Chapter 10: The Mysterious Bottle

Han Li slowly walked out of Divine Hand Valley, following the mountain path, and habitually headed towards the vaguely visible Chishui Peak.

He had nothing important to do at the moment. The reason he had been running to Zhang Tie on time every day these past few days was just to see Zhang Tie's strange face when he practiced the Elephant Shell Technique under the waterfall.

This "Elephant Shell Technique" was not something just anyone could endure. Just the first level required such great suffering, and the later levels would surely strip a person of several layers of skin.

"Zhang Tie must be regretting it by now. The brutality of the 'Elephant Shell Technique' far exceeds the imagination of these little kids." Han Li thought as he walked, absentmindedly kicking the fallen leaves and branches on the ground.

"After a while, the two of us will plead with Doctor Mo to let Zhang Tie switch to another technique, so he doesn't have to suffer this living hell." Han Li thought, feeling somewhat invigorated that he had found a way to help his friend escape his current torment.

Han Li looked up at the trees on both sides of the path. It was already late autumn, and all the branches were bare. The path was covered with a thick layer of fallen leaves and dead branches, making it soft and comfortable to walk on.

At this moment, the faint sounds of weapons clashing and occasional loud cheers came from a nearby peak. Hearing these sounds, Han Li glanced at the peak, and his slightly improved mood turned sour again.

This was where the senior disciples of the Hundred Forging Hall were training the new disciples in weapon combat.

Whenever Han Li saw other fellow disciples gather to practice with real weapons, he felt a bit uneasy. He also wanted to pick up real weapons and wield them fiercely. Unfortunately, after formally joining Doctor Mo's disciples, Doctor Mo strictly prohibited him from touching these things and from learning other martial arts from other instructors, saying it would hinder his progress in cultivating the incantations.

Therefore, Han Li could only look on enviously. Occasionally, he could borrow some weapons from a few close fellow disciples and practice a few rounds to satisfy his craving.

Really, what was so good about the incantations he was cultivating? He hadn't seen any use for them yet. All the other disciples who joined at the same time had become more skilled and powerful, making rapid progress, while he remained stagnant, showing no signs of improvement.

Even Zhang Tie, who had only practiced the "Elephant Shell Technique" for two months, had become tougher and stronger.

But if he hadn't been taken in by Doctor Mo, he might not have passed the named disciple test two months ago, let alone stay on the mountain and send so much money home.

If he can't learn other things, then so be it!

Han Li grumbled to himself while trying to console himself.

Han Li retracted his gaze from the distance, still muttering to himself, but his spirit was more scattered. His lifeless eyes wandered along the path, not knowing what he was looking at.

Suddenly, Han Li gasped, his expression turning strange, and his mouth almost reached his ears. He reflexively squatted down, pressing his right big toe with both hands, then lay half on the grass, the sudden intense pain knocking him down. His face turned pale, and a piercing pain kept shooting from his big toe.

It seemed he had accidentally kicked a very hard stone in the pile of leaves.

Han Li hunched over, holding his ankle with both hands, and subconsciously, through the cloth shoes on his feet, he blew hard on his injured toe. At the same time, he worried in his heart whether he was seriously injured and whether his big toe would swell up, affecting his daily walking.

After a long while, Han Li finally recovered from the pain. He lifted his head and scanned the pile of leaves near his feet, trying to find the culprit that caused him such great pain.

The leaves scattered on the ground were all the same dull color—withered yellow. He couldn't find his target in the messy pile of leaves.

Han Li frowned, fumbled around on the ground, picked up a relatively long and thick branch, and carefully stood up, tiptoeing.

Then, as if unwilling to give up, he used the branch to dig through the thick pile of leaves.

Hey! A fist-sized object was picked out by the branch.

Han Li examined it carefully. The culprit that caused his glorious injury was a bottle-shaped item with a long neck. The bottle was covered in dirt, completely turning gray, and its original color was not visible.

Han Li initially thought it was a small porcelain bottle, but when he picked it up, he found the weight was off, heavy and solid.

Is it made of metal? No wonder this thing, though small, could cause such pain when it hit my foot. Metal bottles are quite rare.

Han Li became interested in the small bottle and temporarily forgot about the pain in his foot.

He rubbed the dirt off the neck of the bottle, revealing its original color—a beautiful green. The bottle had some exquisite, dark green leaf patterns, and a small cap tightly sealed the mouth.

Could there be something inside? He put the bottle to his ear and gently shook it, but couldn't feel anything moving inside.

He placed his hand on the cap and tried to unscrew it, but it wouldn't budge.

Han Li's curiosity grew. Just as he was about to take the next step, a sharp pain shot through his foot.

Oh no! How could he forget that his foot was still injured from the encounter with this object.

With this injury, he couldn't go to Zhang Tie. He should return to his residence, apply some medicine, and then carefully examine this unexpected find.

Thinking this, Han Li, to avoid being seen by others, put the bottle in his chest, turned around, and limped back.