Chapter 41: The Small Vessel Holds the Sky

One night a few days later.

The entire sky was devoid of clouds, a full moon hung among the countless stars, and from time to time shooting stars flashed by and vanished in the blink of an eye.

In the secret chamber of the cave dwelling, Han Li sat cross-legged in the center with his eyes tightly shut. Wisps of starlight poured down through the large hole above, making him appear as if bathed in a faint silver glow.

Beneath him was inscribed a rather profound magical formation.

This formation consisted of seven large star patterns, each the size of a cattail cushion, shining brightly and linked together to form the shape of the Big Dipper.

This formation was called the Big Dipper Gathering Essence Formation. It was not recorded in the Lesser Big Dipper Star Origin Art but was derived and transformed from another star formation based on his observations of the night sky over these days, combined with his past formation attainments and knowledge.

The power of the stars in the sky seemed similar but was actually vastly different. Some star powers were cold and dark, others were extremely yang, and some alternated between yin and yang, so they could not be generalized. The cultivation of the Lesser Big Dipper Star Origin Art specifically drew upon the star power of the Big Dipper. The seven stars divided yin and yang, established the four seasons, balanced the five elements, and contained profound mysteries with endless variations.

This formation was precisely designed by Han Li based on the characteristics of the seven stars' power, to assist in channeling the star power of the Big Dipper.

The position where he now sat cross-legged was the first of the seven star patterns in the great formation.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes and waved his hand to send out a spell seal.

Hum!

The star formation below began to operate. The seven large stars suddenly blazed with light, with the first one especially bright. As white light flickered, specks of white light appeared out of thin air, filling the surrounding void and vaguely forming countless star patterns.

Han Li was in the midst of this sea of stars, his figure appearing and disappearing, somewhat hazy and indistinct.

He muttered incantations under his breath, his ten fingers constantly changing, slowly circulating the techniques of the Lesser Big Dipper Star Origin Art.

After the time it takes to burn an incense stick, faint crystalline light flickered between his brows. Then a startling divine sense force rolled out, and after spinning around, it formed an invisible vortex in the void above his head.

His hand seals changed.

The divine sense vortex above his head spread out and slowly transformed into a nebula-like pattern. Within the nebula, a Big Dipper pattern also appeared, faintly resonating with the star formation below.

Han Li raised his head, looked through the large hole above the secret chamber at the seven brightest clusters of starlight in the night sky, then fixed his gaze on the first star, Celestial Pivot, and uttered an obscure incantation.

Boom!

The brilliant Celestial Pivot seemed to brighten slightly. Countless star powers surged from it, descending like a silver waterfall through the large hole, enveloping Han Li below. Surging star power swirled around him.

Han Li's expression became extremely solemn.

Channeling star power depended on the strength of one's divine sense. Although his divine sense was now comparable to that of an immortal and had long laid a solid foundation for cultivating this technique, he could not afford the slightest carelessness.

He formed hand seals and circulated the technique.

The surrounding star power immediately fluctuated, gathering together and transforming into countless crystalline light threads. Like countless fine needles, they swirled briefly under the wrapping of his divine sense, then fell like raindrops and pierced into his body.

Han Li's body trembled violently. He frowned slightly and sucked in a breath of cold air.

These light threads were completely solid, directly piercing his skin and drilling into his body, like ten thousand swords piercing through him.

At this moment, his entire body was densely covered with needle holes, from which blood seeped out, quickly staining his body red.

Worse still, those star light threads scurried wildly inside his body, like countless knives twisting, causing pain that penetrated to the marrow.

If his physical body were not extremely powerful, he would have cried out loud.

But after a moment, his brows gradually relaxed, because he clearly felt those star light threads gradually decompose, transforming into the purest star power and merging into every part of his body.

Han Li was overjoyed!

He took a deep breath, quickly suppressed the joy in his heart and the pain in his body, and focused on circulating the technique.

More star power fell down, piercing into his body, and under the impetus of his technique, it began to circulate along a certain method of operation.

His physical body had been severely damaged, and previously lacking replenishment of vital energy, it had never recovered. Now, upon contact with such pure star vital energy, it immediately began to devour it, and the damage was rapidly repaired.

