Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 769

After seeing the old man off, Han Li confirmed he was gone and returned to his room, entering the secret chamber. He sat in a lotus position, closed his eyes, and entered a meditative state.

……

Meanwhile, as the bluish-faced old man left the corridor, other Deity Transformation cultivators were waiting for him.

“How was it, Brother Liu? Did you get any information?”

“Information? He’s very tight-lipped. Other than admitting he’s an Ascendant, he didn’t say anything. Rather, I ended up telling him a few things.”

Old Man Liu shook his head.

“Haha, it’s natural for him to be wary if you approach him so abruptly. Anyway, it’s not like we have ulterior motives; we just want to get along. Ascendants usually have great potential, don’t they?”

The Deity Transformation cultivators exchanged words, discussing Han Li, but there was no malicious intent in the atmosphere.

* * *

The next morning, Han Li, who had been quietly meditating in the secret chamber, suddenly opened his eyes. He got up, left the secret chamber, and headed to the reception room.

He used his spirit token to open the door as he had the day before, and a cultivator in a white robe stood outside with a calm expression.

“Greetings, Senior.”

Han Li immediately bowed with cupped hands.

It was the gold-armored cultivator with the pale face and no beard. Today, he was dressed in scholar’s robes, exuding an otherworldly, immortal-like aura.

“Fellow Daoist Han, there’s no need to be so formal. Brother Li has some business, so I’ve come to see you alone today. My name is Zhao Wugui.”

The Nascent Soul cultivator with the surname Zhao was much friendlier than the day before. Han Li was inwardly startled but quickly addressed him as ‘Senior Zhao’ and invited him inside, where they sat facing each other in the reception room.

“By now, you should have some understanding of the Heavenly Origin City. To put it simply, you are an Ascendant cultivator, and you endured the dual-colored lightning tribulation [a powerful test of cultivation] for a long time, which means you are quite skilled.

Therefore, I have already applied for your position as a Clear Sky Guard. This is your identity spirit token, so keep it safe. From now on, you will be in charge of Squad 56 of the Third Division. The four people you saw at the Transfer Hall yesterday belong to this squad.”

As soon as Zhao Wugui sat down, he said this and flipped his palm, handing over a bluish jade token.

“I have just arrived here and still don’t know much. Isn’t it too early for me to take on the role of a Clear Sky Guard?”

Han Li did not immediately accept it and spoke with a hesitant expression.

“There’s no need to worry. Every Ascendant cultivator who comes to this city takes on the role of a Clear Sky Guard, and most of them have done well. You’ll gradually become familiar with the city’s situation after living here for about half a year.”

“Since Senior says so, then I won’t refuse.”

Han Li’s eyes sparkled, and he finally accepted the jade token.

On one side of the jade token, silver runes were engraved, and on the other side, the characters ‘Third Division 56’ were written in gold.

As Han Li accepted the jade token, Zhao Wugui nodded with satisfaction and told him a few things about Heavenly Origin City. Some of it was the same as what Old Man Liu had told him, and some of it was new.

“That’s enough for now. This place is only a temporary residence for Ascendant cultivators, so it’s not good to stay here for long. Any cultivator above the Nascent Soul stage can have their own estate in Heavenly Origin City. You have to earn the right to choose which estate you want. You can find out the details at the Jade Palace Pavilion. And this is a map of the city, so take a good look at it. Since you are new to the city, you don’t have to take up your post right away for the first month, but from next month, you must receive your Clear Sky Armor and fulfill your duties.”

Zhao Wugui took out a white jade slip from his storage pouch and handed it to Han Li before getting up from his seat.

* * *

Back in his room, Han Li took out the jade slip and lightly touched it to his forehead, infusing it with his consciousness. After a moment, his expression changed.

“Heavenly Origin City is this big? In terms of area, it’s similar to the three major cities of the human race, like Heavenly Origin City.”

His expression was complex and subtle as he withdrew his consciousness.

