This was because not only did the Heavenshifting Pill itself possess an extraordinary effect, it was able to combine perfectly with most spirit medicines without any conflict in medicinal effects. Most incredible of all was that if this pill were to be consumed with other spirit medicines, there was a certain probability that it could enhance the medicinal effect of those complementary pills by 30% to close to 50%.
This meant that if Han Li hypothetically had a spirit pill that could enhance his magic power by the same degree equivalent to the effect of 10 years of arduous cultivation, he could consume it with the Heavenshifting Pill, and there would be a certain probability that his magic power would be enhanced by the same extent as 12 to 15 years of arduous cultivation. Furthermore, this effect applied to any other pill.
As such, the rarer and more expensive a pill, the more one wanted to consume it with a Heavenshifting Pill. If they were to hit the jackpot and be blessed with the enhancement effect, that would naturally be a vast stroke of fortune.
As for the probability for this enhancement to actually take effect, that was rather difficult to strictly quantify.
There had once been someone who'd consumed three or four of these pills in succession, and every pill managed to enhance the effect of the complementary pill that was taken.
There were also stories of people selling everything they owned to purchase a few Heavenshifting Pills as a final roll of the dice, only to completely fail to be blessed with the enhancement effect, thus leaving them in complete dejection and despair.
Even so, as soon as these spirit pills first appeared, countless cultivators had gone insane over them.
All of the Azure shifting Fruits near the three human regions had been taken in just over 1,000 years, and what was even more frustrating was that these fruits took 5,000 to 6,000 years to reach full maturity.
Furthermore, each spirit tree only bore a single fruit, and after the fruit was plucked, the tree would lose all of its spiritual Qi and be reduced to a normal tree.
As such, many major sects and powers had attempted to nurture this fruit on a large scale, but it simply wasn't worth the investment.
As such, in the coming years, there would occasionally be some people who were able to source a few of these fruits from deep within the primordial world, and each and every Heavenshifting Pill that appeared inevitably led to a bloodbath between high-grade cultivators. Most of them fell into the hands of powerful beings at or above the Body Integration Stage.
When Han Li had first heard about this spirit fruit in Deep Heaven City, he was naturally extremely interested in it, and he dreamed of being able to mass-produce it using his green liquid.
Unfortunately, even Azure Shifting Fruit seeds were an extremely rare type of spirit medicine, and it had a very short shelf-life. As such, not even a single one of these fruits could be found in the three regions and seven territories.
Hence, Han Li could only stifle his excitement and lament his bad luck.
However, now that he was seeing this spirit fruit on this stone pillar, he was so excited that he could barely contain himself.
He disregarded everything else on the stone pillar as he immediately flapped his wings and rose into the air, reaching the middle of the pillar in a flash before laying a finger on that line of text.
Brilliant green light flashed, and a string of information instantly appeared in his mind.
However, after assessing the content of this string of information, Han Li's brows furrowed slightly.
"I have to meet the seller in person? That might be a little troublesome," Han Li murmured to himself as the excitement on his face faded.
However, seeing as there was a chance to secure Azure Shifting Fruits, he naturally couldn't give up regardless of how troublesome the circumstances may be.
As such, after a brief pause for contemplation, Han Li flew away as a streak of azure light.
After exiting the hall, he flew directly upward, all the way to the ninth level before flying ahead along the passageway.
After a while, Han Li glanced at the line of text inscribed above the gates of a certain hall, and he immediately flew in. This hall was identical to the previous one. Both its area and set up were a mirror-image of the hall that Han Li had just left.
However, there were clearly significantly less Tian Peng beings here than on the lower levels, with only around 20 to 30 people here.
Han Li scanned his gaze around the surrounding shops with narrowed eyes, then made his way toward a medium-sized shop situated at a corner of the hall.
This shop was divided up into two floors, and the interior was obscured by a layer of murky azure light. There was a faint red jade plaque hanging above the door, upon which was inscribed the words "Myriad Lightning Shop".
A hint of surprise flashed through Han Li's eyes upon seeing this before his expression instantly reverted back to normal.
He then immediately made his way into the shop beyond the light barrier without any hesitation.
Thus, he arrived in a spacious room that was around 30 to 40 feet in size.
Within the room was a glossy black wooden table and several faint yellow wooden chair, as well as seven or eight wooden shelves that were a little dilapidated. There was a bunch of random merchandise stacked all over the shelves, while a thin middle-aged man who appeared to be the shop owner sat behind the wooden table, along with a pair of Tian Peng beings.
Han Li surreptitiously swept his spiritual sense over these three people, upon which his expression changed slightly.
Chapter 1422: Three Choices
Those two middle-aged Tian Peng beings consisted of a man and a woman, and they appeared to be a couple. They were currently discussing something with the shop owner, and one was an early-Spatial Tempering cultivator while the other was at the mid-Spatial Tempering Stage.
As for that shopkeeper, he was a fearsome late-Spatial Tempering cultivator.
Why would a man with his cultivation base be running a shop here?
Han Li was rather astonished to see this.
At this moment, the couple turned their attention to Han Li. He was clearly an unfamiliar face and only at the mid-Deity Transformation Stage, so they were also quite surprised to see him.
Meanwhile, the thin shopkeeper merely glanced at Han Li before withdrawing his gaze as he said in a lazy voice, "Don't even think about my Purple Immortal Wood if you haven't found a Spirit Magnet! As for high-grade spirit stones, do you think I lack those?"
The thin shopkeeper was certainly making no attempt to keep his wealth a secret.
"Brother Yu, asking for a Spirit Magnet in exchange for Purple Immortal Wood is far too unreasonable. Spirit Magnets can only be found deep within the earth abyss. Even the elders of our race wouldn't dare to enter those depths for no good reason, let alone a pair of Spatial Tempering cultivators like my Dao Companion and me," the middle-aged woman argued.
"That's not my problem. Do you think I just so happened to stumble across my Purple Immortal Wood? Don't mention this matter to me again unless you secure a Spirit Magnet," the thin shopkeeper retorted in a cold manner as he rolled his eyes.
The couple's expression darkened significantly upon hearing this. However, no matter what they said next, the shopkeeper refused to make any concessions whatsoever. In the end, the couple could only depart in a resigned manner.
Throughout this entire process, none of them said so much a single word to Han Li.
After the couple had left his shop, the shopkeeper sat down in his chair with an impatient expression, and asked, "What do you want, kid?"
"I heard that you sell Azure Shifting Fruits here, Senior. Is that true?" Han Li asked in a calm manner.
The middle-aged man faltered upon hearing this before carefully appraising Han Li, then letting loose a cold harrumph as he said, "The Azure Shifting Fruit is one of the most precious items in my shop; there's no way a mere Flying Spirit General like you can afford it. Don't waste my time."
"Hmph, looks like you prefer a more violent eviction!" The middle-aged flew into a thunderous rage as he abruptly flapped the silver wings on his back toward Han Li.
Following a dull thump, a burst of immense power swept toward Han Li, making even the surrounding air tremor and buzz.
Han Li's eyelids twitched, but he made no attempt to evade. Instead, he merely raised his hand and brought it down as if it were a sword.
A streak of golden light flashed past, slicing apart that burst of enormous power with ease. The vast burst of force brushed past Han Li on either side of his body before landing on the structure behind him with a resounding boom. "Hmm? No wonder you've got some confidence; looks like you're not just all talk." The thin shopkeeper seemed to be rather surprised.
"Do I have the right to hear your price now, Senior?" Han Li asked again with a calm expression on his face.
"Alright, I guess you do, but you're still far too arrogant if you think you can satisfy the condition for my Azure Shifting Fruit," the shopkeeper replied in an indifferent manner.
