Chapter 153: Depression

Han Li picked up a jade slip and blew gently on it, revealing its glistening emerald green surface.

He pressed the jade slip against his forehead, and his consciousness slowly delved into its contents. A medicinal pill's refining method suddenly appeared before him – to his astonishment and delight, it was the Foundation Establishment Pill refining method Han Li had always yearned for. The entire process, from raw materials to how to condense them into a finished pill, was detailed without omission.

For a moment, he couldn't bother to look at the other jade slip and quickly scanned the entire content with his consciousness. However, when his mind registered the phrase "must be refined with primordial true flame to form the pill," Han Li froze, feeling utterly dumbfounded.

Primordial true flame is a Daoist True Fire that cultivators can only possess during the Foundation Establishment stage. It is a basic spiritual ability that cultivators naturally acquire after reaching Foundation Establishment. Its power gradually increases as a cultivator refines Qi and meditates. By the Core Formation stage, this true flame transforms into the legendary Three Flavors True Flame, capable of burning all things in the world.

Yet, how could Han Li, a Qi Condensation stage cultivator, manifest such a primordial true flame? He could only use it after reaching Foundation Establishment.

However, if one needed to refine a Foundation Establishment Pill to reach Foundation Establishment, and refining the Foundation Establishment Pill required the primordial true flame only available after Foundation Establishment, an unbreakable, interlocking dilemma formed.

This frustration made Han Li feel an urge to bang his head against a wall!

Asking other Foundation Establishment cultivators for help in refining the pill was even more out of the question. That would be akin to exposing the secret of his small bottle to them, and by then, the helper he sought might very well become the one who took his life.

Han Li stood vexed in front of the table for a long while before finally removing the jade slip from his forehead and putting it back. Then, absentmindedly, he picked up the other jade slip, wiped it a few times, revealing its fiery red color.

"The Foundation Establishment Pill issue will have to wait! Let's see what this other slip contains; perhaps there's another wonderful pill inside!" Han Li was a decisive person. He immediately set aside the matter of the Foundation Establishment Pill and began examining the red jade slip, hoping for a pleasant surprise.

"Everlasting Beauty Pill" – as soon as Han Li's consciousness entered the slip, these three characters appeared in his mind. He immediately felt a sense of unease, but Han Li still tried to comfort himself. "Though it's called this, the pill's effect might not be what I'm thinking. Perhaps it has other miraculous uses!"

However, the next few sentences utterly shattered Han Li's hopeful fantasy. "Capable of preserving youth and maintaining appearance indefinitely" — this was the pill's sole described effect, with no other uses mentioned.

Han Li stood there motionless, as if rooted to the spot, without uttering a word. Yet, inwardly, he could no longer suppress the rising surge of frustration, and he began to curse under his breath.

"What kind of library is this? It's missing all the important formulas, but it's full of junk! What use are these Golden Needle Secret Arts, Everlasting Beauty Pills, and other useless items to us cultivators? And they're displayed so prominently here..."

Just as Han Li felt his trip had been practically in vain, that annoying voice echoed once more.

"Time's up again. If you still..."

"I'm coming down now!"

This time, Han Li had no intention of giving the other party another spirit stone for nothing. So, he picked up the jade slip containing the Foundation Establishment Pill refining method, ready to leave.

However, as he reached the staircase, he hesitated. He realized that while the Everlasting Beauty Pill offered no help in advancing cultivation, it could probably be sold to other cultivators. More importantly, this Everlasting Beauty Pill didn't require the so-called primordial true flame; he could concoct it even now.

With that thought, Han Li turned back to the table, grabbed the red jade slip as well, then quickly returned to the staircase and clattered down the steps.

"Well, young friend! Did you find anything useful?" The old man asked with a beaming smile as soon as he saw Han Li descend, but to Han Li's ears, the words sounded utterly insincere.

"Elder Xu, is the upstairs truly where our sect stores medicinal pill formulas? Why is it filled with such useless junk? Isn't there another collection room?" Han Li ignored the old man's teasing and instead asked the question that had been bothering him for a long time, his face showing a dejected expression.

