Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 1000

The Thousand Transformations Mask was as thin as a handkerchief, and a faint warmth emanated from it at the fingertips. Even Han Li, with his extensive knowledge, couldn’t discern what material it was made of.

What drew his attention even more were the tiny, silver-colored magic characters engraved on the leather mask. Recognizing the nature of these characters, Han Li’s expression subtly changed, and he glanced at Liu Shui’er.

Liu Shui’er, noticing his gaze, asked with a puzzled look, “Brother Han, have you seen something like this before?”

“This is Senior Cai’s unique treasure; how could I have seen it before?” Han Li replied casually, not showing any surprise.

“Then why did you look at it like that…?”

“Haha, the material is so unique that I was wondering if I could identify it. I thought I had heard a lot, but I can’t figure out how it was refined. I’ve shown a shameful side to you, Senior.”

“I see. I don’t know the refining method either, but I remember my master saying that the Thousand Transformations Mask is made by fusing the hides of seven rare spirit beasts.”

“Thanks to you, I’ve broadened my knowledge.” Han Li casually rubbed the silver magic characters on the mask with his fingertip. Unlike his calm exterior, his mind was in turmoil. The silver magic characters on the Thousand Transformations Mask were, surprisingly, the Silver Script of the Golden Jade Codex [a powerful cultivation manual].

‘If this is Cai Liuying’s unique treasure, does that mean she also possesses a fragment of the Golden Jade Codex?’

At that moment, Liu Shui’er spoke again, “Although it’s a great treasure, you can’t transform just by wearing the mask. You need to obtain the flesh and hide of the target to successfully transform perfectly.”

“Wouldn’t it be enough to find and kill a lone Dark Beast? Come to think of it, that one from earlier would be perfect!” At those words, Shi Kun’s eyes flashed, and he turned yellow and seeped into the ground. Liu Shui’er hesitated but let him go.

“Is it alright to let Brother Shi go alone?” The woman asked Han Li quietly after Shi Kun disappeared using earth escape techniques.

“Didn’t you let him go because you thought he would be fine? I think the same. I checked the surroundings with my consciousness, and there were no other demonic beasts. Shi Kun also must be confident, so he went.” Half an hour later, a yellow light flickered from the ground where Shi Kun had disappeared, and Shi Kun reappeared. He grinned at Han Li and Liu Shui’er and pulled out a dark object from his sleeve. It was the black hide of a Dark Beast.

“Liu Su, is this good enough?” Shi Kun asked proudly.

“You got it without a single scratch. I’ll teach you the incantation, so try using the Thousand Transformations Mask right away.” The woman examined the hide and smiled.

She moved her lips and told Han Li and Shi Kun the incantation for the Thousand Transformations Mask. After a while, Liu Shui’er stopped transmitting the sound, and Shi Kun threw the hide into the air and cast a spell.

*Paa!* The Thousand Transformations Mask turned silver and seeped into the Dark Beast hide. The hide, filled with silver magic characters, slowly fell onto the burly Shi Kun.

The silver light spread, and the giant enveloped in the demonic beast hide transformed into a Dark Beast. Everything, from the black fur to the sharp claws, was exactly like a real Dark Beast.

“Amazing! It seems like nothing changed, but it transformed so perfectly.” Shi Kun, now a Dark Beast, lifted his front paw and burst into laughter.

“If it didn’t have that much effect, I wouldn’t have taken it out.” Liu Shui’er smiled.

“I’ll use it well, Liu Su. It will be a great help in passing through the Dark Beast Forest!” The black Dark Beast spoke human words and grinned. Han Li, seeing Shi Kun’s transformation, had more faith in the mask.

“Liu Su and I haven’t obtained Dark Beast hides yet, but to save time, it would be better to move first. We can deal with any Dark Beasts that have strayed from the pack along the way.”

“I agree. Let’s move as quickly as possible.” Liu Shui’er immediately agreed with Han Li’s words. They quietly hid in the darkness.

