Chapter 232: Great Expansion Sword Art

After hearing the other party's words, Han Li didn't say anything. He just kept his hand, which was glowing with white light, firmly gripping the other party's primordial spirit, and lowered his head to ponder!

After a long while, Han Li raised his head and said coldly:

"If I had been caught off guard just now and invaded by your primordial spirit, I wonder if you would have let me go? Your magic power is far stronger than mine, a junior brother who has only just established his foundation. Ten to one, I would have ended up being devoured by you."

The malice in Han Li's words was unmistakable!

"I can tell you a secret and give you a peerless cultivation technique!" Senior Brother Lin was terrified and hurriedly transmitted his voice via his primordial spirit.

"A secret, a cultivation technique? Could it be the Great Expansion Sword Art of your Thousand Bamboo Sect?"

Han Li's calm sentence immediately made the green light on the primordial spirit flicker, and a stuttering, astonished voice came through:

"How do you know about this? You... you are the one who was eavesdropping yesterday!"

Only then did Senior Brother Lin suddenly realize.

"Alright, since you know that I am not completely ignorant of your affairs, you'd better honestly tell me everything! You wouldn't want me to destroy your primordial spirit immediately, would you?" Although Han Li spoke lightly, it made Senior Brother Lin's primordial spirit tremble in his hand for a good while.

"What is there to say? Didn't you hear seven or eight tenths of it yesterday, Junior Brother?" Senior Brother Lin sighed and said gloomily.

At this moment, those people from the Thousand Bamboo Sect outside the formation, seeing that there was still no reaction from within the Upside-Down Five Elements Formation after their message, couldn't help but be shamed into anger and commanded the numerous puppets to launch a new round of attacks. The outside of the formation became lively again, but inside, it remained calm and peaceful, except for the sounds and vibrations.

"Junior Brother, what kind of strange formation is this? It can actually withstand such a violent attack. It's truly incredible!" Seeing this scene, Senior Brother Lin changed the subject and said with feigned surprise.

"Hmph, don't worry about what kind of formation this is, and don't try to distract me. Besides, I have no interest in the dog-eat-dog affairs of your Thousand Bamboo Sect. What I want to know is, do you know some of the techniques of the Great Expansion Sword Art, and what kind of supernatural powers one has after practicing it? If you want to deliberately delay time, I will destroy you immediately." Han Li frowned, his voice suddenly turning cold.

Then, the white light on his hand flared up, and his fingers applied a slight pressure, instantly causing Senior Brother Lin's primordial spirit to scream and beg for mercy!

"The Great Expansion Sword Art is a secret technique created by the founder of our sect. It is a secret method specifically for strengthening spiritual sense and practicing the art of splitting the spirit. It is also a required cultivation technique for our Thousand Bamboo Sect to use puppets. Only by practicing this technique can one attach their spiritual sense to numerous puppets and control them freely! Otherwise, even if we refine more puppets, if we cannot control them simultaneously, what use would they be?" Having tasted Han Li's methods, Senior Brother Lin didn't dare to drag it out anymore and hurriedly explained it all in one breath.

"Since it is the basic cultivation technique of the Thousand Bamboo Sect, why do you need to plot for it, and what is this talk about a 'half'?" Han Li continued to ask, his expression unchanged.

"There is nothing to hide about this. Although the Great Expansion Sword Art is the basic cultivation technique of our Thousand Bamboo Sect, it is also the foundation of our sect and cannot be easily passed on to all disciples. So, the Great Expansion Sword Art practiced by the disciples of the Thousand Bamboo Sect now is only a simplified version of the first layer of the original. Although it is easy to practice, its power after full cultivation is far inferior to the first layer of the original Great Expansion Sword Art. And the original Great Expansion Sword Art can only be practiced by the high-level members of the sect."

"People like those outside have all practiced the first two layers of the original Great Expansion Sword Art, which is why they can control nearly a hundred mechanical puppets at once! And I have practiced the third layer of the technique, so I can control over three hundred, which is a step above them. But the Great Expansion Sword Art beyond the third layer has always been reserved for the Sect Master and those who inherit the position of Sect Master!"

"Back then, a rebellion occurred in the Thousand Bamboo Sect. My father was ambushed by the current Sect Master, Jin Nantian, and even the complete Great Expansion Sword Art was snatched away by him. At that time, as the Young Sect Master, I was handling sect affairs outside. After learning of this news, because I couldn't confront him, I had to find a body double to fake my death and fled ten thousand miles away to the Yue Kingdom. At that time, although I didn't have the complete Great Expansion Sword Art, because I was the only son of the Sect Master, I had already learned the first four layers of the technique, so I compiled them into the first volume of the Great Expansion Sword Art."

"Originally, I wanted to spend the rest of my life here. But who knew that the Great Expansion Sword Art would suddenly show signs of breaking through the third layer recently, which ignited my desire for revenge. I was confused for a moment and contacted some of my loyal subordinates from back then, wanting them to steal the mouth-incantations for the last three layers. But I never expected it would end up like this! I don't know if they failed the theft and were caught, or if they simply betrayed me!"

Senior Brother Lin spoke slowly and in great detail this time. But by the end, his voice was filled with anger and unwillingness!

