The other red-clothed disciple who had yet to speak lightly waved his hand, causing Han Li’s jade talisman to fly like a small wing through the hole and into his hand.
“Senior Martial Brother Ma is your sponsor?” The red-clothed disciple who looked at the jade talisman exclaimed, somewhat astonished.
“It truly is a token of trust that Martial Senior Ma has given to my humble self.” Han Li honestly replied. However, he was shocked from his heart. The age of these two red-clothed men weren’t very old. However, they were actually Foundation Establishment experts. This had greatly shocked him!
It should be known that in a cultivation sect, status was not determined by seniority. Status was determined by the depths of their cultivation. After all, the path of cultivation could only be tread by the strong!
“That Senior Brother Ma who is obsessed with refining pills all day?” The red-clothed disciple at the side asked in surprise.
“That’s right, he even vouches for people? This is truly shocking! Are you his personal disciple or a blood relative or something else entirely?” The red-clothed disciple holding the jade talisman, repeatedly asked with curiosity.
“No, this junior simply takes care of his medicine garden on Martial Senior Ma’s behalf. For this token of trust, this disciple has agreed to look after the garden for free for a year!” Han Li currently didn’t dare to slight them and respectfully replied with a bitter smile.
What he said was completely true.
Actually, when Han Li began to plan to acquire pill recipes, he thought that because this Martial Senior Ma planted so many medicinal herbs, he would have conducted a great amount of research on pill concoction. He was certain to have many medicine pill recipes on hand! That was why several months before, Han Li took advantage of the period when the small old man arrived to take the medicine ingredients and made a few indirect inquiries.
The result caused Han Li’s eye’s to become foolish-eyed. When the small old man heard these words, he immediately shook his head as if he were beating a drum with it. Regardless of what Han Li said, he was rejected. According to this Martial Senior Ma, his pill recipes were the results of the experience of a pill refining master’s countless failures. How could he possibly give them to others that casually? It was unconditionally impossible!
However, when Han Li earnestly explained that he only wanted those original, unaltered pill recipes, the small old man looked at him and impatiently told Han Li in a blunt manner to go to Yue Lu Hall and find them himself. Why should he be inconvenienced in such a way to help him? Like that, Han Li was forced to work a year for free in exchange for the small old man’s token of trust and was able to presently come to Yue Lu Hall.
“Hehe! It turned out to be like that. I was under the impression of the rumor that Senior Brother Ma’s temper suddenly changed!” After the two red-clothed men listened, they looked at each other with a smile. These words were spoken with a snicker by the one holding the jade talisman.
“Alright, you may enter!”
The red-clothed men simultaneously cast a spell on the wall of light, causing the wall of light to rigidly squeeze open a three-meter-wide passage. It was just enough for one person to pass through.
When Han Li saw this, he hesitated for a moment. Then his figure immediately flashed, and he was within the wall.
After he entered the wall of light, something caused him to become greatly surprised.
When he was outside, because of the red wall of light’s obstruction, Han Li was not able to see the interior. Now that he was inside, apart from a small circular spell formation, he saw that the mountain was unexpectedly bare; there weren’t any buildings at all, causing Han Li to be incomparably puzzled!
“Take care of this jade talisman. Every time you come here, there will be a routine inspection. That is the rule here.” After they released their spell on the wall of light, the person who examined the token of trust returned the jade talisman to Han Li.
“Many thanks to these two martial uncles!” Han Li withdrew his curious glances and saluted as respectfully as he could. He hoped to give these two men a good impression of him. After all, he would be returning here often in the future.
“En, follow me!”
It was obvious Han Li’s inclination was not in vain. These two’s expressions grew much more mild. After all, the majority of those who came here were disciples of the same generation. Naturally they wouldn’t be as overly courteous as Han Li, causing the two to have a favorable impression towards Han Li.
“However, Martial Nephew Han, why did you want to come to this Yue Lu hall? Regardless of whether one is starting to refine pills or magic tools, it would be best to wait until one is Foundation Establishment. You’ve come here a bit too early!” One of the red-clothed men asked. At this time, these two men were bringing Han Li towards the circular spell formation.
“This junior simply witnessed Martial Senior Ma refine many pills. He also saved a few raw materials while caring for the garden. That was why he wished to test his luck and see whether or not he may find a suitable recipe to refine a few medicine pills to progress his cultivation. After all, Martial Nephew’s aptitude is truly poor and can only rely on external power.” Han Li replied half truthfully, deliberately falling behind the two people half a step.
“So it’s like that! However, Martial Nephew shouldn’t be too hopeful. After you enter, you will understand my meaning.” The other man lightly shook his head, not very optimistic of Han Li’s goal.
At this time, the three had already walked in front the circular spell formation. Then a red-clothed person indicated Han Li to stand in the middle of the spell formation. The two stood to the left and right of the spell formation.
“Usually, the use of this transportation formation requires the payment of a low-grade spirit stone. However since it is Martial Nephew’s first time, we will exempt you this time. Next time, however, we will be completely acting in accordance to the rules.” One of the men said with a weak smile.
