Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 356

Two days later, Mo Peiling, once again guided by Yin Yue, came to see Han Li.

“Have you thought it over carefully? Twenty years as a maid, or living as a concubine with a spiritual restriction?”

“I have made my decision. For a cultivator of the lower realms, being able to serve a Nascent Soul cultivator in the cultivation world is a great opportunity. However, before becoming your concubine, Senior, please promise me one thing. If you accept this condition, I will stay by your side for the rest of my life with a spiritual restriction that binds my mind.”

“A condition? Speak specifically.”

Han Li’s expression was calm. It seemed her answer was in line with his expectations.

“I know that Senior is not one to be swayed by lust. Therefore, please take me in and allow me to maintain my chastity for thirty years. Now is the most crucial time for my cultivation, and I need at least thirty years to succeed in my breakthrough.

Moreover, the cultivation method I practice requires me to maintain my virginity, which is why I have refused to marry even at the cost of my life. However, if I, Mo Peiling, fail to achieve my breakthrough after thirty years, I will serve you regardless.”

The woman felt that her request was excessive, and she blushed naturally as she spoke of such embarrassing things.

“Thirty years, you say. Very well, I accept.”

Han Li immediately agreed without showing any surprise or dissatisfaction. Mo Peiling was rather surprised by his reaction, but she quickly rejoiced and replied.

“Ah… Thank you for accepting my request!”

“In two days, I will formally announce to the other elders of this sect that I am taking you as my concubine. However, since you will only serve me after thirty years, I will prepare a separate residence for you on a peak near my abode. You can stay there and focus on your cultivation. I will visit and guide you when I have time.”

“Yes! Peiling will follow all of Young Master’s arrangements!”

“From now on, there is no need to call me ‘Senior.’ Just call me ‘Young Master.’ After all, you’ve only lived for about two hundred years, which is still young in the span of a thousand-year lifespan.”

Han Li’s expression softened, and he smiled slightly.

Mo Peiling replied quietly, her face faintly flushed.

“I will, Young Master!”

Han Li withdrew his gaze and took out a purple jade pendant from his pocket, placing it on the table.

“Go back and pack your things, and make a residence on the nearby peak. This is the spirit pendant of the barrier that protects this place, so you can come and go freely with it. After that, I will cast the Golden Spirit Spell on you, and you will officially become my concubine.

However, I warn you in advance, if you have a man in your heart, it is best to settle things cleanly. If problems arise later, don’t blame me for being heartless. If you want to change your mind now, it’s not too late.”

Without hesitation, Mo Peiling reached out and took the purple spirit pendant.

“I have been cultivating since I was young, and my only goal has been to advance further on the path of cultivation. How could I have a man in my heart? Moreover, I have already made my decision and will never go back on it.”

Han Li nodded without saying anything and summoned the giant ape puppets to guide her back.

The woman’s eyes flickered when she saw the puppets. She was surprised by the puppets’ extraordinary power and wondered why the maid she had seen before was not visible.

However, she knew that some things did not need to be investigated, so she immediately followed the puppets out of the residence.

After she left, the air in one corner of the main hall blurred, and Yin Yue appeared.

“You said she was being punished by becoming a concubine, but why did you promise to wait thirty years? Do you have a separate plan, Master?”

“Of course, I have a plan. Even if the woman hadn’t asked, I had no intention of touching her before she made her breakthrough.”

“Huh? Why?”

The fox jumped onto the table, its black eyes sparkling, looking incredibly cute. Han Li looked at the fox and smiled, seeming to be in a good mood.

He didn’t answer immediately but took out a pink book from his waist and placed it on the table.

“Do you remember the storage item that Lu Dao Shaozhu [Young Master Lu Dao] had? This jade slip was also found there. After studying it, I found that it contained various demonic dual cultivation methods.”

