Ordinary pills available in the world are already insufficient to accelerate the cultivation of Jin Dan stage cultivators. Only pills made from herbs aged over several hundred years, or certain naturally occurring celestial herbs, can truly expedite their progress. Thus, during each journey, Jin Dan cultivators often spend most of their time gathering exceedingly rare herbs. This was precisely why Li Huayuan, upon seeing the abundance of celestial herbs brought forth by Han Li from the sealed sanctuary, immediately made every effort to take him as his disciple—these celestial herbs were simply too enticing to him! In fact, even if it had been Lei Wanhe or other Jin Dan cultivators leading the expedition, they would have surely not overlooked Han Li's share of these rare herbs. Out of ten such expeditions, nine would have adopted the same approach. Li Huayuan, however, did prove rather stingy, accepting Han Li only as a nominal disciple. Nevertheless, consuming pills merely serves as an auxiliary means to refine one's cultivation power, shortening only the time spent in meditation and absorbing qi. The true path to transforming spiritual energy into one's own internal power lies in diligent and persistent cultivation. Otherwise, no matter how many pills one consumes, if one fails to spend time gradually refining and integrating the spiritual energy contained within them, the effort remains futile—no increase in internal power will occur. After all, external spiritual energy and one's own internal power are fundamentally distinct. In fact, there have been cases where individuals took extraordinary pills unearthed from ancient ruins, only to suffer from an excess of spiritual energy within their bodies, ultimately bursting into pieces! Thus, simply taking pills that far exceed one's current cultivation level is an extremely hazardous practice. Moreover, when encountering a cultivation bottleneck, many practitioners commonly rely on the spiritual energy from pills to help break through the barrier—a method that has proven highly effective. However, practitioners who can successfully overcome such bottlenecks without any external medicinal support remain relatively rare throughout the immortal cultivation world, and they are invariably exceptional talents who appear only once every century. Those with celestial spiritual roots are precisely such recognized supreme talents. Those with unusual spiritual roots, when encountering such cultivation bottlenecks, are no different from ordinary root holders—they must also take pills to break through the barriers. This very situation has befallen Master Lei Wanhe. Thus, he has only just returned from seeking external herbs to prepare auxiliary pills. Yet his current fortune has been particularly poor. Besides securing only two herbs over four hundred years old, he has found nothing else, leaving him deeply frustrated. This is precisely why, upon seeing members of the Qianzhu Teaching, he immediately decided to act decisively—without venting his anger, he would have been in a state of prolonged distress. It must be said that Huang Long and the others were truly unlucky, having coincided with this disgruntled star. At this moment, Lei Wanhe’s thoughts were fluctuating. Having spent over three centuries cultivating, he had seen countless herbs. As soon as these two rare plants caught his eye, he immediately determined their precise ages. It left him greatly delighted. After all, the Yin Yuan Pill he now wished to refine required medicinal herbs over five hundred years old—thus prompting this nearly year-long journey. Yet, despite thoroughly searching every market town and major pharmacy throughout the Yue Kingdom, he found no single herb that satisfied him. He could only gather two subpar specimens from herbs of four hundred years old, which he would have to use as a last resort! He knew well that using such less-aged herbs to produce the Yin Yuan Pill would likely result in a significant reduction of efficacy, offering him little real benefit. Yet, he simply had no other suitable primary herbs at hand—what could he do? Continued searching would only be a waste of time. For if any truly excellent herbs were available, they would have already been snapped up by local sects or immortal families. By the time he arrived, he’d find not even a single stem of herb left. As for seeking out the immortal cultivation circles in neighboring countries—being unfamiliar with the local customs and terrain, the hope there seemed even more distant. Thus, upon hearing his junior nephew mention these somewhat aged herbs, he felt a spark of interest and entered the humble abode with the mere intention of giving it a cursory glance. In Li Wanhe’s mind, what could a Foundation Stage cultivator possibly offer? At most, perhaps herbs aged between two to three centuries. After all, even after traveling for such a long time, he had only managed to secure herbs of four hundred years' age—thanks solely to the fact that the people regarded him as a senior Dan Stage master and were reluctant to compete for his offerings. Now, these two herbs, each over six or seven centuries old, appeared suddenly before him. It was almost beyond his belief, yet he was overjoyed. Though he appeared to be intently gazing at the two herbs in his hands, as if assessing their age, he was actually deeply considering how he might secure these herbs from his junior nephew. After all, such a rare thing in the hands of the other person seemed too precious to waste! Only by having Lei Da the cultivator refine it could its full potential be truly realized. Yet, he had lived this long—surely a seasoned veteran—and had already thought of a perfect excuse in a flash. So, clearing his throat with a