Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 36

Han Li was formulating a plan in his mind. At that moment, two more figures from the Seven Mysteries Sect surged forward, charging towards the dwarf. They were none other than Sect Leader An’s remaining martial uncles.

Their faces were etched with grief, and they appeared deeply enraged by the death of the sturdy man.

Sect Leader An had initially intended to halt his martial uncles’ reckless actions, but these two were the only assets he had left to challenge the dwarf. Rather than stopping them, he reasoned that if they were fueled by revenge, it might be advantageous to settle things decisively.

Seeing them rush forward, the Gold Merchant immediately activated the gray ray. With a flick of his wrist, the ray extended like a rainbow towards the two men.

The scholar-like man among them raised an eyebrow and lifted his hand. From his sleeve, incredibly thin silver threads shot out, colliding with the gray ray.

The ray seemed to pause momentarily due to the silver threads, but it continued to extend as if unimpeded. It appeared the silver threads had no effect at all.

Others were unaware, but Han Li, using his enhanced eyesight from the Eternal Spring Arts, instantly recognized the true nature of the silver threads. Surprisingly, they were clearly a collection of dozens of silver needles woven together.

Even though the silver needles had no effect, the scholar didn’t panic. He bent his body and began to spin like a top. Then, from his rapidly rotating figure, countless small, sharp fragments were ejected. These sharp fragments split into two streams. One stream formed a silver torrent and collided with the ray again.

‘Clang, clang,’ the sounds of impact rang out continuously, and the gray ray was forced to halt in mid-air. The other stream poured down onto the golden guardian, creating a spectacular sight.

The silver stream colliding with the gray ray shattered continuously, leaving behind debris.

However, those that bounced off the golden guardian’s resilience maintained their shape. There were various hidden weapons and miscellaneous items mixed in, such as throwing knives, prayer bead bracelets, and darts.

Seeing this, the Gold Merchant curled his lips. It was obvious that such mundane scrap metal wouldn’t be able to stop his treasure.

“Haaap!”

In the midst of this, a sudden shout echoed through the arena. The person wearing gray clothes, who had rushed out with the scholar, had already drawn his treasured sword and was heading towards the gray ray. The white light emanating from the blade of the sword was solid and emitted a surprisingly chilling aura.

“Sword Aura!”

The title that any swordsman would dream of achieving even in their dreams echoed in everyone’s ears, and now the people inside and outside the arena were all buzzing with excitement. If the Flying Sword was called a legend, then the Sword Aura was the myth of the martial world. It was a realm that every swordsman aspired to reach.

The showdown between two masters wielding the Flying Sword and Sword Aura was now imminent, so how could the blood of the martial artists gathered here not boil?

However, Ga Cheon-ryong was chilled to the bone, and cold sweat was pouring down his face. Although he knew that there was a hidden master in the Seven Mysteries Sect, he had not anticipated that they would be at the level of using Sword Aura.

If he hadn’t invited the cultivator called the Gold Merchant this time, they would all have perished here.

As Ga Cheon-ryong’s face turned pale, the man in gray clothes reached the base of the gray ray. By this time, the scholar had exhausted all his hidden weapons and stopped spinning.

As the barrage towards the ray ceased, the ray immediately descended towards the gray-clothed man’s head. He gripped his sword with both hands and, without any sign of fear, kicked off the ground and swung his Sword Aura.

‘Clang!’

A clear sound rang out as he used his sword to block the ray with tremendous force. However, he was forced back several steps by the ray’s attack, and a stream of blood spurted from his mouth.

The treasured sword also had its tip severed and sent flying, and his complexion clearly showed that he had lost his vitality. However, this time, the gray ray also fell to the ground and trembled.

As the ray fell, people simultaneously exclaimed in admiration. The scholar-like man also rejoiced greatly and looked at the man in gray clothes. Then, he leaped towards the dwarf, intending to deal with him first.

“Get out of the way!”

Before the scholar could take a few steps, a shout came from behind him.

Before he could even turn around in surprise, his neck felt a chill, and his head was severed. The scholar’s life had come to an end.

The Gold Merchant, with an arrogant expression, flicked his finger once more, moving the ray powerfully from the ground. He was very satisfied with the scholar’s demise, having been outwitted by his own cunning.

He was planning to deal with the gray-clothed man and then eliminate all the participants from the Seven Mysteries Sect, but a voice was heard from the crowd.

“That thing flying around is quite to my liking. How about giving it to me?”

No sooner had the words been spoken than a strong spiritual energy descended upon the gray ray, severing the connection with the Gold Merchant.

The ray that had been flying towards the gray-clothed man also changed direction in mid-air and began to slowly fly towards the crowd.

At the place where the gray ray arrived, only one person stood still. He was smiling at the Gold Merchant, revealing his white teeth that contrasted with his dark skin.

As he pointed his finger at the gray ray, the ray unexpectedly fell obediently into his hand.

“Cultivator!”

A chill ran down the dwarf’s spine, and his face turned pale.

* * *

As the gray ray flew towards the crowd of the Seven Mysteries Sect, they thought that the dwarf had changed his mind and was going to kill all his disciples before facing the gray-clothed man.

Who would have thought that the ray would pierce through the crowd and be caught by the hand of an ordinary disciple?

Sect Leader An of the Seven Mysteries Sect and his last remaining martial uncle were overjoyed to have escaped from the dire crisis.

