Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 192

Han Li quickly glanced around, estimating that at least several thousand people were gathered in the square. When the carriage could no longer proceed, Mr. Gu led Han Li out and towards a palace-like building on one side of the square.

This building was significantly larger than the others, standing about a dozen yards high. At the entrance, soldiers with long spears stood in a line, blocking access to the general public.

Mr. Gu, leading the way, began to explain, “Today is the market day, held every three months on Ghost Cry Island. It’s when Dongseok Fortress is overflowing with people. Most of the people from a dozen or so villages in the eastern district come to trade for items that are usually hard to find.”

Han Li simply smiled in response and followed him to the front of the palace. Mr. Gu stepped forward and spoke to the soldiers guarding the gate, and they opened the way.

Inside the building, unlike the square, the atmosphere was much cooler and quieter. Passing through the corridors, they entered a space where people of considerable status were gathered in small groups, chatting. They showed a hint of hostility upon seeing Mr. Gu.

At that moment, a purple wooden door opened from another corridor, and a young man in white, around twenty years old, entered. He had clear eyes and fair skin, giving him a somewhat delicate appearance.

“Are you Mr. Gu? Everyone else is gathered, so the cultivator should come inside. Only those challenging are allowed inside, so Mr. Gu will have to wait outside.”

The young man looked at Han Li with kind eyes and politely guided him.

Han Li immediately recognized his cultivation level, which was at the fourth or fifth stage of Qi Condensation [the initial stage of cultivation, focusing on gathering and refining spiritual energy], similar to his own.

Mr. Gu looked at Han Li with an expectant expression, nodded in understanding, and stepped back. Han Li, with a neutral expression, followed the young man inside, and the door soon closed.

“I am Mun Jang. It seems I haven’t seen you before, so are you new to Ghost Cry Island?”

“I am Han Li, and I arrived on Ghost Cry Island just a month ago.”

Through practice, Han Li was finally able to speak the local language without any issues.

“Haha! It’s admirable that you decided to travel the world and gain experience with your cultivation level. I was born here and have never been to another region.”

He seemed genuinely envious. Han Li simply smiled lightly and said nothing.

Following him, they arrived at a large circular hall where about thirty cultivators were sitting or standing. An old man, sitting and facing the crowd, simply shouted.

“It seems everyone is here, so we will begin the lottery. The matches will be one-on-one, and be aware that even if you win, you will be disqualified if you kill your opponent.”

He was the only Foundation Establishment cultivator [a higher stage of cultivation, signifying a significant increase in power and longevity] among those gathered here, and he seemed to be in charge of overseeing the competition. The young man quickly went behind the old man and stood properly as they reached the hall.

The old man, not paying attention to the young man, immediately took out a container with twenty bamboo pieces.

“Challengers, pick one each! Those who pick the same number will compete, and only the winner will get the chance to challenge the original representative.”

Most of the thirty people looked at the bamboo container. At the same time, a blue light emanated from the container, blocking the cultivators’ senses.

Some tried to peek inside using their spiritual sense [a cultivator’s ability to perceive their surroundings using spiritual energy] but staggered as if affected by the backlash of the magical power. The other cultivators looked at them with smug expressions.

They were the representatives of their families, and they felt better the more the challengers were surprised and flustered.

Han Li, with his powerful senses, could easily see through the light, but he deliberately avoided doing anything that would draw attention.

Then, the challengers stepped forward one by one to pick a bamboo piece.

Han Li also picked a bamboo piece and saw a strange silver symbol. He didn’t recognize it since he hadn’t learned the local script yet, but he still kept a straight face and took the bamboo piece as if nothing had happened.

The Foundation Establishment cultivator’s voice echoed.

“Number 1!”

At the same time, two cultivators stepped forward. The old man spoke without hesitation.

“You will compete on the arena with the formation, so you don’t have to worry about being damaged by magic. The one who takes the opponent’s number tag and gives it to me wins, and you can use any magic or means, but you must not kill your opponent.”

