Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 64

Senior Uncle Ye took Han Li, and they flew on a leaf-shaped magical artifact, arriving at one of the densely forested mountain peaks.

As they stepped off the artifact, a cluster of simple, single-story houses came into view, all crudely built from piled stones.

Moreover, not a single soul could be seen in any of the rooms, making the entire place seem deserted. Seeing this, Han Li suddenly felt downcast.

“There’s no need to be surprised. As you can see, these rooms are empty. They were originally used as residences for newly initiated disciples, who would move elsewhere once they reached a certain level. Now, it’s the tenth year of the rotation, and there are no new disciples yet, so they’re all empty,” Senior Uncle Wang calmly explained, noticing the doubt on Han Li’s face, but Han Li’s mood didn’t improve at all. Senior Uncle Wang led Han Li through the rooms, wandering around until they stopped in front of a stone house much larger than the others.

“Disciple Im, open the door. I’ve brought a new disciple to receive his items!”

With Senior Uncle Wang’s loud voice, the stone door automatically lifted. Seeing this, Senior Uncle Wang bowed his head and entered, and after a moment’s hesitation, Han Li followed him.

In the center of the room, there was a large table, and behind it sat an old man with disheveled hair, wearing a white robe.

He was holding a shining small knife, completely focused, without even glancing at Senior Uncle Wang and Han Li, and was carving a palm-sized piece of yellow wood.

Senior Uncle Wang frowned slightly but immediately returned to his usual expression, not wanting to disturb the old man’s work. He found another chair and sat down.

He decided to wait for the old man to finish carving. In this situation, Han Li blinked and simply stood behind Senior Uncle Wang, waiting respectfully for the old man.

The old man’s hands moved like lightning, and sawdust flew in the air. Soon, a lifelike, intricate monkey appeared in the old man’s hands.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen Disciple Im carving. Your skills have improved even more.”

“It’s nothing. I’m just passing the time since I have too much free time. But what brings Senior Brother Wang to this humble place?”

Although he said this, his gaze was already scanning Han Li, as if he roughly knew the situation.

“It’s nothing big. I’ve just brought a new disciple to receive the items he needs.”

“All the new disciples who came through the Ascension Ceremony [a ceremony for new disciples] have already been here. How is it that there’s one more? Moreover, his aptitude is so lacking. Could it be that Sect Leader Jong’s judgment has deteriorated?”

The old man spoke these words without batting an eye, even with Han Li present. Moreover, his tone didn’t show any respect for the Sect Leader. It was natural that Han Li, who was listening to this, was at a loss, and Senior Uncle Wang also gave a wry smile.

In fact, Senior Uncle Wang knew that Disciple Im didn’t like the current Sect Leader because of past events.

However, he couldn’t pick at the other’s words in front of a junior disciple like Han Li. So, he just coughed a few times and changed the subject.

“Disciple Im, Disciple Han came to the Yellow Maple Valley with an Ascension Token [a token given to those who pass the Ascension Ceremony]. Regardless of his aptitude, it’s a matter of whether our sect keeps its promise or not.”

“Ascension Token!”

The old man seemed genuinely surprised and examined Han Li closely once more.

“Tsk, tsk, then this kid must have gotten a Foundation Establishment Pill [a pill that helps cultivators reach the Foundation Establishment stage].”

The old man clicked his tongue, as if the kid was lucky.

“Heh heh, that should have been the case, but Disciple Han made a deal with Senior Brother Ye and decided to give up the Foundation Establishment Pill.”

“Gave up the Foundation Establishment Pill?”

The old man was stunned at first, then remained silent for a while before speaking again.

“Giving it up is good too. It’s important to know oneself! To be able to make choices at such a young age, he’s better than me in that regard.”

The old man looked at Han Li with calm eyes, which felt much more friendly compared to his initial cold gaze. However, Han Li felt frustrated listening to those words.

‘What do you mean by knowing myself and making choices? I gave up the Foundation Establishment Pill with a bleeding heart because I had no other choice. How could I have given it up otherwise?’

While he was thinking this, the old man suddenly stood up and waved his hands in all directions. Each time, items piled up in his hands, and Han Li could only watch with his mouth open.

“One set of yellow hemp clothes, a Green Leaf magical artifact, daily refining tools, a Flaming Yang Sword, a Cold Moon Saber, and one Ten-Fold Storage Pouch.”

He checked each item in his hands, then dumped them onto the table.

“The items are here, so take him away. Senior Brother Wang is a busy man, so I won’t keep you any longer. Please forgive me for not seeing you off.”

After speaking, the old man took out another piece of wood from his robe and began carving, no longer paying attention to Han Li and Senior Uncle Wang.

Seeing this, Senior Uncle Wang sighed, didn’t reply, and took Han Li and the items out of the room. As soon as the two of them left the stone chamber, the door that had been open automatically closed again.

Seeing the tightly closed stone door, Senior Uncle Wang prepared to leave with Han Li.

“Ah, there’s no need to carry all of those in your arms. You can just put them all in the storage pouch.”

He was about to turn and take a step when he noticed Han Li standing there foolishly, holding a pile of items, and smiled. He took the black bundle that Han Li had taken out and placed on the floor.

‘Is this the storage pouch?’

“If it’s your first time using a storage pouch, I’ll show you how.”

Senior Uncle Wang was very kind, noticing Han Li’s predicament, and took the bundle.

“First, place the opening towards the items you want to store, inject spiritual energy, and then bring it close to the items. They will automatically be stored inside.”

