Originally, Han Li hadn’t planned on concocting medicinal pills for other purposes than aiding him in his cultivation. But after thinking about it, he decided that, no matter what, he was still a martial artist! Who knew if one day he would be struck by a natural disaster or get embroiled in the rampage of one of the various martial factions in Jiang Hu and be killed? It would be for the best to prepare some medicines for wounds and poisons in advance, because if he were to be injured or poisoned without having any medicine nearby, that would be too unfortunate.

With this mindset, Han Li had decided to make more of two types of medicines, Pure Spirit Powder and Vitality Raising Pellet, to prepare himself for any accidents. One person could only live one life after all, and Han Li didn’t want to die an untimely death.

Because he was constantly making medicines, his cultivation with the chant had slowed down considerably. But this was unavoidable, since there were many things in the world to be perfected, and there would surely always be something that one had to give up on.

(TL: AKA cost-benefit analysis)

After refining medicinal pills for half the day, he began to consume them, starting with the “Yellow Dragon Pellet” and the “Gold Essence Pill.” These two medicines each truly deserved to be considered the panacea of legends that could shock everyone with its power. After eating them, he had effortlessly broken through the bottleneck and reached the fourth layer of the chant.

Once he reached the fourth layer, Han Li had immediately felt the difference between his current and past self. His five senses had exploded into a whole new realm as everything had suddenly turned brighter and much more distinct. Previously, he wasn’t able to make out minute features out in the distance, but now he was able to see them on an enlarged scale, clearer than ever. With his eyes, he could easily see the small insects that were crawling about the edges of his room. His sense of hearing had completely changed as well. Sounds he had never heard before could be heard to a noticeable degree, like the rustling sounds of an earthworm crawling through the ground or the buzzing sounds of an insect flying through the air. These sounds were so loud, it was almost as if they were taking place next to his ear. Everything could be heard so clearly, but aside from that, Han Li could even make out some new scents thanks to his improved sense of smell.

Han Li was overjoyed because this was the very first time that his efforts in practicing this chant had actually paid off. This made him realize that the oracular chant he was condemning before was not totally useless; instead, it had a mysterious and unique aspect to it that could only be unlocked through cultivation.

Previously, even though his senses did indeed improve each time he had broken through to a new layer, none of those changes were as drastic as when he had reached the fourth layer. It was almost as if he had become a completely different person.

Aside from this, he also felt that his body movements were a lot quicker than before. Even his mind and vitality had grown stronger. Even if Han Li didn’t sleep for 3 or 5 days, he still felt as wide awake as always.

With so many changes occurring, Han Li sat there and took note of each and every single change to his body. These changes opened a new world of sensation to him, and so he was reluctant to do anything other than relish in these feelings.

Only now did he realize that all of these changes had appeared only at the fourth layer of the chant. It could be considered that he was at the small-success stage of the oracular chant only after reaching the fourth layer.

He couldn’t help but think that this fourth layer had brought about such an unforgettable sensation! If the fourth layer was like this, then surely breaking through to the fifth or even sixth layer would be even more magnificent!

Soon after Han Li finally broke through and understood the subtleties of this cultivation method, his master—Doctor Mo—had finally returned to the valley. However, he wasn’t alone, as he had brought back a mysterious person.

The moment Doctor Mo returned to the valley, Han Li heard his all too familiar cough. He had been in his cultivation room striving to advance one more layer, but the moment he had heard Doctor Mo’s voice, he left the room to head down to the valley and greet him. It had been a year since he had last met his master, so it was time to meet Doctor Mo once again.

The moment Han Li saw Doctor Mo, he was extremely shocked. Doctor Mo was still the same in figure, but there was an ashen complexion on his face with the smallest hint of anger. Although he had originally been yellow with illness, he had never looked so haggard in such an extreme manner as he did now.

But what surprised Han Li the most was the mysterious person behind Doctor Mo. The person was wrapped in a black mantle that completely covered every single part of the body so that not a single inch of skin could be seen. The figure was rather large and was taller than Han Li by at least two heads. Because of the mantle that covered the entirety of the person’s body, Han Li wasn’t able to determine the person’s facial appearance. At the very least, he could tell that the person’s expression was especially fierce and extremely ugly.

Han Li suppressed the questions on his mind as he hurriedly greeted Doctor Mo with a respectful tone and waited for Doctor Mo to say something back.

He knew that while the Doctor Mo did not care for such traditions, there was an expectation for a disciple to greet their master respectfully. This was something that could not be discarded as a useless tradition since it flattered the master, making the master more likely to treat the disciple well.

Han Li had also understood Doctor Mo’s thoughts. Since Doctor Mo had always pushed him to practice the chants to cultivate and had not seen Han Li in a very long time, he would undoubtedly ask about how far he had gotten with the chant.

As expected, the moment Doctor Mo saw Han Li approach him, he stared blankly for a moment before coughing twice and speaking up.

“How far have you gotten with the chant? Have you made a breakthrough?” There was an anxious look of hope on his face.

Han Li long since expected that this question would come and had prepared an answer beforehand.

“I’m still the same, without experiencing any significant change.” Han Li didn’t want to tell the truth of his progress because there would be no way for him to explain his sudden massive increase in training speed. It would have been impossible for Han Li to break through from the third layer to the fourth layer with his own talent in such a short amount of time.

“Extend your arm.” Doctor Mo’s expression sank and his voice became stiff.

Han Li carefully paid attention to Doctor Mo’s expression. His heart shook for a moment before becoming calm once more.

He wasn’t afraid of having his pulse taken to measure the True Qi in his body. This was because, after reaching the fourth layer, Han Li had discovered that he could freely manipulate the inner workings of his body, such as the intensity of his True Qi. He could easily control his True Qi so that it would resemble that of the third layer. With this underhanded method, he had no fear of Doctor Mo’s inspection.