Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 529

After the Profound Leaf King had held the cultivators captive for nearly a month, a late-Nascent Soul stage cultivator from the surrounding area heard the news and arrived. Displaying earth-shattering power, he startled the zombies, who retreated deep into the Snow Ridge Mountains once more.

However, the late-Nascent Soul cultivator didn’t seem interested in pursuing them and left as abruptly as he had come. Only then did the surviving cultivators withdraw their forces.

The three zombies, wary of the late-Nascent Soul cultivator, didn’t interfere with their retreat, thus ending the major conflict. Of course, this account was based on what the old man knew, with Han Li’s own speculations added.

After all, hadn’t he directly encountered the severely injured Profound Leaf King when he emerged from the Feng family’s secret cave?

It was astonishing that the Profound Leaf King had caused such a commotion so soon after battling the Mad Sand Merchant and others in the Snow Ridge Mountains, especially since he hadn’t even recovered his full strength.

Although Han Li didn’t know how many spirit pills and elixirs the Profound Leaf King had consumed, he was certain that some pills could restore a significant amount of vitality quickly. Han Li himself possessed many pills, yet he hadn’t fully recovered his original cultivation level.

Therefore, the only explanation was that the ten-thousand-year-old corpse king’s body was exceptionally powerful, or that he had mastered a special cultivation technique or divine power that excelled at restoring vitality.

Thinking about the corpse king’s abilities, Han Li recalled the Heavenly Corpse Pearl within his own body. When he had cultivated the Nether King Art, he had greatly benefited from the pearl’s effects.

Perhaps the pearl’s power was related to the Profound Leaf King’s rapid recovery. Han Li paused to organize his thoughts and then began planning his next moves in the Jing Capital.

It wasn’t wise to stay here for long. If Feng Qian went missing, someone would come looking for him, and it wouldn’t take long for them to reach this place.

It seemed better to find a Taoist temple or a Buddhist temple to stay for a while. Such places would be quieter than an inn.

As for the auction, he needed to visit the markets in the Jing Capital to gather information. Han Li made a decision and left the mansion.

* * *

After several hours, Han Li found a small, relatively obscure Taoist temple within the capital city. The Taoist priests in the temple were all ordinary people without any magical abilities.

Han Li donated some silver and persuaded the temple master to let him stay for a while.

After spending a day there, he left the temple early in the morning and headed to the academy he had discovered while wandering around the previous day. The fact that an academy could be established in the Jing Capital and be of considerable size meant that it was definitely connected to the Confucian sect.

Han Li quietly infiltrated the academy and appeared before an old scholar with white hair.

He openly displayed the aura of a Nascent Soul stage cultivator, which greatly surprised the old scholar. The old man, having confirmed his opponent’s cultivation level, gave up any thought of resistance and stepped forward to pay his respects first.

“Senior, it is an honor to have you visit our academy. Is there anything I can assist you with?”

“You are wise. Tell me everything about the locations of the markets in the Jing Capital and any news related to the auction,” Han Li asked with a smile.

“I will make a copy of the jade slip containing the market locations for you. However, I don’t know much about the auction. What would you like to know?”

“Tell me the specific time and place of the auction, and what rare materials will be up for auction.”

“The auction will be held at the Baoguang Hall in the Jinxi Market in nine days. Auctions for Core Formation stage cultivators and Nascent Soul stage cultivators will be held separately. Nascent Soul stage cultivators can participate in the Core Formation stage auction, but Core Formation stage cultivators cannot participate in the Nascent Soul stage auction.

However, it is difficult to say what rare materials will be available. Such large-scale auctions are organized by powerful families in the Great Jin, so how would an outsider know what items they will bring?

However, based on past experience, there will be at least a hundred rare materials, and with the items brought by some seniors, the auction usually lasts for five to six days.”

“I see, the Baoguang Hall!”

“Senior, the jade slip is ready.”

The old man finished copying the jade slip and presented it to Han Li with both hands. Han Li silently accepted the jade slip, scanned it with his spiritual sense, and nodded.

