Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 339

Han Li was intrigued, as this was a story he was hearing for the first time.

“To receive a magic tool as compensation even if you’re eliminated in the preliminary rounds, this must be quite a competition. Could Senior Brother Wang explain it in detail?”

“Of course. This swordsmanship competition is actually a grand event prepared by the three sects of our Cloud Dream Mountain for their newly joined disciples. Regardless of status, any disciple under the age of 30 and below the Foundation Establishment stage can participate. Judging by your appearance, Brother Han, you look to be only in your mid-twenties, so you would qualify.”

Han Li stroked his chin and asked casually,

“Is that so? There must be a reason why so many disciples want to participate.”

“That’s right. This swordsmanship competition is related to a sacred tree jointly managed by the three sects.”

At the mention of a sacred tree, Han Li immediately thought of the Spirit Eye Tree.

“What does the swordsmanship competition have to do with that spiritual object?”

“The swordsmanship competition is held before the sap, or pure essence, flows from that sacred tree. It’s a traditional way for the Falling Cloud Sect, the Ancient Sword Gate, and the Hundred Crafting Hall to divide the pure essence.

The sect that outperforms the other two in this competition gets half of the pure essence, and the remaining two sects divide the rest. So, although it’s called a competition for new disciples, the higher-ups of the three sects are quite concerned. If you achieve merit in such a competition, you will gain the attention of the sect elders, and your future will be bright.”

Senior Brother Wang’s following words were tinged with envy and a hint of resentment.

“Not to mention the future. If you outshine other disciples in the swordsmanship competition and achieve excellent results, the rewards you receive at the end will be incredibly generous.

Those who rank in the top positions will receive top-grade magic tools, and the winner will also receive a Spirit Pill. Although this pill isn’t very useful for low-level disciples like us, if you give it to a Core Formation cultivator, you can get three or four top-grade magic tools. It’s quite valuable.

It’s said that the winner has always been from the Ancient Sword Gate since our sect established its base in Cloud Dream Mountain. The Ancient Sword Gate is a sect specializing in swordsmanship, and their cultivation techniques and magic tools are so powerful that it’s quite difficult for even same-level cultivators from other sects to compete.”

Han Li frowned.

“Does this competition pit Qi Refining disciples against Foundation Establishment disciples?”

“That’s right. There is no distinction between Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment disciples; they compete at the same time.”

“Wouldn’t that be too unfair to the Qi Refining disciples?”

Seeing his incredulous expression, Senior Brother Wang chuckled and said knowingly,

“The swordsmanship competition is primarily a way to test the strength of the Foundation Establishment disciples of each sect, so the Qi Refining disciples are just a secondary consideration. However, it gives not only low-level disciples but also outer disciples a chance to train hard. Moreover, although no Qi Refining disciple has ever won since the competition was established, there have been several cases where they defeated many Foundation Establishment disciples and made it into the top 10.”

It wasn’t entirely unreasonable.

“If a Qi Refining disciple made it into the top 10, they must have relied on the power of a strong magic tool.”

This time, Gui Huan shook his head and replied,

“Hehe, you’re quick to grasp that, Brother Han. Among the Core Formation seniors of the three sects, those who have successors or relatives among the low-level cultivators often give them powerful magic tools to support them! In this case, even if you are a Foundation Establishment cultivator, if you don’t have a proper magic tool, it’s not strange to lose, is it?”

The more he heard, the more suspicious Han Li became.

“If they go that far to get even low-level cultivators into the rankings, it can’t just be for the sake of getting a magic tool.”

Senior Brother Wang slowly nodded and spoke about the most significant benefit of winning the swordsmanship competition.

“I was just about to talk about that. Many disciples are eager for the swordsmanship competition not only because of the fancy magic tools given as rewards, but also because those who make it into the top 10 get a chance to wash their eyes with a miraculous water!

It is said that if you take the first drop of pure essence from the sacred water and mix it with other rare materials, you can create the legendary Bright Clarity Spirit Water. Washing your eyes with this water won’t increase your magic power, but it will give you clear eyes that can see through fog and rocks.

Although not much is known about it, it is said to have miraculous effects that go beyond imagination. That’s why everyone is risking their lives in this competition. After all, no matter how precious the Spirit Pill is, only one is given to the winner.”

“Bright Clarity Spirit Water!”

Han Li’s eyebrows shot up.

He had only seen it mentioned in many scriptures before, and he had never thought that the three major sects of Cloud Dream Mountain would be able to produce it.

His heart wavered at the unexpected news. Gui Huan interjected with a bewildered look.

“Haa, not only the essence from the sacred tree but also the materials mixed with it are all extremely rare. I heard that several spirit herbs that have been cultivated for over a thousand years are used, so there’s no doubt about the effectiveness of the Bright Clarity Spirit Water! Fortunately, this effect only works for low-level disciples of the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages, so the upper echelons give it out. Otherwise, would we even have a chance?”

After hearing this, he roughly understood what the swordsmanship competition was about, but he would need to find out the rest of the details himself. With the Spirit Pill and the Bright Clarity Spirit Water at stake, even he couldn’t easily pass up this opportunity.

After that, Senior Brother Wang and the other disciples of the Falling Cloud Sect talked about the competition before leaving. Han Li’s face was serious as he watched the flying magic tools disappear into the distance.

He didn’t return to his cave dwelling immediately but was lost in thought outside the herb garden when suddenly, a soft voice of a fox came from his sleeve.

“Why, Brother Han, are you also planning to participate? I don’t know if it’s the Spirit Pill or the Bright Clarity Spirit Water that’s attracting you.”

