Han Li had reached the pinnacle of the ninth layer of the Innate Realm by the age of 120, but it took him seventy-five years to break through to the Pihai Realm, a journey fraught with many twists and turns.
Even counting from his time in Lingjun City, that was forty-five years, and this was with Ninth Grade cultivation talent.
Now he was in the Gangyuan Realm, having spent only twelve years advancing from the Pihai Realm. He had also accumulated sixty-five years of cultivation, which, if fully assimilated, he estimated could elevate him to the mid-stage of the Gangyuan Realm.
His cultivation talent had also risen to the seventh grade. It could be said that the further he progressed, the faster his cultivation speed became—his rate of improvement was nothing short of meteoric!
Looking at the Changsheng Family, cherish the life of the elderly ancestor!
If most cultivators had such a cultivation speed, they would have been spirited and complacent, becoming renowned cultivational geniuses and living wildly outside, fearing that others might not know their great fortunes.
But Elder Han was different; he remained as steady as an old dog, avoiding drawing attention whenever possible, and had kept a low profile for many years. Others even thought he was just at the first or second level of the Pihai Realm. His secret to longevity was summed up in one word: "lay low!"
However, Han Li was now hesitant about whether to participate in the next auction at Fengyang Manor.
Fengyang Manor would hold a grand auction every fifty years, hosted by the Manor Lord and backed by the Daqian Empire.
Each auction was a lively event, with cultivators from surrounding manors flocking to bid on treasures they coveted.
The Han Family also had a presence in the city of Fengyang Manor and had gathered much information. At this upcoming auction, several pill formulas would be available, at least of the eighth grade, and there were even rumors of seventh-grade formulas.
This made Han Li very eager, as what he lacked most were pill formulas above the eighth grade.
This large-scale auction by Fengyang Manor was destined to attract many powerful individuals, with Pihai Realm and even Gangyuan Realm cultivators from the surrounding manors likely to attend.
Han Li wanted pill formulas, and so did others; this meant competition. Even if he successfully bid on a pill formula, Han Li would become well-known, which was a prospect he wasn't too fond of.
As the saying goes, "The bigger the name, the bigger the target!"
Han Li often took history as his guide, admonishing himself not to be too ostentatious. He aimed to break through quietly, live long quietly, be stable in all things, and be sure of his actions.
The laws of the Daqian Empire were quite strict. One could not initiate combat within the cities at will; otherwise, the enforcement teams would apprehend or even kill the offenders.
Outside the city walls, however, there were far fewer rules. Murder and loot were common occurrences, and if one were killed and robbed, it was only due to insufficient strength or bad luck.
The Qian Dynasty wouldn't intervene in such matters, nor did it have the energy to do so, as long as there were no disturbances within the various cities.
The former Emperor Qian was incredibly domineering and unfathomable in strength. His reign marked another golden age for the Qian Dynasty, but he offended too many powers.
The current Emperor Qian lacked sufficient strength and finesse to stabilize the vast empire, leading to the downturn of the Qian Dynasty. If not for the fear of the True Martial Realm ancestors hidden within the Qian Dynasty, the Kurong Sect, Yinyang Sect, and Da Jing Empire would have already taken action.
Although Han Li had stayed in Lingjun City all these years, he had always been dedicated to gathering intelligence, giving him a sense that he understood the world without stepping outside. He had clearly noticed the declining governance of the Qian Dynasty, predicting significant events within the next two to five hundred years.
If Han Li successfully auctioned for the pill formulas, he would inevitably offend those vying for them. It was probable that they might attack him outside the city. Even if Han Li could easily retaliate, it would expose his strength, unless he found a deserted place to strike.
If the assailant backed by powerful forces went to attack Han Li and did not return for a long time, any subsequent investigation could still implicate Han Li.
"Alas, everything comes with risks. How can there be no risk at all?" Han Li lamented.
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Even if one were just scraping by in Lingjun City, keeping a low profile, there would still be immeasurable risks involved. It is possible for a battle between powerful beings to impact the city or for an old demon to slaughter the inhabitants in pursuit of dark cultivation...
However, such events are extremely improbable, and the associated risk is much lower compared to other dangers.
Since the risks are significant and the variables many, Han Li decided not to participate in the large auction held by Fengyang Manor after all. If it took a little more time, he would eventually collect enough pill formulas.
Having made his decision, Han Li no longer worried. Whatever time the auction was held or whatever heaven-defying treasures appeared, it was all irrelevant to him.
In the following two months, Han Li still stayed in Han Mansion, spending his days appreciating flowers, arranging them, crafting pills, reading, handling jade, watching dances...
One day, while leisurely enjoying the flowers with his ladies, Han Li suddenly received a system notification.
"You have fifty descendants with cultivation talent, you gain an additional twenty years of cultivation, you obtain one seventh-grade Lifespan Extension Pill, and you gain thirty years of artifact refining experience," it said.
"Huh?"
Han Li blinked, realizing that there was something good among the rewards this time.
Thirty years of artifact refining experience could almost make him an eighth-grade Artifact Refiner, opening another revenue stream for the Han Family and temporarily solving the problem that plagued him.
If the spirit stones earned from selling pills were not enough, then he could sell weapons! Weapons are essential; no matter whether one is in the Innate Realm, Pihai Realm, or below, in order to enhance power, one has to buy several weapons.
If a cultivator has a powerful weapon, they could even challenge opponents beyond their level.
Han Li accepted the thirty years of artifact refining experience, which took some time to fully absorb, granting him a wealth of refining knowledge, techniques, and other experiences.
He stored the additional twenty years of cultivation as well. His account now had eighty-five years of cultivation saved, exceeding half of his target amount.
He kept the Lifespan Extension Pill. Although it was only a seventh-grade pill and each could only extend life by ten years and was only effective for cultivators below the God Refining Realm, its value was also very high. If auctioned, it would be worth at least a thousand mid-grade spiritual stones, which equaled one hundred thousand lower-grade spiritual stones.
Poor saps in the Innate Realm shouldn't even dream about it, while those at the peak of the Pihai Realm might consider it. However, treasures like the Lifespan Extension Pill were invaluable and hard to come by.
Great Masters in the Gang Yuan Realm had more money and could easily buy a Lifespan Extension Pill.
Over the years, Han Li had gradually acquired quite a number of seventh-grade Lifespan Extension Pills. He had used some on his concubines, and with this one, he only had four left in storage.
He wouldn't easily sell such treasures as Lifespan Extension Pills; otherwise, he might attract the attention of some old Gang Yuan Realm cultivators with not much time left.
Soon, Han Li drafted a list, all concerning refining materials and blueprints, and had the descendants of the Han Family start collecting them.
Crafting pills requires pill formulas, and naturally, artifact crafting needs blueprints. Han Li was now equivalent to an eighth-grade Artifact Refiner; he couldn't just look at a weapon and be able to reproduce it on the spot.
The steps in artifact crafting, the techniques, the proportion of materials needed, if any of these was off, the artifact might not be successfully crafted.
To craft some powerful spiritual artifacts or magical treasures, formation scripts had to be carved into them to enhance their potency.
In legend, divine weapons and immortal artifacts hold boundless power. With a single strike, they can turn the world upside down, a might Han Li could hardly imagine.
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