Inside Cold Pool Cave, time seemed to have lost all meaning. Han Li sat cross-legged, enveloped in a dark halo as dense as ink. His aura was calm as water, yet concealed a surging undercurrent. Several Jade Slips floated before him—the high-tier spells and Artifact Refining Insights sent by the sect.
Rather than rush toward the great perfection of Foundation Establishment, he devoted his full attention to a deeper understanding of the "Profound Fiend Asura Art" and the refinement of his combat methods. Advancing too quickly could leave his foundations unstable. Only by perfectly mastering every ounce of power could he survive the bloody winds and rains to come.
The first thing he studied was a high-tier spell called the "Profound Fiend Ghost Hand." Rather than attacking directly, it condensed pure profound fiend spiritual power into an invisible ghost hand, which could seize magical artifacts from a thousand feet away, seal an enemy's meridians, and even attack the soul itself. Uncanny and unpredictable, it was perfectly suited to stealth attacks. Cultivating it required control over spiritual power down to the finest detail.
Han Li held his breath and focused, dark spiritual power flowing through his fingertips. Following the method described in the Jade Slip, he carefully traced runes in the air. At first, the slightest instability in his spiritual power caused the ghost hand to dissolve. But his resolve was unyielding, and even a hundred failures could not discourage him. Drawing on the system's precise feedback on energy flow, he continually adjusted his spiritual power output and rune structure.
[Profound Fiend Ghost Hand condensation failed. Spiritual power node deviation: 0.03%. Recommended adjustment: spiritual power output intensity through the Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian...] [Rune structure stability insufficient. Recommended action: strengthen divine sense lock...]
With the system's tireless prompts and