Chapter 1285: Nanqi Zi and Old Fu

"There's nothing for it. The new person Zhang recruited is a rare cultivation prodigy who, at a young age, has already cultivated the Adamant Scripture to the third level. I simply had to come and see for myself," the old man said, a light cough escaping him, his wrinkled face trembling slightly.

"The Adamant Scripture, third level! This person?" The girl in the green dress exclaimed, her eyes widening in surprise.

"Xiang'er, don't be rude. Quickly, let the Daoist Master and Elder Fu come in," the girl in the blue dress said after her eyes flickered.

"Oh, it was Xiang'er who was rude." Xiang'er realized her mistake upon the blue-dressed girl's reminder and quickly stepped aside, inviting the two men outside to enter.

The Daoist priest, named Nan Qizi, smiled faintly and walked in nonchalantly. Elder Fu, however, sighed before slowly swaying into the carriage.

By then, the sky outside had already darkened, yet the caravan continued to advance swiftly, showing no intention of stopping.

"This gentleman must be the person Leader Zhang spoke of," the Daoist priest said, wasting no pleasantries. After entering, his gaze briefly swept the interior and settled on Han Li.

"That's right, that would be me. Brother Zhang must have invited the Daoist Master here, but I fear my condition is beyond the Master's help. I only need to meditate quietly for a few months, and I will recover on my own," Han Li replied calmly.

"Hehe, since you have already cultivated the Adamant Scripture to the third level, your divine abilities are truly not inferior to this humble Daoist's. However, cultivators are somewhat different from you body refiners. Perhaps this humble Daoist has a method. This way, you might not have to rest for several months," Nan Qizi said dismissively, showing no displeasure.

Upon hearing this, a trace of surprise flashed across Han Li's face.

Although his spiritual sense could not leave his body, preventing him from accurately discerning the other party's cultivation level, he could vaguely sense that the Daoist priest before him was a Foundation Establishment cultivator through close-range spiritual perception.

When he was in the Human Realm, almost every cultivator who entered the cultivation world viewed mortals as ants. Generally, even a Qi Condensation cultivator would disdain interacting with mortals. However, in the Spirit Realm, the Foundation Establishment Daoist in front of him was speaking to a mortal with such courtesy. This made Han Li feel somewhat unaccustomed, even a little strange.

It seemed that, just as the Heavenly瀾 Beast avatar had said, the power of mortals in the Spirit Realm was not to be underestimated, and even cultivators dared not slight them.

Pondering this, Han Li nodded with a smile and politely said:

"Since the Daoist Master has put it that way, then I shall trouble you."

Nan Qizi smiled faintly when Han Li agreed. Then, with a wave of his hand, a pale green ring appeared on his wrist. He touched the ring with his other hand, and instantly a bronze mirror materialized in his grasp.

Witnessing this, Han Li's heart stirred.

This appeared to be a type of storage artifact, but it was clearly much more advanced than a storage pouch. The fact that a Qi Condensation cultivator possessed such an item indicated that it was already widespread among cultivators in the Spirit Realm.

Storage pouches were likely not used by cultivators in the Spirit Realm.

When he dispersed his Nascent Soul, he had placed all his treasures, except for the two Immortal-Slaying Thunders which he took out and hid on his person, into his storage pouch. Along with a few spirit beast pouches, it was buried over ten zhang deep somewhere underground.

To be cautious, he had intentionally left the openings of the spirit beast pouches wide open and ordered the Gold Devouring Beetles, Six-winged Frost Centipedes, and Weeping Soul Beast to guard the storage pouch diligently at that location.

As for the Earth Armored Dragon, he had not brought it to the Spirit Realm at all, but had left it for Nangong Wan in the lower realm.

Now, Han Li, apart from a Spirit Transformation Talisman that could render him invisible and his Demonic Eyes of Destruction that feared no prying eyes, had left important treasures like the Xutian Cauldron and the seventy-two Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords in the desert. He had no magical power, so he couldn't control these treasures. Keeping them on him would only invite disaster. He would retrieve them once his magical power recovered. With the desert being so desolate and spirit insects guarding them, there shouldn't be any issues.

As for the mysterious small green bottle, after much deliberation, he still couldn't bear to leave it behind and kept it on him as well.

The bottle usually showed no abnormalities; even if discovered, it would only be mistaken for an ordinary object.

As Han Li's thoughts raced, Nan Qizi naturally knew nothing of his silent musings, nor did he realize that the seemingly young Han Li before him was actually a high-level Spirit Transformation cultivator. He simply asked a few casual questions, then aimed the mirror in his hand at Han Li and gave it a shake.

A swath of green light flew from the mirror, enveloping most of Han Li's body.

Nan Qizi gently closed his eyes, appearing to be sensing something through the artifact in his hand. A moment later, an expression of astonishment appeared on the Foundation Establishment cultivator's face. After waiting a little longer, he opened his eyes but stared at Han Li with a strange look.

"What is it, Daoist Master? Have you discerned something?" Han Li asked, feigning indifference.

"Patron, you should take better care of your body. About half of your meridians have ruptured. It seems either the spiritual energy infused during your cultivation of the Adamant Scripture was insufficient, or you lacked some auxiliary medicinal pills. Our human race is not inherently as robust as the bodies of demonic beasts; even a slight mishap during body refining can cause one's physique to collapse. Fortunately, Patron, it appears you realized this early, and the meridian ruptures are not too severe, still in the process of healing. However, this kind of injury is indeed quite difficult to treat. I don't have suitable medicinal pills, so I can only write a few Tranquil Mind Talismans for you to slightly alleviate the internal pain," Nan Qizi said with a long sigh and a bitter smile.