touch of reluctance, he gently placed the herbs back into the box and, subtly turning his nearly imperceptible neck, smiled warmly at Han Li: "These two herbs are truly exceptional treasures, my junior—each has been aged for no less than six or seven hundred years! I'm certain they must have taken quite a bit of effort on your part to secure them!" "Yes, indeed," Han Li said half-seriously, "I've worked hard, even to the point of summoning nine oxen and two tigers, to win them at a secret shop's competitive auction. There was also a thousand-year-old medicinal herb up for sale at the same time, but unfortunately, I simply couldn't afford it, so I had to watch it go to another bidder. That still leaves me rather regretful!" "A secret shop? And a thousand-year-old herb as well? Upon hearing this, the plump man nearly leapt right off the stone bench! To him, this was no mere disappointment—it felt like having his heart torn out. As a Qi-Condensation stage cultivator, he had gone to great lengths, visiting no less than seven or eight secret shops across the region, only to miss such a fortunate opportunity. How could he have failed to catch this? If he had been present, he would have surely ensured such a rare treasure didn’t slip away unnoticed! He’d have been willing to pay any number of spiritual stones for it, without hesitation. Thinking of such a once-in-a-thousand-years chance slipping through the fingers of this young man, he felt furious, almost rushing over to grab the boy by the neck and demand answers. Though he knew well that, as a Foundation Stage cultivator, the boy simply couldn’t afford such a premium price—this was entirely reasonable. "Well, it’s too bad we missed it this time. Who knows—perhaps there’ll be another opportunity next time!" "Finally calmed down, the fat one had to offer words of comfort to Han Li that didn't quite match his true feelings. After all, he still had his eyes on those two rare herbs—something he absolutely couldn't afford to let go of now! 'Master Han, how do you intend to handle these two herbs? Do you plan to hand them over to the internal alchemy masters at the monastery? However, I must remind you, the alchemy masters here at Huangfeng Valley aren't exactly up to par. If you entrust such precious herbs to them, you'll surely be losing a fortune. Your losses will be truly substantial!' said the fat one, speaking with the earnest tone of a seasoned elder. 'How could we possibly entrust them to them! In fact, I've been planning to use these herbs to exchange for something even more valuable. To be honest, I nearly spent my entire family's assets just to acquire these herbs. How could I possibly waste them?' Han Li shook his head vigorously, delivering a statement that completely surprised Lei Wanhe, and instantly putting his carefully prepared lines on hold. But then, the plump elder thought again—his nephew wanted to trade for medicinal herbs. Didn't that suit him even better? As a cultivator at the Ji Dan stage, what could he possibly offer that couldn't be fulfilled by the rare materials needed for alchemy and crafting? This was truly a fair and straightforward opportunity to exchange goods! With this thought, the lines of his eyes, already smiling, narrowed further, becoming even more warm and approachable. "Uncle, what would your nephew like to trade for? I've collected countless items over my several hundred years of cultivation—perhaps something just right for you!" The elder blinked his bright eyes, suddenly cheerful and enthusiastic. "Ah! Uncle, do you also need these herbs? Then, I'd be honored to offer you one—just as a token of my gratitude and respect!" At this, Han Li seemed to suddenly realize the situation, and hurriedly bowed deeply, full of humility. Upon seeing Han Li's quick thinking and the fact that he hadn't even mentioned the exchange, the elder immediately decided to offer one of the herbs as a gift without any exchange. Could not help but be greatly delighted, and the more he liked Han Li. However, the fat disciple's goal was to secure both plants! He was equally unwilling to let go of the remaining one. Thus, Lei Wanhe raised his hand with a generous gesture and said proudly, "What is this talk from Master Han? Are you, Lei Wanhe, someone who covets the belongings of your juniors? If you need anything at all, just say so. I will immediately arrange a fair exchange with you, ensuring that no junior will suffer any loss! Do you wish to trade for a top-tier artifact, or perhaps for some pills that you could use right now?" Upon hearing this generous offer, Han Li felt deeply pleased. He had indeed gone through a long process of preparation, precisely waiting for this very statement. Yet on the surface, he scratched his head, appearing somewhat hesitant and uncertain, saying, "Not to be modest, Master Lei, I have always been deeply interested in the art of alchemy. However, in the archive of Yuelu Hall, there are simply few practical pill recipes. It was only later that I realized the ancient alchemical methods passed down through the ages have nearly been completely lost." Currently, the elixir-formulation techniques of my fellow disciples and senior masters either stem from generations of painstaking research within the family or are occasionally discovered in ancient ruins—each one being incredibly precious and rarely shared. That's why I merely wish to exchange these two rare herbs for a formula that suits my own needs! (Heh, we've finally completed over nine thousand characters and three chapters of updates! I sincerely urge everyone to generously support with monthly votes! To fuel this surge, Wàngyǔ has only slept for five hours, solely to call upon the readers' monthly votes. I truly need your votes!)