(Today I've made three trips to the internet cafe in a row—twice, the place was completely full with no available machines at all, which truly leaves me speechless! Fortunately, on the third visit, I finally managed to secure a machine and was able to upload this chapter! Ugh, what a hassle! Moreover, I've noticed an increasing number of readers urging me to send out new chapters lately, and I feel deeply ashamed. This book still needs several rounds of recommendations before it can be re-listed, and now, to make ends meet, I've had to take on part-time work again, while also saving up manuscripts. As a result, I can only truly focus on writing during strong promotional periods or after the book is officially listed. I hope you can understand—after all, I still need to eat, don't I?) After several nights of restless sleep, Han Li gradually leaned toward the latter choice—taking risks to achieve a solid foundation—rather than the safer, yet ultimately losing his immortality path. After all, he was determined not to spend his life in mediocrity! Yet, being naturally cautious, he still made a personal visit to the Yuelu Hall before making his final decision. After confirming once again from the wealthy elder that there would be no celestial or terrestrial medicinal herbs outside the sacred grounds, and that the Blood Trial would indeed be fiercely惨烈, he completely abandoned any lingering hopes. Now fully aware that there was no way to retreat, Han Li finally resolved to fully commit himself to the Blood Ban Trial—either to successfully find the elixirs and achieve his foundation, or to meet his end within the trial itself! With a clear, life-or-death objective now established, Han Li began preparing for his journey to the sacred grounds six months hence. In this brief period, he aimed to further strengthen his capabilities, thereby increasing his chances of survival. Without the aid of medicinal pills, the Changle功 at the eleventh stage could not be advanced. To enhance his strength, his only options were to learn several new spells and acquire more powerful talismans and artifacts. As for the new spells, he had little difficulty—surely, mentioning it to his senior Wu would not go unmet with enthusiasm. However, given his aptitude, within the past half-year he could at best learn two basic lower-tier spells or barely master one basic mid-tier spell—anything higher-tier was entirely out of the question. Thus, the fastest path to enhancing his strength remained in the realm of scrolls and artifacts. As for artifacts, Han Li indeed possessed a few. Yet among them, only the circular ring and small banner bestowed by his senior, Ye, proved truly useful—besides, the two items he obtained from the two yellow-robed figures who had previously slain him: the long sword capable of transforming into a rope, and the gourd that could automatically launch spherical projectiles to attack. The items he initially received upon entering the academy—such as the Flame-Sword and Cold-Moon Sword—were merely basic artifacts that provided minimal flame and cold attacks, and thus remained far from impressive. As for scrolls, Han Li had originally been severely lacking. Fortunately, the Ye shi-shu, who had withheld so many things from him, had not falsified the ranks of the talismans—though he had reduced the quantity—instead truly providing him with several dozen junior-mid level talismans and two rare, high-level ones, which significantly bolstered his confidence. Additionally, there was the talisman depicting a small sword, which Han Li had yet to fully comprehend. This talisman, which the yellow-robed man he had slain had hailed as a "talismans of great value," clearly held significant origins. However, as a piece of unsavory, hidden loot, Han Li had never dared to reveal it to others. He had only quietly taken note of the term "talismans of great value," intending to find a suitable opportunity to inquire further about its meaning. Of course, facing such an overwhelmingly daunting "Blood Ban Trial," these items alone would be far from sufficient. Thus, Han Li planned to venture outside the mountain gate to the main branch market near the mountain range, to acquire additional top-tier artifacts and talismans. Nevertheless, without a substantial backing of spiritual stones, this acquisition journey would surely fall short of satisfaction. Although these spiritual stones were manageable for Han Li's current resources, they would also serve as vital life-saving assets for future expeditions to the sacred sanctuary, making him deeply reluctant to part with them. After careful consideration, Han Li decided to cultivate several rare medicinal herbs over the short term, either exchanging them for spiritual stones or engaging in direct barter. In principle, formulating the Dingyan Pill