The Immortal Ascension

Chapter 96: Flaws

While manipulating the gray light in actual combat, Han Li discovered that although the gray radiance transformed from the Talisman was incredibly sharp—capable of cutting through almost anything—and could attack enemies by following his hand gestures when driven by the "Object Control Technique," there were still some significant limitations to its use.

First, controlling this gray light consumed an enormous amount of Qi!

Someone like Han Li, who had cultivated the Eternal Spring Art to the eighth layer, could continuously cast the full version of the Fireball Spell over a hundred times. But when driving the gray light, his Qi would be completely depleted within just a quarter of an hour.

Now that he thought about it, Golden Light Senior likely hadn’t used the gray light from the start not because he didn’t want to, but because his Qi reserves were too limited. The time he could control this Talisman must have been pitifully short.

This also explained why the resistance Han Li encountered when seizing the item had been so weak. The dwarf had probably already exhausted most of his Qi by driving the gray light earlier. When faced with Han Li—a fresh opponent whose Qi reserves far surpassed his own—the dwarf naturally collapsed without a fight, allowing Han Li to take it easily.

Aside from this, another flaw of the gray light was its limited attack range. The gray radiance could only be controlled freely within a twenty-zhang radius centered around Han Li. Beyond this range, it would become sluggish and occasionally malfunction. Once it flew beyond thirty zhang, the gray light would completely revert to its original Talisman form and fall to the ground.

Han Li believed the first two flaws would gradually improve as his Qi cultivation advanced. However, the last issue was a fatal flaw inherent to the Talisman itself.

After using the Talisman a few times, Han Li noticed that the cold glow emitted by the small gray Sword drawn on the Talisman paper was slowly weakening with each use, as if its lifespan was gradually shortening. In other words, this Talisman had a limited number of uses. Once exhausted, its spiritual essence would be completely depleted, marking the end of its lifespan.

This was one of the reasons Han Li stopped practicing with the gray light as soon as he learned to control it. After all, he wanted to save such a powerful item for critical moments. Who knew? It might just save his life in a future crisis.

By the same logic, Han Li suspected that the golden Talisman capable of forming a golden barrier must have similar limitations. However, since he didn’t yet know the chant to activate it, he could only store it carefully for future use.

As for the triangular token and the Qin clan genealogy, Han Li had studied them during his rest periods but found nothing of value.

On the fifth day, just as Han Li removed the "Do Not Disturb" sign, Li Feiyu barged in excitedly. The moment he saw Han Li, he eagerly recounted the rumors that had demonized him.

These absurd rumors left Han Li torn between laughter and exasperation. He could only glare sternly at Li Feiyu, watching helplessly as the other man openly mocked him.

Eventually, Li Feiyu stopped laughing. His smile faded as he adopted a serious tone and said to Han Li, "You can probably guess why I’m here, right?"

"Hmph! Those high-ranking figures must be uneasy about me, so they sent you to sound me out," Han Li replied indifferently.

"Heh, as long as you understand," Li Feiyu sighed in relief, as if a weight had been lifted."However, how do you expect my good friend here to answer to those fellows? You should know they've already promised to promote me from deputy hall master of the External Saber Hall to full hall master as part of their bribery," Li Feiyu said with a playful grin.

Han Li frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, then murmured softly to himself: "It seems I'll have to meet with Sect Leader Wang and his people to clarify some matters, otherwise they won't rest easy."

"Alright then. Go back and tell Sect Leader Wang that I'll personally visit Sunset Peak at noon tomorrow to meet him. Tell him there's no need to be anxious," Han Li said with a smile.

"Good! With your word, I can finally report back," Li Feiyu shrugged, adopting an indifferent expression.

The two friends then chatted idly for a while, with Han Li even demonstrating the "Fireball Spell" up close to give his friend an eye-opening experience that left him envious for quite some time.

Not long after, Li Feiyu bid farewell and left the valley to report back to Wang Juechu and the others.

Han Li stood at his doorway, gazing at Li Feiyu's retreating figure for a long while. Suddenly, a mysterious smile appeared on his face before he cheerfully entered his house and closed the door.

Early the next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Li Feiyu stealthily ascended Sunset Peak and quietly slipped into Sect Leader Wang's quarters.

When Wang Juechu awoke to find a figure standing rigidly by his bedside, his expression turned as ugly as could be. Still, he forced out a smile and asked somewhat unnaturally:

"Doctor Han, what brings you here? My apologies for not welcoming you properly! But didn't we agree to meet at noon? Why has Your Excellency come so early?"

Han Li gave Sect Leader Wang a cold glance that made Wang Juechu's hair stand on end, his face stinging as if cut by a saber.

Seeing the trace of fear in the other man's expression, Han Li couldn't help feeling somewhat pleased. This particular effect came from applying the "Heavenly Eye Technique" - a new application he'd recently discovered during his research. The Heavenly Eye could psychologically intimidate ordinary people, unsettling their minds, somewhat similar to the legendary "Soul Capturing Technique" rumored in Jianghu circles.

"Nothing much. I just thought coming in the morning might find us all more clear-headed, less likely to do anything that might displease each other," Han Li said with an utterly expressionless face, though his tone carried a hint of menace.

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(End of Chapter)