Mortal: I, Zhang Tie, started by joining forces with Han Li to kill a strategist.

"What should we do with these books?" Han Li asked, frowning.

"Burn everything except these two spells!"

Han Li nodded and threw the few books of unorthodox secret techniques into a cloth bag. Zhang Tie looked at the last item, the Soul-Guiding Bell!

This item is used to control the puppet. It should be a low-level magic artifact, probably left behind by Yu Zitong. Let's use it for self-defense for now.

After leaving Mo Juren's secret chamber, Zhang Tie and Han Li sealed it off completely.

"Mo Juren is dead. How will we explain this to the Seven Mysteries Sect?" Han Li asked first from inside the room.

After pondering for a moment, Zhang Tie spoke up: "This Divine Hand Valley is a decent place to stay temporarily. Not only is it secluded, but it's also less likely to be disturbed. We've both gotten used to living here, so why don't we focus on improving our cultivation and spells here first? The cultivation world is far more dangerous than the mortal realm..."

"Just tell everyone that Mo Juren has passed away from illness. That old devil always looks frail, and besides, he's kept a low profile these past few years. Few people outside of us have seen him. If we say he's died of illness, not many people in the Seven Mysteries Sect will investigate or suspect anything!"

Han Li thought about it and agreed with Zhang Tie, so he nodded.

The two discussed some more details, and finally Zhang Tie patted Han Li on the shoulder.

"From this day forward, you are the successor of Doctor Mo. Remember, Mo Juren passed away due to illness. We are all his good disciples, and we know nothing else."

Han Li nodded, and the two exchanged a glance, both seeing a tacit understanding in each other's eyes.

...

As Zhang Tie had predicted, when news of Mo Juren's death spread, no one from the Seven Mysteries Sect came to investigate.

Furthermore, the two of them worked through the night to build a mound of earth and thoughtfully placed a tombstone on it, so the Seven Mysteries Sect members who came to pay their respects could not suspect anything.

A few days later, everything returned to normal.

Zhang Tie demolished the wooden house that had been destroyed and rebuilt it next to Han Li's wooden house.

In front of the wooden house, Zhang Tie looked at the fruits of his labor with satisfaction.

...

Three years later.

Inside the secret wooden cabin of Shenshou Valley, Zhang Tie sat cross-legged, his body shimmering with pale yellow spiritual light, his aura exceptionally refined.

After an unknown amount of time, Zhang Tie suddenly shuddered, and a powerful aura emanated from him.

"Ninth level of Qi Refining! Success!"

At this moment, Zhang Tie was shirtless, and his originally stocky figure had become solid and well-proportioned, with smooth and unexaggerated muscle lines and a faint yellow glow under his skin, which was a characteristic of the Great Spirit Technique after body tempering was completed!

"call--"

Slowly exhaling a breath of stale air, Zhang Tie stood up and threw a punch.

"Boom!" The wind from the fist howled and echoed in the secret chamber. The energy shot out like an arrow, directly hitting the stone wall of the secret chamber before slowly dissipating.

"After achieving mastery, his physical body is indeed extraordinary!"

Zhang Tie muttered to himself, feeling the surging spiritual energy within his body.

Three years ago, he had just entered the first level of Qi Refining. Three years later, he had already reached the ninth level of Qi Refining and was not far from the perfect twelfth level of Qi Refining!

The book of cause and effect unfolds, revealing his condition.

[Host: Zhang Tie]

[Qualifications: Metal, Fire, Earth]

[Realm Level: Qi Refining Level 9]

[Technique: The Eighth Level of the Giant Spirit Technique]

[Spells: Earth Spike (Mastery), Stone Skin (Mastery), Earth Shattering (Mastery), Fireball (Mastery), Wind Control (Mastery)]

Causality value: 450

Zhang Tie nodded in satisfaction. In the past three years, he had not only made rapid progress in his cultivation, but had also mastered all five techniques.

As long as he has enough spiritual power, Zhang Tie can even cast spells instantly.

Noticing someone entering the secret room, Zhang Tie put on his clothes and went out.

"Zhang Tie, you've broken through too!!!"

