Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 619

“Your cultivation has improved significantly compared to ten years ago,” Han Li said with a smile after examining Baek Yo-i.

“I’m ashamed before you, Brother Han. With your divine abilities, even two cultivators like me wouldn’t be able to withstand your attacks,” Baek Yo-i chuckled, shaking her head.

She clearly remembered Han Li’s extraordinary abilities displayed in the Yin-Yang Cave and Kunwu Mountain, so she didn’t treat him with any carelessness.

As Baek Yo-i showed such respect to Han Li, Im Byeok looked at Han Li with a puzzled expression.

“When you said you would visit my palace back then, there must have been a reason, right?”

“Since you asked first, I’ll be honest. Actually, there’s something I’d like to ask of Senior Baek,” Han Li replied after a moment of thought.

“I haven’t forgotten the great favor Brother Han has done for me. Please, ask me anything,” Baek Yo-i answered without hesitation.

She was referring to the time he had saved her from being sealed in ice, but even if it wasn’t for that, having a friendly relationship with a cultivator who possessed divine abilities comparable to a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator was beneficial.

“I heard that a spirit herb called the Mystic Ice Flower grows in the Northern Underworld. It’s a necessary ingredient for the spirit pill I’m trying to refine, so I came all the way here.”

“The Mystic Ice Flower is indeed a rare ingredient that’s hard to find elsewhere. Moreover, most of the old ones in this area have already been collected. I’ll instruct my disciples to search for the Ten-Thousand-Year Mystic Ice in distant places. If there’s a place with Ten-Thousand-Year Mystic Ice, there’s a possibility that the Mystic Ice Flower will be growing there.”

Baek Yo-i readily agreed, thinking that Han Li’s request wasn’t too difficult.

“I’m relieved that Senior Baek is willing to help. If I had to search for it myself, it would have been very difficult.”

“It’s nothing! However, it will be difficult to obtain it within a day or two, so it seems you’ll have to stay at our Sojeok Palace for a few days. I was already admiring Brother Han’s divine abilities, so it seems like it will be an opportunity to learn through interaction.”

“I’m also very interested in your palace’s cultivation methods. Isn’t this place renowned as the best in the Great Jin for cold-attribute cultivation methods? Although I haven’t cultivated related methods, all cultivation methods have something in common, so I believe it will be of great help to learn them.”

Han Li also smiled and replied, and they began to talk, exchanging various questions. Im Byeok, who was also a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, occasionally joined the conversation, and he had his own unique insights that were worth learning from.

Thus, the three cultivators continued to talk in a friendly atmosphere.

After half a day, Han Li, considering that Baek Yo-i had just finished her closed-door cultivation, said that he would leave first.

Baek Yo-i didn’t stop him and instructed a noble lady to escort him to his residence. Im Byeok didn’t seem to want to leave, as if there were things he wanted to discuss with his fellow disciple.

Thus, guided by a noble lady who was a Core Formation cultivator, Han Li headed to another building located on the cliff. The dozen or so pavilions all looked similar, and they seemed to be spaces prepared separately for guests.

The lady was even more respectful because she saw how much Baek Yo-i valued Han Li, and she answered every question he asked with sincerity, which pleased him.

When they arrived at the pavilion, a young girl with a youthful face, dressed as a maid, rushed out. She was a small and frail-looking young maid.

“Greetings, Aunt An.”

The maid seemed to know the noble lady well and quickly paid her respects.

“Disciple Hwa, Senior Han is the sect leader’s honored guest, so you must serve him well during his stay here. Keep in mind that if there’s even the slightest mistake, the sect leader will be furious, and I will also be severely punished!” the lady instructed with a stern face.

“I will do my best,” the woman promised and then secretly raised her head to look at Han Li, but when she saw that he was looking at her, she quickly lowered her head.

“Senior Han, if you don’t like Disciple Hwa, I’ll call another child. Just say the word.”

“No, this child will do,” Han Li said, shaking his head at the noble lady’s words, and entered the pavilion. The two women followed him.

The interior of the pavilion was also well-decorated, but the most pleasing aspect was that there was a simple restriction on the second floor, so there was no need to worry about being secretly spied on.

After deciding to stay there, Han Li said a few words to the noble lady and sent her away. In fact, he had come all the way from Snow Lotus Mountain without resting, so it was time to rest.

After that, for two days, Han Li sat on the second floor and rested, not taking a single step outside the pavilion.

Although it seemed like they were letting him stay there casually, it was obvious that many high-level cultivators were watching this place.

Any sect would be wary if an outsider of the Nascent Soul stage suddenly came and stayed.

He had no intention of causing trouble. He also wanted to find out about the Solar True Flame, but he decided not to move recklessly until he found the Mystic Ice Flower and refined the Mystic Ice Pill.

More than anything, freeing Nangong Wan’s Soul Sealing Curse was his top priority. However, the maid who was assigned to him only asked a few questions at first, and there was nothing else to order her to do.

On the morning of the third day since he had been sitting in his residence without moving, a blue light suddenly flashed from his body, and something burst out.

Then, he opened his eyes with a dark expression. A strand of consciousness had pierced through the pavilion’s restriction without any hesitation, examined him, and then was repelled by a spell.

The problem was that the opponent’s powerful consciousness was just as strong as his. It was highly likely to be the consciousness of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. As he was thinking about what to do, a faint voice reached his ears.

“You must be Cultivator Han. I am Hanryeo Merchant. Would you be willing to meet me?”

‘Hanryeo Merchant!’ Han Li was surprised inwardly. Hanryeo Merchant was the Great Elder of the Northern Underworld Sojeok Palace.

Everyone knew that he was a mysterious figure and a great expert, but no one had ever seen him fight directly. There were even rumors that he had taken the position of Great Elder overnight without any fanfare.

