"Howl!" Han Li raised his hand high, clenching his fist, and shouted excitedly.
His childish nature was unmistakably revealed at this moment.
It seemed his hypothesis was correct: the sealed doors and windows had been obstructing the bottle's ability to attract the white light strands. Only in a wide, unobstructed space could the bottle attract more light strands, and the glowing mass it formed would grow larger.
Although he didn't know where these light strands were coming from or what the bottle absorbed them for, Han Li felt he had made significant progress in uncovering the bottle's mystery. This discovery excited him greatly.
He waited until it was almost dawn, and finally, the glowing light surrounding the bottle gradually faded, returning the bottle to its calm state.
Throughout this time, Han Li had been carefully observing the changes in the bottle while keeping alert to ensure no one discovered what was happening.
He bent down, picked up the bottle, and checked it. It was just as it had been before, with the cap still firmly sealed.
Han Li felt a little disappointed but realized that the day was already breaking, so he reluctantly stored the bottle away. He had to hurry back to the stone chamber for his meditation practice.
For several nights afterward, the same phenomenon occurred—countless light strands appeared, flying toward the bottle as if drawn by a magnetic force, turning into small glowing dots that were greedily absorbed by the bottle.
Just as Han Li had come to expect that this strange occurrence would continue, the eighth night brought a new change.
When Han Li took out the bottle and set it in place, the absorption of light points lasted only for a brief moment, not even lasting half as long as usual. Then, the bottle's dark green patterns suddenly emitted a dazzling green glow, and a series of golden characters and symbols began to appear on the bottle's surface. These peculiar characters had smooth structures, with uniquely shaped strokes, carrying a mysterious ancient flavor. They flickered and moved across the surface of the bottle, constantly shifting.
This strange phenomenon only lasted for a brief moment before disappearing, leaving behind several protruding, golden characters that seemed out of place. Everything seemed to have returned to its starting point.
After witnessing these odd events for several days, Han Li was no longer as surprised as before. He knew that the bottle had far more secrets hidden within it, and any strange phenomena would no longer shock him.
He casually grabbed the bottle and, without thinking, tried to open the cap. To his astonishment, the cap came off effortlessly, as if it had never been sealed at all.
Han Li stood there, stunned, staring at the cap in his hand.
Just like that, without any effort or tricks, he had solved the problem that had baffled him for days. Could this really be happening?
When Han Li finally confirmed that what was happening in front of him was real, his excitement bubbled over. Unable to hold back, he quickly leaned over to the bottle's opening and peered inside.
Inside the bottle, there was a drop of greenish liquid, about the size of a soybean, slowly rolling around. It cast a faint green glow on the inner surface of the bottle.
What was this? Han Li felt a twinge of disappointment. After all the effort he had put into this, was this all he found—a boring drop of liquid?
He felt disheartened, sealing the bottle back up and placing it in his pouch. He turned away, his earlier excitement gone, replaced by a sense of defeat.
Although the cap was now removed, Han Li was still dissatisfied with the results.
He decided that, on some idle day, he might return to investigate this green liquid's secret. Maybe, just maybe, it would surprise him with something unexpected.
For now, his focus needed to be on resting. The past few days had left him sleep-deprived, and his training had suffered as a result. This exhaustion had even caused Mo Dafu to question his condition.
Since becoming Mo Dafu's personal disciple and breaking through the first layer of the mysterious technique, Han Li had felt increasingly unmotivated. The progress from the technique was underwhelming, and it failed to excite him enough to push through his training.
Mo Dafu had scolded him severely, but when it came time to practice, Han Li still felt lethargic and uninterested. His energy was completely drained, and Mo Dafu began to question if he had made a mistake in choosing him as a disciple.
Han Li felt a little guilty. He didn't want to be in this state, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't seem to shake off the exhaustion.
What Han Li didn't expect, however, was that the very next day, after a good rest, he would find himself fully immersed in training again.
What had sparked this sudden change? It was Mo Dafu's casual remark: "For each layer you master in this technique, I'll double the silver you get each month."
Mo Dafu had finally figured out Han Li's weakness—his desire for money. With a simple sentence, he had placed Han Li on the path of relentless training.
In the days that followed, Han Li threw himself into his training with a renewed vigor, determined to master the next layer of the technique.
From morning to noon and from noon to evening, Han Li spent every day in the stone chamber, meditating, training, and leading an utterly monotonous life. Everything else became secondary.
In an effort to help him focus without distractions, Mo Dafu temporarily sealed off the entire Shenshou Valley, even conducting all medical work outside the valley. Han Li no longer needed to worry about food or other daily matters.
Gradually, Han Li began to forget all about the mysterious bottle.
As autumn passed into winter and then spring, four years flew by. Han Li, now fourteen years old, had grown into a tanned, silent, and resolute young man. On the surface, he looked no different from any other farming boy, unremarkable in appearance—neither handsome nor charming.
He spent his days in the stone chamber and his home, occasionally learning some medical techniques from Mo Dafu and reading a variety of books in his room. The valley had become his entire world, and his mysterious technique progressed steadily, now reaching the third layer.