Shu Han, clutching the fragment of the medicinal bottle, returned to the valley like a lost soul. The Second Elder seemed to have been waiting at the entrance of the valley for a long time. He immediately summoned back the Heavenly Quadrant Sword Formation.

"Master..."

The Second Elder's beard seemed to bristle with anger, he rebuked sharply, "You've dared to trespass into the forbidden ground of Mystical Dragon Sect. From now on, without my command, you are not allowed to leave the valley! You are not allowed to contact the disciples of the Mystical Dragon Sect! Stay in the valley honestly. If I find you sneaking out again, I will expel you from the sect!"

"But..."

Shu Han clenched the fragment, feeling discontent. How did the fragment of the medicinal bottle he gave to Erdan end up in the forbidden area of the back mountain? Why were there traces of the Fire God Talisman in the forbidden area of the back mountain? Wasn't the Sect Master supposed to escort the disciples to the Heaven Mystical Sect? Why did he appear on the back mountain?

With doubts in his heart, Shu Han was eager to find out the truth. However, what he faced was a stern reprimand from the Second Elder.

"There is no 'but'!" The Second Elder waved his hand, and a talismanic prohibition was embedded into Shu Han's body. "This prohibition is embedded in your body. Once you leave the valley, you will no longer be my disciple. The Heavenly Quadrant Sword Formation will immediately be deployed and will kill you without mercy!"

Shu Han protested weakly, "Am I to be trapped in this valley for the rest of my life?"

The Second Elder snorted, "If you are capable, break my prohibition!"

With a heavy heart, Shu Han followed the Second Elder in silence, continuing to perform various chores in the valley. The encounter that night constantly lingered in his mind. He felt that the Mystical Dragon Sect was not as simple as it appeared to be. Deep within that black forest, a deep secret was hidden.

However, he had no ability to investigate this secret. Finally, Shu Han forcibly suppressed his restless emotions, bowed in apology to the Second Elder, gave up the idea of leaving the valley, and even refused Goudan's usual visits. He devoted himself to learning the art of talisman making and tool refining from the Second Elder.

Seeing Shu Han's change of attitude, the Second Elder finally put down the worry in his heart and began to impart his most profound skills. Within a year, Shu Han finally learned how to create Fire God Talismans and managed to coax a set of talisman-making materials from the Second Elder. He let go of all thoughts about the forbidden forest and dedicated himself wholeheartedly to the production of Fire God Talismans.

In the beginning, Shu Han had to use dozens of materials and spend more than a month to make one Fire God Talisman. Later, with the improvement of his cultivation level and craftsmanship, he gradually shortened the time to four days.

Stacks of Fire God Talismans began to be stored in the secret chamber of Shu Han's cave dwelling. And Goudan, who had not seen Shu Han for a long time, also gradually stopped visiting the valley and devoted himself to cultivation, hoping to reach the sixth layer of Qi refining as soon as possible and meet Erdan in the Heaven Mystical Sect.

Flowers bloomed and withered, spring went and autumn came, and the spiritual plants in the medicinal field grew wave after wave. Another five years had passed.

Shu Han looked at himself in the mirror in his small wooden hut, touching the stubble on his chin, and sighed at his grown-up reflection. He had been in the Mystical Dragon Sect for almost ten years and he was now nineteen years old. When he first arrived, Senior Brother Liheng said that disciples of the Mystical Dragon Sect could go home after ten years.

Shu Han thought that it was time for him to go home and see if his parents were healthy and what his younger sister looked like now. It would be nice if he could go home smoothly.

Five years had passed, but he had never thrown away the fragment of the medicinal bottle he picked up that night. Deep down, he thought Erdan must be lonely in the Heaven Mystical Sect. He was ready to go see him. But before that, he needed to pass the final assessment given by the Second Elder. The so-called final assessment was to refine two magic tools.

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The Second Elder once said Qi Refining stage cultivators could only condense magic tools. These were treasures that could be driven by pouring in magic power. The rune patterns engraved in the magic tool determined its effects and uses.

When cultivators advanced to the Foundation Establishment stage, they could refine magic treasures. Magic treasures, unlike magic tools, required the cultivator's blood to acknowledge ownership. They were far more spiritual and powerful than magic tools. If a cultivator refines a magic treasure with his life essence technique, it is called a life essence magic treasure. This kind of magic treasure is perfectly in harmony with oneself, sharing the same glory and loss. Its power is far beyond ordinary magic treasures.

