After hearing the other's words, he didn't say anything. He just kept gripping the other's primordial spirit tightly, lowering his head in thought!
After a long while, Han Li raised his head and said coldly:
"If I had been caught off guard by your primordial spirit invasion just now, I wonder if you would have let me go? Your cultivation base is far superior to mine as a mere Foundation Establishment disciple. Most likely, I would have ended up being devoured by you."
Han Li's hostile tone was unmistakable!
"I can tell you a secret, give you a peerless cultivation technique!" Senior Brother Lin panicked and hurriedly transmitted via primordial spirit.
"A secret? A cultivation technique? Could it be your Thousand Bamboo Sect's Great Evolution Technique?"
Han Li's calm remark immediately caused the green light on the primordial spirit to flicker wildly, and a stammering voice of astonishment came through:
"How do you know about this? You... you were the one peeking yesterday!"
Only then did Senior Brother Lin suddenly realize.
"Alright, since you know I'm not completely ignorant about your affairs, you'd better tell me everything honestly! You wouldn't want me to destroy your primordial spirit right now, would you?" Although Han Li spoke lightly, it made Senior Brother Lin's primordial spirit tremble violently in his grasp.
"What is there to say? Didn't junior brother hear most of it yesterday?" Senior Brother Lin sighed deeply and said dejectedly.
At this moment, the people from Thousand Bamboo Sect outside the formation, seeing that there was still no response after their message, became furious and ordered numerous puppets to launch a new wave of attacks. Outside the formation it became lively again, but inside remained calm. One could only hear some sounds and feel slight vibrations!
"Junior brother, what kind of marvelous formation is this? It can actually withstand such fierce attacks, truly incredible!" Senior Brother Lin, seeing this scene, changed the subject and said in feigned surprise.
"Hmph, don't concern yourself with what formation this is, and don't try to change the subject. Moreover, I have zero interest in your Thousand Bamboo Sect's internal dog-eat-dog struggles. All I want to know is, do you also know some of the Great Evolution Technique's cultivation methods? What supernatural powers can one gain by cultivating it? If you're trying to stall for time, I'll destroy you immediately." Han Li frowned, his voice suddenly turning cold.
Then the white light in his hand suddenly intensified, his fingers applying slight pressure, immediately causing Senior Brother Lin's primordial spirit to scream miserably, crying out that he wouldn't dare!
"This Great Evolution Technique is a secret art created by our sect's founding ancestor, specifically for strengthening spiritual sense and cultivating the art of divided consciousness. It's also an essential technique for our Thousand Bamboo Sect to use puppets. Only by cultivating this technique can one attach spiritual sense to numerous puppets and control them freely! Otherwise, no matter how many puppets we refine, what use are they if we cannot control them simultaneously?" Having tasted Han Li's methods, Senior Brother Lin didn't dare delay any longer and hurriedly spoke in one breath.
"Since it's a basic technique of the Thousand Bamboo Sect, why did you have to plot for it? And there seems to be talk of 'half a volume,' what's that about?" Han Li continued asking calmly.
"There's nothing to hide. Although the Great Evolution Technique is a basic technique of our Thousand Bamboo Sect, it's also the foundation of our sect and cannot be easily passed down to all members. Therefore, the Great Evolution Technique that current Thousand Bamboo Sect disciples cultivate is only a simplified version of the first layer of the authentic technique. Although easy to practice, even when fully mastered, its power is far inferior to the first layer of the authentic version. The authentic Great Evolution Technique can only be cultivated by the sect's high-ranking members."
"People like those outside have cultivated the first two layers of the authentic technique, which allows them to control nearly a hundred mechanical puppets at once! While I have cultivated the third layer, so I can control over three hundred, surpassing them. The layers beyond the third have always been reserved only for the Sect Leader and the designated successor!"
"Years ago, when the Thousand Bamboo Sect experienced a rebellion, my father was schemed against by the current Sect Leader Jin Nantian, who even stole the complete Great Evolution Technique. As the young Sect Leader at the time, I was outside handling sect affairs. Upon receiving this news, since I couldn't confront him, I had to find a body double and fake my death, then fled thousands of miles to the Kingdom of Yue. At that time, although I didn't have the complete technique, as the Sect Leader's only son, I had already learned the first four layers, which I compiled into an upper volume of the Great Evolution Technique."
"I originally planned to live out my days here in peace, but unexpectedly, the Great Evolution Technique recently showed signs of breaking through the third layer, which reignited my desire for revenge. In a moment of confusion, I contacted some of my loyal subordinates from the past, wanting them to steal the incantations for the remaining three layers. Who would have thought it would end up like this! I don't know if they failed and were captured, or if they betrayed me from the start!"
Senior Brother Lin recounted this in great detail this time. But as he finished, his voice was filled with anger and unwillingness!
Han Li coldly watched the other's primordial spirit vent its dissatisfaction without making any move. Only after the other calmed down somewhat did he continue pressing unfriendlyly:
"What's this secret you mentioned?"
