Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 372

The high-level secret techniques for handling spirit insects or spirit beasts were the most closely guarded secrets of the Spirit Beast Sect. Leaking them outside the sect was considered treason, punishable by soul extraction.

Even though Liu Yu had resolved not to defy Han Li, this request made her heart race with anxiety.

“You must know that revealing the sect’s internal techniques is a treasonous crime that could lead to soul extraction. If I were to share these secret techniques with you, Senior, what would you do to me?” Liu Yu looked at Han Li with worried eyes.

“Once I have the spirit insect eggs I want and the necessary techniques, you’ll be free. I won’t harm you. Whether you return to the Spirit Beast Sect or not is your choice. The world is vast; surely there’s somewhere you can go?” Han Li spoke casually, as if it were nothing. Liu Yu’s face fell, and after a long pause, a bitter smile appeared on her lips.

“Senior speaks so easily, but if that were to happen, I would never dream of forming a Nascent Soul [a high level of cultivation] in my lifetime. Moreover, now that you know my identity, how could you possibly let me go free?”

“So, what do you want? Do you want me to swear an oath? Or are you trying to threaten me with the spirit insects and techniques?”

“Threaten you? How could I dare to think such a thing?”

“Then, what do you want?”

“If Senior doesn’t mind, I would like to become your disciple and enter your tutelage. Would you allow it?” Liu Yu lowered her gaze, her eyebrows like willow leaves, and looked at Han Li.

“You want to become my disciple?”

“Yes. With Senior’s cultivation, you are more than qualified to be my master. Moreover, what I desire is merely the protection I would gain by entering your tutelage. Otherwise, even if Senior were to let me live, I would be hunted by the Spirit Beast Sect cultivators for the rest of my life and eventually die.”

Han Li’s fingers lightly tapped the limestone table.

“From the way you speak, it seems you didn’t have anyone you considered a master in the Spirit Beast Sect. But if you enter my tutelage, how will you explain it to your family? You should know that the Heavenly Dao Alliance and the Demonic Path are enemies.”

Han Li, stroking his chin, remained calm.

“From the Qi Refining stage [the first stage of cultivation] to the Core Formation stage [a mid-level stage of cultivation], I have relied solely on my own talent and luck to get this far. I have never had a master. My family didn’t produce many cultivators, and now, I am the only one left, so I have no connection to them.”

“If that’s the case, then it’s not impossible for you to enter my tutelage. But I’ll tell you in advance, I will place a restriction on your body, and I won’t provide much help in your future cultivation. However, it is possible for you to enter the Fallen Cloud Sect as my nominal disciple and cultivate on your own. Will you do that?”

“It’s only natural for you to place a restriction on me. After all, I was previously a cultivator of the Spirit Beast Sect. As long as Senior guarantees my safety, I won’t ask for anything else. I’ve survived a near-death experience, so I can’t expect to be guided so closely.”

Liu Yu understood cultivators like Han Li, who were solely focused on cultivation, so she had no reason to hesitate.

Han Li, on the other hand, fell silent at the woman’s decisive decision. A strange light flickered in his eyes, and he eventually nodded slowly.

“Alright! Since you accept all my conditions, I can’t very well refuse you now. Tomorrow, I will introduce you to the other elders of the Fallen Cloud Sect, so change your name and become a disciple of the Fallen Cloud Sect!”

“Thank you, Senior!” Liu Yu, knowing she had preserved her life, was overjoyed and quickly bowed.

“For now, return to the chamber where you woke up and rest. I will call you again to perform the ritual to place the restriction and release your magical power.” Han Li waved his hand to dismiss her, and Liu Yu expressed her gratitude before leaving the main hall. Shortly after, a yellow light flashed in the corner of the main hall, and Silvermoon appeared, floating in the air.

“Huh? You haven’t returned to your original form yet?” Han Li looked at her, puzzled.