Senior Uncle Wang explained and demonstrated himself. As he pointed the opening of the bundle downwards, light flowed from his hand, and white light flowed from the bundle. The items that had fallen on the ground contracted and were sucked into it. Han Li, who was watching from the side, was amazed.

“When taking out items, you can use spiritual energy in the same way.”

Senior Uncle Wang handed the bundle back to Han Li and continued.

“However, there are taboos when using a storage pouch. Disciple Han, please remember them.”

At his stern voice, Han Li’s head automatically nodded up and down.

“First, the storage pouch has a limit on the weight and quantity of items it can hold. If you put too many items in it, it will lose its effectiveness and can no longer be used.

Second, you must not put living creatures in the storage pouch. If they enter, they will surely die.”

Han Li deeply engraved Senior Uncle Wang’s advice in his mind.

“Now that you’ve received your items, let’s go to the disciples who specialize in cultivation.”

After speaking, Han Li and Senior Uncle Wang boarded the magical artifact again, but this time the distance was relatively short. In the blink of an eye, they landed at the foot of a mountain.

There, a huge stone building was built against the mountain, and in front of it was a stone plaque with the three golden characters ‘Transmission Hall.’ Around it, young disciples were coming and going, creating a lively atmosphere.

Senior Uncle Wang entered the stone building, and Han Li hurriedly followed him. As he passed, the disciples, who seemed to know Senior Uncle Wang well, constantly greeted him and asked how he was doing. Senior Uncle Wang nodded with a smile and accepted their greetings.

Upon entering the stone building, Han Li was surprised to find that the back of the Transmission Hall was connected to the mountain range, making it incredibly vast.

Moreover, there were rows of stone doors, and disciples could be seen entering and exiting through them. Han Li wanted to examine the interior in detail, but Senior Uncle Wang pushed open the third door on the left and entered.

“Come in.”

Han Li hesitated whether to follow, but Senior Uncle Wang called him in without waiting long.

Inside the room, a disciple in his thirties, wearing blue clothes, stood respectfully on one side of Senior Uncle Wang and smiled at Han Li.

“This is Oh Pung, who is in charge of the new disciples’ cultivation methods. In the future, if you have any problems with your cultivation, seek his guidance. Among the junior disciples, he is one of the top ten in understanding basic cultivation methods.”

“I look forward to working with you, Senior Brother Oh!”

Han Li’s polite voice echoed in the room. Oh Pung was going to be his cultivation master for a while, so he couldn’t be careless.

“Haha! Senior Uncle, you flatter me. I only know a little about low-level cultivation methods. I look forward to working together with Disciple Han.”

“Disciple Oh, I know how good you are at cultivation, so there’s no need to be so humble. I’ll leave Disciple Han’s cultivation to you! I have other places to visit, so I’ll be going now.”

After clearly stating what needed to be said, Han Li and Senior Uncle Wang left the room, seeing off Senior Brother Oh.

Following that, Senior Uncle Wang introduced Han Li to the places he needed to know and some of the law enforcement disciples, reminded him of things to be careful about, and then returned to the buildings on the mountain peak where the meeting had been held.

Then, he let Han Li choose a room to use as he pleased and finally left Han Li alone.

* * *

Han Li took out the flying Green Leaf magical artifact from the storage pouch and jumped on it. At first, he was not used to it and wobbled, going up and down repeatedly.

However, as time passed, he gradually became more comfortable and was able to ride the Green Leaf with his hands behind his back, just like Senior Uncle Wang.

This magical artifact was easy to use and control, but it was definitely slow. It was only slightly faster than a normal horse running. It was indeed a supply item given to each disciple in the valley.

Although the Green Leaf magical artifact was of ordinary quality, it was still Han Li’s first experience with flying in the air. Han Li was excited and flew around for half a day.

“Hahaha!”

Han Li laughed loudly as he cut through the sky.

Whenever he encountered other disciples while flying, some would look at him with curiosity, as his face was unfamiliar. However, they would soon turn their gaze away after confirming that he only had about 9-star level of magical power.

Even though he noticed these looks, he didn’t show any reaction, but he sneered inwardly.

Whether they were martial artists from the mortal world or disciples of the immortal sects, they were all the same. The strong were the only truth.

Soon, Han Li arrived at a place where large buildings were gathered and walked into the main hall with the sign ‘Hundred Affairs Hall’.

* * *

Inside the hall, there was a middle-aged man who looked puzzled when he saw Han Li.

“Disciple Han, why have you returned? Where is Senior Uncle Wang?”

This was one of the places that Senior Uncle Wang had taken Han Li to while rushing around. He was a little surprised that Han Li, who had just left after finishing his business, had come back again.

“Senior Brother Uh, I heard that this is where tasks are assigned. Is that correct?”

“That’s right, it is. Surely, you don’t want to be assigned a task so quickly? According to the rules, new disciples like Disciple Han can be assigned tasks after about a month, once they are familiar with the sect’s affairs, so there’s no need to rush.”

“Haha. A month of doing nothing? It’s fine. I was just wondering if there was anything to do. Aren’t there not enough people for cultivation work?”

Han Li asked with a smile, despite the steward’s puzzled expression.

“Oh dear, it doesn’t work that way. Disciples can’t choose which task they are assigned. Unless they can prove that they have expertise in that area.”

Han Li’s eyebrows slightly rose as he looked at the law enforcement disciple, as if he was in trouble.

‘Do I really have to go see Senior Uncle Ye?’

# 66