Mortal: Starting with the Falling Cloud Sect, I proved my Dao through gacha pulls.

Book lovers are all in the discussion area, chatting about the charm of Xianxia novels.

"What do you mean by that, Brother Xiao?"

Han Li remained silent for a few moments, his tone filled with bitterness.

Su Mu remained calm, a faint smile playing on his lips, and slowly said, "Fellow Daoist Han, have you perhaps forgotten that it was I who initially revealed the news of the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo to you? Your natal flying sword magic weapon is made of Golden Thunder Bamboo, isn't it? Where in this Chaotic Star Sea could you find so many ten-thousand-year-old Heavenly Thunder Bamboo?"

Upon hearing this, Han Li couldn't help but give a wry smile.

The secret of the little green bottle has finally been exposed.

But now he was completely controlled and had no power to resist, so a sense of despair arose in his heart.

Su Mu seemed to see through his concerns at a glance, and spoke in a calm tone to comfort him:

"Fellow Daoist Han, there is no need to worry so much. I have no ill intentions. I sincerely want to make a deal with you and have no intention of forcibly taking the treasures from you."

"If I truly intended to seize it, let alone your secret treasure that can accelerate the ripening of spiritual herbs, even the Void Heaven Cauldron on your person would be easily obtained with the difference in our current strength."

Han Li's heart stirred slightly, and his dormant emotions began to stir again.

"This person knows perfectly well that I possess the Void Heaven Cauldron, yet he has yet to make a move. Could it be as he says? Or does he have other plans, some concerns that I am unaware of?"

He secretly pondered that if he were in the other's shoes and encountered someone who possessed such a heaven-defying treasure and was powerless to resist, he would find it extremely difficult to suppress such greed.

Seeing his expression relax, Su Mu's smile deepened, and he said meaningfully:

"In the cultivation world, who doesn't have some secrets? Fellow Daoist Han's treasures are indeed extraordinary, but my own secrets and opportunities are no less than yours. This item doesn't hold as much appeal for me as you think."

Han Li pondered for a long time, his brows furrowed, weighing the options repeatedly in his mind.

He was well aware of the current situation; he was at the mercy of his own people and had no room to refuse. Even though he was extremely unwilling, he could only agree for the time being and take it one step at a time.

Having come to this conclusion, he finally resigned himself to his fate and slowly nodded.

The feeling of powerlessness, of having his life and death entirely in the hands of others, made his desire for power burn brighter than ever before.

Having accepted the unavoidable reality, he regained his composure and asked calmly, "Brother Xiao, to what extent do you wish me to accelerate the ripening of these spiritual herbs? My methods are not omnipotent and are subject to limitations."

Upon hearing this, Su Mu slowly walked to a Dragon Tooth Rice tree, gently picked up a grain of Dragon Tooth Rice, and examined it carefully.

Dragon Tooth Rice is a rare spiritual grain. It is only considered fully mature when it grows to three feet, three inches, and three fen. However, the Dragon Tooth Rice in front of us grows to three feet and then its growth rate becomes extremely slow.

If left to mature naturally, it would take who knows how long, which is why he decided to use Han Li's little green bottle.

"Fellow Daoist Han only needs to ripen these Dragon Tooth Rice grains to full maturity; it won't take you much time. Once this matter is settled, I will personally escort you to the outer sea, and I will never go back on my word," Su Mu said in a deep voice, putting down the Dragon Tooth Rice in his hand.

Han Li nodded slightly. If all that was needed was to accelerate the ripening of these Dragon Tooth Rice Trees, it wouldn't take too long, and he breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Seeing this, Su Mu waved his hand and tossed out many treasures, saying with a smile, "Fellow Daoist Han, rest assured, since this is a transaction, I will naturally not treat you unfairly. You may choose any one of these treasures as your reward for this transaction."

Han Li focused his gaze, sweeping over the numerous pills, cultivation techniques, and ancient treasures... His eyes immediately landed on the sleeping Soul-Crying Beast.

He was slightly taken aback at first, somewhat surprised that the beast had appeared here. But then he remembered that Yuan Yao had acted with Su Mu when they were breaking through the Void Heaven Palace, and he immediately understood. However, he could no longer take his eyes off the Crying Soul Beast.

