Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 219

As Han Li’s skills in refining magical artifacts improved, and mid-grade and high-grade artifacts began to appear as products, the reputation of the Azure Bamboo Abode grew day by day. However, this reputation was merely a rumor among low-level cultivators, so nothing that would bother Han Li occurred.

As the years passed, in the ninth year, he finally grasped simple formations and was able to create related magical artifacts. The books left by Jie Yunxiao and Shen Nuyin helped him take a shortcut. Although it was still extremely difficult to create a set of formation artifacts, Han Li was not impatient. Having succeeded in his breakthrough, he had plenty of time, and he decided to slowly accumulate experience and knowledge. The important thing was what he needed to make the Azure Bamboo Cloud Swords, so he focused on learning those things slowly.

While he was immersed in magical artifacts and formations, time flowed endlessly.

***

Summer passed, and autumn arrived. Before he knew it, 20 years had passed since the opening of the Azure Bamboo Abode, and Han Li looked like a man in his fifties. Of course, it wasn’t his real face, but a fake one he had altered to match the passage of time in order to deceive others. Now, he was sitting in the backyard of the shop, looking around and taking everything in. He had handed over the shop to someone else yesterday, so it was time to end his worldly life.

A few days ago, the sixth Heavenly Thunder Bamboo, which he had spent a long time working on, was finally completed. Now, he had to return to his residence and begin refining his magical treasure. However, after spending 20 years in this market, he felt more nostalgic than happy to leave. His life here had been the most comfortable and leisurely time of his life.

“This is an amazing item!” Han Li smiled at the loud voice coming from beyond the wall. He didn’t even need to spread his consciousness to know that the sound was coming from the shop next door. The old man who owned the shop next door had been resting at home for several years, and his son had taken over the business. Although he had a fiery personality, he was quite diligent. However, he would often shout at the top of his lungs to introduce various items, which often surprised newcomers.

Han Li reminisced about various memories for a while, then called for Qu Hun and left the Azure Bamboo Abode together. Thus, the two figures disappeared into a secluded corner of the shopping district.

***

Back at his residence, Han Li immediately set up the formation artifacts he had made and entered the secret chamber. These formations had no special function; they were only used to conceal the fluctuations of spiritual energy, making them perfect for refining magical treasures. After meditating for three days and nights in the secret chamber, he entered the refining process in his best condition.

Han Li first took out a box made of jade and placed it on the flat floor. As he slowly opened the lid, six jade-colored Heavenly Thunder Bamboos were revealed. Taking a deep breath, he pointed his finger at one of them. Then, one of the Heavenly Thunder Bamboos flew up and floated in front of his chest. With a serious expression, Han Li formed hand seals and chanted incantations, his face glowing with a strange light that gradually turned green. Then, as the light grew stronger, a thin flame shot out from Han Li’s mouth towards the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo.

‘Papat’

Faint golden lightning crackled from the bamboo, pushing back the flame that had come from Han Li’s dantian [energy center]. Seeing this, Han Li increased the green flame, and in an instant, the bamboo and the lightning it emitted were trapped within the flames. Thus began the long and arduous process of refining. Spewing flames from his dantian consumed a lot of spiritual power, but Han Li had prepared thoroughly and was already holding identical green spirit stones in both hands. He replenished his spiritual power with the spirit stones, and when that wasn’t enough, he took out elixirs from his pouch and swallowed them to endure. Although the elixirs didn’t immediately convert into magical power, they contained enough spiritual energy, so Han Li, who was expecting a long battle, had nothing to worry about.

After three days, the spiritual energy that the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo possessed finally ran out, and the golden current that had been covering its surface disappeared. With the obstacle gone, the green flames were able to refine the bamboo itself. Several days later, the surface of the bamboo began to melt, and a dense, liquid-like substance seeped out from some parts. After several tens of days, one Heavenly Thunder Bamboo had completely melted and turned into a fist-sized jade-colored droplet. It was a thick, viscous liquid. Only after confirming this did Han Li relax. The flames from his mouth disappeared, and he put away the spirit stones he had been holding in his hands.

Then, Han Li’s hands twitched, and he extracted fine threads of spiritual energy, which began to wrap around the liquid and spin. After a while, a lump of green liquid separated in the air. One lump became two, then three… When the last liquid fell away, twelve droplets of the same size were floating in the air. Han Li lightly bent his finger, and the threads of spiritual energy that had been connected scattered. Then, as his hand brushed against his storage pouch, twelve lights appeared, forming a circle below the twelve droplets of liquid. Unexpectedly, they were jade boxes of the same size. The jade boxes were all made of high-quality white jade and were exquisitely crafted. As Han Li’s sleeves fluttered, the lids of the jade boxes opened in unison.

“Fall!” Then, the viscous green liquid floating in the air fell down at his command. Only one drop went into each jade box. Only after all the liquid had been placed and the jade boxes were sealed did his face relax, and he was truly able to rest. Although he had received help from spirit stones and elixirs, his magical power was almost exhausted. After quietly sitting and resting for several days, Han Li began refining the next Heavenly Thunder Bamboo when his body and mind were in their best condition. Han Li truly gathered all his strength and succeeded in turning all six Heavenly Thunder Bamboos into a pure liquid state.

