Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 903

The small mountain flew to the ceiling of the building and began to spin, scattering gray energy that enveloped them. The women were puzzled by the barrier of light but didn’t bother to ask why.

Only then did Han Li calmly begin to speak.

“This is the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light I cultivate. It’s not worth mentioning its power in front of a Great Ascension stage cultivator, but it can detect when someone’s consciousness is intruding. The reason I’ve done this is because what I’m about to say might be disrespectful to Senior Kang, and I don’t want anyone to overhear.

Cultivator Lian, what if Senior Kang has other motives besides helping Miss Yuan overcome the Heavenly Tribulation? Or what if the method of enduring the Heavenly Tribulation leaves Miss Yuan with fatal injuries or even costs her life? What would you do then?”

The two women looked at each other with surprised expressions. Lian Li managed a faint smile.

“Your words are a bit excessive. Why would a Great Ascension stage cultivator like Senior Kang deceive juniors like us?”

Han Li narrowed his brows, looked at them, then chuckled lightly and nodded.

“I was just worrying unnecessarily. If you two have already considered this issue, then I have nothing more to say. Lastly, I’d like to say one thing to Miss Yuan: the fact that Senior Kang gave you a choice about becoming his disciple probably means there’s something he can’t force. Please consider this when making your decision.”

“I will keep Brother Han’s words in mind,” Yuan Yao said with a wry smile. Han Li waved his hand in the air, and the Yuan Magnetic Divine Mountain disappeared, along with the gray barrier surrounding them.

Now, they talked about other things, such as why Elder Kang was staying here.

Afterward, Yuan Yao said that she needed to resolve the matter immediately and would go see Elder Kang first. She wanted to know if there was a way to prevent her from becoming a complete ghost or to reverse it.

Han Li and Lian Li also left the building with her. Yuan Yao called out three times, and a white shadow flickered and appeared. The ghost shadow never revealed its true form.

When they said they wanted to see Elder Kang, the ghost nodded. A moment later, they met Elder Kang again in the main hall where they had been on the first day. The old man was still sitting in his chair, smiling calmly.

“Miss Yuan, have you decided to join this old man’s sect?”

“I am deeply grateful for your kindness, Senior. Of course, I would like to cultivate by your side. However, I have a difficult matter to resolve, so I cannot become your disciple right away,” Yuan Yao said cautiously.

“A difficult matter! Hehe, tell this old man what it is.”

Elder Kang’s eyes gleamed as he confidently asked Yuan Yao, who had said she wanted to become his disciple. Yuan Yao then explained her desire to regain her human body and the events that had transpired.

“Hahaha, I thought it was something serious! If you want to regain your human body, it’s very simple. This old man only needs to refine a few pills for you and remove the Yin energy from your body, and it will be resolved within a few years. It won’t hinder your learning of the Changyuan race’s techniques at all.”

Elder Kang burst into laughter after hearing her story. It seemed like a trivial matter to him.

“If that’s true, then I should beg to join your sect! Yuan Yao greets her master!” Yuan Yao said, deeply moved, and performed a great bow.

“Very well. Now that you are my disciple, you don’t have to worry about anything. I can wait a few years for you to recover your human body, and then you can practice the Changyuan race’s divine abilities.”

Elder Kang was overjoyed at Yuan Yao’s words and flicked his sleeve to help her up.

“Master, since you have promised to help me recover my human body, I have no further wishes. However, Senior Lian and I have been like sisters for many years. Therefore, I implore you to take Senior Lian into your sect as well and help her escape her ghost body.”

Yuan Yao, who was getting up, suddenly had her eyes turn red and pleaded with Elder Kang.

“It was already an exceptional matter to take you as a disciple. How can I possibly accept Cultivator Lian as well? However, for your sake, I will help Cultivator Lian recover her body,” Elder Kang said, looking troubled, and sighed as he answered. Yuan Yao was about to plead again, but Lian Li stepped forward first, bowed, and shook her head at Yuan Yao.

“It’s already a great honor that Senior Kang is willing to expend pills and spiritual power to help me. I wouldn’t dare dream of becoming a disciple. Junior Sister, don’t trouble Senior any further!” Lian Li said sincerely, and Yuan Yao’s expression darkened, but she didn’t say anything more.

She knew that Elder Kang, with his status, wouldn’t easily change a decision he had made. Granting her request was already an act of kindness, and it wouldn’t be right to ask for more.

Han Li stood quietly beside them, his gaze fixed on the old man’s face, observing for any oddities.

‘He doesn’t seem strange.’

Han Li was relieved. Elder Kang seemed genuinely intent on accepting Yuan Yao as his disciple.

“Cultivator Han, I have something to discuss with you separately. Would you be willing to listen?” Elder Kang’s voice transmitted into Han Li’s ear, startling him.

“If you have any instructions, please speak. I am listening attentively,” Han Li replied cautiously through telepathy. Yuan Yao and Lian Li, seeing that Han Li and Elder Kang were only moving their lips without making any sound, realized they were communicating through telepathy.

They waited quietly and respectfully.

“Originally, before I discovered Yuan Yao, who possesses the Heavenly Yin Body, I intended to take you as my disciple to inherit my techniques. However, I have already accepted this child as my disciple and must prepare for the upcoming Heavenly Tribulation, so I don’t have the time to focus on you. It’s truly regrettable! I was also very interested in the path of dual cultivation of body and magic that you are pursuing.”

The old man’s voice was filled with regret.

“It seems my fate with Senior ends here. I was not destined to become your disciple,” Han Li replied even more respectfully, as the words were far beyond his expectations.