“Well done. It would be best if you didn’t mention to anyone that you met me today. Otherwise…”

Han Li smiled coldly, emitted a blue light from his entire body, and disappeared from the spot. The old man, startled, collapsed into his chair.

* * *

Han Li left the academy and headed straight to the Jinxi Market while examining the jade slip.

The so-called Jinxi Market was an area located in the west of the Jing Capital, hidden year-round by a sophisticated concealment formation. Han Li passed through a formation at the entrance of the market that ordinary people would never notice and entered a quiet path.

Even at a glance, there were hundreds of cultivators walking around the streets, entering and exiting the shops on both sides. Han Li didn’t scan them individually with his spiritual sense. Such a large-scale auction would have Nascent Soul stage cultivators managing it for a while.

However, the Jinxi Market was a little different from the other markets he had seen in the southern region of the Great Jin. The shops lining the street were all two or three-story pavilions, each displaying their financial strength. Moreover, most of the shop names were familiar to him.

It seemed that famous merchants from the capital of the Great Jin had opened branches here. He now held a list of the materials he needed to collect and checked each shop.

Han Li didn’t get impatient even if he couldn’t find what he wanted. He hadn’t expected to easily find the materials here anyway.

There was a more pressing matter to deal with. He had used most of the large amount of spirit stones he had originally possessed while trading for materials in the guise of a masked cultivator. Now, with the large-scale auction about to begin, he had very few spirit stones left.

He intended to find a large merchant to exchange some rare items for spirit stones. Since he needed a large quantity of spirit stones, the trading partner had to be of a similar scale.

Han Li narrowed his eyes as he reached a three-story pavilion. The pavilion was larger than the previous shops, and there were more cultivators coming and going. The plaque hanging above the gate read “Heavenly Secrets Pavilion (天機閣),” which caught his attention even more.

‘Is this the place that sells Heavenly Secret Jade?’

Han Li hesitated for a moment before moving forward.

The first floor of the pavilion was about thirty to forty yards in area, and half a dozen handsome Qi Refining stage servants were attending to customers, showcasing the items on display.

As Han Li entered, one of the servants approached him with a smile.

“Step aside. I will attend to this senior,” a middle-aged man in a white robe, who had been enjoying tea in a corner, quickly approached and stopped the servant after confirming Han Li’s cultivation level.

“It is an honor to have you visit our Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, senior. I don’t think you will find what you are looking for on the first floor. How about you come up to the third floor with me?”

“Alright, I was just about to look for the person in charge here anyway,” Han Li replied calmly and followed the middle-aged man up the stairs. The cultivators who were choosing items on the first floor realized that Han Li was a Nascent Soul stage cultivator.

The third floor of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion wasn’t very large, but it was elegantly and luxuriously decorated. Young and beautiful female cultivators immediately brought tea when the middle-aged man came up.

“Senior, this is our Wuyu Spirit Tea (霧雨靈茶), which we acquired at a high price. It has a unique fragrance,” the middle-aged man said with a smile as he introduced the tea after Han Li sat down.

“The tea can wait. First, I need to check if you have the materials I want. I’ve already visited quite a few shops, but I haven’t been able to find what I’m looking for anywhere,” Han Li said calmly, ignoring the tea, and took out a green jade slip from his sleeve and placed it on the table.

“It seems you are in a hurry, senior, so I will look at the list first. However, since you haven’t been able to find what you want at other shops, I don’t think you are looking for ordinary materials,” the middle-aged man said with a smile, took the jade slip, and infused it with his spiritual sense. After a moment, the middle-aged man’s expression changed subtly.

Han Li wasn’t surprised. The owners of the other shops had already shown similar reactions. The materials he was looking for were not only rare treasures that were hard to find in the world, but some of them were also things that they had never even heard of.

