Chapter 234

Han Li had heard of "The Great Development Art" several times today. Brother Lin had used it to tempt him, and yet Han Li found it so easily with a casual flip, which gave him an absurd, almost surreal feeling.

What genuinely surprised him, however, was that Brother Lin actually carried "The Great Development Art" cultivation technique with him.

Han Li truly didn't know whether this Brother Lin was too foolish or too clever!

He now briefly browsed "The Great Development Art" within the jade slip. Indeed, just as Brother Lin had mentioned, it only contained four layers of incantations. It seemed Brother Lin hadn't deceived him on that point.

But then, something even more astonishing appeared.

After he finished reading "The Great Development Art," a text called "True Puppet Art" immediately followed. It detailed methods for crafting various levels of puppet beasts and human puppets, proving to be an extremely comprehensive guide to puppet creation!

After reading for a while, Han Li excitedly withdrew his consciousness, seemingly delighted. However, after glancing at the jade slip in his hand, he suddenly recalled something, and his expression turned peculiar.

The combination of "The Great Development Art" and "True Puppet Art," if cultivated simultaneously, would be a perfect match.

Once both were cultivated to a certain level, he could likely emulate Huang Long, using the power of numerous puppets to completely overwhelm several Foundation Establishment cultivators of the same rank, leaving them no chance to resist.

This technique, capable of dominating other Foundation Establishment cultivators, made Han Li's heart stir.

However, the flaws in cultivating them were also very obvious, just as he had analyzed. It would likely delay his own cultivation, causing his already slim chance of forming a core to be completely lost. This would be a self-defeating endeavor.

As for the claim that "The Great Development Art" could increase the chances of forming a core, Han Li simply dismissed such baseless nonsense.

Han Li lowered his head and pondered briefly, finding it difficult to make a decision at that moment. He shook his head, placed the jade slip into his storage pouch, and resolved to deal with it later.

After all, deciding now whether to cultivate "The Great Development Art" and practice this readily available puppet crafting technique would be too hasty. It was better to wait until he could calm his mind later and then reconsider the matter.

This acquisition, however, still energized Han Li. It suddenly reminded him that while Huang Long and the others, along with their storage pouches, had been completely obliterated by Lei Wanhe's lightning-attribute sword light, some puppets seemed to have been left outside the formation, uncollected.

These were valuable items he shouldn't leave behind!

With this thought, Han Li immediately left the formation in good spirits.

Indeed, not far outside the formation, he found the human puppets and mechanical beasts that had reverted to palm-size due to a lack of control. However, there weren't as many as Han Li had imagined, only about two dozen. The rest had been swept by Lei Wanhe's sword light and reduced to ash.

Even so, Han Li eagerly collected them one by one.

Even after collecting so many valuable items, Han Li still felt a craving for more, wishing another hundred or so puppet figures would appear for him to gather. He even found his own greed amusing.

After chuckling to himself, Han Li returned to his cave dwelling, intending to first study the two ancient formulas. Then, the next day, he would visit his master, Li Huayuan, to see if he could obtain a suitable cultivation technique.

Early the next morning, Han Li stood on the Divine Wind Boat and headed straight for the eastern part of the Taiyue Mountain Range.

He had learned from Lei Wanhe yesterday that his master's cave dwelling was located beneath a mountain peak in that area. Li Huayuan was reportedly busy in his cave recently, making it the perfect time to visit him.

With the speed of the Divine Wind Boat, it didn't take Han Li long to find the place Lei Wanhe had described. It was indeed a very secluded, yet beautiful location with lush mountains and clear waters.

Standing before a huge waterfall at the foot of the mountain, Han Li took out a sound-transmitting talisman from his robe. After whispering something to it, he tossed it forth. The talisman transformed into a fiery glow, shot into the massive water curtain, and vanished.

After approximately the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a large opening suddenly appeared in the water curtain. From it, a slender scholar, over thirty years old, flew out. The moment he saw Han Li, he greeted him with enthusiastic warmth:

"Are you Junior Brother Han Li? I am Yu Kun, Master's head disciple. You may simply call me Senior Brother Yu!"

