Guidance

Only after three full months did Lin Yun return to the Hundred Herb Garden.

Over the past three months, aside from collecting raw metals from various merchant associations to refine five metals essence, Lin Yun had worked with Xin Ruoyin to restore the Five Elements Reversal Formation at her residence.

After all, that formation had stood for who knew how long. It had long since fallen into disrepair and was on the verge of collapse.

This time, Lin Yun and Xin Ruoyin used the reconstructed Five Elements Reversal Formation as a basis to repair it.

Repairing a formation was far more complicated than setting up a new one, but Xin Ruoyin refused to destroy the old formation. Lin Yun could only spend the time repairing it with her, and he barely returned to Yellow Maple Valley before the three months were up.

Inside the Hundred Herb Garden.

"How have you been lately, Junior Brother Han?" Lin Yun greeted Han Li with a smile.

Then, noticing that Han Li had reached the eleventh level of the Qi Refining Stage, he smiled and said, "Not bad! The eleventh level already. You really do cultivate diligently, Junior Brother Han."

"I have you to thank for the pills, Senior Brother Lin," Han Li said gratefully.

Although he had advanced two levels in just three months, Han Li gave a bitter laugh inwardly.

After he broke through to the eleventh level of the Qi Refining Stage, his Yellow Dragon Pills had completely lost their effectiveness. All his hard work accelerating the growth of medicinal herbs and refining Yellow Dragon Pills had gone to waste. Now he could no longer use any of them.

If only I'd known! I should have taken the Yellow Dragon Pills first and waited until they lost their effectiveness completely before taking the Peiyuan Pills! Han Li lamented inwardly.

He also had no idea whether he could trade for the Peiyuan Pill formula from Lin Yun, leaving him deeply troubled.

Lin Yun knew nothing of Han Li's predicament. He simply chatted with him about the latest batch of exceptionally talented disciples Yellow Maple Valley had recruited, news he had heard on his way back.

"Ha, lightning spiritual roots, and in brothers born of the same mother, no less. How extraordinary. There was someone with a wind spiritual root before them, too. Yellow Maple Valley really has recruited quite a few geniuses in recent years. It's certainly flourishing." Lin Yun shook his head as he spoke casually.

Yet inwardly, he was thinking that beneath this splendor of flowers in full bloom, the demonic path would invade before long, forcing Yellow Maple Valley and the other five sects to flee.

Water has no fixed shape, and the Dao has no unchanging course. The affairs of the world truly are ever-shifting, Lin Yun thought, only to fall into a brief daze.

Something had suddenly stirred in his mind. Recalling the Daoist Books he had read, he gained a deeper understanding of the Dao. The true qi within him stirred abruptly as well, becoming somewhat purer.

Standing nearby, Han Li noticed none of the changes taking place in Lin Yun. As he listened to Lin Yun discuss Yellow Maple Valley's disciples with variant spiritual roots, he could not help thinking of his own fake spiritual root aptitude. Without pills, would his cultivation not have reached its limit?

An idea stirred in Han Li's mind. Following the topic, he sighed and said, "Indeed. Variant spiritual roots allow cultivation speeds rivaling a heavenly spiritual root. Compared with geniuses like them, I don't even know whether someone with a fake spiritual root like me has any chance of reaching Foundation Establishment."

Lin Yun glanced at Han Li, utterly speechless inwardly. You brat, not only can you reach Foundation Establishment, you can even become an immortal!

Aloud, however, he offered reassurance. "There's no need to belittle yourself, Junior Brother Han. Variant spiritual roots and heavenly spiritual roots merely let you cultivate faster. Speed isn't the deciding factor on the path of cultivation. You have to walk steadily, too. Remember, countless geniuses throughout the ages have perished halfway along the road."

"Besides, cultivation speed isn't something you can't make up for. Take the Peiyuan Pills I gave you, for instance. Didn't they let you advance two levels in three months? That's no slower than a heavenly spiritual root, is it?" Lin Yun said with a smile.

Han Li's heart stirred at those words. Although he had no idea how quickly someone with a heavenly spiritual root cultivated, advancing two levels in three months was astonishingly fast compared with his own previous pace!

At that thought, inspiration struck Han Li. He immediately bowed to Lin Yun and said, "Thank you for giving me those pills, Senior Brother Lin. They were so precious that I don't know how I can repay your great kindness."

