Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 210

Han Li, caught off guard, was so agitated that he almost scattered his newly forming Golden Core. Startled, he immediately calmed his mind, averting the disaster of reverting to the Foundation Establishment stage.

Thinking about this, the corners of Han Li’s mouth twitched as he lay on the bed, unable to suppress his joy.

He suddenly sat up and stepped off the bed.

Now that he had made a breakthrough, his motivation surged, and he couldn’t stay still.

Having reached the Core Formation stage, he was now a senior in the cultivation world, a high-level cultivator with a lifespan extended to six hundred years. From now on, he could focus solely on cultivation without worry!

Most importantly, he could finally refine his own magic treasures. He already possessed two magic treasures.

The Chaos Origin Hairpin had been given to Qu Hun, and he could temporarily use the remaining Green-Yellow Sword for self-defense. However, what he truly desired was the Azure Bamboo Cloud Sword recorded in the golden scroll.

The Azure Bamboo Cloud Sword was a set of magic treasures, and its power was so immense that, if properly crafted, it could overwhelm cultivators of the same level.

Moreover, he had already mastered the Azure Essence Sword Technique up to the seventh level and could use the Sword Shadow Splitting Technique!

Han Li was very excited about his life in the cultivation world after reaching the Core Formation stage.

He was eager to rush out immediately, gather the materials for the Azure Bamboo Cloud Sword, and use the cauldron fire to nurture it within his nascent soul [a cultivator’s spiritual core].

* * *

Lost in thought in his bedroom, Han Li suddenly turned and left the room.

When the door of the cave, which had been sealed for decades, opened, he saw eight communication talismans trapped within the protective restrictions of his residence.

“Come here.”

Han Li raised an eyebrow and used his spirit plate to collect the talismans. He stood there and listened to the messages from each talisman one by one.

About half of them were messages congratulating him from nearby Core Formation cultivators, and the rest were requests from various organizations, large and small.

They offered to take him in as a guest elder, providing him with rare treasures and expenses, and some even offered to send beautiful maids.

After checking the communication talismans, he politely replied to the congratulations from the Core Formation cultivators but rejected all the other requests.

He had no intention of running wild just because he had become a Core Formation cultivator. He needed to familiarize himself with the situation and keep a low profile for now.

Over the next few days, Han Li visited the residences of nearby Core Formation cultivators to greet them and seek advice on matters to be aware of after entering the Core Formation stage.

This information was not considered confidential, so they readily shared their experiences with him. Even these simple greetings yielded significant gains.

However, the fact that Han Li, who had reached the Core Formation stage, looked so young seemed to make them very envious.

After all, most cultivators only succeeded in reaching the Core Formation stage at an advanced age unless they had exceptional talent or received the aid of powerful elixirs like Han Li.

Reaching the Core Formation stage greatly increased one’s lifespan, but it did not rejuvenate one’s appearance; at best, it only slowed down the aging process.

Of course, there were exceptions for those who had mastered special techniques that allowed them to maintain a youthful appearance even after reaching the Core Formation stage.

Han Li, noticing their envious gazes, did not hide the truth. He used a few of the Face-Fixing Pills he had on hand to trade for their treasures, and they all celebrated the successful transactions.

After a few such exchanges, he became familiar with the surrounding Core Formation cultivators, though they were not close friends.

During this time, Han Li was taming the Green-Yellow Sword and searching for materials to refine magic treasures and third-grade puppets. There were many materials that could be used for magic treasures, and there were thousands of ways to refine them.

Naturally, if one put in the same effort and time, using better materials would result in a magic treasure that surpassed ordinary ones in power.

Even using the same materials, different refining methods would result in different effects and powers.

Therefore, apart from the common refining methods known to everyone, secret techniques were usually passed down only within sects or powerful forces and were not leaked to outsiders.

However, even if the materials were good and the refining method was special, it did not necessarily mean that a magic treasure of immense power would be created.

The true power of a magic treasure depended most on how much the refiner nurtured and tamed it within their nascent soul.

If the owner of the magic treasure was lazy and did not spend much time on it, even a magic treasure made of the best materials would only have ordinary power.

The Azure Bamboo Cloud Sword that Han Li wanted to create used bamboo that had grown for thousands of years and was imbued with spiritual energy as its main material, as its name suggested.

With his mysterious bottle, he could easily obtain it, but he did not want ordinary bamboo. He wanted to use the legendary varieties of mystical bamboo to refine his magic treasure.

So far, he had searched the Heavenly Star City market but had not found anything that satisfied him.

Although he was a bit impatient, he could not make a magic treasure carelessly, so he decided to take his time and continue his search.

For now, he had the Green-Yellow Sword and several other treasures, so he was not too worried.

Since refining magic treasures was not going smoothly, his attention naturally turned to puppet making. According to the books, third-grade puppets had attack power similar to a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator and could take various forms depending on the materials used in their creation.

After careful consideration, Han Li decided to produce monkey-shaped puppets.

The puppet monkeys had to be made using old ironwood as the main material, mixed with rare celestial crystal wood.

However, since wood was the main material, it was not a problem for Han Li, who had the mysterious bottle.

Still, a large quantity of other raw materials was needed as auxiliary materials, and the more puppets he wanted to produce, the more burdensome the amount became.

