WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: DereKimchi

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Carefree Tale of Cultivation ◈

Chapter 30: Stagnation in Cultivation

──────

Jin Hyeon picked up the pale sky-blue disc and examined it.

The spiritual power it contained surpassed that of the Scorching Sun Sword, and the faint chill emanating from its surface showed that the magical artifact had been perfectly crafted.

Jin Hyeon immediately poured spiritual qi into the Cold Hawk Disc and threw it at the nearby wall.

Giving off the speed and vibration of a chainsaw, the Cold Hawk Disc flew in a smooth curve along the wall of the stone chamber.

As the rapidly spinning disc scraped against it, a long line appeared in the wall along its path.

Then cold energy condensed along that line, and sharp spikes of ice rose like awls.

After leaving a scar of blue ice on the wall, the Cold Hawk Disc returned like a boomerang and settled in Jin Hyeon's hand.

It was a proper low-grade magical artifact.

There were no flaws at all. Its performance was even better than it should have been.

The corners of his mouth rose on their own, twitching with delight.

He had made a proper low-grade magical artifact in less than two weeks.

Being proven talented in a field that interested him brought incomparable satisfaction.

He retrieved the storage pouch and drew in the scraps of material scattered around the room.

When he tossed the Cold Hawk Disc into the air, the blue-silver disc floated on its own and circled him.

Watching it, Jin Hyeon removed the iron plate within the stone chamber to deactivate the formation. As he opened the chamber door, he cried out without thinking.

"Ha ha ha! It's finished! With talent like this..."

Then he came face-to-face with Do Do-ryeo and Jegal Yeong, who had happened to be approaching the chamber.

* * *

"Ahem. Martial Nephew Jin, it seems you've had some success?"

Do Do-ryeo cleared his throat and broke the awkward silence.

Judging by Jin Hyeon's reaction, he seemed to have produced something, at least.

Naturally, there was no expectation that it was anything proper.

"It isn't an achievement worth boasting about. Martial Uncle Do, this was my first attempt at artifact refinement, so I failed to keep track of time. I went over unintentionally, so I'll pay the corresponding spirit stones."

"Ah, that's fine. Martial Nephew Jegal here wanted to use the refining chamber, so I brought her over. You came out at just the right time, Martial Nephew Jin, so no one has been inconvenienced. I'll waive the spirit stones for the extra time. Shouldn't more disciples like you attempt artifact refinement so that the ideals of our Azure Forge Pavilion may endure longer? Ha ha!"

Do Do-ryeo waved a hand and laughed heartily. It was somewhat exaggerated, but no one present paid it any mind.

"I thought one of the other senior brothers was using it, so I was mistaken. Did you say Junior Brother Jin? If I remember correctly, the disciple who won among the mid-stage disciples at the last disciple tournament and became Martial Uncle Gwang's disciple was named Jin Hyeon. Is that you?"

Only then did Jin Hyeon meet the gaze of the beautiful woman beside Do Do-ryeo, who was looking at him with interest.

Her black hair flowed past her shoulders, and her flawless white skin made her seem like a celebrity from his previous life.

In addition to her Qi Refining, Level 11 cultivation, her lavish robes carried powerful spiritual power. Do Do-ryeo's subtly wary attitude toward her also told Jin Hyeon that she had ties to the sect's upper ranks.

'They called her Martial Nephew Jegal. Was there an elder in the sect with the surname Jegal? Or is she simply a disciple?'

As he briefly guessed at her identity, Jin Hyeon thought she somehow resembled someone he had seen before.

He could not remember exactly who.

"That's right. My master thought highly of me and accepted me as a disciple. If it isn't rude, may I ask Senior Sister's name?"

"I'm Jegal Yeong. I didn't participate in the last tournament, so you probably haven't seen me before. More importantly, Junior Brother Jin, did you refine and forge that Cold Hawk Disc yourself?"

Jegal Yeong seemed more interested in the Cold Hawk Disc floating near Jin Hyeon's shoulder than in Jin Hyeon or their respective statuses.

A faint trace of interest showed on her nearly expressionless, cool-looking face.

Even to someone who had spent most of her life after entering the path of cultivation learning artifact refinement, the Cold Hawk Disc before her appeared high in quality.

It was a low-grade magical artifact, but its power would surpass that of ordinary low-grade magical artifacts.

Moreover, Jin Hyeon had been using the refining chamber until just now and had left the stone chamber in obvious delight. It was highly likely that he had made this Cold Hawk Disc himself.

Jin Hyeon saw no problem with answering and readily confirmed it.

"Yes. I was fortunate enough to produce an exceptional result beyond my ability."

At his words, Do Do-ryeo's eyes widened before Jegal Yeong's did.

"What? You made this? No, it has only been a little over two weeks... Wasn't this your first attempt at artifact refinement?"

