Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
Inside the stone chamber, Han Li slowly opened his eyes, their keen light held in check, his aura deep and still as water. After half a month of arduous cultivation, he had gained an initial grasp of the Profound Yin Spirit-Fusion Art, and his control over netherworld power had grown more refined. Though his injuries had not fully healed, nearly forty percent of his meridians had been restored, the cracks in his golden core had stabilized, and his cultivation had settled firmly at the peak of the foundation establishment middle stage, just one step from the late stage. His profound yin fiend qi had grown considerably stronger, responding as readily as his own limbs.
He rose and stretched, feeling the power surging through his body, and his heart steadied somewhat. Over the past half month, he had not relied entirely on the pills Qing Xuan had supplied. Instead, he had cautiously restored himself primarily through the Profound Yin Spirit-Fusion Art, supplemented by his own reserves of yin-attribute spirit stones. He had never let down his guard completely around Qing Xuan.
"The time has come." Han Li glanced toward the stone chamber's entrance. He had already made up his mind about the journey to Netherworld Ravine. He was determined to obtain the Yin Marrow Spirit Liquid, and he could not pass up any clues to leaving this place. But how he proceeded would depend on the circumstances. He would never become someone else's pawn.
A moment later, light flashed at the entrance, and Daoist Qing Xuan appeared without a sound. Still dressed in his blue robe, his aura unremarkable, he swept his gaze over Han Li and nodded slightly. "Your recovery has been remarkably swift, Fellow Daoist Han. Congratulations."
"It is