"Serpent-Scale Body Refinement Art…"
Han Xuan's eyes narrowed slightly.
It was a crude body-refining technique that required the cultivator to refine snake blood. With each successful refinement, the user would gradually inherit the defensive properties of serpents—toughened skin, hardened muscles, and faint scale-like protection.
No wonder the Blackscale Brothers' bodies had been so resilient.
However, the technique came with severe drawbacks. Continuous blood refinement would slowly erode the cultivator's sanity, and once the process began, it was difficult to stop without backlash.
Han Xuan shook his head, "Another dangerous method… not something worth practicing."
He placed the jade slip aside and would add it to his collection later.
Along with the jade slip of the Serpent-Scale Body Refinement Art, Han Xuan discovered several small bottles neatly arranged inside the storage bag.
Each bottle was filled with thick, dark liquid.
"…Blood?" Han Xuan muttered.
He lifted one closer to the light. As expected, a small label was carefully pasted onto the bottle.
Blackscale Serpent
Ashfang Ember Wolf
Ironback Mire Tortoise
Han Xuan's eyes narrowed slightly, "Demon beast blood…"
Judging from the contents of the first and second storage bags, the Blackscale Brothers clearly had an unusual demand for demon beast blood—either to cultivate strange insects or to refine their bodies.
"Did they hunt demon beasts as well?" Han Xuan wondered.
He continued searching, and soon his suspicion was confirmed.
A bundled set of dark-red ropes lay at the bottom of the storage bag. Runes were faintly engraved along their surface, and a subtle restraining aura lingered around them.
"Beast Entrapment Ropes…"
This was a Rank 1 spiritual weapon, specifically designed to restrain and capture demon beasts. Once activated, it could suppress a beast's struggle and bind its limbs tightly.
Han Xuan exhaled slowly, "So besides being bandits… they were hunters too."
He set the ropes aside, his expression calm yet contemplative. He murmured, "With skills like these, they could have lived well enough. Yet they chose the path of banditry. Killing too many, until they were killed themselves."
He shook his head lightly.
"Karma, indeed."
And now, their ill-gotten gains had all fallen into his hands.
Han Xuan continued rummaging through the second storage bag and soon found another Blood Mist Talisman, along with various miscellaneous items of little value.
After sorting everything aside, he reached for the last storage bag.
The imprint on this one was noticeably sturdier. He broke it open with a stronger pulse of spiritual energy—and the contents spilled out.
The first thing he saw made his eyes narrow slightly, "…One thousand five hundred and fifty spirit coins?"
Even Han Xuan was a little surprised. He muttered, "This must belong to the thin brother. Otherwise, he wouldn't be carrying more spirit coins than the other two combined."
He recalled how the burly brother and the short brother had addressed him as 'First Brother' during the fight.
This storage bag undoubtedly belonged to that man.
"Let's see what other valuable things you hid," Han Xuan said quietly.
His fingers brushed against something cold and solid.
A piece of dark-gray metal armor emerged from the bag, shaped to fit over the forearm. Fine runes were etched along its surface, emitting a steady, protective aura.
"A high-grade Rank 1 defensive artifact… Ironcrest Armguard."
Han Xuan's eyes finally lit up.
"Now this is a good thing."
Compared to offensive spiritual weapons, he valued defensive artifacts far more. After all, he already possessed lethal tools like the Ice Soul Needles.
Defensive spiritual weapons were notoriously scarce in Blueleaf Market. Even the Hundred Treasures Pavilion rarely sold them openly—most were reserved for auctions.
Han Xuan carefully set the armguard aside, clearly satisfied.
As he continued searching the storage bag, Han Xuan's hand brushed against a thick bundle of yellowed paper.
He pulled it out and paused, "Blank talisman paper? And so many..."
He sorted through the stack carefully.
Most of them were unused talisman papers, their surfaces faintly absorbing spiritual energy. Mixed among them were several scrap talismans—failed attempts with broken lines, unstable formations, or incomplete activation patterns.
Han Xuan's gaze sharpened, "These aren't finished talismans."
He continued rummaging and soon found more items tucked neatly inside the bag: a talisman pen with a worn but well-maintained tip, a small vial of talisman ink, faintly cold to the touch, and a spirit grinder, used to grind materials into talisman ink.
They are a complete beginner's talisman kit.
"Was that thin fellow a talisman master?" Han Xuan fell silent for a moment before shaking his head slightly, "If he truly possessed such a skill, there would be no reason for him to risk his life as a bandit."
Cultivators who mastered auxiliary arts might not become wealthy overnight, but they would never lack food or resources. At the very least, they wouldn't need to risk their lives robbing others.
Han Xuan snorted lightly, "He must have robbed a talisman master and taken their belongings."
His suspicion was quickly confirmed.
