Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 770

The fat man sighed in relief at the burly man’s words. He thanked him and used the jade token to mark the spot with the number 4 (四). Then, the number 4 changed to 5 (五) as a blue thread seeped into it. He had chosen the best spirit land on Mount Chiryong.

The expressions of those sitting changed at the fat man’s choice. However, the fat man was a late-stage Deity Transformation cultivator, and his cultivation was superior to everyone present, so no one showed their displeasure outwardly.

He leisurely returned to his seat, as if to observe the others’ choices. Perhaps because of this, two cultivators quickly made their decisions and stepped forward. They each chose a spirit land on Mount Cheonun, which was said to have slightly less spiritual energy.

The two finished their selections and immediately went downstairs. However, the remaining cultivators still seemed to be contemplating.

At this moment, Han Li suddenly rose from his seat and walked towards the middle-aged man in the purple robe.

The others looked at him, surprised that he had decided so quickly, especially since he had just arrived.

Han Li reached into his storage pouch and took out a white jade box. He smiled and handed it to the middle-aged man. The burly man in the purple robe didn’t immediately accept it but scanned Han Li from head to toe.

“Are you the newly ascended cultivator with the surname Han who came to this city?”

“Your information travels fast. That’s correct.”

“Then, this must be your first time choosing a residence, right? In that case, you don’t need to bring a gift; you can just choose.”

The burly man in the purple robe said with a smile.

“Thank you for the guidance.”

Han Li smiled and put the jade box away. The cultivators there looked surprised at the mention that he was a newly ascended cultivator. Judging by their reactions, it seemed that ascended cultivators were not common in Cheonyeon City either.

The burly man in the purple robe examined Han Li’s jade token in detail, then nodded and returned it.

Han Li, having received the jade token back, unhesitatingly held it up towards a point on the screen.

At the same time, a blue light went out and marked the number 1 (一).

Those who had been watching his actions became noisy for a moment. The place he had chosen was the Gyeongroe Mountain spirit land, which had the least spiritual energy.

It wasn’t so strange that he, being in the early stage of Deity Transformation, had chosen this mountain, but the fact that he had marked the most inconspicuous and unremarkable place among the Gyeongroe Mountain spirit lands drew the attention of the other cultivators.

The only advantage of that place was that, instead of lacking spiritual energy, it was 20,000 li [about 6,200 miles] from one end to the other, making it twice as wide as other spirit lands. But what good was it to be wide if the spiritual energy was not dense?

It was bound to be that much more disadvantageous for cultivation.

“Are you really going to choose this place for your residence? Once you choose, you cannot change it for 100 years.”

Even the burly man in the purple robe was surprised and frowned as he advised him.

“It’s enough for me to have a place to stay in the Spirit Realm. Even if this place is a bit lacking, I won’t have to compete with others.”

“If that’s what you think, then do as you please. Well, you’ve already left your mark, so you can’t change it anyway.”

The burly man in the purple robe looked at Han Li with a puzzled expression, then waved his hand. Han Li cupped his fist in salute and sat down. He intended to observe the situation for a while before leaving.

Just as another cultivator was about to get up and approach the burly man, footsteps were heard from the first floor, and someone came up.

The expressions of the cultivators on the second floor changed when they saw his face. However, only the fat cultivator’s eyes sparkled as he spoke to him.

“Isn’t that Fellow Cultivator Ong! What brings you to the spirit land competition?”

The man in the navy robe had his hair twisted and tied up at the top of his head, and his eyebrows were raised, with a cold look in his eyes, giving him a fierce impression.

“Brother Geum also came to move his residence, so why can’t I come?”

The man scanned the fat man and sneered. Han Li naturally turned his gaze to him, as the mid-stage Deity Transformation cultivator didn’t seem intimidated in front of the late-stage Geum.

When cultivation reached their level, there was a huge difference in strength between the mid and late stages. Of course, it would be an exception for someone like Han Li, who possessed several spirit treasures and the Heavenly Fiend Transformation, and the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light.

“Fellow Cultivator Ong, you’re very funny. I know that the best spirit land already has its owner, so why are you moving your residence?”

Brother Geum scratched his thick chin, revealing his doubts.

“I recently learned a new secret technique and needed a very large spirit land. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have bothered to come all the way here.”

The man in the navy robe laughed and gave a rough answer.

“Ah, is that so?”

Han Li narrowed his brows slightly as he listened to their conversation, then returned to a blank expression. The man in the navy robe walked straight to the burly man in the purple robe, cupped his fist in salute, and greeted him respectfully.

“Greetings, Uncle-Master Cho. My master asked me to convey his regards.”

“What regards? With Old Devil Myeong’s nasty temper, he wouldn’t have! Your master barely escaped six Great Heavenly Tribulations [trials to ascend to a higher cultivation level], and this seventh one will be difficult for him to overcome.”

The burly man in the purple robe sneered. The man’s eyebrows shot up at the words, and a look of embarrassment flashed across his face, but he soon replied respectfully.

“My master has been in secluded cultivation for 200 years in his residence, preparing to refine a spirit treasure for the next Heavenly Tribulation.”

“A spirit treasure! Your master is lucky. I thought he lost his spirit treasure during the last Heavenly Tribulation, but he has already gathered materials to refine another one. Then, he might be able to overcome this Heavenly Tribulation safely. Enough of the other talk, I am only temporarily performing my duties, so hurry up and choose a spirit land.”

“Understood!”

The man with raised eyebrows immediately looked at the screen, and his expression became strange when he saw a number that had appeared on one spot.

