The Pill’s Limit

Han Li flicked his finger, and a speck of green light flew into the blazing fire. The flames roared, leaping several feet higher. Suddenly, Li Huayuan’s voice emerged from within, terse and clear.

“Come to Green Wave Cave immediately. Your master has need of you.”

As soon as the message finished, the fire talisman let out a soft pop, scattering into a shower of sparks that dissipated without a trace.

Han Li listened with a calm expression. He rubbed his nose, then walked back into the bedroom.

Once inside, he pulled a small wooden box out from under his stone bed. Inside were a dozen storage pouches of various styles. He took out the one he carried on his person and dumped out the large pile of talismans he had stored inside. Then, he carefully sorted them by type and grade, placing them into different pouches.

After tucking the box back under the bed, he hesitated for a moment, then left the bedroom and headed straight for the exit of his cave dwelling.

…

Standing on the Divine Wind Boat, Han Li recalled the circumstances of his cultivation and talisman crafting over the past four years, his expression somewhat heavy.

When he had first sealed his cave, he had cultivated while also opening a secret inner herbal garden within the dwelling. It was not large, but it was enough for him to grow the herbs he needed for forced maturation. The advantage of this arrangement was that he did not have to worry about anyone discovering his accelerated herbs while in seclusion. He could be completely self-sufficient without ever leaving his cave.

To this end, he had also opened countless small, densely packed hidden holes in the stone walls above the garden, allowing sunlight to filter in and enabling the small vial to absorb spiritual energy. Naturally, these holes were all positioned within the coverage of his formation, so he did not have to worry about them being discovered.

As for the larger outer garden, Han Li planned to use it purely as a decoy.

With the small garden secure, Han Li felt confident enough to begin accelerating herbs on one side while using his innate true fire to refine pills on the other. Even though true fire was inferior to earth fire, it was at least safe and reliable, and he did not have to fear the consequences of wasted materials.

The pills refined from the ancient formula were, as expected, extraordinary.

When Han Li finished refining the Qi Condensation Powder and consumed it, he experienced the same explosive surge of spiritual power he had felt during Foundation Establishment. Startled, he immediately sat down in meditation to refine it, not daring to slack off in the slightest.

With such astonishing effects, his mana advanced by leaps and bounds in the first year, far exceeding his initial expectations.

This extravagant method of consumption completely eliminated the time needed to absorb spiritual energy, allowing him to devote his full attention to converting medicine into mana. The efficiency of his cultivation naturally multiplied several times over.

This brought Han Li great joy! The possibility of recultivating the Azure Origin Sword Art for a third time became an extremely likely achievement.

Although the Azure Origin Sword Art did have the peculiar effect of causing a portion of one’s mana to recede every few days, as others had said, Han Li could completely ignore this flaw by consuming a dose of Qi Condensation Powder every six or seven days.

During this period, Han Li also curiously consumed a Foundation Establishment Pill, but the effect was negligible, completely discouraging him from pursuing that path.

However, in the three years that followed, something completely unexpected happened.

Starting from the second year, the feeling of abundant spiritual power from the Qi Condensation Powder began to diminish, and it grew weaker with each passing year. By the fourth year, it had reached the point where it had no effect whatsoever, just like the Yellow Dragon Pills and Golden Marrow Pills had before. No matter how many doses he consumed, he could no longer sense any spiritual energy.

This left Han Li with a headache and greatly puzzled him.

This was certainly not because his mana had increased to the point where the Qi Condensation Powder’s provided energy could no longer keep up. Given the potency of this powder, it should have been more than enough to support his cultivation all the way to the late Foundation Establishment stage. This was a pill refined from an ancient formula, after all! It might even have been of some use to Core Formation cultivators.

This was completely different from the earlier failures of the Yellow Dragon Pills and Golden Marrow Pills. That was a case of the pill’s energy falling behind his cultivation level, something he had long anticipated.

After much deliberation, and using his knowledge of medicine, Han Li reached a conclusion, though he was uncertain of its accuracy. He suspected that because he had consumed such a potent pill as Qi Condensation Powder with excessive frequency, his body had gradually developed a resistance to it, rendering the pill ineffective.

He had no way to verify this conclusion. After all, in the cultivation world, no one had ever been so extravagant as to consume pills every few days like he did. Naturally, there were no precedents or experiences to draw from.

Nevertheless, Han Li held out hope that if he stopped taking the pill for a while, the Qi Condensation Powder might become effective again.

With this thought in mind, he ceased taking the pill in the final year and returned to cultivating the Azure Origin Sword Art through normal methods.