The scholar finished speaking and gracefully floated down beside Han Li, smiling broadly as he looked at him.

"Senior Brother!" Han Li responded in a very reserved and respectful manner.

Senior Brother Yu Kun, seeing Han Li's reserved expression and hearing his polite address, smiled even more broadly and spoke with extreme cordiality:

"Please, don't be so formal with the 'Senior Brother' title! Just call me Senior Brother Yu. Master has told me about you for a while now, Junior Brother Han. It's truly remarkable that you participated in the Blood-colored Trial and returned with such success!" Yu Kun praised him effusively.

Han Li offered a few dry laughs in response, feeling uneasy about the unexpected courtesy from this person towards a mere registered disciple.

"I initially heard that your aptitude wasn't very good, Junior Brother, but now that I see you, you've actually succeeded in Foundation Establishment. This is truly a joyous and congratulatory occasion!"

Yu Kun seemed to have been aware of Han Li's successful Foundation Establishment, as he showed no surprise towards Han Li, who had already entered the Foundation Establishment stage. Yet, he continued to offer congratulations, which only made Han Li feel increasingly uneasy.

"Oh right, Master is still waiting for you in the cave dwelling, Junior Brother! Let's not keep him waiting. Please, let's enter Green Wave Cave now!" Yu Kun said with a cheerful smile, as if he had just remembered, after patting the back of his head.

Han Li's mouth twitched at the other's behavior, but he maintained a respectful expression, agreed, and flew into the water curtain with him.

Upon entering the water curtain, Han Li's eyes lit up. A natural, small valley unfolded before him, not only filled with birdsong and the fragrance of flowers, vibrant green trees, and clear water, but also dotted with rare, adorable small animals hopping about.

"What is this?" Han Li felt his mind was reeling. The scene before him greatly surprised him. Could it be that his master enjoyed keeping small pets? This revelation utterly astonished him.

"Haha! What's wrong, Junior Brother, are you surprised? You're not alone; every new guest is startled by all this! But these little animals aren't Master's pets; they're Mistress's precious darlings! Be absolutely sure not to harm them, or Mistress will never forgive you!" Yu Kun said with a grin, an "I knew you'd be surprised" expression on his face.

"Mistress?" Han Li was truly speechless.

"Yes, our Mistress, though only at the mid-Foundation Establishment level, shares a very strong bond with Master! She's also very kind and easy to get along with," Yu Kun said with a shrug.

Puzzled, Han Li was led by Yu Kun into a large cave on one side of the valley. Inside the cave's main hall, Han Li saw his master, Li Huayuan, and another beautiful woman, approximately twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old.

His master, as expected, maintained his usual cold expression, though a hint of a smile finally appeared when he saw Han Li enter. As for the woman, while Han Li found her beautiful, he dared not examine her closely in front of Li Huayuan. After only a quick glance, he respectfully stepped forward and bowed, saying:

"Disciple Han Li greets Master!"

"Hmm! You may rise! The one beside me is your Mistress; you should greet her as well," Li Huayuan said, gesturing to the woman beside him, pleased with Han Li's respectful demeanor.

"Greetings, Mistress!" Han Li sighed inwardly, then bowed to the woman who did not appear much older than himself.

"It's fine, no need for such formality!" the woman said with a smile upon seeing Han Li approach to bow. Her voice was soft and melodious, exuding the gentle charm of a woman from a water town. Indeed, she was an exceptionally gentle woman!

"Han Li, I heard a few days ago that you succeeded in Foundation Establishment! To be honest, it truly astonished me; it was hard to believe," Li Huayuan said with a gentle smile, his tone incredibly mild, making Han Li feel truly overwhelmed.

"It was merely luck that allowed this disciple to succeed in Foundation Establishment. In truth, even I am a little surprised!" Han Li's face flushed slightly as he said, seemingly embarrassed.

"Haha! Luck is also a manifestation of one's aptitude. Otherwise, wouldn't cultivators with naturally extraordinary aptitudes be even luckier to possess such excellent talent?" Li Huayuan lightly shook his head and chuckled.

"Ah, well..." Han Li had never considered this perspective and was left speechless with embarrassment.