Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 108

‘Although the spiritual energy contained in the water wasn’t immense, it was definitely a place where spiritual energy was welling up.’

Han Li submerged both hands in the water. Closing his eyes, he felt the spiritual energy emanating from the water, and a natural smile formed on his face.

It was extremely rare for a Spirit Eye to take physical form; it was a change that occurred over decades. Therefore, those that had taken shape emitted much denser spiritual energy than other places, and sitting around them to cultivate would greatly accelerate one’s training.

In the best cases, cultivation could even be accelerated by two or three times, and once a Spirit Eye had materialized, its effects would remain even if a cultivator used their magic power to move it.

Due to these miraculous effects, once an object formed from a Spirit Eye was discovered, it would bring a storm of blood to the cultivation world. Now, most of them belonged to the Seven Great Sects, so in reality, it would only bring disaster for a small sect or family to possess such a treasure.

The Yellow Maple Valley also possessed one Spirit Eye stone and three bottles of Spirit Eye spring water, all of which were divided among cultivators above the Core Formation stage, and even the Sect Leader had never touched them.

Naturally, the Nascent Soul Ancestor took the majority first. It was unimaginable that Han Li, with just a common Twin-Pupil Rat, would find a Spirit Eye spring in just two days.

Although it was the lowest-grade Spirit Eye spring and was so small that its effects would be limited, it was still a Spirit Eye spring! At the very least, one could cultivate much faster than with a normal Spirit Eye.

It was only possible for a Spirit Eye to materialize in areas with extremely dense spiritual energy, so it was unknown how it was possible in such a desolate place.

Perhaps that was why the Spirit Eye spring seemed to be so small. Now that a huge honey pot had fallen from the sky, how could he not swallow it!

In theory, the spring water from which spiritual energy welled up could be moved, but that was a power only available to cultivators above the Core Formation stage. Therefore, his residence was naturally decided to be here, and he planned to keep the rocky cave with the Spirit Eye spring hidden as his secret training chamber. He began to expand the roughly made passage he had previously created with his sword.

His silver sword danced in his left hand, and his right hand controlled the golden blade, making the task of carving out a residence in the cave proceed smoothly.

After seeing the Spirit Eye spring, the Twin-Pupil Rat had no intention of leaving and even slept inside.

After half a day of hard work relying on top-grade magical artifacts, the basic structure was complete. He had created thirteen rooms of varying sizes and three large halls. The walls of the rooms were rough, but it was enough to lie down, wasn’t it? He finished the work with a sigh.

Only then did Han Li remember that he had borrowed the Twin-Pupil Rat, so he immediately rushed to the spring, grabbed the sleeping creature by the scruff of its neck, and left the stone chamber. Then, he released it so it could fly back to the Qilin Pavilion, hundreds of miles away, on a magical artifact.

Han Li planned to have only one exit for the cave he had built for the time being. He took out five flags and ten low-grade spirit stones and set up a small formation as written in the book. This would completely conceal the entrance, making it appear to be a solid cliff to anyone who passed by. After taking the most basic precautions, he used his silver sword to carve a bed out of stone, then lay down and fell asleep.

After that, he moved busily for several days. First, he found a flat area in a secluded spot near his residence and planted spirit herbs.

Some of them were medicinal herbs he had brought from the mortal world, and others were the strange flowers he had grown in the Hundred Herb Garden years ago. Now, this was his personal garden. He planned to grow the spirit herbs he wanted here.

After that, he wandered around the mountain, found suitable limestone blocks, carved them into chairs and tables for each room, and also tidied up the interior walls of the cave a bit more, carefully embedding moonstones. It felt like a livable place now.

The problem was that the defense of his residence was weak, and it did not provide an environment where he could cultivate with peace of mind.

At the very least, he needed to set up an all-around restriction like the Hundred Herb Garden. How troublesome would it be if someone invaded and tried to attack him!

He was a layman when it came to formations, so he couldn’t even set up the most basic formations at will. It was only natural that he couldn’t perform more powerful restriction techniques.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t thought about learning them before, but the world of formations was as vast and deep as the sea, and if he tried to learn them haphazardly, he wouldn’t see any results even after ten years.

Moreover, it was highly likely to have a detrimental effect on his cultivation of techniques. If he focused his attention elsewhere now, even the slightest hope of reaching the Core Formation stage would be shattered. Fortunately, there were many types of magical artifacts in the cultivation world that were easy to carry around, such as flags and discs, that had formations sealed within them.

He couldn’t set up a great restriction with them, but it was enough to protect his residence at an ordinary level. Moreover, if things really didn’t seem right, he could also install multiple layers of restrictions and overwhelm them with quantity.

Coincidentally, the Heavenly Star Sect of the Yuan Wu Kingdom was a sect famous in the cultivation world for its formations. The magical artifacts they created that could set up restrictions flowed into the cultivation world every year and were exchanged for spirit stones or other materials.

So, Han Li grew a few spirit herbs with the green liquid. He planned to make one of them into a thousand-year-old medicinal herb and exchange it for the items he needed at the Heavenly Star Sect market. This time, he would only take one to avoid attracting attention.

After two months, a thousand-year-old spirit herb was ready. He packed the spirit herb along with other items he could use for trade and flew north. Specifically, they were materials obtained from the black dragon and the shell of the giant centipede, which he planned to sell if the price was right. He wasn’t going to make magical artifacts himself, so there was no point in keeping them. He put on his deep bamboo hat again as he boarded his magical artifact. Flying about a hundred miles was a piece of cake for Han Li.