"Then I shall trouble you!" Han Li smiled faintly and acknowledged him.

"Hehe! Since Immortal Master Nan Qizi has already examined him, it matters little whether this old man does or not. However, since I'm here, I might as well go through the motions, otherwise, I truly wouldn't be able to explain it to young Zhang later," the white-robed old man said indifferently from the side.

"Patron Fu is too modest. The Nine Profound Heaven Golden Needles, passed down in your Fu family, have saved countless lives, and many fellow cultivators have greatly benefited from them. This humble Daoist has long heard of your renowned reputation," the Daoist priest said, respectfully bowing slightly to the old man.

"I am merely a fallen disciple of the Fu family; how could I possibly understand the Profound Heaven Golden Needle technique? Daoist Master, you truly overestimate me," the white-robed old man repeatedly shook his head.

Nan Qizi chuckled in amusement and stepped aside without another word.

The white-robed old man stepped forward, naturally arriving before Han Li.

With one hand, he grasped Han Li's wrist, while with the other, he flicked his hand, producing a whooshing sound as several golden threads shot out in a flash.

With soft "thudding" sounds, several slender golden needles appeared on Han Li's body, only a small portion visible, with most having already penetrated his flesh.

Han Li, who had been utterly unable to move a muscle, suddenly jolted upright into a sitting position. Yet, his body remained rigidly straight, like a block of wood.

"Liu'er, take something and place it behind his back as a cushion. Make sure he's sitting comfortably," the old man calmly instructed the blue-dressed girl.

"As you command, Elder Fu! Xiang'er, go fetch a set of our bedding to cushion Young Master Han," the blue-dressed girl cleverly responded, then turned to instruct.

The green-dressed girl named Xiang'er froze for a moment upon hearing this, appearing somewhat hesitant, but she still agreed and left the carriage.

Seizing this opportunity, the white-robed old man simply sat beside Han Li, holding his wrist while shaking his head, his eyes half-closed.

Han Li watched the old man, not uttering a word.

He sensed a faint current of qi rapidly flowing throughout his body, incredibly subtle, almost imperceptible.

If not for his immensely powerful spiritual sense and his thorough understanding of his own body, he likely wouldn't have noticed it.

The old man seemed to sense Han Li's gaze. He glanced over and saw the other party's enigmatic smile, causing his heart to skip a beat.

At this moment, Xiang'er returned to the carriage, carrying a silk comforter and mattress. Without waiting for the old man's instructions, she stepped forward and laid out the bedding, placing it behind Han Li.

Han Li leaned back slightly on the bedding, a rich, fresh fragrance entering his nostrils. He thanked the girl aloud.

The green-dressed girl merely responded with a faint sound, appearing neither warm nor cold.

Han Li paid no mind to her demeanor and continued to observe the white-robed old man's actions.

At this point, Elder Fu waved his hand in the air, and instantly another golden needle, somewhat slenderer, appeared in his hand.

The old man skillfully gripped the needle between two fingers. Then, his single hand blurred as his arm rapidly swung like a wheel, and countless golden rays suddenly enveloped Han Li's body.

Han Li felt a slight chill at numerous points simultaneously, as if all had been pricked by the golden needles.

Subsequently, a sensation of numbness and soreness simultaneously spread from his limbs. Han Li's fingers moved slightly, and then he slowly raised both arms.

Gasps of surprise immediately filled the carriage. Not only did the four girls show expressions of admiration, but Nan Qizi's eyes flickered, visibly moved as well.

"Impressive, Elder Fu's golden needle technique is truly marvelous!" the Daoist priest said with a light chuckle.

"It's nothing, merely a trivial skill. I've only temporarily restored a little mobility to his limbs. However, he must not exert any strength, otherwise, his meridians might rupture extensively," the white-robed old man sternly warned Han Li.

"Many thanks, Elder Fu!"

Han Li wiggled his fingers slightly, feeling both surprised and delighted.

He had also learned the Golden Needle Acupoint technique in the Human Realm and considered himself quite proficient, but compared to Elder Fu, the difference was like heaven and earth. It was astonishing that someone in this world could achieve such miraculous effects, transforming decay into wonder, solely through the Golden Needle Acupoint method.

However, upon hearing the old man's subsequent words, a shiver ran down his spine.

Seeing that Han Li could move without issue, the white-robed old man made another gesture towards him with a single hand.

With a flash of golden light, the needles simultaneously shot out from Han Li's body. However, the old man merely flicked his sleeve, and they were all collected as if sinking into the sea, vanishing completely.

Han Li moved his legs, slowly got off the long bench, and carefully took a few steps.

"This is all this old man can do. Your meridian recovery will depend entirely on yourself. I have other matters to attend to, so I won't stay here any longer."

The white-robed old man immediately took his leave.

Nan Qizi nodded upon hearing this, then pulled out several talismans from his person. With a flick of his hand, they all transformed into streaks of green light and disappeared into Han Li's body.

This Foundation Establishment cultivator also rose to take his leave.

The four girls naturally escorted the two men out of the carriage, then closed the door again.

At this point, Han Li sat on the chair with his eyes slightly lowered, seemingly experiencing the effects of the talismans.

"Brother Han, have you really cultivated the Adamant Scripture to the third level?" As the girls returned to the carriage and exchanged glances, the blue-dressed girl named Liu'er suddenly asked with a smile.

"It was just luck on my part," Han Li replied noncommittally, lifting his eyelids to glance at the girl.