WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: DereKimchi

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◈ Carefree Tale of Cultivation ◈

Chapter 16: Disciple Assembly (2)

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“Disciple Myeong Seokho! Disciple Yang Woo-hyeon!”

The Foundation Establishment cultivator’s announcement rang sharply through the noisy arena.

It even reached the tall peak at the far end of the arena.

The building atop the peak was shaped like a pavilion, with a wide viewing terrace extending outward for easy spectating.

Five people sat inside the pavilion.

Of the three seated closer to the arena at a lower position, Jin Hyeon had met each of them once before.

There was Ha Seung, head of the Azure Forge Pavilion branch pavilion where he worked, Yu Su-wol, the woman surnamed Yu who had conducted the Pine Sword Sect’s spirit root examination, and the young man surnamed Gwang, Gwang Seung-hyeon.

All three were cultivators at late Foundation Establishment, though Ha Seung’s aura was even stronger than the other two.

“Myeong Seokho. Is that the disciple you’re so fond of, Seung?”

Someone behind the three Foundation Establishment cultivators asked.

The three immediately turned around and faced the two people seated on stone chairs.

One was an elderly person.

The elder wore plain, faded dark-green robes and stroked a snow-white beard with a gentle smile.

With a wrinkled face, slightly bent back, and peaceful expression, the elder looked less like a cultivator from a great sect and more like a kind old grandparent in the countryside telling old stories.

The person beside the elder was middle-aged, with black hair tinged with red.

The person looked to be around forty, with a stern expression and straight posture. Golden patterns were embroidered across black martial robes.

The two possessed spiritual power far beyond that of the three Foundation Establishment cultivators.

They were sect elders who had truly risen to the sect’s highest ranks, cultivators at the Core Formation stage.

The elder who had asked narrowed their eyes at one side of the arena and nodded in satisfaction.

Ha Seung bowed respectfully before answering.

“Yes, Martial Uncle Jong. I took that child in when he was young. Despite his age, he has already reached the twelfth level of Qi Refining.”

“His future is indeed bright. Was he born with the Earth Dragon Physique? With decent talent and a spirit physique as well, he is material capable of achieving great things for the Blue Willow Sect.”

A spirit physique.

It was an aptitude for cultivation similar to a spirit root, but far rarer.

A spirit root was a type of organ one was born with, acting as part of the soul to receive spiritual qi. A spirit physique, on the other hand, applied to the body itself.

Spirit physiques were similar in nature to ordinary constitutions or the special channels martial artists spoke of. They could be considered a kind of mutation.

Some spirit physiques granted their bearers tremendous talent, allowing them to excel at certain spells or arts. Others drained their bearers’ vitality, leaving them unable to even walk the path of cultivation before wasting away and dying.

Myeong Seokho’s Earth Dragon Physique was not particularly powerful, but it had the excellent benefit of increasing his cultivation speed underground and making him adept at all kinds of earth-element spells.

There was a reason Ha Seung buried Myeong Seokho in the ground as punishment.

Of course, it was also convenient because his disciple did not know how to behave quietly.

“You flatter him, Martial Uncle Jong. He still has much to improve on. Though he will win this wager.”

With those words, Ha Seung turned to the middle-aged elder seated beside the old man.

The middle-aged elder shook his head.

Yu Su-wol, the woman seated beside the middle-aged elder, spoke in her master’s place.

“Your disciple is certainly outstanding, Ha Seung, but if you want first place, you cannot overlook our Woo-hyeon either. He is a genius who reached the tenth level of Qi Refining just months after entering the sect.”

“Wasn’t he already at the second level of Qi Refining when he entered? Besides, he must have received plenty of support from Martial Uncle Seok. That growth is only natural.”

“You...”

Ha Seung and Yu Su-wol did not raise their voices, but as they compared the disciples under their tutelage, their conversation gradually became more aggressive.

“Hehe, it is good to see you both devoted to nurturing the younger generation. Let us leave it at that. They are both fine children, so why compare them? Especially you, Seung. Calm yourself. Loving one’s disciple is a beautiful thing, but...”

The elder’s hand stopped stroking the beard.

“Remember what happened to your master. On the long path of cultivation, you must consider your priorities carefully.”

“...Understood, Martial Uncle.”

