Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 330

The old man pointed at the sturdy young man, who looked dazed and surprised. Another middle-aged man immediately retorted,

“Humph! How can you forget that two of the disciples who went to Hidden Sword Peak last time possessed the Spirit Root of the Other [a rare type of spiritual talent]? It’s been a while since a disciple with a special spirit root has joined, so it’s only right that he be assigned to our Fire Cloud Peak.”

“You covet a cultivator with a Refined Metal Body [a physique naturally suited for metal-based cultivation], suitable for metal-based techniques, for Fire Cloud Peak, which focuses on fire-based techniques! Is that reasonable, Senior Brother Yang?”

The old man with graying hair chuckled and shook his head, but the middle-aged man didn’t back down at all.

“Although Hidden Sword Peak has metal-based techniques, our Fire Cloud Peak’s Golden Refinement Art is renowned throughout the entire state.”

“That’s…”

Wei Yiming frowned and interrupted their argument.

“I understand both of your intentions, so please stop.”

Unexpectedly, Senior Brother Chu also smiled lightly and dissuaded them.

“That’s right. Arguing like this won’t lead to any conclusion, so let’s wait for the Sect Leader’s decision. After all, everyone will become a disciple of our Falling Cloud Sect, so what’s there to fight about?”

At those words, the old man, rather than the pale-faced middle-aged man, took the lead.

“Senior Brother Chu is right. Of course, it’s up to the Sect Leader to decide. Our Hidden Sword Peak has no objections.”

The middle-aged man hesitated but had no choice but to agree. The Falling Cloud Sect Leader, whose expression had softened slightly, pondered for a moment before looking at Han Li and the other seven with a kind face.

“Let’s deal with the disciples with special talents later and decide on the allocation of the rest. After all, none of the six peaks would refuse new disciples.”

* * *

An hour later, Han Li and the bearded giant were on a large bowl-shaped magical artifact, following the young man surnamed Yu back to Thousand Bamboo Peak. Having changed into the blue robes of outer disciples, they were assigned to Thousand Bamboo Peak.

The sturdy young man, whom everyone coveted, was sent to Illusion Stone Peak. Although the gray-haired old man and the middle-aged man from Hidden Sword Peak were dissatisfied, they had no choice but to accept the result. After all, they had taken two inner disciples they had mentioned, so they didn’t return empty-handed.

The young man, noticing that Han Li and the bearded giant had become disciples of Thousand Bamboo Peak, spoke in a much gentler tone, giving them some instructions.

“Although you two have entered as outer disciples, it’s fortunate that you were assigned to our Thousand Bamboo Peak. Your grandmaster, my master, is always kind and generous and doesn’t treat outer disciples poorly.

You must complete your assigned tasks within the given time, but the rest of the time is yours. Although the treatment is different from inner disciples, if you make a great contribution to the sect, my master might even bestow a Foundation Establishment Pill [a pill that helps cultivators advance to the Foundation Establishment stage].”

Although he didn’t believe those words completely, Han Li outwardly expressed his respect.

“I will follow your teachings, Senior Uncle Yu.”

The bearded giant, however, only moved his lips, appearing to be a simple and honest person not used to such formalities. Han Li, already suspicious of his identity, had nothing to say.

He couldn’t tell if the giant’s acting was superb or if he genuinely didn’t know his situation.

What bothered him even more was the behavior of Senior Brother Miao earlier. No matter how he thought about it, there was no way a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator could have sensed the giant’s aura. There was definitely something hidden going on.

The young man surnamed Yu, pleased with Han Li and the giant’s appearance, gave them a few more instructions before landing in front of a pavilion on the mountainside of Thousand Bamboo Peak.

A boy and a girl who were talking to each other stopped as soon as they saw the young man and approached him. The doll-like girl, about sixteen years old, smiled at the young man.

“Senior Uncle Yu, are you here to see the grandmaster?”

Han Li, accustomed to the strict atmosphere of the cultivation world, was a little surprised by the girl’s relaxed attitude. The young man surnamed Yu, as if he knew the girl well, returned her smile.

“Yes, these two are the new outer disciples who have joined this time. I need to introduce them to the grandmaster and see which senior brother’s tutelage they will be placed under.”

The girl’s gaze fell on Han Li and the giant, and she smiled brightly.

“So you’re the new disciples! If there’s a chance later, tell me and Senior Brother Xin some stories from the outside world.”

The dark-skinned boy standing next to her muttered quietly.

“It’s what Senior Sister wants to hear, why are you dragging me into it? I’m busy with my cultivation.”

“Cultivation can be done anytime, but it’s rare for new disciples from the mortal world to enter Thousand Bamboo Peak, so of course, hearing their stories takes priority!”

The delicate and small girl scolded the boy as if imitating an old person, making him laugh. The young man surnamed Yu shook his head helplessly and then entered the residence without saying another word.

“Although Junior Sister Ma and Junior Brother Xin are still young and have the same seniority as you, they were actually brought in from the mortal world by the grandmaster. They haven’t been officially accepted as disciples yet, but it’s only a matter of time, so be careful not to be rude. If you cause trouble and the grandmaster punishes you, no one will be able to protect you.”

Han Li nodded at the young man’s words as they walked. The giant scratched the back of his head and smiled, seemingly not knowing what to say.

“Junior Brother Xin is quiet, so there won’t be any problems, but Junior Sister Ma left home at a young age and still has a mischievous side, but she’s not malicious, so just be a little careful.”

While they were talking, they had already passed several gardens and arrived in front of a secluded side building. As soon as they approached the side building, a man’s voice echoed in their ears.

“Is that Yu Jun?”

Yu Jun stopped walking as soon as he heard the voice.

