WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: DereKimchi

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◈ Carefree Tale of Cultivation ◈

Chapter 4: Blue Willow Sect

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Time flew by.

On the morning of the third day, the cultivators’ ship, the enormous vessel they called a flying vessel, slowly began to decelerate.

The flying vessel descended through the clouds.

Jin Hyeon pressed himself against the cabin window and looked outside.

Below the thinning clouds, an immense mountain range revealed its majesty.

Even viewed from such a height, its end was nowhere in sight. It was on a scale incomparable to something like Mount Pyeongan.

As the flying vessel descended further, the scenery changed drastically.

The mountain range, which had appeared to contain nothing but trees from afar, was filled with countless buildings.

There were plenty of structures rivaling the Pine Sword Sect’s six-story hall, as well as many that were even greater in height and breadth.

Most impressive of all was a pillar occupying an entire high mountain peak.

Its white surface, as immense as a skyscraper from Jin Hyeon’s previous life, bore the words Blue Willow Sect.

Before Jin Hyeon could take in the astonishing sight, a booming voice echoed through the flying vessel.

“Everyone, leave your cabins and gather in the center!”

Jin Hyeon immediately left his room.

The two boys who had been watching outside with him, along with children from the other cabins, rushed out and headed for the center.

In less than a minute, several dozen people had gathered in the central area.

After confirming that everyone had arrived, Gu Hokgeum led them onto the deck.

Squinting in the sunlight pouring down on the deck, Jin Hyeon saw that many people were already gathered there.

Several cultivators who appeared to hold positions similar to Gu Hokgeum’s stood in rows, each leading several dozen children.

Meanwhile, the flying vessel continued its slow descent until it finally came to a complete stop.

At that moment, the young man and the purple-robed woman, neither of whom had shown their faces during the journey, emerged from inside the flying vessel, flying through the air.

‘As expected, those two must hold higher positions.’

Jin Hyeon compared the pair, who maintained youthful appearances, to the other cultivators who looked middle-aged or elderly.

The young man snapped his fingers, and a long bridge extended from the side of the flying vessel to connect with the ground.

Guided by the cultivators, the children descended from the vessel and stepped onto a broad stone plaza.

Three cultivators were already waiting there.

“Martial Aunt Yu, Martial Uncle Gwang.”

They bowed in greeting as the two cultivators approached.

Martial Uncle Gwang nodded and gave them instructions.

“These are the children brought back during this recruitment. Take the mortals away and assign them their places.”

An old man among the three cultivators stepped forward and called out.

“Everyone without a spirit root, come out and follow us!”

At his call, more than half the group left the plaza with hesitant steps, following the three cultivators.

The remaining forty or so children received looks filled with envy and jealousy.

Jin Hyeon found it rather strange.

Only a few years ago, he had looked at those talented in martial arts the same way. Now those gazes were directed at him.

“From now on, after you receive the entry process and orientation, you will be officially registered as disciples of our Blue Willow Sect. I hope your paths to immortality will be promising. And Woo-hyeon, come with me.”

Martial Aunt Yu gave Jin Hyeon and the other children only a brief explanation before taking Yang Woo-hyeon, who possessed a dual spirit root, and flying beyond the mountain range.

So those with good talent already received special treatment.

Jin Hyeon was certain he was not the only one thinking that.

The moment he became someone to be envied, he found himself envying another. Somehow, Jin Hyeon had a feeling this would happen often in the future.

The remaining Martial Uncle Gwang gave several instructions to the other cultivators.

“Martial Nephew Gu, take charge of the children. Distribute their basic supplies and teach them the fundamentals. Martial Nephew Maeng, you will guide the children for the next month. Martial Nephew Yu will...”

After picking out several people and assigning them tasks, he turned and left the expectant children with only one sentence before flying beyond the mountain range.

“Welcome to the Blue Willow Sect.”

And then twenty-five days passed.

* * *

There were many kinds of accommodations for lower-ranked disciples in the Blue Willow Sect.

