Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 327

Namju was the second-largest region in the Gye Kingdom, situated on the western border with numerous mountains and dense forests. Aside from a few cities and the main road to the capital, there wasn’t much traffic.

The rugged highlands were also home to poisonous insects and fierce beasts, deterring ordinary people from venturing deep. However, this made it ideal for cultivating rare medicinal herbs and spiritual beasts, making it a favored region for cultivators in the Gye Kingdom.

Over half of the Gye Kingdom’s cultivation sects had their bases here, with several powerful sects occupying areas rich in spiritual energy.

Among these, Mount Unmong was renowned throughout the Cheonnam region for its potent spiritual energy vein.

Deep within the mountains grew the Spirit Eye Tree, one of the three great divine trees of the cultivation world. It was far more valuable to those in power than the Heavenly Thunder Bamboo or the Yang Soul Wood.

Every two hundred years, a liquid called ‘Pure Essence’ flowed from the roots of the Spirit Eye Tree. While not consumable directly, it was the best material for refining elixirs.

Furthermore, the legendary ‘Spirit Stabilizing Pill’ [a sacred elixir] could only achieve its full effect with this Pure Essence.

The Spirit Stabilizing Pill, also known as the Soul Calming Pill, not only enhanced cultivation but also reduced the risk of cultivators falling into demonic possession. Taking it before attempting Core Formation greatly increased the chances of success.

Unlike the Foundation Establishment stage, Core Formation required not only proper cultivation and fate but also overcoming illusions and demonic influences. It was the process of the dantian [energy center] transforming into an infant-like form, demanding mental stability and immense willpower.

Mount Unmong, with its treasures and dense spiritual energy far surpassing ordinary spiritual veins, was highly coveted by various sects.

After much conflict and infighting, three sects—the Ancient Sword Sect, the Falling Cloud Sect, and the Hundred Crafting Hall—united to control the mountain.

Each of these sects was a top power in the Gye Kingdom, and their combined strength was unmatched, leaving other sects with no way to compete, though they were resentful.

Half a month later, Han Li was climbing the limestone steps on one of Mount Unmong’s peaks, lost in thought.

He wasn’t alone; several young men and women accompanied him, all climbing with excited expressions. The Falling Cloud Sect had been recruiting disciples for the past few days.

The young Qi Refining stage [early stage of cultivation] men and women were filled with hope and eagerly quickened their pace. Han Li also had expectations for the Falling Cloud Sect, known for its alchemy. Of course, he intended to blend in as a Qi Refining stage disciple, not as a Core Formation stage cultivator.

With his current cultivation and the mysterious workings of the Nameless Incantation, he wouldn’t be discovered unless a Core Formation stage cultivator or higher observed him closely. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have made such a plan.

As he climbed, he thought about what had happened after parting ways with Ziling and Maeung, and he smiled bitterly. His plan to find a suitable cave dwelling and reach the peak of the late Foundation Establishment stage had been disrupted.

He had gained some cultivation by absorbing the aura of the spirit beast, but it wasn’t enough to push him to the verge of Core Formation.

So, before circulating his energy, he took the prepared elixirs, and a surprising thing happened. Not only were the elixirs refined with the cores of sixth-grade demonic beasts useless, but even those refined with the cores of seventh-grade demonic beasts were ineffective.

This was unexpected, but not entirely surprising.

With the power of elixirs, one could achieve in a single day what others would take a thousand days to accomplish. However, when cultivation reached a certain level, such shortcuts no longer worked.

This meant that unless more potent elixirs were found, their effects would inevitably diminish. It was the same principle as how elixirs taken during the Qi Refining stage had no effect after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage.

The problem was that this limit had previously occurred when he had greatly advanced beyond a boundary, but now it had happened even before reaching the Core Formation stage.

This was something Han Li had not anticipated.

Even when he had read scriptures or insights from Core Formation stage cultivators, it was written that elixirs made from the cores of sixth-grade demonic beasts, and especially those from seventh-grade demonic beasts, could be used effectively before the Core Formation stage.

After careful consideration, he concluded that the elixirs had lost their effectiveness for him alone due to a tolerance built up from prolonged use. Of course, this was not verified, so it could also be due to the influence of the Wall Flame Bead or the aura of the spirit beast.

One was not originally meant for human consumption, and the other was one of the so-called seven great auras, so it wasn’t strange that there would be unknown side effects.

He didn’t intend to waste time exploring the cause now. Since it had already happened, finding a solution was the priority.

He still had one core of an eighth-grade venomous dragon left, but it was so precious that he couldn’t obtain it even with a large amount of spirit stones [currency], so he hadn’t yet refined it into an elixir. The possibility of failure in refining was too high, and even if one or two were successful, it wouldn’t be enough to reach the Core Formation stage.

Thus, the only remaining method was to slowly accumulate magical power day by day like other cultivators, a frustrating process he hadn’t experienced in a long time.

Since he wasn’t far from reaching the required magical power, it seemed possible if he focused on cultivation for about ten years in a place with abundant spiritual energy. Of course, he would have to choose a region with a decent spiritual vein.

It would be a waste of time to settle in a mediocre place.

However, the situation was different from the Chaotic Star Sea. There were many islands and few people there, with a vast sea, but the Cheonnam region had a small land area and was crowded with cultivators.

As soon as a place was deemed to have abundant spiritual energy, large and small sects would occupy it. If a place was too small for a sect or force to reach, hermits would occupy it, so it wasn’t wrong to say that there was no space left.

