Mortal: I have a Spirit Gathering Cauldron

The atmosphere in the cabin instantly turned cold.

Lin Feng's smile vanished, replaced by a chilling expression.

"Junior Brother Han, is it that same old threat of mutual destruction again?" His voice wasn't loud, but every word was chilling. "You should know that on the battlefield, swords have no eyes; anything can happen."

Han Li shook his head with a wry smile, his tone tinged with helplessness.

"Senior Brother Lin, I have no choice," he sighed. "I also want to advise you not to have any wicked thoughts. I do have some means of self-protection, and besides, I have already made some preparations before I dared to come to you."

He looked into Lin Feng's eyes and said calmly, "I have already reserved puppets in many places. As long as they are not under my spiritual power control for half a month, they will come out on their own and reveal the location and information of the ancient teleportation array to the public."

"I doubt that my senior brother could have completed the repair and use of the formation in such a short time."

Lin Feng stared at Han Li for a few moments, then suddenly smiled.

"Hehe, Junior Brother Han has really gone to great lengths."

Han Li cupped his hands again, his tone sincere: "Senior Brother Lin, I sincerely beg you, and I hope you will grant my request."

Lin Feng leaned against the wall, tapping his knee with his fingers, and remained silent for a moment.

"...Fine then." He nodded. "Taking you along is fine. Tell me what you can offer?"

Han Li's eyes lit up, and he quickly said, "Thank you, Senior Brother! I have some savings in spirit stones, magic tools, and pills. What do you need, Senior Brother?"

Lin Feng did not answer, but asked another question instead.

"I heard you're searching for pill formulas, Junior Brother?" He looked at Han Li with interest. "Are you an alchemist?"

Han Li hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Junior Brother has made some progress in alchemy, which is quite respectable."

Lin Feng chuckled inwardly.

Slight progress? Han Li's alchemy skills are among the best in the Foundation Establishment stage. It's just that this kid always hides his abilities and never shows off.

"That's easy." Lin Feng waved his hand. "Just give me a hundred or two hundred bottles of pills to improve my cultivation."

Han Li's expression instantly became quite interesting.

"Senior Brother Lin, what are you joking about!" His voice rose half an octave, then immediately fell back down. "I hope Senior Brother will propose some reasonable conditions."

Lin Feng wasn't annoyed, and said with a smile, "Then how much do you want?"

Han Li considered for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Senior brother, I only have three bottles on me right now. I can also give you a few thousand spirit stones. Is that alright?"

Lin Feng knew that this kid was hiding his true abilities again.

With Han Li's alchemy skills, plus the little green bottle's ability to accelerate the growth of spiritual herbs, his pill reserves are at least dozens of times greater than what's publicly known. Three bottles? That's like giving money to a beggar.

But he didn't dwell on the topic.

Lin Feng changed the question.

"Junior Brother Han, tell me, out of all these cultivators from the seven sects, how many will ultimately achieve the Core Formation stage, and how many will reach the Nascent Soul stage?"

Han Li was taken aback by this seemingly endless question and was completely baffled.

"Junior brother is dull-witted," he replied cautiously. "I suppose only those with exceptional talent and background have a chance."

Lin Feng shook his head.

"I believe that in the future, only you and I will be able to form a core and condense an infant spirit."

There was a moment of silence in the wooden house.

Han Li was startled by Lin Feng's words and quickly waved his hand, his tone tinged with fear: "Senior Brother Lin, my aptitude is low. It's already a stroke of luck that I've reached the Foundation Establishment stage. I don't even dare to dream of forming the Core Formation stage, let alone the Nascent Soul stage. Senior Brother, your ambition is lofty, and I admire you."

Lin Feng smiled but didn't say anything more.

"Hehe, Junior Brother Han, let's get back to the terms we discussed earlier." He looked into Han Li's eyes, "We'll gamble with our futures."

Han Li was even more puzzled: "What do you mean, Senior Brother?"

"My condition for taking you in is this: for the next thousand years, every five years, you must give me a bottle of pills that will enhance your cultivation at your current level." Lin Feng said, emphasizing each word. "Junior Brother Han, what do you think of this condition?"

Han Li was stunned for a moment.

He was indeed startled by Lin Feng's words. Lin Feng had such audacity; the Foundation Establishment stage only had a lifespan of two hundred years, yet he was directly predicting events for the next thousand years.

But then he thought about it again and realized that the condition wasn't unacceptable.

He was now deeply entangled in the battlefield, and his future was uncertain. Even if he miraculously survived, the possibility of forming his core was still nowhere in sight.

Lin Feng's lifespan of two hundred years in the Foundation Establishment stage is at most one hundred and seventy or eighty years left. Based on one bottle every five years, he can only be given a maximum of thirty or so bottles of pills.

More than thirty bottles of pills, delivered only once every five years, to exchange for a way to escape—it's worth it.

"Senior brother, you have great courage." Han Li understood the situation and a smile appeared on his lips. "Junior brother will gamble with senior brother."

"Alright." Lin Feng nodded. "Then let's make a vow to Heaven, and you can bear witness."

Han Li agreed without hesitation.

The two then discussed specific conditions, such as that neither party could be hostile to the other or harm each other before or after using the teleportation array;

For example, pills can be delivered every five years. If the two do not meet by the end of the period, the number of pills can be accumulated until they meet. Then, based on Han Li's cultivation level at the time of their meeting, pills corresponding to the level that will be delivered will be given to improve his cultivation.

After the discussion, the two stood face to face in the wooden house, each raising their right hand.

Lin Feng spoke first, his voice not loud, but every word was spoken clearly:

"By the will of Heaven, I, Lin Feng, hereby swear that I will safely guide Han Li through the ancient teleportation array and allow him to leave freely afterward. Throughout the entire process, I will not harm, pursue, or engage in any hostile actions towards him. If I break this oath, my cultivation will not advance an inch, I will be plagued by inner demons, and I will die without a burial place."

Han Li followed closely: "By the Heavenly Dao above, I, Han Li, hereby swear that for the next thousand years, I will give Lin Feng a bottle of pills every five years that would have helped me improve my cultivation at that time. Furthermore, when passing through the teleportation array, I will not harm him, track him, or engage in any other hostile actions. If I break this oath, my cultivation will not advance an inch, I will be plagued by inner demons, and I will die without a burial place."

With their vows fulfilled, the two exchanged a smile.

Each smile concealed their own hidden agenda, each believing they had profited from the deal.

Lin Feng spoke first, his joking tone fading: "I've already had an array master repair the formation, and it's expected to be operational in about a year. We'll meet at Tianxing Market in Yuanwu Kingdom then."

Han Li nodded in satisfaction, clasped his hands in thanks, and said, "Alright, thank you very much, Senior Brother."

"Alright, now that we've reached an agreement, you'd better get rid of those puppets quickly," Lin Feng instructed. "If someone finds out, all your efforts will be for nothing."

Han Li nodded repeatedly in agreement, exchanged a few more polite words, and then hurriedly took his leave.

The door to the wooden house closed, and the footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

Lin Feng rearranged the Lesser Four Symbols Sealing Array, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"That works," he murmured. "One train ticket for most of the future pills. Not bad."

He took out a high-quality Qi-unifying pill, swallowed it, closed his eyes, and continued cultivating.

The golden true essence in the dantian slowly rotated, its spiritual light flowing, absorbing the medicinal power without missing a single drop.

Outside the cabins, the camp lights came on one by one, flickering a dim yellow light in the hazy night.

From the direction of the distant battlefield, the faint rumble of magic could be heard, deep and distant, like distant thunder.

The war continues.