In the meantime, three months had passed in an instant. After taking a short break, he began to set up a complex formation inside the secret chamber. He didn’t know the name of this formation, but he knew that it was necessary to refine the Azure Bamboo Cloud Swords and that it was constantly mentioned in the scroll. Therefore, setting up this formation was a very careful task. There could be no room for even the slightest error. If even one line was drawn incorrectly, unexpected problems could arise in the refining of the magical treasure. The formation was completed after half a year of painstaking effort, with Han Li putting his heart and soul into it. First, he tested it by using a dozen or so mid-grade spirit stones, and only when he saw that the light was working properly did he finally breathe a sigh of relief. However, at this time, he did not immediately begin refining the magical treasure but left the secret chamber for a while.

After spending almost half a year continuously using the dantian fire and simultaneously performing tasks that required a high degree of concentration, fatigue had accumulated in his body and mind. The subsequent work was the true refining of the magical treasure, so he needed to rest and relieve his fatigue first. However, good news awaited Han Li when he came out of the secret chamber. The Gold Devouring Beetles had finally begun to devour each other. It was a joyous occasion. After the number of beetles had reached tens of thousands, they had temporarily stopped the process of reproducing and evolving. Moreover, most of the mysterious green liquid from the bottle had been used to cultivate the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo, so the growth of the Gold Devouring Beetles had been even slower. Therefore, after the growth of the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo was complete, he immediately ordered Qu Hun to focus on cultivating the Gold Devouring Beetles. And now, news had finally come from Qu Hun. He immediately went to the secret chamber where the Gold Devouring Beetles were.

The beetles that were currently biting each other had almost half of their surface covered in gold spots, so it was clear that the next generation would have an even larger area of gold. However, at this rate, it would take a very long time for the Gold Devouring Beetles to turn into completely golden beetles. They multiplied several times with each evolution, so considering the time it took to grow the green liquid, it was impossible to know when the next change would come. Han Li looked at the Gold Devouring Beetles and fell into thought. It seemed that he would have to cultivate some of them separately for now. Otherwise, he couldn’t be sure if he would ever see the day when the Gold Devouring Beetles would turn completely golden. Han Li made a decision immediately. However, the plan could only be implemented after the Gold Devouring Beetles laid their eggs, so he decided not to worry about it for now and focus solely on refining the magical treasure.

After resting for a full month, he finally chose an auspicious day for refining the magical treasure. After burning incense in the living room and performing a ritual for two days, he calmed his mind again and returned to the secret chamber, standing at the eye of the barrier in the center of the formation. With a solemn expression, he spread his arms, and dozens of jade boxes containing the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo liquid flew to various parts of the formation, forming various arrays. Then, various boxes and wooden containers popped out of his storage pouch one after another, opening in front of Han Li. They were various auxiliary materials that had been prepared in advance. After examining the materials with his eyes, he took a deep breath, then slowly sat cross-legged and closed his eyes. After a while, his eyes suddenly opened, and a blue glow began to emanate from his entire body. As the glow came from his body, the spirit stones embedded in the floor also emitted a dazzling light, and the entire formation was activated. His body remained still, and he only moved his ten fingers slightly, sending threads of heat to the boxes containing the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo liquid.

From the formation, pillars of light the size of bowls shot out one after another, each embracing a box containing the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo liquid. After confirming this, Han Li closed his eyes again and calmly spread his consciousness to take control of the pillars of light. At the same time, the pillars of light flickered as if they were alive, changing colors in a variety of ways. Mysteriously, the pillars of light changed colors continuously, eventually unifying into one color. All the pillars of light turned a fiery red, illuminating the green liquids. With a blank expression, Han Li opened his mouth, and the fire from his dantian shot out towards one of the pillars of light.

‘Puhaak’

As the fire ignited the pillar of light, all the pillars of light instantly turned into pillars of fire. Seventy-two huge pillars of fire brightly illuminated the secret chamber. Han Li sighed. In terms of the power of the flames alone, the fire directly emitted from his dantian was much stronger than the pillars of fire. However, making flying swords was not just about the power of the flames. That was why he had poured so much power into it, even at the risk of harming his vitality. While he was thinking this, the green liquid inside the pillars of fire slowly changed under the control of his consciousness and the formation. They gradually became longer and thinner, reaching a length of four or five inches. It took a full day for the 72 green liquids to barely take the shape of swords. Taking a deep breath, he felt a faint headache and smiled bitterly. Controlling 72 flying swords at the same time was too much, even for Han Li, who had a strong consciousness. The most important part of shaping was over, but it was not yet time to relax.

As he formed hand seals with both hands, the pillars of fire flickered and suddenly disappeared, leaving only the jade-colored swords floating in the air. Han Li reached out his hand, and all the swords slowly flew in and surrounded him. As he looked at the swords in front of him, he bit his tongue hard, and blood spurted out of his mouth, forming droplets of blood. These droplets of blood soaked each of the flying swords as Han Li controlled them. As soon as the small droplets of blood touched the flying swords, they were absorbed, and in the end, all traces of them disappeared. Then, he pointed to a container containing silver powder, and the silver powder flew towards the flying swords, and light was emitted from all the flying swords. Next, according to the refining method, Han Li absorbed each of the auxiliary materials into the 72 flying swords and once again created pillars of fire to fuse them all together. This time, instead of refining all the swords at the same time, he put his heart into each one. He used his consciousness to engrave formations on each sword, a process that even he could not understand.

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