Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 485

As soon as the curly-haired old man entered the main hall, he greeted Han Li with a smile.

“So, you must be Fellow Cultivator Han! I’ve heard much of your reputation, but I was under the impression you were in the early Nascent Soul stage… It’s astonishing how quickly you’ve advanced.”

“You must be Senior Geum. Reputation is an overstatement; I’m embarrassed by the praise. It hasn’t been long since I reached the mid-stage,” Han Li said, slowly rising and clasping his hands in greeting.

“I’ve heard rumors about your strength since you came out of seclusion. Rumors tend to be exaggerated, but seeing you today, it seems they weren’t,” the curly-haired old man said with a wry smile. At that moment, Senior Brother Jung chuckled and stood up.

“Fellow Cultivator Geum, you haven’t taken your eyes off Junior Brother Han since you arrived. Why don’t you sit down and chat with us old folks for a bit?”

“My apologies. I heard things before coming, so my curiosity got the better of me.”

“Is that so? Then I hope you’re not disappointed after seeing Junior Brother Han today.”

“Of course not. You’ve exceeded my expectations. With a sect elder like Fellow Cultivator Han, the Falling Cloud Sect is bound to make great leaps forward. But I heard that Fellow Cultivator Han isn’t a direct disciple of your sect. I heard he’s from the Yellow Maple Valley.”

Geum Old Monster glanced at Senior Brother Jung and sneered.

“What difference does that make? What matters is that Fellow Cultivator Han is now an elder of the Falling Cloud Sect,” Senior Brother Jung replied calmly, causing Geum Old Monster to narrow his eyes. Suddenly, Elder Pung interjected into their conversation.

“We’ve acquired some fine spiritual fruits at the Hundred Herb Garden. How about we enjoy them while we talk?”

Soon, young female disciples who had been waiting outside entered with trays of red fruits.

“These are Fire Pomegranate Fruits. One of our disciples found them in a desolate mountain. They’re sweet and delicious, and they’re said to be beneficial for the health of ordinary people,” Elder Pung explained as the female disciples placed the spiritual fruits down. Everyone showed curiosity about the unfamiliar fruits and began to taste them.

Indeed, they were sweet and delicious, and they contained spiritual energy, so Han Li ate three of them in one go.

“Come to think of it, I don’t see Fellow Cultivator Hwangryong, but instead, you’ve come, Fellow Cultivator. You must be Fellow Cultivator Myeonghyeong, right? I heard you possess a very precious magic treasure refined from ten-thousand-year-old yellow wood and have mastered the top-tier wood-attribute technique, the White Blossom Spring Technique…”

Elder Jung of the Hundred Herb Garden asked, looking at the woman from the Ancient Sword Sect.

“Yes, I am Myeonghyeong. Senior Brother Hwangryong left the sect a few months ago after hearing that Fire Spirit Beast eggs had appeared at the Danun Mountain Market. I’ve only reached the Nascent Soul stage five or six years ago, so I hope to learn much from meeting all of you this time,” the woman replied. Although she wasn’t particularly beautiful, her demeanor and tone were gentle and refreshing. Moreover, the subtle floral scent emanating from her made her quite likable.

The elders who tasted the spiritual fruits soon began to chat about various things. However, Han Li remained mostly silent, and when the conversation turned to him, he simply smiled and moved on.

Because of his great reputation, the old monsters from the Hundred Herb Garden and the Ancient Sword Sect carefully observed Han Li’s every move while they talked.

As the conversation flowed, a light flashed at the entrance of the main hall, and a middle-aged man in a purple robe appeared. As soon as he appeared, Elder Pung and Elder Jung of the Hundred Herb Garden stood up and approached him.

“Senior Brother Yeolhwa, the cultivators from the Falling Cloud Sect and the Ancient Sword Sect have all arrived. Is the preparation for the ritual going smoothly?”

“It’s all well prepared,” the middle-aged man replied to them and then scanned the cultivators gathered in the main hall.

“Now, everyone can go to observe the ritual.”

The other cultivators also stood up and greeted him. He was the Great Elder of the Hundred Herb Garden, so it was natural to show respect.

“Brother Yeolhwa, it’s been a while. Are you mastering the Heavenly Fire Technique well? After the ritual, how about we spar for old times’ sake?” Geum Old Monster said, acting familiar with Yeolhwa.

“Hmph, no thanks. No matter how powerful the Heavenly Fire Technique is, there’s a difference in cultivation levels. Sparring would not end well for me,” Yeolhwa Old Monster retorted, glaring at him. At that moment, Senior Brother Jung introduced Han Li to him, and once again, Yeolhwa Old Monster was amazed by his cultivation and praised him.

Then, led by the Great Elder of the Hundred Herb Garden, everyone moved to observe the ritual.

They left the cave and flew to the open space where they had first arrived.

In front of a huge pavilion, hundreds of Foundation Establishment disciples were divided into several groups, waiting for something. In front of them, seventeen Core Formation cultivators stood solemnly.

And a dozen feet in front of these cultivators, a strangely shaped brazier was placed.

The square, flat brazier, about a foot in diameter, had mysterious flame-like patterns carved into it. What was even more peculiar was that, despite being empty, approaching the bright red brazier caused one to feel a burning heat.

However, none of this caught the cultivators’ attention. Their gazes were fixed on the young cultivator kneeling in front of the brazier.

The man looked young, kneeling on a golden cushion, muttering something. However, his face was not clearly visible as he was bowing his head.

Suddenly, Han Li and the Nascent Soul cultivators appeared in front of the waiting cultivators. Soon, a dozen disciples approached them and bowed.

“We greet our grand-uncles and seniors. Junior Brother Ok has been purifying himself for half an hour and will soon open the brazier to perform the ritual,” Elder Bu said respectfully as he walked forward.

“Understood, you may step back,” Yeolhwa Old Monster nodded.

“Fellow Cultivator Yeolhwa, is that young man the one who reached Core Formation in less than a hundred years? His talent is truly extraordinary. If he starts training with the Qiankun Pagoda [a type of magic treasure] as his natal magic treasure today, reaching the Nascent Soul stage in two or three hundred years wouldn’t be difficult,” the curly-haired old man said, observing the young man.

“Haha, whether one can reach the Nascent Soul stage depends on fate, not just talent. Spiritual root talent only slightly increases the possibility,” Yeolhwa Old Monster replied. The curly-haired old man smiled calmly at Yeolhwa’s words, and the other cultivators remained silent, not saying much.

The gathered disciples were careful not to even breathe loudly due to the appearance of their grandmasters and the Nascent Soul cultivators. Except for the young man’s muttering, it became as quiet as a graveyard.

Listening closely, Han Li realized that the sentences he was repeatedly chanting had no special meaning. It seemed like something the old monsters had made him do to strengthen his will, or perhaps it was a unique rule of the Hundred Herb Garden.

For the old monsters who measured their training time in years, half an hour passed in an instant. Soon, the lid of the brazier vibrated lightly, emitting a clear chime, and the light of spiritual energy began to grow.

The temperature around the brazier rose madly, and heat that was almost visible to the naked eye enveloped the surroundings.

While Han Li was unaffected, the Foundation Establishment disciples created protective barriers around themselves to barely withstand the heat-filled wind. The young man kneeling in front of the brazier was emitting a bright red light from his body to block the heat.

After a while, the heat subsided, and the young man slowly raised his head to look at the brazier. He was a slender young man with striking features, appearing to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old.

Han Li also took a quick look at him.

“The time has come, deploy the formation and open the brazier!” Elder Pung shouted without hesitation.

Then, two of the Core Formation cultivators flew to either side of the bright red brazier, while the others floated above the brazier, each holding up their dark blue formation discs.

Swoosh.

A dark blue protective barrier covered the open space. As the huge barrier unfolded, the cultivators on either side of the brazier formed hand seals and threw magic seals into the brazier.

The lid of the brazier, which had been vibrating lightly, began to glow with iridescent colors and slowly lifted. It looked as heavy as a thousand pounds.

The young man, Ok, who had been kneeling, also stood up and stared at the brazier without blinking.

Suddenly, a white light shot out from the brazier, and a dazzling beam of light soared into the sky. The young man immediately turned into a beam of light and began to chase it.

After a moment, the white light collided with the protective barrier, and the young man tried to grab it. However, the white light, being highly spiritual, immediately changed its course and headed downwards this time.

