"How dare you touch my head!"
Senior Sister was utterly displeased with her junior's audacity. Defying hierarchy? Disrespecting his elders? This was unacceptable.
If he dared to pat her head now, who knew what he might dare to do in the future?
Upon reaching Heiyun Town, Bai Ruoyue left in a hurry, heading straight for the martial arts school, while Han made his way to Yunjiang alone.
As he arrived at the water’s edge, Han tossed three corpses and three lingering souls to the shrimp and crab spirits that had surfaced.
"Gentlemen, I’ve completed the task you entrusted to me."
"Young Master Zhou, your efficiency is impressive."
"However, those two cultivators weren’t human—they were demons. And they even had a Zangfu Realm martial artist as their bodyguard."
"Demons?"
The shrimp and crab spirits' expressions turned serious upon seeing the demon souls. However, upon learning about the additional martial artist, they looked slightly embarrassed.
They had assured Han that there were only two cultivators. Incomplete intelligence was not a good look.
"It was our mistake, making you take on more risk than expected," the shrimp spirit admitted.
"Rest assured, the Dragon Palace of Yunjiang will ensure you are properly rewarded."
Han waved a hand dismissively. Risk or not, it didn’t matter.
As long as the rewards were sufficient.
The shrimp and crab spirits promptly presented three spiritual herbs and two healing pills as a token of appreciation.
Then the crab spirit added with a smile, "This is just a small gift from the two of us."
"A certain Dragon Maiden from the palace has taken an interest in this matter and has expressed her wish to personally thank you for your assistance."
"We’ll report your experience to her—she will surely provide further compensation."
Han’s eyes lit up.
A Dragon Maiden…
Now that was something to look forward to.
By any measure, a Dragon Maiden was far more valuable than a couple of shrimp and crab spirits.
The only regret was that the two demons and the martial artist he had taken down didn’t have spatial pouches—only some silver and a weapon specifically designed to counter aquatic creatures.
"No wonder they had such an artifact. Turns out they were from the water tribe themselves," the shrimp spirit sneered.
Bidding Han farewell, the two spirits took their captives and vanished into the river.
When Han returned to the martial arts school, Bai Ruoyue immediately shot him a glare. In response, Han grinned, raised his hand, and mimicked the motion of patting her head—before bolting away to find Bai Tian for sword practice.
"Master, you seem much busier since returning from Heishan," Han noted.
These days, Bai Tian was only visible during Han’s sword training. The rest of the time, he was nowhere to be found—not even at meals.
Bai Tian responded, "My trip to Heishan gave me hope for a breakthrough in the near future. I’ve been focusing on that these past few days."
"A breakthrough?" Han’s eyes gleamed with excitement.
This was great news. The stronger Bai Tian was, the better it was for Han.
"Master, you should focus on your cultivation. You don’t need to take time out every day to teach me."
Bai Tian chuckled and shook his head. "This isn't something that can be achieved in just a few days of seclusion. I’m still in the exploratory phase, so it doesn’t interfere with anything."
"When I’m truly confident, then I’ll need to enter full seclusion—but not yet."
"Heishan is truly a treasure trove," Han mused.
"As a divine land, its blessings are exceptional," Bai Tian nodded. "The cultivators of Heiyun Town have only ever explored its outer and middle layers. The deeper regions remain largely untouched."
"If the heads of the other two martial schools knew about your experience, they’d probably regret not agreeing to Meng Hao’s request," Han said with a grin.
Back then, he had been nervous, thinking his master might not make it out alive.
"It’s understandable that they refused. No one would willingly venture deep into Heishan with a stranger—it’s too risky," Bai Tian replied.
"But Meng Hao is of the Meng family. They didn’t understand what that meant."
That Night, Peach Grove
Han left the martial school and headed straight to the Peach Grove. From now on, this was where he would cultivate his soul.
As Han began his moonlight absorption technique in front of Lu Qingmo, her lips parted slightly in astonishment.
That’s… an insane amount…
Something isn’t right with you.
"Lu-jie, isn’t it amazing?" An Liang flitted around in the sky.
"Ever since Young Master developed that crescent mark on his forehead, this started happening. But even he doesn’t know why. I was the one who pointed it out to him."
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
"You should be cultivating," Lu Qingmo said.
"…Alright."
Looking dejected, An Liang floated down next to Han and started absorbing the excess moonlight.
With this level of moonlight, even an extra person wouldn’t make a dent in the supply.
Lu Qingmo observed Han closely. She could sense the immense moon essence and even the presence of moon demons. As she watched his soul transform at an unimaginable rate, she couldn’t help but sigh internally.
This boy is practically the moon’s chosen one. The moon is literally shoving its power down his throat.
If a Moon God truly existed, Lu Qingmo had every reason to suspect that Han shared some sort of secret connection with it.
When the session ended, Han asked, "Aunt Mo, do you see any problems with me?"
Lu Qingmo shook her head. "No issues."
"With such a phenomenon and your continuous refinement of moon demon essence, even without external soul resources, you’ll progress at an alarming rate."
"The lunar energy carried by moon demons surpasses countless soul-nourishing plants."
In other words, even if the Grand Celestial Tree refreshed its offerings, and Han couldn’t obtain abundant resources daily, his soul cultivation in the Night Roaming Realm would still remain rapid.
Han was very satisfied.
Estimating the time, he said, "Aunt Mo, I should head back now."
Lu Qingmo nodded.
You think you’re spending the night here?
Han wouldn’t have minded, but unfortunately, he had trees to chop.
Back Home
There was still time before dawn, so Han decided to play with some clay.
A lump of black clay was molded in his hands, gradually taking on a humanoid shape—though quite abstract.
