Han Yi began by breaking the seals on the storage pouches of the Twelve Tribulation Cultivators and sorting through their contents. These pouches contained surprisingly few spirit stones. Some held only a few thousand low-grade stones, while the most valuable contained just over two hundred mid-grade stones. There were also miscellaneous items like low-grade spirit talismans, formation plates, and jade slips for transmitting techniques.
However, every little bit added up, and Han Yi wasn't greedy.
After organizing everything, he opened the three storage pouches he had obtained from the Eighth Layer of Qi Refinement cultivators in the Myriad Demon Mountain Range. The cultivator wielding the Silver Scale Fan proved to be the wealthiest. In addition to over seven hundred mid-grade spirit stones, his pouch contained another high-grade magic artifact—a golden, gourd-shaped vessel that greatly pleased Han Yi.
Finally, he breached the last storage pouch, belonging to the owner of the Golden Light Shuttle—the Eighth Layer of Qi Refinement cultivator he had killed in Heavenfall City.
This was the only Qi Refining Stage cultivator he had encountered who possessed a top-grade magic artifact. Han Yi suspected a significant surprise awaited him.
Sure enough, as soon as he shattered the restrictions and swept his divine sense through the pouch, Han Yi gasped. His eyes blazed with excitement.
"Spirit stones! A mountain of spirit stones! And they're all mid-grade—nearly two thousand of them! This... this is an immense fortune!"
In addition to the spirit stones, there were numerous spirit talismans.
"Divine Annihilation Talismans? And two of them?" Han Yi's face was filled with shock.
Hiss.
Within the storage pouch, alongside the mid-grade and high-grade spirit talismans, lay two first-tier high-grade Divine Annihilation Talismans.
Unlike the Yin Thunder Talisman's earth-shattering display, the Divine Annihilation Talisman activated silently, targeting only the soul. With a single strike, it could utterly annihilate the opponent's soul, making it even more terrifying than the Yin Thunder Talisman.
Han Yi never imagined that the Cold Youth from Heavenfall City would possess such a lethal treasure in his storage pouch. Had the youth used it earlier, Han Yi would undoubtedly have been obliterated, with no chance of survival.
A chill ran down Han Yi's spine as he recalled the moment. He was fortunate to have acted decisively; the consequences would have been unimaginable otherwise.
He carefully placed the two Divine Annihilation Talismans into his own storage pouch. These were not merely weapons, but life-saving trump cards for desperate times.
Next, Han Yi turned his attention to the magic artifacts within the storage pouch. His eyes immediately fell upon a silver-colored artifact—a silver mirror.
"Another high-grade Silver Series magic artifact, like the Silverlight Pearls and Silver Scale Fan?"
After a thorough examination, Han Yi carefully stored the mirror away. He planned to study it properly when he had the time.
Breaking the restrictions on over a dozen storage pouches took Han Yi nearly two months.
After sorting through their contents, Han Yi decided against visiting the Nine Dragons Merchant Guild to sell the magic artifacts to He Fangwei, as he usually did. The abundance of spirit stones he'd acquired from the pouches was more than enough to sustain his cultivation until the Foundation Establishment Stage, eliminating any need to part with the artifacts.
Another reason for his change of heart was that his experience in the mysterious land had exposed a critical flaw in his capabilities: his limited arsenal of techniques and the simplicity of his magic artifacts.
By his own reckoning, he possessed only the Sword Control Technique, the Spirit Void Finger, the Wind Demon Dagger, the Chengying Sword, and his trump card, the Golden Light Shuttle. Beyond these, he relied on spirit talismans to augment his combat prowess.
This had proven highly effective against cultivators at the Eighth Layer of Qi Refinement, ordinary Ninth Layer practitioners, and even seasoned Ninth Layer experts, allowing him to dispatch them swiftly and reliably.
However, when facing Peak Qi Refinement experts—or even Legendary Qi Refining cultivators, commonly known as Half-Step Foundation Establishment practitioners—his limited toolkit felt woefully inadequate.
Han Yi believed that the Yellow Turban Immortal Cultivator he had encountered in the mysterious land above the Luo Clan's spirit field was undoubtedly at the Half-Step Foundation Establishment level, possibly even concealing strength comparable to an ordinary Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator.
Although Han Yi had defeated the Yellow Turban Immortal Cultivator with the Golden Light Shuttle, he knew that if he encountered another Legendary Qi Refining cultivator, such as Blood God Son Han Xuxiao of the Blood God Sect, he wouldn't be able to stand idly by and wait for the attack without retaliating.
