With the Ascension Token tucked against his chest, Han Li entered Yellow Maple Valley full of anticipation. The gates of the Cultivation World had finally opened to him.
He had thought this precious Ascension Token would secure him a Foundation Establishment Pill without difficulty, laying a solid cornerstone for his path of cultivation.
Reality, however, struck him mercilessly across the face like a heavy slap.
Not long after Han Li entered Yellow Maple Valley, an elderly Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator surnamed Ye set his sights on his Ascension Token.
The old man held considerable standing in the valley, and his eyes carried the cold indifference and arrogance peculiar to cultivators.
He approached Han Li and bluntly offered seven or eight Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, several intermediate- and high-rank elementary talismans, an excellent Magical Artifact entrusted to his care, Pills that increased magical power, and his choice of miscellaneous duties in exchange for the all-important Foundation Establishment Pill in Han Li's possession.
Anger and resentment surged through Han Li. He knew exactly what the Foundation Establishment Pill meant to him: it was the key to reaching a higher cultivation realm.
Yet looking at the Foundation Establishment Stage expert before him, Han Li also knew he had no power to resist.
In the Cultivation World, the law that strength reigned supreme was brutal and cold. A mere Qi Refining Stage cultivator like him was as frail as an ant before a Foundation Establishment Stage expert.
After weighing his options repeatedly, Han Li had no choice but to agree to the old man's demands.
Watching the old man walk away triumphantly with the Foundation Establishment Pill, Han Li clenched his fists and silently swore that one day, he too would become powerful and never suffer such bullying again.
The night was thick as ink,