Shaping a figure out of clay required a certain level of craftsmanship.
Before long, the figure was complete, bearing a vague resemblance to Gao Zhenxiong.
It didn’t need to be perfect—what mattered was that Han focused on him while casting the spell.
Han inscribed "Gao Zhenxiong" on the figure’s back, glanced around to ensure he was alone, and then…
"Damn, this is embarrassing."
He started drawing circles around the clay figure while chanting a curse under his breath.
Thankfully, no one was around to see this. He hadn’t even let An Liang out.
After three repetitions of the incantation, the Misfortune Clay emitted wisps of black smoke.
The smoke gathered above the clay figure’s head, but a significant portion of it was mysteriously evaporated, leaving only a faint haze behind.
Han observed this and nodded thoughtfully.
The curse had taken effect, but its potency was limited.
The gap between his power and Gao Zhenxiong’s was too vast, allowing only a small amount of misfortune to latch onto him.
But Han wasn’t disappointed.
As long as it worked, that was enough.
If Han couldn't curse Gao Zhenxiong, a martial artist at the Bone Refining Realm, then surely he could at least target the younger generation, right?
Besides, Gao Zhenxiong wasn’t entirely unaffected.
Let the pain sink in, won’t you?
In the rear courtyard of the Gao estate, Gao Zhenxiong was engaged in a rather "intimate" sparring session with his sixth concubine.
Smack!
Suddenly, the bed beneath them gave way, collapsing entirely. Both Gao Zhenxiong and his concubine crashed to the floor, their enthusiasm vanishing instantly.
Well, that killed the mood.
"Dammit, what a bad omen," Gao Zhenxiong cursed under his breath.
Still, he didn’t dwell on it. He simply assumed his poor mood had caused him to misjudge his strength.
It’s all that brat’s fault from earlier today!
Just past midnight, Han eagerly entered the Grand Celestial Tree’s secret realm.
With an axe in hand, he executed the Three Strikes of the Cassia Wood, delivering three solid blows to the mighty celestial tree.
Bet you didn’t see this coming! The very martial arts you gifted me are now being used to cut you down!
The tree trembled, showering Han with an overwhelming cascade of glowing orbs—so many that he couldn’t possibly use them all at once.
Among the loot:
- Five Soul Plants(two of medium quality, three of lower quality)
- Seven Spirit Plants(one of medium quality, six of lower quality)
- Four Cultivation Pills(all human-grade, effective from Meridian Tempering up to Organ Refinement)
- Four Dao Seeds, a significant haul of divine arts.
"Command the world's primal energy, restructure it, and form an indestructible shield."
A purely defensive technique—something Han lacked. Although he had defensive measures, he had never acquired a proper defense-focused Dao technique before.
"Cleanse malevolent forces, eliminate karmic corruption, and ward off curses, miasma, and other inauspicious energies."
This was another incredibly practical skill—perfect for countering those who used curses and other… "totally legitimate" backstabbing techniques.
"Planting this seed will bear the Fruit of Weapon Mastery. Consuming it grants mastery over eighteen common weapons, including swords, spears, sabers, and more."
Han was stunned.
This was new.
It wasn’t just another Dao Seed—it was an innate talent.
Previously, he had obtained various martial seeds, each one teaching him a specific weapon's techniques. But given the sheer number of weapon types in the world, Han had only learned a handful.
Now, with this Master of Weapons talent, his weapon proficiency would skyrocket to eighteen different types.
Was mastering multiple weapons that impressive? Not necessarily—most martial artists only specialized in one or two due to time constraints. Just knowing how to wield a weapon didn't compare to true mastery.
But come on, it just sounds badass, doesn’t it?
Who wouldn’t give him some extra respect after hearing that?
"Player has already learned Golden Light Incantation. Consuming another will enhance its level."
Though it was a duplicate, this drop brought Han an unexpected revelation—he could enhance his existing Dao techniques by consuming more of the same seed.
"Maybe I can push my Golden Light Incantation beyond the entry-level stage…" Han thought with excitement.
"When true qi is released into this nest, it undergoes relentless tempering by gale-force winds before being reabsorbed, refining it to a state of perfection."
An excellent cultivation tool, though Han couldn’t use it yet—only Organ Refinement cultivators could externalize their qi.
Maybe he could lend it to Senior Sister Bai or Second Senior Brother.
"Placed within the Soul Realm, these threads wrap around the spirit, tempering and fortifying the soul."
An item that strengthened one's foundation—perhaps one of the most valuable types of treasures.
"Enhances finger dexterity, resilience, and precision, allowing for intricate and nimble movements."
"…Huh."
Han had no idea what to do with this one.
"Enhances vital energy, fortifies yang qi, and grants boundless stamina."
Han frowned.
Damn it, Celestial Tree, why do you keep dropping things I don’t need?!
…But, I mean, since I already got it, might as well cultivate it.
Without hesitation, he planted the seed, channeling as much energy into it as possible.
"This item consists of two parts—Heart and Wings. The holder of the Heart can distribute multiple Heart Wings to others. Those who fuse with a Heart Wing will share a telepathic bond with the Heart’s wielder, sensing their life-or-death situations.
If the Heart’s wielder is female, only males can merge with the Wings, and vice versa."
Han rolled his eyes.
I’ve been using you for days, Celestial Tree. Can’t you tell whether I’m male or female by now?!
That said, the item was a mixed bag. It wasn’t particularly useful, but it wasn’t useless either.
If the bonded person was in grave danger, Han would sense it—but if they were too far away, he wouldn’t be able to help anyway. It would essentially just serve as an early obituary notice.
Also… the way it was structured…
So all of you are supposed to be my “wings” now, huh?