In the end, Han couldn’t bring himself to tell Yun Duo that with enough effort, one could be as strong as he was.

  Because, well... he had too much pride.

  The old saying "Hard work leads to wealth; effort brings strength" — Han just couldn't bring himself to say it.

  People don’t believe in that kind of talk anymore.

  As the saying goes, "People know their own business best." He worked hard, and he had some natural talent, sure.

  Talent and hard work were the key factors behind his current strength.

  But he couldn’t deny the help from the cheat device, although it wasn’t much—just a little bit.

  “Han, what should we do with this ghost corpse?” Yun Duo asked.

  “It seems like you killed it.”

  Han nodded. “It’s definitely dead.”

  The soul embedded in the corpse had been extinguished, and the faint spiritual presence birthed from the body had vanished as well.

  It had also been tampered with in its final moments by Dai Lin, who self-destructed, rendering it useless.

  Most importantly, after being purified by the Hao Ran Qi, the corpse could no longer be considered a zombie—it was no longer that special kind of creature.

  It had been cleansed.

  Now, it was just a special corpse with remaining strength, but mostly rendered useless.

  Han checked it and found that the control seal inside had vanished, before storing it in his corpse-preserving pouch.

  “This ghost corpse is equivalent to a Bone Refining Realm body. It would be a very significant asset in Black Cloud Town,” Yun Yun sighed.

  “But in front of you, it didn’t even have a chance to fight back.”

  Thinking back to what happened earlier, Yun Yun couldn’t help but feel her already unsettled heart stir again.

  She couldn’t believe that Han had been able to suppress a Bone Refining ghost corpse so easily, without using any corpse-control techniques.

  It was unheard of. Unseen.

  The last time they worked together, Han had only been at the Small Completion stage of the Internal Organs Realm. She had just entered the cultivation path, so she wasn’t his match, but the gap wasn’t that huge.

  But now, just a short time later, a Bone Refining ghost corpse was like a toy in his hands.

  Yun Yun felt that if she faced Han now, she would be no match at all—not even for a scrap of the toy.

  It seemed that Han’s previous warning about not entering Black Mountain was really for his own good.

  The more she thought about it, the more complicated Yun Yun’s feelings became. It was hard to put into words.

  “I have specialized methods for exorcising evil. Today’s display was because the opponent was special, and I had a rare opportunity to show my strength.”

  Han shook his head, still very clear about his own abilities.

  “Well, I guess you’re just incredibly strong now,” Yun Duo grinned.

  “I feel like I’ve gotten stronger just by knowing you, Han.”

  Yun Duo didn’t have as many complex feelings as Yun Yun. She just thought Han was amazing, and her heart was filled with excitement and awe.

  She felt a special sense of admiration and trust in him.

  At the same time, she felt a sense of pride.

  My best friend is strong, so that means I must be strong too!

  “We should head back. If the master knew how strong you were, Han, I’m sure he’d be very happy.”

  Han smiled, “It’s not time to leave just yet.”

  Yun Duo froze for a moment before immediately becoming serious.

  “Is there another enemy?”

  “No enemies, but there’s something we still need to collect.”

  “Dai Lin’s physical body.”

  “His physical body came too?”

  “Of course,” Han nodded.

  “Black Cloud Town is so far from here. He wouldn’t leave his body at the Earth Corpse Sect and just travel with his soul. Too many uncertainties.”

  Dai Lin was just a day-travel cultivator, not a manifestation or Yin God. His body was crucial to him.

  A day or two without it might be fine, but his soul couldn’t survive long without the body, or the body would lose vitality irreversibly, and the soul would become like a drifting weed.

  Besides, he had been hiding in Black Cloud Town for some time. Without his body, he would have been discovered by now.

  “The most important thing is, I’ve never seen Dai Lin’s spatial pouch.”

  A high-ranking sect elder without a spatial pouch—was that reasonable?

  The Yun sisters suddenly understood. This made sense.

  The three of them then began to search the area, looking for Dai Lin’s body.

  Although the battle didn’t take long, they spent a full hour searching before Han finally found it in a distant cave surrounded by protective wards.

  Upon entering, they saw that his left hand was wearing a black ring.

  A spatial ring.

  Han was satisfied and collected everything from Dai Lin’s body. He then cremated the corpse on-site to ensure no lingering dangers and collapsed the cave, burying him there.

  It was as if he gave him a final resting place.

  The three of them then returned to Black Cloud Town.

  “Thanks, Han. Now our mine can resume operation,” Yun Duo thanked him sincerely.

  After all, every day those mines were shut down was a huge loss.

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  The three parted ways and returned to their respective homes.

  Han went to the martial arts hall first to finish his daily martial arts lessons. After “school” was out, he couldn’t wait to return to Peach Grove.

  When he entered, Lu Qingmo asked:

  “Did you take care of everything?”

