Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 672

“Is it me you were calling for?”

The old man named Bongji seemed confused, unsure if he was the one being addressed.

“Who else would I be calling? You used to live here, so come out and answer the senior’s questions!”

The scholar, worried that Han Li might be displeased by his disciple’s slowness, urged him sternly.

“Yes! I’ll be right there.”

The old man slowly flew over and stood beside the scholar.

“You’ve lived here since before?”

“I report to the senior. I lived here before I joined the sect.”

“How did you achieve Foundation Establishment?”

Han Li’s question, after nodding, surprised everyone.

“My mother gave me a Foundation Establishment pill she received from a certain senior before she passed away, so I was able to achieve Foundation Establishment smoothly.”

“So you are a descendant of that woman.”

Han Li’s expression softened.

“…Do you perhaps know my maternal grandmother? Ah, the senior who gave the Foundation Establishment pill!”

Bongji mumbled with a blank face, then exclaimed as if he had realized something.

“You’re not a fool.”

“I have always kept the great favor of the pill in my heart.”

The Foundation Establishment stage old man bowed hastily, filled with joy and gratitude.

“I had a connection with your maternal grandmother, and then I met your mother and gave her the Foundation Establishment pill. But you’re still at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, so your talent wasn’t outstanding! Now that you’re old and your energy is waning, it will be difficult to go further.”

“I am lacking and have disappointed the senior.”

Bongji blushed with embarrassment, despite his aged face.

“There’s no need to say you’ve disappointed me. But how did the Fire Spirit Sect establish their sect here? Didn’t they know that this was where your maternal grandmother used to live? She was an old friend of mine.”

Suddenly, his face hardened, and the atmosphere turned cold. The scholar and the old man standing beside him turned pale.

“I’ve heard a little about it. That’s why the bamboo house where Senior Shin used to live was moved to another place and is still preserved. That was my condition for offering this mountain to the sect.”

Bongji quickly explained, his heart pounding.

“I see.”

Han Li shifted his gaze to the Core Formation stage cultivators.

“That’s right, senior. This is not our Fire Spirit Sect’s main gate, but a temporary residence. We came here with several disciples because there was something to handle with the Yuanwu Bureau. Senior Shin’s old house is preserved as it is, and we haven’t touched it.”

“Understood. But this is where my old friend used to live, and I don’t want other cultivators staying here. So you know what to do.”

Han Li looked at the scholar and the old man with a cold gaze.

“Understood. We will withdraw from here immediately and find another place for our disciples to stay.”

“It’s good that you understand. You, guide me to where Senior Shin’s residence is.”

Han Li left them and spoke to the Foundation Establishment stage old man.

“Yes! I will guide you right away.”

Bongji immediately bowed to the scholar and flew towards the other side of the mountain peak on his magical artifact. Han Li also emitted a blue light, enveloping Jeon Geuma, and followed behind him.

“Is it certain that the senior is a late-Nascent Soul stage cultivator? He doesn’t look like the Three Great Cultivators.”

As Bongji and Han Li disappeared, the scholar moved his lips and sent a telepathic message to the old man.

“It’s probably true. The pressure of his spiritual energy was several times stronger than our master’s. But he doesn’t seem to be one of the Three Great Cultivators, so has a fourth Great Cultivator finally appeared in our Tiannan!”

“If that’s true, a new wind will blow in Tiannan.”

“Let’s talk about this later! Whatever his identity, we need to withdraw from here as soon as possible.”

“You’re right, senior brother. Then I’ll issue the order right away! It’s a shame to leave after finally securing a good spot.”

The scholar sighed and looked around.

“Hmph! Why can’t you think that we’ve already been lucky enough? It’s fortunate that we accepted Bongji into the sect, or who knows what would have happened to us. But who would have thought that one of our low-level disciples would have a connection with such a Great Cultivator. Who are Bongji’s ancestors that he came all the way here?”

