Li Feiyu and his companions left in disgrace, and silence returned to Han Li's courtyard. He went back to his meditation chamber and swallowed every last pill without hesitation.
The medicinal power of the Peiyuan Pills and Qi Condensation Pills erupted inside him like a raging tide. An ordinary Qi Refining disciple's meridians would likely have burst in an instant. But Han Li's thoughts flashed, and the Slaughter System roared into action. An invisible black hole seemed to appear in his dantian, swallowing all the medicinal power with the voracity of a whale drinking the sea and converting it into exceptionally pure dark attribute spiritual power.
His cultivation began to soar at a visibly astonishing rate!
Mid-stage of the first level of Qi Refining, late stage... peak!
Second level of Qi Refining!
Only when he reached the peak of the second level of Qi Refining was the medicinal power finally exhausted.
In just half a day, he had advanced more than an entire minor realm! If word of such speed got out, it would frighten the entire leadership of the Seven Mysteries Sect senseless. The terrifying potential of a variant spiritual root, combined with the system's assistance, had been displayed to its fullest.
Han Li opened his eyes. A glimmer of shadowy light flashed through them and vanished. His aura had become even more restrained, yet all the more unfathomable. He felt the abundant power within him, far exceeding what he had possessed at the same stage in his previous life.
"Resources. Still far too few." He frowned slightly. The handful of pills Mo Juren and the sect had provided were no more than a cup of water thrown onto a blazing cartload of firewood for someone with his system and dark spiritual root. He had to obtain more as soon as possible.
While he was pondering this, another disturbance came from outside the courtyard. This visitor's breathing was deep and steady, his footsteps measured-far beyond the likes of Li Feiyu.
"Martial Nephew Han, are you in? It is I, Mo Juren." A gentle voice reached him, carrying a warmth like a balmy spring breeze.
The old fox has finally come in person. Han Li sneered inwardly, but his expression remained unchanged as he rose to open the door.
Mo Juren stood in the courtyard in a blue robe, his hands behind his back. A genial smile rested on his scholarly face, and his eyes were full of concern. Anyone who saw him would have taken him for a kindly elder who cared deeply for his juniors.
"Elder Mo." Han Li cupped his hands slightly, observing every courtesy while retaining a hint of distance.
Mo Juren swept his gaze over Han Li, and a nearly imperceptible flicker of astonishment and doubt passed through the depths of his eyes. He vaguely sensed that the boy's aura had grown considerably stronger than it had been only a few hours earlier! This cultivation speed... it is simply inconceivable! Is a dark spiritual root truly so heaven-defying?
He suppressed his shock, his smile growing gentler still. "I heard that you triggered an extraordinary phenomenon on the Spirit-Testing Platform, revealing a dark spiritual root seldom seen even once in ten thousand years. I was delighted and came especially to congratulate you. For our Seven Mysteries Sect to gain such a talent is truly a sign of great prosperity to come!"
"You flatter me, Elder. I hardly deserve such praise," Han Li replied evenly.
Mo Juren chuckled and turned his wrist. A jade bottle appeared in his palm, its translucent body revealing a golden pill roughly the size of a longan fruit inside.
"This is a Yellow Dragon Pill. Its medicinal power surpasses that of a Qi Condensation Pill, and it is remarkably effective for stabilizing your foundation and breaking through bottlenecks. Consider it my congratulatory gift. I hope you will cultivate diligently and not squander your talent." Mo Juren offered him the jade bottle, his gaze sincere, as though Han Li's welfare were his only concern.
[Ding! Yellow Dragon Pill detected. Contains a concealed tracking mark and the slow-acting gu poison Meridian-Eroding Powder. Prolonged consumption will gradually erode the meridians, facilitating control. Recommendation: safe to absorb; the system can remove the negative effects.]
The chill in Han Li's heart deepened. The old bastard really is up to no good. First a taste of sweetness, then the poisoned hand. Yet his face showed just the right trace of surprise and gratitude as he accepted the jade bottle with both hands. "Thank you for your generous gift, Elder Mo! I will work hard and live up to your expectations."