  “It’s done.” Han nodded. “Everything was orchestrated by Dai Lin from the Earth Corpse Sect. He lured us out, ambushed us, and then…”

  Han recounted everything that had happened, with special emphasis on his magnificent performance.

  Lu Qingmo smiled, “It was really unlucky for Dai Lin to choose this time to attack you.”

  She remained calm, after all, she knew Han’s power and the restraining effect of Hao Ran Qi on zombies.

  “This is Dai Lin’s spatial ring.”

  As usual, whatever Han found, he would show it to Lu Qingmo for her to take a look.

  Lu Qingmo just examined it briefly; she never asked for it.

  This time, there was no need to split the spoils with the Yun sisters either.

  In this confrontation with Dai Lin, they had basically been spectators. Whether Han gave them a share or not, they wouldn’t have accepted it.

  “This corpse refining isn’t useful for you since you don’t practice corpse techniques,” Lu Qingmo said.

  “You can’t control it like those green zombies. Just keep it for now and look for a chance to act on it later.”

  “Even in this state, a corpse like this has a high value.”

  “Hmm?”

  When Lu Qingmo’s spirit sense entered the spatial ring, she was immediately surprised. She pulled out a mirror and examined it carefully.

  “Dai Lin had such a magic tool on him. This is a real treasure, very rare even in thousand-year-old sects.”

  She glanced at Han. “You’re lucky. This is perfect for you. It can greatly enhance your safety.”

  Han immediately asked, “What is this mirror for?”

  “It’s called the Mirror of Imprint,” Lu Qingmo explained.

  “It can imprint a cultivator’s techniques. When activated, you can directly use the technique that was imprinted.”

  “The power of the technique is almost identical to when the cultivator performs it themselves.”

  “You might have heard of it, some cultivators have sealed a powerful strike from a master on a talisman, but that kind of talisman only reflects a small portion of that master’s strength.

  “Compared to the Mirror of Imprint, those talismans are nothing.”

  Han was shocked. This magic tool could be a game-changer.

  “If the Mirror of Imprint is that powerful, wouldn’t major sects try to give one to their core disciples?”

  Lu Qingmo shook her head. “No, the method to forge such a tool is widely known, but there are very few actual finished products.”

  “Creating a Mirror of Imprint requires a rare stone, the Mirror Stone. This stone is extremely rare, and any sect that gets one will treasure it dearly.”

  “The Earth Corpse Sect actually has such a treasure.”

  “I see, it’s a truly amazing artifact,” Han marveled.

  “Then, if I imprint a Yin God’s technique, does that mean I could use their attack at any time?”

  “Theoretically, yes,” Lu Qingmo chuckled and shook her head.

  “But this Mirror of Imprint can’t do that. From what I can tell, its maximum limit is to perfectly imprint a Manifestation-level attack.”

  “The upper limit of the Mirror of Imprint depends on the cultivator’s strength and the grade of the Mirror Stone used to forge it. The Mirror Stone used in this one isn’t particularly high grade.”

  Of course, if it could imprint a Yin God’s strike or something higher, it would be a sect’s treasure, and Dai Lin, a day-travel elder, wouldn’t have been able to borrow it.

  “Lucky for us, Dai Lin didn’t use this mirror to imprint a Manifestation-level expert’s technique, or things would have gotten very dangerous for us.”

  Han, upon hearing this, couldn’t help but feel a surge of fear.

  A Manifestation-level strike would have been terrifying.

  Then, Han remembered the green zombie they had been chasing earlier, which could also use earth escape techniques and was too fast to catch.

  "It seems that Dai Lin must have used this mirror to imprint his Earth Escape technique, allowing the green zombie to gain the ability to use it as well."

  "Even the zombie's control over other corpses could have been achieved through the imprinting mirror."

  "That seems to be the case," Lu Qingmo nodded. "The imprinting mirror is currently blank, without any Taoist techniques. This indicates that it has already been used."

  "An imprinted technique can only be used once, then it needs to be re-imprinted."

  After understanding this, Han smiled.

  "Fortunately, Dai Lin doesn't know the extent of my power. And fortunately, because he's afraid of you, Aunt Mo, and hates us, he wanted to lead us away and kill us personally."

  "Everything is fate. This magical item was meant to belong to me."

  As Han said, Dai Lin was confident, which is why he wanted to handle Han and his companions himself, intending to torture them thoroughly.

  The imprinting mirror was a treasure Dai Lin borrowed from his sect. Using this mirror, he made the white zombie slip past Lu Qingmo, leading Han and his companions out.

  The plan had gone smoothly, but the result was beyond his expectations.

  In Dai Lin's eyes, as a Dayou cultivator with a bone-forging zombie as his companion, how could he possibly fail to deal with Han and his companions?

  From any angle, he was bound to win, and win spectacularly.

  But Han defied all expectations, leading to Dai Lin's demise.

  If the plan didn't succeed, it was fate's will.

  "I'll keep the imprinting mirror for now. I'll leave behind a Taoist technique for you to use as self-defense."

  "Good."

  Han felt a bit excited. A significant move, and it came from Lu Qingmo, someone from the Xuandu Sect.

  This was definitely a powerful trump card for him.

  Lu Qingmo was also pleased. With this imprinting mirror, Han's safety would be better ensured.

  Both of them were happy.

  A win-win situation.

  Dai Lin, you’ve done well!

  Han's mood was already very pleasant. With just this imprinting mirror, he had struck gold.

  Seeing Han in high spirits, Lu Qingmo immediately cautioned him:

  "The Earth Corpse Sect won’t easily give up on reclaiming such a valuable treasure. You need to be careful."

  "This treasure is precious to the Earth Corpse Sect."

  "As long as they're not Exalted cultivators, let them come," Han said confidently.

  "There are quite a few useful things in Dai Lin's spatial pouch," Lu Qingmo said, carefully sorting through the items.

  "Dayou incense, a few soul plants, and some daily cultivation pills. I've marked the information on the pill bottles, but be cautious when using them. Watch out for impurities."

  "There are also some materials for crafting magical items. You might find them useful later."

  "You mentioned Dai Lin destroyed his magical item before his death, but there are a few backup items in his spatial ring."

  She was listing normal items a cultivator could use, nothing specific to the corpse path.

  Lu Qingmo then took out a small brocade box, opened it, and inside was a brown pill exuding a pleasant fragrance.

  "Spirit Soul Pill. It's a rare soul-recovery pill. Taking it can heal most soul injuries of Dayou cultivators, even injuries from failed ascensions."

  "With this pill, it’s like gaining half a life back. Even Exalted cultivators can benefit from it."

  "Indeed a precious pill," Han nodded.

  Soul-recovery items have always been rare and valuable.

  Since ancient times, physical wounds are easy to heal, but soul injuries are much harder to recover.

  "This is a treasure that's hard to come by. With this pill, even if you can't use it yourself, you can trade it for many other valuable things."

  "Still, it's better if you keep it."

  Lu Qingmo thoroughly introduced all the useful items from Dai Lin's spatial ring. There weren’t any particularly obscure treasures.

  After she had finished explaining everything, she took out a jade slip and two books.

  She pointed at the jade slip and said:

  "The Earth Escape technique. You’ve already seen it, and this technique can be learned."

  Han smiled and nodded, "After seeing the zombie use Earth Escape, I’ve really wanted to learn this technique."

  "Also, these two books. One is titled 'The Power of the Earth,' a high-level Exalted technique. It's very interesting. Once mastered, it allows you to communicate with and control the forces of the earth, making combat very convenient."

  "The other book is about the Earth Corpse Sect's knowledge on mountains, terrain, and Feng Shui. You can take a look."

  The Earth Corpse Sect fundamentally focuses on the earth and corpses, utilizing the forces of the land and Feng Shui to ultimately cultivate supreme earth corpses.

  Although they haven't yet successfully cultivated a true earth corpse, it cannot be denied that the Earth Corpse Sect is quite skilled in terrain and Feng Shui.

  For cultivators traveling the world, knowing such things can be quite useful.

  "Everything else is either related to corpse cultivation or just dark arts, which are of no use to you."

  For example, one book was a method for Yin-Yang absorption, a purely sacrificial technique that would drain the life and soul of the recipient, leaving them to wither and die in three days.

  "It seems I’ll need to find an opportunity to sell these things," Han muttered.

  An elder from a local ruler’s faction was wealthy, but unfortunately, he was a corpse cultivator, and much of the stuff was of no use to Han, so he could only sell it.

  And this wasn’t even Dai Lin’s entire fortune.

  According to Lu Qingmo, cultivators from powerful factions usually leave part of their treasures at home.

  "You can decide what to do with them."

  "I'm just a cold-hearted treasure appraiser."

  "It's a shame Dai Lin's corpse-rearing pouch was destroyed. Otherwise, I could have at least gotten a near-bone-forging level green zombie."

  Thinking about this, Han felt regret.

  Spatial items like spatial pouches or corpse-rearing pouches are very fragile. Once destroyed, everything inside is lost and disappears without a trace.

  Whether it’s annihilated in the destruction of the space or transferred somewhere else, there’s no accurate explanation.

  "This spatial ring can be used. There’s no mark of the Earth Corpse Sect on it."

  However, this ring wasn’t as large as the one Han got from Brother Tree.

  "By the way, has the Dragon Lady from Yunjiang contacted you recently?"

  Lu Qingmo suddenly mentioned someone that surprised Han.

  This question made him puzzled, and his mind raced.

  Oh no, does Aunt Mo know about my secret dealings with the Dragon Lady?

  Aunt Mo, you know me well—I’m the innocent one!