The hall where Han Li found himself was quite peculiar. It was a massive cylindrical room with a diameter of about thirty yards and a height of about four or five yards. Pale red crystals were embedded in the green rocky walls around, while the ground was covered with a thin layer of white sand, giving the hall a clean and tidy appearance.
However, if one were to look up, they would be astonished to find that the ceiling of the hall was adorned with numerous stalactites, forming a rare stalactite cave. This place had been slightly modified to achieve its current appearance.
Three passageways were evenly distributed around the hall. Each passageway was marked with ancient characters: one with the character for "artifact," another with the character for "elixir," while the last one remained unmarked, with no indication of its purpose.
At this moment, the hall was empty. After scanning the surroundings, Han Li hesitated for a moment before deciding to walk into the passageway marked with the character for "elixir."
The passageway wasn't long. After walking a dozen steps and making a turn, he reached a slightly larger room. In the room, there was a long table, and a middle-aged man with a flushed face stood beside it, smiling warmly at Han Li.
Behind the table were several dilapidated shelves leaning against the wall, filled with various cauldrons, ingredients, and some strange items that Han Li had never seen before.
Before Han Li could speak, the middle-aged man eagerly spoke first, "Young friend, you seem new here! Nowadays, fewer and fewer newcomers arrive in this place. I've grown tired of those old faces. It's really great to see a young newcomer like you!"
However, Han Li noticed that his Heavenly Eyes technique had no effect on this man, indicating that he was also a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage. He couldn't afford to be careless!
Hastily, Han Li bowed and said, "Junior pays respects to Senior. This is indeed my first visit to Yue Lu Hall. I seek your guidance, Senior."
The man corrected Han Li's address, insisting to be called Master Xu instead of Senior, showing a particular preference.
"Very well, then. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. By the way, my surname is Xu. You can call me Master Xu or just Master. No need for formalities like Senior or Master Senior. I don't like it!" Master Xu emphasized.
"Understood, Master Xu!" Han Li responded, adjusting his attitude accordingly.
"What brings you here?" Master Xu asked satisfactorily.
"I'm interested in finding some alchemy-related formulas and books to study the path of alchemy," Han Li replied tactfully, hoping not to attract too much attention.
"Alchemy formulas and books? Follow the stairs up, and you'll find what you seek!" To Han Li's surprise, Master Xu didn't inquire further. He casually produced a black token, activated a spell, and a stone staircase leading to the roof appeared between him and the shelves.
Han Li was delighted and quickly approached the stairs. However, just as he was about to ascend, Master Xu's expression turned cunning.
"To browse the books on the second floor, it costs one low-grade spirit stone per hour. Taking any original documents out of here is prohibited. If you want to copy the content, you'll need to pay an additional ten spirit stones per copy."
Before Han Li could react, Master Xu, who was still downstairs, announced these regulations, leaving Han Li almost wanting to curse out loud.
The fees were exorbitant! Even if it was just one spirit stone per hour for browsing, it would deter many disciples with limited resources. Considering the daily expenses of a low-level disciple, which amounted to only a few dozen spirit stones a year, these charges were outrageous!
Feeling frustrated, Han Li reluctantly handed over a spirit stone and quickly climbed to the second floor.
"Interesting! Not scared away by the fees, huh? Seems like another wealthy young disciple. Hehe, looks like there's another small fortune to be made!" Master Xu, now alone downstairs, grinned happily, rubbing the spirit stone against his clothes and examining it closely, revealing his true nature as a cunning merchant.
Meanwhile, Han Li, suppressing his annoyance, carefully examined the items on the second floor. Contrary to his expectations of finding a vast collection of books and scrolls, the room was disappointingly sparse.
There were only two dark bookshelves, a dirty table, and a broken chair. And on top of that, there were only about thirty old books on the shelves, along with a few bundles of worn-out scrolls and two jade tubes whose original colors were indistinguishable.
Feeling disheartened by the lack of valuable resources, Han Li began to examine the books and scrolls one by one. However, as he went through them, his expression fluctuated between joy and disappointment.
Although some of the scrolls contained formulas and insights related to alchemy, they were of no use to Han Li, as they were similar to the ones he already possessed or were outdated for his current level of cultivation.
Feeling increasingly frustrated, Han Li's last hope rested on the two fist-sized jade tubes, hoping that they would contain something worthwhile.
