"You're too arrogant, this kid is very clever, not to be underestimated. Don't get too ahead of yourself, you might just end up failing because of this kid," suddenly, another young man's voice echoed in Dr. Mo's mind.
Dr. Mo's expression changed, his face turned as cold as frost, and he coldly reprimanded, "Yu Zitong, mind your own business. I don't need you to lecture me. If I succeed, you'll naturally benefit. But it seems there may be some issues with the techniques you provided. Are you hoping for an accident to occur?"
The suspicion in Dr. Mo's words was evident. The voice seemed afraid of Dr. Mo, quickly explaining after his threat, "How could there be any issues? You've tested them on animals, haven't you? The one that died was just due to your lack of proficiency. But its death shouldn't affect your plan."
"Humph! It better be that way. Unfortunately, I can't practice anymore, or else I would have more confidence," Dr. Mo said, recalling the previous experiment with the techniques. His last trace of doubt vanished.
After saying this, the voice seemed to learn its lesson and remained silent, leaving only Dr. Mo's nervous muttering, making the atmosphere in the room particularly eerie.
Meanwhile, Han Li was in an inconspicuous mountain valley, even more remote and secluded than where he met Hei Feiyu.
The terrain here was elongated, squeezed between two steep hills, forming a "一" shape. The ends of the valley were tightly blocked by bushes, making it impassable. Apart from a secret rope hanging down from the shorter hilltop, there was no other way out.
The area was covered with dense thorny bushes, occupying most of the land, leaving only a small clearing for Han Li to stand in. Countless unknown vines intertwined at the top of the valley, forming a natural green canopy, ensuring no one would accidentally pass by and spot him.
Han Li placed his belongings under a huge rock and returned to the center of the clearing. He closed his eyes for a moment of contemplation, then opened them with a determined expression and softly said, "Let's start with the most difficult Soft Bone Technique."
And so, Han Li began his solitary cultivation journey.
Unbeknownst to him, not far away, a yellow bird perched on a branch, watching him day and night. Only when it saw he had no intention of fleeing did it refrain from flying back to report to its master.
Time flew by, and half of the four months had passed in the blink of an eye.
At this moment, the valley appeared empty, with Han Li nowhere to be seen. Only the yellow bird remained, calmly grooming its feathers, seemingly oblivious to the disappearance of its surveillance target, as if it had tossed its task aside.
Suddenly, a gray bird flew into the valley through the green vines above and landed on a wooden stake at the edge of the clearing, seemingly intending to rest before flying away later.
The yellow bird, already perched there, glanced at the newcomer with disdain, then arrogantly looked away.
The gray bird, standing on one leg, looked around and finally spotted its counterpart. It spread its wings, seemingly intending to fly over.
Suddenly, an unexpected event occurred. A withered yellow palm descended from the sky and grabbed the bewildered gray bird.
The sudden change terrified it. It struggled desperately but couldn't escape the grasp of the hand's owner.
Only then did the bird notice that the wooden stake beneath its feet had turned into a yellow-shirted youth. This youth had dark skin and an ordinary appearance, except for his clear eyes, there was nothing particularly remarkable about him.
The youth smiled as he watched the bird struggle in his hand. When it was nearly exhausted, he released his grip and said gently, "Off you go. Don't be so foolish next time! Make sure you choose your landing spot wisely."
The bird regained its freedom and, without looking back at its fellow, frantically flapped its wings and flew out of the valley.
After watching the bird fly away, the youth stood there motionless for a while before murmuring to himself, "It seems my Concealment Technique and Stealth Art have made some progress. Next, I should practice the assassination technique in the secret chamber."
With that, Han Li moved towards a newly built wooden hut nearby. As he passed the tree where the yellow bird perched, he couldn't help but glance up.
Han Li had noticed this peculiar bird about half a month ago. It always stayed nearby, constantly observing him, seemingly quite intelligent.
At first sight, Han Li was captivated by its intelligence and grew fond of the bird. He attempted to lure it away, but no matter what method he used—enticement, seduction, or setting traps—it was ineffective. The bird showed no intention of being lured and even looked at him with a mocking gaze, making Han Li feel somewhat helpless.
Later, out of anger, he tried to force it away, but before he could approach, it immediately spread its wings and flew into the sky. When Han Li left, it returned to its perch, forcing Han Li to stand there helplessly, staring.
Thinking of this, Han Li turned his head with some disappointment and no longer paid attention to it. In fact, he had already vaguely realized that the origin of this bird was likely related to Dr. Mo and was probably sent to spy on him. But Han Li didn't care. As long as it wasn't Dr. Mo himself monitoring him, what could a mere bird tell him? Besides, he really liked this clever little creature and couldn't bear to use ruthless means against it.
Meanwhile, Dr. Mo was in a stone room, drawing a strange array with wild beast bone powder. He was discussing something with another person in his mind, completely unaware that Han Li had seen through his surveillance methods.
