Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 1027

Han Li turned his gaze towards the woman and the old man, who were standing some distance away. They exchanged a look, then hesitantly began to approach, moving at a snail’s pace.

“We were in grave danger, being pursued by the Rong people. We are deeply grateful for your assistance. We were truly amazed by Brother Han’s extraordinary abilities.”

“If we hadn’t encountered Brother Han, we might have lost our lives. Thank you,” the old man said, offering a respectful bow with clasped hands. Moon Fairy, having regained her composure, also sighed in relief.

“It was nothing. It seems you both have also depleted your magical power and were unable to shake off the Rong people’s pursuit. Besides, we entered the Guanghan Realm [a specific realm or dimension] together from Yuncheng, so I couldn’t just ignore you when you were in danger. I simply did what was necessary,” Han Li replied with a smile, maintaining a humble tone.

“That’s right. Moon Fairy and I suffered significant injuries to our vital energy when we were attacked by the Rong people and forced to flee. We will certainly repay Fellow Daoist Han’s kindness,” the old man said, feeling much more at ease with Han Li’s friendly demeanor. At that moment, Moon Fairy suddenly produced a jade box and spoke.

“This is the Nine Flame Grass, which is now extinct in the Spirit Realm [a higher realm of cultivation]. It’s a crucial ingredient for making several elixirs, which is why the Rong people have been chasing us. I offer this to you as a reward for saving our lives.”

She tossed the jade box without hesitation. The old man beside her looked momentarily stunned but soon smiled. Han Li was surprised, but he drew the jade box towards himself. Several blue talismans were attached to the outside of the box.

He blinked and blew a blue aura from his mouth, causing the talismans to fall off. Then, he opened the lid. A ball of light escaped from inside, attempting to flee.

However, Han Li, having anticipated this, wouldn’t let it get away. He reached out and pulled the ball of light back with an invisible force.

“You must be careful,” Moon Fairy warned hurriedly when she saw this.

“It’s alright,” Han Li replied, his palm glowing gold. The ball of light spun around and landed safely in his hand. The spirit grass was shaped like a flame and emitted nine rays of spiritual light.

The area around the finger-sized spirit grass radiated heat. However, Han Li felt no heat even while holding it. The old man, surnamed Xu, looked at him strangely and then burst into laughter.

“Moon Fairy, you worried for nothing. With Brother Han’s strength, what problem could mere heat cause!”

“That’s true. I heard that the spiritual light emitted by the Nine Flame Grass can melt even stones, but you are not affected at all. Fellow Daoist Han’s abilities are truly amazing,” Moon Fairy said with a wry smile.

“I’ve only mastered a special technique to resist heat, so my strength isn’t that great. I also needed the Nine Flame Grass, so I’ll accept it without any shame,” Han Li said as he examined the spirit grass closely. He placed the spirit grass back into the jade box, reattached the talismans, and put it into his sleeve.

Moon Fairy smiled at this, and the old man, surnamed Xu, felt a pang of jealousy but laughed it off, considering Han Li’s earlier display of strength. Then, Han Li suddenly produced two blue medicine bottles and tossed them to the woman and the old man.

“What are these?” the old man asked, looking puzzled.

“I can’t just accept such a precious spirit grass like the Nine Flame Grass without giving anything in return. This is an elixir that can enhance the magical power of cultivators up to the ninth level of the Upper Realm [a higher realm of cultivation]. I thought it might be helpful for your cultivation, so I’m giving it to you as compensation for the spirit grass.”

“The ninth level of the Upper Realm!” the old man exclaimed, opening the medicine bottle and scanning the inside with his consciousness. A smile bloomed on his face. Moon Fairy’s eyes also sparkled at the fragrant scent of the elixir.

“That’s right. It will definitely be helpful for cultivation! But Fellow Daoist Han, you saved our lives, and it’s embarrassing to receive something like this again,” the old man said, having regained his composure, hesitating as he looked at the jade bottle.

“If a cultivator of the Saint Realm [a very high realm of cultivation] who cultivates fire-attribute techniques saw the Nine Flame Grass, they might have given even more than this. It’s just a small token of my sincerity, so please accept it without any hesitation.”

“If you say so, then I will gratefully accept it,” the old man said, accepting the medicine bottle. Moon Fairy also bowed and put it into her sleeve.

“By the way, are you alone here?” the old man finally asked, looking around.

“I had two companions, but we were in a dangerous situation a while ago and got separated,” Han Li answered honestly, without trying to hide anything.

“Ah, that’s unfortunate,” the old man said, shaking his head and sighing. Moon Fairy also looked regretful.

“What do you mean by that? Is there something that requires the help of cultivators?” Han Li asked. The old man, surnamed Xu, glanced at the woman, as if seeking permission. Moon Fairy pondered for a moment and then spoke.

“That place has already been occupied by the Rong people. It’s absolutely impossible for the two of us. Brother Han might have a way, so it would be good to talk about it. If we succeed, we don’t need anything else, just a copy of the Golden Seal Script.”

‘Golden Seal Script!’ Han Li’s expression changed slightly.

“Our group discovered a secret cave with the Golden Seal Script written on it, along with the Rong people,” the old man said, sighing with a dark expression.

“Before we could break the restriction and copy the technique, we fell into a trap set by the Rong people, and all the other cultivators were killed. Moon Fairy and I barely escaped using a secret technique, but our vital energy was greatly damaged. If you are interested, Fellow Daoist, you can go and take a look. There might be other treasures hidden inside the mysterious cave besides the Golden Seal Script.”

“So that’s what happened. But even if we go to the cave now, isn’t it already too late?” Han Li asked.

“You don’t have to worry about that. The restriction inside the cave is so powerful, and the Golden Seal Script is divided into several parts, so it will take quite a long time to obtain all of it. If we leave right away, I am confident that we can arrive in time,” Moon Fairy answered calmly.