The surprise was genuine.

A low-grade magical artifact would not normally catch his eye, but he had never imagined that a disciple who had only recently reached late Qi Refining, and who had not been initiated for very long, could create a magical artifact in such a short time.

Jegal Yeong, having learned how long Jin Hyeon had used the refining chamber from those words, also showed a flicker of admiration in her impassive gaze.

She did not particularly think he was lying.

The magical artifact looked new, and a lingering chill still hung over the cauldron placed above the earthfire in the stone chamber.

"It truly was my first time. Of course, I received some informal instruction from Martial Uncle Ha and watched the refining and forging process many times."

"Martial Uncle Ha, meaning Senior Brother Ha Seung? Ha ha, Martial Nephew Jin certainly has extensive connections!"

Thinking it had been wise to show favor to this promising disciple, Do Do-ryeo patted Jin Hyeon on the shoulder.

After hearing Ha Seung's name, Jegal Yeong seemed to think for a moment before taking out a thin wooden token from her storage pouch.

"Junior Brother Jin. You seem very interested in artifact refinement, and there is no question that you have talent for refining and forging. In that case, would you be interested in an exchange gathering?"

"An exchange gathering?"

"Yes. I periodically hold a gathering at a place not far from the sect, where we discuss and exchange knowledge about artifact refinement. Quite a few disciples from other sects attend as well, so it would be a good experience for you."

With those words, Jegal Yeong tossed him the wooden token.

A small flame pattern was engraved on one side, while the time and place of the gathering were recorded on the other.

"I hope to see you then."

Her doll-like face showed no expression, but her voice carried a faint smile.

Having said that, Jegal Yeong handed Do Do-ryeo a pouch of spirit stones, offered a farewell, then entered the refining chamber Jin Hyeon had been using and closed the door.

'An exchange gathering...'

Jin Hyeon decided to keep the wooden token for now. He gave an appropriate response when Martial Uncle Do said he would visit Gwang Seung-hyeon someday, then left the Azure Forge Pavilion.

He had only meant to practice refining and forging lightly, but he had achieved a greater result than expected.

As he headed for his cave dwelling on the Silver Swallow Board, Jin Hyeon observed the danjeon within his body.

The two streams of thunder qi still undergoing refining and forging had not fully settled.

However, perhaps because maintaining focus before the heat of the earthfire had helped, they felt far more familiar to him than before.

In a few more weeks, they would likely be completely refined, and he would be able to learn the Three-Thunder Sword Art.

If so, there would be no problem with meeting his master's expectations for his introduction to the Three-Thunder Sword Art.

More than that, Jin Hyeon pondered the talent for artifact refinement he had newly discovered.

As he had just demonstrated, he could produce a low-grade magical artifact in around two weeks.

The quality was also superior to what could be bought from Hundred Treasures Pavilion. Perhaps he could earn some spirit stones this way.

He already had the Azure Serpent Thunder Sword, and improving his artifact refinement required practice.

If he earned spirit stones from the byproducts of that practice and gained more opportunities to practice, then perhaps he could craft a high-grade magical artifact entirely through his own skill, or at least repair the Black Turtle Shield.

'Should I visit Won Hyu and ask him about selling them?'

That well-connected fellow would surely have no trouble finding buyers.

Smiling, Jin Hyeon returned to his cave dwelling.

Then two weeks passed in the blink of an eye.

* * *

"Hmm... So it really does slow down once you reach late Qi Refining."

After another interval passed since his previous entry, Jin Hyeon finished cultivating in the black space and checked his progress.

He was still at Qi Refining, Level 9.

This was not a delay caused by some special factor like the thunder marks, as when he had changed cultivation methods from the Minor Five Phases Art.

He simply had not accumulated enough cultivation to advance.

The spiritual power he felt in his Soul Sea had clearly increased since the moment he first reached Qi Refining, Level 9.

It was likely comparable to rising several levels during early Qi Refining.

Yet it was insufficient to reach Qi Refining, Level 10, to carve his tenth thunder mark.

'It may take some time from here on...'

He felt it instinctively.

The time needed to advance from Level 9 to Level 12 would be far longer than the time he had spent in the cultivation world so far.

There was no problem with cultivation in the black space.

It was simply that the tremendous efficiency he had felt during early and mid-stage Qi Refining had declined somewhat upon reaching late Qi Refining.

Even if they were minor realms, the spiritual power that had to be accumulated after crossing into late Qi Refining far surpassed his previous cultivation.

Even the spiritual power gained in the cultivation space created by the stone fragment could not clear that threshold in a single attempt.

If that were the stone fragment's limit, it would have been despairing. However, through his connection with the fragment, Jin Hyeon had learned that it would undergo some change if he could advance to Foundation Establishment.

So he only needed to continue cultivating without worry until he reached Foundation Establishment.