"You'll have to tell me the condition first before I can determine whether I'll be able to satisfy it," Han Li prompted with a hint of a smile on his face.
"Seeing as you're so confident and I don't have any other customers at present anyway, it couldn't hurt to tell you my conditions. I trust that I won't have to tell you about just how rare and precious Azure Shifting Fruits are. If you want this fruit, I'll give you three choices. You can have the fruit if you can satisfy any of those three conditions," the shopkeeper said as his expression eased slightly.
"Three choices? Looks like the conditions will indeed be very stringent. Otherwise, you wouldn't be providing me with so many options," Han Li said with a wry smile.
"Hehe, I'm glad you're aware of that. If you can supply a legendary Infernal Lotus Flower or Dark Blood Crystal, then I can give the Azure Shifting Fruit to you right away," the middle-aged man chuckled coldly.
"Those two items are only rumored to exist, and it's yet to confirmed whether they can actually be found in this world or not. There's no way that I could be in possession of those." Han Li immediately shook his head in response.
"Hehe, only rumored to exist, eh?" A deriding sneer appeared on the middle-aged man's face upon hearing this. "Seeing as you think this first condition is impossible to satisfy, then this second one is definitely achievable. If you have 500 or 600 top-grade spirit stones in your possession, I can reluctantly sell my Azure Shifting Fruit to you."
"500 to 600 top-grade spirit stones? Surely you jest, Senior. Even the elders of the Tian Peng Race most likely won't be able to bring out so many spirit stones of that caliber. I can't satisfy that condition, either." Han Li's expression was beginning to darken slightly.
If the shopkeeper asked him for only 100 top-grade spirit stones, then he could sell the spirit medicines in his possession and perhaps scrape together that many. However, 500 to 600 was far too many, and he didn't even consider it to be a feasible option.
"Hmph, the Azure Shifting Fruit belongs to me; if I think it's worth that price, then I'll naturally state such a condition," the shopkeeper said in an unfazed manner.
Han Li had no response to this.
"If you can't accept the first two conditions, then the final one will most likely be even more impossible for you. Do you still want to hear it?" the middle-aged man asked in a cold voice.
"Please do tell, Senior!" Han Li replied with a dark expression.
Upon hearing Han Li's response, a peculiar look appeared on the shopkeeper's face. Only after a long while did he continue, "The final condition is not one that can just be satisfied by anyone. Before I disclose it to you, I must ask you something first. Are you proficient in wielding the power of lightning?"
"Lightning?" Han Li's pupils contracted in surprise.
"Indeed. If you don't possess lightning abilities or only have an insufficient grasp of lightning, then there's no need for me to reveal the third choice to you."
Han Li was a little perplexed, but after a brief moment of contemplation, he still replied truthfully, "If it's the power of lightning, then I can indeed say that I'm rather proficient in it."
"Is that so? Your words carry no weight. Show me your skills and I'll be the one to decide whether you have the right to hear the third choice." The middle-aged man showed no intention of being swayed by Han Li's words.
"Sure," Han Li answered before gently flapping his wings.
A loud thunderclap immediately erupted as countless arcs of silver lightning abruptly surfaced over his wings. The lightning then intertwined before compressing to form a dozen or so silver balls of lightning around Han Li in the blink of an eye.
Each ball of lightning was comparable to the size of a human fist, and they were crackling and flashing erratically. The fearsome power imbued within these balls of lightning made the middle-aged man's pupils contract, and a hint of elation appeared on his face.
"You certainly weren't exaggerating! Your lightning prowess is indeed quite remarkable. You have the right to hear the final option. It's actually quite simple; you don't even need to offer anything in exchange for the Azure Shifting Fruit. All you have to do is help me tame a lightning-attribute spirit beast."
"Taming a spirit beast?" Han Li's eyes lit up with surprise and a hint of excitement.
