Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 107

Shortly after, a thought flashed through Zhong Lingdao’s mind. The young man holding the Ascension Token in the Hall of Medical Affairs suddenly seemed to overlap with the person before him.

“Could it be that the disciple who entered the valley with the Ascension Token back then actually succeeded in Qi Condensation?”

“Sect Leader, you remember me. I was able to become a disciple of the Yellow Maple Valley thanks to you, Sect Leader,” Han Li said, not at all flustered by the other’s recognition, and expressed his gratitude. From the way the other party addressed him as ‘Junior Brother’ at every turn, Zhong Lingdao realized that he was no longer a rogue cultivator of the Qi Refining stage but a Qi Condensation cultivator of the same generation as himself. He quickly adjusted his expression and continued speaking in a gentle tone.

“I was merely following the sect’s regulations as the Sect Leader. But for Junior Brother Han to succeed in Qi Condensation with a pseudo-spiritual root like yours, this news will surely cause a stir in the cultivation world.”

Though he didn’t show it outwardly, doubt deepened in Zhong Lingdao’s mind. The probability of someone with a pseudo-spiritual root like Han Li, with four mixed attributes, succeeding in Qi Condensation was extremely low.

“I also didn’t think I would succeed in Qi Condensation with just one Foundation Establishment Pill. It seems I was truly blessed by the heavens,” Han Li joked, making the Sect Leader even more puzzled.

“Junior Brother Han, I thought the Foundation Establishment Pill was given to Junior Brother Ye’s grandson. Where did you get the Foundation Establishment Pill?”

“Hehe! If you hadn’t given it to me, Sect Leader, where else would I have gotten it?”

“Me?”

“You might have forgotten, but the three of us who returned from the Forbidden Expedition were awarded Foundation Establishment Pills, and I was one of them.”

Finally, Han Li answered seriously with a smile on his face.

“Could it be that Junior Brother is the nominal disciple of this Martial Uncle?”

“Yes. Master Li Huayuan accepted me as a nominal disciple during the Forbidden Expedition.”

“So that’s how it was! No wonder the name Han Li sounded so familiar. Junior Brother was the one who made a name for himself two years ago!”

His surprise grew, and his tone naturally became more amiable. Since the other party had succeeded in Qi Condensation, he would soon become a formal disciple of this Martial Ancestor. There was no reason to antagonize such a person.

‘He really is lucky. It’s very difficult to succeed in Qi Condensation with such a spiritual root.’

While Zhong Lingdao was pondering these thoughts, he exchanged a few polite words with Han Li and then left to fetch the register.

Shortly after, he returned with a thin jade book. He added Han Li’s name right below the many names written in gold ink.

With the formalities completed so simply, Han Li felt happy at the thought of obtaining a residence.

Zhong Lingdao, who had been doing this for many years, read Han Li’s thoughts from his expression and smiled. He immediately took out three mid-grade spirit stones and five white mist-covered flags from his storage pouch and handed them to Han Li.

“What are these?”

The spirit stones seemed like a reward for disciples who had succeeded in Qi Condensation, but the palm-sized flags were peculiar.

They felt quite different from ordinary magical artifacts. Zhong Lingdao turned his hand over and gave Han Li another jade book.

“The spirit stones are the sect’s reward for disciples who have just reached the Qi Condensation stage. From now on, you will receive one mid-grade spirit stone every year. You can obtain this without having to take on any other miscellaneous tasks. The five Miasma Flags are essential items for creating a residence. Each one contains a basic formation that causes disorientation, preventing the intrusion of ordinary people or beasts.

Of course, if you are proficient in formations and don’t need these, you don’t have to use them. Finally, the book contains the key points for setting up formations and precautions that Qi Condensation cultivators should be aware of, so please take it back and examine it carefully.”

“Thank you!”

Han Li, having received the items with both hands, quickly expressed his gratitude. He was satisfied, having received the things he needed.

After a brief chat, Han Li bid farewell and left the Hall of Medical Affairs. Originally, he had planned to leave the Yellow Maple Valley immediately and search the mountain range for a suitable place to build a residence.

However, after looking at the book Zhong Lingdao had given him while on his magical artifact, he immediately changed his mind. He turned his magical artifact in a different direction and flew away.

As the name ‘Qilin Hall’ suggested, the place he was heading was one of the most important institutions in the Yellow Maple Valley. It was the place within the Yellow Maple Valley that specialized in raising and taming spirit beasts.

Spirit beasts were actually demon beasts. They were called spirit beasts when cultivators captured and tamed them. Most of the spirit beasts in the Qilin Hall were first-grade spirit beasts.

There were a few second-grade spirit beasts, but they were mostly entrusted by other cultivators and could not be used freely.

Even first-grade spirit beasts greatly helped with the sect’s affairs. For example, they could carry people, guard gates, find spirit herbs, and attack enemies. And Han Li was looking for a demon beast called the Twin-Pupil Rat.

It looked like an ordinary rat, but it had naturally divine eyes. Zhong Lingdao’s book recommended it as a spirit beast that would help him find a suitable residence.

Originally a first-grade mid-level demon beast, the Twin-Pupil Rat could easily see through obstacles that blocked a cultivator’s vision, such as fog, rivers, and thickets, with its two pairs of pupils. It also had a natural tendency to seek out places with abundant spiritual energy and make holes to use as hiding places. Therefore, well-trained Twin-Pupil Rats were beloved by the disciples of the Yellow Maple Valley.

