Mortal: Fifteenth Realm Sword Cultivator

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Standing inside the thirty-ninth level of the cave, Han Li sent the young girl Wen Siyue away, then turned around and looked at the residence he had rented at great expense, and couldn't help but marvel at it.

Finding a cave with abundant spiritual energy to support the breakthrough to the Core Formation stage is incredibly difficult, as the price of spirit stones required is truly astonishing.

This is truly not something that ordinary cultivators can easily afford.

Han Li took a deep breath; the spiritual energy here was indeed much richer than in places like Huangfeng Valley, Kuixing Island, and Xiaohuan Island.

Indeed, you get what you pay for; there's a reason why it's expensive.

He turned to look behind him.

Qu Hun wore a bamboo hat and was dressed in all black.

Since encountering that terrifying celestial wind, in the past few years, he first helped Qu Hun form his Demon Core, and then, in order to accumulate resources and prepare for any eventuality, he specially went to the outer sea to hunt down many fourth and fifth-tier demon beasts in preparation for breaking through to the Core Formation stage.

We traveled tirelessly, without a single moment to truly rest.

Thinking about his upcoming breakthrough to the Core Formation realm, Han Li couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement that he found difficult to calm down.

Unfortunately, when I traveled with Lu Jianghe earlier, I forgot to ask him where he was staying.

If it weren't for the fact that Tianxing City is a city on each floor, covering a vast area, searching slowly would take too much time.

Han Li really wanted to shamelessly go and find out, to take advantage of the situation and save on the rent for the cave dwelling.

Of course, this is just something to think about.

I have too many secrets...

It's unclear how Brother Lu managed to escape after being swept away by the wind.

With Brother Lu's unfathomable cultivation level, he should be unharmed.

Never mind, I should focus on my own things for now.

The most urgent task is to prepare the necessary elixirs for the attempt to form the Golden Core.

As the core of the Chaotic Star Sea, Tianxing City boasts a vast market town, inevitably teeming with all sorts of novel pill recipes.

Han Li made up his mind that after settling in for a while, he would go to the market to have a good look around.

The Chaotic Star Sea is rich in monster resources, and many pill recipes use monster inner cores as the main ingredient, resulting in unique effects.

These elixirs, made using internal alchemy to replenish vital energy and strengthen the body's foundation, are virtually unheard of in the Tiannan region. Moreover, there are many such elixir formulas available, making them quite common.

Using the small green bottle to accelerate the ripening of medicinal herbs for alchemy can easily lead to drug resistance.

It would be more direct and efficient to work on the inner core of the demon beast.

However, the main purpose of the little green bottle now is to cultivate the demon-attracting grass and refine the spirit-feeding pills to feed the gold-devouring insect swarm.

These spirit insects were a great asset for his future.

With this in mind, Han Li left Qu Hun in the cave to guard her, while he himself set off for the market in Tianxing City.

I visited several shops, big and small, and bought a copy of every kind of elixir formula I could find.

During this time, he discovered something quite interesting.

Shops that use the "Miaoyinmen" name generally have inflated prices.

Han Li sneered inwardly, knowing he wasn't the kind of sucker to be taken advantage of, and immediately turned and left without hesitation.

In addition, he sold some of the monster materials he didn't need to exchange for spirit stones.

Han Li did not choose the four major merchant alliances, but instead specifically sought out some small shops that had been rooted in Tianxing City for many years and had a decent reputation, and sold them off in batches.

Although this method is slower, it avoids attracting attention and can ensure one's safety to the greatest extent.

Now all the elixirs and spirit stones needed for seclusion have been prepared.

Han Li pondered that he might as well take advantage of this seclusion to study some array formations.

After all, relying solely on a set of inverted five elements formations is still somewhat insufficient.

When he finally understood, Han Li realized that he had overthought things.

Complete sets of array formation tools are very expensive, often starting at several thousand spirit stones, and some of the finished products are not even as exquisite as the "Inverted Five Elements Array" in his hand.

As for the classics and jade slips that record various formations, most of them are basic introductions to formations and outlines of formation setup. Even these are obscure and difficult to understand.

Han Li could understand it, but the price tag made him feel that it was seriously inconsistent with the value of the content.

This is clearly bullying those cultivators who are eager to learn but have no one to guide them.

The optical array's arrangement techniques for several fixed formations are definitely not what Han Li seeks.

What he truly needs is the profound principles of the Five Elements' mutual generation and restraint behind various formations, the mysteries of the interconnected formation patterns, and the core principles of the combination, nesting, and evolution of different formations.

Only by mastering these skills can one apply them to other situations, and even try to create or improve formations, instead of simply copying others.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but think of Xin Ruyin again.

That extraordinary woman, who could create the "Inverted Five Elements Array" at the Qi Refining stage, which combines trapping, defense, and confusion, probably possesses a talent and mastery of array formations that far surpasses what these expensive books can achieve.

Since she's also in Tianxing City, there should be a chance to meet again in the future, right?

Han Li sighed softly; the solution was too far away to address the immediate problem.

Well, I guess I'll have to settle for second best.

Buy some items that explain the principles of the Five Elements and their formations. Even if they're expensive, consider it laying a foundation for the future.

On both sides of the road, the houses are simple, and not far away are large areas of carefully cultivated fields and green fields.

