WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Dionysus

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◈ Cultivating Underground ◈

Chapter 14

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Yi Hyeon wondered whether he had imagined it and tried a few other spells, but there was no mistake.

Almost as soon as he formed the hand seals for the Spherical Qi Barrier, a translucent curtain appeared around his body.

“So that's it! This wasn't a flaw in the Primordial Unity Single-Qi Art...”

When Yi Hyeon first heard about the Primordial Unity Single-Qi Art at Cheongha Valley, Steward Wang Jin had said:

- The spiritual power refined through this method is called primordial unity true qi. You can freely transform it as you release it, allowing you to use spells that don't match the attributes of your spiritual roots. Their power will be somewhat weaker, though...

Steward Wang Jin had vaguely described it as a loss of power, but the greatest problem with the Primordial Unity Single-Qi Art was how slowly it activated spells.

Whenever Yi Hyeon used spells with primordial unity true qi, the delay had always felt frustrating.

Until now, Yi Hyeon had considered this a price worth paying for the ability to use spells of several different attributes.

Since primordial unity true qi had to be converted into the attribute a spell required, slower activation had seemed natural.

But that wasn't it. The Primordial Unity Single-Qi Art seemed to have been designed with the assumption that its practitioner would develop the Primordial Unity Body. Once that body was formed, the drawback almost disappeared.

After several experiments, Yi Hyeon discovered why the activation speed had improved.

Spiritual power now filled his body right up to the surface of his skin!

Previously, primordial unity true qi had to travel from the dantian through the meridians to the hands before a spell could take shape at the fingertips.

Now, however, primordial unity true qi already filled his fingertips and reacted the moment he formed a hand seal. The delay was barely noticeable.

For spells cast through the hands, the primordial unity true qi spread through the palms and fingers responded. For spells that covered the entire body, the spiritual power beneath the skin moved all at once. The whole process of transporting spiritual power from the dantian to distant parts of the body was gone.

If the Primordial Unity Single-Qi Art had previously scored fifty points for spell activation speed, Yi Hyeon felt that it now deserved around ninety.

Of course, faster cultivation methods might exist. One might score ninety-five, for example. But even then, the difference would only be five points. Compared with its former score of fifty, the Primordial Unity Single-Qi Art's flaw had practically disappeared.

It would be even better to close the remaining ten-point gap and make it a perfect hundred, but that seemed unrealistic.

The Primordial Unity Single-Qi Art still required the extra step of converting spiritual power into the appropriate attribute. No matter how much the method improved, completely removing the slight delay caused by that process would be difficult.

Still, that was fine. It could fall short by ten points. In most situations in the cultivation world, being able to use spells of several different attributes mattered far more.

'So the Primordial Unity Body was the key to the Primordial Unity Single-Qi Art all along! Most cultivators probably don't even know that it can make up for the method's flaws like this. Just look at me. It took me over a hundred years to develop a Primordial Unity Body barely equal to the second layer of Qi Refining. There's no way anyone else has tried this.'

...

Having reached the second stage of the Primordial Unity Body, Yi Hyeon decided to write down the results and enjoy the glow of the breakthrough a little longer.

He took out a wooden board and began carving a “homemade status window” into it with a fingertip.

'Considering how long I've cultivated and how my body feels, I think I have about fifty times as much spiritual power as before. If I set my total spiritual power at one back when I was around the middle of the first layer of Qi Refining... would my current state look something like this?'

【Age: 61 → 161】

【Cultivation: Second-layer Qi Refining → Full-body second-layer Qi Refining】

【Spiritual Power: 1.7 → 83】

【Constitution: Primordial Unity Body, second stage】

【Spiritual Roots: Wood, Fire, Earth】

【Cultivation Method: Primordial Unity Single-Qi Art】

The age Yi Hyeon recorded was nineteen, the body's age at the time of possession, plus the years spent in this world.

If the body truly never aged, age itself meant little. But Yi Hyeon still didn't know what this body was, so he decided to keep a record.

The most important entry in the homemade status window was spiritual power. Yi Hyeon tried to calculate this figure using as consistent a standard as possible.

