WeTried Translations

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◈ Carefree Tale of Cultivation ◈

Chapter 26: Blood Pact

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After parting ways with the hesitant Seol Ga-yeong and Yeok-il, who wanted to leave the cave as soon as possible, Jin Hyeon pursued the praying mantis through the tunnel it had dug.

Seol Ga-yeong had even given him a signal token imbued with her spiritual power, saying she hoped they would meet again someday, but Jin Hyeon's attention was elsewhere.

Though there had been a few twists and turns, he had accomplished half the purpose of this trip.

The materials from two types of demon beasts needed to learn the Three-Thunder Sword Art.

He had gathered a whole pile of Thunder Horn Snake horns, and he had the claws of a mutated pangolin demon beast. That was enough.

Now, Jin Hyeon thought he might achieve results far beyond his expectations with the other half of his goal, obtaining a spirit beast.

‘That praying mantis spirit insect... I don't know exactly what kind of demon insect it is, but it was nearly at the level of Qi Refining, Level 12.’

Demon beasts and demon insects were not divided into high, middle, and low first-tier ranks for no reason.

Unlike cultivators, they did not cultivate according to a particular cultivation method or organized system. They simply accumulated spiritual power by instinct and, instead of using spell arts, primarily strengthened their bodies. That made it difficult to classify them as finely as cultivators.

Moreover, demon beasts and demon insects were often stronger than cultivators of the same rank.

That changed at higher realms, of course, but at least among beings corresponding to the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages, demon beasts and demon insects held the advantage through their overwhelmingly enhanced bodies and special abilities.

‘In other words, if I can capture it this time, I'll gain a powerful spirit insect whose actual combat strength might approach Foundation Establishment.’

What was more, this powerful creature, one that would normally make a fight barely possible at best, was fleeing with severe injuries.

Jin Hyeon did not want to let this chance slip away.

As he followed the tunnel the praying mantis had somehow dug with only one arm, Jin Hyeon spotted translucent blood splattered here and there.

The tunnel gradually narrowed until he had to bend fully at the waist, but he noticed the faint glow of luminescent mushrooms ahead.

Not long afterward, Jin Hyeon emerged from the narrow tunnel into a vast space.

It was neither a cylindrical cavern nor a dome-shaped hollow.

“Terrain like this exists too...”

Jin Hyeon surveyed the immense expanse before him.

The ceiling was not particularly high, but the space was so broad that no walls were visible. Pillars formed where stalactites and stalagmites met stood throughout the area, and faint moisture and the weak sound of running water suggested there was a stream nearby.

“Over there.”

After briefly taking in his surroundings, Jin Hyeon formed a fireball over his right hand and lit the way.

A trail of the praying mantis's blood glimmered ahead.

Before long, Jin Hyeon found traces of creatures in the empty darkness.

“Demon beast bones?”

They were not signs of anything alive.

The praying mantis's blood trail led to a heap of bones from all manner of demon beasts.

Jin Hyeon examined the varied white bones and picked one up.

“Some still have enough spiritual power left that they could be used as artifact-refinement materials.”

The pile of bones, likely the praying mantis's way of marking its territory, would now be claimed by Jin Hyeon as its prospective owner.

Many of the bones were old and damaged, but even after selecting only the useful ones, he filled most of the remaining space in the pouch Seol Ga-yeong had given him.

With that tidy bit of extra profit secured, Jin Hyeon soon came face-to-face with the praying mantis.

Perhaps it had sensed his pursuit and decided there was no way to shake him off. It stood its ground in the middle of the bone pile, spreading its two forelegs threateningly.

Though the effect was diminished by the shattered scythe dangling from one of them.

As he approached carefully, Jin Hyeon got a closer look at the mantis.

Its carapace was black as obsidian, with a peculiar gleam. Its legs seemed thin compared to its body, yet struck the ground with metallic sounds like steel. Its head radiated sharpness and savagery, and its mandibles moved menacingly beneath it.

Then there were the powerful scythes on its forelegs, which had driven a Qi Refining, Level 12 cultivator into a corner.

Jin Hyeon remembered clearly.

Though Venerable Flying Swallow had defended himself with a turtle-shell-shaped magical artifact that appeared to be high-grade, the mantis's scythe had emitted a strange black aura and cut him.

It was power that even a Foundation Establishment cultivator could not take lightly.

So as not to startle the praying mantis with a sudden movement, Jin Hyeon slowly took the Pipa Sword and his hammer-shaped magical artifact from his storage pouch.

At the same time, he condensed the red lightning of Red Thunder Finger in his right hand and formed a thunderball in his left, blue lightning stretching from it to brightly illuminate the cave.

The praying mantis tilted its head in apparent confusion.

Of course, Jin Hyeon had no way of knowing whether it truly felt such emotions. Still, its gradual retreat made one thing clear. It was afraid.

