Episode Summary
In this episode, Han Li acquires the formula for the Foundation Establishment Pill but learns the final, rare ingredients can only be found in the Blood-Colored Prohibited Area. A decision by the sect leaders to change the area's opening from every five years to every sixty forces a desperate Han Li to secure a spot for the imminent entry, as he cannot afford such a long wait. He then begins to prepare for the perilous journey.
Spoiler Alert
The episode opens with Han Li searching for pill formulas. After finding several useful ones, he begins to copy them down, only to be stopped by the shop's manager. The manager informs him that there's a fee based on time, and copying by hand would be expensive. As a solution, he offers to make a copy for ten spirit stones, a rule that catches Han Li by surprise.
Han Li notes that the available formulas aren't top-tier. The manager explains that better ones cost more, and besides, without a proper pill furnace, these formulas are all he can handle for now. Seizing the opportunity, the manager suggests that if Han Li buys a furnace from him, he'll throw in the formulas for free. Han Li agrees and is thrilled to find the recipe for the much-sought-after Foundation Establishment Pill among them.
With his mysterious Small Green Bottle, Han Li cultivates a large quantity of spirit herbs and successfully refines many pills. However, he still lacks several crucial ingredients needed for the Foundation Establishment Pill. While outside, he overhears a man named Xiang Zhili discussing the imminent opening of the Blood-Colored Prohibited Area. The amount of spirit herbs collected from this area determines the fate of the major sects for decades to come. Most importantly, Han Li learns that the very ingredients he's missing can only be found inside this special zone.
To learn the man's identity, Han Li offers a piece of fruit to a fellow disciple, who identifies the speaker as Xiang Zhili. He adds that Xiang Zhili, despite his age and multiple trips into the prohibited area, has strangely never managed to reach the Foundation Establishment stage.
Meanwhile, Nangong Wan of the Masked Moon Sect gathers the leaders of other sects. With the Moon Sun Treasure Pearl now back in her sect's possession, she has a major proposal. Presenting two Foundation Establishment Pills refined in different years, she demonstrates that the spiritual energy within the Blood-Colored Prohibited Area is weakening, resulting in lower-quality herbs. Because of this, she suggests changing the opening of the prohibited area from every five years to every sixty years.
The other sect leaders immediately object, complaining that they already struggle to gather enough herbs for their disciples with a five-year interval. A sixty-year wait would be disastrous for them. In response, Nangong Wan has Hong Fu activate the Moon Sun Treasure Pearl, which visually confirms the diminishing spiritual energy, validating her claims. With this proof, Hong Fu and others agree that the herbs are a finite resource and support the change. Han Li overhears this and realizes he cannot possibly wait sixty years; he must enter the prohibited area this time. Just then, Han Yunzhi approaches him. She also intends to go, desperate to find the Lieyang Flower to save her critically ill brother.
Back at his own sect, Li Huayuan announces that they have eleven spots for the prohibited area, available on a first-come, first-served basis. Han Li manages to snatch the very last spot. Li Huayuan questions his decision, pointing out his weak cultivation base. Han Li counters that it is precisely because of his poor aptitude that he cannot afford to wait another sixty years and must seize this chance. Impressed by his determination, Li Huayuan accepts his reasoning.
As all the sects begin training their chosen disciples, Li Huayuan observes that the weakest disciples often have the highest survival rate, as they know their own limits and avoid unnecessary risks. In the Masked Moon Sect, Nangong Wan entrusts the Moon Sun Treasure Pearl to Yan Ruyan, appointing her as the team leader. For his part, Han Li visits the Wanbao Pavilion, where he trades two valuable spirit herbs for an arsenal of hidden weapon talismans to protect himself in the dangerous trials ahead.