Shi Kun had already transformed into a Dark Beast, but he still emitted a yellow cloud from his mouth. Surrounded by the cloud, he turned into a faint yellow aura and became almost invisible in the darkness.

Liu Shui’er took out a jade pendant from her waist and transformed it into a large rat. When she stepped on it, a white light emanated, enveloping her and turning her transparent.

Han Li’s Azure Bamboo Cloud Sword had been refined and became an extremely pure wood-attribute treasure. In a place with a dense wood-attribute spiritual energy like the forest, using stealth techniques would naturally blend his aura, so he didn’t need to use a separate concealment technique.

Han Li summoned a small blue flying sword from his sleeve and flew away, creating a dim light. Instantly blending into his surroundings, he silently cut through the air.

* * *

A few days later, a slender female Dark Beast was walking on the ground covered with fallen leaves. Suddenly, a navy blue aura flowed out from a nearby giant tree and enveloped the Dark Beast. The female Dark Beast was terrified and shrieked sharply, emitting black light from its front paws.

However, the navy blue light swirled and turned into a giant light orb, covering the Dark Beast. Its sharp claws couldn’t break through the navy blue light orb.

Soon, a white light flashed from the giant tree, and Liu Shui’er emerged. She was muttering incantations towards the navy blue light orb.

The light orb, controlled by Liu Shui’er, turned into a large navy blue barrier, and she also turned into a white light and jumped inside. The Dark Beast rushed in without hesitation, summoning three black shadow monsters.

*Whirr!* Liu Shui’er calmly opened her mouth and spat out a mass of navy blue threads. The navy blue threads formed a net, trying to capture the Dark Beast and the black shadow incarnations. The Dark Beast didn’t back down, spewing black light pillars from its mouth while wildly swinging its front paws.

*Kuurrrung!* Inside the barrier, black and navy blue lights collided, creating a loud roar, but the barrier blocked the sound and impact, so it barely leaked out. Outside the light barrier, blue and yellow auras flickered, and Han Li and Shi Kun silently floated in the air.

“Seriously, why does it have to be a female Dark Beast! I really don’t understand.” Shi Kun shook his head, and Han Li replied calmly.

“There must be a reason why Liu Su insisted on it.”

“Well, Liu Su is a woman, so she must have her reasons. By the way, I also found it strange that you let the Dark Beast you encountered two days ago go. Why did you do that?” Shi Kun, looking into the barrier, turned to Han Li with a strange look.

“That Dark Beast already had many wounds on its body. Even if we got its hide, I don’t know if we could transform properly.” Han Li calmly replied, not taking his eyes off the light barrier.

“I see. I thought you were showing mercy because the injured Dark Beast had young cubs! Well, how could cultivators like us be swayed by such personal feelings? It’s meaningless.” Shi Kun said pompously. Han Li just smiled and closed his mouth. As they were talking, a heavy rumble was felt inside the light barrier.

Han Li, who was watching, narrowed his eyes, and Shi Kun also looked a little surprised. Soon, the light barrier split open, and Liu Shui’er appeared, with a soaked Dark Beast lying next to her.

Han Li scanned the demonic beast with his consciousness and found that it had already stopped breathing.

“Excellent skill. I didn’t know Liu Su’s water-attribute divine power was this great. You even caught the Dark Beast faster than me.” Shi Kun, erasing his surprise, offered words of praise.

“My skills are still lacking. How can I compare to Brother Shi?” Liu Shui’er smiled, lifting the Dark Beast into the air.

“Haha, if that’s lacking, then my skills are not even worth mentioning! Since Liu Su has also obtained a Dark Beast hide, now only Han Su is left. You should come up with a plan as soon as possible before going deeper.”

“Don’t worry. It’s a matter of life and death for me, so I will be fully prepared.” Han Li smiled nonchalantly.

* * *

Three days later, a Dark Beast larger than the average was trapped inside a blue barrier in a winding valley. Every time Han Li changed his hand seals while floating above it, the light barrier flickered slightly.