A spiritual power value of eighty-three at only the second layer of Qi Refining was truly absurd. By Yi Hyeon's estimate, it was likely comparable to that of an ordinary late-stage Qi Refining cultivator.

'My total spiritual power may be fifty times that of a second-layer Qi Refining cultivator, but cultivation gets harder with every layer, even within Qi Refining. There's no way I've reached the level of Foundation Establishment. Probably somewhere around the seventh or eighth layer of Qi Refining...'

An eighth-layer Qi Refining cultivator did not simply have four times as much spiritual power as a second-layer cultivator.

In cultivation worlds, broad divisions such as Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, and Nascent Soul were generally called major realms.

Within each major realm were minor realms. The first through third layers were usually classified as the early stage, the fourth through sixth as the middle stage, and the seventh through ninth as the late stage. Those who reached the tenth layer were said to have achieved Great Perfection.

Great Perfection was not a separate realm that truly existed. It meant the completion of the ninth layer. Calling it the tenth layer was merely a special mark of respect for those ready to break through to the next major realm.

Strictly speaking, there was no separate tenth layer. Each major realm could therefore be divided into three minor realms: early, middle, and late.

There was a reason cultivators bothered to make these distinctions.

They often reported great difficulty when moving from the early stage to the middle stage, or from the middle stage to the late stage. Many Qi Refining cultivators were therefore stuck at the third or sixth layer.

In other words, an eighth-layer Qi Refining cultivator had broken through two more bottlenecks between minor realms than a second-layer cultivator. There clearly had to be some difference not only in the quantity of their spiritual power, but also in its quality.

This was Yi Hyeon's guess based on things he had picked up at Cheongha Valley. Still, the sect had quite a few middle- and late-stage Qi Refining cultivators, so it was probably not far wrong.

'Even within a major realm, both the gains and the difficulty increase with each layer. That means I'd still have trouble beating a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator. Once I'm more familiar with spells and combat, I might be able to beat a middle-stage cultivator...'

Yi Hyeon continued carving the homemade status window into the board.

'The spells I've learned should look something like this.'

【Spells (Beginner): Glimmer Art, Lightness Art, Earth Sensing Art, Germination Spell, Poison Identification Spell】

【Spells (Minor Accomplishment): Night Vision Art, Spirit Rain Art, Soil Turning Art, Seventh-Stem Metal Art, Earth Escape Art, Cleansing Spell, Clear Air Art, Breath-Sealing Art, Spherical Qi Barrier, Poison-Expelling Art】

【Spells (Major Accomplishment): None】

【Spells (Perfection): None】

【Adapted Spells: Reclining Escape Art】

The proficiency levels, from Beginner to Perfection, were Yi Hyeon's own rough estimates and could be wrong. The board was only meant as a reference for his cultivation progress, so a little inaccuracy didn't matter.

“Time to put cultivation aside for a while and learn some basic combat spells. Ah, before that, I'd better sow the new spirit fields.”

Over the past hundred years, Yi Hyeon had used spare moments to prepare Spirit Fields No. 1-2, No. 1-3, No. 1-4, and No. 1-5. He had not sown anything yet, however. More fields to maintain with the Spirit Rain Art would have interfered with cultivation.

Now that the Primordial Unity Body had reached its second stage, spiritual power was plentiful. Yi Hyeon could visit several spirit fields in one round and use the Spirit Rain Art freely. That would allow all the maintenance to fall on the same day, making even five fields easy to manage.

...

The new spirit fields were almost identical to Spirit Field No. 1-1 in layout and size.

Yi Hyeon visited Spirit Fields No. 1-2 through No. 1-5 in order, planting Bone-Rotting Flowers, Yin Soul Grass, Purple Poison Orchids, and Earth Vein Flowers, then using the Spirit Rain Art.

Patter...

Rainwater rich in spiritual energy fell evenly over the newly prepared furrows.

After sowing, Yi Hyeon carved the date, the varieties planted, and the time of the first Spirit Rain Art on the wooden board at each field's entrance.

Perhaps thanks to the second stage of the Primordial Unity Body, plenty of primordial unity true qi remained throughout his body even after visiting all four fields.

Finally, Yi Hyeon went to Spirit Field No. 1-1.

The moment the stone door opened, purple poisonous mist poured through the gap, far thicker than before.

Hiss...

A faint sound came as the mist clung to the surface of the Spherical Qi Barrier. Ripples spread one after another across the transparent curtain.

Despite his greater skill with the Spherical Qi Barrier and far more spiritual power, the poison still felt dangerous.

“...The poison's gotten pretty strong.”

Even accounting for the poor growing conditions here, the parent plants that had grown for a hundred years now held about thirty-three years' worth of medicinal potency.

The roots of the Bone-Rotting Flowers had grown thick and knobbly, like animal bones. The buds of the Purple Poison Orchids slowly contracted like living creatures, breathing out purple poisonous mist.

Yi Hyeon trimmed off a few withered leaves, then used the Spirit Rain Art. With the four new fields and Spirit Field No. 1-1 all watered on the same day, he could now visit them together once every ten days.

After leaving the field, Yi Hyeon used the Cleansing Spell to remove the poisonous dust clinging to his body and clothes, then used the Poison-Expelling Art as well.

...

A few days later.

While digging a new passage, Yi Hyeon discovered a small natural cavern enclosed by hard crystalline rock. Even a full-force strike with the Earthspade Sword left only a shallow scratch on the wall.

'Perfect timing.'

Yi Hyeon made a passage connecting the cultivation room to this rocky cavern and wrote “Training Hall” on the wooden sign at its entrance. Inside, he shaped the leftover stone from the excavation into practice targets.

'I can practice the gentler basic spells in the cultivation room and use this place for more violent spells, like the Fireball Art. It's over a hundred zhang from my living quarters, and the passage turns several times, so the impacts shouldn't reach the cultivation room.'

From that day on, explosions and flashes of fire filled Yi Hyeon's training hall.

* * *

Ten years later.

Yi Hyeon had successfully reached the Beginner level in six new spells!

【Spells (Beginner): Qi-Concealing Spell, Ground-Shrinking Steps, Azure Steel Sword Art, Spiritlight Shield, Fireball Art, Qi-Observing Spell, ...】

Yi Hyeon was moved by his own diligence.

'I have no limit on my lifespan, so I could just throw away ten years however I like. Yet I've learned no fewer than six spells in that time. What incredible dedication! It must be because I'm Korean. Doing nothing makes me feel like I'm committing some sort of crime...'

After returning from the training hall to his living quarters, Yi Hyeon lay on the bed and reopened the common folk novel he had been reading.

These popular books, known as common folk novels, had recently become fashionable in Untaek Kingdom. Many dealt with the daily lives and conflicts of ordinary people such as merchants, courtesans, and members of the lower classes. Quite a few, however, were utterly ridiculous.

The book Yi Hyeon was reading was titled 《Untaek Kingdom's Royal Family Has No Princes, Only Five Stunningly Beautiful Princesses, and All Five Are Obsessed with Me, a Woodcutter》.

Having lived as a woodcutter for a while after first arriving in this world, Yi Hyeon had been drawn to the title and bought the book almost without thinking.

The story was quite absurd.

A poor woodcutter happened to save a princess in the mountains and entered the royal palace. There, they became involved, one after another, with the other four princesses, who had been slipping outside the palace in disguise. The princesses secretly schemed against each other over the woodcutter. Far from stopping their daughters, the monarch of Untaek Kingdom was considering passing the throne to the woodcutter.

By the time Yi Hyeon reached the third volume, he could no longer even remember why the woodcutter had gone into the mountains to cut wood.

Then Yi Hyeon discovered that the color illustration of a stunningly beautiful princess, which should have appeared at the most important point in the story, had been torn out entirely. This made him quite angry.

His Night Vision Art had already reached a considerable level. Even without the Glimmer Art, he could clearly see every detail of an illustration in the dark. But with the very picture he had looked forward to most gone, learning the Night Vision Art felt rather less worthwhile.

