Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 71

After several nights of contemplation, Han Li decided to take the risk to achieve Foundation Establishment. He didn’t want to live his life aimlessly and feebly.

So, he visited Old Man He at the Evil Ogre Hall again to confirm that there was nowhere else to obtain spiritual herbs except in the forbidden area, and to reconfirm the brutality of the Blood Forbidden Trial.

Now, there was no turning back. He firmly resolved to participate in the Blood Forbidden Trial, find the spiritual herbs, and succeed in Foundation Establishment.

Having set a life-risking goal, all that remained was to prepare before venturing into the forbidden area.

Even a short time to hone his skills could increase his chances of survival, however slim.

Since the eleventh level of the Eternal Spring Arts could no longer be improved with the help of ordinary pills, he thought the most suitable method was to learn new techniques and rely on powerful talismans and magical artifacts.

He could ask Senior Brother Wu for new techniques, and he would do his best to teach him, but with his aptitude, he could only learn two basic low-level techniques at most.

Indeed, the fastest way to improve his strength was through talismans and magical artifacts. Han Li had quite a few magical artifacts, but not many were of great help.

Moreover, there was still the talisman with the sword drawing on it, whose identity he had yet to uncover. The yellow-clothed man who attacked him had called it a ‘Talisman Treasure,’ so it must have a story behind it.

However, since he had not obtained the sword talisman legitimately, he simply kept the two words ‘Talisman Treasure’ in mind and waited for an opportunity to learn about its background.

But these alone would not be enough to survive the Blood Forbidden Trial. This time, he planned to go down to the market street near the mountain range of the sect to see if any top-grade magical artifacts or talismans were for sale.

Since he didn’t have many spirit stones left, he decided to cultivate rare herbs to exchange for spirit stones or the items he needed. And because he had to trade secretly without being noticed by people within the sect, he had to be careful.

Once he had a plan, Han Li quickly put it into action.

First, he decided to learn the Concealment Technique among the basic techniques from Senior Brother Wu. The Concealment Technique was a supplementary intermediate technique that countered the Heavenly Eye Technique, concealing one’s spiritual energy so that one’s cultivation level could not be detected, no matter how closely someone observed. [The Heavenly Eye Technique is a technique that allows one to see the cultivation level of others.]

Of course, it wouldn’t work against cultivators above the Foundation Establishment stage, but it was perfect for hiding one’s level among cultivators at the Qi Refining stage.

Han Li decided not to learn any more offensive or defensive techniques, relying on the techniques he had already mastered.

After obtaining the incantation for the Concealment Technique from Senior Brother Wu, Han Li devoted himself to training.

Han Li spent his days practicing the Concealment Technique and his evenings producing green liquid to cultivate spiritual herbs. To avoid being discovered by Martial Uncle Ma, he planted the seeds in the most secluded spot after he left.

Fortunately, Martial Uncle Ma always came to collect the herbs at a set time. He never came late or early, and he always came and left in a hurry, clearly squeezing in a visit amidst his busy schedule.

Four months had passed since Han Li learned the Concealment Technique, and he had finished cultivating two thousand-year-old herbs.

In today’s cultivation world, where even herbs over a hundred years old were hard to find, everyone would be shocked if these were to appear in the Huangfeng Valley market. Han Li obtained a token from Steward Yu of the Hundred Treasures Hall that allowed him to leave the sect and set off.

* * *

The Huangfeng Valley market street looked similar to Qingniu Town, where Han Li’s hometown was located. The street stretched long from north to south, and the southern part of the street was filled with dozens of buildings of various sizes. There were tall pavilions and shabby little houses, all in uneven shapes.

Although the street itself belonged to Huangfeng Valley, only a few shops were managed by Huangfeng Valley disciples. The other half were run by cultivating families or wandering cultivators who did business there.

Most of them were shops that mainly dealt in buying and selling, handling raw materials, talismans, and magical artifacts. There was also the Five Elements Bookstore, which sold the only basic incantations, and a restaurant and inn that provided food and drinks. Foundation Establishment stage experts patrolled the market to maintain order and prevent chaos.

The northern part of the street was a space specifically prepared for cultivators who temporarily opened stalls.

For one low-grade spirit stone, an outsider could freely open a shop under the protection of the disciples for the duration of their stall.

Therefore, many outside cultivators came to the Huangfeng Valley market to open stalls, and with the added geographical advantage, it grew every year.

Han Li had to avoid people’s attention, so he passed the entrance to the southern street and entered the market from the north.

Wearing a blue bamboo hat, there was no fear of anyone recognizing him. By the time Han Li reached the northern entrance, it was already late, and there were few people around.

Han Li was disappointed after visiting the small shops, so he headed towards the larger shops. This time, instead of randomly entering, he focused on observing the largest shops. Among them, he chose the largest one, Manyu Tower, where many cultivators were going in and out, and entered.

Although there were dozens of people inside, it didn’t feel crowded at all. The counter made of red paulownia wood was guarded by seven or eight attendants, giving the impression of a high-class store. The attendants were in charge of explaining to the cultivators who were choosing items, and there were countless items on display.

As Han Li was looking around, an attendant appeared to greet him.

“Sir, what are you looking for? Please tell me. There must be something here that will satisfy you.”

“I’m looking for magical artifacts and talismans, and I only want the best quality. There’s no need to show me anything of inferior quality.”