This was one of his key takeaways from his experiences in the mysterious land: his current methods were still insufficient and needed improvement. He needed to refine more Magic Artifacts and, in critical moments, even consider self-destruction to buy time or severely injure his opponent.
Another area for reflection was his skills. On one hand, their power still needed enhancement. He needed to prioritize pushing either the Spirit Void Finger or the Sword Control Technique to the pinnacle of mastery as quickly as possible.
On the other hand, he needed to acquire more skills. His sole defensive skill, the Fire Shield Technique, was far too specialized. He needed to learn another. While he possessed the Turtle Breath Technique, he still lacked an Aura Concealment Technique.
Within the Profound Pill Sect, an Aura Concealment Technique hadn't been necessary. But after his trip to Daofu City, Han Yi realized its crucial importance. If he had been able to conceal his aura and move stealthily, the Robber Cultivators wouldn't have discovered him, and none of the subsequent events would have transpired.
"It seems the higher one cultivates, the more one feels pressed for time."
"My cultivation realm can't be advanced further in the short term. I'll set that aside for now and focus entirely on grinding skill proficiency."
"I can't rush this," Han Yi told himself. "I need to take things one step at a time, plan carefully, and stay organized. Chaos will get me nowhere."
He took a deep breath and began prioritizing his most crucial task: mastering the Spirit Void Finger technique. This skill progressed faster than his Sword Control Technique and was inherently easier to cultivate. Han Yi chose it as his primary focus.
Meanwhile, in the outside world, the Heaven, Earth, and Human Rankings were in constant flux, reflecting the flourishing Immortal Path.
In his courtyard, Han Yi remained single-mindedly focused on his cultivation: the Spirit Void Finger, the Sword Control Technique, refining Magic Artifacts, practicing the Aura Concealment Technique, and mastering defensive spells. During his rare moments of leisure, he would stand alone on Azure Dragon Cliff, gazing into the distance, sipping wine, lost in thought, or meditating.
In his first year, he still made it a point to visit Combat Peak once a month to inquire about major sect events, monitor the implementation of new policies, and effortlessly defeat an Eighth Layer Qi Refining disciple in the Combat Arena to fulfill his New Policy duties.
By the second year, his outings became less frequent.
In the third year, he ventured out only once.
In the blink of an eye, three years had passed.
Han Yi was now forty-one years old.
Twenty years had elapsed since his transmigration.
Sixteen years had passed since the Demon Cave War.
Twelve years had gone by since the skirmishes between the Profound Pill Sect and the Blood God Sect.
And eight years had passed since the New Policy was enacted.
!
Azure Dragon Peak, Courtyard
Han Yi sat cross-legged within the Spirit-Locking Formation, his fingers tracing the shadowy sword light that coiled around his body. As his fingers moved, the sword light emitted a series of crisp, whistling sounds as it sliced through the air. The blade itself was invisible, leaving only a phantom trail of motion like a bolt of lightning.
Suddenly, the sword light that had been weaving around him vanished. Or rather, it hadn't vanished at all; its speed had simply become too great for Han Yi to control.
Boom!
The sword light pierced through the Spirit-Locking Formation in an instant and crashed into the backyard. The entire courtyard shuddered violently, its protective formation shaking intensely, spirit light flickering wildly.
"I did it!" Han Yi leaped to his feet, his face beaming with joy. "I've finally conquered this stubborn Sword Control Technique!"
With a gentle wave of his hand, the Chengying Sword, which had been deeply embedded in the ground, shot skyward with a whoosh and returned to its scabbard.
He then glanced at the pale red proficiency panel before him:
Name: Han Yi
Lifespan: 41/135
Cultivation Realm: Eighth Layer of Qi Refinement (28/100)
Cultivation Technique: Fire Astral Profound Art (Subtle Insight 39/100)
Skills:
- Alchemy Technique (Perfected Purity 49/100)
- Spirit Void Finger (Peak Mastery 3/100)
- Sword Control Technique (Peak Mastery 1/100)
- Light Body Technique (Peak Mastery 4/100)
- Fire Shield Technique (Perfected Purity 89/100)
- Turtle Breath Technique (Perfected Purity 28/100)
- Li Fire Sword Manual (Perfected Purity 18/100)
- Qi Observation Technique (Hall Entry 35/100)
- Aura Concealment Technique (Hall Entry 9/100)
- Wind Wall Technique (Hall Entry 4/100)
- Talisman Crafting Art (Initial Glimpse of the Dao 29/100)