"What? You think it's going to be easy? Truth be told, this spirit beast is rather special. I've already captured it alive, but I've been unable to tame it. I've enlisted the help of many people to try and tame it, but all of them have failed. In fact, there were quite a few of them with insufficient lightning powers, and were harmed by backlash from this spirit beast. However, with your proficiency in the power of lightning, it won't be impossible. I have to give you a disclaimer first, though; I don't accept any responsibility if you're injured or killed," the middle-aged man said in a meaningful voice.
"A lightning-attribute spirit beast? Would you be able to tell me what spirit beast that is, Senior?" Han Li asked with furrowed brows?
"I'm afraid I can't tell you that for now. If you do decide to help me, I can take you to see this beast, and you'll know what it is then." A cunning light flashed through the middle-aged man's eyes.
Han Li stroked his chin upon hearing this, and he was rather unsettled by this man's ambiguous reply, but he still quickly weighed up the situation.
This man was a late-Spatial Tempering cultivator, yet even he couldn't tame this spirit beast, so it had to be quite special in some way. However, he had been quite transparent about the situation aside from his reluctance to reveal just what this spirit beast was, so his offer did appear to be quite sincere.
Han Li only spoke again after a lengthy period of contemplation. "When you say 'tame', what exactly do you need me to do, Senior?"
"Your job will be to subdue it for me so it accepts my master recognition ceremony," the middle-aged man replied without any hesitation.
"If that's all I have to do, then I'd be willing to assist you, Senior," Han Li also replied quite quickly. "Good! I have to prepare some things in advance for the master recognition ceremony. Come back here to find me in four days," the shopkeeper said as a smile appeared on his face.
"I'll be sure do so. Farewell for now, Senior," Han Li said as he cupped his fist in a salute, then promptly departed from the shop.
The middle-aged stroked his goatee as he looked on in the direction that Han Li had departed toward, and a hint of excitement appeared in his eyes.
After exiting the shop, Han Li didn't immediately leave the exchange center. Instead, he returned to the stone pillar for information exchange, hoping to find some other items that would catch his fancy...
Han Li only left the exchange center with an elated expression on his face right on the cusp of closing time.
He had truly reaped bountiful rewards here. Aside from that advertisement for the Azure Sifting Fruit, there were also advertisements on the stone pillar selling many precious materials that were extremely rare among the human race. Some of them were tool refinement materials while others consisted of spirit medicines and spirit fruits.
There was one particular spirit medicine among them that was one of the main ingredients alongside the Golden Marrow Crystal Insect for refining the Provenance True Devil Projection.
That was naturally a source of elation for Han Li. If he could find the other two spirit medicines required, he'd have all of the ingredients he needed to manifest the true body.
With that in mind, Han Li flew into the distance as a streak of azure light.
The next day was going to be the third day since he made his agreement with the grand elder of the Tian Peng Race. However, Han Li wore a faint smile as he flew through the air, seemingly having already forgotten about this agreement.
Chapter 1423: The Kun Peng Relic and the Tian Peng Vow
"Have you agreed to join our Tian Peng Race?" A young woman asked with a pair of bright shimmering eyes.
"I won't be allowed to leave if I don't agree, right?" Han Li sighed in a resigned manner.
At this moment, he was situated within a pavilion with this young woman, along with an elderly man and another beauty.
These two new early-Body Integration Stage Tian Peng Race elders were currently appraising the Thunderstorm Wings on his back with scorching yearning in their eyes.
"You've made a wise decision, Fellow Daoist Han. As long as our race's holy disciple can pass the trial, we'll be sure to repay you." The young woman's voice was filled with elation, but her calm tone also suggested that she had already predicted Han Li's answer well in advance.
"If the trial really is as you describe, then I really haven't offered much assistance here. However, at the same time, I don't want to be completely at your mercy once I've outlived my usefulness, so I have two conditions. I hope you can accept those two conditions so I can assist your race's holy disciple without any qualms or concerns," Han Li suddenly said.
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