Lin Yun stepped aside, accepting only half the bow, then helped Han Li straighten up. Waving a hand, he said with a smile, "What is there to thank me for? They were only pills I could no longer use. We both entered the sect with Ascension Tokens, and then we met here in the Hundred Herb Garden. That's fate. Giving you a bottle of pills was hardly any trouble. There's no need to stand on ceremony, Junior Brother Han."

It was just as he said. Although Lin Yun hoped to obtain some spirit herbs from Han Li, that was merely a passing inclination. He had indeed given Han Li the pills because he felt their meeting was a matter of fate.

Hearing this, Han Li could not help feeling something strange stir within him. Ever since joining the Seven Mysteries Sect, he had learned all too well how treacherous the human heart could be. Now someone who acted on this so-called fate stood before him. How could he not find it strange and surprising?

Han Li could not help murmuring inwardly, Fate? He gave away such precious pills just because of fate? Senior Brother Lin really does act as his heart pleases.

After finishing the Peiyuan Pills, Han Li had realized just how precious they were. Not only had they advanced his cultivation by two levels in just three months, far surpassing his previous pace, but they had shown no signs of leaving his foundation unstable. Instead, they had even purified his true essence somewhat. Such spirit pills were truly precious beyond measure.

Thus, aside from wanting to repay Lin Yun in some small way, what Han Li wanted most was the formula for these pills.

But having just received such kindness, Han Li did not know how to ask for the formula as well. Besides, he currently had nothing he could offer in exchange.

During the three months Lin Yun had spent away from the mountain, Han Li had even made a point of asking about his background and had gained a basic understanding of his circumstances.

He also knew that, aside from occasionally leaving the mountain for some unknown purpose, this senior brother always secluded himself in the Hundred Herb Garden to focus on cultivation while in Yellow Maple Valley. That left Han Li at a loss as to how he could persuade him to trade the formula.

Through their time together, Han Li had also realized that Lin Yun was certainly no ordinary cultivator with a fake spiritual root. He must have secrets of his own.

After thinking for a long while, Han Li suddenly recalled how Lin Yun had previously scorned Yellow Maple Valley's alchemists for treating their shabby old brooms as priceless treasures. An idea flashed through his mind, and he hurriedly took out the Yellow Dragon Pills he had refined.

An embarrassed smile appeared on his dark face as he said to Lin Yun, "Senior Brother Lin, I've actually refined pills before, too. But my skills are poor, and I've never achieved much. Would you be willing to give me a few pointers?"

Lin Yun gave Han Li a surprised look. You're asking me about alchemy just like that? Aren't you supposed to be cautious? Aren't you afraid I'll harm you?

Only after staring long enough to make Han Li uncomfortable did Lin Yun take the Yellow Dragon Pills from him and say, "You're interested in alchemy too, Junior Brother Han? That's a good thing! If those of us with fake spiritual roots don't take pills to cultivate, are we supposed to grind away through sheer hard work?"

Yellow gear, battle begins.

The bottle of Dragon Pills, Lin Yun took a gentle sniff, and his brows immediately furrowed.

Seeing this, Han Li immediately asked nervously, "What's wrong, Senior Brother Lin?"

Lin Yun curled his lip and said bluntly, "Junior Brother Han, this doesn't count as pill refining! These can't even be called pills. They're only medicine."

"The herbs used in this medicine were all at least several decades old. Their medicinal potency alone should be enough to support cultivation throughout the entire Qi Refining Stage. Yet these pellets you refined would, at most, have a little effect at the ninth level. This is really... sigh!"

Lin Yun knew that Han Li had the Little Green Bottle and relied entirely on quantity when refining and taking pills. Perhaps he would become an accomplished alchemist in the future through refining vast quantities of pills, but his current skill was truly painful for Lin Yun to behold.

Looking at the utterly dreadful Yellow Dragon Pills in his hand, Lin Yun simply could not hold back. He had something of a compulsive streak and could not bear to see medicinal herbs wasted like this.

He immediately poured all the pills from the bottle into his hand. Flames surged from his palm in an instant, enveloping every pill.

Under his control, the flames in his palm alternated between fierce and gentle, repeatedly cleansing and refining the pills. After several rounds, the flames dispersed, revealing pills that were noticeably smaller than before.

"Try one and see how it differs from your old pills," Lin Yun said, handing them to Han Li.