“To choose such a remote place… Brother Geum, I just arrived and didn’t see who chose this place. Do you know who chose it?”

“Hmm?”

Fellow Cultivator Ong pointed to a spot on the screen with one hand and turned his head to ask Fellow Cultivator Geum.

Brother Geum looked at the spot and glanced at Han Li unconsciously. Seeing this, the man in the navy robe turned and strode towards Han Li.

“Did you choose this place?”

He had determined that Han Li was only in the early stage of Deity Transformation, and an arrogant expression appeared on his face.

“It seems that the fellow cultivator also likes this place.”

“It’s the perfect place to cultivate a special secret technique. Be sensible and give it up first. If we end up fighting, I won’t go easy on you.”

When Han Li opened his mouth, the man with raised eyebrows threatened him openly in a sinister tone. Han Li was dumbfounded. He had deliberately chosen a place with little spiritual energy to avoid fighting with others.

He didn’t want to form grudges with others in order to focus solely on cultivation in this place. But he never thought that someone would pick a fight with him after all his efforts.

He quickly looked at the reactions of the others, and they were all watching the situation with a ‘watching a fire across the river’ look.

“Senior, if I give up this place now, can I choose another spirit land?”

Han Li asked the burly man in the purple robe with a calm face.

“No. The number of spirit lands is fixed, so everyone only has one chance. If you fail this time, you can only participate in the spirit land competition after 100 years.”

Looking at the burly man’s expressionless face, it didn’t seem like he would make an exception. Han Li let out a short sigh after hearing his words.

To have to wait 100 years to get a residence! It was absurd for him, who had a mountain of spirit herbs to mature and pills to refine.

At that moment, Fellow Cultivator Ong with raised eyebrows sneered and said a word.

“Isn’t it better to wait 100 years than to have your cultivation fall? If you still insist…”

Upon hearing those words, Han Li didn’t get angry but rather chuckled.

“I cannot accept the fellow cultivator’s request. Please choose another place. I also want to get along harmoniously with Brother Ong, but I am very worried that I might not be able to control my strength during a fight.”

Han Li spoke casually, but there was a sharp jab hidden in his words.

The cultivators gathered on the second floor were listening to their conversation with dumbfounded faces. Han Li had been humble at first, but now he was not hesitating to provoke his opponent, which surprised everyone.

Even the burly man in the purple robe, who had been maintaining an expressionless face, glanced at Han Li with a puzzled look.

At Han Li’s words, the man became furious, and his expression turned murderous.

“You have a lot of guts. It’s been hundreds of years since someone with such low cultivation dared to speak like that. If that’s how you want it, let’s meet at the spirit land battle in three days. There’s no need to control our strength or anything.”

“Yes, I look forward to learning a lot from you then. Well, I’ll be going now!”

Regardless of whether his opponent was angry or not, Han Li answered indifferently, bowed slightly to the burly man in the purple robe, and then left the second floor with a light step.

Fellow Cultivator Ong watched his back until the end.

* * *

“Brother Ong, why are you trying to take that spirit land? It was hard to ask inside since everyone was listening, but now it’s just the two of us.”

Brother Geum asked with a good-natured smile.

“It’s not a lie; I really have no choice but to move my residence to cultivate a secret technique. Otherwise, why would I leave a perfectly good residence and look for a place with little spiritual energy!”

Fellow Cultivator Ong with raised eyebrows answered with a sigh, but Brother Geum looked unconvinced.

“If Brother Ong has an unspeakable reason, then it’s fine. But are you really going to fight without holding back in the battle?”

“Why do you ask? Is he perhaps someone Brother Geum knows?”

“Know? I’m just telling you in case Brother Ong doesn’t know, but Fellow Cultivator Han is a newly ascended cultivator who just came to Cheonyeon City.”

“An ascended cultivator? Even so, it doesn’t change anything. Originally, ascended cultivators have entered Cheonyeon City once every two or three hundred years. But are you worried that I won’t be a match for a mere early-stage Deity Transformation cultivator? He was so arrogant. He must have been used to being a big shot in the lower realm. It seems he thinks he’s someone even in the Spirit Realm.”

Fellow Cultivator Ong’s expression changed slightly, but he criticized Han Li harshly.

“Haha, what’s there to say about his cultivation! No matter how great an early-stage Deity Transformation cultivator is, I acknowledge Brother Ong’s divine abilities. There won’t be any problems. However, I’m worried about the ascended cultivators in the city protecting their own. It’s good to give guidance, but make sure there’s no harm to his life. Otherwise, even if Senior Myeong is there, they won’t stand still.”

Brother Geum advised as if doing a favor.

“I intend to correct his bad habits so he won’t act so presumptuously in the future. Anything can happen during a battle. Whether he lives or dies can be decided then.”

“Since you say so, I have nothing more to say. I also have to compete with others.”

“You’re too humble. I heard that Brother Geum recently obtained an amazing ancient treasure. It’s said to be comparable to a normal spirit treasure.”

Fellow Cultivator Ong smiled knowingly as Brother Geum made a worried expression. In response, Brother Geum’s expression changed, but he returned to a nonchalant face.

“I didn’t know that Brother Ong knew about that. I did get a treasure a while ago, but comparing it to a spirit treasure is a bit of an exaggeration.”

“Is that so?”

Brother Geum waved his hand, and Fellow Cultivator Ong answered vaguely with a smile.

The two cultivators chatted for a while, and then Brother Geum bowed first and turned into a streak of red light, leaving the place. Watching the escaping light disappear into the distance, Fellow Cultivator Ong distorted his face.