62: The third level of the Divine Piercing Strike! The Illusionary Spirit Butterfly Egg is hatching!

Chapter Sixty-Two: Spirit Shocking Thorn Third Layer! Illusion Spirit Butterfly Eggs Hatch!

"Three things?"

Han Li's eyes narrowed slightly. While his expression remained calm, his mind was racing with calculations.

He didn't agree immediately, but instead said in a deep voice, "Senior Brother Lu, please speak plainly. Which three things?"

Lu Qiu extended his first finger, his tone flat but brook no dissent. "First, I need two stalks of fire-attribute Spirit Medicine over a thousand years old. The type doesn't matter, but the age must be sufficient, and the medicinal power must be pure and abundant."

As soon as these words were spoken, Han Li's face darkened instantly, and a trace of hard-to-detect alarm flashed deep in his pupils.

thousand-year spirit herb!

This Senior Brother Lu... could it be that he knows something?

He almost subconsciously thought that his secret of possessing the little green bottle and being able to mature Spirit Medicine had been exposed!

Otherwise, how could he so precisely demand thousand-year spirit herb?

With such treasures, let alone a Cultivator who had just reached Foundation Establishment, even Core Formation Seniors might not have many in stock.

A chill rose from his spine. Han Li's hand quietly tightened inside his sleeve, and his internal Qi surged. However, he forced himself to remain calm on the surface, saying in a dry voice, "Senior Brother Lu thinks too highly of me. thousand-year spirit herb is incredibly rare. This Junior Brother has only just reached Foundation Establishment and has meager assets; where would I get such treasures? Is Senior Brother joking?"

Lu Qiu saw Han Li's momentary stiffness and the suspicion in his eyes clearly, and he understood perfectly.

He didn't feel like continuing to act with this deep-thinking drama queen. His expression suddenly turned cold, and his tone became distant. "Since Junior Brother Han lacks sincerity, then let's forget this matter. As for the clues to the complete Qing Yuan Sword Art, including the secret method to increase the success rate of Core Formation, just pretend this Senior Brother never mentioned them."

Having said that, he actually turned around, making a gesture to dispel the soundproofing Formation and return to his Immortal Cave.

His movements were crisp and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

The calm on Han Li's face finally crumbled. Seeing Lu Qiu about to enter his Immortal Cave and thinking that the supreme Opportunity leading to Soul Transformation and increasing his chances of Core Formation might slip through his fingers, the instinctual desire for the Great Dao finally outweighed his fear and suspicion of his secret being exposed.

"Wait!"

He squeezed those words out from between his teeth.

Lu Qiu paused but didn't turn back, only listening intently.

Han Li took a deep breath, as if making a major decision. His voice carried a trace of nearly imperceptible trembling, yet it was exceptionally firm. "Fine... I agree. Two stalks of thousand-year fire-attribute Spirit Medicine... I will find a way."

Only then did Lu Qiu slowly turn around, a faint smile reappearing on his face.

However, to Han Li, this smile seemed somewhat unfathomable.

"Junior Brother Han needn't be so concerned. I know you must have secrets, but in this world of cultivation, who doesn't have a few hidden things they're unwilling to share? Since we've fought side-by-side, we have some foundation of trust. This transaction is simply each of us getting what we need."

He spoke these words nonchalantly, but they caused Han Li's heart to jump.

Indeed, didn't Lu Qiu have secrets as well?

In the Blood-Colored Forbidden Land, the Spirit Medicines he handed over were far from all of them. Where did those more precious Spirit Medicines go?

His Luck and opportunities were likely not inferior to his own.

Thinking of this, Han Li's tense nerves relaxed slightly.

At least both sides held leverage over the other, forming a subtle balance of power to some extent.

This kind of relationship, rather than one-sided demands or charity, actually gave Han Li—who was used to surviving in the cracks—a sense of "safety."

"Senior Brother Lu is right."

Han Li's expression softened slightly, and he cupped his hands. "Then what about the remaining two things?"