“However, you have mastered the sword techniques left by Qing Yuan in the human realm and refined 72 Azure Bamboo Flying Swords with Golden Thunder Bamboo. In a way, you are already halfway into my sect. How about this? If you wish, I will pass on the New Azure Origin Sword Technique and the secret art to refine the Azure Bamboo Flying Swords anew. However, you won’t be a true disciple, so you will have to trade some items for these techniques. Think about it carefully.”

“The New Azure Origin Sword Technique!”

Just hearing the name made his heart race.

“The sword techniques Qing Yuan left in the human realm were only half of the complete set. After coming to the Spirit Realm, I created the rest and reached the early stage of the Fusion Realm. Later, after merging with the body and soul of the Changyuan race, I changed my main cultivation technique to the Changyuan race’s divine abilities. Once you master the new sword techniques and refine the Golden Thunder Bamboo flying swords again to remove impurities, you will be able to fight on par with a late-stage Fusion Realm cultivator with just the power of the sword formation.”

“But I am only a Nascent Soul cultivator. How can I possibly offer something that would catch your eye, Senior?”

“Even if you don’t have anything else, you must have some Golden Thunder Bamboo left, right?”

“Do you want Golden Thunder Bamboo?” Han Li was momentarily stunned by the unexpected request.

“That’s right. If you provide enough Golden Thunder Bamboo to make three flying swords, I will pass on the techniques. Moreover, if you can provide enough Golden Thunder Bamboo material to make three more, I will personally help you refine all 72 flying swords again.”

The old man smiled.

“How can you be so sure that I have Golden Thunder Bamboo?” Han Li asked, looking puzzled.

“I’m not sure. However, since you refined 72 Golden Thunder Bamboo flying swords, I thought there was a high possibility that you had a lot of Golden Thunder Bamboo.”

“I am sorry, but I don’t have any Golden Thunder Bamboo left. I did manage to obtain a large amount of material by chance back then, but I barely managed to refine 72 flying swords.”

“You don’t have any?” The old man frowned, looking surprised.

“Yes, I also desperately want to learn your new sword techniques, Senior, but it seems impossible,” Han Li said with a wry smile. This wasn’t entirely a lie. Although he had the mysterious bottle and the roots of the Golden Thunder Bamboo, he had enough for his own use and didn’t cultivate any more.

How much was there to cultivate using the mysterious bottle! Han Li was tempted by Elder Kang’s offer, but he had no choice but to refuse.

“If you don’t have Golden Thunder Bamboo, then I can’t pass on the sword techniques. Ah, by the way, when you were collecting the Golden Thunder Bamboo, what did you do with the leaves?” The old man suddenly mentioned the leaves of the Golden Thunder Bamboo, as if he had thought of something.

“They are neither metal nor wood, and they have a special texture, so I collected a lot of them. I’ve just been carrying them around because I haven’t found a use for them.”

“You have all of them? Good, that’s settled! If you don’t have Golden Thunder Bamboo, then give me those leaves, and I will pass on the sword techniques and the flying sword refinement method. However, you will have to do the refining yourself. Do you want to?”

“Of course, I do.”

Han Li had no reason to hesitate. He didn’t know what the Golden Thunder Bamboo leaves were used for, but they were useless to him, so what better deal could there be!

With a flick of his hand, Han Li brushed against his storage pouch and took out two jade boxes from the blue light. He immediately flicked his hand and sent the jade boxes flying toward the old man.

The old man didn’t move a muscle, only his eyes flickered, and the two jade boxes strangely stopped in mid-air. Then, the jade boxes glowed white, and their lids opened, revealing the golden, dazzling bamboo leaves.

“These are definitely Golden Thunder Bamboo leaves.”

The old man said with satisfaction and flicked his sleeve. The two jade boxes disappeared in mid-air, and a white light shot toward Han Li. What Han Li received in his palm was a white bamboo tube.

“I have put the new sword techniques and refinement method inside. You can check them right away. Don’t say later that this old man deceived you.”

“How could I dare?” Han Li obediently put the bamboo tube-shaped jade slip into his chest.

“Now that I have given you the leaves, may I ask what they are used for?”

“Hehe, it seems you have more leaves left. But don’t worry, this is enough, so I won’t ask for the rest. No one in the human race knows about this, but anyone from the Changyuan race would know. The Golden Thunder Bamboo leaves have two uses.

First, they can be used to refine a divine thunder called the Golden Astral Demon-Slaying Thunder, which is more powerful than the Evil-Repelling Divine Thunder when dealing with demons. It’s an excellent weapon for cultivators who have reached the Great Ascension stage, like this old man, to deal with extraterrestrial demons.

Second, feeding these leaves to some spirit insects increases the chance of mutation. Of course, you would need to feed them a considerable amount of Golden Thunder Bamboo leaves.”

The old man explained in detail, not particularly concerned.

“What are extraterrestrial demons?”

“Extraterrestrial demons are similar to the ‘Heavenly Tribulation’ that cultivators face. The Heavenly Tribulation that Spirit Realm cultivators experience appears at fixed intervals, but extraterrestrial demons are attacks by demon heads that Great Ascension stage cultivators face frequently. They are formless, like inner demons, but their power is a hundred times greater. Generally, extraterrestrial demons appear easily when cultivators’ spiritual power or consciousness weakens after reaching the Great Ascension stage. If they fail to stop them, their physical bodies will collapse, and their primordial spirit and soul will be corrupted, becoming part of the demons! I plan to refine the Golden Astral Demon-Slaying Thunder with the Golden Thunder Bamboo leaves to prepare for these troublesome extraterrestrial demons.”

Elder Kang, who had achieved two of his long-cherished wishes in a short time, was in a good mood and answered every question he was asked.