“As my cultivation has increased, the time I can maintain this form has naturally increased as well. But Master, are you really going to take that woman as a disciple? You didn’t want to take any disciples before. Is it because she is the owner of the Six-Winged Frost Centipedes? You could just forcefully extract the techniques for handling spirit insects with Dream Incantation [a powerful mind control technique].”

“Yes, I must get my hands on the Six-Winged Frost Centipedes. In your opinion, how long would it take to refine all of the Azure Glacial Flames?”

“Well, at least…” Silvermoon was stunned by Han Li’s question and couldn’t answer immediately.

“If it takes a year to refine a single strand of Azure Glacial Flame, it would take at least 200 years to refine all of it. That’s far too long. But if I use the cold energy emitted by these Six-Winged Frost Centipedes, I can greatly reduce this time. Moreover, it might even further enhance the Azure Glacial Flames.” After calmly finishing his words, Han Li raised both hands and spread his fingers, the tips of which began to shine white and blue, respectively.

Snow-white frost flowers and blue flames rose from the tips of each finger.

“This is…” As Han Li heard Silvermoon’s surprised voice, he blew out a puff of breath, and a blue mist enveloped the white frost flowers and blue flames.

The frost flowers and blue flames instantly shrank like starlight, mixed together, and with a low explosion and dazzling light, a purple bird appeared from within the blue mist. It flapped its small wings and flew nimbly as if dancing.

Looking at the small, finger-sized purple bird, Han Li was satisfied. One could even see a hint of excitement deep within his gaze.

“Silvermoon, do you remember the Asura Sacred Flame that Old Devil Xuangu used?”

“Asura Sacred Flame… I remember. Isn’t that the demonic flame also called the Ghost Dao Sacred Flame? If Xuangu had refined it back then, he might not have been the strongest in the world, but there would have been few who could oppose him. Could it be that what Master has fused is that? It looks completely different.” Silvermoon wore a puzzled expression.

“Of course, this is not the Asura Sacred Flame. I don’t even know the true nature of this flame. But its power is definitely greater than the Azure Glacial Flames. If the Six-Winged Frost Centipedes evolve and emit even more powerful cold energy, I can use it to nurture this flame.

And in the future, it is highly likely that it will not be inferior to the Asura Sacred Flame. I only realized this after unconsciously absorbing the cold energy emitted by the Six-Winged Frost Centipedes, so I was lucky.” After finishing his words, Han Li moved his fingertips, and the purple flame bird circled his fingertips a few times before quickly disappearing.

Then, a smile bloomed on Silvermoon’s face.

“Congratulations! Even the Azure Glacial Flames alone are something that ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators cannot easily oppose, and now that you have obtained a newly fused demonic flame, conquering the Southern Heaven Region will not be difficult.” Silvermoon smiled brightly and bowed her head, a gesture that would have made any man’s heart flutter.

“Conquering the Southern Heaven? Nonsense. There are probably several cultivators in the mid and late Nascent Soul stage, and who knows how many hidden trump cards the old monsters possess. And I don’t know what might have attributes that are the opposite of my demonic flame.” Han Li shook his head cautiously.

“You are too humble. Such coincidences are not common in the world.”

“You never know. The Blood Jade Spider, which was far lower in the rankings, was able to suppress the Golden Silk Insects, which were ranked in the top 20 of the Insect Ranking. If I encounter someone who knows this fact, the situation will change drastically. There must be something that is the opposite of this demonic flame. After all, there are no truly invincible techniques or treasures in this world.”

“Master is truly meticulous and cautious. Then, the only way is to prepare various trump cards to prepare for all situations.”

It had been a long time since Han Li had felt like talking, and he continued to speak leisurely.

“The reason I didn’t take any disciples before was partly because my cultivation was insufficient, but also because I had been wandering around without a fixed place. Taking a disciple would definitely be a burden. But now that I have settled in the Fallen Cloud Sect, it is necessary to build my own power.

Although individual strength is the most important thing in the cultivation world, there are many inconveniences if you are truly alone. At the very least, you might not be able to obtain the necessary information in time.