The small needle holes made by the star light threads piercing into his body healed instantly, unable to truly harm his physical body in the slightest.

Gradually, the pain of a thousand swords piercing his body was also cast behind his mind, and he became completely immersed in cultivation.

Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, seven days had gone by.

In the center of the cave dwelling, Han Li still sat cross-legged on the pattern of the first great star, his body radiating a faint luster, every strand of muscle beginning to glow with starlight, and his bones also showing specks of starlight.

Most peculiar of all, a blue light bloomed at the position of his lower abdomen, extremely conspicuous.

The blue light spot expanded and contracted, as if breathing.

Most of the starlight force gathered around was devoured by this light spot.

There was no longer any trace of pain on Han Li's face; only calm and tranquility remained.

Suddenly, the starlight force around him fluctuated.

The blue light spot on his lower abdomen suddenly burst into dazzling radiance, rolling and churning.

The blue light flickered, and within it emerged a profound star rune.

After the rune rolled around for a moment, it flashed and vanished into his body.

Han Li opened his eyes, a joyful smile appearing on his face.

With his powerful physical body and divine sense, in just a few short days, he had perfected the first layer of the Little Dipper Stellar Origin Art and successfully condensed the first profound aperture.

However, he still had no intention of ending his seclusion. He closed his eyes again and sat cross-legged obediently, planning to consolidate this technique.

A few days later, on a night with a bright moon and sparse stars.

In the center of the secret chamber, Han Li raised an eyebrow and opened his eyes. With a single hand gesture, he stopped the operation of the Big Dipper Gathering Array, and the surrounding starlight force and specks of white light immediately receded like a tide.

He quickly stood up, walked to a spot not far ahead, bent down, and picked up a dark green slender-necked small bottle, bringing it close to his eyes.

The small bottle was now entirely wrapped in a layer of green light, and several golden yellow strange symbols appeared on its surface, full of antique charm.

But the next moment, this green light was submerged into the dark green patterns on the bottle body, while those golden strange symbols remained, slightly protruding from the bottle's surface.

He lifted the small bottle and shook it before his eyes, seemingly seeing a drop of liquid the size of a broad bean swaying inside.

Seeing this, he couldn't help but smile slightly.

These days, every time he cultivated, he would place this small bottle on the open ground in front of him.

At a certain specific moment each time, a faint white light would appear on the surface of the small bottle.

If one observed closely by bringing it to the eyes, one could see that the white light was composed of countless tiny white light specks, like living things, scrambling to squeeze into the small bottle until they were completely absorbed.

But this phenomenon did not last long; once the specific hour of the night passed, it would immediately disappear.

And every two days, after the white light on the bottle's surface faded, a layer of green light would appear, and then a drop of green liquid would appear in the bottle.

Han Li withdrew his gaze, his fingers gently stroking the leaf-shaped patterns on the small bottle, his movements meticulous and tender, as if caressing the cheek of his beloved.

Feeling the slightly raised texture on the bottle's surface, his mind couldn't help but waver.

In a daze, it was as if he had returned to the Seven Mysteries Sect, to the small medicinal garden in Divine Hand Valley, and had become the youth who first experimented with the green liquid in the small bottle, feeling both anxious and expectant.

He knew that without that accidental discovery of the green liquid's ability to accelerate the growth of spiritual herbs, he might never have truly entered the path of immortality, nor could he, as a mortal, have risen steadily to become the revered number one cultivator of the human race, the worshipped Lord Han of the Spirit Realm.

If there was one thing that had accompanied him unwaveringly since he first stepped onto the path of cultivation, it was undoubtedly this small bottle called 'Heavenly Gourd.'

Even during the three hundred years of coma after entering the immortal realm, he had lost the Crab Daoist, lost the Devouring Gold Beetles, lost many of his former supports, but in his subconscious, he had always carefully protected this object, never letting this small bottle leave his side.

He had a complex, indescribable feeling toward this small bottle.

Suddenly, Han Li raised an eyebrow, his hand stroking the small bottle stopped, and a strange expression appeared on his face.

He focused his gaze, opened the bottle cap, and looked inside. The expression on his face grew even stranger, as if both surprised and delighted.

The next moment, after capping the small bottle, he turned around and rushed out of the secret chamber.