Just as those words were uttered, the two men each released a stream of red light toward the spell formation in an extremely practiced manner. Then the several spirit stones imbedded in the formation shined brightly.
Without having the chance to thank the two, he suddenly felt the sky spin and saw his surround scenery to become, indistinct. Then a brilliant light flashed and Han Li arrived in an unfamiliar hall. He was currently standing in a spell formation exactly like the one he had used before.
‘So this was the rumored transportation formation. Truly wonderful!’ Han Li inwardly exclaimed in astonishment. After his feelings of discomfort from the formation faded away, he swept his gaze across the large, extraordinary hall.
Chapter 154: Elder Xu and the Scripture Storage
The hall Han Li stood in was very peculiar. The cylindrical-shaped, enormous room was roughly over a hundred meters wide and about fifteen meters tall. The green stone wall surrounding the area had light-red crystals embedded within, and on the floor there was a thin layer of white sand, which made the whole hall seem clean and tidy.
But if someone were to look up, they would be stunned to find white stalactites hanging down everywhere from the ceiling. This place was actually a stalactite cave, and it was slightly transformed by people into how it looked like today.
Surrounding the hall were three evenly-spaced tunnels. Two of the tunnels were marked with the character “Tool ?” and the character “Pill ?.” There was nothing carved on the last tunnel, nor were there any labels nearby.
Since there was no one in the hall at the moment, Han Li swept his eyes across the room, hesitated a little, and went to the tunnel with the character “Pill ?” carved at its entrance.
The tunnel wasn’t long. After more than ten steps and a turn, a slightly larger house appeared at the end of the tunnel. In the house there was a long table, and an old man with his face glowing stood beside the table as he looked at Han Li with a big grin.
; And behind the table, there were several old, worn out shelves against the wall, the tops covered with cauldron furnaces, raw materials, and some other random, strange items that Han Li had never heard of before.
The old man, smiling broadly, spoke before Han Li could say anything, “Young Friend, you look unfamiliar. It’s your first time here, isn’t it! Less and less new faces are coming to this damned place! An old fellow like me is already tired of all these stiff, old faces here. It’s great to see a younger, new face!” The old man shook his head and said with a welcoming tone.
Han Li already realized that the Heaven Eye’s Technique didn’t work on the old man. He couldn’t tell the depth of the old man’s cultivation, which meant that the old man was another expert of Foundation Establishment. How could Han Li dare to ignore him!
And so, he immediately paid his respects and said, “Junior greets Senior Martial Uncle. This is Martial Nephew’s first time here at Yue Lu Hall. Senior Martial Uncle please point me in the right direction!” Han Li humbled himself before this senior.
“Young Friend, if you have any questions, just ask. Also, I am surnamed Xu. Call me Senior Uncle Xu or Elder Xu. Don’t call me Senior Martial Uncle. An old fellow like me doesn’t like hearing that!” The Elder immediately corrected his title to Han Li. It seemed like he cared about it considerably.
“Then… Junior will obey!” Han Li hesitated, and agreed since it wasn’t a big deal. He felt that the old man was strange.
“That’s right, now let’s talk about why you’re here.” The old man surnamed Xu continued in satisfaction.
“Junior wants to look for formulas related to medicine pills, read some books, and research the methods for refining pills.” Han Li tried his best to speak subtly and indirectly. He didn’t wish to draw people’s attention.
“Books about refining pills and formulas? Just follow this stairs straight up!” What surprised Han Li was that the Elder didn’t seem like he was going to ask at all. After he casually took out a black command medallion and casted a spell, a flight of stone stairs leading towards the ceiling appeared out of nowhere into the empty space next to the shelves,
Han Li was overjoyed. He immediately hastened towards the stairs, but just as he was about to go up, this Elder Xu suddenly made a sly expression.
“Reading in the library on the second floor will cost you one low-grade spirit stone every two hours. You are not allowed to take the original from this place, and if you want to copy the contents, there will be a fee of ten spirit stones for each copied document.”
Han Li haven’t even stepped onto the foot of the stairs when Elder Xu, who was behind him, spoke the rules in a tone that was neither too fast nor too slow. Han Li’s steps stuttered, and he almost cursed out loud.
The fee was too expensive! Not to mention the copying fee of ten low-grade spirit stones, the reading fee for two hours a spirit stones alone would stop a lot of poor disciples.
A low level disciple could only earn about twenty to thirty spirit stones each year through their respective jobs! But after their cultivation and daily expenses, only a few spirit stones could be saved in reality.
Hence, this type of fee was definitely unethical! Han Li’s impression of this Elder immediately made a 180 degree turn. What a profiteer!
Even though Han Li’s face now shows an unusual expression, he didn’t stop because of what the Elder said. Instead, he threw a low-grade spirit stone into the Elder’s hands without looking back and headed to the second floor in a hurry.
“Interesting! I can’t believe this kind of fee didn’t scare him away. Looks like he is someone with some money. Hehe. Looks like I will be able to gain some wealth!” Seeing Han Li going up the stairs so forthright, this person who called himself Elder Xu couldn’t help it but smile until his eyes resembled half moons. He rubbed the spirit stone on the corner of his clothes and examined it closely in front of his eyes. He exposed his stingy cheapskate side and was completely different than the approachable expression he had when Han Li first met him.