For example, no one informed me in advance about the trade fair in the State of Yu two years from now. That means I would lose the time to prepare. And that woman, Liu Yu, although her cultivation is not high, she doesn’t seem like an average person who only knows how to cultivate. If she enters the Fallen Cloud Sect, she will try to expand her own power without me having to give her separate instructions.”

“Since you have placed the Golden Restriction on her, she will never dream of betraying you for the rest of her life unless she surpasses your cultivation. Then, her power will become Master’s power.”

“That’s right.” At Silvermoon’s smiling words, Han Li glanced at her for a moment before immediately turning to the Iron-Toothed Rat.

The fellow who had been knocked out earlier was slowly getting up, but his previous ferocious aura had greatly diminished, and his eyes were filled with fear as he looked at Han Li.

“It’s an unnecessary spirit beast for me, but it’s a family heirloom spirit beast that can be controlled with just a magic tool without needing to be refined separately. It’s a perfect item for bartering. You should train it and lock it up in the spirit beast room.

Let’s wait and see what kind of rare treasures we can exchange it for at the trade fair in the State of Yu. I need to go and place the restriction on Liu Yu.” Han Li took out a black spirit token from the low table and threw it to Silvermoon.

“Yes, Master!” Silvermoon received the spirit token and answered respectfully. As Han Li immediately left the main hall, Silvermoon was left alone, fiddling with the spirit token.

Recalling Han Li’s words, she raised the spirit token, and a powerful yellow light was emitted from the token, penetrating into the barrier where the Iron-Toothed Rat was trapped.

The main hall began to echo with the spirit beast’s miserable cries.

* * *

The next day, Han Li took the necessary measures for Liu Yu and immediately headed to the silver-haired old man’s residence. Of course, he didn’t tell him everything truthfully, but said that she was a child he had a connection with, whom he had brought from the Spirit Beast Sect, and that he would take her into his tutelage and care for her in the future.

The silver-haired old man was initially bewildered, but soon laughed as if he understood.

“Haha, I was wondering how Fellow Disciple Han had stirred up the Demonic Path’s territory, but it was all for the sake of Fellow Disciple Liu. It is something that everyone in the sect has been eagerly awaiting, to have another female cultivator in the Core Formation stage.” The silver-haired old man immediately approved Liu Yu’s entry into the Fallen Cloud Sect. Han Li was also satisfied with this and chatted with the old man before returning with the woman.

Afterward, Liu Yu officially changed her name to Liu Mei and became the first nominal disciple under Han Li’s tutelage.

Although Han Li would not personally guide her cultivation, he was not stingy. He immediately bestowed upon her two magic treasures and several bottles of pills made from Core Formation stage cultivator’s elixirs.

At first, Liu Mei thought that becoming his disciple was an unavoidable choice for survival, but later, she was sincerely delighted by Han Li’s generous treatment.

As the saying goes, life is full of twists and turns, and leaving the Spirit Beast Sect and serving Han Li as her master did not seem so bad after all.

Liu Mei cleverly copied the secret techniques for handling spirit insects and offered them to Han Li, along with the Six-Winged Frost Centipedes.

After leaving Han Li’s residence, she dug a cave on White Peak Peak of the Fallen Cloud Sect to establish her residence and took her place as a high-level cultivator of the Fallen Cloud Sect.

It seemed that the silver-haired old man had given her the position of Deputy Peak Lord of White Peak Peak, out of consideration for Han Li’s reputation. This meant that she would assist Peak Lord Song, who was the Peak Lord of White Peak Peak.

Han Li only smiled when he heard this news.

As soon as he obtained the centipede spirit beasts, he immediately began to feed them the Expected Grass. Since the Expected Grass had been effective on the Golden Silk Insects, it would surely have a similar effect on the Six-Winged Frost Centipedes. And he went into the secret chamber to study the secret techniques for controlling the newly acquired spirit insects and the Profound Demon Transformation Technique left by Shen Nuyin.

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