Growing more confident, Jin Hyeon unleashed the thunder marks in his Soul Sea and the spiritual power throughout his body, pressuring the praying mantis.

“Come on. In your current condition, you can't possibly beat me. No matter how low a demon insect's intelligence may be, you've grown close to Foundation Establishment, so you've developed some spiritual intelligence, haven't you? Surrender and become my spirit insect, and I'll spare your life.”

It would be convenient if one could simply exhaust a demon beast or demon insect, toss a magical ball, and capture it, but the world was not so simple.

There were only two options. Force it into submission with overwhelming power, or make it feel the difference in strength and surrender, as he was doing now.

The praying mantis struck the ground with its foreleg, scattering white bones in every direction, but that was all.

Before the human who would ordinarily have been nothing more than a snack, it lacked even the strength to resist.

Venerable Flying Swallow's self-destruction had severely injured the praying mantis holding him. Until it recovered, it would not even be able to seize an early Qi Refining cultivator.

In the end, guided by an intelligence developed enough to understand its opponent's intentions and by instincts ruled by the principle that the strong were respected, the praying mantis made its choice.

Before the two magical artifacts Jin Hyeon held and the lightning gleaming from both hands, the praying mantis clicked its mandibles resentfully and lowered its stance.

It folded its scythes, its greatest weapons, to the ground and bent its straight legs, settling onto the floor.

Seeing that, Jin Hyeon smiled in satisfaction and closed the distance.

He did not let down his guard until the very end, however. He dismissed only the thunderball while maintaining Red Thunder Finger.

Then Jin Hyeon placed his hand on the praying mantis's head.

“You made the right choice. I intend to live a long, long time without dying, so becoming my spirit insect won't be bad for you either. Think of it as investing at the bottom.”

Jin Hyeon could not tell whether the praying mantis understood his words, but it remained silent as though in agreement.

He had made it submit. All that remained was a Blood Pact.

Jin Hyeon recalled what Jin Seol-ha had told him.

Taking in a spirit beast was not as simple as feeding, training, and caring for it, like keeping a pet in his previous life.

Every spirit beast was a powerful being. In fact, truly powerful demon beasts underwent a stage called Transformation, allowing them to take forms similar to humans. They were higher life forms no less intelligent than people.

Naturally, restraints were necessary if one wanted a spirit beast to submit and serve.

Recalling the method for performing the Blood Pact that Jin Seol-ha had taught him, Jin Hyeon lightly cut his left hand with the Pipa Sword and drew blood.

Then he placed that hand directly atop the praying mantis's head.

To his surprise, rather than dripping down, his blood formed a unique yet uncomplicated pattern.

The pattern glowed faintly and seeped into the mantis's carapace.

Screee...

The praying mantis instinctively tried to resist, but eventually gave up and accepted it.

The next moment, Jin Hyeon sensed a firm connection forming between himself and the praying mantis.

It was as if chains had been fastened to both their souls, linking them together. Of course, he was closer to holding the chains, while the praying mantis was the one bound by them.

He could even sense that they could communicate their emotions and thoughts to some extent through those chains.

The mysteries of the cultivation world truly had no end.

Jin Hyeon stepped back with a satisfied smile.

The praying mantis naturally returned to its usual stance and looked at him.

“A high-grade first-tier spirit insect, huh? If I don't want you to turn on me, I need to reach late Qi Refining as soon as possible.”

The possibility was slim, but if his realm was far too low compared to the being he had made his spirit beast, it might rebel against him.

Of course, with the black stone's ability, he would likely reach late Qi Refining before long.

“Now that you're my spirit insect, I can't just call you praying mantis. Should I give you a name? But I don't even know exactly what species you are...”

Jin Hyeon studied the praying mantis looking at him and pondered.

“Your body is black as night, so I'll call you Nyx.”

Many names came to mind, but Jin Hyeon chose one from the myths of his previous life.

It was meant to commemorate that former life, which he might one day forget. And since this was his first spirit insect, he wanted it to be something special.

Nyx was a goddess's name, but to Jin Hyeon, who knew little about insects, Nyx's broad abdomen made it seem female. In any case, he would probably never have to explain the meaning of the name, so he decided to use it.

Though it did not know the meaning, Nyx seemed to like it and conveyed its approval to Jin Hyeon through their soul connection.

Then it turned and began digging into the ground.

As Jin Hyeon watched, wondering what it was doing, Nyx dug a hole as deep as his waist and pulled something out.

It was a huge rock.

Too large for Jin Hyeon to wrap both arms around, it was extraordinary at a glance. Its pitch-black surface, darker than coal or charcoal and so black that even light could not escape it, was densely speckled with glittering particles like stars filling the night sky. It asserted its presence in the dark cave.