Upon seeing Zhang Tie appear, Han Li breathed a sigh of relief, but upon sensing Zhang Tie's aura, he was immediately overjoyed.

In three years, Han Li has changed a lot. He has become much stronger and taller, and his eyes have become calm and confident.

Most importantly, Han Li's cultivation level is also at the ninth level of Qi Refining, on par with Zhang Tie.

The rapid advancement of their cultivation was undoubtedly due in no small part to the small green bottle in Han Li's possession, coupled with Han Li's talent in alchemy. The two took turns consuming the pills, and their cultivation levels soared like a rocket.

"By the way, these were just made a couple of days ago! Six are top-grade, and four are mid-grade!" Han Li took out a small porcelain bottle from his pocket and handed it to Zhang Tie.

Zhang Tie didn't stand on ceremony. He took the porcelain bottle, poured out a Yellow Dragon Pill, which was golden in color and emitted a rich medicinal fragrance.

"The number of high-grade pills is increasing; it seems your alchemy skills have improved again!"

Han Li smiled slightly, gladly accepting Zhang Tie's praise.

...

Another half month has passed.

While Han Li was inside Zhang Tie's house seeking his guidance on cultivation techniques, he faintly heard sounds of fighting and deafening clamor coming from the direction of the Seven Mysteries Sect.

Zhang Tie's eyes lit up immediately. Here they come!

While he spent three years in Divine Hand Valley partly to freeload off Han Li's little green bottle, another reason was that he was waiting for this day.

"The commotion is coming from the Seven Mysteries Sect's mountain gate. Has the Wild Wolf Gang attacked the Seven Mysteries Sect?" Han Li frowned slightly after hearing the noise.

If the Seven Mysteries Sect is gone, then the Divine Hand Valley will probably not be at peace.

"Let's go check out the situation!"

After Zhang Tie finished speaking, he got up and walked out of the wooden house. Although Han Li was surprised, he didn't ask any questions and silently followed.

The trust and understanding they've built up over the years is truly remarkable!

The two used their wind-riding technique to quickly fly towards the Seven Mysteries Sect's mountain gate.

At this moment, at the Seven Mysteries Sect's mountain gate, the two groups had already engaged in a chaotic battle.

The disciples of the Seven Mysteries Sect are easy to recognize; they all wear long blue robes and wield swords to defend against enemies.

The other group, dressed in disheveled robes, appeared to be much larger than the Seven Mysteries Sect members; they were the Wild Wolf Gang.

In the center of the square, both sides were at the last moment. The leader of the Seven Mysteries Sect held a long sword and was facing off against a burly man. The remaining disciples of the Seven Mysteries Sect retreated behind him. Their numbers had dwindled to less than a hundred, and they had suffered heavy casualties.

But the opposing Wild Wolf Gang also suffered heavy losses.

At the mountaintop, Zhang Tie and Han Li looked down at the square.

Zhang Tie scanned the battlefield, seemingly searching for someone, and his gaze quickly locked onto one of the Wild Wolf Gang members.

This man was less than four feet tall, a natural dwarf, yet he wore a gold-embroidered crimson robe, looking every bit the nouveau riche. Zhang Tie couldn't help but notice him.

Following Zhang Tie's gaze, Han Li quickly spotted the guy as well.

"This person is also a cultivator! However, his aura isn't as strong as ours!"

This discovery startled Han Li; this was the third cultivator he had encountered besides himself and Zhang Tie!

Zhang Tie made no attempt to hide anything from Han Li: "This guy is only at the third level of Qi Refining. Later, you and I..."

...

The battle in the square grew increasingly fierce, but the remaining members of the Seven Mysteries Sect were all highly skilled in martial arts. Although the Wild Wolf Gang had more people, they were still unable to defeat their opponents, and the situation reached a stalemate for a time.

The situation instantly reversed when Jia Tianlong, the leader of the Wild Wolf Gang, respectfully invited Master Jin Guang forward.

With his flying sword and talisman, the Golden Light Master could easily defeat the so-called martial arts masters of the Seven Mysteries Sect.

But Zhang Tie, who was hiding in the shadows, had a bright look in his eyes when he saw Jin Guang Shangren take out the talisman.