Chapter 12: Mysterious Liquid

"Whoa!" Han Li raised a hand high, clenched his fist, and excitedly shouted.

At that moment, his childlike nature was clearly evident.

It seemed his hypothesis was correct: closed doors and windows hindered the bottle's attraction to the white light threads. Only in a vast, unobstructed space could the bottle better attract the light threads, and only then would the ball of light it formed be larger.

Although he didn't know where these light threads came from, or what purpose the bottle's absorption of these tiny light spots served, this was certainly a significant step towards uncovering the mystery.

Han Li felt he was close to unlocking the bottle's secret, which made him exceptionally excited at that moment.

Not until dawn began to break did the light around the bottle gradually fade, returning it to its calm state.

During this period, Han Li observed the bottle's changes while also constantly being careful not to be discovered by others.

He bent down, picked up the bottle, and examined it.

Nothing was different from before; the lid remained stubbornly sealed, impossible to open.

Han Li was disappointed, but seeing that it was getting late, he reluctantly put the bottle away.

He still needed to rush back to the stone chamber for meditation and practice.

For the next few days, at a specific hour each night, the same phenomenon occurred with the bottle. Countless light threads, like moths drawn to a flame, were attracted to the bottle, then transformed into numerous tiny light spots, which the bottle greedily devoured.

Just as Han Li thought this phenomenon would continue to happen daily with the bottle, on the eighth day, other changes occurred.

When Han Li arrived at the usual spot and placed the bottle, the light absorption phenomenon lasted only for a brief half-hour before stopping. Then, the dark green patterns on the bottle suddenly emitted a dazzling green light, and several golden yellow characters and symbols appeared on its surface. These strange characters had flowing structures and peculiar strokes, containing an indescribable ancient charm. They continuously flickered and moved across the bottle's surface.

This unusual phenomenon also lasted only for an instant before disappearing, leaving only a few raised golden strange characters on the bottle's surface. It seemed as if everything had returned to its state before these events occurred.

After the strange events that had transpired with the bottle over the past few days, Han Li was no longer as surprised by these unusual phenomena as he had been initially. Even more bizarre occurrences on the bottle would not astonish him much anymore.

He casually picked up the bottle and subconsciously tried to open the lid.

Gently, effortlessly, the lid came off the bottle.

He couldn't believe it! Han Li stared in astonishment at the lid in his hand.

Could this significant problem, which he had struggled with for days, really be solved so easily, without any effort or special technique?

Once Han Li confirmed that what was happening before his eyes was indeed real, and the bottle's secret was now within his grasp, he could no longer suppress his excitement. He brought his eyes close to the bottle's opening and peered inside.

Inside the bottle, a single drop of jade-green liquid, about the size of a soybean, slowly rolled around, casting a vibrant green glow across the entire inner surface of the bottle.

What was this?

Han Li felt a pang of disappointment. He had put in so much effort only to obtain something so seemingly uninteresting.

Disheartened, he sealed the bottle with its lid, put it into his leather pouch, and turned to walk back to his living quarters. The thrill and excitement he had felt just moments before had completely vanished.

Although he had successfully opened the bottle's lid, the outcome left him very dissatisfied.

Han Li decided he would explore the secret of this green liquid later, whenever he had nothing else to do. Perhaps it might hold a small surprise!

For now, his priority was to go back and get a good night's sleep to catch up. For the past few days, he hadn't been able to sleep soundly at night, which had significantly reduced his efficiency during daytime practice. Furthermore, his lack of energy had already led to some inquiries from Doctor Mo.

Ever since Han Li became Doctor Mo's direct disciple and broke through the first level of the incantation, he felt a lack of motivation to practice it. Moreover, the results of cultivating this incantation were so dissatisfying that he simply couldn't muster the enthusiasm to train.

Because of this, Doctor Mo had severely reprimanded him.

Yet, when it was time for practice, he still felt drowsy, listless, and utterly devoid of energy.

This situation exasperated Doctor Mo, making him wonder if he had chosen the wrong disciple.

Thinking of this, Han Li also felt a bit wronged. He didn't want to be like this, but he truly wasn't in the right state of mind.

What Han Li didn't expect was that the very next day, after waking up from his sleep, he would once again proactively and wholeheartedly immerse himself in intense cultivation.

The reason for such a drastic change in his behavior was simply a casual remark from Doctor Mo.

"For every level you advance in this incantation, I will double the silver coins I pay you each month," Doctor Mo finally said. Recognizing Han Li's desire for wealth, he had found a fundamental solution. With these simple words, he effectively bound Han Li to the path of strenuous cultivation.

In the days that followed, Han Li desperately cultivated to master the next level of the incantation.

Every day, from morning to noon and from noon to night, he entered the stone chamber twice for cultivation and meditation, living a monotonous, dull, and uniform life, casting everything else aside.

To ensure Han Li could focus entirely on his practice without external interference, Doctor Mo temporarily sealed off the entire Divine Hand Valley. Even treating patients was done outside the valley, and Han Li no longer had to worry about his daily necessities like clothes, food, or expenses.

Thus, the matter of the bottle gradually faded from Han Li's mind.

Autumn passed into winter, and spring gave way to summer.

In a flash, four years went by, and Han Li was now fourteen years old.

He had grown into a dark-skinned, silent, and determined country boy. Outwardly, he was indistinguishable from other ordinary farm boys; equally unremarkable, neither handsome nor debonair.

His entire world consisted of shuttling daily between the stone chamber and his living quarters, occasionally visiting Doctor Mo to learn some medical skills, and then browsing various books in Doctor Mo's room. Through this routine, the whole valley became his entire world, and his incantation naturally progressed to the third level.