The Immortal Ascension

Chapter 10: The Mysterious Bottle

Han Li slowly walked out of the Valley of Divine Hands and, out of habit, followed the mountain path toward the faintly visible Red Water Peak.

At the moment, he didn’t have anything particularly important to do. The reason he had been visiting Zhang Tie punctually every day these past few days was simply to watch Zhang Tie’s comical grimaces as he practiced under the waterfall.

The "Elephant Armor Skill" was truly not something an ordinary person could endure. Just the first layer required such immense suffering. By the later layers, it would surely strip a person of several layers of skin.

"Zhang Tie must be regretting it by now. The sheer brutality of the 'Elephant Armor Skill' far exceeds what we kids could have imagined," Han Li thought to himself as he walked, absentmindedly kicking fallen leaves and branches on the ground.

"In a few more days, we’ll both plead with Doctor Mo to let Zhang Tie switch to a different skill, sparing him this living torment," Han Li mused. He felt somewhat uplifted by the thought of finding a way to help his friend escape his current misery.

Han Li glanced at the trees lining the path. It was late autumn, and all the branches were bare. The path was covered in a thick layer of fallen leaves and dry twigs, making the walk soft and comfortable.

From a distant peak, faint sounds of clashing weapons occasionally mixed with loud cheers reached his ears.

Hearing these sounds, Han Li looked toward the peak, and his mood, which had just improved, soured again.

It was the senior disciples of the Hundred Refinements Hall training the newly initiated junior disciples in weapon combat.

Whenever Han Li saw his fellow disciples gathering for real saber and spear training, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy. He longed to wield real weapons and spar fiercely. Unfortunately, ever since he officially became Doctor Mo’s disciple, Doctor Mo had strictly forbidden him from touching such things and prohibited him from learning other martial arts from other instructors, claiming it would hinder his progress in mastering the chant.

Thus, Han Li could only watch with envy, occasionally borrowing weapons from a few close friends in private to swing them around a few times and satisfy his craving.

Really, what was so great about this chant he was practicing? So far, he hadn’t seen any use for it. All the other disciples who had entered at the same time were becoming more skilled by the day, their martial arts advancing rapidly, while he remained stagnant, showing no visible progress.

Even Zhang Tie, who had only been practicing the "Elephant Armor Skill" for two months, had become tougher and more resilient, with significantly increased strength.

But if it weren’t for Doctor Mo taking him in, he might not have even passed the disciple selection test two months ago, let alone stayed on the mountain and sent so much money back home.

If he couldn’t learn other things, then so be it!

Han Li grumbled inwardly while trying to console himself.

He pulled his gaze back from the distance, his mind still muttering complaints, but his spirit grew even more listless. His vacant eyes wandered aimlessly along the sides of the path, not really focusing on anything.Suddenly, Han Li gasped, his expression turning strange, and then he almost grinned from ear to ear. Reflexively, he crouched down, pressing his right big toe with both hands, before half-lying on the grass in pain. This sudden, intense pain overwhelmed him, leaving his face pale as a sharp, piercing ache radiated from his toe.

It seemed he had accidentally kicked a very hard stone hidden in the pile of leaves.

Han Li hunched over, clutching his ankle. Instinctively, he blew hard on his injured toe through the cloth shoe, while worrying inwardly about the severity of the injury. Would his toe bruise and swell, affecting his ability to walk?

After a long while, the pain finally subsided. Han Li lifted his head, scanning the pile of leaves around his feet to find the culprit behind his suffering.

The scattered leaves on the ground were all the same monotonous color—withered yellow—making it impossible to spot his target amidst the chaotic mess.

Frowning, Han Li groped around on the ground, grabbing a thick, long branch. Using it as a crutch, he carefully stood up on tiptoe.

Still unwilling to give up, he used the branch to vigorously poke through the thick layers of leaves.

Huh! A fist-sized object was dislodged by the branch.

Han Li examined the culprit of his injury closely. It was a round bottle with a slender neck, its surface covered in dirt, completely grayed out, with no trace of its original color.

At first, Han Li thought it was a small porcelain bottle, but upon holding it, he realized it was unusually heavy.

Must be made of metal, he thought. No wonder something so small had caused such pain. Metal bottles were indeed rare.

Now intrigued by the small bottle, Han Li momentarily forgot the pain in his foot.

He rubbed off the dirt from the bottle’s neck, revealing its original color—a vibrant green. The surface was adorned with exquisite, dark green leaf patterns, and a small cap tightly sealed the mouth of the bottle.

Could there be something inside? Han Li held the bottle to his ear and gently shook it, but felt no movement.

He placed his hand on the cap and tried twisting it, but it wouldn’t budge.

His curiosity grew even stronger, and he was about to take the next step when a sharp pain shot through his foot.

Oh no! He had forgotten about the injury caused by his encounter with this object.

With this injury, it seemed he wouldn’t be able to visit Zhang Tie. Better return to his quarters, apply some medicine, and then carefully examine this unexpectedly acquired bottle.

With that thought, Han Li, not minding the dirt, tucked the bottle into his robe to avoid being seen by others. Then, limping, he turned and headed back.

(End of Chapter)