Inside the huge protective barrier, the white and yellow beams of light chasing each other looked like a meteor chasing the moon.

Hundreds of Foundation Establishment disciples watched with wide eyes, while the faces of the Nascent Soul old monsters remained calm.

Han Li narrowed his eyes and watched it lazily.

The Hundred Herb Garden disciple had not yet chosen any magic treasure as his natal magic treasure, so his speed was bound to be slower when chasing a top-grade magic treasure.

However, due to the limitations of the Qiankun Pagoda’s spiritual power, its speed would greatly decrease in about half a quarter of an hour. If the young man were to catch the treasure as soon as it appeared, the ritual of imprinting the treasure’s owner would seem too lackluster.

The white light was flashy, but in Han Li’s eyes, using the Brightsight Spirit Eyes, the treasure was clearly visible. The three-foot-long white pagoda was small but exquisite, and on the outside, it looked just like an ordinary magic treasure.

“Fellow Cultivator Han, what do you think of that Hundred Herb Garden disciple? Do you think he has the potential to reach the Nascent Soul stage?” a woman’s voice asked from behind Han Li. He slowly turned around, and the cultivator named Myeonghyeong was smiling at him from behind.

“While I agree with Fellow Cultivator Yeolhwa’s words, if the Hundred Herb Garden provides him with suitable spiritual elixirs, he is a cultivator with a high chance of reaching the Nascent Soul stage.”

“No matter how outstanding that cultivator’s talent is, he is nothing compared to Fellow Cultivator Han. I heard that you faced one of the Gu Mo [a type of demonic creature] that appeared in the Chuma Bone alone. That alone shows that your strength is comparable to the three great cultivators.”

“You flatter me. How could I have been a match for the Gu Mo alone without the help of other cultivators? Besides, in the end, the Gu Mo was sucked into a spatial rift and died, so it was just luck,” Han Li replied.

“But it’s not just a rumor that you escaped safely from the hands of the Moran Immortal and killed a Great Jin demonic sect elder, is it?” the woman said, smiling as she touched the blue veil hanging in front of her forehead, making her look incredibly alluring. As her skirt swayed, the scent of chrysanthemums wafted into his nose, and he felt an immediate sense of intimacy with her.

‘A charm technique? No… Her eyes are clear, so it’s not a charm technique, but the scent emanating from her body is strange.’

Judging by the calmness of her spiritual energy fluctuations, it seemed to be entirely due to the scent.

“Both times, I was just lucky, and it’s not worth mentioning. However, I heard from my senior brothers that Fellow Cultivator Myeong’s White Blossom Spring Technique is said to overwhelm opponents without even taking form. Is that true?”

“…Do you know about the power of the White Blossom Spring Technique?” Myeonghyeong’s expression changed instantly. Many cultivators knew that she had trained in the White Blossom Spring Technique, but few knew about the true divine power of the technique.

Han Li was about to add something when his expression suddenly changed, and he looked up at the sky. The woman also looked up, following Han Li’s gaze, but she couldn’t sense anything.

However, a moment later, Geum Old Monster shouted,

“Fellow Cultivator Yeolhwa, it seems a distinguished guest is arriving. Let’s go greet them together.”

“A distinguished guest…?” Han Li sighed, and before Geum Old Monster could answer, Yeolhwa and the others also sensed something in the direction Han Li was looking and were surprised.

“Someone is indeed approaching. Such spiritual energy fluctuations… it seems to be a late-Nascent Soul cultivator.”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a clear voice echoed from a beam of light that was cutting through the sky.

“I am Jiyang of the Heavenly Pole Sect. Where is Fellow Cultivator Yeolhwa?”

“Ah, what brings Merchant Jiyang here?” Yeolhwa Old Monster muttered, bewildered. Everyone exchanged glances, but none of the three sects had invited Merchant Jiyang.

However, the fact that he had revealed his cultivation and come on his own meant that he had no ill intentions.

“Let’s go,” Yeolhwa Old Man said calmly.

After all, even though Merchant Jiyang was a late-Nascent Soul cultivator, he couldn’t overpower all of them with force. They postponed observing the ritual and flew towards the Hundred Herb Garden’s restriction.
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