His reaction was exactly that of an ordinary boy who had received a lavish reward and felt boundless gratitude toward his senior.
At the sight, satisfaction flashed through Mo Juren's eyes. A boy is still a boy. No matter how great his talent, his character and experience remain shallow. With kindness in one hand and authority in the other, he will be easy enough to handle.
Then he asked with feigned concern, "As you have only just entered the path of immortality, do you have any questions about cultivation? Though my abilities are modest, I have gained some insight along the way. Perhaps I can clear up a difficulty or two for you."
Here it comes. Probing my background and fishing for details about my cultivation methods. Han Li saw it as clearly as his own reflection in a mirror. In his previous life, he had been a mighty figure of the Immortal Realm. How could Mo Juren's understanding of cultivation possibly compare to his? A few casual words from him could resonate with the Great Dao. Naturally, however, he would reveal nothing.
So Han Li deliberately selected several of the most common, elementary questions asked during the Qi Refining stage and voiced them in a slightly immature manner.
Mo Juren answered patiently, casually interspersing his explanations with indirect questions about the attributes of Han Li's spiritual power and the way he circulated it.
Han Li handled them with ease, giving conventional answers and occasionally revealing a little awkwardness and confusion over controlling his dark attribute spiritual power. He perfectly played the role of a gifted boy who had only just awakened his variant spiritual root and could not yet fully command his own strength.
By the end of their conversation, Mo Juren's doubts had eased somewhat, replaced by the smug sense that everything was under his control. This boy's talent may be terrifying, but he is young, after all. With my patient guidance and the lure of resources, he has surely warmed to me and lowered his guard considerably.
"Your talent is a gift from heaven, Martial Nephew. So long as you cultivate steadily, your future will be boundless. If you need anything, come find me at the Medicine Hall." After a few final words of encouragement, Mo Juren took his leave, thoroughly satisfied.
Once Mo Juren was gone, Han Li closed the courtyard gate. The gratitude and boyish innocence on his face vanished instantly, replaced by his usual coldness.
He toyed with the jade bottle containing the Yellow Dragon Pill, his gaze sharp as a blade.
"Meridian-Eroding Powder... a tracking mark... old bastard, you certainly aren't afraid to spend."
Without hesitation, he swallowed the Yellow Dragon Pill. The moment it reached his stomach, the system's power activated. An exceedingly well-concealed black thread and a surge of cold, poisonous energy were forcibly stripped away, devoured, and reduced to nothing. The pure medicinal power was absorbed perfectly, advancing his cultivation a little further.
[Ding! Yellow Dragon Pill's medicinal power absorbed. Cultivation increased. Tracking mark and Meridian-Eroding Powder gu poison successfully removed and devoured. Slaughter points +10.]
"That little bit of poison isn't even enough to fill the gaps between my teeth." Han Li snorted coldly. The schemes Mo Juren considered so clever were child's play in his eyes.
He walked to the window and looked in the direction Mo Juren had left. His gaze seemed to pierce courtyard after courtyard, seeing the greed and savagery beneath that hypocritical face.
"Set out all the bait you like. I'll take every resource you offer."
"Once my cultivation is strong enough, that will be the day you die, old ghost."
"Let's see who ends up swallowing whom!"
As the night deepened, Han Li sat cross-legged and continued circulating his cultivation method to consolidate his gains. An increasingly dense flow of spiritual energy from heaven and earth faintly gathered around the courtyard, yet an invisible force restrained it, preventing any major disturbance.
He knew that Mo Juren's were far from the only eyes watching him in secret. The sect's leaders, and likely other factions as well, had already turned their attention here.
But that suited him perfectly.
Let the storm rage harder.
Only amid such slaughter could he reach the summit faster!
The waters of the Seven Mysteries Sect had begun to seethe with hidden currents now that a catfish like him had plunged into them. And Han Li was already prepared to churn that entire pool into muddy chaos!
Before you continue