Surprised by the unexpected story, Yin Yue looked down at the book and then back at Han Li. Han Li stroked the book and said leisurely,

“The other secret arts were not eye-catching. They were slightly better than ordinary dual cultivation methods, but not outstanding. However, only two secret arts mentioned in this book were extraordinary. The first is the Dragon 引決 (Yin Long Jue) [Dragon 引決 – Dragon Guiding Art], which is suitable for Core Formation cultivators. It is a method of rapidly increasing cultivation by taking in female cultivators with special aptitudes.

However, performing the Yin Long Jue causes a certain loss of magical power to the female partner, damaging her vitality. Therefore, the more women a cultivator using this method has, the better.

That must be why Lu Dao’s descendant had so many Foundation Establishment maids. Otherwise, no matter how talented he was, he wouldn’t have reached the late Core Formation stage at such a young age.”

Han Li continued,

“The other secret art is the 顚鳳培元功 (Dian Feng Pei Yuan Gong) [Dian Feng Pei Yuan Gong – Reversal Phoenix Nurturing Essence Art], a dual cultivation method created for Nascent Soul cultivators. Unlike the Yin Long Jue, this method requires the cooperation of a virgin Core Formation female cultivator. After the woman has practiced the Dian Feng Pei Yuan Gong to a certain level, taking her can help one overcome a cultivation bottleneck once. Of course, the female cultivator’s assistance is necessary, so her cultivation cannot be too low.”

The fox blinked.

“Yin Long Jue and Dian Feng Pei Yuan Gong! I didn’t know there were such powerful secret arts.”

“At first, I also wondered why such great methods were not known to the world. But later, when I saw the names of the creators of the two methods, I realized the truth.”

“Could it be…”

Han Li answered in a low voice to Yin Yue, who had already guessed.

“You’re right. It was created by Lu Dao’s extreme self. He is already a self-proclaimed number one demonic cultivator in the Nascent Soul late stage, so his secret arts are bound to be extraordinary. It’s no wonder Lu Dao’s descendant kept this book carefully in his storage item.”

“Then, you’re going to have that woman practice that method…”

“Yes. If she succeeds in her breakthrough, I will have her practice the Dian Feng Pei Yuan Gong so that when I encounter a cultivation bottleneck, I can use it as a strategy to overcome it. Once one reaches the Nascent Soul stage, most pills become ineffective, and the speed of cultivation slows down drastically. The fact that most Nascent Soul cultivators remain in the early stage is proof that it is difficult to break through when faced with cultivation obstacles. Whether this method is truly effective or not, it is worth trying.”

Han Li looked at the fluffy fox and sneered.

“It’s just a shame that it’s a one-time solution. When this secret art is used, the woman can also slightly improve her cultivation, so it’s not harmful. Otherwise, would you have thought that I suddenly became lustful and wanted to take concubines?”

Yin Yue smiled in relief.

“So that’s what it was! I really thought that Master was going to indulge in lust after reaching the Nascent Soul stage.”

“Although I will place a spiritual restriction on the woman’s body, do not reveal the secrets within the residence for now. Even if her life is in my hands due to the Golden Spirit Spell, people’s hearts are difficult to fathom. Rather than being foolishly betrayed, I would rather keep her by my side and be wary.

She is an intelligent woman, but I will observe her for a while. If she truly follows me, I will not mistreat her. After all, there are still many pills from the lower realms left. Yin Yue, since you are skilled in stealth, keep an eye on the woman’s movements when you have nothing else to do.”

“Yes, Master! I will carefully watch over her while you are in secluded cultivation.”

“That’s good. Thirty years should be enough to see a person’s true nature. She better not disappoint me.”

Han Li muttered, his voice turning sinister at the end.

* * *

A few days later, when Mo Peiling came again, Han Li cast the Golden Spirit Spell on her and gifted her pills effective for the Foundation Establishment stage.

The woman was greatly surprised, but her face was full of smiles. Her already beautiful face bloomed like a flower. She was extremely respectful and affectionate towards Han Li.