Liu Shui’er and Shi Kun, who were watching the light barrier from the side, had different expressions but were equally astonished. The blue light barrier seemed to have a physical presence, and even when they tried to peek inside, it repelled all their consciousness.

The blue light barrier was none other than Han Li’s Spring Dawn Sword Formation [a powerful technique using swords]! Not long after, Han Li released his hand seals and shook his sleeves.

*Woong.* The blue light barrier scattered and rose into dozens of blue flying swords. They shrank to the size of a palm, and then the swords swarmed like a school of fish and disappeared into his sleeves.

In the place where the sword formation had been, a huge Dark Beast lay bleeding. Seeing this, Liu Shui’er and Shi Kun exchanged glances, revealing their wariness of Han Li.

Han Li knew this but pretended not to notice and went down next to the Dark Beast’s corpse.

“Now that I’ve obtained a Dark Beast hide, I can cross the Dark Beast Forest without worry.”

“Of course. But I didn’t know that Brother Han possessed the famous sword formation divine power. I couldn’t even see what was happening inside, even when I tried to peek. Just the ability to block consciousness shows why the sword formation is considered so great.”

“That’s what I’m saying. It took some time to lure the Dark Beast into the sword formation and kill it, but I didn’t feel even the slightest vibration! With the sword formation divine power, there would be no one below the Star Realm [a high cultivation level] who could stand against you.”

Liu Shui’er smiled wryly, and Shi Kun showered him with sincere praise.

“Haha, you two are flattering me too much. How could you, who are so favored by the seniors, be afraid of the power of a sword formation? I know that the skills you have shown so far are just the tip of the iceberg.” Han Li chuckled, hitting them right on the mark.

Shi Kun, startled by those words, looked at Han Li and laughed.

“Hey, Han Su’s divine powers are not to be underestimated either! Let’s stop praising each other and get to the point. If we go for about two more days, we will enter the central part of the Dark Beast Forest, where Dark Beasts are swarming. Even if we have transformed, we must be careful.”

“From now on, we shouldn’t attack even lone Dark Beasts unless absolutely necessary. The restrictions of the Thousand Transformations Mask might fool ordinary Dark Beasts, but the Three-Eyed Dark Beasts will surely notice the aura. We shouldn’t spread our consciousness too far either. Once we start fighting using our magic power, we can no longer hide our aura, so please keep that in mind.” Liu Shui’er also hardened her expression and earnestly urged them.

“If we have to use our hands, we can’t take as much time as we did now. The three of us must attack at once, kill the opponent in a short time, and leave to minimize the danger,” Shi Kun added, pondering.

“If we encounter a high-level Dark Beast, what do you plan to do?”

“If we are caught by a high-level Dark Beast, we will have no choice but to use the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light Combined Attack Technique [a powerful combined attack].” Liu Shui’er replied with a smile to Han Li’s question.

“Ah, I almost forgot! If the three of us use the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light Combined Attack Technique, there is no reason to fear even a high-level Dark Beast.” At those words, Shi Kun’s eyes lit up, and he burst into laughter.

“Still, it would be best to avoid them as much as possible to avoid being chased by a pack of high-level Dark Beasts.” Han Li shook his head, looking worried.

“Don’t worry, Brother Han. Shi Su and I will also be careful. Now that we all have Dark Beast hides, should we transform and leave right away? It would be too noticeable if we traveled together, so it would be better to fly separately, keeping some distance from each other.”

“Let’s do as Liu Su says! I’ll go first!” Shi Kun immediately formed hand seals and shot silver light into the black hide, absorbing it. Then, the burly man was enveloped in the black hide and instantly transformed into a Dark Beast, shooting out like an arrow.

Han Li and Liu Shui’er also immediately used their techniques and flew away in different directions. They used their respective treasures to conceal themselves, making it difficult to find them in the dark shadows of the trees.

After that, they avoided any traces of Dark Beasts from afar and never did anything that could cause trouble.