The aura the Azure Phoenix Fairy had casually released just now had left him completely unable to move. Then, with a wave of her hand, she had taken the Azure Mystic Art manual straight from inside his robes.
That was why he felt it was unsafe to carry these things on him. Cultivators with higher cultivation than his could tell what he was carrying with a single glance.
Fortunately, he had not carried the Purple Cauldron with him. Ever since discovering its unusual properties, he had kept it hidden in his room, only taking it out to study when Zhang Qingshan was away...
Otherwise, the Azure Phoenix Fairy might have discovered the Purple Cauldron on him.
Ye Han still had not figured out how to use the Purple Cauldron.
But he could sense that it was one of those cultivators' treasures Zhang Qingshan had told him about...
For now, Ye Han had no way of knowing what grade of treasure it was.
But he would never let anyone find out about the Purple Cauldron. Wealth should never be flaunted, and treasures should never be shown.
He had already suffered dearly once for exposing his wealth. He had shown just a little of his money and nearly been seized and had his legs broken so he could be made into a beggar.
If anyone learned that a disciple with such low cultivation possessed a treasure like this, wouldn't he be waiting for death?
Until he had the strength to protect himself, he had to keep this treasure well hidden.
No! Even if he could protect himself, he still could not show his treasure to others. It wasn't the thief who stole that he had to fear, but the thief who kept coveting it.
Among cultivators, strength reigned supreme. Beyond every strong hand was a stronger one; there would always be someone capable of dealing with him.
Besides, no matter how powerful he became, even a fierce tiger feared a pack of wolves.
All this time, despite Senior Brother Zhang Qingshan's excellent character, he had never shown him the Purple Cauldron or asked him to help determine what sort of treasure it was and how to use it...
With that in mind, Ye Han decided not to carry the Qi Refining Pills either, hiding them together with the Purple Cauldron instead.
For now, keeping these things in the hidden compartment beneath his bed was much safer than carrying them on him.
After all, the Cave Abode's defenses were strong enough. Unless a cultivator at the legendary Golden Core Stage forced their way in to search it, no one could discover them.
Of course, before Zhang Qingshan returned, he would not let any other cultivators inside.
The thought of Zhang Qingshan filled Ye Han with deep worry. So much time had passed, yet Senior Brother Zhang Qingshan still had not returned. Had something truly happened that prevented him from coming back?
Zhang Qingshan had been the first cultivator on the mountain to offer him a helping hand, though he had his own motive: he wanted to cultivate in Ye Han's Cave Abode.
But he had not used his cultivation or status to force Ye Han to comply. He had also taught him a great deal about cultivators and the path of cultivation.
One could say that Senior Brother Zhang Qingshan was his guide on the path of cultivation.
Senior Brother Zhang Qingshan really was a decent man, and a considerable bond had already formed between them.
But worrying now would do him no good. He was already struggling to keep himself safe.
This time, it had been Senior Brother Jin Feng who came. Who knew who would come next?
After all, his true identity and circumstances had already spread throughout Seven Mysteries Peak. Plenty of people were surely scheming against him; most simply had not been as eager as Jin Feng to come looking for him.
More people were watching how things unfolded, and there was no telling whether they would make a move against him. As long as his cultivation remained low, there would always be someone who dared to bully him.
He had already learned that lesson very clearly back in Green Ox Village.
He was an orphan, with no powerful parents beside him and no brothers or sisters. He had only himself.
There were always people who would bully him from time to time, or hurl nasty words at him without restraint...
His own weakness was the root of it all.
Although Jin Feng had left for the time being because of the Azure Phoenix Fairy's arrival,
Ye Han had already thoroughly offended him. One look at Senior Brother Jin Feng was enough to know he would not be easy to deal with. He would repay even the smallest slight, was deeply greedy, and used his strength to bully the weak.
Ye Han urgently needed to grow stronger.
Yet lately, he felt his cultivation had hit another bottleneck. After reaching the Second Layer of the Qi Refining Realm, he could barely advance a single step.
He could not break through to the Third Layer of the Qi Refining Realm.
Although he had already progressed very quickly, that was thanks to the aid of the Cave Abode's abundant Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy.
There was also that inexplicable breakthrough into the Qi Refining Realm.
He felt that breakthrough had been closely connected to the Purple Cauldron, but he still had no way of knowing exactly how.
So Ye Han returned to the Cultivation Room, shut the door, and took out one of the inferior Qi Refining Pills he had bought.
Although he did not know this Qi Refining Pill's grade, compared with those the Azure Phoenix Fairy had given him, it was clearly the difference between heaven and earth. The gap was far too great.
Still, that made him feel that taking this inferior Qi Refining Pill should place a much smaller burden on him.
Ye Han sat cross-legged and tossed the Qi Refining Pill into his mouth.
Once the Qi Refining Pill entered his mouth, he swallowed it down into his stomach.
At once, he felt a scorching, scorching heat in his belly, as though he had drunk a cup of boiling water in the dead of winter. His stomach felt as if it were about to boil.
This was only an inferior Qi Refining Pill. How could taking it cause such a strong reaction?
But this was Ye Han's first time cultivating with a medicinal pill, so naturally, he did not know how potent its medicinal effects could be.
Still, Senior Brother Zhang Qingshan had mentioned during their chats that refining a medicinal pill mainly involved circulating one's cultivation art, absorbing the pill's medicinal power within the body, and converting it into one's own magical power. No matter what happened, one had to persevere.
With that in mind, Ye Han gritted his teeth and circulated the Azure Mystic Art, rapidly absorbing the pill's medicinal power in his belly.
As he circulated the art, although he did not know how to absorb the pill's medicinal power from his stomach, he knew that cultivators' cultivation arts were not so simple.
Sure enough, as the Azure Mystic Art circulated smoothly, he felt the boiling energy in his belly being drawn along by the energy he was circulating, entering his meridians together with it.
He had never felt anything so clearly before. He could feel the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy and medicinal power flowing through his meridians, coursing like running water and washing through his meridians and blood.
After just one full cycle of the Azure Mystic Art, he felt his energy and magical power grow considerably stronger in that instant. The sensation was unmistakable.
My heavens.
Cultivating with medicinal pills was dozens of times faster than simply sitting in meditation like this!
He felt that even ten or more days of seated cultivation would not match a single cycle of cultivation with a medicinal pill.
The feeling of growing stronger with every passing moment was simply exhilarating.
No wonder so many cultivators craved medicinal pills so intensely.
If a single inferior Qi Refining Pill had such a tremendous effect, then if I took the better Qi Refining Pills the Azure Phoenix Fairy gave me...
Wouldn't I progress even faster?
The thought filled Ye Han's heart with anticipation.
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