Seeing Han Li's expression, the old man couldn't help but chuckle mischievously.

"Since I started managing this place, young friend, you're certainly not the first to ask that question. Almost every newcomer who comes to Yuelu Hall and inspects the upstairs asks me about it. But if you want to know the whole story..." Elder Xu deliberately drew out his words, making his desire for a benefit abundantly clear.

The old man's blatant avarice left Han Li speechless. This person was hardly a Foundation Establishment cultivator; he was clearly a shrewd merchant from the mortal world, a veritable miser.

At this point, Han Li finally understood why the old man initially prevented him from calling him "Martial Uncle" and insisted on being called "Elder Sun." This person clearly felt that if he were acknowledged as a senior sect member, it would be awkward to openly demand benefits, hence his small, deceptive trick.

Han Li's eyebrow twitched slightly. Without a word, he placed the two jade slips on the old man's table with two distinct 'tap' sounds.

"I originally intended to copy both jade slips, but now it seems my spirit stones might not be enough! In that case, I'll just copy one, and return the other." Han Li hadn't spent so much time in the mortal world for nothing; he subtly counterattacked to prevent the old man's greed from growing.

"You want to copy both, young friend?" Elder Xu's eyes widened in delight.

"I did, but I also want the answer to my earlier question, and it seems I won't have enough then!"

"Haha, since you're so generous, young friend, the answer to your previous question is, of course, free. I'll make the copies for you first!" The old man hastily grabbed the two jade slips, took out two blank white jade slips from a shelf behind him, and quickly began duplicating them, appearing as if he feared Han Li might change his mind.

"Copies done, here you go!" The old man's movements were incredibly swift. To Han Li's astonishment, he had already finished copying the jade slips and tossed the duplicates in front of him. Then, he stared intently at Han Li with an expression that clearly demanded, "Aren't you going to pay up?"

Han Li's mouth twitched. He wanted to say something but held back. After a brief silence, he cleanly took twenty low-grade spirit stones from his storage pouch and handed them to the old man without a word.

The old man grinned broadly as he accepted the spirit stones, so delighted he couldn't close his mouth for a while. It wasn't until he had counted the spirit stones three or four times that he noticed Han Li still waiting for his reply.

Only then did Elder Xu contentedly put away the spirit stones and look at Han Li again, this time with the eyes of someone appraising a generous patron.

"One truly cannot judge a book by its cover! Young friend, your wealth is unexpectedly profound, much to my surprise. However, though I appreciate wealth, I am also a man of my word. Feel free to ask any questions today, young friend; I assure you, you will leave satisfied!" After retracting his gaze, the old man surprisingly assumed a solemn and upright demeanor and spoke gravely.

Han Li was slightly taken aback but then unceremoniously asked for the answer to his earlier question.

"The answer is actually quite simple," the old man said slowly. "Most pill formulas have long been lost. It's not just our Yellow Maple Valley; it's the same for other sects, and even the entire cultivation world!"

Han Li paused, looking at the old man with a puzzled expression.

"Actually, young friend, if you calm down and think about it, you'll understand. What is the value of a pill formula? Naturally, it's its ability to transform various corresponding heavenly materials and earthly treasures into pills for us cultivators to consume."

"But have you considered, young friend, that the heavenly materials and earthly treasures in this world are extremely limited? Each type takes hundreds or even thousands of years to mature. Yet, the number of cultivators has never decreased; in fact, it's increasing year by year. This has led to the gradual scarcity, and even eventual extinction, of the various ingredients listed in the formulas. By the time people in the cultivation world noticed the severity of this issue, the world's heavenly materials and earthly treasures had already been thoroughly exploited. Only a tiny bit remained in certain special, highly dangerous places, which even accomplished cultivators wouldn't easily risk."

"As a result, formulas with completely depleted raw material sources became worthless. Who would value them then? After an extremely long period and several great calamities in the cultivation world, those pill formulas gradually vanished from history, leaving only a handful of types. The Foundation Establishment Pill is simply one of the few that survived."