Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 102

Becoming a disciple of a Foundation Establishment cultivator was a dream for any low-level disciple. However, while Han Li was surprised by the offer, he also felt that something was amiss.

It was unbelievable that he would be given such an opportunity based on his talent and achievements, no matter how great his contribution to the Yellow Maple Valley was.

If he had won the bet, it might have been a decision made on a whim. But why would he be rewarded when he had clearly lost?

While Han Li’s mind raced, the Fourth Ancestor grew increasingly displeased.

He had naturally expected Han Li to be overjoyed and grateful, but Han Li just stood there blankly, showing no reaction.

Still, he couldn’t lose his dignity as an ancestor, so he added, “If you don’t wish to become my disciple, I won’t force you. Instead, I can give you a good magic tool as a reward.”

Realizing that his tone, though outwardly kind, contained considerable displeasure, Han Li knew he had been rude to someone like the Fourth Ancestor.

It was absurd for a Qi Condensation disciple like himself to refuse to become a Foundation Establishment cultivator’s disciple.

If he refused, it could lead to even greater trouble. Without further thought, he decided to accept. He couldn’t afford to stand there dumbfounded any longer.

“It would be an honor to enter the Ancestor’s tutelage! I was just so overjoyed that I forgot how to respond, please forgive me, Ancestor,” Han Li said, his face flushed and his expression extremely excited. He quickly added flattering words and, with a keen sense, prostrated himself on the floor, performing the formal disciple’s greeting to the Fourth Ancestor.

“From today on, you are my, Li Huayuan’s, disciple. I will bestow upon you the magic tool, the Azure Light Blade, to celebrate your becoming a disciple.”

Only then did a deep smile appear on Li Huayuan’s face as he personally helped Han Li up. The cyan-colored long blade he offered was clearly a top-grade magic tool, with a dazzling gleam.

Han Li respectfully received the magic tool with both hands and bowed with reverence. Then, with an expression of joy, he stood up.

Everyone stared wide-eyed at the unexpected scene, looking at Han Li, who had received the magic tool, with envious eyes.

They were jealous, wishing they were in his place. Although he didn’t know what they were thinking, Han Li secretly sighed, feeling the heat of their gazes on him.

If possible, he would have passed this position to someone else. He had already learned a painful lesson from accepting Senior Wen as his master, and that memory was still vivid!

But today, he had gained an even more powerful master with unknown intentions, so how could he be happy!

“If you succeed in Foundation Establishment, I will take you as a formal disciple, and even if you don’t, I will still guide you in cultivation methods.”

“Yes, Master!”

Han Li had no reason to object. Afterward, everyone rode the Fourth Ancestor’s silver-horned serpent for several days and returned to Yellow Maple Valley.

Upon entering the valley, Li Huayuan took his attendants to the main hall, and the rest dispersed to await the rewards that would be given out in a few days.

In the Hundred Herb Garden of Yellow Maple Valley, Old Man Ma stared at Han Li with wide eyes and a face as if he had seen a ghost.

“Unbelievable. Not only did you not die in the forbidden area, but you also presented over twenty spirit herbs and became a registered disciple of this Martial Uncle!”

“That’s right, Senior Martial Uncle Ma! It was truly a stroke of good luck and a miracle of heaven.”

Han Li sat across from the old man and answered with a smile that was neither a smile nor not a smile. The old man looked at him strangely.

“Kid, I never thought you would do so well!”

“I didn’t think so either.”

Han Li echoed as Senior Martial Uncle Ma sighed.

“But, do you know the real reason why this Martial Uncle accepted you as a registered disciple?”

The old man said with a hint of pity, and Han Li flinched but was also pleased. It was possible that the other party might be able to resolve his worries.

He patiently put on a surprised expression as if he knew nothing.

“Huh? Senior Martial Uncle Ma, are you saying that there’s another reason why Martial Ancestor Li accepted me as a disciple?”

“Senior Martial Uncle? Haha. Now that Junior Martial Brother Han has entered Martial Uncle Li’s tutelage, you should call me Senior Martial Brother Ma from now on. The title of Senior Martial Uncle is really too much for me!”

The old man shook his head and said calmly.

“Ha! Senior Martial Uncle Ma, why are you joking with your junior? I know that the hierarchy in the cultivation world is based solely on the level of cultivation. Until I reach Foundation Establishment, Senior Martial Uncle Ma will forever be my senior.”

Han Li, speaking sincerely, poured tea made with flower petals and candles for the old man.

“Well, you have the makings of someone who can be taught. You’ll naturally find out in three or four days, but I’ll tell you in advance.”

The old man nodded with satisfaction, and Han Li listened intently.

In fact, he was very concerned about why this Martial Ancestor had taken him as a disciple. He wouldn’t be able to sleep peacefully without understanding the context.

“Having brought back so many spirit herbs, what kind of reward do you think you’ll receive?”

“Wouldn’t it be about two Foundation Establishment pills? I heard that you get a Foundation Establishment pill for about ten spirit herbs.”

Han Li answered honestly, knowing there must be a reason for the question.

“Hmph! Just wait and see. You’ll realize that getting just one Foundation Establishment pill, let alone two, was just a pipe dream.”

Han Li was surprised by the old man’s words, which seemed tinged with resentment.

“Huh? Are you saying that someone is going to embezzle the Foundation Establishment pills that are given out as rewards?”

His expression and tone made it seem like he really couldn’t believe it.

