Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 100

Every time Han Li exhausted his magic power, the woman silently replenished it with her own. By the time they escaped, his Golden Light Brick had turned into a useless piece of paper, and she had lost thirty years of cultivation. They had barely survived, paying a tremendous price.

The woman’s Maiden Reincarnation Technique was truly unique.

Within the cycle of reincarnation, she could only transfer her sealed magic power to a man. She couldn’t undo the seal herself, nor could she transfer it to another woman.

Moreover, there were restrictions on giving magic power; it was bound by the recipient’s cultivation level. Han Li, being only at the Qi Refining stage [the initial stage of cultivation], could only absorb up to thirteen percent of his magic power. He couldn’t hold any more than that, even if she gave it to him.

The magic power he had received just before they broke through the ground was still sustaining him, allowing him to maintain thirteen percent of his power.

‘Nangong Wan.’

He quietly repeated the woman’s name in his mind. He had asked her name just before they parted. The memory of her hesitation made him feel melancholic.

Even if he were a Foundation Establishment cultivator, she would never consider forming any kind of bond with him.

In the cultivation world, their lifespans and statuses were as different as heaven and earth. Her seemingly heartless demeanor was understandable.

Han Li was somewhat confident in reaching the Foundation Establishment stage. However, the Core Formation stage was a different story.

Although there were over ten thousand cultivators in the Yellow Maple Valley, only a few had reached the Core Formation stage. It was not something he, with his mediocre talent, could casually assume.

*Shuk!*

Lost in thought, he vanished into the air like the wind and then reappeared in his original spot.

In his hand, he held a storage pouch, and nearby, on a large tree, lay the lifeless body of a Spirit Beast Mountain disciple. After briefly examining the pouch, he shook his head and set off again.

* * *

On the fifth afternoon of the forbidden expedition, the members of each sect began to move.

The seven Core Formation cultivators once again exerted all their strength to create an exit in the barrier. They waited for the first returnee to emerge from the dark passage.

It was certainly easier than when they first opened the barrier five days ago. Once the passage was created, the seven withdrew their magical treasures. Yet, the passage remained open, gaping towards the forbidden area.

Behind them, a dozen or so Foundation Establishment cultivators, leading their disciples, anxiously watched the entrance. This expedition was crucial for securing Foundation Establishment pills for each sect, so they couldn’t afford to be careless.

Even Old Hag Gong of the Emei Sect had appeared, sitting on a nearby rock with a smug grin. She was clearly confident in her chances of winning the bet.

After an hour, a middle-aged Taoist walked out with a solemn expression. His gray Taoist robe was covered in dust, and there were minor wounds in several places, indicating that he had fought fiercely to escape.

The middle-aged Taoist bowed to the Core Formation Taoist of the Clear Void Sect and sat down to meditate.

The Core Formation Taoist nodded in satisfaction. The sect elder showed no emotion, but Old Hag Gong snorted, her eyes wide open.

Following him, a gentle man from the Fire Dao Sect, the ugly man Jong Oh from the Spirit Beast Mountain, a young man from the Heavenly Vault Fortress, and the Jin siblings from the Yellow Maple Valley emerged, each with varying degrees of injuries. They all looked exhausted, bowed to their seniors, and sat down to meditate.

After a short while, several more people came out in a row, but unlike before, they were all in pairs or trios.

Their expressions varied greatly; some were excited, while others looked miserable.

Nearly twenty people had emerged, but not a single disciple from the Emei Sect was among them.

Everyone looked puzzled, but Old Hag Gong and the Expected Immortal remained calm.

After another short while, two more disciples from other sects emerged, but still, there was no sign of the Emei Sect disciples.

With only an hour left before the barrier’s exit closed, Old Hag Gong and the Expected Immortal exchanged uneasy glances.

At that moment, a figure flashed in the passage, and a Yellow Maple Valley disciple appeared. It was Han Li, with his ordinary appearance and neat attire.

He had just arrived, having killed the disciples he encountered while running at lightning speed. The Emei Sect members had held expectations in the passage, but their eyes showed disappointment upon seeing the Yellow Maple Valley uniform.

After assessing the situation outside the passage, Han Li slowly made his way to his sect’s position and sat down orderly, like the others. Coincidentally, the Jin siblings were sitting right next to him.

Compared to the other sects, the Yellow Maple Valley had a relatively large number of survivors. Besides the Jin siblings, there was the old man, the young man, and Han Li, making a total of five. Other sects had only three or four, and even the Giant Sword Sect had only two survivors. This was indeed a significant number. The sect elder’s face was filled with undisguised joy.

The Yellow Maple Valley disciples were quite surprised to see Han Li, with only eleven percent of his magic power, walk out of the forbidden area unscathed.

However, something seemed to change their minds, and they no longer paid him any attention. They were convinced that he had hidden somewhere like a rat, avoided all fights, and failed to gather any spirit herbs.

As the time for the passage to close drew near, Old Hag Gong and the Expected Immortal became increasingly restless, while the Taoist and the sect elder secretly smiled with satisfaction. Something must have happened to the Emei Sect disciples.

Han Li’s eyebrows twitched as he watched this. He had clearly come out with Nangong Wan, so why weren’t the Emei Sect disciples showing up? He began to worry about her.

