"Exchange pill formulas?"
The round-faced man's previously cheerful expression immediately froze!
"This disciple knows that these formulas are treasured by Senior Brothers and Senior Uncles as dearly as their own lives, so I won't be picky! As long as it's something that can slightly improve my cultivation speed during the Foundation Establishment stage, I won't be choosy at all!" Han Li said with utmost sincerity.
Ever since learning the specifics of pill formulas in the cultivation world during a certain conversation with the little old man, Han Li had been scheming to collect some formulas for his own use. After all, he possessed a secret technique for accelerating the growth of herbs — how could he not make the most of such an advantage?
However, every half-decent formula was firmly in the hands of Core Formation cultivators. Even if a Foundation Establishment disciple happened to possess one or two recipes, they could only concoct pills of little consequence. That was why his original plan had been to target his own master, Li Huayuan. But now that he had met this Senior Uncle Lei, Han Li immediately changed the object of his plans.
No matter how you looked at it, this Senior Uncle Lei was far easier to approach than his master.
This wasn't just because Han Li felt that Li Huayuan was far too stingy toward his In-Name Disciple. More importantly, because of their master-disciple relationship, it was actually harder to maneuver — too difficult to press without offending.
If he used the same approach on Li Huayuan today, the man would likely brush it off with a casual compliment — "What a filial heart!" — and righteously accept both spiritual herbs as his due. Han Li would then have to put on a display of tearful gratitude, thanking his master for his gracious acceptance.
Now that he had finally encountered another Core Formation cultivator, he naturally had to seize this rare opportunity!
"So you want to exchange formulas! That is indeed a troublesome matter." Lei Wanhe seemed to think of something, and his expression finally softened. But it was replaced by furrowed brows and a look of uncertainty!
Far from being disappointed, Han Li's heart leaped — "There's definitely a chance!" Otherwise, Senior Uncle Lei wouldn't have worn that kind of expression.
"As long as it's useful to this disciple, any formula will do. Your nephew won't make things too difficult for Senior Uncle!" Han Li hurriedly lowered his standards another level.
"Junior Nephew Han! Senior Uncle does indeed have some excellent formulas here, but these are all secret recipes passed down exclusively within the family line — I truly can't bring them out for exchange." Lei Wanhe still shook his head, speaking with genuine regret.
Hearing this, Han Li was utterly disappointed — and he made no effort to hide it. The round-faced man saw every bit of it, then chuckled and said: "Although I can't exchange family formulas with you, I do have a few ancient formulas on hand! Some I found myself in ruins, and others I obtained through swaps with friends. There's absolutely no problem with exchanging those."
"Truly? Then this disciple thanks Senior Uncle!" Han Li was overjoyed and quickly expressed his gratitude.
"Wait — hold your thanks until I've finished speaking!" The round-faced man waved his hand dismissively.
"Since we're making an exchange, I need to make some things clear first as your Senior Uncle." The man's expression turned serious, which caught Han Li slightly off guard.
"Please speak plainly, Senior Uncle — this disciple will listen carefully to every word!" Han Li immediately replied with respectful deference.
"What's this about listening carefully? I just want to lay the ugly truth on the table first, so you don't end up regretting it later!" Lei Wanhe shot Han Li a glance and said coolly.
"The pills refined from these ancient formulas are indeed genuine, top-grade spirit pills. But the critical issue is that the ingredients for these formulas are extremely difficult to find nowadays! I truly don't know whether you'll be able to gather them all. Of course, these ingredients are merely hard to find — they definitely still exist in this world. It's not like some other ancient formulas whose ingredients have been extinct for untold years! In truth, most of the formulas newly developed these days are simply old formulas with substitute ingredients that have been repeatedly tested and refined. Because of this, while the ingredients for pill-making once again become available, the efficacy is correspondingly reduced by quite a bit. It really is a helplessness of the cultivation world!"
The round-faced man's words left Han Li somewhat stunned. But he did understand the other's meaning.
"What does Senior Uncle mean?"
"Simple — once you obtain the formula, if you truly can't gather all the ingredients, you can try finding some substitutes and experiment. There might even be a chance of success!" The round-faced man said to Han Li with great seriousness.
Han Li fell silent at this! But in his heart, he understood — this Senior Uncle probably felt that the formula he was about to hand over was so difficult to gather ingredients for that his conscience was pricking him. That was why he was giving Han Li this heads-up in advance!
It seemed this Senior Uncle Lei wasn't such a bad person after all! Han Li thought to himself. But on the surface, he maintained his obedient demeanor, nodding repeatedly and affirming that he would absolutely not go back on the exchange.
Seeing this, Lei Wanhe felt pleased — but still felt he was taking far too much advantage of his nephew-disciple. After a moment's thought, he spoke again: