WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Dionysus
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Cultivating Underground ◈
Chapter 10
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“Yes.”
Yi Hyeon looked out of the cave for a moment.
“The Withered Yin Field is more dangerous than people know. I realized that after working there myself. I can hold out for now, but if I stay, it'll end my path to immortality.”
Yi Hyeon offered a rough excuse for leaving, but in a way, it was also the truth.
If he stayed at the Withered Yin Field for too long, his secret would come out. And then it would not just be his path to immortality that ended, but his life too.
“What about asking the Outer Sect Affairs Hall for another assignment?”
“I hear they almost never transfer disciples out once they've been assigned to a Withered Yin Field. Besides, I look perfectly healthy, so they have no reason to move me.”
“But disciples who leave the sect are treated as traitors.”
“Traitor? That's far too grand a word. An early Qi Refining disciple like me isn't important enough for that. I haven't stolen a sect treasure or harmed a fellow disciple. At most, they'll send a few outer disciples to look into where I've gone. If I even leave convincing signs of my death, they won't have any reason to investigate further.”
“Will it really be that simple? I'm worried the cultivators from the Enforcement Hall will hunt you down and kill you, Brother.”
“Think about it. Plenty of people chase down someone who hasn't repaid a debt. But how many chase after someone who's made them a profit just to repay the favor? I've faithfully carried out the sect's orders. The low-grade spirit stones and contribution points Cheongha Valley gives outer disciples amount to less than what it gains from them. It might be different for an inner disciple, but...”
Wang So started to argue, then closed his mouth. What his older friend said sounded reasonable. Perhaps because Yi Hyeon had been born a few years before him, he certainly understood how the world worked.
“Where are you thinking of going?”
“I haven't decided yet. Somewhere far from Cheongha Valley.”
Wang So thought for a moment.
“I think you should leave Daeyeon Kingdom altogether. Wouldn't it be safer to go through Anneung Kingdom to the south and travel all the way to Untaek Kingdom? I heard at the Spirit Beast Garden that Untaek Kingdom has few spirit veins, so there are hardly any major cultivation powers there. Instead, it has plenty of independent cultivators.”
“Untaek Kingdom...”
“They also have several cultivator markets where independent cultivators trade spirit plants, pills, talismans, and magical artifacts. Wouldn't somewhere like that be better if you want to keep cultivating after leaving the sect?”
“Thanks. I'll keep that in mind.”
Wang So looked at Yi Hyeon, then took a small wooden box from inside his robe.
“Take these.”
Inside the box were three black iron nails, each as long as a finger. Fine formation patterns were carved into their surfaces.
“What are they?”
“Spirit-Breaking Nails (破靈釘). I received them for completing a small mission. They're barely worth calling magical artifacts, but if you put spiritual power into them and throw them, they hit much harder than a bolt from an ordinary person's crossbow. They should be able to pierce the Protective Spiritlight (護體靈光) of a second-level Qi Refining cultivator.”
“Shouldn't you keep them for yourself?”
“I'm going to be a sword cultivator. I don't need hidden weapons like these.”
Despite his words, Wang So could hardly take his eyes off the box. He clearly treasured them.
“No, keep them.”
“Are you sure you'll be all right?”
“I have far more ways to handle things than you think. How could I leave owing a younger brother like you?”
“If taking all three is too much, at least take one.”
Wang So took a Spirit-Breaking Nail out of the box and firmly pressed it into Yi Hyeon's hand.
“It's a good thing if you never need something like this. But won't you regret not having it when you do?”
“...You're right. Then I'll take one.”
Wang So tucked the box with the two remaining Spirit-Breaking Nails back inside his robe.
Yi Hyeon took out a small bottle and handed it to Wang So.
“These are three of the Essence-Nourishing Pills I received as the Withered Yin Field's caretaker. Take them when your meridians need treatment, or if you damage them while practicing the Metal Edge Art.”
“Is it really all right to give these to me?”
“I received them as payment for working at the Withered Yin Field, so they're mine. I can do what I like with them. I still have a few more, so don't worry. Consider them payment for the Spirit-Breaking Nail.”
Wang So carefully put the bottle into his storage pouch.
“Thank you. I wish you every success, Brother.”
“You take care too.”
The two left the cave.
After walking a few steps, Wang So looked back.
“If you change your mind, let me know. I could try asking a steward I know for help.”
“All right.”
Yi Hyeon carefully checked whether anyone was nearby. Then, keeping out of sight, he watched Wang So disappear along the mountain path.
Wang So was the first person Yi Hyeon had met since joining Cheongha Valley whom he could truly call a friend. But they would never meet again.
That was why Yi Hyeon had accepted only one of Wang So's Spirit-Breaking Nails and given him Essence-Nourishing Pills in return. He did not want to leave with a debt unpaid.
...
Back at the hut in Withered Yin Field No. 8, Yi Hyeon lay down and practiced the Primordial Unity Single-Qi Art, lost in thought.
Having decided to leave Cheongha Valley, he considered what he would need, one thing at a time.
