txolops Chapter 53 Han Li: Why did you choose him and not me?
Chapter 53 Han Li: Why did you choose him and not me?
Chapter 53 Han Li: Why did you choose him and not me?
Next, as is customary, they will check whether the disciples are hiding any medicinal herbs.
A Foundation Establishment deacon led out a small beast that resembled a mink, with a pink and glistening nose.
Although this little beast is only a first-level low-rank demon beast with low intelligence, its sensitivity to the aura of spiritual herbs is unparalleled.
He especially remembered the aromas of the main ingredients used in the Foundation Building Pill.
Even if it's placed inside a storage bag, this little beast can still smell it.
It was led by a leash, passing by each disciple who returned from the forbidden area, its nostrils flaring as it carefully sniffed.
Lin Chuan stood in the queue, his expression calm.
When the little animal passed by him, it didn't stop at all and turned to the next one.
"The divination was indeed accurate; the jade tablet space can indeed isolate detection." Lin Chuan's last trace of doubt vanished, and he felt completely at ease.
After checking each one, none of the disciples, including Han Li, found any hidden items.
This result prompted the Foundation Establishment deacons from each faction to nod slightly in approval.
"Hehe, Senior Qiong, Fellow Daoist Fuyunzi, I'm really sorry, but this time the disciples of Huangfeng Valley lived up to expectations and were lucky enough to win."
With the dust settled, Li Huayuan turned around and smiled at Qiong Laoguai and Fuyunzi, who had just left, his tone inevitably carrying a hint of triumphant satisfaction.
Old Monster Qiong's face was as black as the bottom of a pot, and his unkempt beard stood on end.
He snorted heavily and, extremely displeased, pulled out three almost transparent, thin talismans from the filthy blue cloth bag.
It was the "Invisible Needle Talisman Treasure".
He tossed it to Li Huayuan without even looking at it.
"Take it! A bet's a bet! I'm not some old man who would renege on a debt!"
After saying that, he flickered and disappeared as if he had merged into the air.
Immediately afterwards, Fairy Ni Chang of the Hidden Moon Sect, along with her dozen or so disciples, departed in a massive flying boat.
The smile on Master Fuyunzi's face was somewhat forced, and deep in his eyes was a deep sense of heartache.
He carefully took out the jade box containing the Blood Thread Dragon's inner core and handed it over.
"Fellow Daoist Li, congratulations. Now that this matter is settled, I shall take my leave."
He bowed respectfully, said no more, and led the few surviving disciples of Qingxu Sect, transforming into streaks of rainbow light and swiftly disappearing into the distance.
With the betting game over, the sects of Tianque Fortress, Giant Sword Sect, Spirit Beast Mountain, and Transformation Blade Dock, among others, led their disciples away one after another, some with relief and others with disappointment.
As the host of this forbidden area opening and the biggest winner, Huangfeng Valley naturally stayed until the end.
Soon, only Huangfeng Valley and his group remained on this desolate mountain.
Li Huayuan stroked the three invisible needle talismans and the jade box containing the dragon pill in his hand, feeling very happy.
His gaze fell on Lin Chuan and Han Li again, and the more he looked at them, the more pleasing they seemed to him.
"What are your names?"
He had already learned this from the Foundation Management Office, and asking now was more of a formal confirmation and opening statement.
"Reporting to Grandmaster Li, your disciple is Lin Chuan."
"Reporting to Grandmaster Li, this disciple is Han Li."
The two bowed quickly in response.
Li Huayuan nodded, then looked at Han Li, whose cultivation level was obviously lower and who was only at the twelfth level of Qi Refining, and asked with great interest: "Han Li, tell me, how did you obtain so many spiritual herbs in this forbidden area?"
He was indeed curious how a disciple at the twelfth level of Qi Refining could obtain so many spiritual herbs.
A slight alarm bell rang in Han Li's mind, but he had already anticipated being questioned about this matter.
He remained calm and composed as he spoke, his voice steady: "To be honest, this was quite a stroke of luck. Although I risked my life to infiltrate the crater, I am ashamed to say that I gained very little in the early stages and almost met with misfortune."
He paused, as if recalling something, "Until the afternoon of the fourth day, I accidentally came across a secluded valley, only to find two people fiercely fighting over several Jade Marrow Mushrooms. One was a barefoot disciple of the Giant Sword Sect wielding a silver sword, with a powerful aura; the other was a scarred cultivator from Tianque Fortress, ruthless in his methods. The two fought fiercely, their magical power greatly depleted, and both seemed to be injured."
Han Li spoke slowly, yet his descriptions were quite vivid: "The disciple quietly hid in a crevice in the rock, holding his breath and concentrating, daring not to make a move. The two cultivators were both superior to the disciple, and their battle was incredibly powerful, with various magical artifacts and talismans appearing one after another. In the end, the scarred cultivator from Tianque Fortress seemed to have the upper hand, severely injuring the Giant Sword Sect disciple with a powerful yellow flying dagger talisman, but he himself also suffered a great loss of spiritual power and a severe backlash."
