Mo Dafu was quite pleased that Han Li had dedicated all his time to cultivation, but he remained dissatisfied with the progress Han Li had made in mastering the mysterious technique.
In recent years, Mo Dafu's condition had worsened. His coughing had become more frequent, and the duration of his coughing fits had lengthened. As his health deteriorated, Mo Dafu began to show a heightened concern for Han Li's cultivation progress. From his repeated urgings and worried tone, Han Li could sense the growing anxiety in Mo Dafu's words.
Mo Dafu clearly valued Han Li greatly. Not only did he provide him with far more silver than other disciples, but his gaze toward Han Li was also unique—almost as if he were looking at a rare treasure, holding it with utmost care.
But Han Li, now more attuned to his surroundings, noticed something unsettling hidden behind Mo Dafu's seemingly affectionate gaze. Occasionally, there was a glint of greed and desire in Mo Dafu's eyes. This made Han Li uncomfortable, and he couldn't help but feel that Mo Dafu didn't see him as a person, but rather as an object.
This left Han Li puzzled. What could he possibly have that Mo Dafu wanted?
Han Li quickly reassured himself that it must be nothing—just a figment of his imagination. Perhaps he had become a little overly sensitive due to his intense training. He even scolded himself for harboring such suspicions, considering it ungrateful.
However, despite his rational thinking, Han Li couldn't shake the nagging feeling that he was being watched for reasons beyond just his cultivation. Over time, this unease only grew stronger.
Now, a major problem had surfaced: Han Li had hit a cultivation bottleneck. To make matters worse, the precious medicinal herbs Mo Dafu had been providing for years were now completely exhausted.
Clearly, Han Li was no prodigy. Without the aid of those herbs, his cultivation had ground to a halt. This left him feeling ashamed when he faced Mo Dafu. The man had poured all his effort and resources into creating the best possible cultivation environment for Han Li, yet Han Li had been unable to meet his expectations.
Han Li found it difficult to face Mo Dafu's persistent inquiries, which were filled with hope and concern. Oddly, despite his high martial prowess, Mo Dafu seemed unable to detect the details of Han Li's cultivation progress. Instead, he had to rely on Han Li's pulse to gauge his growth, and so far, Mo Dafu had remained unaware of the difficulties Han Li was facing.
After weeks of inner turmoil, Han Li finally confided in Mo Dafu about his stagnation in cultivating the technique. When Mo Dafu learned that Han Li had made no progress in a year, his already sallow complexion turned even paler. His normally expressionless face grew darker with frustration.
However, Mo Dafu didn't scold Han Li. Instead, he simply told him that he would need to leave the mountain for a while to search for more medicinal herbs. He advised Han Li to focus on his training while he was away.
Two days later, Mo Dafu set out alone to gather herbs, leaving Han Li alone in the valley.
A year earlier, another of Han Li's close friends, Zhang Tie, had disappeared after achieving the third level of the "Elephant Armor Technique." Zhang Tie left behind a letter saying he was going to venture into the martial world, a decision that caused quite an uproar in the Seven Xuan Sect. It was later rumored that Mo Dafu had intervened on Zhang Tie's behalf, sparing him from severe repercussions. Han Li had been deeply shocked by his sudden departure and had mourned his absence for several days. Though Han Li later speculated that Zhang Tie had left because he feared the pain and difficulty of advancing to the fourth level of the technique, he had never confirmed this.
After Mo Dafu's departure, Han Li spent several days in the valley, but his progress remained stagnant. Frustrated and youthful, Han Li decided to leave the valley and roam around the nearby Caixia Mountain. Walking along these familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar paths, Han Li couldn't help but feel a little sentimental.
For the past few years, his life had been like a prison. He had not stepped outside the valley once. He guessed that his fellow disciples had long since forgotten about him.
While walking, Han Li encountered a few disciples from the sect who were patrolling the mountain. They noticed his unfamiliar face despite his sect robe and immediately questioned him. It took Han Li considerable effort to explain himself before he was allowed to leave. To avoid further trouble, Han Li decided to take the narrow mountain paths, avoiding busy areas and people.
Soon enough, Han Li found himself deep in the mountains, far from prying eyes. He relaxed, enjoying the peace and quiet, and for the first time in a long while, his worries faded away.
Suddenly, he heard the unmistakable sounds of weapons clashing and people shouting in the distance. The noise came from a secluded cliff, and it sounded like quite an intense battle was taking place.
Curious, Han Li made his way toward the source of the noise. When he arrived at the cliff, he was stunned by the sight before him.
There were over a hundred people gathered at the foot of the cliff, filling up the small area and spilling over into the trees, where several others stood on branches, observing the scene below. Two groups of people were facing each other with intense hostility, ready to fight.
The group on the left was larger, with about twelve people, while the group on the right had only six or seven.
Han Li, who had been away from his fellow disciples for so long, was struck by how many of these people looked familiar. With a slight smile, he realized he recognized several faces among the crowd.
"Wan Jinbao, Zhang Dalu, Ma Yun, Sun Lishong… oh! Wang Dapan is even fatter than before! As expected, the chef's family takes good care of him. And that person... is that Liu Tietou? Wow, he used to be all dirty and black, but now he's turned into a handsome young man!" Han Li couldn't help but laugh to himself as he climbed a nearby tree, mentally ticking off the familiar names in the crowd below.
It seemed his old friends hadn't forgotten him entirely, after all.