! This is a high-level spirit talisman, after all! Just think—with this talisman, if you ever find yourself in danger, you can immediately take to the skies and flee. It’s even faster than ordinary flying birds and is practically an extra life! As long as the spiritual energy in this talisman doesn’t dissipate, it can be used repeatedly. It’s a very practical spirit talisman!” Seeing that Han Li seemed capable of producing the required pills, the young man’s smile widened. He enthusiastically promoted the wonders of his Flight Talisman, afraid Han Li might change his mind.
“If we’re going to trade, then fine. But throw in that stack of talisman paper and that book as well.” Seeing that the other party was genuinely interested in trading for his pills, Han Li pointed unceremoniously at a stack of blank talisman paper and a tattered copy of “Basic Spell Incantations: Incomplete Edition” on the stall.
The young man was taken aback at first, but when he saw that Han Li was only asking for low-tier talisman paper and a spellbook that had been gathering dust, he was overjoyed and agreed without hesitation.
And so, the “Flight Talisman” became Han Li’s possession, along with a stack of talisman paper and a spellbook he had been eyeing for some time.
Han Li flipped through the old book briefly. It contained the most basic elementary spells, including seven or eight low-tier spells and one mid-tier elementary spell called “Earth Spike Technique” recorded inside.
To other cultivators, such a book was practically worthless, but Han Li was immensely satisfied.
What he lacked most were precisely these kinds of basic spells. Although other stalls sold similar books—some even better and more comprehensive—their prices were exorbitant.
One copy of “Compendium of Elementary Five Elements Spells” was priced at ninety low-tier spirit stones, while another, “Basics of Water Spell Talismans,” cost sixty low-tier spirit stones. Though these books were thick and contained more techniques, Han Li simply couldn’t afford them at the moment.
After acquiring these items, Han Li felt somewhat tired and had no desire to continue wandering around. He left the square directly and headed toward the cluster of pavilions.
Not far from the square, he glanced back and noticed that the crowd seemed to have grown. It appeared there were quite a few night-owl cultivators who preferred coming out after dark.
As he approached the palace-like structures, Han Li realized these pavilions were constructed from extremely precious tung wood and large blocks of bluestone. Not only were each exquisitely carved with dragons and phoenixes, but there were also faint traces of spiritual energy fluctuations nearby—likely the restrictive spells Qingwen Daoist had mentioned.
After circling around, Han Li finally found the pavilion he was looking for and approached it.
However, when he was still several zhang away, he suddenly felt as if he had bumped into something. An invisible force pushed him back, shoving him several steps away.
Han Li was both surprised and excited. It seemed there were countless things in the cultivation world he didn’t know, and he longed to learn all of them.
As this thought crossed his mind, he activated his Heavenly Eye Technique and looked toward the small building.
In the distance, he saw a faint layer of blue light blocking his path. The entire pavilion was enveloped in this blue glow, as if covered by an inverted giant bowl.
Han Li stepped forward once more and gently prodded the blue light with his finger. It felt soft and highly elastic. When he applied a bit more force, a subtle反弹 force pushed back. It appeared that the defensive capability of this blue light was quite remarkable.
Now that he understood the function of the blue light, Han Li didn’t investigate further. Instead, he took out the talisman given to him by Qingwen Daoist and pressed it against the light screen. Immediately, ripples spread across the blue light, and a circular opening appeared, just large enough for Han Li to pass through.
Without hesitation, Han Li stored the talisman and stepped inside, heading toward the pavilion. The opening slowly shrank behind him until it closed completely, restoring the light screen to its original state.
The pavilion before him wasn’t particularly large. With its two stories, it stood about ten zhang tall. However, its area was more than sufficient to accommodate over a dozen people.
Han Li smiled slightly and stepped inside, entering the first-floor hall. The hall was simply yet elegantly furnished, with only two Eight Immortals tables and over a dozen wooden chairs, giving it a somewhat ascetic ambiance fitting for cultivation.
The young monk named Ku Sang was sitting cross-legged in a corner of the hall, chanting scriptures with his eyes closed, looking every bit like an enlightened monk. None of the others were present.
“Venerable Ku Sang, has Daoist Qingwen returned?” Han Li walked up to the monk and asked politely.
The young monk didn’t respond immediately but continued murmuring to himself. It wasn’t until Han Li grew impatient that the monk opened his eyes and said apologetically, “Don’t blame me, Benefactor Han! I was reciting the Diamond Sutra at a critical point and couldn’t stop immediately to respond. Please forgive me!”
Han Li forced a dry laugh. “How could I blame you? I admire those who can focus without distractions the most!”
Hearing this, the young monk smiled and said unhurriedly, “Daoist Qingwen and the others are waiting for you on the second floor. They instructed me to tell you to go up as soon as you arrived. It seems they have something to discuss with you.”
Han Li felt somewhat annoyed upon hearing this.
This young monk was really something. If someone was looking for me, why didn’t he tell me right away instead of dragging it out? It seems I should keep my distance from monks and the like in the future!
Though he complained inwardly, Han Li’s expression remained unchanged. He nodded and walked toward the staircase near the hall, climbing up to the second floor with echoing steps.
As soon as he reached the second floor, he saw Hei Mu and Hei Jin, the two brothers, talking near the staircase. When they noticed Han Li, they immediately stopped their conversation and approached him.
“Brother Han, Daoist Qingwen is waiting for you inside. Come with us.” Han Li’s expression was calm, and he remained silent as he followed them through a series of twists and turns down the corridor into a room.
The room was crowded. Aside from the monk, everyone else was there, along with two strangers he hadn’t met before.
One was a smiling youth of about sixteen or seventeen, and the other was a fair-skinned, plump young man in his early twenties. These two were likely the ones even Qingwen found troublesome.
“Brother Han, you’re here! Please, have a seat.” Qingwen Daoist pointed to a chair beside him and spoke courteously to Han Li.
Han Li nodded and took the seat.
“These two are Wu Jiuzhi from Yunmenjian and Huang Xiaotian from Shituo Valley.” Qingwen introduced the youth and the plump young man to Han Li in turn.
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