Chapter 360: Assembled

"Greetings, fellow Daoist." Jiao San cupped his hands in salute.

The voice was exactly the same as back then; it was undoubtedly Jiao San.

But he didn't recall the other party being so polite.

Han Li found it somewhat strange, but naturally showed nothing on his face. After returning the salute briefly, he said, "You accepted my task. Do you recognize this item?"

He was now active in the Wuchang Alliance under the identity of "Hao Eleven" instead of "Jiao Fifteen," and had deliberately altered his voice when speaking, so he wasn't afraid of being recognized.

"Since I accepted the task, naturally I recognize it. However, I have a question: Are you currently in the Black Wind Sea?" Jiao San's eyes seemed to flicker as he asked an irrelevant question.

Han Li was startled and grew cautious, not answering.

"Don't misunderstand, Fellow Daoist. Different regions can cause slight variations even in the same ore, hence the question." Jiao San laughed.

"Yes." Han Li hesitated briefly, then nodded.

"That's it. This stone is called Ink Jade Crystal. I saw it in the Black Wind Sea many years ago. Ink Jade Crystal is extremely hard; even a direct attack with a后天仙器 cannot destroy it. Moreover, it contains a peculiar spiritual power with strong corrosive properties, making it an excellent material for refining yin-attribute immortal artifacts. If ordinary yin-attribute immortal artifacts are mixed with some Ink Jade Crystal, not only will the corrosive effect increase, but the hardness will also greatly improve. If you trade it with cultivators who practice yin-attribute techniques, they would surely be willing to spend their entire fortune to obtain this treasure." Jiao San spoke at length with a smile.

"Thank you for the explanation, Fellow Daoist. I will pay you the reward immediately." Han Li's heart stirred upon hearing this, and he nodded.

The value of this item was greater than he had expected.

"There's no rush for the reward. I have another matter to ask you." Jiao San's eyes flickered as he suddenly spoke.

"Oh? Please speak, Fellow Daoist." Han Li's expression remained unchanged.

"May I ask where you obtained this Ink Jade Crystal?" Jiao San asked directly.

"Why do you ask?" Han Li said with some surprise.

"To be honest, this Ink Jade Crystal is a treasure I have long sought, but I need a large quantity. If you can tell me its origin, not only will I forgo the reward for this small task, but I will also reward you handsomely." Jiao San cupped his hands again, speaking very sincerely.

"There's no need for a generous reward. The origin of this item involves some personal matters of mine, so I cannot disclose it. Let me just pay you the task reward." Han Li pondered for a moment, then shook his head.

Although the other party's tone was sincere, he could sense that what he said was not entirely true; at least he had concealed something important.

"Wait. To be honest, this matter is very important to me. Please help me, Fellow Daoist. I am willing to pay three hundred immortal spirit stones for this information." Jiao San cupped his hands again.

Han Li was astonished.

Even if the Ink Jade Crystal were precious, spending three hundred immortal spirit stones just for a piece of information was too extravagant.

Could it really be, as he thought, that there was more to this matter?

"I'm sorry, but I cannot reveal the origin of this item. Please stop pressing me. I have other matters to attend to, so let's end here." Han Li shook his head after some thought.

With that, he formed a hand seal, about to end the conversation.

Right now, he only wanted to cultivate in peace and had no desire to be dragged into trouble for a few immortal spirit stones; that would not be worth it.

"Please wait, Fellow Daoist. I saw that you posted a task for Dew Condensing Grass in the Wuchang Alliance. I happen to have one such plant. How about I trade it for the origin of the Ink Jade Crystal?" Jiao San's eyes showed urgency as he quickly said.

"You have Dew Condensing Grass?" Han Li paused, his eyes showing surprise.

"I have exactly one, with a hundred thousand years of age. It should be sufficient for your use." Seeing Han Li's expression, Jiao San seemed to calm down and smiled.

Han Li lowered his head and remained silent, as if still hesitating.

"Of course, although Dew Condensing Grass is precious, it's not an ultimate treasure. How about this: I'll add two hundred immortal spirit stones in exchange for the origin of the Ink Jade Crystal?" Jiao San raised the offer again.

Han Li looked up in slight astonishment.

He had obtained the Ink Jade Crystal by chance, and its origin was very simple. His earlier refusal was merely to avoid trouble. When Jiao San offered the Dew Condensing Grass in exchange, he had almost no hesitation and had already decided to agree.

He had only been considering the matter of refining the Dao Pill and hadn't expected to gain an extra two hundred immortal spirit stones so easily.

"Since you are so generous, it would be ungracious of me not to agree." Han Li smiled slightly.

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist." Jiao San was delighted, then formed hand seals and pointed.

The blue light screen in front of Han Li flickered slightly, and a vortex in the center of the screen manifested countless blue runes, coalescing into a teleportation formation.

With a flash of light, a storage ring appeared in the formation.

Han Li did not stand on ceremony; he picked up the ring and immersed his divine sense into it.

He did not immediately inspect the contents but carefully examined the entire storage ring. Finding nothing unusual, he then checked the contents: a small pile of immortal spirit stones and a green jade box.

