Chapter 1200: Volume 7: Across the Human World, Chapter 1195: Wood Birth Pearl

Inside the VIP building, Han Li was fiddling with the Wood Spirit Bead for a moment. Just as he intended to store it away along with the other two treasures, a faint voice of the boy suddenly reached his ears.

“Fellow Daoist Han, are you truly planning to keep this bead just like that?”

“What’s the matter? Is there some issue with this Gathering Spirit Bead?” Han Li was startled, his brows furrowing slightly as he asked.

“Hehe, there’s no problem with the bead itself. But do you know that these Gathering Spirit Beads are, in fact, simply failed, semi-finished treasures? If you rely on this bead for cultivation, you might see rapid improvement initially, with swift progress in your mana and cultivation. However, once you reach a certain realm and encounter bottlenecks, you’ll discover its drawbacks. High-level cultivators who use this bead for cultivation will find it multiple times tougher to break through bottlenecks compared to others. This is because, while the bead speeds up your cultivation by absorbing a single spiritual energy type, it simultaneously weakens your connection to other types of energies. For Nascent Soul Stage and lower cultivators, this weakness might not be obvious, but for someone like you who requires sensing various worldly Qi to break through, the effect would be counterproductive. Therefore, while this Gathering Spirit Bead is peculiar, in the spirit realm, it is mainly used to fast-track cultivation for low-tier disciples with poor potential. High-level cultivators wouldn’t dare indulge in such ‘pulling seedlings to promote growth’ folly.” The boy carefully explained.

“Is that truly the case? Then this treasure may hinder my advancement to the Divinity Transformation stage, rendering it completely useless to me.” Upon hearing this, Han Li’s expression slightly shifted as he stared at the bead, now gleaming green in his palm, with a hint of anger flashing across his face.

“Didn’t I just say? This bead is only a semi-finished treasure. If you can gather other rare Wood-attribute materials, you could transform this bead into another type of treasure called the ‘Wood Birth Pearl.’ Though it won’t accelerate your cultivation, once you completely refine it, it’ll grant you a one-time ‘indestructible body’ divine skill. In critical moments, it may very well save your life!” the boy said leisurely.

“Indestructible body?” Han Li was stunned upon hearing these words.

He had long envied this sort of divine skill. Yet, he had only ever seen it manifested by demon beasts, ancient devilish techniques, and demonized Heaven Extermination Devil Corpses. Among human cultivators, he hadn’t heard of anyone successfully cultivating it.

“Indeed. A single Wood Birth Pearl is enough to let you unleash ‘indestructible body’ once. During its activation, even if your head is severed or your body split in two, you’ll recover as if nothing happened,” the boy said with a low chuckle.

“Such a thing exists? But if it can only be used once, doesn’t that make it a consumable treasure?” Han Li was both thrilled and doubtful as he asked further.

“An indestructible body that can save your life even once–what’s there not to be satisfied about? Besides, apart from needing the Wood Spirit Bead, it also requires several other rare materials. These would not be easy to find in the human world. Whether it can even be refined, that’s still questionable.” The boy snorted unhappily.

“What materials are needed? As for Wood-attribute materials, I’ve indeed collected quite a few.” Han Li smiled nonchalantly.

“I’ll prepare a list of required materials for you. But if you want me to teach you the refining formula, you’ll need to give me something in exchange,” the boy stated directly, laying down conditions.

“Oh? Daoist Tian Lan, just tell me what you want. Speak freely,” Han Li said, feeling relieved upon hearing the boy’s candidness.

If this Heaventide Holy Beast were to provide the refining formula completely free of charge, he would become suspicious. Though the two had built a rapport over the recent tribulation, the distinction between man and beast remained, and mutual benefits dictated their relationship. Han Li maintained a sliver of caution in his heart.

He never expected the prior goodwill to engender genuine trust. The boy’s assistance was likely due to the Heavenvoid Cauldron being in Han Li’s possession and his incapability to act independently of it.

“My request isn’t much. Though I’ve succeeded in transformation, I still need to consume certain spiritual medicines to stabilize my realm. With Han Li’s status in the Heavenly South Region, obtaining them shouldn’t be difficult,” the boy said slowly.

“No problem. Include the items you need along with the refining formula,” Han Li readily agreed upon brief consideration.

“Good. Once you return to your cave dwelling, I’ll give you both the list and the refining method,” the boy said, seemingly pleased with Han Li’s straightforwardness.

With that, Han Li smiled faintly, placed the Wood Spirit Bead back into its wooden box, and with a flick of his hand, stored all three treasures inside his storage pouch.

“Daoist Tian Lan, do you think the Ghost Spirit Sect is aware of the drawbacks of the Wood Spirit Bead?” Han Li’s eyes suddenly flashed coldly as his voice chilled.