“The items you are looking for, senior, are difficult to find in ordinary shops. Our Heavenly Secrets Pavilion also has a piece of Thunder Spirit Essence (뇌영정), but other than that, it will be difficult to help you,” the middle-aged man said with a wry smile after withdrawing his spiritual sense. Han Li, who hadn’t had high hopes, showed a look of joy at those words.

“You have Thunder Spirit Essence?”

“Yes, senior, you are lucky. We just acquired it recently. However, the problem is that it doesn’t belong to us but to another Nascent Soul stage senior. He left it here and wanted to exchange it for other items, but since the trade hasn’t been successful, we were planning to put it up for auction in a few days,” the middle-aged man said hesitantly.

“What does he want to exchange it for? I happen to have various items, so tell me,” Han Li said.

“The materials and elixirs that the senior wants to trade for are listed here. They are also rare treasures. Otherwise, the Thunder Spirit Essence, which is the best material for refining thunder-attribute magic treasures, wouldn’t have remained until now,” the middle-aged cultivator said, handing Han Li a jade slip that he had prepared in advance. Han Li accepted it and immediately infused it with his spiritual sense. The middle-aged man in the white robe carefully observed Han Li’s expression, but unfortunately, the other party remained calm throughout.

‘What is his identity that he has reached the Nascent Soul stage at such a young age and is collecting such rare materials?’

The middle-aged man in the white robe was aware that Han Li was a Nascent Soul stage cultivator, but he couldn’t determine his exact level. He only felt that he was stronger than the seniors he had seen before.

That was why he was being so cautious with Han Li. In fact, if he were an ordinary Nascent Soul stage cultivator, the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, which had a powerful backing, wouldn’t have had any reason to be so careful.

“I have one or two of the items that this cultivator wants. But I will decide whether to trade or not after seeing the Thunder Spirit Essence. If the quality of the spirit stones is too low, it will be useless,” Han Li said after examining all the items on the jade slip and returning it to the middle-aged man.

“Of course. Since important items are being exchanged in this trade, how about the two of you discuss it directly?”

“Alright, I would also like to meet the deputy cultivator. The more Thunder Spirit Essence, the better. He might have more,” Han Li said.

“Then please wait a moment. I will contact him, and he will be here soon,” the middle-aged man said, cupped his fist, and hurriedly left the main hall on the third floor. Only then did Han Li taste the tea on the table, and indeed, the fragrance and taste were exquisite.

After a while, the middle-aged man returned. Han Li, who had been quenching his thirst with tea, looked at the middle-aged man and opened his mouth.

“I heard that your Heavenly Secrets Pavilion produces Heavenly Secret Jade? I heard that the high-grade Heavenly Secret Jade can reduce a cave dwelling to the size of a palm and can also be set with powerful restrictions. Is that true?”

“Haha, Heavenly Secret Jade is indeed our pavilion’s specialty. But there is also a higher grade of Heavenly Secret Jade called Heavenly Secret Talisman (천기부). Of course, it requires extremely rare materials and only a few are produced, so all but a few samples are sold out.”

“Samples? Why don’t you sell them?”

“To be honest, the Heavenly Secret Talismans that we have left are truly precious, and the power of the restrictions that can be deployed is on a different level from the others. So, the higher-ups have deliberately kept a few to trade only when truly rare materials are available.”

“You can’t buy them with spirit stones and only trade them for rare materials… Interesting. I am willing to trade, so bring out a few,” Han Li said, raising the corners of his mouth.

“Although this is the main branch of our pavilion in the Jing Capital, we only have one. We can’t keep all such precious treasures in one place. But the one we have was personally made by Master Hua Yunzi (화운자), a Grandmaster of Refining (煉器大宗師), so it is one of the most precious treasures among all Heavenly Secret Talismans.

The added restrictions are comparable to ancient treasures. Moreover, I am only a manager, so I do not have the authority to trade such treasures. If you are truly willing to trade, I will immediately bring Elder Wang, who is in the secret room. Only he knows what items can be traded for it.”

“Then…”

Han Li was about to say something when his expression suddenly changed, and he closed his mouth.