“Yes, Senior!”

The two bowed to the old man and walked onto the outdoor arena connected to the hall. Soon, a white light shone, and the two disappeared. After a while, they reappeared, one happily handing two bamboo pieces to the old man, and the other leaving the hall with a darkened face.

The old man’s voice echoed again.

“Number 2!”

* * *

The duels between the Qi Condensation cultivators were relatively simple, and the outcomes were decided quickly.

Some even came down from the arena as soon as they went up, and both the winner and the loser were smiling, which caught Han Li’s attention.

“Number 7.”

One person stepped forward immediately, but the other did not appear. The old man, with a slightly hardened expression, shouted again.

“Number 7!”

Then, Han Li stepped forward as if surprised and apologized.

“I’m sorry, Senior! I was mistaken, thinking my number was 9.”

The old man ignored Han Li’s words and waved his hand towards the arena. Han Li and the other cultivator quickly went up to the arena.

A white light flashed, and Han Li and his opponent faced each other in a space covered in white mist that seemed to be dozens of yards wide.

“Your cultivation is two stages lower than mine, so how about you just admit defeat before you get seriously injured?”

Han Li simply chuckled, seeing the seventh stage Qi Condensation expert speaking in front of him without any protective barrier.

“I offered you kindness, so why are you laughing?”

He seemed to be angry that Han Li was ignoring his words. Han Li tapped the floor with his toe and replied lightly.

“Oh, it’s nothing. It just seems like this competition is going to be easier than I thought.”

“How dare you look down on me!”

The middle-aged man’s face turned red, and light began to emanate from his hand, but he collapsed to the ground before his magic tool could activate.

* * *

Shortly after, Han Li walked out of the arena, dragging the unconscious middle-aged man.

The cultivators gathered in the hall were greatly surprised. It was clear that the difference in skill would make the outcome obvious, but Han Li had unexpectedly won.

Only the Foundation Establishment old man didn’t seem surprised. He looked at Han Li with a meaningful gaze, and it seemed he knew what had happened inside.

Han Li gave the two bamboo pieces to the old man and joined the winners, leaving the unconscious middle-aged man behind. The old man shook his head as he looked at the fallen middle-aged man.

“Number 8!”

When the final results were decided, the old man looked at the ten people who had not yet gone up to the arena and spoke.

“Now, you will challenge in order of your numbers. However, those who have suffered significant loss of magical power in the previous matches can postpone their challenge, but they will be disqualified if they do not challenge by the end of today. The 11th challenger will choose one of the 10 winners after the 10th match. Now, begin.”

As soon as the old man finished speaking, the first challenger chose the one who seemed to have the lowest cultivation and went up to the arena with him.

The challenger was at the seventh stage, while the existing cultivator was at the sixth stage, so it seemed like the challenger had a high chance of winning.

However, after a short while, the sixth stage cultivator walked out of the white light first, and the first challenger appeared later, covered in wounds.

Perhaps out of shame, the first challenger left the hall without saying a word.

The challengers’ expressions changed at the sight, and the sixth stage cultivator returned to his original position with an indifferent face.

“Next!”

The old man’s progress was relentless. The second cultivator stepped forward with a slightly flushed face.

“Senior, my magical power has not yet recovered, so I will challenge later.”

“Number 3!”

However, the next cultivator also avoided the challenge with similar words.

The fourth cultivator, not thick-skinned enough to postpone it again, reluctantly chose one of the existing cultivators and headed to the arena.

The result was the same as the first.

The remaining challengers’ eyes wavered as they saw the fourth challenger who came out badly injured. At this point, the fifth and sixth also tried to postpone their challenges and observe the situation.

The old man, not caring at all, finally called Han Li’s number.

“Number 7!”

Han Li quietly walked out and pointed at one of the existing cultivators, a sixth stage cultivator.