At the very bottom of the storage bag lay a thin jade slip, engraved with talismanic runes.
Han Xuan skimmed through it briefly.
It contained an introduction to talisman crafting—how to begin drawing spiritual lines, required tools, and basic principles. More importantly, it recorded methods for crafting three Rank 1 talismans: Frost Edge Talisman, Ice Shield Talisman, and Ice Sealing Talisman.
Han Xuan's eyes flickered, "Ice-attributed talisman inheritance?"
If it had been a talisman inheritance of another attribute, he would not have given it a second glance. But an ice-attributed one was different. It aligned with his own affinity, and that alone made it worth studying. Perhaps learning it would be smoother, even faster.
"Alright… I'll look into it later," Han Xuan murmured, setting the jade slip aside.
For now, his wine business had slowed, which meant he did not need to spend every day brewing in bulk. The rare stretch of free time could be put to better use—like learning talisman making.
Of course, he had no intention of switching trades. Wine was still his livelihood. Talismans would merely serve as an extra layer of protection, whether for himself or for his family.
Learning talismans demanded patience and time, but that was something Han Xuan did not lack, especially when it came to cultivation.
For him, cultivating through ordinary means was nothing short of a waste of effort. With only a Rank 2 spiritual root, progress would be painfully slow. Fortunately, he had the system. As long as his son broke through a realm, he would receive a Minor Realm Advancement Chance. Compared to grinding cultivation day after day, that path was far more efficient.
Time, in the end, was on his side.
Han Xuan continued rummaging through the storage bag and soon found another jade slip. A glance with his divine sense revealed its contents, causing his brows to knit slightly.
Dark Serpent Blood Refinement Sutra.
"This should be the cultivation technique practiced by those three brothers," Han Xuan muttered.
He skimmed through it carefully. The technique revolved around refining serpent-type demon beast blood into one's body, gradually altering the flesh, bones, and meridians.
As cultivation progressed, the practitioner's body would grow tougher, gaining resistance akin to serpent scales while also enhancing physical strength and endurance. It emphasized brutality and direct combat, relying on the accumulation of blood essence rather than refined spiritual energy.
Han Xuan quickly noticed that this cultivation technique complemented the Serpent-Scale Body Refinement Art almost perfectly. When cultivated together, the two formed a complete system capable of supporting a cultivator all the way to Foundation Establishment.
Unfortunately, that was where its merits ended.
Despite appearing powerful on the surface, the technique contained numerous hidden flaws. The refinement process was excessively harsh, causing long-term damage to the body if the blood essence was impure or unbalanced. Over time, the practitioner would suffer from corrupted qi, violent temperaments, and unstable foundations, making future breakthroughs increasingly difficult.
Perhaps it was an orthodox technique, but one riddled with shortcuts and hidden costs.
Han Xuan lost interest almost immediately. He muttered, "Another collection added!"
He stored the jade slip away without hesitation, placing it into his collection of seized inheritances.
Han Xuan continued browsing the storage bag and found a jade box tucked at the bottom. It was sealed tightly, the surface faintly warm yet cool to the touch at the same time.
He opened the jade box.
Inside lay a lotus no larger than a palm. Its petals were layered and delicate, half a deep crimson like smoldering embers, half a translucent azure that shimmered like flowing water. The two colors did not clash. Instead, they flowed into one another in a slow, rhythmic cycle, as if breathing.
A faint mist rose from the flower. One breath carried gentle warmth, the next a refreshing coolness. Even without refining it, he could feel the opposing spiritual energies perfectly balanced, neither overpowering the other.
At the center of the lotus rested a small, crystal-clear core, glowing softly, pulsing like a calm heartbeat.
Han Xuan frowned, "What kind of spiritual herb is this?"
With a thought, he had Baobao cough up a thick, time-worn book. Its pages were yellowed, filled with densely packed illustrations and notes. It was a compendium that recorded thousands of spiritual herbs below Rank 3, something he had acquired long ago for reference.
He flipped through it carefully.
Only then did he stop.
"Twinflow Lotus."
According to the record, Twinflow Lotus was a Rank 2 spiritual herb with mixed water and fire attributes. It grew in extreme environments where cold springs and scorching heat alternated. The petals carried gentle warmth, while the stem and roots were imbued with pure watery yin. When refined or consumed properly, it could harmonize opposing energies within the body, stabilize meridians, and greatly increase tolerance to elemental power.
Han Xuan's eyes slowly lit up.
This kind of spiritual herb was neither aggressive nor explosive in effect, but its value lay in balance and foundation. For cultivators at an early stage, especially those with special constitutions, it was nothing short of priceless.
"This is perfect…"
He closed the jade box carefully.
As an investment for his future twins, this Twinflow Lotus was far better than most treasures he could buy with spirit coins alone.