“What is this?”

Jin Hyeon immediately crouched beside it and inspected it from every angle.

He tapped it, held it under the light of his fireball, and stimulated it with spiritual power.

But the ore showed no reaction.

He had never heard of or encountered ore like this.

To begin with, all his knowledge of minerals came from the Essentials of Cultivation and what Ha Seung and Myeong Seokho had taught him.

Still, Jin Hyeon was certain this was an unusual treasure.

Since a powerful spirit insect like Nyx had buried it in its territory, it must have instinctively sensed that it was something precious.

Jin Hyeon carefully stored Nyx's gift in his storage pouch.

He intended to learn more about the mineral once he returned to the sect and found the opportunity.

Though he had spent time capturing Nyx, it would be foolish to remain nearby when Venerable Flying Swallow's companions could learn of his misfortune at any moment.

Together with Nyx, Jin Hyeon left its habitat by following the tunnel it had dug.

He soon reached the passage at the edge of the gorge where he had first entered.

Though he had not yet reached the surface, Jin Hyeon smiled as sunlight streamed through the mouth of the gorge, warming him after the dark cave.

“Come to think of it, I don't have a spirit beast pouch right now. How am I supposed to take you with me? I don't think I can put you on the Silver Swallow Board.”

Jin Hyeon narrowed his eyes as he looked at Nyx, which was roughly his height but far larger in build.

In response to his concern, Nyx gave a light shake.

Then pale gray wings spread out from beneath the carapace on its back as it slowly opened.

A short while later, Jin Hyeon understood why so many cultivators were obsessed with mounts.

* * *

About two weeks had passed since Jin Hyeon had the unusual experience of flying back to the sect atop a giant praying mantis.

As an added bonus, on the way back he encountered his master flying toward him in a hurry and saw his master's bewildered expression for the first time upon seeing him riding the praying mantis.

“What went wrong this time...?”

In one of the rooms he had carved out in his cave dwelling, Jin Hyeon stood before a table arranged like a carpenter's workbench.

A small doll, no bigger than his palm, lay atop it.

Jin Hyeon scratched his head as he stared at it. No matter how much spiritual power he poured into it, it would not react.

After returning from Suyeop Market, he had been busy sorting through the spoils from his journey.

Gwang Seung-hyeon had replaced the jade plaque Jin Hyeon had broken, while Jin Hyeon sold the various demon beast materials Seol Ga-yeong had given him to Hundred Treasures Pavilion, apart from what he planned to use himself, making a tidy profit.

Seeing the spirit stones pile up was one thing, but it also increased his fondness for Seol Ga-yeong, who had handed them all over to him.

Unfortunately, Venerable Flying Swallow's storage pouch had not contained much.

There was a jar containing two Blood Parasite Pills, the turtle-shell magical artifact he had used, a cultivation method he had presumably learned, a small amount of spirit stones, and a few low-grade magical artifacts. That was all.

It seemed he had handed all his possessions to Ghost-Soul Palace and carried only a few belongings with him.

His cultivation method interested Jin Hyeon, but something else held his attention, so he had not yet considered learning it.

The mysterious ore Nyx had dug up, and the secret art of puppet construction Yeok-il had given him.

Those two were Jin Hyeon's highest priorities.

Unfortunately, despite searching through all sorts of books, he could not identify the former.

Perhaps Myeong Seokho or Ha Seung would know, but no matter how close they were, Jin Hyeon did not want to casually show others a treasure whose value he did not even know.

Unlike the ore sitting in his storage pouch, the puppet secret art became the spoil to which he devoted the most time.

At first, he had hoped he could make and use dolls stronger than his own realm, like the Dan brothers did. Yet his current skill had not progressed beyond perhaps making a palm-sized doll stand up.

Having spent a long time at it and grown exhausted, Jin Hyeon leaned back heavily against his chair.

Perhaps after his realm improved a little more...

“Ah, is it already that time?”

Rubbing his eyes in disappointment and fatigue, Jin Hyeon sprang to his feet at the signal sent by the black stone.

He had been so focused on the puppet construct lately that he had failed to keep track of the days. Time truly flew.

After leaving his room, Jin Hyeon laid down a cushion and sat. Once he calmed his mind and took several deep breaths, he faced the Pitch-Black Space once more.

A familiar darkness, deeper than the cave region he had visited weeks ago, welcomed him.

“How far can I get with this cultivation session...?”

He sat beneath his brightly glowing soul, pressing a hand against the darkness-covered floor. Closing his eyes, Jin Hyeon recited the formula of the Azure Thunder Soul-Carving Art and drew in spiritual qi.

Thunder qi flashed intensely, and another twenty-eight days passed.

Footnotes:

The image of weakening a creature and catching it with a magical ball echoes Pokémon.

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