“Disciple greets Master!”

“Your third senior brother and fifth senior sister are also here, so bring them in with you.”

“Yes!”

Yu Jun led Han Li and the giant inside with large strides.

In the elegantly decorated main hall, there were flower pots with unknown plants and a black ebony table. A middle-aged man dressed as a scholar sat next to it, his black hair and beard fluttering, giving off an aura like an immortal. Next to him stood a man and a woman.

The man had long white hair and was full of wrinkles, looking like an elderly man, while the woman had fair skin and a handsome appearance, looking to be about twenty-six or twenty-seven years old.

Yu Jun hurriedly stepped forward and bowed.

“Greetings, Master! Third Senior Brother, Fifth Senior Sister.”

“That’s enough, stand up. So these are the new disciples who have joined Thousand Bamboo Peak!”

The middle-aged man flicked his sleeve and helped the young man up, then looked at Han Li and the giant with a rather interested gaze.

At a glance, Han Li could tell that he was a Core Formation cultivator [a cultivator who has reached the Core Formation stage]. Han Li put on a forced smile and greeted him as ‘Grandmaster.’ Since the grandmaster didn’t notice the giant’s strange state, it was natural that he wouldn’t recognize Han Li’s cultivation either.

The middle-aged man asked for Han Li and the giant’s names and then gently instructed the male and female disciples standing next to him.

“Since you two are here anyway, there’s no need to bother others. One of you is studying talismans, and the other is studying elixirs, so you’re probably short-handed. Take one of the new disciples each and teach them about cultivation techniques while you’re at it. Even if they’re outer disciples, our Thousand Bamboo Peak disciples shouldn’t be ridiculed by others.”

The white-haired old man responded with a smile.

“Yes, Master, my junior sister and I will each take one.”

The woman in her twenties nodded slightly with a cold but beautiful face.

“Since Junior Sister also agrees, I’ll choose first. I’ll take Du Dong, and Junior Sister can take Han!”

“Yes.”

The woman replied softly but didn’t even glance at Han Li. The middle-aged man, seeing this, turned his gaze back to Han Li and the giant.

“You two have things to discuss with your senior uncles, so you two can go out first.”

Han Li and the giant bowed respectfully and retreated outside. As soon as they came out, the giant stood still and stared at the sky, and it was impossible to know what he was thinking.

And Han Li, with a languid face, was listening to the entire conversation inside the room through his powerful consciousness. His expression remained the same, but his eyes changed from moment to moment.

After a while, the door opened, and Yu Jun, the white-haired old man, and the cold beauty walked out one after another. The old man immediately took out a long magical artifact, briefly greeted the woman and Yu Jun, and then flew away with the giant.

Only then did the woman look at Han Li with an expressionless gaze.

“Let’s go back to my residence.”

The corners of Han Li’s lips twitched slightly but quickly returned to normal. A red light flashed and enveloped him.

* * *

Two hours later, Han Li was standing in a strange herb garden about a hundred zhang [approximately 330 meters] in size. Seeing the lush herb fields, the three huts in the middle of the garden, and the nearby mountains, a gentle smile appeared on his face.

The expressionless Senior Uncle Mo Peiling, a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, asked him as soon as they returned to her cave residence whether he would manage the herb garden or learn the art of refining elixirs.

Before he could answer, the woman continued her explanation in a cold tone, saying that managing the herb garden was a simple task that only required submitting a certain amount of herbs each year, leaving plenty of time for cultivation.

Han Li was overjoyed and chose the former without much hesitation. It was exactly the task he wanted.

He had been planning to find a way to escape the complicated sect tasks and focus solely on cultivation, and things had worked out well.

He also couldn’t shake the feeling that he had a connection to managing herb gardens. The woman didn’t seem surprised that Han Li had chosen this task.

She took away the female disciple who had been working there, leaving behind the Water Attribute technique, the Profound Ice Art, and Han Li. This was now Han Li’s place.

After waiting for the woman to turn into a red light and disappear again, Han Li examined the items his senior uncle had given him.

There were two books and a yellow spirit token. The green book was about managing herbs, and the other book was the Profound Ice Art. Of course, it wasn’t a top-tier technique, and its power was very weak. Its only advantage was that it was easy to learn.

It was clear that they had deliberately chosen this technique because they knew that the outer disciple’s talent was not good. And the last yellow spirit token was used to control the crude formation surrounding the garden.

After putting away the items, he leisurely looked around the hut and then walked back outside. His gaze turned to the low stone mountain behind the garden.

After spreading his consciousness to confirm that no one was within tens of miles, Han Li fearlessly spread his arms. With a clear sound, a dozen or so blue lights shot out from his sleeves towards the stone mountain.

After the flying swords swished around a few times, a cave was quickly created.

As Han Li’s gaze followed, each of the flying swords moved busily, and stone chambers began to be carved out inside the cave. Each room was different in size and shape, but his movements, already skilled in creating residences, were without hesitation.

Several hours later, a cave residence was completed without anyone noticing.

Han Li, looking at the residence, seemed satisfied and immediately took out several formation artifacts. As he moved around the stone mountain, the installation of a high-level concealment formation was completed. Although it wasn’t enough to evade the eyes of a Nascent Soul cultivator [a cultivator who has reached the Nascent Soul stage], it was enough to prevent a Core Formation cultivator from discovering it.

This was enough for now.

It was unlikely that a high-level cultivator would suddenly come to such a shabby herb garden. Moreover, these formations were temporary measures, and he planned to install the Nine Spirits Formation as soon as he mastered the Nine Spirits Formation Technique, so he wouldn’t have to worry even if a Nascent Soul cultivator came then.

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