"This...? I hope to first—"
"Agh! Stop, I'll talk, I'll talk right now!"
Senior Brother Lin's primordial spirit hesitated slightly, seemingly wanting to make some condition. But Han Li gave him no chance to speak, directly giving the other another taste of pain, nearly crushing Senior Brother Lin's primordial spirit. This made the other immediately change his tune in terror!
"Don't refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit! It's best not to propose any conditions before I've heard everything I want to know." Han Li's voice was bone-chillingly cold.
Senior Lin was completely awed by Han Li's ruthless methods and hurriedly said in fear:
"Actually, this secret is also related to the Great Evolution Technique, and has long been circulating among the Thousand Bamboo Sect's high-ranking members. It's just that no one knows if it's true or not! However, when my father was still alive, he secretly told me that this secret probably has a fifty to sixty percent chance of being true!"
"From who knows when, there has been a rumor circulating secretly among our successive high-ranking members of the Thousand Bamboo Sect: anyone who cultivates the Great Evolution Technique to the higher layers will find it much easier to form a Golden Core compared to ordinary cultivators, and it's easier to break through cultivation bottlenecks. Because the successive Sect Leaders and their designated successors have had an astonishingly high success rate in forming Golden Cores." He paused briefly before revealing this secret.
"It can increase the probability of entering the Core Formation stage?" Han Li, who had been expressionless, finally showed emotion!
"Yes, as long as junior brother is willing to help me find a body to possess and cultivate again, I am willing to first share the incantations for the first four layers with you. Then, you and I can join forces to figure out how to obtain the remaining techniques from that thief Jin, and then both form Golden Cores together. Wouldn't that be wonderful!" He began to use his eloquence to tempt Han Li once more.
Han Li snorted without a word, lowering his head again in deep thought, making Senior Lin's heart suddenly restless with anxiety!
"Only a fifty to sixty percent chance to increase the probability of forming a Golden Core?" Han Li suddenly looked up, frowning tightly as he murmured. "Junior brother, fifty to sixty percent is not insignificant. After all, this is about forming a Golden Core! You should give it a try!" Senior Lin hurriedly urged upon seeing this. Actually, what his father had told him wasn't a fifty to sixty percent chance, but only thirty percent! But now, coming from his mouth, the probability had instantly doubled.
"Is this Great Evolution Technique easy to cultivate? Besides enhancing spiritual sense, can it also increase cultivation base? And, I wonder when Senior Lin successfully established his foundation, and how long has he been cultivating this Great Evolution Technique?" Han Li suddenly raised an eyebrow and asked coldly.
"The cultivation speed is decent, and it seems to increase cultivation base a bit... Foundation Establishment was over a hundred years ago, when I was only in my twenties! I started cultivating the Great Evolution Technique right after establishing my foundation. Hmm, why do you ask these questions, junior brother?"
Senior Lin hadn't expected the other to suddenly fire off such a series of questions. Caught off guard and unprepared, he stammered through the first two questions but answered the last two quite clearly.
Han Li's expression softened slightly, seemingly satisfied with the answers. However, his right hand, which was gripping Senior Lin's primordial spirit, suddenly burst with brilliant white light. Then his five fingers squeezed together with force! Immediately, the primordial spirit in his hand only had time to let out one miserable scream before turning into scattered points of light, completely vanishing from this world.
"How unfortunate! The thing I hate most in my life is someone trying to possess me. It reminds me of some unpleasant things. Moreover, although I am indeed interested in the Great Evolution Technique, this technique is difficult to cultivate and cannot increase cultivation base. How could I possibly use it as my main cultivation method?"
"You should know, if I haven't even cultivated my cultivation base to the peak of Foundation Establishment, what use would it be to cultivate the Great Evolution Technique to the most marvelous levels? Your aptitude is actually quite good, having cultivated this technique for nearly a hundred years yet only reaching the peak of the third layer, with your cultivation base also stagnating at mid-stage Foundation Establishment due to divided attention. How easy is it to have your cake and eat it too? And those successive Sect Leaders of the Thousand Bamboo Sect who managed to balance both and form Golden Cores—there's nothing surprising about that. Since they could become Sect Leaders, they must all be extraordinary talents, one-in-a-million cultivation geniuses. In that case, the credibility of the Great Evolution Technique increasing the probability of forming a Golden Cores is even lower! And I definitely don't consider myself such a peerless genius—I have absolutely no confidence in cultivating both the Great Evolution Technique and my cultivation base to high levels!"
"The worst part is, you don't even have the complete Great Evolution Technique, and you want to drag me into fighting against an entire sect. Isn't that just seeking death? And even if I were to let you go, who can guarantee you wouldn't hold a grudge about today's events and stab me in the back later!"
"Tell me, with so many reasons, how could I possibly let you go!" Han Li looked at his right hand that had just ended a Foundation Establishment cultivator's life and murmured to himself.