After their brief exchange, everyone’s attention turned to Myeong Seokho and Yang Woo-hyeon’s arena.

However, Gwang Seung-hyeon, who had remained silent beside the elder called Martial Uncle Jong, quietly looked toward the viewing stands some distance from the arena.

Jin Hyeon was there, speaking with two cultivators.

* * *

Meanwhile, as Jin Hyeon headed over to watch Myeong Seokho’s match, he encountered two familiar people.

“Senior Brother Nam, Senior Sister Jin, it has been a long time.”

The two were a man and woman in their thirties.

The thin man had the gentle air of a scholar, while the small woman beside him, his cultivation partner, had a warm appearance rather than a strikingly beautiful one.

They were Nam Hyeok and Jin Seol-ha, the married couple Jin Hyeon had met at Azure Dragon Pavilion, which managed the sect’s spirit beasts, when he had once traveled throughout the sect.

He had quickly grown close to them due to their warm manner, and they still met occasionally.

Jin Hyeon learned various things about spirit beasts from them. From Jin Seol-ha, a member of an outside Jin cultivator clan, he could also learn about the cultivation world beyond the sect.

The three were all at the seventh level of Qi Refining, but Jin Hyeon had entered the sect later. Though they had declined, saying it was unnecessary, he naturally addressed them as Senior Brother and Senior Sister.

He wished to build a good relationship with this kind, close couple, so he did not insist on being treated as their equal.

Still, Jin Hyeon tilted his head when he noticed that Nam Hyeok, who seemed to have no connection to competitions like this, was lightly injured.

“Haha, it has been a long time, Junior Brother Jin.”

Fortunately, Nam Hyeok did not seem seriously hurt and greeted him brightly. Jin Seol-ha sighed at the sight before greeting Jin Hyeon as well.

“Senior Brother Nam, did you participate in this assembly too?”

“I did. I was eliminated rather regrettably, though...”

When Nam Hyeok lowered his head, Jin Seol-ha patted his hand.

“As you know, Junior Brother Jin, this man cannot handle rough work. But he was tempted after hearing that a high-grade magical artifact would be awarded as a prize. He entered, got beaten up by another disciple, and was immediately eliminated.”

“Seol-ha, there is no need to put it that way...”

Jin Hyeon nodded in understanding.

The prize was certainly substantial enough to make anyone want to try their luck.

“Then did you two come here to watch Senior Brother Myeong’s match?”

“Yes. I heard that Senior Brother Myeong can wield a spirit artifact, so we came to broaden our horizons.”

“And Senior Brother Myeong is one of the few people in the sect with a spirit physique. Watching a match like this will help our cultivation too.”

Jin Hyeon nodded at their words.

Myeong Seokho was certainly a strong candidate for victory.

His twelfth-level cultivation, his still-immature but competent handling of a spirit artifact, and the benefits to earth-element spells granted by his Earth Dragon Physique.

Incidentally, Jin Hyeon had only learned why Myeong Seokho was buried in the ground so often after he had worked at Azure Forge Pavilion for quite some time and finally asked about his spirit physique.

He had thought it was merely a warm tradition between master and disciple. To think there had been a reason for it. It was quite startling information.

Jin Hyeon suggested that they watch together. Soon, they moved to a spot with a good view of the fighting platform and settled in.

Then Jin Hyeon spotted Yang Woo-hyeon already standing on the platform and looked at him with envy.

Yang Woo-hyeon stood there with the same confident bearing he had shown while greeting the Foundation Establishment martial uncles at the Pine Sword Sect. He was already emitting the aura of the tenth level of Qi Refining.

It was hard to believe that he had entered the sect at the same time as Jin Hyeon. His growth was incredibly fast.

Of course, he had already been at the second level of Qi Refining before entering the sect, and Jin Hyeon knew he possessed a dual spirit root. Still, reaching the tenth level of Qi Refining was astonishing.

Jin Hyeon had heard news of Yang Woo-hyeon from Won Hyu and other fellow disciples, so he knew the reason for his growth.

The moment Yang Woo-hyeon entered the sect, Yu Su-wol, who had conducted his spirit root examination, brought him to her master, Elder Seok, a Core Formation elder of the sect. There, he became a named disciple under Elder Seok.

With his outstanding aptitude and the abundant resources provided by a Core Formation elder, Yang Woo-hyeon had already reached the tenth level of Qi Refining and established himself as a promising Foundation Establishment candidate and talent within the sect.