The dark-skinned old man frowned and asked.

“I don’t know exactly either. It’s been a long time since I accepted Bongji as a disciple, but I took him in because he was a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator, and I never paid much attention to him because his talent was ordinary. However, I did ask about the original owner of the bamboo house here. Even though the restrictions were simple, there were some quite mysterious aspects to it. But when I heard that it was just a Qi Refining stage cultivator, I stopped caring about it.”

“A Qi Refining stage cultivator and a late-Nascent Soul stage cultivator… Even if it was a long time ago, the gap is too big to call them friends.”

The old man muttered in a puzzled tone, and the scholar gave a wry smile. Then, they didn’t delay any longer and issued the order.

At that time, Han Li and Jeon Geuma had entered the bamboo house, which was full of vibrant energy. The interior was exceptionally clean, and there was no sign of the passage of time. Bongji stood beside them, guiding them and explaining in detail, taking credit for his efforts.

“Although a long time has passed, thanks to regularly exposing it to the light of spiritual energy, as per my mother’s instructions, it hasn’t decayed and remains as it was. Of course, I’ve also cleaned it thoroughly.”

“Oh, you’ve diligently protected this place.”

Han Li raised the corners of his mouth and entered the main hall, looking around.

The objects were the same, but their owner had passed away. Lost in thought, he glanced at Jeon Geuma’s expression and flinched.

The girl’s clear eyes were fixed on the bamboo table and chairs, and she seemed to be in a trance, unable to regain her senses. Han Li’s heart grew complicated at the sight.

After a while, he waved his hand at the Foundation Establishment stage old man and said,

“I will stay here with my disciple for a day, so come back tomorrow.”

At Han Li’s words, the old man answered respectfully and quietly left. Immediately, Han Li’s figure blurred.

He sat cross-legged in a corner of the main hall, closed his eyes, and waited for Jeon Geuma to slowly look around Shin Yeoeum’s residence.

The next morning, when Bongji returned to the place with a nervous face, only two bottles of unknown pills were left on the bamboo table. Han Li and the girl had disappeared.

The old man couldn’t hide his joy at the sight. Pills left by a late-Nascent Soul stage cultivator would be incredibly valuable.

At that time, Han Li was already flying a million miles away with Jeon Geuma.

“Master, why did you take me there? Is that place perhaps related to me?”

“I wasn’t sure before, but now it seems like it is.”

“What kind of…”

“Do you believe in reincarnation and past lives?”

Before the girl could ask a question, Han Li cut her off and asked first. The pure girl’s complexion changed noticeably.

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“How did you feel after staying in the bamboo house for a day?”

“I don’t know, but it felt strange. A strange feeling that I can’t explain.”

“That place used to be where my friend lived. She had the Dragon’s Roar Physique [a rare and powerful constitution] and was a naturally talented formation master, but she passed away at a young age.”

“Didn’t Master save her?”

“I couldn’t make a decision at that time, so how could I have saved her? Besides, she had her reasons and had no attachment to this world. The formation book I told you to look at before was also left by her. I also had a connection with a cultivator named Je Woonso before Shin Yeoeum, when I had just reached Foundation Establishment. It was when I participated in an auction…”

Han Li, without any annoyance, told her everything from meeting Je Woonso to getting to know Shin Yeoeum. He told her everything up to the point where he met the descendant of the woman who was Shin Yeoeum’s maid, and then he closed his mouth.

Jeon Geuma couldn’t close her mouth the whole time and said with a complicated look,

“Master, you think I’m her reincarnation!”

“It was a suspicion before, but after taking you to the bamboo house, I’m about 50% sure. It seems that reincarnation isn’t entirely impossible.”

“Then, the reason Master took me in was…”

Jeon Geuma was a little uneasy.

