(Hehe, the novel's getting a promotion recommendation next week, so starting from Sunday, Wangyu will restore the two-chapters-a-day schedule. Hope everyone keeps supporting!)
In the northern part of Jianzhou, on some desolate mountain along the border between the Yue Kingdom and the Yuanwu Kingdom, dozens of yellow-robed figures stood scattered about, their robes fluttering in the wind. They varied greatly in age — the older ones had white hair and wrinkled faces, already past the age of fifty, while the younger ones had smooth skin, rosy lips, and white teeth, still carrying the remnants of boyish innocence. Yet all of them stood in orderly silence.
At the very front was an imposing old man who radiated authority without so much as a frown. His hands clasped behind his back, he gazed leisurely at the sky, lost in thought. Behind him stood four men and one woman, all wearing grave expressions. Among them was the very Uncle
Behind these five were two neatly arranged rows of yellow-robed disciples. Their expressions varied — some looked tense and restless, others appeared indifferent and were glancing around, while a few smiled faintly, keeping their composure well hidden.
At the very corner of the last row stood a young man with a swarthy, unremarkable face. His eyelids were lowered, his gaze fixed on the tips of his own feet, not daring to stray even slightly, as though he were painfully shy.
But no one could have guessed that this fellow who looked like some scruffy country boy was inwardly grumbling to no end, brimming with resentment.
This young man was none other than Han Li, and this group of yellow-robed figures was none other than the disciples of
Han Li had ultimately joined this death-defying expedition — and he had done so even after already possessing two
Over a month ago, Han Li had learned from
After taking a Foundation Establishment Pill, the person attempting Foundation Establishment had to enter closed-door cultivation for three full months to fully absorb the pill's medicinal power before emerging. Otherwise, the power would dissipate and its efficacy would be greatly diminished. So whether Foundation Establishment succeeded or not couldn't be determined for at least several months.
For Han Li, having to wait that long was extremely problematic.
His original plan, upon obtaining the two Foundation Establishment Pills, had been to take them first and see if he could successfully establish his foundation. Only then would he decide whether to still participate in the trial. If he got lucky and succeeded, there was no way he'd set foot in the forbidden ground — a one-in-four survival rate was far too terrifying.
But if the pills failed, then the trip to the forbidden ground would still be absolutely necessary. One or two pills wouldn't do the trick? Then he'd refine three or four, or even more. He believed that even with the worst aptitude, taking enough Foundation Establishment Pills would eventually push someone into the Foundation Establishment stage.
However, the three-month closed-door restriction after taking the pills completely wrecked his plan, forcing him into an impossible dilemma where he couldn't have his cake and eat it too.
Now it was either take the Foundation Establishment Pills right now and give up on the forbidden ground entirely, or put the pills aside for now and only take them after the Blood-colored Trial was over. There would be no more possibility of having both.
After nearly half a month of agonizing deliberation, Han Li decided that with his terrible aptitude, even taking two Foundation Establishment Pills in succession would give him only a slim chance of success. The Blood-colored Trial absolutely could not be abandoned.
In truth, Han Li had considered waiting for the next Blood Trial five years later. By then, even if he still hadn't established his foundation, the Eternal Spring Technique would definitely have reached its highest level, greatly improving his ability to protect himself.
But barely had this idea surfaced when the upper echelons of Yellow Maple Valley announced a piece of news that shocked the entire cultivation world of the Yue Kingdom, causing his plans to evaporate like mist.
The announcement was as follows: The forbidden ground of the Blood-colored Trial would be temporarily sealed for sixty years starting five years from now. During this period, the Seven Great Sects would jointly send people to supervise it, and no one would be allowed to enter and gather herbs.
Such a temporary closure of the forbidden ground was not unheard of. Nearly every three to four hundred years, the Seven Great Sects would do exactly this.
Frequent openings of the forbidden ground caused massive losses of spiritual energy within, slowing the production and growth of spirit herbs. This temporary seal would allow the density of spiritual energy to recover to normal levels.
But even with this measure, the spirit herbs within the forbidden ground grew scarcer by the year, becoming increasingly difficult to find — particularly finished spirit herbs that met the requirements for pill refinement, which were fewer still.