"Just as the cultivators from Tianque Fort stepped forward to collect the Jade Marrow Mushroom, their minds were most relaxed, the heavily injured and fallen disciple of the Giant Sword Sect suddenly sprang up, urging his last bit of spiritual power to unleash some kind of secret technique—after a violent explosion, the two perished together, leaving no trace of their bodies, only a mess on the ground and—their personal storage bags."
At this point, Han Li's face revealed a suitable mix of lingering fear and relief: "I waited for a long time, and only after confirming that there was no more danger did I dare to approach. I discovered that their storage bags were not completely destroyed. In addition to the spiritual herbs they had gathered themselves, they also seemed to have taken some from other cultivators—the total amount was quite considerable. Knowing that my cultivation was low, I dared not linger, and immediately left the valley after taking the items."
His narration was vivid, reasonable, and engaging, perfectly illustrating the story of "when the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits," while exaggerating his own incredible luck.
The emphasis is on the element of chance and danger.
Upon hearing this, Lin Jie, Chen Qiaoqian, and their siblings couldn't help but show expressions of envy and even jealousy.
In their view, Han Li had struck it incredibly lucky, unexpectedly inheriting the legacy of two top Qi Refining stage experts.
Lin Chuan listened silently from the side, understanding the situation perfectly.
This was naturally a prepared statement by Han Li, a mix of truth and falsehood.
However, since he had prepared a similar story about encountering a powerful enemy and suffering heavy losses, and then picking up the scraps, it was not appropriate to copy it directly since Han Li had used it first.
Li Huayuan nodded secretly after listening to Han Li's story.
He felt that this made sense. How could a disciple at the twelfth level of Qi Refining possibly gather twenty-eight main medicinal herbs on his own, unless he had incredible luck and encountered such a mutually destructive opportunity?
It seems that this young man is indeed blessed with good fortune. Although his aptitude is somewhat lacking, this opportunity is still rare. In his heart, he would describe Han Li as "a lucky guy with extremely good luck".
Then, Li Huayuan turned his gaze to Lin Chuan: "Lin Chuan, what about you?"
Compared to Han Li, he was actually more curious about how Lin Chuan, a disciple who had reached the peak of Qi Refining and whose combat strength was obviously not bad, had obtained such a large number of spiritual herbs.
"Reporting to Grandmaster,"
Lin Chuan had already prepared his answer and replied respectfully, "Before setting off for the Crimson Forbidden Land, my Lin family ancestor bestowed upon me a flying sword talisman for self-defense."
As he spoke, he took out the ancient sword talisman he had obtained from Lin Xuankun, which was now dimmed and had less than one-tenth of its power remaining, and presented it with both hands.
"It was precisely by relying on the power of this talisman that I was able to escape danger and seize the storage bags of powerful enemies several times in the forbidden area. Most of the spiritual herbs inside came from this."
He was concise and to the point, both indicating that he had a powerful trump card and attributing the acquisition process to "killing a strong enemy and seizing it, which is reasonable and justifiable."
Furthermore, it follows a different path from Han Li's "picking up the scraps," thus avoiding duplication.
Li Huayuan took the talisman and glanced at it, confirming that it was indeed an overused talisman. He nodded and said, "So you had a talisman with you, no wonder. However, being able to activate a talisman multiple times to defeat enemies requires sufficient magical power and combat wisdom. It seems your combat ability is indeed quite good."
He paused, then added, "Of course, you must have been very lucky to not have encountered any top characters who possessed more powerful talismans or special abilities."
Lin Chuan bowed his head and agreed.
Li Huayuan handed the talisman back to Lin Chuan, his gaze sweeping over the two of them, a perfectly timed look of embarrassment on his face: "Originally, I said in public that whoever made the greatest contribution during this trip to the forbidden area would be accepted as a nominal disciple, and formally accepted into the sect after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage."
He paused briefly, and his voice reached everyone's ears clearly.
"But the two of you submitted the same number of medicinal herbs, twenty-eight each, tying for first place. This puts me in a bit of a dilemma—"
The atmosphere in the room became slightly tense.
Lin Jie and the others held their breath.
Han Li's eyes flickered slightly, while Lin Chuan remained calm, waiting for what was to come.
After a moment's thought, Li Huayuan seemed to have made a decision and said, "How about this—Lin Chuan, your cultivation has reached the peak of Qi Refining, and your foundation is solid. Your performance this time has also proven that you are quite capable in combat. I will first accept you as a nominal disciple. After you successfully establish your foundation, we will hold the formal apprenticeship ceremony and you will officially become a disciple."
"Disciple greets Master!" Lin Chuan immediately stepped forward, bowed deeply, and his voice was filled with just the right amount of excitement.