Upon entering the Yuan Wu Kingdom, Han Li looked around in the air. He had to find the market managed by the Heavenly Star Sect, and he was also curious. However, it seemed that places where people lived were all similar. There was nothing particularly eye-catching about the people or the scenery.

The Yuan Wu Kingdom, like the Yue Kingdom, was surrounded by other small and medium-sized countries. Although it was only a third the size of the great Tian Luo Kingdom or the Feng Du Kingdom, it was stronger than the smaller countries around it, such as the Mei Guo and Cha Yun Kingdom.

There were only two great powers in this area, but there were about a dozen medium-sized countries and another dozen smaller countries, so the land was really densely divided.

He had heard that there were also super-large countries in more distant regions, with national territories that were beyond imagination.

The cultivation world of the Yuan Wu Kingdom was in a stalemate, with the forces of the righteous and demonic sects being equal. Among them, the Heavenly Star Sect was a core force of the righteous faction and had power comparable to the Yellow Maple Valley. Just as he was recalling information related to the Heavenly Star Sect, his magical artifact suddenly lost its light and slowly fell to the ground.

Despite the sudden loss of flight ability, Han Li was not surprised but rather showed a slight hint of joy.

He had arrived near the Heavenly Star Sect market and was being affected by the restrictions. After getting off his magical artifact and hurrying his pace, a space larger than the Yellow Maple Valley market was revealed.

The Heavenly Star Sect market was completely different from the Yellow Maple Valley. It was a circular market with a huge pavilion thirty feet high in the center and small buildings scattered around it.

A huge plaque was hung up, so the large characters ‘Star Dust Pavilion’ could be seen from afar. It was a shop run by the Heavenly Star Sect without needing to ask anyone.

Han Li’s pace quickened in an instant. As was his old habit, rather than rushing straight to his destination, he slowly circled the perimeter of the circular space, observing the surrounding geography and market conditions. As he did so, some of the shops he saw broadened his horizons.

One building that refined magical artifacts would create the desired magical artifact if a cultivator brought the materials. The words written next to it stated that they could handle anything from low-grade to top-grade magical artifacts, which seemed to indicate that they were quite confident in their skills.

Moreover, it was written that if the refining failed, they would guarantee twice the price of the materials in spirit stones. If one didn’t have the materials, they could also purchase magical artifacts directly, but of course, the price was considerable.

Another place that refined talismans could custom-make talismans to suit one’s needs, just like the place that made magical artifacts. A place called the Spirit Beast Hall even sold specially trained demonic beasts, and since there seemed to be first-class upper-realm demonic beasts, it might be a good idea to take one to guard his residence.

The cultivators he saw while looking around the market were only about 20 or 30 people, so the large market felt rather desolate.

‘Are they all in that Star Dust Pavilion?’

However, he had no intention of going to the Star Dust Pavilion right away. He was drawn to the magical artifact refining shop he had seen first.

The place that made talismans also stated that they would compensate for the materials if they failed, but this place guaranteed twice the compensation, didn’t it?

Having already become curious, he had completed a full circle and was now heading back to that place.

The shop wasn’t very large, probably consisting of three rooms and a backyard.

When he entered the main hall, a middle-aged man dressed as a scholar was talking to a white-haired, ruddy-faced old man, and next to them stood a dark-skinned man respectfully.

The two were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn’t even notice Han Li entering. Only the dark-skinned man walked over and politely asked what he needed.

“Sir, are you here to purchase a magical artifact or to have one made?”

“I’ll decide whether to have one made after seeing what kind of magical artifacts you have available.”

Han Li said calmly.

“I see. Would you like to see the mid-grade ones or the high-grade ones?”

The dark-skinned man showed a hint of joy, thinking that he was a customer who was willing to trade.

“Show me the top-grade magical artifacts, and among them, the outstanding ones!”

His voice wasn’t very loud, but it instantly bewildered the dark-skinned man, and even the two people who had been chatting animatedly stopped talking and turned their gazes to Han Li.

“Sir, are you saying that you want the high-end items among the top-grade magical artifacts?”

The dark-skinned man confirmed that he had heard correctly. Top-grade magical artifacts were generally difficult to purchase, and they were worth hundreds of low-grade spirit stones.

That was enough spirit stones for an ordinary cultivator to earn in a lifetime, but he was asking to see the outstanding ones among them as soon as he entered the shop, so he was flustered.

“Xiao Mo, come here. Don’t be rude!”

The white-haired old man, realizing that Han Li was a cultivator who had reached the Foundation Establishment stage, changed his expression and hurriedly approached.

“I am the owner of this shop. Please tell me what you need.”

Both the old man and the middle-aged man were cultivators who had reached the Qi Refining stage, so they were uneasy, not knowing why a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator like Han Li would visit such a humble shop.

“I just came to see if there are any useful magical artifacts here. If there are any good ones, I’ll have to make a trade.”

The old man was relieved by Han Li’s words, but he replied with an embarrassed expression.

“I’m afraid I’ll disappoint you, sir. There are two or three top-grade magical artifacts in the shop, but they are just for show and not outstanding items.”

He couldn’t dare to lie to a Foundation Establishment stage senior, so he honestly explained the situation. Han Li was definitely a little disappointed.

However, it was all his fault. The words written outside were obviously exaggerated to make a living, and he was naive to have believed them. He was about to leave the shop when he turned his head just before stepping out the door.

“Then, the claim written outside that you can refine top-grade magical artifacts is also just for show.”

“No! Sir, you have misunderstood. Our shop does business based on trust. As it is written outside, if you prepare the appropriate materials, this old man will definitely make the best magical artifact for you!”

The old man passionately defended himself because it was a story related to the reputation of the shop.

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