"Sect Master, senior brother. Junior disciple was lucky enough to successfully establish his foundation a few days ago, so I have come to report this to you. I hope the Sect Master can grant me the right to open a cave dwelling." Han Li didn't mince words, stating his purpose directly.
"Successfully established your foundation?" Zhong Lingdao was first taken aback, but then he suddenly understood.
It wasn't rare for someone who received a Foundation Establishment Pill to not take it immediately, but instead wait until they felt the time was ripe to take the pill and successfully establish their foundation! Sect Master Zhong took Han Li to be one of those cases.
"Hehe, congratulations, Junior Brother Han, on entering the Foundation Establishment stage! Our sect has gained another high-level disciple. Truly a cause for celebration!" Zhong Lingdao stroked his three long wisps of beard and said with a smile.
"Junior brother Han was merely lucky. This is all thanks to the Foundation Establishment Pill bestowed by the sect!" Han Li replied, his face beaming with joy.
After hearing Han Li's polite words, Zhong Lingdao gave a faint smile and carefully scrutinized him again. Now, the more he looked at Han Li, the more familiar he seemed. He had definitely seen him before, but when and where exactly, he couldn't quite recall at the moment.
Thus, Zhong Lingdao nodded, sank into thought, and pondered deeply.
Seeing this, Han Li found it amusing in his heart but didn't disturb the other party. He simply picked up his teacup and slowly savored the tea.
After a moment, a flash of inspiration struck Zhong Lingdao's mind, and he actually remembered the matter of the Ascension Token! The young man who had stood in the Hall of Deliberation back then and the composed junior brother before him now began to overlap!
Recalling the details of Han Li's background, Zhong Lingdao suddenly looked up, his face filled with astonishment as he exclaimed: "It's you, that disciple who entered the valley with the Ascension Token back then! You've actually succeeded in establishing your foundation?"
"Sect Master Senior Brother finally remembers me! For the matter of joining Yellow Maple Valley back then, I truly have to thank you for your assistance!" Seeing that the other party had recognized him, Han Li wasn't flustered. He chuckled lightly and expressed his gratitude to Zhong Lingdao.
Hearing the other party address him repeatedly as "Sect Master Senior Brother," Zhong Lingdao finally realized that this was no longer the independent cultivator disciple who had joined back then, but a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator of the same seniority as himself! A flash of surprise crossed his face before disappearing, and he once again regained his calm and unhurried demeanor. He said gently: "There's no need to mention it. As Sect Master, I was simply following the rules a few years ago! What's truly incredible is that Junior Brother Han was able to successfully establish his foundation despite having a pseudo Spirit Root! If word gets out, junior brother will surely become famous throughout the cultivation world in an instant!"
Even though Zhong Lingdao seemed to have returned to normal on the surface, his words still revealed the astonishment in his heart!
No wonder. Back then, Sect Master Zhong had known Han Li's situation all too clearly. For such a four-element pseudo Spirit Root to succeed in establishing his foundation was indeed extremely difficult for him to accept.
Hearing this, Han Li smiled and said in a half-joking tone: "I didn't expect it either. After taking a single Foundation Establishment Pill, I actually succeeded. I can only say it was heaven's help. It seems even a dull person like me has his share of dumb luck!"
Hearing Han Li say this, the other party was genuinely amused.
"However, Junior Brother Han! Weren't the Foundation Establishment Pills from back then given to Junior Brother Ye's grandnephew? Where did you get a new Foundation Establishment Pill?" After laughing twice, Sect Master Zhong suddenly thought of this puzzling point and asked.
"Hehe! Sect Master Senior Brother, speaking of this Foundation Establishment Pill, it was actually given to me by you!" Han Li felt amused in his heart and said with a chuckle on his face.
"Me?" Now Zhong Lingdao was completely bewildered. How could he have no memory of this?
"Sect Master, have you forgotten? Among the few who returned alive from the forbidden grounds, three received Foundation Establishment Pills as a reward, and I was one of them!" Han Li finally put away his smile and said seriously.
"You were that disciple who was taken in by Senior Uncle Li as an in-name disciple?" Zhong Lingdao could no longer maintain his calm demeanor and was visibly moved.
"That's correct. I am indeed the disciple taken in by my master, Li Huayuan, during that forbidden grounds expedition!" Han Li didn't deny it and admitted it outright.
"Ah, so that's it. I was wondering why the name Han Li sounded so familiar? So junior brother is that disciple who caused such a stir within the valley a couple of years ago!" The look of surprise in Zhong Lingdao's eyes grew even stronger, but his tone became somewhat more amiable.
Zhong Lingdao's meaning was very clear. Since Han Li had already succeeded in establishing his foundation, the matter of him becoming Senior Uncle Li's formal disciple in the future was basically a certainty. He naturally didn't want to make enemies with Han Li. And he secretly mused to himself: "Looking at it this way, this Junior Brother Han was incredibly lucky to succeed in establishing his foundation. Otherwise, given his aptitude, the chances of success would have been less than one in a hundred!"
Although Zhong Lingdao was muttering in his heart, on the surface he naturally exchanged a few more polite words with Han Li before asking him to wait a moment while he went to retrieve the roster.