But after becoming accustomed to the rapid progress brought by medicinal pills, returning to the slow and steady pace of normal cultivation was utterly unbearable. Furthermore, if he were to cultivate at this rate, given his talent, recultivating even once, let alone three times, would be an absolute luxury in his lifetime.

After enduring a year of painfully slow cultivation, the result still left Han Li deeply disappointed. When he tried the Qi Condensation Powder again, it had no effect whatsoever. It seemed the pill had completely lost its effectiveness for him. He would have to find another spiritual medicine.

Therefore, even if Li Huayuan had not summoned him with a transmission talisman, Han Li had already planned to leave his cave dwelling for a while.

After all, he still had the raw materials for one more ancient formula that had not yet been gathered. Only by refining this Spirit Gathering Pill could he hope to surge his mana once again. He also planned to search for more pill formulas. If the Spirit Gathering Pill also lost its effectiveness like the Qi Condensation Powder, Han Li would have no choice but to switch to a different pill every few years.

As for his talisman crafting, it had progressed smoothly.

Every day, he set aside half a day to practice. He started with low-grade spells he could already cast instantly, using materials extravagantly to continuously craft talismans. This was a wasteful method that no other talisman master could even imagine, yet it allowed his skills to skyrocket. He could now barely craft high-grade elementary talismans, though the success rate was pitifully low.

He had already decided that during his next closed-door cultivation session, he would begin learning intermediate-grade spells and attempt to craft intermediate-grade talismans. This was his main goal for talisman crafting.

Additionally, during this period of seclusion, besides the Qi Condensation Powder, Han Li had also refined seven or eight Beauty-Preserving Pills during his leisure time. Out of curiosity, he consumed one. If it truly could preserve his youthful appearance, Han Li would be more than willing. After all, no one wanted to face the prospect of white hair and an aged face one day, even if a cultivator’s physical aging was already incredibly slow.

At this moment, the failure of the pill was weighing heavily on Han Li’s mind as he flew. Still, he was somewhat curious about his master Li Huayuan’s sudden summons. He could not help but wonder what matter had prompted the man to seek him out after four years.

And so, with a head full of concerns, Han Li arrived at Green Wave Cave. After transmitting his voice, it was not Senior Brother Yu who opened the formation’s prohibition, but a handsome, fair-skinned young man in his twenties.

Before Han Li could speak, the young man spoke first, his tone indifferent.

“Junior Brother Han, I presume? I am Wu Xuan, Sixth Disciple under Master. I have been ordered to wait for you here. Follow me.”

Having said this, Wu Xuan turned and walked away without sparing Han Li another glance, leaving Han Li to rub his face in confusion.

“Is this face really so detestable?”

Somewhat annoyed, Han Li had no choice but to follow closely behind. The two exchanged no words as they made their way to the main reception hall.

Inside the hall, three people were seated on chairs, with two others standing to the side.

The seated figures were Li Huayuan, his wife, and a strange woman in red robes. The woman appeared to be around thirty years old. Her features were not unattractive, and she still retained some charm, but her face was ice-cold, exuding a murderous aura rarely seen among cultivators.

At that moment, Li Huayuan seemed to be discussing something with the woman. From his demeanor and tone, he appeared to hold her in great respect.

Of the two people standing to the side, one was Fourth Senior Brother Song Meng, whom Han Li had met before. The other was a young girl of eighteen or nineteen, also dressed in red. Her features were pretty, but her brows held a subtle hint of flirtatiousness. To all appearances, she seemed closely related to the red-robed woman.

“Han Li, come and meet your master’s Senior Uncle, Red Feather!”

As soon as Li Huayuan saw Han Li enter, he cheerfully called out. Wu Xuan, without a sound, walked over to stand beside Song Meng, his hands respectfully at his sides.

“Senior Uncle Red Feather.” Although Han Li had no idea what was going on, he did not neglect the proper courtesies.

Upon hearing Han Li’s greeting, the red-robed woman did not immediately respond. Instead, she carefully scrutinized him from head to toe.

After a long moment, a trace of a stiff smile appeared on her face as she spoke.

“Hmm. Very good.”

“Hehe! It seems Senior Sister Red Feather is quite satisfied! This disciple of mine may be a bit plain-looking, but he is a genuine Foundation Establishment cultivator. He is clever and quick-witted, and he suits me well,” Li Huayuan said, his face beaming with joy at the woman’s apparent satisfaction. He even began to praise Han Li generously.

This left Han Li completely baffled, having no idea what was going on.