should have been a more advantageous option, potentially yielding greater value, but the sheer volume of required ingredients proved too great to gather within the available timeframe. Thus, he settled on directly bartering the herbs. To avoid drawing attention from members within the sect, Han Li had already resolved in secret that he would sell only the cultivated herbs to external cultivators, never directly trading with fellow members of the sect, thus preventing any potential scrutiny. With his intentions now firmly established, Han Li began to take active steps. He first selected from Wu Feng's range of foundational spells the most practical one—the "Conceal Qi Technique." This is a mid-level auxiliary spell capable of fully countering the Eye of Heaven technique. As long as the caster remains unseen by the opponent's eyes, they can effectively conceal their inner qi and achieve the purpose of hiding their presence. Of course, this spell offers little benefit to cultivators at the Foundation Stage and above, serving primarily as a tactical means between senior Qi-Stage cultivators—making it far more practical than the traditional Concealment Technique. However, Han Li's decision not to choose any offensive or defensive spells instead was entirely based on his own hands-on experience in battle. Because even in that single encounter against other cultivators, he realized how infrequently formal mid-level cultivation techniques could be deployed during combat—most of the time, fighters relied on the quickest, lower-level techniques, as well as tools, scrolls, and artifacts to swiftly launch attacks or establish defenses. Thus, using mid-level or higher cultivation spells during a struggle remained quite practical when relying on scrolls. Of course, if a companion helped secure sufficient casting time, it would be a different story altogether. After receiving the detailed cultivation instructions for this technique from Wu Feng and asking him specifically about the key insights in practicing it, Han Li began to focus entirely on mastering it. However, as a mid-level technique, this Qi-Concealment Spell was fundamentally different from the auxiliary spells he had previously learned, such as the "Wind Command Technique" or the "Invisibility Technique"—it proved extremely awkward and difficult to master. It seemed a significant challenge indeed to fully grasp it within just six months. Thus, Han Li diligently practiced the "Concealing Qi Technique" during the day, and in the evenings, he carefully gathered the green liquid to cultivate several commonly used spiritual herbs. To prevent Master Ma from discovering these herbs, he deliberately scheduled his cultivation activities at times when Master Ma was not coming to collect medicinal materials, and then transplanted the herbs to the most secluded corners of the medicinal garden. After all, herbs over a thousand years old always emit a subtly distinct fragrance. Fortunately, Master Ma had always been punctual in coming to collect his supplies—neither arriving early nor late—each time coming swiftly and departing just as quickly, as though perpetually busy, though the nature of his busywork remained a mystery. Han Li had no interest in knowing what Master Ma was doing; indeed, he preferred that Master Ma remain busy indefinitely, so as not to interfere with his own quiet efforts and allow him to complete his cultivation plans. When Han Li had initially mastered the "Concealing Qi Technique," more than four months had already passed. And finally, he had cultivated two thousand-year-old medicinal herbs, which he was certain would bring a small surprise to Huangfeng Valley's marketplace—a place where such rare herbs had long been hard to find. Han Li obtained an exit token from Yu, a familiar official at the Baiji Hall, and then departed from the mountain gate. This is because the Jianzhou region, where the Taishi Mountains are located, borders closely with the Yuanwu Kingdom to the north, and the immortal realms of Yuanwu and Yue have not been in conflict. As a result, it is common to see immortal practitioners from Yuanwu visiting the Huangfeng Valley marketplace to trade goods, bringing many unique items not available in Yue. This has proven to be an unexpected delight, drawing numerous independent practitioners and immortal families from afar. By convention in the immortal cultivation world, cultivators are not allowed to fly above the five li of the marketplace. As a result, Han Li encountered numerous hurried pedestrians along his way, several of whom wore attire particularly distinctive, prompting him to wonder if they were indeed cultivators from Yuanwu Kingdom. It seems the marketplace is truly bustling. While Han Li was pondering this, he had already reached the entrance of the marketplace street.