Han Li answered calmly from under his hat. After hesitating for a moment at Han Li’s words, the attendant quickly led Han Li to a VIP room on the second floor. The upper floor was different from the lower floor. Although the area was small, the elegant atmosphere of the room made people feel comfortable, and the scent from the incense burner filled the room. Han Li felt like he had mistakenly entered a rich man’s house rather than a shop.

The middle-aged man who was reading in the center of the room closed his book and stood up to greet Han Li after the attendant whispered something to him.

“I am Zhan Fuli, the owner of Manyu Tower. How should I address you?”

“Call me Lü Biwu.”

He answered without hesitation, borrowing a friend’s name in the face of the other’s smile.

“Ah, Brother Lü. Please, come and sit down.”

“Go and bring the best Biyun Tea!”

After confirming that Han Li was seated, he immediately ordered the attendant.

“Brother Lü, is this your first time here?”

“Haha! You have a good eye. It’s true that this is my first visit.”

Han Li intentionally changed his voice to sound like a man with a deep voice.

“It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve visited. It is an honor for our Manyu Tower that you have come here, and it is important that we will definitely satisfy you.”

“If I can find everything I need in one shop, I won’t have to bother looking around elsewhere. I just hope the items here are as good as you say.”

Despite the owner’s confident attitude, Han Li showed a skeptical look.

“Hahaha. You can rest assured about that. Manyu Tower is famous in this street. If you can’t find something that satisfies you here, you probably won’t find it anywhere else.”

At this moment, a maid came up the stairs with a teapot and teacups. Even before the attendant approached the two, the clear fragrance of the tea began to fill the room.

“This is a special fragrant tea made here, and it is not easily found elsewhere. Not only is it clear, but it also clears the mind of the drinker, so please, Brother Lü, have a taste.”

The owner, Zhan, took a sip first and then offered it with a smile. However, Han Li shook his head, even with the tea in front of him.

“Owner, let’s enjoy the tea later. Let’s finish what we came here to do first.”

“Brother, you are impatient. Then, please wait a moment, and I will bring the items.”

At Han Li’s impatient words, the owner also got up as if he was disappointed. Still, he politely bowed to Han Li and disappeared down the stairs. About the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the owner returned with silk boxes of various sizes.

“I heard from the servant downstairs that Brother Lü was looking for top-grade magical artifacts and talismans. So, I have brought up some treasures that I have kept hidden for a long time. I hope they will please you.”

The owner explained as he opened the boxes. Han Li was curious about the items inside the silk boxes. As the silk boxes were opened one by one and spread out before Han Li, he felt the pressure of spiritual energy from someone whose cultivation was far superior to his. Someone was monitoring his every move.

At first, he was flustered, but he soon realized that it was a precaution to prevent him from stealing the treasures of Manyu Tower. Once he understood the reason, Han Li felt much more at ease.

Now, the owner of Manyu Tower began to introduce the items in the silk boxes in front of Han Li.

“A set of Golden Butterfly Mother-Child Blades, consisting of one mother blade and eight child blades, made from refined iron and gold by a Foundation Establishment expert who spent three days and nights forging them. If you control the mother blade, the other child blades will automatically attack the enemy, making it difficult for the opponent to defend against, and they are extremely sharp.”

As he explained, showing the strange swords with a light golden color, Han Li nodded without any particular response.

“Mystic Iron Flying Shield, a rare defensive magical artifact, made by refining cold mystic iron, is sturdy and unbreakable. And with a simple activation, it creates a barrier that can protect all sides.”

The owner held up a small shield the size of his palm and handed it to Han Li so that he could examine it closely. Han Li held the shield and ran his hand over the patterns engraved on the surface.

“May I try it?”

“Yes. Please, feel free to use it.”

At the owner’s generous permission, Han Li did not hesitate and slowly infused it with his magical power. The shield immediately emitted light and grew dozens of times in size, leaving his hand and floating in the air. Then, it began to rotate around Han Li, protecting him without leaving a single gap.

In his joy, he concentrated and tried to control its movements, and it was indeed very agile, flying up and down as he wished. After using the shield, Han Li was quite satisfied with this magical artifact.

In fact, such defensive magical artifacts were always in short supply, and if he had this, it would likely increase his chances of survival in the Blood Forbidden Trial.

However, Han Li did not express any opinion and silently placed the shield back in the box. Then, he waited for the other items to be introduced.

Without showing any dissatisfaction with Han Li’s cautious attitude, the owner enthusiastically explained the next item, which was a navy blue bead about the size of a pill.

“The Heavenly Thunder Bead was created hundreds of years ago by a cultivator who accidentally obtained a Heavenly Thunder Formation. The power of each bead is so great that even a Foundation Establishment cultivator would be reduced to ashes if struck by this thunder. Originally, there were a total of seventy-three beads, but in recent years, only a few remain, and this one bead was obtained by Manyu Tower at great effort.”

Just by looking at the owner’s triumphant tone, one could tell that it was a rare item. Han Li finally showed a hint of interest. If it could kill a Foundation Establishment cultivator, it was indeed an incredible item.

If he could get his hands on this, it would be useful in a dangerous situation when he ventured into the forbidden area. However, the fact that Manyu Tower still had such an item meant that it would come with an enormous price tag proportional to its power.