Chapter 51

Han Luo stared at the ancient jade fragment in his hand, completely baffled.

He had always assumed the thing was defective. After all, he’d tried everything he could think of to activate it, all to no avail. So why was it reacting now?

There was only one logical explanation—his recent boost in spiritual strength. That was the one major change he’d undergone.

Still, he wasn’t about to act recklessly. He pulled out a formation disk from his bronze ring and activated a protective array, encasing himself within a shielded space. The jade's origins were too mysterious for him to take chances. As far as he knew, it had been something Chi Xiao gave him on a whim, and he had accepted it only out of politeness. Now it seemed there was more to it than met the eye.

He proceeded to test the jade using more than a dozen different methods, but none elicited any reaction. It just sat there, aloof and indifferent.

That only confirmed his theory—it responded to spiritual force.

Of course, he wasn't foolish enough to inject his own spiritual force directly into it. Tampering with unknown artifacts could easily backfire, and any injury to one’s spiritual consciousness was both difficult to heal and potentially crippling to future cultivation.

So, erring on the side of caution, he laid out a special decoy formation—his own invention—that could concentrate a portion of spiritual force into a clone or proxy.

Once the formation was activated, a translucent projection of himself shimmered into view.

He placed the jade into the formation, and when the spirit projection touched it, something incredible happened.

The fragment glowed with a dusky golden light, as though a hidden gateway had swung open. Behind it appeared a breathtaking scene—rolling mountains, clear waters, wildflowers blooming with unspoken allure, and soft grasses swaying in the breeze. It was like nature itself was whispering, “Come on in, stranger.”

Is this for real? Han Luo narrowed his eyes, instinctively on high alert.

In the distant depths of the painting-like illusion, half-veiled in mist, floated the vague outline of a majestic palace. Even through the obscuring fog, it radiated an eternal, awe-inspiring presence.

And standing before that palace… was a silhouette—a graceful woman.

Though blurry, he could sense with eerie certainty that she was looking straight at him.

“Damn…” His heart skipped a beat. Is this what falling in love feels like?

That thought came unbidden, but he couldn’t shake it. A simple fragment of jade held a gateway to such a vivid, dreamlike world? Incredible.

He examined further using his enchanted lenses. The details were astounding. The breeze brushing past him felt real. He could almost smell the wildflowers. It was as if his soul had been drawn into the scene.

Could this be a visualization method? he wondered.

Visualization techniques were powerful methods used to train spiritual force and refine the soul. The most advanced forms could even manifest terrifying spiritual techniques.

Han Luo didn’t know where this visualization came from, nor was he willing to blindly practice it. After studying it for a short while, he cautiously withdrew his consciousness.

He wasn’t about to risk damaging his soul on a hunch.

He shut down the formation and stored the jade safely. Better to check the sect archives and learn more before trying anything, he thought. Visualization techniques were typically reserved for Foundation Establishment cultivators anyway. A day or two of delay wouldn’t matter—especially not when caution was always the better part of survival.

After collecting himself, he returned to his original task: alchemy.

As he resumed refining pills, Han Luo noticed that his control over the alchemical flame had become far more precise. He could now handle five rounds of material refinement with ease, and the pills he produced were showing clearer, more defined dan marks—the intricate lines that signified high-quality pills.

Could my spiritual strength have increased again?

That didn’t make sense. He knew he’d reached a bottleneck in spiritual cultivation—advancement would require external resources or rare methods.

He paused to reflect. Was it possible he had a natural talent for spiritual force cultivation as well? Perhaps, but he suspected the jade visualization had contributed more than he realized.

He had only observed it for less than a minute, and yet the benefits were already undeniable.

This jade’s visualization must be high-grade… maybe even top-tier.

Excited but restrained, Han Luo forced himself not to rush back into it. He focused on his current goal—refining pills.

And steadily, he made progress.

A few days later, his spiritual force surged again. This time, he succeeded in performing six rounds of material refinement and produced his first high-grade Spirit Tempering Pill.

He examined it carefully with his enchanted lenses, only to shake his head in disappointment.

It was indeed a high-grade pill, but clearly a flawed one. The dan marks were awkward, forced. A true high-grade pill would have natural, fluid markings aligned with the Dao. Each one would be unique, elegant, and effortless.

“Jiu Tong!” he called.

The loyal yellow dog came bounding over.

Han Luo tossed the flawed pill into its mouth. “Eat it.”

He then resumed work.

Now that he’d breached the high-grade threshold, his technique began improving rapidly. Pill after pill emerged from his furnace—each high-grade, though most still lacked the perfect dan marks he was aiming for.

He didn’t track time.

He only stopped when his materials were depleted, and Jiu Tong—now advanced to Qi Refining Stage Seven—emerged from his breakthrough.

“Ahhh…” Han Luo stretched, bones cracking.

This time, no unexpected breakthroughs for himself. That was fine. The next major leap would be Foundation Establishment, and that required serious preparation.

Still, this short seclusion had been incredibly fruitful. He hadn’t saved a single pill for himself, but the increase in spiritual force was more than worth it.

With stronger spiritual power, I can go longer without rest, he thought. Which means I can do even more things each day.

Of course, being Han Luo, he’d still schedule time for nostalgic naps—he wasn’t about to give up the simple pleasures of life.

Exiting seclusion, he returned to the peak of Luoxian Mountain.

Shen Xian’er was gone. She’d left a note saying she went to Piaomiao Peak to play with Chi Xiao.

Han Luo wasn’t surprised. There was no stopping that mischievous girl. If she wanted to go, she’d go. Better to let her be.

Sure, she’d probably pick up some nonsense while hanging out with Chi Xiao, but one thing was certain: no one would dare bully her.

Chi Xiao’s reputation as a battle-hardened demon queen was well established across the entire sect. Even pigs would steer clear of her if they could.

Time to move.

His next stop: the sect’s library. He needed to get to the bottom of this jade fragment’s secret. If that visualization technique could really be practiced, it might prove to be a game-changing boon.