The most common, however, were cave dwellings carved into gentle mountainsides, packed together like barnacles.

One such cave dwelling stood on a gently sloping rocky mountain.

It was not very large. It had one large room spacious enough for one or two people to live in, along with two smaller rooms.

At the center of the large room, Jin Hyeon sat cross-legged on a cushion.

He wore neat sky-blue clothes with a faint sheen, giving off an air entirely different from how he had looked a month ago.

Jin Hyeon, who had been meditating with his eyes closed, soon let out a long breath and relaxed his posture.

“There really isn’t enough spiritual qi.”

Cultivation was truly difficult for lower-ranked disciples without outstanding talent.

They lacked everything: superior cultivation arts, abundant spiritual qi, and a master’s guidance.

The Minor Five Phases Art he had received as a foundational cultivation art was suitable for all spirit roots, but its speed was painfully slow.

Feeling frustrated, Jin Hyeon drank from the water jug on a table in the corner, then picked up the thick book resting beside it.

<The Essentials of Cultivation - by Venerable Changpo>.

He turned past the cover he had opened hundreds of times over the past month.

This was a book Blue Willow Sect distributed to all its disciples, and its title was strangely familiar. Through it, Jin Hyeon had learned much about the world of cultivation.

First, it explained cultivators.

Cultivators gathered the spiritual qi flowing through heaven and earth to advance their cultivation, ultimately seeking eternal youth and longevity.

There were five cultivation stages: Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul, and Spirit Transformation.

The book also vaguely mentioned ascending to the legendary immortal realm after Spirit Transformation, but that was far too distant a matter.

Jin Hyeon was more interested in the lifespan of cultivators.

Contrary to the hopes of countless mortals, not every cultivator could attain eternal youth and longevity.

A cultivator at the lowest Qi Refining stage could only live to around one hundred and fifty.

Of course, lifespans increased dramatically at each stage, and those in the Spirit Transformation stage could live for as long as two thousand years.

At first, Jin Hyeon had been delighted by such an immense lifespan, but he was quickly disappointed after reading the author’s notes on each stage.

Anyone with a spirit root, meaning the aptitude to accept the spiritual qi of heaven and earth, could reach the foundational Qi Refining stage.

But from the stages beyond that, aptitude made a great difference.

This aptitude was affected not only by personal talent, but most of all by the type of spirit root one possessed.

Spirit roots contained the Five Phases. This meant one was particularly adept at drawing in spiritual qi aligned with those phases from the qi of heaven and earth.

However, if one possessed many spirit roots, the differing currents of spiritual qi would instead slow cultivation.

Between digging one well and digging several wells at once, the one digging a single well would find water first.

Moreover, cultivation required a great deal of time even for the exceptionally talented. Countless people failed to advance their realms, exhausted their long lifespans, and became a handful of dust.

Jin Hyeon’s triple spirit root was considered ordinary cultivation aptitude, and he was expected to normally reach the Foundation Establishment stage.

<The Essentials of Cultivation> contained not only the most essential knowledge about cultivators, but all manner of foundational information.

Various legends and anecdotes spread throughout the cultivation world, the cultivators’ skills called the Hundred Arts of Cultivation, and explanations of basic spell techniques.

Furthermore, Venerable Changpo, the author, seemed to be a figure of very high cultivation. Almost every piece of information came with an easy-to-understand explanation.

Thanks to that, Jin Hyeon absorbed knowledge quickly and gained a general understanding of the cultivation world in a month.

There was a reason the sect distributed it to newly admitted disciples.

After lightly skimming through <The Essentials of Cultivation> and setting it down, Jin Hyeon opened the pouch at his waist.

The pouch was a lower-grade version of the item that reminded him of an inventory, something cultivators called a storage pouch.

It was also one of the items Jin Hyeon had received along with <The Essentials of Cultivation>.

As Jin Hyeon had expected, the storage pouch held a space larger inside than outside.