The tall, well-built man sneered, seeing Han Li pointing at him without hesitation, and strode towards the arena. In contrast, Han Li walked slowly, as if he was just now coming up with a plan.

As the giant and Han Li disappeared into the white light, everyone’s attention was focused on them. The Foundation Establishment old man closed his eyes as if he was calming his mind.

However, after a short while, the old man’s face twitched, and he opened his eyes wide with a puzzled look. Then, one person walked out of the white light.

Everyone stared intently as the white light disappeared, and it was surprisingly Han Li. He was walking out without a single scratch, dragging his opponent, who was burned all over and unconscious, with one hand.

At this unexpected result, not only the challengers but also the existing cultivators wore expressions of disbelief. The young man standing behind the Foundation Establishment old man couldn’t close his gaping mouth.

Han Li left the opponent, who seemed barely alive, in front of the old man and calmly returned to his seat, receiving everyone’s gaze.

As the other challengers sent him envious glances, Han Li assessed the situation in the hall and sneered inwardly.

After that, the challengers, emboldened by Han Li’s victory, did not avoid the matches and continued to fight. However, they all lost and were severely injured.

As a result, the challengers who had postponed their matches declared their surrender one by one. It was foolish to get seriously injured when they knew they couldn’t win.

Finally, the Foundation Establishment old man announced that Han Li was the only one who had obtained the Great Trade Rights on behalf of the Go family in this competition.

The old man handed Han Li a navy blue jade and ordered him to deliver it to the Go family. After that, everyone left the hall without delay, as the old man ordered them to leave.

* * *

When Han Li handed the navy blue jade to Mr. Gu, his expression was very colorful.

At first, he couldn’t believe it, then he looked puzzled, and finally, he began to express his joy like crazy.

“Cultivator Han! Words of gratitude cannot express my feelings. I will definitely fulfill my promise, so please don’t worry.”

They immediately returned to the Go family’s residence in a carriage pulled by a demon beast.

Mr. Gu held the jade tightly in his hand, overwhelmed with emotion. He looked as if the jade would run away if he didn’t pay attention to it even for a moment.

“I don’t think Mr. Gu is the type of person who would betray a favor, especially not to a cultivator like me.”

Han Li replied with a smile.

Mr. Gu and Old Man Wang’s faces turned a little pale at the clear warning, but they repeatedly insisted that such a thing would never happen.

Three days after returning to the log house, Wang Zhangqing came to visit.

The old man had gone to the Ascension Pavilion on the Immortal Mountain to handle the issue of residency on Ghost Cry Island and to find a place suitable for cultivation.

Cultivators residing on each island could own their own cave. It wouldn’t be a place with dense spiritual energy since he hadn’t participated in the spiritual land competition yet, but it would still be a relatively suitable place for cultivation.

Han Li, holding the guarantee signed by the Go family, flew towards the center of Ghost Cry Island on a magic tool. After passing through seven or eight fortresses and dozens of small villages, the Immortal Mountain that Wang Zhangqing had mentioned appeared.

Half of the Immortal Mountain was a huge mountain hidden in the clouds, with three peaks soaring into the sky, making the mountain range magnificent.

Below it, there were countless small peaks. It was impossible to grasp the scale of the entire mountain at a glance.

Han Li looked down at the Immortal Mountain and was silent for a moment. Then, a familiar voice came from behind him.

“Oh? Isn’t that Cultivator Han?”

Han Li was a little surprised but turned his head at the familiar voice.

Not far from him, the delicate-looking Mun Jang was approaching with a smile on his face. He was flying on a wheel-shaped magic tool.

Han Li also smiled and greeted him.

“What a coincidence, it’s Cultivator Mun.”

“Haha! Indeed. I didn’t expect to meet you so soon. I was so impressed that day when you surprisingly defeated the guard cultivator.”

“Guard cultivator?”

Han Li was puzzled, not knowing the details.