Shu Han's final assessment was to refine two high-quality magic tools. Magic tools were divided into four grades: low, medium, high, and top. Low-grade ones could be refined by Qi Refiningn stage cultivators at the third level. Medium-grade ones could be refined by those at the sixth level. High-grade ones could be refined by those at the ninth level. Top-grade ones not only required a twelfth-level cultivation base but also extremely exquisite skills to successfully refine. Even many early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators with poor skills found it difficult to refine.

In these ten years of teaching, the Second Elder had imparted all he could to Shu Han. But he still didn't want Shu Han to leave the valley. In his eyes, although Shu Han's character seemed steady, he was candid in nature and had a low cultivation level of only the fourth level. If he was allowed to leave the valley at will, he might not be able to handle the ways of the world and could encounter life-threatening dangers, as the incident five years ago when he rashly ventured into the forbidden area illustrated.

Therefore, the elder presented Shu Han with a test he knew would be challenging, deliberately confining him to the valley. He thought that once Shu Han's character was refined by the hardship, he would pass on to him the Heavenly Quadrant Sword Formation, and allow him to leave the valley to gain worldly experience.

Shu Han was privy to his master's intentions. Initially, he was determined to take his time, so as not to let down his master's good intentions. The elder had become significantly older over the years. The lifespan of a cultivator at the twelfth level of Qi Refining was at most triple that of an ordinary person, and Shu Han intended to serve his master until his last breath.

However, while he was practicing his swordplay in the valley the previous night, he heard Goudan's familiar cry. "Brother Big Head, I have broken through the sixth level today, and will be taking the test to join the Mystical Sky Sect tomorrow! Take care of yourself!"

Left with no choice, Shu Han had to put aside his intention of serving his master to the end.

....

Shu Han, having tidied his clothes, arrived at the Pill Refining Pavilion. The aging Second Elder was there, overseeing the large copper furnace. The base of the furnace was no longer filled with random charcoal fire, but pure pill fire. The elder, a cultivator at the twelfth level of Qi Refining, was consistently outputting his magic power, nourishing the materials in the furnace with the vigorous pill fire.

Shu Han bowed respectfully to his master before approaching the copper furnace and taking over from his master in maintaining the pill fire. With a single thought, the various rare metals being refined in the furnace began to fuse together. These materials had been tempered in the furnace for forty-nine days, all impurities had been purged, and now was the most crucial stage of forming and inscribing the runes.

A slight error at this stage would lead to all the materials being wasted. Shu Han was proficient in his actions, and the pill fire was stably outputted, its intensity increasing as he worked, earning him approving nods from the Second Elder.

"This child has deeply grasped the art of refining from me. However, his pill fire is just a little too vigorous. Can his cultivation at the fourth level maintain this level of pill fire?

It's probably due to the wonders of the Mystical Dragon Triple Rotation Divine Art. Though his cultivation level appears to be the fourth level, every layer of his spiritual power undergoes three rotations, making him several times stronger than the average cultivator at the fourth level.

If he forges with this pill fire, the finished product could possibly be a medium-grade magical tool! It all depends on whether little Shu Han can keep it steady. To have found such a disciple, I have indeed lived up to the name of the Bai family!"

Shu Han, of course, was able to keep it steady. Over the years, he had secretly practiced and ruined countless magical tools. He was already well-versed in the refining of magical tools. However, at this moment, he dared not let his guard down, and concentrated fully, because the grade of the magical tool in the furnace was top.

Shu Han sat for twelve hours. The Second Elder felt it was odd, during this long time, Shu Han was able to maintain an excellent output of pill fire as if his spiritual power was never exhausted.

Could a fourth-level cultivator achieve this?

In the end, Shu Han completed the inscription of the final rune, and the copper furnace emitted a radiant glow. A serpentine longsword and a crystal-clear heart-protection mirror flew out of the furnace.

Spirit Snake Sword! Mysterious Iron Heart-Protection Mirror!

The Second Elder's eyes almost bulged out of their sockets.

"Five-colored brilliance! Top-grade magical tools! How can this be possible!"

Shu Han, holding the long sword and wearing the heart-protection mirror, asked with a smile, "Master, have I passed my final test?"