After watching him briefly, Jin Hyeon soon noticed Myeong Seokho arriving at the platform.

Myeong Seokho quickly descended onto it atop a magical artifact, wearing his usual smile.

“Both disciples have arrived, so we will begin the match! The rules are as follows...”

Once both had arrived, the Foundation Establishment cultivator supervising beside the platform declared the start and recited the cautions.

Myeong Seokho and Yang Woo-hyeon cupped their fists to each other before facing off.

Not long after, the battle began, and it unfolded exactly as Jin Hyeon had expected.

From the start, Myeong Seokho attacked Yang Woo-hyeon with a variety of earth-element spells.

Yang Woo-hyeon could only desperately respond to the many attacks, including the Earthen Flow Wall Jin Hyeon had previously manifested with a talisman, spells that lifted rocks and smashed them down, and spells that overturned the ground. He could not launch an attack of his own.

Partway through, he finally drew a magical artifact in the shape of a flying sword to distract Myeong Seokho. He held another magical artifact in his hand and sent out sword qi condensed with spiritual power, but Myeong Seokho’s sturdy spell defenses were difficult to pierce.

By then, Jin Hyeon judged that the outcome had already been decided.

Like the battle between the two disciples he had seen before, one side was overwhelmingly defending and attacking. Unlike them, however, Myeong Seokho and Yang Woo-hyeon were two levels apart.

Their absolute reserves of spiritual power were different. Yang Woo-hyeon could not drag the battle out. He would have to aim for a sudden, explosive attack alone, but...

As that thought crossed Jin Hyeon’s mind, Yang Woo-hyeon scattered an explosive amount of blue sword qi in every direction to attack Myeong Seokho. At the same time, he joined the sword in his hand with the flying sword, attacking Myeong Seokho from afar.

While Myeong Seokho knocked away the attack with a dark-blue, rod-shaped magical artifact and used an earth-element spell to raise the ground into a wall, Yang Woo-hyeon quickly closed the distance.

Jin Hyeon recognized it as a type of movement art used by martial artists and was impressed. Such an element would certainly be of great help in a battle between low-level cultivators.

Yang Woo-hyeon rapidly reached Myeong Seokho, but Myeong Seokho had already blocked his attack and pointed his magical artifact at him.

Yang Woo-hyeon’s previously confident expression had completely darkened. Gritting his teeth, he pulled a large golden sword from his storage pouch and brought it down upon Myeong Seokho.

Whoosh!

Just as Myeong Seokho moved to block the sword with his rod, Yang Woo-hyeon spat a small blue sword from his mouth and sent it flying toward Myeong Seokho’s solar plexus.

Clink.

However, his desperate surprise attack failed with an empty sound.

Myeong Seokho grinned while keeping their magical artifacts locked together, then pulled aside his upper robe slightly.

An armor-shaped magical artifact glowing gold protected his chest.

Jin Hyeon was not surprised by Myeong Seokho’s preparation. In the end, this too came from the difference in the means cultivators had at their disposal. Even without the armor, Yang Woo-hyeon’s surprise attack would likely have been blocked by some other means Myeong Seokho had.

“You certainly have talent greater than even Junior Brother Jin’s. Your combat ability is excellent too, so I look forward to seeing your future.”

Myeong Seokho sincerely meant it as praise, but Yang Woo-hyeon’s face crumpled further upon hearing it.

Since birth, Yang Woo-hyeon had been considered a pillar of the Pine Sword Sect due to his exceptional talent in martial arts. After growing up, he discovered his spirit root and began walking the immortal path early with the cultivation method left behind by his ancestors. Even after entering an immortal sect, he had been accepted as an elder’s disciple due to his outstanding aptitude.

In this situation, any words he heard would sound like mockery.

Regardless of Yang Woo-hyeon’s expression, Myeong Seokho poured in more spiritual power and trapped him inside a mound of earth.

Looking at Yang Woo-hyeon buried in the ground with only his head exposed, Jin Hyeon thought it was a very familiar pose.

As Yang Woo-hyeon hung his head, the cultivator acting as referee declared Myeong Seokho’s victory.

Jin Hyeon watched the scene, then checked the tournament bracket and discovered that his turn was approaching soon.

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