“Who would dare to embezzle the sect’s rewards? The only one whose reward will be reduced is you. If everyone didn’t receive a fair reward, no one would participate in the next Blood Trial.”

“Could it be related to this Martial Ancestor Li?”

Han Li thought carefully and asked seriously, noticing the old man’s pursed lips.

“You’re quick to grasp the point, so you’re not that stupid. Yes, it’s because Martial Uncle Li accepted you as a disciple that it’s happening.”

The old man nodded, praising Han Li with his eyes.

“There’s an unwritten rule in the sect. Usually, once a master-disciple relationship is established, the master takes half of the offerings that the disciple gives to the sect! It’s a way of showing gratitude to the master who took you in. The spirit herbs you brought back from the forbidden area can also be seen as offerings to the sect, so if my guess is correct, he accepted you as a disciple to take half of your spirit herbs. In the end, the spirit herbs you offer to the sect will be reduced by half, so the reward will also be halved to one Foundation Establishment pill.”

The old man explained in detail. Han Li only raised one eyebrow and didn’t express any anger or dissatisfaction.

The old man was a little surprised at his silence. He couldn’t have imagined that Han Li was not angry at all, but rather greatly relieved.

His new master wanted spirit herbs. This clear goal actually made Han Li feel at ease. In fact, one Foundation Establishment pill wasn’t that important to him once he started refining pills.

What was the importance of one pill when he could produce Foundation Establishment pills in large quantities? The old man thought that Han Li was suppressing his resentment and started to comfort him in his own way.

“Although you lost one Foundation Establishment pill, becoming a registered disciple of Martial Uncle Li is a blessing in itself. With your talent, there’s almost no chance of succeeding in Foundation Establishment even if you had two Foundation Establishment pills. But if you have the backing of Martial Uncle Li, who in the sect would dare to touch you even if you remain in Qi Condensation? Even if Martial Uncle Li doesn’t truly see you as a disciple, considering his reputation, the attendants and ordinary disciples won’t easily bully you. And from what I know, Martial Uncle Li tends to protect his own people.”

Han Li was a little touched by these words. He had already thought that the old man was cold on the outside but warm on the inside when he had secretly given him medicine before going to the forbidden area. After talking to him today, he realized that the old man was a really good person.

He took the old man’s words to heart and decided that he should maintain a close relationship with him in the future.

With this decision, Han Li pretended to be convinced and felt better.

He gave a bitter smile and started talking about everyday things, and Senior Martial Uncle Ma, thinking that Han Li had recovered from the shock, was pleased and left the Hundred Herb Garden. Han Li’s life in the Hundred Herb Garden had begun again.

The time in the forbidden area had only been a few days, but it felt like years had passed for Han Li. He lay on his bed in the Hundred Herb Garden, enjoying this quiet time.

Lying down and thinking about it, he had returned alive and well and had achieved his desired goal, so everything was perfect. He let go of all his worries and fell into a sweet sleep. It felt like all the worries, troubles, and conflicts of the world were fading away.

When he opened his eyes again, the sun was high in the sky the next day. Now that his mind was clear, he had to hurry and carry out his next plan.

The most urgent task was to grow and preserve the main ingredients for the Foundation Establishment pill that he had obtained. The other auxiliary ingredients were naturally next.

Preparing everything perfectly was not something that could be done in a few days or months. It seemed that at least a year would have to pass before the preparations were complete and he could start refining pills.

However, Han Li, who had already obtained the seedlings of the necessary spirit herbs, had no reason to be too impatient. First, he was going to organize the gains he had made in the forbidden area.

When he gathered them, there were about a dozen mid-grade spirit stones, hundreds of low-grade spirit stones, various magic tools, the shell of a giant centipede, some materials obtained from the black dragon’s body, and an old silver sword, among other things.

Apart from these, two items caught Han Li’s attention. One was a doll holding a bow, and the other was a silver bookmark. Although it was a doll carved from wood, its eyes, nose, and mouth were clear, making it look alive.

It was wearing steel armor and a helmet, and the longbow in its hand was also made of bronze.

This was the upper-grade magic tool, the puppet archer, that he had received from the sect before leaving for the Blood Trial.

The reason why he had never used this magic tool even after obtaining it was because he had to use a spirit splitting technique to put a part of his consciousness into the doll to use it. Such a secret technique like spirit splitting could only be learned by those who had reached Foundation Establishment or higher. Only a cultivator who had succeeded in Foundation Establishment could fully control their consciousness and endure the pain of dividing their spirit.

If a Qi Condensation disciple did it recklessly, their spirit would collapse and they would go mad before they could even succeed in spirit splitting.

Although cultivators easily expand their consciousness to observe their surroundings, this was not actually dividing their spirit and spreading it, but rather a technique using a single consciousness.

If one truly divided their consciousness, one or more consciousnesses would be created, and each could control a magic tool, increasing the number of weapons that could be operated simultaneously.

Qi Condensation disciples could only operate two magic tools at the same time at most. Even if they took out more magic tools, there was no way to move them freely at the same time. Otherwise, there would be no reason not to activate five or six magic tools to attack whenever they encountered an enemy.

Han Li regretfully touched the wooden doll and put it down, then picked up the silver bookmark again.

This was a trophy he had obtained from the barefooted man of the Giant Sword Sect. One side was uneven and had quite a few patterns engraved on it, making it seem like an item with some kind of secret. However, no matter how much he examined it, he couldn’t find any clues.

He spent several days studying the silver bookmark while waiting for contact from the higher-ups of the sect. He wanted to see if his reward had really been reduced by half.

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