He was curious as to why he was looking for him, but even if he was a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, he had nothing to fear. After thinking for a moment, he decided to meet him and sent a voice transmission to the consciousness that was wandering nearby.

“Since Cultivator Hanryeo has invited me, how can I refuse? I will come to see you.”

“Good. I’ll send my spirit beast to guide you. I’ll be waiting for you to come,” Hanryeo Merchant’s tone became more friendly, as if he was satisfied. Soon, a light flashed, and the consciousness disappeared.

Han Li didn’t get up immediately and was lost in thought for a while before slowly descending the pavilion. The maid, who was sitting on a chair on the first floor holding a jade slip [a thin piece of jade used for writing], was startled and immediately got up.

He simply nodded to her and then went straight out the door. As soon as Han Li stepped outside, he found the spirit beast he was looking for.

A large lynx was crouching under a tree, its yellow eyes gleaming. Its golden fur was so brilliant that it looked as if it had been made of gold.

A surprised expression flashed across Han Li’s face as he examined the small beast.

‘Golden Wind Lynx!’ It was said that Golden Wind Lynxes were always born as twins, male and female, and that their stealth techniques were incredibly mysterious. Han Li immediately returned to his expressionless face and looked around the tree, but found nothing.

The Golden Wind Lynx seemed to recognize him and let out a low cry, and surprisingly, another lynx appeared from near the tree with a golden flash. The newly appeared lynx was only half a foot tall, much smaller than the previous one.

Han Li was startled by this. It was strange that even with his powerful consciousness, he couldn’t find the spirit beast hidden in the tree trunk.

The two Golden Wind Lynxes gathered together and rubbed their heads against each other before running off somewhere. Han Li didn’t hesitate and turned into a streak of blue light, closely following the two spirit beasts.

However, an inexplicable thing happened on the way.

One of them became blurry and disappeared in front of Han Li’s eyes. Startled, Han Li quickly put up a protective barrier and began to search for the spirit beast’s whereabouts.

It was a chilling experience.

He immediately injected all of his spiritual power into his eyes, and his pupils flickered with a dark blue light. He scanned the surroundings thoroughly and found a faint shadow of the other lynx next to the Golden Wind Lynx that was guiding the way.

Only after finding the Golden Wind Lynx with his divine abilities could Han Li breathe a sigh of relief. If a spirit beast that couldn’t be detected by consciousness was wandering around, how could he stay here with peace of mind!

The two Golden Wind Lynxes weren’t very fast, so Han Li easily followed them, keeping a distance of about ten feet.

Some of the inner palace cultivators stopped when they saw Han Li’s unfamiliar face, but when they saw the Golden Wind Lynxes running in front of him, they were startled and made way for him. They all seemed to know the identity of the spirit beasts well.

After following the spirit beasts through various paths and passing several mansions, he unexpectedly arrived at a stone gate that was pierced into the cliff.

The stone gate, which was about six feet high, was faintly glowing with a yellow light, and spells were flowing down it, making it clear at a glance that it was a place with a powerful restriction.

Han Li stopped his escape technique and narrowed his eyes.

The pair of Golden Wind Lynxes flashed and disappeared into the stone gate.

*Kuururung!*

Before Han Li could react, the stone gate flashed and opened, and a transparent passage appeared inside.

It looked like an ice cave made of frozen frost.

The Golden Wind Lynx stood at the entrance of the passage, rolling its eyes and looking at Han Li, which seemed to indicate that it had considerable intelligence. The one that had been hiding was now also visible.

“Cultivator Han, please come in. I apologize that I cannot come out to greet you,” a voice filled with laughter echoed in his ears. Han Li raised his eyebrows and entered without a word. Then, the two Golden Wind Lynxes began to run down the passage again.

Han Li calmly followed them, and as he went deeper, the cold air became more intense, and he felt like he was going deeper underground.

After about a quarter of an hour, when his breath would turn into mist, he finally reached the end of the passage, and the Golden Wind Lynxes immediately jumped into a white hall.

The hall was as transparent as jade, and judging from the cold air emanating from its surface, it was surprisingly made of carved Ten-Thousand-Year Mystic Ice.

As soon as Han Li entered the hall, he felt like his body was about to tremble, but he was fine after a purple flame flowed through his body.

“Indeed, it was true. You really possess the extreme cold flame!” Han Li turned his gaze at someone’s delighted voice and murmured in surprise, “Profound Azure Ice Flame?”

At each of the four corners of the hall, thick crystal pillars were erected, and in the middle was a huge dark blue cauldron that was about five feet in diameter.

The dark blue flames rising from the cauldron emitted a strange coldness and pressure of spiritual energy, which was none other than the Profound Azure Ice Flame, which Han Li was very familiar with.

“Hmm? It’s surprising that Cultivator Han recognizes the Profound Azure Ice Flame,” a dwarf who was only three feet tall appeared from behind the cauldron. An old man with wrinkles all over his face and a snow-white beard was looking at him with a strange expression.

“Are you Cultivator Hanryeo?” Han Li, who had regained his composure in an instant, cupped his fist and paid his respects.

“That’s right. I am Hanryeo. However, the title of Hanryeo Merchant is just an honorific title used to refer to the Great Elder of the Sojeok Palace. Very few cultivators know that my real name is Sasang,” the dwarf looked at Han Li with a glint in his eyes and calmly stretched out his hand, throwing a hand seal at one of the pillars. Then, a white light spread, and a white cushion appeared in the air of the hall.

“I haven’t prepared a table or chairs because there aren’t many visitors. Please understand.”

“It’s alright. We are cultivators, so we don’t need to be bound by such things,” Han Li smiled at the old man’s gentle tone. Then, he calmly went to one of the cushions and took a seat before looking at the huge cauldron again.

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