When the news of him taking a concubine spread, the silver-haired elder and others came to congratulate him and gave Mo Peiling top-grade magical artifacts.

After that, Mo Peiling stayed near Han Li’s peak and began her arduous cultivation, while Han Li occasionally visited the residences of the silver-haired elder and others to seek guidance on Nascent Soul cultivation methods.

The two elders of the Falling Cloud Sect truly did their best to resolve his questions, and Han Li became convinced that his decision to stay here was the right one.

A few months later, when the spiritual spring in the medicine garden of his residence finally began to flow with pure essence, his joy grew even greater. He quickly mixed the Bright Azure Spiritual Water according to the prescription left by the Sanbal Elder.

With his current skills, even if he failed a few times at first, he would have no problems after successfully creating it once.

* * *

Currently, Han Li was holding a bottle of Bright Azure Spiritual Water that he had just finished mixing in the pill refining room, his eyes shining.

As he opened the bottle, a blue light flashed from his hand, and a deep blue, transparent liquid flowed out, flying towards Han Li’s eyes.

At the same time, he exhaled a blue mist from his mouth, enveloping the liquid. The light fluctuated, and a beam of light pierced through the mist and shot into Han Li’s eyes.

At first, his eyes felt hot, and then he felt a chill that seemed to seep into his bones. He closed his eyes and quietly accepted the changes in his eyes.

As Han Li sat cross-legged and began to circulate his energy, the chill he felt in his eyes began to decrease, and after half an hour, the coldness had completely disappeared. Han Li took a long breath, opened his eyes, and immediately looked around.

His eyes showed suspicion.

“Is there no change? Not even a little?”

After pondering for a moment, he injected spiritual power into his eyes. A sapphire light flickered from the depths of his eyes.

“Oh!”

The spells laid out in the stone chamber faintly glowed with a light sapphire hue.

“I understand why cultivators above the Core Formation stage are not particularly interested in the Bright Azure Spiritual Water. With this level of change, it would be much better to use other auxiliary spells. But I’m looking forward to seeing what happens if I wash my eyes for a long time!”

Without hesitation, he repeated the process of washing his eyes once more.

Even after the Bright Azure Spiritual Water was used up, there was no significant change in Han Li’s eyes. Only when he injected spiritual power into his eyes did a sapphire light momentarily appear, giving him the ability to see through restrictions, but the effect was not clear.

However, he was not disappointed by this. He had a long time ahead of him, and he could slowly change his eyes.

The next day, Han Li left a message for Yin Yue and entered secluded cultivation with the golden scroll of the Azure Essence Sword Art.

The Azure Essence Sword Art was a complete method consisting of 13 stages, including the Azure Essence Sword Qi, a sword barrier to protect the body, and the Sword Shadow Splitting Light Technique.

The first two types were convenient to use at any time, but their power was not actually outstanding. The third, the Sword Shadow Splitting Light Technique, was what he liked.

He thought that the reason he had failed to gain the upper hand against his enemies several times before was because his opponents were too strong.

If he had fought against ordinary cultivators of similar cultivation levels, they would have been helpless against the hundreds of sword qi surrounding them. Now that it was time to learn the 10th stage of the sword art, new techniques would naturally emerge.

Although he had obtained the golden scroll with the cultivation method of the Azure Essence Sword Art, the part with the last technique was covered, whether intentionally by the person who made it. He had clearly seen the light flashing, but he could not see what was written.

Therefore, even after reaching the Core Formation stage, he did not know what the final ability was.

Of course, the incantations of the 13th stage were too profound, and no matter how many times Han Li looked at them, they were just mysterious, and he could not understand them at all. It seemed that he would have to reach the Spirit Transformation stage or higher to understand the meaning of the incantations.

Thinking this, Han Li threw the golden scroll into the air and exhaled a blue light from his mouth to envelop it.

Then, his ten fingers flicked, and the Azure Essence Sword Qi flew towards the scroll. After a moment of light, it was completely absorbed and disappeared.

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