Han Li had visited the Qilin Hall before for work, so the place was not unfamiliar to him. As he landed on a grassy hill, a young female disciple immediately approached and bowed.

“Martial Uncle, have you come to use a spirit beast?”

The face of the sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl, who immediately asked about his business, was filled with anticipation.

“If there are any Twin-Pupil Rats left, I would like to borrow one for two days.”

“Yes, we have them! Of course, we do! I will bring one right away.”

The female disciple answered excitedly.

After the female disciple went to get the spirit beast, Han Li stood in front of the reception area and looked around. The Spirit Beast Mountain, where he was standing, was covered with colorful restrictions everywhere except for the summit.

The areas were divided by formations, each becoming a habitat for spirit beasts. Although it looked calm on the surface, there were at least a thousand different spirit beasts living there.

The female disciple did not keep Han Li waiting long. She came out of one of the restricted areas, holding a fist-sized animal in her arms, and ran towards him.

“This is a Twin-Pupil Rat. You can borrow it for one low-grade spirit stone per day.”

She gently stroked the animal’s fur and spoke politely to Han Li.

“Then, I’ll borrow it for three days.”

“Yes. After three days, if Martial Uncle releases the Twin-Pupil Rat, it will return to the Qilin Hall on its own. Please take good care of it during that time. It really likes earth pear fruits, so please give it some when you have time.”

The girl received three spirit stones and handed over the spirit beast and a white pouch. Han Li nodded, held the spirit beast, and stepped onto his magical artifact, seeing the girl off.

Now it was time to fly towards the northwest. As he soared into the sky, his gaze involuntarily fell on the Twin-Pupil Rat, which was quietly nestled in his arms.

This spirit beast really looked like a rat, with a small body covered in brown fur. The only difference was its large eyes.

The large eyes were a very minor difference, but they made the Twin-Pupil Rat look extremely cute. Moreover, the faint five-colored light that shimmered in its eyes created an even more mysterious atmosphere.

Even Han Li, who was used to being alone, felt a desire to raise one because of its cute appearance.

However, despite its gentle appearance, the Twin-Pupil Rat was actually a first-grade mid-level demon beast. In addition to its large eyes, it had teeth that could chew through steel and claws that could penetrate stone.

He stroked the ears of the spirit beast in his arms and chuckled. The playful side of the young man, which he had long forgotten, was revealed.

After flying for a full day, he finally arrived at the northwestern outskirts of the Taiyue Mountain Range.

About a hundred miles further north was the border of the Yuanwu Kingdom, the territory of the Celestial Star Sect, a cultivation sect.

The Celestial Star Sect, like the Yellow Maple Valley, had also established a market, forming a situation where they faced each other from the east and west. Two hundred miles to the west was the vicinity of Xizhou, the smallest region in the Yue and Jian states combined.

This area was the only one where none of the seven major sects were stationed. This was because the desert area, except for the loess plateau and steep slopes, made up about three-quarters of Xizhou’s territory.

Therefore, the population was only about 100,000, and no sect coveted the area due to the lack of resources and manpower. There were two reasons why Han Li had come all the way here to establish his residence.

First, this area was relatively desolate even within the Taiyue Mountain Range, and it was located between the Yuanwu Kingdom and Xizhou, so fellow disciples did not often pass by. There was almost no possibility of his cultivation being disturbed.

Second, this place was not far from the Celestial Star Sect’s market, so he could easily trade for herbs or necessary items. He also didn’t have to worry about being recognized by anyone, unlike at the Yellow Maple Valley market.

For these reasons, Han Li had chosen a place that was not very abundant in spiritual energy. Other Qi Condensation disciples usually insisted on the areas with the most abundant spiritual energy, which were often crowded together.

He landed on the ground and put a leash he had prepared beforehand on the brown rat. This was to prevent it from disappearing too quickly and being lost. Then, he took out a brown fruit from a small pouch and fed it to the rat.

The Twin-Pupil Rat quickly devoured the earth pear fruit and, energized, quickly disappeared into the bushes. Han Li simply followed behind it calmly, guided by the leash.

Han Li was now looking up at a cliff that was over a hundred feet high. The rope he held in his hand led into the cliff through a very narrow crevice.

After searching for a suitable place for two days, the Twin-Pupil Rat had suddenly become excited when it reached this cliff and had darted into the small crevice like an arrow. Han Li’s curiosity grew as the rope was already pulled taut. He immediately searched his storage pouch and took out a silver sword. Gripping the rope tightly with one hand, he swung the silver sword like the wind, and the stone was cut as if it were tofu, creating an entrance large enough for one person to enter.

He immediately created a defensive barrier to cover his entire body. Following the direction the rope was pulling, he swung his sword and slowly moved forward. The falling stone dust and debris were pushed away by the water-attribute barrier before they could even touch him.

After entering for more than an hour in this manner, a crude passage of several tens of feet had already been formed. When he swung his sword again, a pile of rocks suddenly tumbled down with a ‘clatter,’ and the rock that had been blocking his path was broken through.

With a joyful heart, he cleared away the rocks and strode forward. Inside, a natural cave of about ten feet was formed, and the dense spiritual energy that vibrated within startled Han Li.

Following his gaze along the rope, he saw a spring in the center of the rocky cave where water was gushing out, and unexpectedly, the Twin-Pupil Rat was swimming and enjoying the water in the small spring.

“What is this?”

As he examined it closely, it seemed that the source of this dense spiritual energy was the spring. He quickly approached and scooped up some spring water with his hand to observe it.

‘This is definitely a Spirit Eye Spring!’

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