At dusk, Sixth Senior Sister Shen Yu escorted Han, the injured "patient," back home. She gave him a few words of advice and politely declined his invitation to stay for a while.

Once Han ensured that no one had followed him, he immediately entered the secret realm of the Immortal Tree and began meditating on the Great Thousand Immortal Tree.

By day, he trained in martial arts; by night, he practiced Daoist techniques. Han's life was a well-ordered cycle, and he never allowed himself to slack off.

Despite his extraordinary fortune and resources, Han understood the importance of his own hard work. Having traveled through time to embark on this extraordinary path, he deeply cherished everything he had.

As the image of the Immortal Tree in his mind slowly grew clearer and more complete, time in his meditative state seemed to fly by. His stamina was restored, and without hesitation, Han grabbed his axe and resumed chopping.

This was Han's fifth day of chopping trees. One-sixth of the month had already passed.

Suddenly, a glowing orb fell from the tree.

[Low-Grade Spirit Plant: Vermilion Fruit]

[A standout among low-grade spiritual plants, it contains vast energy that can enhance physical vitality and inner breath.]

Seeing the description of this treasure, Han's mood instantly lifted.

After five days of chopping, he had finally encountered a classic treasure like the Vermilion Fruit, and its effects were even better than those of the previous spirit plants he had obtained.

While the Great Thousand Immortal Tree was said to drop anything and everything, the most common drops were items related to martial arts and spiritual energy.

This was because the tree's drops were influenced by the chopper's strength, cultivation level, and essence of life. Since Han trained in martial arts and cultivated his soul, the tree responded accordingly.

Although items unrelated to martial arts or spiritual cultivation could drop, the probability was much lower.

Buoyed by this auspicious start, Han eagerly anticipated the next drop as his axe swung once more.

[Talisman: Vajra Talisman]

[A Daoist talisman containing the Vajra mantra. When activated, it grants the power of a vajra. Usable three times.]

[Talisman: Aura Observation Talisman]

[A Daoist talisman containing the Aura Observation mantra. When activated, it allows the user to perceive and interpret various auras. Usable three times.]

This time, something completely new fell—talismans!

One was golden, the other white. The Vajra Talisman was clearly a combat talisman that would prove invaluable in the future, while the Aura Observation Talisman served a supportive function.

By injecting spiritual energy into the talismans, they could be activated, but Han held back his excitement. With only three uses each, wasting them now would be imprudent.

After safely storing the talismans, Han felt more at ease. His arsenal of techniques was steadily growing!

Next, he consumed the Vermilion Fruit in one bite. Its sweetness was delightful, and a surge of energy coursed through his body. Han immediately began practicing his martial arts techniques to refine the energy.

Meanwhile, his injuries were rapidly healing under the fruit's medicinal power.

The previous day, he had already consumed a Water Spirit Plant at the martial arts school. As for his internal armor and the broken weapon shaft, his senior sister and brother had no objections to him keeping them.

Stolen novel; please report.

Han also confirmed from Bai Ruoyue that the weapon fragment in his possession was indeed part of a martial artist's weapon. The Taibai Martial School itself owned several intact martial weapons.

MORNING AT THE MARTIAL SCHOOL

When Han arrived at the school the next morning, he showed his senior siblings his remarkably recovered injuries, leaving them astonished.

"Can a single Water Spirit Plant really do all that?" Zhang Yuantao questioned his reality.

Meanwhile, Bai Ruoyue conducted her routine inspection of Han’s progress, only to find her suspicions confirmed.

Her youngest junior brother's cultivation had advanced again—yet again.

She was unfazed. At this point, nothing about this anomaly of a junior brother could surprise her.

"Big Sister, are there any Daoist temples or similar sects in Black Cloud Town?" Han asked.

...

Changing into plain clothes, Han left the town again, but this time, he headed west instead of toward the Cloud River.

His destination was a temple located outside the town.

The temple wasn’t particularly grand or ancient, but it had a steady stream of visitors.

Along the way, Han encountered several travelers heading in the same direction.

Mountain Waters Temple.

Han gazed at the plaque above the entrance. Compared to the martial school’s plaque, this one seemed utterly mundane, lacking any sense of uniqueness.

Upon entering, he noticed something peculiar—most of the worshippers came in pairs, typically a man and a woman, and they all seemed to be couples.

Han reflected on what Bai Ruoyue had told him earlier.

In the region surrounding Black Cloud Town, there were no Daoist temples and only one Buddhist establishment: the Mountain Waters Temple, built just six years ago.

Despite its relatively short history, the temple had garnered a reputation for being remarkably effective—especially when it came to granting children to childless couples.

It was said that many couples who had struggled with infertility for years would come to the temple, offer their prayers, and miraculously conceive soon after.

Of course, not every couple who prayed for a child saw results. Perhaps three out of ten couples might succeed, or even fewer. But in the eyes of the locals, such a success rate was nothing short of divine intervention.

Because of this reputation, Han decided to visit the Mountain Waters Temple.

He wasn’t there to pray for a child, of course. Han sought something else entirely. Without access to advanced Daoist techniques, temples or monasteries were the most likely places to find such knowledge.

If the Mountain Waters Temple was as "effective" as the rumors claimed, there might be more to it than met the eye. Perhaps it concealed some unique secrets.

Following the steady stream of visitors, Han entered the main hall. It wasn’t a grandiose Mahavira Hall but a more modestly named Mountain Waters Hall.

What surprised Han most was that the hall did not house any statues of Buddhas or Bodhisattvas.

Instead, the objects of worship were... a handful of soil and a bowl of water.

After completing the necessary rituals expected at such a place, Han approached a monk standing nearby and asked curiously,

“Master, may I ask what is being worshipped here?”

The monk pressed his palms together and solemnly intoned what could loosely be called a “Buddhist chant,”

“Boundless are the blessings of the mountains and waters.”

He then explained, “The soil comes from Black Mountain, and the water from Cloud River. Our temple venerates the Mountain God of Black Mountain and the Dragon Lord of Cloud River.”

Han was taken aback. A Buddhist temple worshiping a mountain god and a river dragon?

What kind of strange combination was this?

If they were honoring the Mountain God and Dragon Lord, why not simply build separate shrines for them? Why the need for a Buddhist temple?

Moreover, the monk before him was dressed in the standard attire of a Buddhist monk.

The whole setup struck Han as baffling.

Still, he chose to respect what he didn’t fully understand.

As he wandered through the temple grounds, he noted that five senior monks were actively present, alongside several young novice monks.

What stood out to Han was that the senior monks all possessed martial arts skills. However, he couldn’t determine whether they practiced any Daoist techniques.

Compared to martial artists, cultivators were far better at concealing their abilities.

After observing the temple for some time, Han approached one of the senior monks directly and inquired whether he could meet the temple’s abbot.

“If you’re here to pray for a child, there’s no need to meet the abbot,” the monk replied with a serene expression. “Simply stay here overnight with your spouse, and that will suffice.”

Han almost choked at the response but quickly clarified, “I’m here on a personal matter. I need the abbot’s guidance on something important.”

Speaking sincerely and demonstrating his earnestness, Han eventually convinced the monk to take him to see the abbot.

As they walked, Han patted his nearly-empty wallet and sighed.

It turned out that even in this sacred place, money was the unspoken rule of entry.

Truly, money could open any door in this world, while those without it struggled at every turn.

Without money, Han doubted he’d have a chance to meet the abbot today.

Indeed, even the enlightened Buddha wouldn’t save the penniless.