He fiddled with the jade slip in one hand before putting it away and leaving the room. He planned to go to the Jade Palace Pavilion first to secure a residence before thinking about anything else. From what Zhao Wugui had said, it seemed that finding a residence would not be easy.

Intrigued, he recalled the location of the Jade Palace Pavilion and transformed into a streak of blue light, leaving the Flying Spirit Hall.

* * *

Passing by a dozen or so towering pagodas, Han Li silently observed the cultivators coming and going.

Around the pagoda where he was staying, cultivators wearing various colored armor frequently appeared, but once he left that area, the cultivators were wearing ordinary clothes.

He couldn’t tell if they had simply taken off their armor or if they were not affiliated with Heavenly Origin City at all.

What was clear was that one had to wear armor to go back and forth to the pagodas.

The soldiers moving around the lower levels of the pagodas were Body Refinement cultivators wearing yellow or white armor.

Among them, those wearing yellow armor were mid-stage Body Refinement cultivators, and those wearing white armor were high-stage Body Refinement cultivators.

Their numbers were far greater than those wearing black and blue armor who frequented the upper and middle levels of the pagodas. Seeing this, Han Li realized that the true power of Heavenly Origin City lay in the numerous soldiers who frequented the pagodas.

The power was clearly divided in the order of yellow (mid-stage Body Refinement), white (high-stage Body Refinement), black (Nascent Soul cultivators), blue (Deity Transformation cultivators), and gold (Integration cultivators) armor.

It was so clear!

Han Li carefully observed the pagodas and armored soldiers as he headed towards his destination.

After another half an hour, when he faintly saw a massive city wall, he turned his light and landed in front of a nondescript three-story pavilion.

It was neither large nor impressive in appearance, but the number of cultivators entering and exiting was considerable.

Even as he stood there for a moment, seven or eight cultivators entered. On the plaque hanging above the pavilion’s main gate, the three characters ‘Jade Palace Pavilion’ were written in grand, ancient script.

After looking at the plaque, he stepped inside the pavilion.

The first floor was a large hall where dozens of cultivators stood, looking at a large blue screen in front of them. A map was embroidered on the screen, and silver numbers were constantly flashing above it.

A middle-aged man with a long face, wearing a blue robe, stood in front of it with a smile.

After scanning the interior with his consciousness, Han Li realized that they were all Nascent Soul cultivators, and only the middle-aged man in the blue robe was a Deity Transformation cultivator.

Suddenly, a small, frail old man stepped forward and respectfully bowed to the middle-aged man in the blue robe. He then offered a black iron token and a storage pouch with both hands.

The middle-aged man looked at the iron token and examined the storage pouch before nodding. The storage pouch disappeared as he flipped his palm, and the iron token was returned to the frail old man.

The old man briskly walked to the screen and shone the iron token towards a certain spot on the map, and a black line seeped into it.

The silver number ‘2’ flickered and changed to ‘3’. After that, the old man immediately returned to his place.

For the duration of a meal, a dozen or so people stepped forward and offered items or spirit stones.

The middle-aged man would nod and allow them to mark the map, but he shook his head at two of them.

During that time, Han Li realized that the large map was surprisingly a map of the spirit veins [lines of spiritual energy] throughout Heavenly Origin City.

The darker the blue, the larger the number, and the places that were almost turquoise had the number ’12’ written on them.

Han Li roughly guessed what Zhao Wugui had meant. To find a suitable estate, one had to compete with others.

“Senior, are you looking for a place to establish your estate?”

A clear voice came from beside him. Han Li turned his head at the clear voice and saw a slender, pretty woman standing respectfully. The female cultivator’s cultivation was extremely low, around the Foundation Establishment stage, and she was wearing a maid’s uniform.

“Yes, I’m thinking of finding a suitable place. But there doesn’t seem to be any spirit mountain here that I like.”

“You are a Deity Transformation cultivator, aren’t you? The first floor is for the Black Iron Guards, so you should go to the second floor, Senior.”

The woman smiled and guided Han Li.

“How did you know I was a Deity Transformation cultivator? Your cultivation shouldn’t allow you to do that.”