Han Li watched the other party's primordial spirit vent its dissatisfaction coldly, without making any moves. Only after the other party calmed down a bit did he continue to ask unceremoniously:

"What is the secret you mentioned?"

"This...? I hope to first..."

"Aiya! Stop, I'll say it, I'll say it right now!"

Senior Brother Lin's primordial spirit hesitated for a moment, seemingly wanting to propose some conditions. But Han Li didn't give him a chance to speak at all, directly giving the other party another great hardship, nearly crushing Senior Brother Lin's primordial spirit. This made the other party terrified and he immediately changed his tune!

"Don't refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit! It's best not to propose any conditions to me before I've finished hearing everything I want to know." Han Li's voice was icy and bone-chilling.

Senior Brother Lin was completely shocked by Han Li's ruthless methods and hurriedly said in fear:

"Actually, this secret is still related to the Great Expansion Sword Art, and it has long been circulating among the high-level members of the Thousand Bamboo Sect. It's just that no one knows whether it's true or false! However, when my father was still alive, he once secretly told me that there is a five or six-tenths chance that this secret is true!"

"I don't know when it started, but among the successive high-level members of our Thousand Bamboo Sect, a rumor has been secretly circulating: anyone who practices the Great Expansion Sword Art to a high level will find Core Formation much easier than ordinary cultivators, and it will be easier to break through the bottlenecks during cultivation. Because the success rate of Core Formation for successive Sect Masters and Sect Master successors has been shockingly high." He paused for a moment before revealing this secret.

"Can it increase the chance of entering the Core Formation stage?" Han Li, who had been indifferent, was finally moved!

"Yes, as long as Junior Brother is willing to help me find a body for me to possess and restart my cultivation, I am willing to share the mouth-incantations for the first four layers with you first. Then, the two of us can join forces and find a way to snatch the remaining techniques from that Jin-surnamed thief. Then we can form a Golden Core together—wouldn't that be wonderful!" He began to use his tongue to persuade and tempt Han Li again.

Han Li snorted and didn't speak, but instead lowered his head and thought hard, making Senior Brother Lin's heart feel uneasy!

"Only a five or six-tenths chance of increasing the probability of Core Formation?" Han Li suddenly raised his head, murmuring with tightly locked brows.

"Junior Brother, a five or six-tenths chance is not small. This is, after all, forming a Golden Core; you should try it!" Seeing this, Senior Brother Lin hurriedly persuaded him again. In fact, what his father had told him back then was not a five or six-tenths chance, but only a three-tenths possibility! But now, in his mouth, the probability had immediately doubled.

"Is the Great Expansion Sword Art easy to practice? Besides strengthening spiritual sense, can it also increase magic power? Also, I wonder when Senior Brother Lin successfully established your foundation, and how long have you been practicing this Great Expansion Sword Art?" Han Li suddenly raised his eyebrows and asked coldly.

"The cultivation speed is alright, and it seems it can increase magic power a little... As for Foundation Establishment, that was over a hundred years ago. I was only twenty-something at the time! I started practicing the Great Expansion Sword Art after Foundation Establishment. Eh, why is Junior Brother asking about these things?"

Senior Brother Lin hadn't expected the other party to suddenly ask such a series of questions. Stunned, and caught off guard, he had to mumble his answers to the first two questions, but answered the last two very clearly.

Han Li's expression softened, seemingly very satisfied with the other party's answer. But the right hand that was gripping Senior Brother Lin's primordial spirit suddenly flared with white light, and his five fingers closed forcefully! Instantly, the primordial spirit in his hand only had time to let out a scream before it turned into specks of starlight and completely vanished from this world.

"Very unfortunate! In my life, I hate nothing more than others trying to possess me. It reminds me of some unpleasant things. And although I am indeed interested in the Great Expansion Sword Art, this technique is not easy to practice and cannot increase magic power. How could I possibly take it as my main cultivation technique?"

"You must know, if my magic power hasn't reached the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage, then no matter how miraculous my Great Expansion Sword Art is, what use would it be? Your aptitude is quite good, yet after practicing this Great Expansion Sword Art for nearly a hundred years, you've only reached the peak of the third layer, and your magic power has only hovered at the Foundation Establishment mid-stage due to distraction. How can one have both fish and bear's paw? And those successive Sect Masters of the Thousand Bamboo Sect who could balance both and form a Golden Core—that's nothing strange. Since they could become a Sect Master, they must have been cultivation geniuses with peerless aptitude. In this way, the credibility of the Great Expansion Sword Art increasing the chance of Core Formation is even lower! And I, myself, definitely do not believe I am this peerless genius. I have absolutely no confidence in practicing both the Great Expansion Sword Art and magic power to a high level!"

"The worst part is, you don't even have the complete Great Expansion Sword Art technique in your hands, yet you want to drag me into a conflict with the people of an entire sect. Isn't this seeking your own death? And even if I let you go, who can guarantee that you won't hold a grudge for today's events and stab me in the back?"

"Tell me, with so many reasons, how could I possibly let you go?" Han Li looked at his right hand, which had just ended the life of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and muttered to himself.

【End of Chapter】 ***