In terms of resources provided to cultivators, the environment was much worse than the Chaotic Star Sea. So, he would have to join a cultivation family or sect, which he was capable of, but he was worried about being noticed by old Core Formation stage monsters again and repeating the life of being chased. He just wanted to cultivate peacefully to reach the Core Formation stage.

He excluded joining a cultivation family from his options. It was unlikely that a family’s power could occupy a superior spiritual vein, and due to their exclusive nature, they rarely recruited disciples from outside.

In that regard, cultivation sects were different. Relatively large sects not only occupied the best places but also had many high-level cultivators, so even if something happened, he wouldn’t have to interrupt his cultivation to help. He thought he could cultivate leisurely under the protection of a large, old tree.

Moreover, once he succeeded in condensing the Core Formation, he would have nothing to fear. Even if his identity was revealed, they wouldn’t harm him but would try to recruit him into their sect.

When he thought of sects located in places overflowing with spiritual energy, Mount Unmong, which was famous, came to mind. So, the three cultivation sects that occupied it became his final considerations.

To join a sect, he first had to understand the characteristics and interests of the forces.

Before parting with the two women, he had learned about the events that had occurred in the Cheonnam region’s cultivation world over the past hundred years from a small local market. In fact, they were more eager to know about this place than Han Li was.

The Cheonnam region was greatly different from when he had left.

First of all, the era when cultivation worlds existed separately for each country was over. The entire Cheonnam region was now divided and occupied by the Demonic Path, the Righteous Path, the Heavenly Dao Alliance, and the Nine Nations Alliance.

The Righteous Path, the Demonic Path, and the Nine Nations Alliance were forces he knew, and the Heavenly Dao Alliance was a huge organization that had been formed after he had left for the Chaotic Star Sea. It was a coalition of cultivation sects from over a dozen countries to oppose the forces of the Righteous and Demonic Paths. In terms of power, it was larger than either the Righteous or Demonic Paths, but it couldn’t match the combined forces of the Righteous and Demonic Paths.

However, although the Righteous and Demonic Paths had secretly made a pact to swallow up several countries, they were fundamentally hostile to each other, so they weren’t in a position to discuss a long-term alliance.

Moreover, the Righteous and Demonic Paths were fighting internally to distribute newly acquired interests, so they had neither the interest nor the capacity to deal with the Heavenly Dao Alliance.

The Heavenly Dao Alliance was also an organization formed as a loose alliance, so unless the Righteous or Demonic Paths attacked first, they had no intention of proactively invading. Thus, the three forces maintained a delicate balance.

However, the main reason why no major wars had occurred for over a hundred years was related to the Nine Nations Alliance.

The Nine Nations Alliance absorbed the seven great immortal sects of the Yue Kingdom and then combined with various cultivation sects and hermits who had been driven out by the Righteous and Demonic Paths, rapidly increasing its power. So, it was naturally expected that they would subdue the Mulan Plains’ sorcerers.

However, all such expectations were wrong.

The Mulan tribes, who were fighting with them, suddenly called in powerful reinforcements from the second and fourth Mulan tribes, greatly increasing the number of sorcerers. After fierce battles, both sides suffered heavy casualties, and the Nine Nations Alliance was pushed back in most areas, even losing some territory.

Inevitably, the Nine Nations Alliance had to request support from the Righteous and Demonic Paths and the Heavenly Dao Alliance, threatening to withdraw all their forces and leave the Mulan sorcerers to invade if they didn’t send reinforcements.

When this news spread, the Righteous and Demonic Paths and the Heavenly Dao Alliance were reluctant, but they feared that if the Nine Nations Alliance really withdrew, there would be a fierce attack by the Mulan sorcerers, so they sent some reinforcements.

As a result, after a fierce battle that could be seen as the final showdown, more than a thousand cultivators died, and the Nine Nations Alliance was able to completely stop the Mulan invasion and achieve stability.

However, through this, the Nine Nations Alliance also realized that they had to declare that each force would take turns jointly blocking the Mulan sorcerers.

After long negotiations, the four forces eventually agreed to jointly confront the Mulan people.

Because of this agreement, the Righteous and Demonic Paths, which had already completed the distribution of their occupied territories and interests and had reached a stable period, couldn’t resume their activities due to the threat of the Mulan people and the Nine Nations Alliance, who were constantly watching for an opportunity.

The Gye Kingdom and two neighboring countries belonged to the Heavenly Dao Alliance, and the Ancient Sword Sect, the Falling Cloud Sect, and the Hundred Crafting Hall were their core sects.

Among the three sects, the first one that caught Han Li’s attention was the Hundred Crafting Hall, a famous cultivation family known for its magical artifact crafting.

This sect not only possessed a unique cultivation method that had reached a considerable level but also had disciples who were skilled in crafting magical artifacts of various grades. There was even a rumor that they possessed a secret method for crafting top-grade magical treasures.

It was said that the Qiankun Pagoda magical treasure of the Yan family, the top cultivation family of the Yue Kingdom, was also crafted using this method, so he couldn’t help but be drawn to it.

Unfortunately, the Hundred Crafting Hall, like the seven great cultivation sects of the Yue Kingdom, primarily accepted new disciples from cultivation families. Moreover, the sect itself was maintained by a coalition of powerful cultivator families and occupied the western mountain range of Mount Unmong.

Regrettably, it was a condition that Han Li couldn’t meet.

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