Han Li gently picked up a single pill between two fingers, bringing it close to his eyes. He stared at it intently for a moment, and a faint smile appeared on his face.
This desperate gamble hadn't been in vain after all. With these few "Dust Descending Pills," he figured that Qu Hun and his own chances of forming a Core had increased by another fraction.
After carefully storing the pills and returning the bottle to his storage pouch, Han Li's immediate goal was clear. He needed to find a place with ample spiritual energy that was also safe enough for him to attempt Core Formation.
Whether it was Qu Hun or himself, as long as one of them successfully entered the Core Formation stage, they would at least have a fighting chance against pursuit from cultivators of the same level.
However, forming a Core wasn't something that could be accomplished in a short time.
Aside from geniuses with heavenly spiritual roots, other cultivators needed sufficient spiritual medicines and time to break through the bottleneck.
The "Snow Spirit Water" and "Heavenly Fire Liquid" he had planned to purchase were two essential spirit substances required during Core Formation. While it was technically possible to attempt formation without them, the success rate plummeted to such a low level it would make a cultivator want to spit blood. Though no formal statistics existed, it was said to be far below one percent.
Besides these two, other spiritual medicines could also be consumed during the process. The more varieties one used, the greater the hope of success, though none had an effect as significant as the "Snow Spirit Water" and "Heavenly Fire Liquid."
Of course, like those two spirit substances, taking duplicates was ineffective. This wasn't simply a matter of refining qi through meditation; taking different spiritual medicines required precise amounts, and too much could produce the opposite of the desired effect.
The irony was that while these other medicines were far less effective than the "Snow Spirit Water" and "Heavenly Fire Liquid," they were often even harder to find and more precious. This was because they typically required one, or even several, thousand-year-old spirit grasses as ingredients to prepare.
How could an ordinary cultivator afford such extravagance? Preparing one or two additional types beyond the "Snow Spirit Water" and "Heavenly Fire Liquid" would be considered extremely luxurious.
Naturally, for Han Li, this wasn't a major problem. Except for a few incredibly rare spirit grasses he had never possessed or even heard of, he had already matured the others during his years of cultivation at Minor Realm Mountain. He had used them to prepare over a dozen auxiliary medicines for Core Formation, which now sat safely in one of his storage pouches.
The most surprising part was that these medicines didn't require refinement using a cultivator's innate true fire. They could be prepared simply, much like ordinary medicines in the mortal world. The recipes were also easily found clearly recorded in various texts.
This had baffled Han Li for a long time, and he still didn't fully understand it.
The five "Dust Descending Pills" he had obtained were likely one such auxiliary medicine needed by cultivators in the Chaotic Star Sea for Core Formation, which explained their rarity and preciousness.
That didn't mean, however, that taking these auxiliary medicines would immediately boost one's success rate far above others. Based on the materials Han Li had reviewed, even such an extravagant method would likely only increase his chances by ten or fifteen percent compared to other cultivators.
Still, it was better than not taking them at all. And of course, this was merely his own speculation.
Furthermore, the process of Core Formation wasn't something that could be completed in a matter of days or weeks. According to various texts and the experience shared by Li Huayuan, the entire process required a full three to five years to complete. The exact duration depended on an individual's aptitude.
During this period, one had to avoid extreme emotional fluctuations—neither great joy nor great sorrow—and must not engage in combat. Additionally, one needed to absorb a certain amount of spiritual energy from heaven and earth.
Therefore, finding an island with at least some spiritual energy for secluded Core Formation was an imperative.
With these thoughts in mind, Han Li produced another jade slip. This one contained a vast sea chart centered around Kui Star Island and three other major islands. He immersed his consciousness, and after considerable effort, finally pinpointed his approximate location. Then, he scanned the entire chart for remote, smaller islands marked with annotations.
After the time it takes to eat a meal, Han Li withdrew from the jade slip, deep in thought.
After glancing around at the surrounding sea and the blazing sun overhead, he narrowed his eyes, oriented himself, and then departed with Qu Hun as a streak of white light that vanished over the horizon.
Along the way, Han Li would land on deserted islands to rest temporarily and replenish his magical power. When he spotted islands occupied by cultivators or other people, he would immediately steer clear, not daring to linger for even a moment, lest he leave some trace that could be tracked down.