Morning light filtered through the sparse pine needles outside Red Glow Cave, weaving dappled shadows across the bluestone slabs. Han Li stood before the cave with his hands behind his back, his white robes spotless, the sea of clouds over distant Hundred Herb Peak reflected in his eyes. After ten years of secluded cultivation, the lingering warmth of the pill furnace had seeped into his very marrow. Yet now, he felt that beyond the Pill Dao lay a wider world waiting to be explored.
Zi Ling approached with freshly brewed spiritual tea, a few dew-congealing flower petals clinging to the cuffs of her moon-white steward's robe. "The pavilion master has summoned you. He says there's something important to discuss." She handed him the cup, tapping its rim lightly with a fingertip. "Is it about your transfer out of the Pill Pavilion?"
Han Li accepted the cup and glimpsed the reluctance in her eyes through the curling steam. "Yes. I submitted my transfer request to the pavilion master last night. I want to study artifact refining at the Artifact Refining Pavilion."
"Artifact refining?" Zi Ling paused, then understood. "You want to complete the three treasures-formations, pills, and artifacts? With your foundation in formations, learning artifact refining could indeed yield twice the results for half the effort." Then her brow furrowed. "But the Pill Pavilion's master has treated you well. I'm afraid this might displease him."
Han Li drained the tea, its fragrance mingling with the smoky warmth of Red Glow Cave as it spread through his throat. "If Pavilion Master Chen truly values me, he should understand that a cultivator must not confine himself to one corner of the world. Besides..." He tapped his Storage Bag, making the Void Sky Space-Locking Formation Flags, the Twofold Formation Pill, and other items inside