Han Li was rather startled, and his gaze turned cold.

“There’s no need to be surprised. Although my cultivation is low, I have a Spirit Pressure Disc, so it’s possible. Unless Seniors deliberately hide their aura, I can recognize it to some extent.”

The maid immediately raised one hand and showed him a round formation disc on her wrist. Silver characters that looked like runes were flashing on the surface of the disc.

Han Li’s head ached when he saw it.

He wondered which human race senior had interpreted the Golden Jade Book on formations and alchemy to this extent, as it was used everywhere in Heavenly Origin City.

If this was the case, the techniques he used outside would be easily neutralized, so he needed to do more in-depth research. Otherwise, he might be harmed without even knowing how.

Han Li put his thoughts aside for a moment and nodded to the woman. He followed her to the second floor.

The second floor was smaller than the first floor but decorated with much more elegant ornaments. There was the same screen map, but chairs were placed on both sides.

Four or five people were sitting and looking at the map, and a burly man with a square face, wearing a purple robe, was sitting languidly right next to the screen.

Han Li’s expression subtly changed as he scanned the burly man with his consciousness. The man was an early-stage Integration cultivator, and the others were Deity Transformation cultivators. Behind each of them stood a beautiful woman, dressed in the uniform of the Jade Palace Pavilion maids.

Han Li took a deep breath, bowed to the burly man in the purple robe from afar, and then sat down in a chair guided by the maid. She, like the other maids, stood respectfully behind Han Li, keeping her mouth shut.

Han Li glanced at the others and then fixed his gaze on the turquoise map of heaven, earth, and humans.

It also showed the spirit veins throughout Heavenly Origin City, but the silver numbers were lower than on the first floor’s map. Most of them were ‘1’ or ‘2’, and at most, ‘4’ was the highest.

Han Li pondered for a moment and then ordered the maid.

“I don’t know much about the nearby spirit lands, so you should give me a brief explanation.”

“Yes, Senior. The map shows the three mountain ranges belonging to Heavenly Origin City. The central Emerald Cascade Mountain is considered to have the highest spirit energy, and it is where most of the Deity Transformation Seniors’ estates are located. It is also the source of several special spirit herbs. Recently, two of the Deity Transformation Seniors who were staying in this mountain range failed to overcome their heavenly tribulation [a trial to advance in cultivation], and one passed away due to old age. According to regulations, their spirit lands have been reclaimed, making it the most competitive place.

Next, the Heavenly Rhythm Mountain is slightly inferior, but there are many places suitable for Deity Transformation Seniors to stay. Of course, it cannot compare to the spirit energy of Emerald Cascade Mountain.

Finally, the Jinglai Mountain was originally the spirit land of Nascent Soul cultivators, but recently, it has been allocated to Deity Transformation Seniors. The spirit energy may be a bit lacking, but there are few Seniors staying there, so you can occupy the largest spirit land. You can use a vast spirit land of ten thousand miles alone.”

“I see.”

Han Li slowly nodded, his gaze fixed on the screen. The maid discreetly returned behind him and glanced at Han Li. She was curious that Han Li, who looked like a young man, was already a Deity Transformation cultivator.

Suddenly, a fat man stood up and strode forward. He offered a silk box and a blue jade token to the burly man in the purple robe with both hands.

“This is a four-thousand-year-old Silver Immortal Mushroom that I obtained recently. Please see if I am qualified to choose a spirit land.”

“A four-thousand-year-old Silver Immortal Mushroom is not easy to find. Let me take a look and then we’ll talk.”

The burly man accepted the jade token and the silk box and examined them.

When the lid of the silk box was opened, a faint silver light spread out, and a deep, refreshing fragrance of herbs filled the air. Even Han Li, who had seen his fair share of spirit herbs and plants, had to admit that it was of a high standard.

“Hmm. It seems to be a few hundred years short of four thousand years, but it’s close enough. You’re qualified.”

The burly man in the purple robe looked inside the silk box and reluctantly agreed.