Su Mu saw his actions and couldn't help but feel a little strange. He sighed to himself.

Sure enough, this monkey was Han Li's favorite.

Su Mu had little interest in the Crying Soul Beast. When he exchanged it for Yuan Yao's possessions, it was only because he didn't care about anything else and treated it as an extra.

He pondered for a moment, then took out the Soul-Sounding Pearl as well, glancing indifferently at Han Li.

"Fellow Daoist Han, are you perhaps interested in trading this Soul-Crying Beast? If you are interested, I am not unwilling to part with it."

Upon hearing this, Han Li looked somewhat embarrassed and immediately nodded in acknowledgment.

During his trip to the Void Heaven Palace, he had been captivated by this strange beast that devours souls, and now that he had the opportunity to acquire it, he was naturally unwilling to let it slip away.

Seeing that Han Li agreed, Su Mu casually gathered up all the other items beside him and handed the Soul-Sounding Pearl directly to Han Li without any hesitation.

"Then I'll leave this monkey to Fellow Daoist Han. I've only done a superficial refinement of this Soul-Sounding Pearl; you just need to refine it again."

"I will trouble Fellow Daoist Han to stay here for the time being. Once the Dragon Tooth Rice is ripe, I will fulfill my promise."

As soon as he finished speaking, his figure vanished into thin air within the ring's world.

Han Li first recognized the Crying Soul Beast as his master and put it into his spirit beast pouch. Then, he stared blankly at the direction where Su Mu had disappeared for a long time before slowly turning his head to look at the hundred Dragon Tooth Rice Trees in front of him, and couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

"I never expected that despite my utmost caution and attempts to conceal it, this person still managed to uncover the secret of the little green bottle. It seems I will have to be even more careful in my actions in the cultivation world from now on."

Although he didn't want to completely rely on Su Mu to keep his promise and let him leave, he was now trapped in this place and his strength was far inferior to that of the other party.

No matter how hard he racked his brains, he couldn't find a way to escape. In desperation, he could only take it one step at a time and wait and see.

Thinking of this, he took out the small green bottle from his pocket, his gaze complex and indescribable.

"I wonder if this person truly knows the details of this little green bottle..."

On the other side, after leaving the World Ring, Su Mu returned directly to his cave dwelling. He sent a communication talisman to the Star Medicine Pavilion to signal his seclusion, and then closed the cave dwelling door tightly.

"Given Han Li's personality, he must be quite frightened that I've uncovered his secrets. Even if we meet again in the future, he'll probably avoid me at all costs."

He chuckled softly, then shook his head, no longer thinking about Han Li in the world within the ring. He turned and entered the alchemy room, concentrated and regulated his breathing for a moment, and then began to refine the complete Jade Soul Pill.

......

Time flies, and half a year has passed in the blink of an eye.

"Hahaha, Fellow Daoist Han has indeed not disappointed me!" Su Mu looked at the Dragon Tooth Rice hanging heavily on the ears of rice in front of him and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

At this time, all the Longya rice grains were fully ripe, each one glistening with moisture. Extremely rich and pure essence soared into the sky, condensing and not dissipating, transforming into layers of golden clouds that slowly steamed and surged above the herb garden.

Han Li nodded expressionlessly, his outward appearance calm, but his muscles involuntarily tensed, and his inner energy was secretly circulating within his dantian, keeping him on high alert at all times.

In the past six months, in addition to accelerating the ripening of the Dragon Tooth Rice, he has never relaxed his preparations. He has continuously drawn evil-repelling divine thunder from his own flying sword, condensed and compressed it, and now a highly condensed thunder pearl is hidden in his dantian.

If Su Mu really goes back on his word, he will spare no effort to detonate the Thunder Pearl; this is his last desperate measure.

Just then, Su Mu suddenly turned around, smiled gently at him, and patted Han Li's shoulder without warning.

Han Li's heart tightened suddenly, and he almost detonated the Thunder Pearl directly.

But the next moment, Su Mu made no other move. A flash of light appeared in his palm, and a jade plate shimmering with black and white spiritual light materialized. He looked at Han Li and said with a calm smile:

"Fellow Daoist Han, you've worked hard. Let's go. I will fulfill my promise and escort you to the outer sea."