Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 63

Honestly, he didn’t believe that simply taking one Foundation Establishment Pill would guarantee his success in reaching the Foundation Establishment stage.

Even if the odds were slim, it wasn’t entirely impossible, was it?

However, if he refused to hand over the Foundation Establishment Pill to Senior Uncle Ye, his life in the Yellow Maple Valley would undoubtedly become difficult.

He would likely incur the old man’s resentment, and since Senior Uncle Ye seemed to wield considerable power within the Yellow Maple Valley, it was best not to be on his bad side.

“Senior Uncle Ye, may I ask who you intend to use the Foundation Establishment Pill for? Surely, it’s not something you need for yourself.”

Despite the interruption, the old man didn’t show any signs of displeasure.

“Since Disciple Han has asked, I’ll be frank. I’m trying to obtain this Foundation Establishment Pill for my grandnephew from the Ye family. Would you agree to my request?”

At this answer, Han Li secretly scoffed.

‘Grandnephew? To lower yourself to ask someone like me for a Foundation Establishment Pill for that kid, your affection must be immense. It seems I’ll be in trouble with this old man if I don’t give it to him. For the sake of my future in the Yellow Maple Valley, I have to give up the Foundation Establishment Pill, even though it pains me. There must be other ways to reach the Foundation Establishment stage. I have a mysterious bottle; if I can just figure out the medicine formulas, I can create any elixir.’

After weighing his options, Han Li finally made a decision. But if he was going to be exploited like this, shouldn’t the other party offer something in return? Han Li put on a troubled expression, looking at the old man with a face that seemed to carry all the world’s worries.

“Senior Uncle, please don’t think me disrespectful. This Foundation Establishment Pill is also very important to me. Although I may lack talent, it’s not as if I have absolutely no hope, is it? If I give up this opportunity, I might never have a chance to reach the Great Dao [the ultimate path of cultivation] in my entire life.”

The old man secretly sneered at Han Li’s words.

‘With your talent, you dare to speak of the Great Dao? You don’t know your place.’

However, on the surface, he continued to persuade Han Li in a sincere tone. He even made all sorts of empty promises, trying to get Han Li to give up the Foundation Establishment Pill. Han Li was unimpressed by such hollow words, but he pretended to gradually weaken, encouraging the old man to offer a higher price.

“Disciple! If you give up the Foundation Establishment Pill, I will ensure you get to choose the kind of miscellaneous tasks that all disciples in the valley must do!”

Seeing Han Li’s wavering expression, he brought out a condition he had been saving.

“Miscellaneous tasks?”

“That’s right, miscellaneous tasks! When a disciple of our Yellow Maple Valley is assigned monthly tasks, there are many options, such as supervising in some mining areas, handling affairs in the sect’s territories, taking care of spirit beasts or exotic beasts, and cultivating various spirit herbs. After observing how well you handle the tasks, we distribute spirit stones [currency used by cultivators] accordingly to encourage the disciples. I’m in charge of managing the distribution of these tasks within the sect, so whatever you want, it can be arranged with just a word from me.”

Seeing him puff out his chest and act so proud, it seemed this old man did have some power. Han Li was silent at his words. It seemed that no matter where you went, there were always those who used their power to satisfy their personal desires. Even the cultivation world was no exception.

However, when the old man mentioned spirit herbs, Han Li’s heart was already wavering. That task seemed tailor-made for him, and he liked it very much. He had already stalled long enough, and if he didn’t respond any further, he would appear too greedy. It was better to conclude things amicably before they escalated.

After considering everything, Han Li finally answered with a reluctant expression, as if he had been persuaded.

“Since Senior Uncle Ye is being so generous, I have no choice but to give you face. If you keep the conditions you just mentioned, I will give my Foundation Establishment Pill to your grandnephew. I wish your grandnephew success in reaching the Foundation Establishment stage!”

As the deal was made, the old man couldn’t contain his joy and repeatedly made promises.

“Disciple, you don’t have to worry at all! I will definitely keep my promise. However, it would be best if we only mention the deal in front of the Sect Leader later, and not bring up the things I secretly agreed to help you with.”

“Don’t worry about that, Senior Uncle! I understand, so I won’t say anything foolish.”

Han Li immediately understood the old man’s intentions and answered sensibly, and the old man was so pleased with his cleverness that he couldn’t stop smiling.

* * *

Once the deal was made, Old Man Ye took Han Li on a magical artifact to the main hall where official matters were discussed. He was going to report the situation to Sect Leader Zhong Yingdao of the Yellow Maple Valley.

Soon, Han Li stood in front of a huge stone hall, looking curiously at the Yellow Maple Valley disciples guarding the door. All of them had much deeper magical power than Han Li, and they had all surpassed level 10 in their basic cultivation methods. After waiting for a while, a middle-aged man in white came out from inside and ordered.

“Follow me. The Sect Leader is calling for you.”

After that, he turned around and went inside without even waiting for Han Li’s reply.

Han Li, who had a bitter smile at this treatment, realized that a cultivator like himself, who had only reached the Qi Refining stage, was not even worth a glance in their eyes, let alone a word.

Although he was dissatisfied with the other party’s attitude, he still had a reason for being here, so he diligently followed behind him.

After passing through three gates guarded by disciples, he saw Zhong Yingdao, the Sect Leader of the Yellow Maple Valley, who had a three-pronged beard.

And on both sides of the main hall, there were about a dozen people wearing various clothes. When Han Li entered, they briefly glanced at him, but then lost interest in his ordinary appearance. Old Man Ye and Disciple Wang also went to their respective seats.

“So, you are Han Li.”

“Yes, I am. Disciple Han Li greets the Sect Leader!”