Lu Qiu pulled back his second and third fingers and shook his head, saying casually, "The rest... I haven't thought of them for the time being. Perhaps in the future I'll need some rare Materials, or I'll need Junior Brother's assistance with certain matters. In any case, when I remember, I will naturally seek out Junior Brother Han.

"Rest assured, Junior Brother, the requests I make will definitely be within your capabilities. I won't ask you to go on a suicide mission, nor will I sever your path of Dao."

He paused and looked directly at Han Li with a rare solemnity. "One day in the future, if I encounter a predicament or need to complete a difficult task, I hope Junior Brother Han can lend a hand twice at the critical moment. That is all."

This nearly blank promise actually made Han Li truly breathe a sigh of relief.

He wasn't afraid of the other party making conditions; he was afraid of conditions being vague and full of endless trouble.

Lu Qiu clearly stated it was "two assists" and promised not to endanger his life or his path of Dao, which was already great sincerity.

Given the strength and Heart-Nature Lu Qiu had displayed, the things he would ask for in the future would certainly not be simple, but it was better than demanding a price right now that he couldn't refuse or afford.

Han Li pondered for a moment and slowly nodded. "If it is truly as Senior Brother says, not harming my foundation and within my capabilities... Han Li accepts."

The smile on Lu Qiu's face grew wider. Without further nonsense, he directly took out that silver page—neither metal nor jade and inscribed with complex ancient seal script—from his robe, which was actually from the gray spatial bead. With a flick of his wrist, the page flew lightly toward Han Li.

Han Li carefully caught it. It felt cool to the touch and was made of a special material.

His Divine Sense swept over it cautiously, and he was immediately drawn to the profound runes on it. Although he couldn't fully decipher them for now, he could faintly sense that the secrets contained within were significant and definitely not a fake.

He looked up at Lu Qiu with an inquiring gaze.

Lu Qiu knew what he was thinking and said directly, "This item is only the carrier for half of the Qing Yuan Sword Art. The other half... as far as I know, is in our Revered Master's private treasure vault, and it is a golden page. Only when the two pages are combined can the complete Legacy be obtained."

Han Li's heart was shaken once again; he hadn't expected the clue to point toward the Revered Master he had just acknowledged.

He gave Lu Qiu a complex look, carefully put away the silver page, and said solemnly, "If what Senior Brother said today is true, and one day Han Li can indeed obtain the complete Qing Yuan Sword Art because of this, I will definitely visit again to thank Senior Brother properly."

Having said that, he also took out two jade boxes he had prepared long ago from an inconspicuous Storage Pouch at his waist, sending them to Lu Qiu with his Qi.

The jade boxes opened a crack, and immediately two bursts of pure and intense fire spirit Qi escaped. One stalk was shaped like a Phoenix spreading its wings and was as red as fire; the other was shaped like a Qilin treading on clouds with gold patterns flowing over it. Both were brimming with Spiritual Qi, and their age was definitely far beyond a thousand years.

Lu Qiu took the jade boxes, glanced at them, nodded with satisfaction, and waved his hand to store them away.

The transaction complete, the atmosphere between the two became somewhat subtle.

Han Li said no more, cupped his hands to Lu Qiu, and his figure retreated back the way he came. In a few leaps, he disappeared into the mountain forest.

Watching the direction Han Li had disappeared, Lu Qiu weighed the two jade boxes in his hand, a pleasant curve hooking at the corner of his mouth.

Using a silver page he couldn't use and which was useless to keep, he had exchanged it for two stalks of priceless thousand-year fire-attribute Spirit Medicine sufficient to assist in the cultivation of the Crimson Sky Burning Heaven Technique, plus Han Li's promise of two assists at critical moments in the future.

This deal was an absolute profit no matter how one looked at it... Time flowed like a gurgling stream, quietly passing during silent cultivation. In the blink of an eye, another three months had passed.

Chixiao Cave.

Inside the quiet room, Spiritual Qi was misty, and a dark golden luster flowed faintly around Lu Qiu's body.