Han Li struggled to suppress how upset he was. After he calmed down, he carefully examined what was on the second floor.
The room was different than what was in his imagination: wide, bright, with countless books and bamboo slips filling the big room. Even though the room on the second floor wasn’t small, the items that were there were so few that it was truly disheartening.
Two dusty bookshelves, a dirty table, and a broken chair; these was all the furniture in the room. Of course there was also twenty to thirty old, yellow books on the bookshelves, a few worn-out bamboo slips on the table, and two jade cylinders that had lost their original color.
“This shabby? Did I walk to a wrong place? What kind of a major cultivation sect’s secret library is this! This place looks like some poor student’s run-down study room.” Han Li was hit hard by what appeared before him in the room. If it weren’t because he was hesitant due to Elder Xu’s hidden power, he would have almost certainly rushed downstairs, grabbed his collar, and questioned him.
After taking a deep breath, Han Li calmly walked in front of a bookshelf, randomly picked out an old book, and read it carefully.
“Five phases of Heaven and Earth corresponds to the five viscera, the location where the acupuncture needle strikes can change one’s life essence…” He only read the first few lines of this book, immediately felt surprised, and closed the book to look at the cover.
“Hua Clan’s Secret Acupuncture Technique” These five words appeared in front of Han Li’s eyes.
Han Li’s facial expression immediately darkened, but not because the book wasn’t exceptional. The records in this book described the rare method of acupuncture, which could even cure patients who were on the edge of dying and stimulate the patient’s’ potential. But what did acupuncture techniques have to do with refining pills?!?! What was even more staggering was that he had already read this book countless of times back when he under Doctor Mo’s tutelage. He even memorized it by heart. This was suppose to be a medical book in the secular world. Why would it be here?
A series of questions popped into Han Li’s mind, and it made him lock his eyebrows in confusion. But when his eyes landed on the rest of the books on the bookshelves, he had an even more ominous feeling about it.
Han Li went through the rest of the old books In a hustle. After going through every single book, his face darkened a little more. And after he went through all the books on another bookshelf, Han Li’s expression was as dark as the sky before a storm was about to hit.
None of the twenty books were about refining pills. They were either methods used to save patients or home remedy for strange and complicated diseases. The most absurd thing was that there was even a poison expert’s narration about ways to use poison. They were all books used in the secular world.
“Two hours are up. Keep reading and there will be additional fee of spirit stones!” Suddenly, Elder Xu yelled from downstairs.
Hearing this, Han Li was speechless. These trashy books were worth spirit stones? But when he turned and looked at the items on the table, he felt doubtful, took out another spirit stone, and threw it down to the foot of the stairs.
“I received the spirit stones, Young Friend. Keep reading. This Elder will stop interrupting!” Elder Xu grinned and spoke from downstairs.
Han Li stopped paying attention to the Elder because he knew clearly that to the old man who didn’t hide his desires, whether or not he paid his respects wasn’t important. What was important was that Han Li kept giving him more spirit stones and letting him make a profit.
But Han Li didn’t plan on wasting another spirit stone, so this time he moved faster when going through the bamboo slips on the table with a speed that was obviously faster than before. He only had to go through the contents briefly instead of reading them sentence by sentence.
Under the smooth, white light coming from a giant moon light stone on the roof, Han Li’s mood went up and down while flipping
through the bamboo slips. After he went through all of the bamboo slips, Han Li put the bamboo slips back to where they came from and sighed softly.
This time, these bamboo slips really did contain formulas and reports for a few medicine pills, but unfortunately, judging from the ingredients, these medicines all had effects similar to the “Yellow Dragon Pellet” and the “Gold Essence Pill.” To Han Li, whose Eternal Spring Arts was currently at eleventh layer, they didn’t have much effect on him anymore.
Therefore, Han Li’s only hope was on those two jade cylinder that were the size of his fist. Hopefully, what they recorded would not let him return empty-handed.
Chapter 155: Depression
Han Li picked up the jade cylinder and blew it, exposing its true emerald-green glisten.
He pressed the cylinder against his forehead and slowly submerged his mind within it. An astonishing medicine pill refining formula appeared in his head. Unexpectedly, it was the Foundation Establishment Pill refining formula that Han Li had longingly yearned for. The process had quite a few steps: spanning from gathering raw materials to condensing the pill. This discovery gave him a delightful surprise!
For a while, he didn’t go see the other jade cylinders. Then he hastily skimmed through its entirety. However, when his spirit read the words “Must be refined with Innate True Fire for success”, Han Li stared blankly for a moment with a feeling of great foolishness.
Innate True Fire was a Daoist astral fire that only Foundation Establishment experts possessed. It was a basic magic that only one possessing the cultivation of Foundation Establishment could perform. Its power could be gradually strengthened when refining Qi during meditation to the point where, after one achieves Core Formation, the true fire could become a Samadhi fire from legend, capable of charring everything under the heavens.
However, how could Han Li, a Qi Condensation cultivator, possibly draw out this Innate True Fire? Only after he entered Foundation Establishment would he be able to ignite it.
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