“Don’t worry, I sincerely accepted you as my disciple! I was also friends with Shin Yeoeum, but I was also impressed by her natural talent as a formation master. The reason I accepted you as my disciple is partly because of my relationship with Shin Yeoeum, but also because I want to raise you into a true formation grandmaster and use you effectively. Of course, if you don’t want to be my disciple even now, I’ll send you back to Nanseong Sea.”

“I don’t know if I’m the reincarnation of your friend. But Master, you accepted me, a mere Qi Refining stage cultivator, as your disciple despite being a Great Cultivator, and I’m not foolish enough to give up such an opportunity.”

Jeon Geuma shook her head in a panic, worried that Han Li might not want her.

“Good. If you enter my sect, I will help you reach Core Formation safely, if nothing else.”

“I want to become Master’s disciple.”

“I’ll formally accept you when we enter the Falling Cloud Sect. I’ve never formally taken in a disciple before. I have one nominal disciple, so you’ll be able to see him when we return.”

At those words, the girl was relieved and smiled for the first time since they had been traveling together. Then, Han Li boosted his full magical power, and the light of his escape technique became several times faster, disappearing into the sky in an instant.

* * *

Several months later, Han Li entered the borders of the Gui Kingdom with the girl.

After a few more days, when a dazzling blue light reached within a hundred miles of the Yunmeng Mountain Range, a loud roar that shook the sky was suddenly heard.

The roar, which sounded like a dragon’s cry or a phoenix’s cry, made even the clouds in the sky tremble and scatter. The incredibly fast blue streak of light flashed a few times and flew tens of miles, and the powerful spiritual energy was enough to shake the entire Three Great Sects of the Yunmeng Mountain Range.

From the Nascent Soul stage elders to the ordinary Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stage disciples, everyone was startled by the roar that came from afar. In particular, the Nascent Soul stage old monsters immediately left their sects to see which senior had appeared and was acting so recklessly in the Yunmeng Mountain Range.

Just as Han Li approached within ten miles of the mountain’s outskirts, he saw five streaks of light coming towards him. He was in a state where it was difficult to maintain his composure at the thought of seeing Nangong Wan again.

When Han Li withdrew his light, the roar stopped, and he and Jeon Geuma appeared in the air.

After a moment, a rare smile appeared on his face. Most of the five streaks of light were familiar.

About 30 to 40 feet away, the streaks of light withdrew, and cultivators appeared.

“Junior Brother Han, is that really you!”

A middle-aged man wearing a navy blue robe recognized Han Li’s face from afar and shouted with joy. He was Lyeorak of the Falling Cloud Sect, who had brought Han Li into the sect.

“Senior Brother Lyeorak, have you been well!”

Han Li smiled brightly and clasped his fist towards Lyeorak.

“Who is so incredibly powerful, I wondered, but it’s Senior Han who has returned. Huh! Senior Han, have you already reached the late stage?”

The red-robed cultivator with the appearance of a young boy was Hwaryong Dongja of the Ancient Sword Sect. He looked as if he had seen a ghost, his face aghast.

“Senior Brother Nam, you’ve already reached the mid-stage?”

“How can reaching the mid-stage be compared to Senior Cultivator reaching the ranks of a Great Cultivator.”

Hwaryong Dongja, recovering from his shock, said dazedly. The others were also startled and simultaneously scanned Han Li with their spiritual senses, their eyes wide open.

Lyeorak’s voice, in particular, trembled.

“It’s true. Junior Brother has already become a late-stage Great Cultivator.”

“I had many gains on this journey and was lucky enough to reach the late stage.”

Lyeorak was overjoyed, but for a moment, he didn’t know what to say and just grinned from ear to ear.

“Congratulations, Senior Han! You’ve come a long way on the path of cultivation in just over a hundred years. It seems that the day when our Yunmeng Mountain cultivators will be able to show their power throughout Tiannan is not far off.”

He was Elder Pung of the White Cultivation Garden, and after confirming that Han Li had reached the late stage, he spoke with a passionate voice. Everyone naturally lowered their heads in front of Han Li.

# 674