He sat cross-legged with his eyes slightly closed. At the Shenting point on his brow, extremely subtle yet heart-palpitating fluctuations were faintly emanating.

In his Sea of Consciousness, his vast Divine Sense power was being constantly compressed, refined, and shaped by the Spirit Shocking Thorn secret method in a profound way.

After a long period of unremitting cultivation, especially with the leap in the essence of his Divine Sense after Foundation Establishment, he had finally reached the threshold of a Breakthrough.

"Condense!"

Lu Qiu shouted inwardly. The surging Divine Sense power in his Sea of Consciousness suddenly collapsed inward, like the evolution of stars in the Universe, finally transforming into two tiny, nearly invisible and intangible transparent thorns that emitted a sharp and piercing aura!

These thorns floated quietly deep within the Shenting point on his brow, alongside the two Spirit Shocking Thorn he already had. They were like three peerless divine weapons hidden in their sheaths; though not yet launched, they already possessed an awe-inspiring power.

Spirit Shocking Thorn third layer, complete!

Lu Qiu slowly opened his eyes, the divine light in them brilliant and appearing even deeper.

With a slight thought, he could clearly perceive the existence of those three Spirit Shocking Thorn, moving them as easily as his own limbs.

"If all three Spirit Shocking Thorn are released at once, their power stacks. If an ordinary Late Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator has no special Magical Artifact or secret technique to protect their Divine Soul, their Primordial Spirit will suffer heavy damage if caught off guard, and their combat power will be greatly reduced."

Feeling this new strength, Lu Qiu felt reassured.

This was undoubtedly an extremely hidden and powerful trump card.

Just as he had finished consolidating his Divine Sense Breakthrough and was preparing to examine those two stalks of thousand-year fire-attribute Spirit Medicine to plan his subsequent cultivation of the Crimson Sky Burning Heaven Technique, his expression suddenly shifted.

He sensed a weak but clear mental fluctuation carrying joy and closeness coming from the insect breeding room next door.

It was those Illusion Spirit Butterfly eggs!

With a flash of his figure, Lu Qiu arrived in the insect breeding room.

He saw that in the specially made jade box, the originally crystal-clear insect eggs were now covered in fine, seven-colored cracks.

Wisps of weak but pure illusion-attribute Spiritual Qi were emanating from the cracks.

"Crack... crack..."

The sounds of fine cracking rang out one after another.

One, two, three... dozens of miniature butterflies only the size of a grain of rice, with semi-transparent seven-colored luster all over and blurred halos on their wings, tremblingly pushed through the eggshells and crawled out.

As soon as they were born, they instinctively vibrated their tender wings, wobbling as they flew up and circled around the jade box, as if getting familiar with this new world.

Specks of seven-colored phosphorus powder drifted down as they flapped their wings, refracting dreamlike luster in the air. The light in the room seemed to distort and become blurred for a moment.

Although they were still incredibly weak at this moment and didn't even count as rank one Yao Beasts, their natural aura of "illusion-shaping" and "spirit-hiding" had already begun to show.

A heartfelt smile appeared on Lu Qiu's face. He could clearly feel the Revered Master-servant connection—linked by blood and bound by Divine Soul—between himself and these dozens of newborn Illusion Spirit Butterflies.

He gently extended his finger, and a slightly bolder Illusion Spirit Butterfly landed tremblingly. Its tiny antennae lightly touched his fingertip, conveying emotions of affection and admiration.

"They've finally hatched."

Lu Qiu looked at this delicate, dreamlike little life on his fingertip and then at the group of butterflies flying more steadily in the air, his eyes filled with joy.

"Grow well."

He thought of the records about Illusion Spirit Butterflies in the Jade Slip he had obtained from the Spirit Beast Mountain Disciple.

Lu Qiu was full of anticipation.

In the future, when these Illusion Spirit Butterflies multiplied to a certain number...

...they would surely become a powerful aid under his command.