Seeing this, Sect Leader An was ecstatic and grateful that Han Li had participated in this fight. It became clear that the fate of the Seven Mysteries Sect depended on Han Li.

Even as gazes filled with fear, bewilderment, and joy poured down on him, Han Li remained calm and wore a faint smile.

He paid no attention to the people’s attention, but inside, he was feeling very troubled.

Han Li had not intended to step forward now. Originally, he had planned to secretly ambush the dwarf after he had let his guard down and released the golden barrier.

At that time, he could have easily dealt with the opponent by secretly approaching from behind and creating even a small fire bullet.

However, whether it was fate or not, he had unknowingly chanted the Object Manipulation Technique. The process of taking it was simple.

Han Li had simply sent his magical power into the gray ray. As soon as a connection was formed with the ray, it flew to his hand without hesitation.

Han Li was happy to have taken the opponent’s treasure, but on the other hand, he was worried about having to face the opponent head-on.

He didn’t have the confidence to break the turtle shell-like golden barrier. However, no such worry could be seen on Han Li’s face. He knew through the Grasping Wind Sword Technique that a person who was psychologically dominant had an advantage in actual combat and a higher chance of winning.

He wrapped his hands in magical power and lightly rubbed the gray ray. Then, the gray ray slowly lost its light and revealed the appearance of a talisman with a gray sword drawn on it.

The talisman was as vivid as if it were alive. Even without infusing it with magical power, it emitted a faint glow. However, Han Li was slightly disappointed to see this. It was not a magical treasure like a treasured sword, but just a strange talisman.

But he was sure that it would be useful in the future. Then, he carefully put the talisman into his pocket. The Gold Merchant, who had been watching this, was furious.

However, seeing that the opponent had erased his spiritual power from the talisman, it was clear that his magical power was at least several times higher than his own, so he didn’t want to initiate a fight.

When Han Li saw that the opponent was being cautious and not even getting angry, he knew that the opponent was completely intimidated. He decided to take advantage of this situation and activated the Wind Riding Technique on his body. Then, before he knew it, Han Li was right in front of the dwarf.

Startled by Han Li’s sudden appearance, the terrified Gold Merchant said in a trembling voice.

“Why are you doing this? I haven’t touched any minerals in this area, nor have I stolen any spiritual herbs or grasses. I’ve only taken some money from ordinary people. I haven’t touched the interests of the local clans, so there’s no reason for you to kill me.”

Han Li was overjoyed to hear this. The opponent had mistaken him for a cultivator from a clan. He smiled calmly and asked with a mysterious air.

“I don’t know who you are, but if you interfere in the affairs of ordinary people and disrupt the order of this area, wouldn’t that be a disservice to our clan?”

The dwarf’s mind cleared as he realized that the opponent’s tone was gentle and that he didn’t seem to have any intention of harming him. He rolled his eyes, organized his thoughts, and quickly replied.

“I am a disciple of the Ye family of Jinye Ridge. I was just passing through this place, but at the earnest request of the leader of the Arang Gang, I was just trying to help out for old times’ sake. I had absolutely no intention of encroaching on your clan’s territory, so please forgive me. If you could tell me which clan you belong to, I will be sure to visit you next time and formally apologize.”

The dwarf stated in a lively tone that he was a member of the Ye family. It seemed that the Ye family was well-known and that he was from one of the famous cultivator clans.

Han Li knew that he wasn’t lying, but it didn’t seem like the clan would care much about his life or death. He decided to leave no loose ends. Then, the killing intent in his heart grew stronger.

It was difficult to encounter a cultivator with lower magical power than himself, but judging from the way he acted, it was clear that he was not a good person. So, there was no reason for Han Li to hesitate to act.

“The Ye family of Jinye Ridge, is that the famous Ye family?”

Han Li asked, feigning surprise and disbelief.

‘Judging by how he’s boasting about his family, it must be a powerful clan even among cultivators,’ Han Li thought secretly.

“That’s right. It’s the Ye family. Since you’ve heard of us, you wouldn’t harass me, would you?”

The dwarf’s voice became somewhat louder as he pretended to be confident in his clan’s reputation.

“The Ye family…?”

Han Li scratched his head, deliberately showing a hesitant look. Then, he looked as if he was having difficulty making a decision.

“Then let’s do this. Let’s first meet with the elders of the clan and follow the higher-ups’ decision on what to do with you. How does that sound?”

Han Li asked as if he was in trouble.

“You can’t be so troublesome! It’s nothing serious. If I bother the elders of the family with such a thing, it’s obvious that it won’t leave a good impression.”

The dwarf was surprised and tried to change his mind. The Gold Merchant had been thinking that Han Li had been training in the clan all along and had just come out into the world to gain experience. Thinking that way, it was not strange at all that the opponent had such profound magical power at such a young age.

“Ah, I am grateful that you have enlightened me on such a point.”

Han Li bowed his head and pondered as if he was truly moved. Soon, he reached out and took out the talisman with the sword drawn on it from his pocket.

“Even though we’ve just met, you’ve been so considerate, so I think it’s right to return this to its owner.”

Han Li’s expression showed a hint of regret. The dwarf was overjoyed. To easily give up even the treasure he had obtained. He was afraid that the opponent would change his mind, so he quickly formed a hand seal and waved his hand once, and the golden guardian around his body immediately dispersed. Then, he reached out for the talisman and replied.

“Since you are showing such sincerity, I will accept it without any hesitation.”

# 38