First was food.
Ordinary people thought cultivators were beings like immortals, so they assumed cultivators did not need food.
But Qi Refining cultivators were not that remarkable. Never mind Qi Refining cultivators, even Foundation Establishment cultivators could not give up food completely. They had to form a golden core, at the very least, before they could free themselves from their dependence on food.
Of course, that did not mean Qi Refining or Foundation Establishment cultivators ate just anything. Relying on ordinary food caused turbid qi to build up and hinder cultivation. Whenever possible, they had to eat food containing spiritual energy.
For now, Yi Hyeon had about two hundred Fasting Pills. He had saved up the pills issued by the sect while cooking and eating Cheongha Rice with Senior Brother No.
Ordinary people also had something they called Fasting Pills. But the pills provided by the sect were refined from Cheongha Rice and several spirit herbs, making them far more precious than the ordinary version.
If Yi Hyeon wanted to maximize his cultivation speed, refining ten Fasting Pills a day was not impossible. But to satisfy his hunger, he only needed to refine one every two days.
He also had twenty geun of Cheongha Rice in his storage pouch, thanks to the generous rice allowance given to Withered Yin Field caretakers. Cooking one geun of Cheongha Rice would provide enough food to keep hunger at bay for five days.
‘So, if all I'm concerned about is keeping myself fed... the Fasting Pills will last four hundred days. Including the Cheongha Rice, I can last five hundred days. I have plenty of food for now.’
‘Besides, unlike other cultivators, I should be fine eating ordinary food. Even if turbid qi builds up and slows my cultivation, I'm not racing against the end of my lifespan.’
Second was seeds.
After leaving the sect, he planned to dig tunnels and live in hiding, growing various spirit plants to pass the time.
The problem was that it was difficult to predict which spirit plants would grow well in underground tunnels. For that reason, Yi Hyeon needed to take seeds from as many varieties as possible.
Fortunately, after working with Senior Brother No for several years, he already had seeds for Azure Dew Grass, Earth Vein Flowers, and Blood-Clotting Grass in his storage pouch.
While repeatedly harvesting and sowing Withered Yin Field No. 8, he had also saved small amounts of Bone-Rotting Flower and Yin Soul Grass seeds left over after setting aside enough for the next sowing and a reserve. He had secured enough young Purple Poison Orchid bulbs to start a small spirit field too.
With the Cheongha Rice seed he already had, that made seven varieties of spirit plants.
He decided to look for other seeds while visiting cultivator markets outside Cheongha Valley. As far as he knew, none of the spirit plants grown by the outer sect became more valuable simply by being grown longer anyway.
Third was a means of fighting.
This was the biggest problem. Yi Hyeon still did not have a magical artifact to use as his main weapon.
Naturally, he had no reason to fight while staying inside Cheongha Valley. Outside the sect, however, he would need a way to defend himself.
He had copied and memorized several basic spells, but the only ones he could use at all in a real fight were those he used for spirit-plant work. He had barely begun learning a few spells for self-defense and escape, and could not even properly cast the rest yet.
A second-level Qi Refining cultivator could fight tigers, bears, and ordinary bandits armed with conventional weapons using nothing but their bare hands. But this was a world of cultivation, where demonic beasts capable of killing Qi Refining cultivators actually existed.
Even martial artists from the ordinary world could kill Yi Hyeon as he was now!
Yi Hyeon had picked up various things about this world while working with spirit plants. Even among ordinary people without spiritual roots, there were realms of martial attainment. Those who reached a certain realm were called martial artists.
Among them were powerful experts who had reached the Supreme Peak, or even realms called Transformation and Profound. According to Senior Brother No Baek-san, these people were frighteningly skilled. Under favorable conditions, such as an ambush, they could kill even Qi Refining cultivators. Such things actually happened from time to time!
Cultivators who were denied the chance to cast spells, or who lacked combat experience, were especially easy to kill.
To give an honest assessment, Yi Hyeon could not be certain of surviving if he met a hostile Supreme Peak expert on the road.
A novice at the second level of Qi Refining who still felt uncomfortable even killing animals, Yi Hyeon was weaker than Wang So, his younger friend who had joined the sect at the same time and learned the Azure Steel Sword Art before him.
Of course, if he used his spiritual power to form Protective Spiritlight, a Supreme Peak expert would not be able to kill him easily. But Yi Hyeon had lived such a peaceful life that he had no combat experience at all.
Put simply, he was the sort of person who would instinctively squeeze his eyes shut if even an ordinary person threw a punch at his face.
‘Should I learn how to fight too? First, I need to get a magical artifact before I leave. It's time to spend my remaining contribution points and the low-grade spirit stones I've saved...’
...
A few days later, Yi Hyeon headed to the Equipment Hall at the foot of the main peak.
The Equipment Hall was a building carved from a single enormous boulder. Palm-sized formation patterns were set into its doorposts. The moment he crossed the threshold, his identity token trembled faintly.
Inside, the smells of iron and oil reached his nose.
