After several sleepless nights of torment, Han Li, torn between the prudent choice of self-preservation but forever losing the opportunity for immortality and the daring gamble for success in Foundation Establishment despite the risks, gradually leaned towards the latter. After all, he was unwilling to live his life in mediocrity!
However, being naturally cautious, before making a decision, Han Li made a trip to the Yueguo Palace. From the greedy old man, he once again confirmed that there would be no spiritual herbs outside the forbidden areas and the gruesome reality of the Blood Prohibition Trial. This made him completely abandon any thoughts of luck.
Since he understood that there was no turning back, Han Li finally made up his mind and decided to participate in the Blood Prohibition Trial and take a gamble. If he couldn't succeed in finding spiritual herbs and achieving Foundation Establishment, then he would perish in the struggle for the forbidden land!
With a clear goal of life and death, Han Li began to prepare for the journey into the forbidden land half a year later. In this short time, he needed to strengthen his strength to increase his chances of survival.
Breaking through to the eleventh layer of Changchun Gong without the assistance of pills was impossible. If he wanted to enhance his strength, his only option was to learn more new spells and purchase powerful talismans and magical instruments.
Learning new spells wasn't too difficult to arrange. He could ask Senior Brother Wu for guidance, and he wouldn't refuse. However, given his aptitude, he could only learn a few more basic intermediate-level spells in this half a year, or barely master one intermediate-level spell. High-level spells were out of the question. Therefore, the fastest way to improve his strength was through talismans and magical instruments.
Speaking of magical instruments, Han Li did have some now. Aside from the ring and the small flag given by Senior Brother Ye, the two items he harvested from the two men in yellow were still usable: the long knife that could transform into a rope and the gourd that could automatically attack.
As for the items he received when he first joined, like the Flaming Sword and the Frosty Moon Saber, they were just the lowest-grade magical instruments attached with some fire and frost attacks, barely useful in significant battles.
In terms of talismans, Han Li was originally lacking. But thanks to Senior Brother Ye, who kept many things from him, aside from withholding some talismans, he gave Han Li more than a dozen intermediate-level talismans and two rare high-level talismans, giving him much-needed confidence.
Additionally, there was the talisman with a small sword drawn on it that Han Li hadn't figured out yet. The two men in yellow he killed once called it a treasure talisman, indicating its significant origin. However, as stolen goods, Han Li had never dared to let others know about this talisman, only secretly pondering over its meaning, waiting for a suitable opportunity to inquire about its significance.
Of course, faced with the terrifying Blood Prohibition Trial, these items alone were not enough. So Han Li planned to leave the sect and go to the nearby marketplace to purchase some top-grade magical instruments and talismans.
However, without a large amount of spirit stones as backing, this purchasing trip would definitely not be satisfactory.
Although Han Li could barely afford these spirit stones with his current wealth, these spirit stones were also important props for survival and enduring battles in the forbidden land in the future, which made him reluctant to part with them.
After careful consideration, Han Li decided to cultivate a few rare herbs over the short term to exchange for spirit stones or simply trade them directly.