“What if I want both?”

Then, Han Li shook his sleeve, and the small fox popped out and returned to its original size. The fox elegantly stretched its body and asked,

“Haha, aren’t you being too greedy? Well, whether it’s the Spirit Pill or the Bright Clarity Spirit Water, they are very useful, so it wouldn’t be bad to get them this time.”

“I have my own plans, so it’s none of your business. Let’s go back for now. The key is how to deal with you, not the swordsmanship competition.”

He said coldly and turned to head back to his dwelling. The fox smiled slyly as it watched him and followed him.

Returning to the cave inside the stone mountain, Han Li immediately began the process of refining the Moon Spirit into his spirit. If he could imbue his natal magic tool, the Azure Bamboo Cloud Sword, with a spirit, its power would naturally increase greatly.

And originally, imbuing a magic treasure with a spirit had an extremely low success rate because the powerful souls of demon beasts would fiercely resist. However, Yin Yue, the soul of the giant silver wolf demon beast, had volunteered to become his spirit, so there was no need to worry about that. And since the fox had confidently declared that she would take care of transferring the soul, Han Li was only happy about it.

Thus, following the fox’s instructions, he prepared a quiet stone chamber, drew a strange formation inside, and left the jade pendant and her there before leisurely leaving.

The stone chamber, with its door firmly closed, was even equipped with a soundproofing barrier, so it was impossible to know what was happening inside, but Han Li had no intention of secretly spying.

If she couldn’t get out of the jade pendant magic treasure, she would know best what would happen to herself, wouldn’t she? Meanwhile, Han Li continued his preparations for refining the spirit in the stone chamber next to the fox’s.

Half a day later, after finishing his tasks, he opened the stone door of the chamber where the fox was without hesitation.

The jade pendant and the fox were still inside the formation drawn in the chamber. Only the light of the jade pendant had become quite dim, and the fox was also soaked in sweat and slumped over. She looked as if she had been thoroughly beaten for half a day, her energy depleted.

Han Li asked in a gentler voice than before,

“Is it going smoothly?”

“I thought I was going to die from the pain, but I could bear it. Brother Han, are you ready too? I can’t last long in the fox’s body in this state without a place to settle. I need to become one with a cultivator’s magic treasure right away, or my soul will scatter.”

Her voice was weak, but her mind was clear. Han Li nodded and gently picked up the fox, returning to his original stone chamber.

The stone door closed, and silence returned once more.

* * *

Three days later, a red light from a sound transmission talisman flew in from outside the herb garden’s barrier.

After the red light disappeared into the thick fog, it was only after a full hour that Han Li appeared, transformed into a streak of blue light. Following the instructions in the sound transmission talisman, he rode his flying sword magic tool towards Heavenly Peak.

Yin Yue’s clear voice echoed in Han Li’s mind.

“Brother Han, it seems like almost all the disciples of Heavenly Peak have been summoned. Is it because of the swordsmanship competition?”

“I don’t know. But considering that even a disciple like me, who only tends to the herb garden, has been personally summoned by the Peak Lord, it must be something important.”

Now, Han Li could communicate with Yin Yue, who was residing in his magic tool, with just his consciousness, and his tone towards her had become much more relaxed.

“It’s just a competition for low-level disciples, so it wouldn’t be difficult to win without revealing your identity, but you’ll still arouse the suspicion of high-level cultivators. If you attract the attention of Nascent Soul cultivators [cultivators at a very high level], it might do more harm than good.”

“When did I say I would win? Even if I participate in the competition, I will never do anything that stands out. Before I succeed in Nascent Soul condensation [achieving a very high level of cultivation], no one will suspect me.”

“Yin Yue was worried for nothing. Well, a cultivator who has lived through all sorts of hardships like Brother Han wouldn’t have overlooked such a trivial concern!”

It was just a voice, but it felt as if Yin Yue was smiling. Han Li sighed inwardly.

After becoming the spirit of the Azure Bamboo Cloud Sword, Yin Yue, knowing that Han Li would not harm her, began to chatter freely.

It was as if she was making up for the years she had spent trapped in the jade pendant, feeling stifled and lonely! Han Li, who had to listen to it all, was getting a headache.

Where had the elegance she had shown at first gone?

Han Li didn’t respond to Yin Yue’s words, and she asked again,

“But they say the Bright Clarity Spirit Water has no effect on cultivators above the Foundation Establishment stage. Why do you want to get it, Brother Han?”

The corners of his lips slightly curved upwards.

“The disciples of Silver Sword Peak are mistaken about something. The Bright Clarity Spirit Water is not completely ineffective for high-level cultivators. High-level cultivators already have some ability to see through the mist, so washing their eyes for a short time won’t have much effect.

Since one drop of pure essence wouldn’t have much effect even if a high-level cultivator took it all, it’s better to let several promising low-level cultivators benefit from it.”

“How did you know that?”

“It was written in an ancient book I saw in the Chaotic Star Sea, so it’s probably correct.”

“Then what is Brother Han’s real goal?”

“Yes, I plan to use this opportunity to approach the Spirit Eye Tree and take its roots. And if I cultivate them using the mysterious bottle, I can get the Bright Clarity Spirit Water and Spirit Pills as much as I want. Of course, I have a plan for obtaining the refining method as well.”

“Wow! Then you only need to make it into the top 10! It might attract some attention, but it’s more likely than winning the whole thing.”

Han Li smiled slightly and didn’t answer further, his gaze turning elsewhere.

# 341