So that was how it worked

Indeed, the moment Ye Han took out the Purple Cauldron, he discovered that its texture had turned stone-like again...

He stared at the stone-like Purple Cauldron, dumbfounded, turning it over and over in his hands. He had no idea why it had suddenly changed back to this state.

He remembered how swiftly his cultivation had advanced the last time the Purple Cauldron looked like this. After he finished cultivating, it had returned to its original appearance.

What was going on?

Did the Purple Cauldron automatically turn stone-like at regular intervals?

Barely able to contain his excitement, Ye Han examined the stone-like Purple Cauldron. Previously, when he first succeeded in practicing the Azure Mystic Art, he had gone to sleep and woken to a sudden leap in his cultivation, entering the Qi Refining Realm in one fell swoop.

Even Senior Brother Zhang Qingshan had thought he was a genius among geniuses for entering the Qi Refining Realm in such a short time...

That was when he had noticed that the previously stone-like Purple Cauldron had returned to its original appearance.

That was why he believed the Purple Cauldron had to be a treasure capable of helping cultivators cultivate.

With the Purple Cauldron and these Qi Refining Pills, he felt he should be able to make another breakthrough. Truly reaching the middle stage of the Qi Refining Realm ought to be easy.

With that thought, he opened the bottle containing the Qi Refining Pills. The moment he opened it, he was alarmed-a whiff of decay rose from within.

That smell gave him a terrible feeling. He tipped the contents straight out, revealing a layer of gray residue. Where were the Qi Refining Pills?

At the sight of the residue, Ye Han stood frozen like a wooden chicken, a sharp pain stabbing his heart. These had not been ordinary Qi Refining Pills, but higher-grade ones given to him by the Azure Phoenix Fairy...

Although he did not know their exact grade, judging by their medicinal fragrance, spiritual energy, and smooth surfaces alone, the Qi Refining Pills the Azure Phoenix Fairy had given him were certainly no ordinary pills.

How had they turned to ash so quickly?

Had the Azure Phoenix Fairy been playing a trick on him? Had she merely given him some terribly inferior pills?

Gold and jade on the outside, rotten stuffing within-was that what this was?

No!

From Ye Han's own judgment, the Azure Phoenix Fairy was certainly not someone who enjoyed playing petty tricks on a lowly cultivator like him...

Looking at the pile of ash before him, Ye Han could not understand why this had happened.

Only after a long while did Ye Han accept the reality before his eyes. Shaking his head helplessly, he muttered, "One joy and one sorrow, indeed. The Purple Cauldron...!"

Before he finished speaking, his eyes suddenly lit up. "Could that be how it works?" he exclaimed in delighted surprise.

He picked up the Purple Cauldron and looked at the now-empty bottle in his hand, suddenly feeling that he might have discovered the cauldron's secret.

He remembered putting the Purple Cauldron together with the Qi Refining Pills, thinking they would be safer that way.

A possibility occurred to him. Could the Purple Cauldron have absorbed those Qi Refining Pills?

And precisely because it had absorbed the medicinal power of these Qi Refining Pills, the Purple Cauldron had turned this stone-like color again.

After all, the last time the Purple Cauldron looked like stone, it had gradually changed during that cultivation session, returning to the color of purple jade.

And during that session, he had very quickly become a Qi Refining Realm cultivator.

In other words, when the Purple Cauldron looked like stone, it had absorbed enough Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy, or the power of pills, allowing him to absorb its power to cultivate.

But what difference did that make?

Simply taking the pills would let him cultivate quickly, too. What did it matter if the Purple Cauldron absorbed them?

Of course, he had yet to test it.

Ye Han immediately decided to try, to see whether the Purple Cauldron really had absorbed the pills' medicinal power, and just how much benefit it could bring him in its current state.

But when he picked up the Purple Cauldron, he noticed that its transformation was different this time. Now that it had turned to stone, he could clearly see a slight difference in its color.

He could not say exactly what was different. He simply felt it was not the same as last time.

Could absorbing pills produce a different result from what had happened before?

With that thought, Ye Han carried the Purple Cauldron into the Cultivation Room and carefully set it before him.

Then he sat cross-legged and began cultivating with the Azure Mystic Art. As he circulated the art, he felt the magical power in his body flowing continuously through his meridians. He could now clearly sense it circulating within him, something he had been unable to feel before.

Perhaps that had been because his cultivation was too low and his magical power too weak.

Now things were different. As he circulated his power, he felt that his perception of the surrounding auras had become much sharper.

Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy began surging toward him.

He kept watching for changes in the Purple Cauldron...

Unfortunately, although he was circulating his cultivation art, he sensed no change in the Purple Cauldron.

Nor did he sense the Purple Cauldron releasing any unusual aura that would increase his cultivation.

This left Ye Han somewhat disappointed.

Had he guessed wrong?

Was the Purple Cauldron unable to increase a cultivator's cultivation speed and level, contrary to what he had imagined?

If that really was the case, he had suffered a tremendous loss this time.

Five extraordinary Qi Refining Pills! They were worth a considerable amount, especially when he was at his poorest and most destitute.

With his current cultivation, taking on any missions or doing anything at all was out of the question.

He had told Zhang Qingshan that he wanted to take missions within the sect to increase his income.

Zhang Qingshan had immediately doused him with a bucket of cold water, telling him outright that his cultivation was too low. He could do practically none of the sect's missions, not even the daily ones.

Tasks such as forging and smelting, or tending medicinal herbs and flowers, all required spiritual power or physical strength.

Ye Han's cultivation was too low to cast even the most basic spells. What missions could he possibly do?

So he could only settle down and cultivate in the sect. Once his cultivation was sufficient, Zhang Qingshan would take him there...

Time passed little by little. At first, Ye Han kept watching for changes in the Purple Cauldron, but as time went on, he sank completely into meditation, the Azure Mystic Art circulating continuously within him...

Gradually, rings of runes appeared around his body, shimmering with purple light.

Yet Ye Han was completely unaware of those purple runes. His essence, energy, and spirit were wholly focused on circulating the Azure Mystic Art.

Time continued to trickle by.

He had no idea how long had passed.

Ye Han slowly opened his eyes and found that the world around him seemed extraordinarily clear. His eyes shone like stars, and even a casual glance let him see tiny strands of dust dancing in the air.

He could see Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy drifting about, clearly watching it surge through the air and dance like sprites...

His ears could pick up the faintest sounds, from the wind to the slightest whisper through the crack in the door.

In that instant, he felt as though his whole being had been elevated. Everything was completely different...

He suddenly discovered that his cultivation had increased enormously.

His gaze snapped to the Purple Cauldron before him...

Barely able to contain his excitement, Ye Han exclaimed, "So that was how it worked!"