Living things could not be placed within it, but a palm-sized pouch with storage space the size of a wardrobe was convenient enough.

However, his was not a high-grade item, so its internal space was relatively small. Since it opened with a simple infusion of spiritual qi, there was also a risk of it being stolen.

“Still, it’s convenient.”

Remembering how he had spent an entire day putting all sorts of objects into the storage pouch and taking them out again after first receiving it, Jin Hyeon rummaged through it and pulled something out.

It was a translucent stone emitting a brilliant gleam.

This was a spirit stone, a basic resource in the cultivation world and its common currency.

Spirit stones contained a certain amount of spiritual qi, making them useful for everything from assisting cultivation to powering various spell techniques. Thus, they were widely used as currency.

They were like spiritual qi batteries.

“Should I buy medicinal pills after all...?”

Jin Hyeon smacked his lips regretfully.

Blue Willow Sect gave its newly admitted disciples five spirit stones as basic living expenses.

Normally, the disciples who had entered with him used those spirit stones at a place called Hundred Treasures Pavilion within the sect to buy medicinal pills that aided cultivation, or magical artifacts, the tools cultivators used with spiritual qi.

Jin Hyeon had not spent a single spirit stone yet.

The medicinal pills that could be bought with five spirit stones amounted to only one bottle that helped at the Qi Refining stage. As for magical artifacts, they would only be simple flying artifacts or swords superior to those of the mortal world.

He might need the spirit stones for something more important later, so he did not want to spend all five already.

At least, not until now.

It had been twenty-five days since he entered the sect, but Jin Hyeon was still at the second layer of Qi Refining.

Even fellow disciples with quadruple spirit roots, whose aptitude was inferior to his, had already reached the second layer. Some with triple spirit roots had even reached the fourth layer, making Jin Hyeon anxious.

Cultivation grew more difficult as one’s realm rose.

At his current pace, it would take more than several decades to reach the twelfth layer, the peak of Qi Refining.

Moreover, considering that those with triple spirit roots generally achieved Foundation Establishment in middle age, his talent could be considered poor even among those with three spirit roots.

“In five days, I’ll officially have to begin sect chores. But to get work that earns a lot of spirit stones, my realm needs to be higher...”

According to Gu Hokgeum, who had escorted them, Jin Hyeon and the disciples who had entered Blue Willow Sect with him were currently in an “adjustment period.” They were receiving the special privilege of focusing only on cultivation.

Beginning on the thirtieth day, they would be forcibly assigned sect chores and sent to work.

There were many kinds of chores, from assisting high-ranking cultivators to growing herbs and preparing firewood.

They could receive spirit stones as payment, but the amount varied greatly by task.

Naturally, the more profitable chores often required a minimum cultivation realm.

Jin Hyeon was reluctant to part with the spirit stones, but he understood the importance of investment.

In the end, he made his decision and left his cave dwelling.

Occasionally looking enviously at the cultivators flying overhead, Jin Hyeon crossed the sect and soon arrived at a pavilion.

Hundred Treasures Pavilion supplied various goods to lower-ranked cultivators within the sect, so it had opened many branches throughout the grounds.

The branch Jin Hyeon visited did not seem to receive many customers. Unlike the bustling branches elsewhere, it was quiet.

Jin Hyeon painfully tore his eyes away from the magical artifacts and talismans displayed at Hundred Treasures Pavilion.

Once he raised his realm and began receiving spirit stones steadily, he would definitely buy a flying artifact too.

Looking deeper into the shop, he found a flat-faced cultivator dozing in a chair.

‘A fourth-layer Qi Refining cultivator.’

Feeling the slightly stronger aura coming from him, Jin Hyeon carefully cleared his throat.

“Ahem, Senior...”

They were both merely early Qi Refining cultivators, so he could have simply called him Senior Brother. Still, there was no harm in being polite.

And the instant he offered that brief greeting,

Pop!

Jin Hyeon found himself transported into the Pitch-Black Space.

“Huh?”

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