“That’s hard to say. Judging by what you mentioned earlier, this bead was abandoned by ancient cultivators long ago, and its flaws don’t seem to have been passed down. If the Ghost Spirit Sect has Nascent Soul cultivators using Wood-attribute cultivation techniques, they might discover the issue. Otherwise, simply judging from the bead itself, they wouldn’t notice anything. Why? Do you suspect those three sought to use the bead to deliberately hinder your advancement to Divinity Transformation?” The boy quickly grasped the situation.

“That’s what I initially suspected, but upon further thought, it doesn’t seem likely. The Ghost Spirit Sect has little motivation for such a move. After all, merely halting my advancement to Divinity Transformation wouldn’t change much. Even if I remain at the Nascent Soul Stage, I’m still the Heavenly South’s foremost cultivator. They wouldn’t risk my wrath and the Sect’s destruction. The truth likely lies elsewhere. Judging by this scheme, whoever orchestrated this must be a local cultivator from the Heavenly South Region. Preventing my advancement could serve their own aims. Yet, who’s powerful enough that my failure to advance would benefit them more? Even without advancing, the Heavenly South has no match for me. The only result of failing to break through would be my limited lifespan–only a thousand years. This would shorten the Drifting Cloud Sect’s time dominating the region. Yet for most sects, whoever emerges as the dominant force is immaterial. Only a few sects might gain from such a ploy–most likely the Flowing Mind Sect, Harmonious Bond Sect, or Taiyi Sect. Perhaps it’s even a joint effort between them.” Han Li stroked his chin, thoughts racing.

“By your analysis, what seemed mere speculation now seems crystal clear. Do you suspect the involvement of other late Nascent Soul cultivators?” The boy sounded slightly taken aback but soon let out a wry chuckle.

“Perhaps. But that’s mere conjecture. Who can say what the truth is? After all, I don’t have enough proof to be certain.” Han Li paced around the hall a few times before looking toward the ceiling, a cold laugh escaping him.

“Uncovering the truth isn’t difficult. Take those three and use the Soul Search Technique–it’ll be crystal clear,” said the boy with a dark chuckle.

“Capturing them would be easy, but the results aren’t assured. Even if the truth comes out, without tangible evidence, I can’t act recklessly against any sect. Besides, detaining three Nascent Soul cultivators from the Ghost Spirit Sect would make me a target for everyone. Holding the title of Heavenly South’s foremost cultivator might awe others, but it also incites jealousy and fear. If someone were to exploit this, they might rally the Heavenly South cultivators against me. No matter how strong I am, I couldn’t fend off everyone in the region. Such incidents have occurred before,” Han Li’s expression momentarily hardened, but he shook his head after some contemplation.

“Han Li, you really are overly cautious. If it were me back in the spirit realm… Hehe. Well, it’s your decision. As long as you keep yourself alive, I have no reason to interfere.” The boy lazily remarked.

“Relax. Knowing someone harbors ill intent toward me, I will remain vigilant. I’ll act obliviously for now. If the offender moves again with malicious schemes, I’ll seize their weak point. Once hard evidence is in my hands… Heh, they won’t know the meaning of ‘caught between life and death,'” Han Li’s calm tone carried a bone-chilling coldness.

This time, the boy chuckled softly and remained silent.

Han Li lingered in the hall for a while longer before finally exiting the VIP building. Glancing at another pavilion not far away, his brows furrowed slightly.

Han Yunzhi was one thing, but what was Dong Xuan’er doing seeking him out? His interactions with Dong Xuan’er in the past weren’t pleasant. Although she was extraordinarily beautiful, she hadn’t left him with any favorable impressions.

But Han Li felt suspicious about one matter. Years ago, he’d learned from a Harmonious Bond Sect defector that after Dong Xuan’er achieved Core Formation, she had apparently searched for him across multiple regions. Why was that?

Looking at the distant pavilion, Han Li’s gaze flickered before he slowly walked forward.

Once inside, two seemingly youthful and attractive female cultivators were present–one seated, the other standing–both silent.

The seated woman, clothed in yellow, had delicate and lovely features, exuding a gentle charm akin to a demure maiden. The standing woman, dressed in white, had a ravishing beauty with a trace of weariness between her brows, which didn’t diminish her allure but instead added a fragile grace.

Han Li’s arrival caused the pair to simultaneously turn their gazes toward him.

“For the two of you to arrive together–well, I must confess I’m a bit surprised. Still, both of you are old acquaintances of mine. To meet again today fills me with a certain sentiment,” Han Li said as his gaze casually swept across them, his face lighting up with a faint smile.

“Brother Han… no, Senior Han. I hope my visit hasn’t caused you any inconvenience,” the yellow-robed woman spoke hurriedly, her dark eyes revealing a flash of joy as she stood up, feeling slightly flustered.

(First Chapter!)(To be continued. For details on what happens next, please visit www.wuxiaworld.site. More chapters available! Support the author and read original works!)