Although the spiritual energy was far less concentrated than in the upper levels, it possessed a unique elegance and appeared quite tranquil.

Here—your private mobile library, accessible anytime. This is already the relatively peripheral area of ​​the tenth floor.

Of course, not all cultivators were left without a livelihood.

There are a few shops scattered along the way, but compared to the densely packed and dazzling shops in the city center, they appear much sparse and simple.

Most of them are just small businesses, or shops run by cultivators themselves, selling their own spiritual grains, low-level talismans, rudimentary magical artifacts, or doing some repair work.

The purpose is simply to supplement the spiritual stones needed for cultivation and barely sustain the path of cultivation; business is mostly very slow.

As Han Li prepared to turn back, his divine sense swept over several elegant courtyards.

These small courtyards have shops in the front and residences in the back.

One of the shops caught his attention.

Above the shop's entrance hangs a simple wooden plaque with the four characters "Yuan Yan Xiao Ge" written on it.

Interestingly, the store's layout is extremely focused; all you can see are various array-related tools.

From array plates and array flags to the special spirit stones and materials needed for setting up the array, everything was available, but there was no trace of the talismans, pills, or magical artifacts that other cultivators usually needed.

"Focusing solely on formations?"

Han Li was slightly surprised and muttered to himself.

The art of formations is profound, complex, and difficult to understand.

One in ten cultivators might not even be able to truly enter the path.

Shops that sell items related to formations are usually either part of a large merchant guild or run by the formation master himself. Even the latter often sell talismans and basic magical artifacts in order to make a living.

Shops that focus solely on selling array-related equipment are quite rare.

What Han Li found even stranger was the location of the shop.

If the goal is truly to make money, it should be located in the city center, a place teeming with cultivators and bustling with transactions.

It's really illogical to open a shop on the relatively edge of the tenth floor of Tianxing City, where there are few customers.

Could the shop owner be an eccentric array master who dislikes noise?

Han Li stopped in his tracks, his curiosity piqued.

After a moment's hesitation, he strode toward the small bamboo pavilion.

When Han Li was still about three zhang away from the shop steps, he paused and his expression changed slightly.

Because he felt his body pass through an invisible layer.

With his current cultivation of the Great Evolution Technique, far surpassing his peers and even rivaling Core Formation cultivators, how could he have been completely unaware of this barrier just now?!

If it weren't for the sudden change in the physical sensation of skin rubbing against the air, it would feel like passing through a film of water.

It's really hard to notice.

The instant his body passed through this invisible barrier.

From behind the shop came several clear, playful laughs from women.

It stopped abruptly the instant he had passed through.

This barrier seemed to be merely a reminder to the shop owner that customers were coming.

Han Li composed himself and stepped onto the stairs.

The store is simply and elegantly furnished, with a faint sandalwood scent in the air.

There was no one behind the counter.

Just as he was about to ask a question, the curtain to the inner room was gently lifted by a delicate hand.

Both of them were taken aback when they saw each other.

"Fellow Daoist Han?"

"Miss Xin?"

After a brief moment of surprise, the two quickly recovered and smiles appeared on their faces simultaneously.

"What a coincidence."

Xin Ruyin spoke first.

"I was just thinking about old times in the shop, and before I knew it, an old friend was standing at the door. Fate is truly wonderful."

Han Li sighed inwardly. He had just thought of Xin Ruyin, the array master, and he hadn't expected to meet her again so soon.

"I was just strolling through the market, hoping to find an opportunity to learn some array formations from Miss Xin. This shop..."

"It was a shop that I ran together with Yan Ruyan and another girl, called 'Yuanyan Pavilion'."

As Xin Ruyin spoke, she gestured for Han Daoist to come in, saying, "Please come in quickly, Fellow Daoist Han. Don't stand outside the door and talk."

The two sat down.

Looking at his old friend, whose demeanor had become increasingly calm and elegant, Han Li was overwhelmed with emotion and couldn't help but sigh, "It's been almost thirty years since we parted ways on Kui Xing Island, hasn't it? Time really flies."

A hint of reminiscence flickered in Xin Ruyin's eyes as she softly said, "Yes, it feels like just yesterday. Time flies, and I never imagined that so much time has passed since then."

She gently pushed a cup of tea in front of Han Li, saying, "Fellow Daoist, you must have experienced extraordinary things over the years."

Han Li smiled and said, "The setbacks and disagreements involved are not for outsiders to know. However, I observe that your aura is deep and your spiritual power is abundant, suggesting that you may have already reached the pseudo-core stage?"

Xin Ruyin gently shook her head and slowly said, "To be honest, everything I have achieved is thanks to Senior Lu and the guidance of a Nascent Soul senior. It is only through this that I have been able to get to where I am today. It is really nothing special."

Han Li's expression changed drastically, and he asked with barely concealed urgency, "Brother Lu? Is he in Tianxing City?!"

Seeing his urgent expression, Xin Ruyin was slightly surprised, but still nodded gently: "Yes, I am, but I am currently in seclusion."

Seclusion is good.

He loves seclusion the most.

"Sister Ruyin, have the guests not left yet?!"

With a sweet, clear call, a woman dressed in a light gauze dress rushed in from the inner room.

Highly recommend "Mortal Cultivator: Fifteen Realms of Sword Cultivation"! Click to enter the story world.