Responding to Sect Leader Zhong’s calm voice, Han Li was about to perform a deep bow.

“There’s no need for that. Since you have brought the Ascension Token, this Sect Leader will surely accept you as a disciple of this sect according to the rules of our predecessors.”

With a warm smile that felt like a spring breeze, his sleeves lightly fluttered. Then, Han Li’s lowered waist was straightened by an invisible, gentle force, and he couldn’t bow again no matter how hard he tried. It was a moment when he felt reverence for the Sect Leader.

“Originally, in addition to accepting you into this sect, you would also be given the qualification to take the Foundation Establishment Pill. However, according to Disciple Ye, it is true that you have given up that opportunity and decided to pass it on to someone else?”

Sect Leader Zhong immediately asked about the matter he had called Han Li for.

“That is correct, Sect Leader! My talent is lacking, so it would be a waste for me to take the Foundation Establishment Pill. If it is such a precious item, I would like to give it to my fellow disciples who need it more.”

Even as he spoke, his stomach seemed to ache. This was different from the elixirs he usually consumed. This was the Foundation Establishment Pill!

The Foundation Establishment Pill was a precious item in the cultivation world, worth causing a bloodbath to obtain.

Moreover, even if he had a mysterious bottle, he wasn’t confident that he could completely replicate a spirit pill like the Foundation Establishment Pill. His heart was extremely uncomfortable, but on the surface, he looked like a docile lamb.

“Since you have such a generous disposition, this Sect Leader is relieved. But rest assured, this Sect Leader will not let you suffer a loss without any compensation.”

Sect Leader Zhong turned his head towards the Ye family.

“Disciple Ye! Han Li’s Foundation Establishment Pill will be given to your grandnephew as originally planned. However, you must compensate for that loss.”

“Haha! Sect Leader, please rest assured. I will definitely make sure Disciple Han is satisfied.”

“Let’s conclude the matter of the Foundation Establishment Pill like this. Then, as of today, Han Li is a disciple of this sect. Disciple Wang, please arrange a residence for Disciple Han and explain the sect rules on the way. For now, let him participate in the training of the general disciples, and we will see where to place him after observing his conduct and achievements.”

Sect Leader Zhong handled the matter meticulously.

“Understood, Sect Leader!”

Disciple Wang, who had risen from his seat, received the order. And immediately, he left the main hall with Han Li, telling him about the various rules and things he needed to know about the Yellow Maple Valley. Han Li listened attentively to Disciple Wang’s story and learned about the Yellow Maple Valley.

The Yellow Maple Valley consisted of over ten thousand disciples, most of whom were in the Qi Refining stage, and only a few hundred were in the Foundation Establishment stage. However, these talents who had reached the Foundation Establishment stage were the true pillars of the Yellow Maple Valley.

And there were only a few great experts who had reached the Core Formation stage, and they often went into secluded training, so they did not interfere in the minor affairs of the Yellow Maple Valley.

However, they would show their faces only in the case of major events that threatened the existence of the Yellow Maple Valley or when Sect Leader Zhong called for them.

The only Nascent Soul stage cultivator in the valley, Sect Leader Zhong’s granduncle, was over nine hundred years old and possessed an unfathomable level of magical power. He was so proficient in magic and so miraculous that he was called a living immortal.

However, he had left the valley long ago and could not be found in the Yue Kingdom either. He traveled around various countries, so it was unknown when he would return to the Yellow Maple Valley.

Since there were so many disciples in the Qi Refining stage in the valley, it was absurd to think that everyone would take the Foundation Establishment Pill. Only the most outstanding and talented disciples were given this honor.

Therefore, every ten years, disciples under the age of 30 in the valley had to take a selection test, and the competition was so fierce that it was even worse than the Ascension Tournament outside the sect.

Basically, only those who had reached level 11 or 12 in their basic cultivation method could survive the competition and obtain the Foundation Establishment Pill.

Among the hundreds of disciples who had gone through such a rigorous selection process, only about twenty or thirty succeeded in reaching the Foundation Establishment stage after taking the Foundation Establishment Pill. Others would improve their cultivation methods, but only within the basic cultivation method, and they would not be able to move on to the next stage.

For this reason, the disciples in the valley were divided into three classes.

The lowest class of disciples were the ordinary disciples who had not even taken the Foundation Establishment Pill. The majority of the valley were these lower-level disciples.

They had the lowest magical power to begin with, and they also had many miscellaneous tasks, so their training time was even more limited. These lowest-level disciples in the valley were called ‘Attendant Disciples.’

Those who were slightly higher in status were the disciples who had taken the Foundation Establishment Pill but had not yet reached the Foundation Establishment stage. Most of their basic cultivation methods were at their peak, so their magical power was higher than that of the Attendant Disciples, and they could perform simple intermediate magic to some extent.

Therefore, they were usually in charge of managing the Attendant Disciples or carrying out orders, and they were called ‘Overseer Disciples.’

And the highest class and the most respected were the disciples who had reached the Foundation Establishment stage. These darlings of the heavens were the true cultivators, and they were the cultivators who had properly set foot on the path of cultivation.

In addition to these disciples, there were various offices in the Yellow Maple Valley that controlled the power of the sect. These offices were selected from among the disciples who had reached the Foundation Establishment stage and had trained to some extent but had no possibility of reaching the Core Formation stage.

They voluntarily gave up continuing their training and took on various tasks within the valley, managing the sect professionally. The old man with the surname Ye and the dozen or so people who were in the meeting in the main hall were the officials.

Of course, the above explanation was a conclusion that Han Li had drawn by adding his own opinions to Disciple Wang’s story.

With this, Han Li was able to clearly understand his situation and his own position. He would have to rely on the help of many other fellow disciples in the future.
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