Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 546

Having finished his preparations, Han Li carefully placed the spirit insects and spirit plants he carried in various locations within his dwelling. He even secured the Earth Armored Dragon Horse in a secret chamber under a special restriction.

Then, gathering a large quantity of materials, he entered another secret chamber.

“With these materials, I only have one chance to refine it. If I make a mistake at a crucial point, I won’t be able to try again. The probability of success is anyone’s guess. Besides, since I’m refining it on your behalf, Senior, I might not be able to execute the refining method perfectly.”

Han Li took the bamboo tube from his back and placed it in front of him.

“I’m well aware of that. That’s why I was about to explain the refining method in detail. I will explain it repeatedly, and only when I’m certain you’ve fully grasped it will I allow you to proceed. Before that, take a look at this jade slip and familiarize yourself with the general content.”

“Then I’m relieved.”

Han Li received the jade slip, nodded, and immediately sat cross-legged, pouring his consciousness into it. As he examined the jade slip, his face changed, showing surprise and joy.

After about fifteen minutes, he opened his eyes, looking calm as if he had regained his composure.

“Very good. If the refining is successful, its power will be unmatched by other puppets. With enough spirit stones, it will be comparable to a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator [a powerful cultivation stage]. But there’s something I don’t understand.”

“Since I’ve decided to pass on the puppet technique to you, what is there to hide? Ask me anything.”

“According to the puppet techniques I’ve learned before, the stronger the soul fused when refining a high-grade puppet, the better. I can’t even guess which demonic beast’s soul should be fused into your puppet. To fully unleash its original power, even the soul of the eighth-grade Crimson Fire Jiaolong [a type of dragon] we just caught would be insufficient. You’ve been silent about the soul all along, so do you have something prepared?”

“Oh, is that all? I have a solution for that. I was going to tell you even if you didn’t ask.”

“To complete such a puppet, at least a ninth-grade demonic beast’s soul would be needed. I’m curious how you’ll manage it.”

“There’s no need for a demonic beast’s soul. When the time comes, I will fuse my own soul.”

The Great Evolution Divine Lord’s voice darkened, but he spoke as if it were nothing.

“Your soul?”

“Why, is my soul not as good as a ninth-grade demonic beast’s?”

“That’s certainly not the case. Senior, you previously possessed the cultivation of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, and having cultivated the Great Evolution Technique, your consciousness is comparable to a Spirit Transformation cultivator [a higher cultivation stage]. But if you fuse your soul with the puppet, you will lose your self-awareness. Have you given up on reincarnation?”

“Do you think I would give up on reincarnation? I might even be reborn and form another connection with the cultivation world.”

The Great Evolution Divine Lord burst into laughter.

“If I understand correctly, you’re saying there’s a way to fuse your soul with the puppet without losing the chance for reincarnation? Using a secret technique.”

“You’re quite clever. Yes, that’s exactly it. After being trapped in this puppet due to the Divine Restriction Technique, I spent thousands of years researching how to separate the soul from the puppet without using magical power.

Although I failed in the end, I discovered a secret technique for splitting the soul. This Soul Division Technique is completely different from ordinary consciousness division. The soul that retains most of the soul’s power is fused with the puppet, while the soul that retains emotions and memories goes through reincarnation.”

The Great Evolution Divine Lord told him everything without hiding anything.

“Is that possible? Dividing the soul can’t be that easy.”

“Don’t worry! What I’m dividing is the soul’s power. Anyway, the soul’s power will naturally dissipate when one leaves this world.”

“I see. Then I’m relieved.”

“Now that your questions are resolved, listen to my explanation! Let’s start with the puppet’s body. The physical body requires about a dozen important materials, and those materials…”

The Great Evolution Divine Lord immediately got to the point. Han Li focused his mind and began to listen.

After that, Han Li stayed mostly in the secret chamber, only using his consciousness to control the giant ape puppets to take care of the spirit plants and spirit insects.

The twelve Six-Winged Frost Centipedes were not only fed the Unexpected Grass but also the Snow White Pills, which he examined in detail. He was curious if the Snow White Pills, which helped with the power of the Extreme Flame Transformation, would also help with the growth of the Six-Winged Frost Centipedes, which possessed extreme frost properties.

As a result, the centipedes, which usually took three to four months to refine the Snow White Pills, completely digested them in just one month, and the power of their frost also became stronger.

Thus, Han Li kept the Snow White Pills he needed for himself and had the puppets continue to feed the rest to the spirit insects.

However, the Gold Devouring Beetles did not change much even when constantly fed the Unexpected Grass. It was unknown when they would undergo their next evolution and become adults.

Half a year passed quickly, and Han Li, having completed one part of the puppet, was listening to the Great Evolution Divine Lord’s voice. Looking at the few materials placed in front of him, he had an uncertain expression.

“You want me to use this to make a puppet?”

“Yes, it’s a recent idea, but it will definitely enhance the puppet’s power.”

“The Demonic Beast Spear can be used to refine a weapon for the puppet, but I have no idea what the others are for.”

The items Han Li was referring to were the silver chains that had previously bound the Stone-Eating Mouse and the gray stone fragments found in the abyss of demonic energy.

“As you said, the Demonic Beast Spear. The day I obtained it, I immediately conceived of a weapon that would become the puppet’s ultimate move. If I can refine a Demonic Dragon Blade with it, its power will be considerable.

And didn’t you say that the silver chains blocked even a flying sword infused with essence? I haven’t yet figured out what material it’s made of, but if I mix it with Gang Silver, it would be good to make a shield to protect the puppet’s body. And I only recently figured out what the stone fragments are.”

The Great Evolution Divine Lord paused as if organizing his thoughts.