Several rows of low shelves stood along the walls. Items rested neatly on wooden stands, while those that looked expensive sat in open wooden boxes, surrounded by faint halos of light.
A palm-sized throwing knife, a short sword with a dark blue sheen, a round shield carved with rippling patterns, a bronze mirror the size of a person's face, a finger-sized jade token...
‘Oh...’
Yi Hyeon slowed without realizing it.
Come to think of it, this was his first time entering a proper shop since falling into this world. For the first time in ages, he felt the old excitement of spending all night adding things to his online shopping cart and taking them out again.
Behind the counter, a man who looked about forty was polishing a short spear with a cloth.
“What are you looking for?”
“Greetings, Senior Brother. I've come to buy a magical artifact.”
The man put down the cloth and glanced at Yi Hyeon's identity token.
“A second-level Qi Refining outer disciple... Where do you work?”
“At the Withered Yin Field.”
“The Withered Yin Field... Ahem. Then you should be able to afford a low-tier magical artifact. You must have it hard.”
The man's voice softened a little.
“I'm Jo Beom. This is my fourteenth year working at the Equipment Hall. Have you ever bought a magical artifact before?”
“No.”
“I thought not.”
“I'm sorry to trouble you, but could you explain a little about magical artifacts?”
“Hmm... The world of magical artifacts is too vast to explain everything here and now. To cover the basics... magical artifacts (法器) are divided into low, middle, high, and supreme tiers. Low- and middle-tier artifacts are usually used by Qi Refining cultivators. High- and supreme-tier artifacts are used by our Foundation Establishment seniors.”
“Are there no magical artifacts above the supreme tier?”
“Above that, they're called magical treasures (法寶), not magical artifacts. Magical treasures are only used by great seniors at the Golden Core stage. We won't have any chance to see those. At your level, low-tier magical artifacts are all you can handle or afford.”
Jo Beom pointed his chin at a short sword on a shelf.
“A higher tier doesn't always mean better. If an early Qi Refining cultivator uses a middle-tier artifact, they'll run out of spiritual power after just a few uses. No matter how fast or powerful an artifact is, if your spiritual sense can't keep up, you'll hit trees or rocks instead of the enemy. Finding something that suits you is what matters.”
Yi Hyeon pointed at some small flying needles nearby.
“What about these?”
“Mother-and-Child Flying Needles. A set consists of one mother needle and six child needles. You have to control all seven at once, so they put a heavy strain on your spiritual sense. They're classified as a middle-tier artifact, but in practice, even late Qi Refining cultivators find them hard to handle.”
The next thing he looked at was a palm-sized blue leaf.
“Is this a flying artifact?”
“Yes. A Clearwind Leaf. But at the second level of Qi Refining, you won't be able to fly very high, and you'll run out of spiritual power after riding it for just an hour. It costs forty-eight low-grade spirit stones.”
Yi Hyeon looked around the Equipment Hall for quite a while, but he could not decide what would suit him best.
‘Hmm... Come to think of it, thanks to Wang So, I've memorized the Azure Steel Sword Art and 《Introduction to Object Manipulation and Sword Control》 too. A low-tier sword artifact should be a safe choice.’
He had made two circuits of the shelves when he noticed something.
At the very back, unfamiliar objects lay carelessly scattered on the bottom level of a lightly dust-covered shelf.
A sickle with a chipped blade, a watering can with a long spout, and a broad longsword with a slightly blunt tip.
‘Is that... really a longsword?’
The sword was a little over three and a half chi long, and its shape was unusual from the start.
The two edges of its blade ran almost perfectly straight and parallel. Only near the end did they curve gently inward to form a blunt tip. The hilt was made from the same continuous piece of metal, with a grip long enough to hold in both hands.
Above all, the blade was a full half a chi wide, far broader than an ordinary longsword.
“Why are you looking at that?”
Jo Beom looked baffled.
“It's been sitting here unsold for nine years.”
“Is this a magical artifact too?”
“It's called the Earthspade Sword (土鏟劍). Its restrictions are simple, so it's classified as a low-tier artifact, but its materials are good enough for a middle-tier one. That makes it unusually sturdy.”
“It hasn't sold even though it's made from such good materials?”
“It's a shovel.”
‘A shovel?!’
Jo Beom sighed and lifted the Earthspade Sword.
“There was a crazy senior brother who wanted to plow spirit fields with the Azure Steel Sword Art instead of the Soil Turning Art. He asked us to make him a shovel that could dig through rock, so we had this artifact specially made from black iron mixed with Earthbone Stone. It even has a restriction engraved inside that activates the Soil Softening Art (軟土術). Pour spiritual power into it, and any soil or stone touching the blade softens.”
“I see. But if it was specially ordered, why is it here?”
“While the Earthspade Sword was being made, the senior brother who ordered it reached Foundation Establishment and quit spirit-plant work. I casually asked him about it afterward, but he said he had no use for it and wouldn't buy it. It's not as though I could argue with a Foundation Establishment cultivator...”
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