He suddenly thought of the other girl he had met in the forbidden area and turned his head towards the Spirit Beast Mountain group. He saw Ham Woon-ji sitting there, meditating, looking perfectly fine. It seemed she hadn’t gotten into any trouble after they parted.

As the time for the passage to close approached, the faces of the Emei Sect members began to look pitifully grim.

The other sect members outwardly expressed concern, but inwardly, they were ecstatic. They had long been envious of the Emei Sect’s position as the leading sect in Yue Country. If they could weaken their power this time, it would be a great thing.

Contrary to many people’s wishes, just before the passage was about to close, a faint shimmer appeared, and more than ten Emei Sect disciples emerged in an orderly fashion. Leading them, of course, was Nangong Wan, with her beautiful face.

Old Hag Gong let out a long sigh of relief at her appearance, and the Expected Immortal immediately rushed to Nangong Wan, grabbing her arm and questioning her with a worried expression. This raised suspicion among the other sect members.

Nangong Wan had met with some Core Formation cultivators before, but she had always worn a veil, so her real face had never been exposed.

Therefore, they couldn’t imagine that the young, beautiful woman before them was the same Nangong Immortal they knew.

Han Li was relieved to see her safe. She was the first woman he had formed a bond with, and it was natural for him to care about her, even if their relationship couldn’t develop further.

The sect elder and the Taoist wore forced smiles. They didn’t know how many spirit herbs the Emei Sect had gathered, but the number of disciples who had survived already surpassed those of the Yellow Maple Valley and the Clear Void Sect.

“Now that all the disciples seem to have come out…”

Just as the Foundation Establishment representative of the Spirit Beast Mountain cleared his throat to speak, someone crawled out of the closing passage.

Unexpectedly, it was the cunning old man of the Yellow Maple Valley, Hyang Ji-rye. There was no sign of the Giant Sword Sect man or the young Taoist who had been gathering spirit herbs with him.

As soon as he crawled out, the passage vibrated and disappeared with a blue flash.

Any disciples who had not yet emerged were now as good as dead. There had never been a case of finding a disciple who had entered the forbidden area before when the barrier was opened again.

No one knew the reason, but they had to leave on time. However, the fact that the last survivor was a Yellow Maple Valley disciple with only ten percent of his magic power seemed to have defied everyone’s expectations. Everyone glanced at Hyang Ji-rye.

“Elder Lee, your sect has many talented individuals. A disciple with eleven percent of his magic power walked out unscathed, and now a disciple with ten percent has survived. It seems the Yellow Maple Valley’s leadership is exceptional, and I am impressed.”

The Giant Sword Sect cultivator was filled with resentment. Not only were there only two survivors from his sect, but the barefoot man they had been counting on had not appeared. Meanwhile, even low-level disciples from the Yellow Maple Valley had survived. Naturally, his tone was full of sarcasm and ridicule.

The sect elder’s face also darkened. He, too, believed that Han Li and Hyang Ji-rye had been hiding somewhere and had come out after stealing whatever they could. Even though he glared at the cunning old man who had just crawled out, he had no choice but to make excuses.

“I don’t know how those with low cultivation survived, but should our seniors be concerned with such matters?”

“Hmph!”

The Giant Sword Sect cultivator was about to retort, clearly annoyed by the sect elder’s hypocrisy, but Old Hag Gong couldn’t hold back and interrupted.

“What are you two fighting about? The disciples survived because they had the ability to do so. Now, that’s enough! Lee Ga-ya, let’s quickly settle the results of the bet. How long do you expect me to wait at my age?”

Old Hag Gong’s urging made the Giant Sword Sect cultivator and the sect elder unwilling to provoke her.

They exchanged glances, forced a smile, and stopped arguing. They had no intention of being targeted by the old hag and suffering her harassment.

Now, under Old Hag Gong’s leadership, the Clear Void Sect’s Bu Woon-ja Taoist and the sect elder gathered to determine the winner based on the harvest and the number of disciples who had returned from the forbidden area.

Only four disciples from the Clear Void Sect had returned from the forbidden area. However, everyone’s expressions changed subtly when the Taoist who had first emerged from the forbidden area presented his spirit herbs.

“Three roots of hundred-year Blood Orchid, two three-hundred-year Heavenly Spirit Fruits, three roots of four-hundred-year Jade Marrow Fungus…”

As the Taoist laid out twelve spirit herbs one by one, everyone around him looked surprised. Only Bu Woon-ja wore a triumphant smile, looking satisfied. The items presented by the Yellow Maple Valley elder and the Emei Sect’s male disciple were insignificant compared to the middle-aged Taoist’s haul.

Next, the second Clear Void Sect Taoist presented eight spirit herbs, which was also well above average.

The sect elder began to feel uneasy, and Old Hag Gong’s smug smile gradually faded.

Other elders from the four sects who had heard about the bet had also come to observe the scene.

However, the spirit herbs presented by the Jin siblings next lifted the sect elder’s spirits.

The two of them had gathered nearly twenty spirit herbs, which was comparable to the two Taoists. Moreover, the next Clear Void Sect disciple presented only four, which was just average.

The Emei Sect’s performance was mediocre, with three disciples consecutively presenting less than five spirit herbs, which reassured the other elders.