“Have you ever heard of the Transformation Divine Mud?”

“Of course. The Transformation Divine Mud is also called the Shape-Shifting Paste, and it’s a very rare material that can freely change its shape and self-repair damage. Could this be it? But I heard that the Transformation Divine Mud is white. This is…”

Han Li was surprised and examined the stone fragments closely.

“There’s no need to be puzzled. This is definitely Transformation Divine Mud, but it’s more special because an ancient cultivator refined it by mixing it with other materials. In ancient times, it was called the Spirit-Chiding Soft Jade. I can guarantee that there are fewer than ten cultivators in the world who can recognize it. I also read about it in a book from an ancient cultivator’s cave a long time ago, but I had completely forgotten about it until recently.”

“What is the difference between Spirit-Chiding Soft Jade and ordinary Transformation Divine Mud?”

“Didn’t you see it? The Spirit-Chiding Soft Jade has been refined, so it has a high ability to change and restore its shape, and it also has the ability to absorb a cultivator’s magical power attacks. Even attacks with enormous spiritual power will lose more than half of their power when they touch it. The only drawback is that it’s weak against attacks using the main body of a magical artifact, but even so, it’s an excellent material that is not inferior to essence.”

“Then what do you plan to make with it, Senior?”

“Why do you ask? I’m going to mix it with the silver chains to make the puppet’s body! The puppet’s body made with those two materials will be more powerful than any defensive magical treasure.”

“Yes, I will follow your instructions, Senior.”

“Alright, let’s finish the other things first and talk again. It will be somewhat complete in a year, and then we can combine them into one.”

“Understood.”

Han Li waved his sleeve, and with a blue aura, he retrieved the materials on the floor. Then, he took out seven jade boxes containing materials from his storage pouch and began the next refining process.

While Han Li was refining the puppet in the secret chamber, the twelve Six-Winged Frost Centipedes, which had each consumed a Snow White Pill every month, also evolved. They shed their shells one after another, and their bodies became larger than before. Finally, a pair of pure white wings sprouted on their backs.

Their flying speed increased, and their intelligence also improved, giving Han Li unexpected joy, but after that, even when fed Snow White Pills, there was little noticeable change.

One day, Han Li stood in the secret chamber with his eyes closed.

In front of him, a silver, human-shaped puppet floated in the air. Han Li was moving his ten fingers non-stop, embedding golden threads into various parts of the puppet’s body.

After some time, Han Li opened his eyes with a solemn expression.

“It seems there are no major problems. Each part is perfectly fused, which is astonishing.”

Han Li expressed his joy as he looked at the puppet.

“Whose puppet do you think it is? Of course it’s good! Besides, didn’t I personally teach you the refining method?”

“Senior, are you really determined? What if something goes wrong with the Soul Division Technique and it affects your reincarnation? Moreover, once the soul is divided, the remaining soul won’t last long and will dissipate.”

“I’ve spent more than half my life on puppet techniques. Leaving a part of my soul in the puppet will also be meaningful. And even if I don’t use the Soul Division Technique, I don’t have much time left anyway, so what is there to hesitate about? Don’t try to persuade me. I’ve already passed on the remaining formulas of the Great Evolution Technique, and I only hope that you will inherit them and keep the lineage alive.”

The Great Evolution Divine Lord chuckled softly and spoke nonchalantly. Han Li frowned at his words and remained silent for a long time.

“If you’ve made up your mind, then I won’t say anything more. I just hope that everything goes smoothly.”

The Great Evolution Divine Lord suddenly laughed loudly, and a green light flashed from within the bamboo tube, splitting it in two. A golden dwarf popped out from within, a puppet that was only a few inches tall.

The puppet, made of neither metal nor wood, was very intricately crafted and resembled a middle-aged man. The dwarf’s eyes flashed, and he sat down cross-legged.

A chanting sound echoed, and a green light shot out from the dwarf’s mouth, forming a protective barrier around him. Han Li’s lips moved as he watched, but he couldn’t bring himself to say anything.

The chanting grew louder and more urgent, and the green light became so intense that the dwarf was almost invisible. Han Li narrowed his eyes and watched the scene with his dark blue pupils.

The secret chamber vibrated as the Great Evolution Divine Lord took a painful breath. The green light split in two, one disappearing into the silver puppet and the other into the dwarf. The dwarf’s eyes were now much dimmer.

Han Li quickly gestured towards the silver puppet, and the human-shaped puppet opened its mouth and swallowed the divided soul.

After that, the silver light of the puppet became even more intense, and it trembled non-stop. Han Li, his face darkened, immediately opened his mouth and spat out purple flames at the puppet.

*Chwa-reuk!*

The sound of flames spreading echoed, and ice formed on the surface of the puppet, completely sealing it. Only then did Han Li sigh and look at the dwarf with a worried expression.

“So this is what it feels like to have one’s soul divided! I wonder who else in this world has experienced this feeling besides me.”

The Great Evolution Divine Lord spoke calmly, but he clearly looked weakened, like someone suffering from a serious illness.

“Senior, are you alright?”

“Don’t worry. Even though my soul is divided, I’ll be fine for about ten days. Quickly fuse the puppet and the soul so I can see it before I leave this world.”

“Of course! Before that, I will use the Soul Stabilizing Talisman to stabilize your remaining soul.”

Han Li raised his eyebrows and shook his sleeve, releasing a blood-colored talisman.

“Soul Stabilizing Talisman? Why use such a precious talisman on a dying man like me? Isn’t that too wasteful?”

“It was found in a storage pouch I obtained after killing another Nascent Soul cultivator anyway. No matter how precious it is, it’s something I obtained for free, so there’s no need to feel bad about it.”