The immortal spirit stones numbered exactly two hundred. The jade box was about a foot long, with several blue talismans pasted on its surface.

Han Li waved his hand, and the green jade box appeared in his palm, emitting a soft green glow.

He glanced at the box and immediately recognized its material as a high-grade spirit jade, Green Spirit Cream Jade, best suited for preserving various spirit herbs and medicines.

Han Li formed a hand seal, gently peeled off the talismans, and opened the lid.

A faintly cool fragrance wafted over. Inside the box was a green spirit herb with strip-shaped leaves, emerald green like jade, while the roots were milky white.

The surface of the emerald leaves was dotted with white spots, resembling dewdrops.

The plant seemed unremarkable but emitted strong spiritual energy fluctuations.

Soon, a white mist appeared in the surrounding air, and within the mist, crystalline water droplets formed.

Han Li's eyes brightened. This was the Dew Condensing Grass he had longed for, and its quality seemed to exceed a hundred thousand years.

Moreover, the roots were intact, so it could still be cultivated.

"Not bad." He looked up at Jiao San and nodded.

"Since I promised you these items, how could I deceive you?" Jiao San laughed.

Han Li closed the lid, put away the jade box, and said, "The origin of the Ink Jade Crystal is actually quite simple. I picked it up at a place in the Black Wind Sea."

"Oh? Where exactly? Do you remember?" Jiao San's eyes seemed to brighten as he pressed.

"Let me think... If I remember correctly, it was near a place called Red Moon Island..." Han Li said after a moment's deliberation.

"Red Moon Island..." Jiao San seemed stunned for a moment, then murmured to himself, his eyes behind the mask gradually brightening.

"Fellow Daoist, is there something wrong there?" Han Li looked at Jiao San and asked.

"No, I've been there too. Red Moon Island is quite barren; I never expected there to be such a divine object as Ink Jade Crystal in the nearby sea. I was just lost in thought." Jiao San quickly smiled.

"I see. After I obtained this piece of Ink Jade Crystal back then, I searched the vicinity but found no others. If you go there to look, your chances may be slim. I can only wish you good luck." Han Li said with a faint smile.

"Thank you for your kind words." Jiao San cupped his hands.

After a few more casual remarks, they ended the communication.

Han Li took off his mask, stood up, and fell into thought.

From Jiao San's recent behavior, there was certainly more to the Ink Jade Crystal, likely involving some unknown connection with Red Moon Island.

Han Li recalled the mission he had carried out at Red Moon Island back then, trying to discern any clues.

After a moment, he laughed at himself, took a deep breath, and waved his hand to form a hand seal.

The door to the secret chamber opened with a bang, and he strode out, soon arriving at the medicine garden.

Although he had the Dew Condensing Grass and its age was sufficient, having just one plant was a bit scarce.

After all, refining the Dao Pill would not succeed on the first try; there would be multiple failures, so several sets of materials were needed.

Over the years, he had made thorough preparations. For the other materials that could be accelerated in growth, he had already cultivated several batches. Now only the Dew Condensing Grass was missing.

He went to a corner of the medicine garden, took out some spirit soil and spirit liquid, quickly prepared a new plot of spirit land, and set up restrictions around it.

Han Li carefully took out the Dew Condensing Grass and planted it. He busied himself for half a day before standing up.

Looking at the spirit herb, he smiled, took out the Heaven's Bottle, and handed it to the giant ape puppet standing nearby, instructing, "Use all the green liquid from now on to accelerate the growth of this plant."

The giant ape puppet nodded stiffly.

Han Li glanced at the Dew Condensing Grass once more before turning and leaving the medicine garden.

He had only taken a few steps when a look of surprise appeared on his face.

Not far ahead, a man in a yellow robe stood there—it was Crab Immortal.

"Fellow Daoist Crab, when did you come out of seclusion?" Han Li approached and asked.

"I came out just a few days ago. Seeing you cultivating in the secret chamber, I didn't disturb you." Crab Immortal said.

Han Li nodded, looking Crab Immortal up and down, and said, "Judging by your appearance, this seclusion was quite fruitful."

"I only recalled one or two secret techniques. It took several hundred years, but I finally achieved something." Crab Immortal said.

"Then congratulations, Fellow Daoist Crab." Han Li smiled.

"I have you to thank for the immortal spirit stones. However, after all these years in seclusion, I've used up all the immortal spirit stones." Crab Immortal said.

Han Li gave a wry smile upon hearing this.

He had given Crab Immortal over a thousand immortal spirit stones last time, and they were used up so quickly. If he hadn't killed Tao Yu and the others and come into a windfall, he really wouldn't be able to afford supporting him.

Han Li took out a storage device and handed it over, saying, "Inside are a thousand immortal spirit stones. Use them sparingly. This is the Black Wind Sea, where it's not easy to collect immortal spirit stones."

Crab Immortal nodded expressionlessly, seemingly understanding or not, then turned and walked back into the secret chamber, closing the door with a bang.

After a moment, a fluctuation of lightning penetrated the restrictions around the secret chamber and spread outward.

Seeing this, Han Li gave another wry smile. He watched for a while, shook his head, and also entered his own secret chamber.