“How many Rong people are there?” Han Li asked.

“There should be about ten. Those cunning fellows didn’t show their faces when they first asked us to explore the cave, but after discovering the Golden Seal Script, they called in the rest. Since there are many of them, it would be best for Fellow Daoist to act discreetly,” the old man urged, still grinding his teeth over the incident.

“If there are that many, a head-on confrontation would be impossible. But how did you two know that the secret cave and the Golden Seal Script written there were a technique and a secret art? I know that only a very few people throughout the heavens have mastered the Golden Seal Script,” Han Li asked.

“That is…”

“You are very perceptive. We both learned about the secret cave with the Golden Seal Script from an elder in our clan. To be honest, both Fellow Daoist Xu and I have mastered a little of the Golden Seal Script, so we were able to confirm that the technique written there is the ‘Spirit Refining Art,’” the woman answered instead of the hesitant old man.

“Spirit Refining Art,” Han Li said, blinking in surprise.

“I heard that it is a miraculous technique that can increase the power of consciousness several times, and that if you cultivate it, it will be of great help in overcoming the bottleneck of the Combination Realm [a high realm of cultivation],” the old man added, without hiding anything further.

“Is there a heaven-defying technique that can increase the power of consciousness?” Han Li asked.

“That’s right, as Fellow Daoist Xu said. Our two clans learned about the existence of the secret cave and the Golden Seal Script when the Guanghan Realm was opened before, but we had trouble pinpointing the exact location. After locating the secret cave, we realized that the restriction at the entrance was too profound, and that we could only enter if we had mastered the Golden Seal Script to some extent.

So, we searched every corner of the Thunder Continent for information about the Golden Seal Script, and that’s how Fellow Daoist Xu and I came to master it. Thinking about it, it seems that the Rong people’s appearance this time was not a coincidence. They must have been watching our two clans from a long time ago,” the woman explained in detail.

“If the Spirit Refining Art is that miraculous, then I can go to the secret cave. But since I don’t know the Golden Seal Script, I’m worried that even if I obtain the Spirit Refining Art, it won’t be of any benefit to me,” Han Li said after pondering for a while.

“Haha, if Brother Han can find the technique and make a copy for each of us, we will teach you the Golden Seal Script. This is our reward for you taking action on our behalf,” the old man replied hurriedly when he saw that Han Li was interested. Moon Fairy did not object to this either.

“Since you have said so much, I should go and take a look. If it’s alright, could you make a copy of the map for me?” Han Li asked.

“I will make a copy for you right away. Please wait a moment,” the old man, surnamed Xu, said, overjoyed that Han Li had made up his mind. He took out a jade slip, placed it on his forehead, closed his eyes, and then withdrew his consciousness after a while.

“We will wait here, so please be careful,” the old man said, handing over the jade slip and smiling.

“There is an island not far from here. If you rest there, we will join you as soon as we find the Golden Seal Script,” he added. With these words, Han Li turned into a streak of blue light and flew away. He flickered a few times before disappearing from sight.

“Do you think Fellow Daoist Han will succeed?” the woman asked.

“Well, it would be impossible for an ordinary cultivator of the Upper Realm, but the strength that he showed was comparable to that of a cultivator in the early stage of the Saint Realm. I think there is a 50% chance of success. There are also powerful individuals among the Rong people,” the old man replied.

“He has to succeed. If the plan that our two clans have been working on for so long goes wrong, and we don’t even get the Spirit Refining Art, I don’t know what kind of punishment we will receive when we return,” the woman sighed.

“It couldn’t be helped!” the old man said.

“If we had known that the Rong people had such intentions, we would never have joined forces with them. It’s like we broke the restriction for them for nothing,” the woman said.

“It’s no use regretting it now. If we had refused to go with them, they would have immediately called in the rest of their group and attacked us. Moreover, if we had been ambushed outside the secret cave, we wouldn’t have been able to escape by using the terrain and the power of the restriction,” the old man said, shaking his head at the woman’s cold words.

“I guess so. We can only wait for Fellow Daoist Han to succeed and return,” the woman said. Moon Fairy looked at the place where Han Li had disappeared with a glint in her eyes, and the old man, surnamed Xu, stroked his beard silently.

Meanwhile, Han Li was moving at a very fast speed, with his eyes half-closed and the jade slip on his head.

The map of the secret cave that the old man, surnamed Xu, had copied for him, and the path he had already explored, were marked in a rather complex manner.

“Spirit Refining Art…” Han Li murmured softly. He had fully experienced how much help a strong consciousness could be since he had cultivated the Great Development Technique [a specific cultivation technique].

If he could strengthen his consciousness with a secret technique, it would help him every time he overcame a bottleneck in his cultivation, and it would also greatly increase the number of Gold Devouring Beetles he could release at once.

Having a strong consciousness would also be of great help in various ways, such as refining elixirs and deploying formations. If such a heaven-defying technique existed outside of the Immortal Realm, it would only be in the Guanghan Realm in the Spirit Realm.

He had no intention of giving up such a great opportunity before his eyes. Han Li’s calm heart was stirred and agitated.

The secret cave was a day’s journey from where he had started. He was not too worried about the Rong people guarding the secret cave. As long as there were no cultivators in the Combination Realm, he had many ways to escape even if they were numerous.

Han Li organized his thoughts and summoned the Wind Lightning Wings with a thunderous sound. He disappeared with a sonic boom and appeared a hundred feet away in the next moment.

A flash of blue and white light flickered and disappeared across the sky. He was afraid that the Rong people would break the restriction first and seize the Golden Seal Script. Han Li used his magical power without reservation and flew at full speed, covering a day’s journey in half a day.