“How dare a mere mortal sell damaged goods to me, an underground immortal! I'll go teach them a lesson by asking for a refund. Hmm... speaking of the royal family, I wonder if there's a market for independent cultivators near Untaek Kingdom's capital?”

Yi Hyeon sat up on the edge of the bed.

“With my current abilities, visiting a cultivator market shouldn't be dangerous. It's not as if I've made any enemies...”

Over the past ten years, Yi Hyeon had confirmed that plenty of spiritual power remained even after visiting all five spirit fields. Managing a few more seemed entirely possible.

“I should look for spirit plant varieties at the market that become more valuable the longer they grow.”

...

Three days later.

Swish...

Yi Hyeon's head suddenly emerged in a deserted forest.

He no longer went straight up to the surface from Tunnel No. 1. Instead, he first traveled ten li horizontally underground, then climbed about another ten li to the surface.

'With this much spiritual power, even the Earth Escape Art is easy to use.'

Yi Hyeon put on a navy-blue robe recently purchased in Cheongnyu County Seat. An ordinary cloth pouch hung at his waist to conceal the storage pouch, and the Earthspade Sword was tucked deep inside the storage pouch.

The spirit plant seeds and most of his wealth had been left in a hidden storeroom in Tunnel No. 1. For this trip, the storage pouch held only low-grade spirit stones, a little silver, a small bag of nuts, and the Earthspade Sword.

Yi Hyeon began using the Qi-Concealing Spell in earnest.

Its energy spread over his skin like a thin film, partially hiding the fluctuations of primordial unity true qi flowing from his body.

After examining his own body with the Qi-Observing Spell, Yi Hyeon nodded in satisfaction.

'I've only reached the Beginner level with the Qi-Concealing Spell, but it hides my energy quite well.'

Tunnel No. 1 lay three hundred li southeast of Cheongnyu County Seat in Imgang Province, Untaek Kingdom. On the scale of the whole kingdom, however, it was still close to the northwestern edge.

The capital, Ungyeong, was about eight thousand li to the southeast.

An ordinary mortal would need several months, switching between carts and boats, to travel that far. Yi Hyeon would not need nearly as long.

On deserted mountain paths, he used the Lightness Art and Ground-Shrinking Steps. Near villages or official roads, he walked like an ordinary traveler.

Each time Yi Hyeon used Ground-Shrinking Steps, spiritual power burst beneath his feet and propelled his body forward.

With the Lightness Art making his body lighter, a single Ground-Shrinking Step sent him shooting ten zhang ahead.

'Wow!'

Racing through the forest with such a light body left him feeling wonderfully buoyant. In terms of his previous life, it felt like he was traveling at around eighty kilometers per hour.

Even while enjoying the journey, Yi Hyeon regularly used the Qi-Observing Spell and remained alert.

A Qi Refining cultivator's spiritual sense had a pitiful detection range, making visual information extremely important when watching the surroundings.

Through the Qi-Observing Spell, mortals' auras were fainter than candle flames. Young, healthy men had slightly stronger red blood energy, while sickly elderly people had faint gray energy tangled around their bodies.

Among wild animals, larger bodies had more distinct blood energy.

Cultivators, however, were entirely different.

Anyone holding spiritual power within their body would stand out like a lantern, even from a distance. Unless, of course, they were concealing their cultivation.

...

The next day.

After traveling about two thousand li, Yi Hyeon had left the official road and was following a narrow path through the mountains.

Low peaks rose in overlapping layers ahead, and thin clouds and mist lay between the valleys. This place was far from any mortal village.

A faint light appeared in Yi Hyeon's eyes as he used the Qi-Observing Spell out of habit.

'Huh?'

The light of spiritual power shone on the mountainside to the right.

There was more than one.

Four auras of different sizes were moving along a mountain path. Three people were coming out, while the fourth was heading in with a load on their back.

All four people's spiritual power appeared fainter than Yi Hyeon's through the Qi-Observing Spell, but they were definitely Qi Refining cultivators!

Yi Hyeon stopped walking.

'Could this be a cultivator market?'

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