Xuan Qing spoke in a hushed voice. "This… this is only the beginning. If Core Formation Pills are here so openly, what else lies hidden in this place?"
The group shared looks of mingled disbelief and greed. Their hearts pounded with the thrill of discovery. The pedestals around them numbered in the hundreds, perhaps even more, each one a mystery waiting to be uncovered.
Han Yu felt the fire within his chest flare as he gazed at the jar. He kept his expression calm, but inside he knew they had stumbled upon sothing far beyond expectations. ng Jueyan had not lied. The repository was a treasure trove that could shake sects to their core.
Yet he also knew this was only the tip of the iceberg. There were still countless shelves filled with manuals, jade slips, and docunts. Knowledge as dangerous and valuable as the pills themselves.
As the others busied themselves marveling at their first finds, Han Yu's mind worked in silence. The hall was real, and so was the danger that would follow once the Mist Eye Sect or any other faction laid claim to it. For now, though, the group could only celebrate, their spirits soaring high.
They had endured trials, traps, and near-death struggles. And at the end of their peril, they had reached the motherlode!
The group's excitent only grew as they spread out across the pedestals, each sealed jar or box sparking a new ripple of curiosity.
But soon, the sa problem beca clear. Most of them could not even begin to identify the pills. The cultivators standing around exchanged uncertain glances, lifting jars to the light and shaking them slightly to hear the faint rattle of pills inside. The glow of talismans reflected on glass, but knowledge could not be conjured from thin air.
Xuan Qing turned toward Han Yu and spoke plainly. "Junior Brother Han, you are the alchemist among us. If anyone can recognize these, it will be you."
The others nodded quickly.
Their faces carried a blend of expectation and relief, as if handing a burden to soone more capable. Han Yu felt the weight of their gazes but did not resist. He was already itching to examine the treasures in detail, and this gave him the perfect excuse to do so openly.
"Very well," Han Yu replied, stepping forward.
He took a sealed vial from Wu Shuan's hands and held it up to the light. His spirit sense swept through the thin barrier of spiritual wax, brushing across the pills inside. The scent that seeped out was faint, but distinct enough to guide his intuition.
"These are Qi replenishing pills," Han Yu explained. "The scent is similar to the ones used today, though the herbs that compose them feel slightly different. Likely a regional or ancient substitute. They should work the sa way, but perhaps with a smoother dicinal flow."
Wu Shuan nodded, satisfied, though it was a common find.
Han Yu continued, moving from bottle to bottle, box to box. Sotis he could identify a pill with confidence, citing the dicinal aura or the faint residue of the herbs used. Other tis, his conclusions were softer, guesses rather than certainties.
He explained to them that pill formulas evolved across generations, and ancient alchemists often employed thods and substitutions no longer in common use. That did not lessen their value.
In fact, it elevated it.
Instead of discouraging him, each discrepancy stirred Han Yu's enthusiasm. His heart raced with the thrill of discovery. Every unfamiliar structure of Qi, every unrecognizable herb resonance, was a doorway into forgotten alchemical techniques.
To him, these were not just pills. They were potential lessons, opportunities to refine his craft and perhaps one day reinvent thods long abandoned. The others, of course, were less interested in theory. They wanted nas, uses, and values.
Han Yu obliged them as best he could. He identified several minor healing pills, detoxification pills, and even stamina-enhancing ones. A few rare finds brought murmurs of surprise, such as bottles that carried pills for stabilizing ridians or hastening wound recovery after qi deviation.
But then, as he sifted through a row of ornate cases, his spirit sense brushed against sothing that made his breath catch.
He froze, his fingers tightening around the case. His heart skipped, then pounded in his chest as though it wanted to break free. Carefully, he peeled away the sealing talisman and opened the lid. Inside, nestled within soft silk padding, was a single pill.
It shone with a faint golden-green hue, its surface rippling with an inner light that pulsed like a living heartbeat. The fragrance that escaped was profound, carrying both weight and purity. It was not the earthy tang of common pills, but sothing refined, lofty, almost divine.
Han Yu's knees nearly buckled. "This… this is a Nascent Seed Invoking Pill," he whispered, his voice hoarse.
The words hit the group like a thunderclap. For a mont, the hall fell silent. Every disciple froze, their eyes widening in unison.
Wu Shuan broke the silence with a gasp. "What did you say? A Nascent Seed Invoking Pill?"
Han Yu nodded, his throat dry. His eyes never left the pill, but he forced himself to speak with asured calm. "Yes. It is a pill designed to aid a Peak Core Condensation cultivator in advancing to the Nascent Soul realm. It functions much like a Core Formation Pill, but far more potent."
The others staggered closer, peering at the pill as though staring into a dragon's treasure. Even the calst among them looked shaken.
Fatty Kui's jaw dropped. "That… that is sothing only elders and sect masters fight over. I have only ever heard of such pills in rumors."
Han Yu swallowed hard and continued. "This one is not just any Nascent Seed Invoking Pill. Its potency is extraordinary. Most of the ones I have seen in records or in passing would increase the chance of forming a Nascent Soul by forty or fifty percent at best.
This pill… no, this masterpiece… feels at least double that. Perhaps eighty, ninety, even one hundred percent. With this, success is almost guaranteed."
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