It was not that Han Li’s entire fortune was depleted in order to obtain them, but it was true that he had lost a significant amount of the spirit stones he possessed.

Reluctantly, Han Li once again put some rare materials from fifth-grade demon beasts on the market. He traded them carefully in small quantities, not expecting to attract anyone’s attention.

He had just finished trading some demon beast parts with a traveling merchant who frequented Heavenly Star City and was on his way back to his residence.

Then, a young girl blocked his path and spoke in a pitiful voice.

“Senior Han, is that you? My mistress would like to have a cup of tea with you, so please come with me. If you don’t come with me, I will be severely punished.”

Han Li merely glanced at her and firmly refused.

“I’m not interested!”

The girl was a Qi Refining cultivator, but she seemed to have practiced some kind of charm technique, constantly trying to seduce him, so there was no reason to treat her kindly. The girl was flustered by Han Li’s firm refusal and began to beg.

“Senior Han, please come with me just this once. Otherwise, I really won’t have anything to say when I go back…”

Before the girl could finish speaking, Han Li was already trying to leave with a cold expression. He didn’t know why she was doing this, but he had no intention of having tea with a woman he didn’t know.

“Please wait a moment, Senior Han. I am Fan Jingmei of the Myriad Sound Sect. I apologize if Yan’er has made a mistake just now.”

Just as he was about to pass the girl, he heard another woman’s voice from behind.

Reluctantly, Han Li stopped and turned his head. Next to the girl, a woman with her face covered in white cloth appeared, but her fair skin and dark eyes clearly indicated that she was a beauty.

“I don’t know you, so if you have something to say, say it quickly. I need to go back and cultivate.”

His voice was devoid of any emotion, and it seemed like he would refuse no matter what she said. The woman who introduced herself as Fan Jingmei smiled.

“Senior Han, you have a very straightforward personality. Then, I will get straight to the point. We have come to see you because our sect has something to discuss with you regarding the large quantities of demon beast parts you have been trading recently.

There are many ears here, so how about we have a quiet cup of tea and talk?”

Han Li’s eyes narrowed as he stared intently at the woman’s eyes. Just as she was about to panic, he replied curtly.

“Lead the way.”

“Yes, this way, please.”

The woman smiled and moved to one side, and the girl named Yan’er followed them with a dejected look.

The girl secretly glanced at Han Li, and when she met his eyes, she quickly turned her head away, her face slightly flushed.

Seeing this, Han Li wore a strange expression and chuckled inwardly. The teahouse that the Myriad Sound Sect woman had mentioned was not far away, and they soon arrived.

There were not many customers enjoying tea inside, and one middle-aged man among them quickly got up when he saw them enter.

“Senior Aunt, I have already reserved a room, so please come in.”

“Alright, you guard the door.”

“Yes!”

Following the middle-aged man up the stairs, they entered an elegantly decorated room. Unexpectedly, an old man in gray clothes was already sitting there, pouring tea.

The Myriad Sound Sect woman looked at the old man and introduced him respectfully.

“Elder Zhao, I have kept you waiting. This is Senior Han, who has been trading large quantities of demon beast materials.”

“Hmm. Senior Han. Please sit down. This old man has personally brewed this spiritual tea, so please have a taste.”

Han Li saw that the old man was nothing special, but his face was flushed, as if he had just recovered from a major illness.

He had a much stronger consciousness than other cultivators, so he immediately recognized that the other party was a Core Formation cultivator in the early stage.

“…”

Han Li sat directly across from the old man, quietly looking down at his teacup, seemingly not intending to drink it.

There was no reason for them to harm him for no reason, but the cautious Han Li would not eat or drink anything in an unfamiliar place. Seeing Han Li’s cautious demeanor, the old man did not show any displeasure but smiled instead.

Fan Jingmei also sat down and moved her red lips.

“I, representing the Myriad Sound Sect, have come to see Senior Han because we would like to purchase all of the demon beast parts you possess. We are willing to negotiate the price.”

“I had some demon beast parts before, but I just sold the last of them, so I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint your sect.”

Fan Jingmei smiled gently at his calm lie and continued.

“I know that what you just said is not true. Our sect does not know the exact amount of demon beast parts you possess, but we know that it is not small. Otherwise, there would be no reason for you to only trade with outside merchants in small quantities.

If our sect had not been coincidentally seeking large quantities of demon beast parts in Heavenly Star City, we would not have noticed. Perhaps you were worried that rare items would bring trouble, so I am confident that selling them to us would be a good choice.

If you ask around, you will know that although the Myriad Sound Sect is not a very large force, its reputation in the Chaotic Star Sea is not bad. You can dispose of your goods all at once, and we can avoid the trouble of collecting parts from small merchants, so isn’t that a good thing?”

As the woman spoke eloquently and logically, a coldness appeared in Han Li’s eyes.

“Please do not blame our impolite behavior too much. If we were not in such a hurry, we would not have released all of our sect’s people in Heavenly Star City to track the trading routes of demon beast parts. Please consider it as helping us and show us some generosity.”

The woman sent him a pleading look. Han Li’s expression softened a little at her earnest words. He did not reply immediately but tapped his teacup with his fingertip, lost in thought with a blank expression.

He did not know why they needed large quantities of demon beast parts, but whether he admitted it or not, they were already convinced that he had the goods, so refusing the deal would only create unnecessary animosity.

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