"Nyx, come here."

Jin Hyeon sat on a nearby boulder and called to his spirit insect, which was chopping up an innocent tree on the other side of the clearing.

A few days earlier, he had finished refining his thunder qi and had been learning the Three-Thunder Sword Art with the Azure Serpent Thunder Sword and thunder qi.

To grow accustomed to both his magical artifact and cultivation method while also training, he had been letting Nyx out of the spirit beast pouch in a small clearing within the Azure Wind Formation's protective range instead of keeping it confined in the cave dwelling.

Dodging Nyx's swift, nimble attacks while wrapping thunder qi around his sword according to the Three-Thunder Sword Art made for practical training. It also gave Nyx, his sparring partner, a chance to relieve stress.

Jin Hyeon took out a chunk of demon beast meat he had prepared in advance from his storage pouch and tossed it to Nyx.

Nyx swiftly caught the meat with both front legs and began eagerly tearing into it.

Watching the sight, Jin Hyeon smiled fondly.

Nyx was far from the furry, soft-eared, cute sort of demon beast he had initially expected to take in, but he had grown attached to it in his own way.

Moreover, after forming a blood bond with it, Nyx's intelligence seemed to have improved slightly.

At first, it could only properly understand commands given through the chain of their blood bond. As the days passed, though, it understood even ordinary speech and properly recognized its name.

As he watched Nyx happily devour its meal, he felt a vibration from outside the Azure Wind Formation.

"Won Hyu?"

Jin Hyeon immediately guessed the visitor's identity.

He hurried over and, as expected, found Won Hyu smiling brightly as always outside the Azure Wind Formation's perimeter.

"Brother Jin! Good news."

"It seems what I asked last time went well. And is there no other way besides knocking on the formation every time you come?"

"Ha ha, voice transmission talismans are convenient, but a poor disciple like me cannot afford to buy them in bulk."

At that shameless answer, Jin Hyeon clicked his tongue.

The voice transmission talismans cultivators used to communicate did not have a particularly long range, but they were one of the few means even low-level cultivators had to send news over a distance.

Moreover, when used outside a formation, they would settle on the formation so its owner could check them at any time. They even had the convenient function of leaving a missed message.

They were not even that expensive, so Won Hyu's words, coming from someone who raked in spirit stones everywhere, were no more than a miser's excuse.

"Anyway, as you requested last time, I sold the Cold Hawk Disc successfully. Here, see for yourself."

Won Hyu handed a small storage pouch to Jin Hyeon, who had stepped outside the formation.

Jin Hyeon checked the spirit stones inside, saw that there were more than he had expected, and smiled.

Jin Hyeon had decided to entrust Won Hyu with the sale of magical artifacts he would make through refining and forging, beginning with the Cold Hawk Disc.

He could have handed the items he crafted directly to Hundred Treasures Pavilion, but as a wholesaler, it bought all low-grade magical artifacts at the same price, leaving him with little profit.

Instead, he would pay Won Hyu a modest brokerage fee to sell his magical artifacts at a higher price to disciples visiting Hundred Treasures Pavilion who had deep pockets and were seeking better magical artifacts.

He did not think Won Hyu would cheat him or siphon anything away.

If that truly happened, a single word to his master would throw the entire Hundred Treasures Pavilion into turmoil.

In any case, even after deducting his brokerage fee from the first sale, Won Hyu had handed Jin Hyeon enough spirit stones to buy several low-grade magical artifacts.

Naturally, it was an amount that easily exceeded the total cost of the materials used to make the Cold Hawk Disc.

"This is impressive."

"It's all because Brother Jin's artifact refinement is so good! I knew you were a genius, but I never imagined you would have talent for artifact refinement too..."

Jin Hyeon shook his head, but Won Hyu sincerely thought so.

While Won Hyu was still at Qi Refining, Level 4, Jin Hyeon had already reached Qi Refining, Level 9. The Cold Hawk Disc Jin Hyeon had crafted was also practically comparable to a mid-grade magical artifact.

Won Hyu wanted to buy it personally badly enough to pay spirit stones for it.

After seeing off Won Hyu, who continued flattering him tirelessly, Jin Hyeon returned to the clearing.

Soft soil and leaves crunched beneath his trudging steps, carrying the damp scent of moisture gathered from the morning mist to his nose.

Nyx had finished eating and was once again chopping at trees, sharpening its scythes. Holding the storage pouch full of spirit stones, Jin Hyeon felt the spiritual power filling his Soul Sea to the brim.

'Now I'll continue training in the Three-Thunder Sword Art, refine and forge magical artifacts to sell, and cultivate until I reach Qi Refining, Level 10.'

Jin Hyeon suddenly looked up at the sky.

How should he put it? It felt as if his daily life was settling into place.

And six months passed.

Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried