Knowing that Han Li had injured his foot, Zhang Tie personally brought food to his room, intending to keep him company while they ate. Han Li couldn't help but laugh as he watched Zhang Tie clumsily moving around the room, shifting chairs and fiddling with the table, until after a long while, everything was set for their meal. Han Li felt a sense of gratitude toward him.
As they sat down at the table, they chatted casually about news within the sect, all the while munching on their food and occasionally discussing their training.
When Zhang Tie mentioned his "Elephant Armor Technique," he couldn't help but roll his eyes in frustration.
At this point, Zhang Tie was absolutely dreading the "Elephant Armor Technique." Though he had only mastered the first level, he had already suffered immensely under Mo Dafu's grueling regimen. Not only did he have to soak in foul-smelling medicinal brews at regular intervals, but he also had to endure Mo Dafu's relentless bamboo stick strikes, which were supposed to toughen his bones and muscles.
This brutal training had caused Zhang Tie to lose sleep for a while. His body had been swollen and sore, and the slightest touch from his wooden bed would send him writhing in pain. For him, it had truly been a nightmare.
In contrast, Zhang Tie couldn't help but envy Han Li's mysterious technique. He thought that it would be so much easier—sitting in meditation like a monk, reciting mantras. Han Li could only respond with silence, unable to explain the complexities of his own training.
Han Li understood Zhang Tie's dread of the later stages of the "Elephant Armor Technique." Anyone who knew they were going to face even greater torment in the future would feel anxious and restless. Zhang Tie's ability to endure until now without giving up had earned Han Li's admiration.
If Han Li had been in his place, he would never have chosen such self-inflicted pain, no matter how quickly it might turn him into a martial expert.
As the two of them chatted, dinner was soon finished. Zhang Tie hastily cleaned up the dishes and got ready to leave. Before he left, he reminded Han Li to rest and take care of his foot injury.
Han Li stood at the door, watching Zhang Tie leave, before quickly returning to his room. He locked the door and windows, leaving only the skylight slightly open. Once inside, he pulled out the mysterious bottle and began examining it again.
Han Li was still a young boy, and after fiddling with the bottle for a while without making any progress, he became bored. Combined with the pain from his foot injury and his growing fatigue, he didn't realize when he had leaned against the bed, still holding the bottle, and fallen asleep.
He wasn't sure how long he had slept, but suddenly, Han Li felt a chilling sensation coming from one of his hands. He shivered and barely managed to open his heavy eyelids, groggily glancing at his hand.
Then, in an instant, he sat up with his mouth agape, not even noticing the saliva trickling from the corner of his mouth. The sight before him completely stunned him, wiping away all traces of sleepiness.
A visible thread of white light, as fine as a hair, descended through the skylight, and all of it converged on the bottle he was holding. The light formed small, grain-sized specks of white light that surrounded the bottle, wrapping it in a thin, glowing halo.
The white light was soft and gentle, not blinding in the least, and the cool sensation Han Li felt came directly from this faint glow.
Han Li swallowed the cold saliva in his mouth, finally snapping out of his trance. He quickly threw the bottle away, almost burning his hand in the process. He scrambled to the other side of the room, eyeing the phenomenon warily.
After a few moments, he cautiously approached the bottle again, only to see that it looked even more enchanting, now enveloped in a mysterious white light.
He hesitated for a moment before lightly poking the bottle with his finger. When nothing unusual happened, he cautiously picked it back up and placed it on the table. Han Li then leaned in closer, eagerly observing this rare and strange occurrence.
For a long moment, he remained completely still, his eyes glued to the bottle surrounded by the white light. Finally, he made an astonishing discovery.
The bottle seemed to be absorbing the white light that surrounded it. No, it wasn't just absorbing it—these specks of light were rushing toward the bottle, one by one, as if they were alive, scrambling to get inside.
Curious, Han Li touched one of the light spots with his fingertip. It felt cool to the touch, but otherwise, nothing extraordinary happened.
He glanced upwards and saw that more and more threads of white light were still falling from the skylight, showing no sign of stopping.
Looking around at the closed windows, Han Li suddenly had an idea. He gently opened the door and stuck his head outside, carefully checking to see if anyone was nearby.
Fortunately, it was late at night, and the only sounds he could hear were the chirping of autumn insects. The area outside was quiet and empty.
He quickly pulled his head back in, grabbed the bottle, and stuffed it into the leather pouch hanging from his neck. Then, he rushed out of the room and ran to a secluded, empty spot far away.
Han Li looked around to make sure no one was around before carefully taking the bottle out again. He gently placed it on the ground.
The glow around the bottle that had been there when it was inside his pouch had completely vanished, but Han Li wasn't worried.
As he had hoped, a moment later, countless threads of white light began converging from all directions, and countless glowing specks filled the air, surrounding the bottle and forming a large cluster of light, about the size of a basin.
Han Li stared at this mysterious, awe-inspiring scene, his heart racing with excitement and wonder at what might happen next.