WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Dionysus

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◈ Cultivating Underground ◈

Chapter 21

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Seo Jin-myeong held a wooden sword but could not bring himself to take the first step.

There was nothing unusual about Yi Hyeon's stance.

Even so, the instincts that had kept Seo Jin-myeong alive for so many years kept giving the same warning.

'I mustn't fight that young immortal.'

For the first time in years, a childhood memory came back to Seo Jin-myeong.

At the age of ten, Seo had encountered a huge bear that had come down the mountain in search of food before winter.

The bear had only looked down at the child from the slope. Yet Seo Jin-myeong had barely been able to breathe.

His life and death rested entirely with the beast before him. Nothing he did could change the outcome.

Decades had passed, and Seo Jin-myeong had reached the Transformation realm. Never had Seo expected to feel like a child standing before a wild beast again.

...

Meanwhile, Yi Hyeon was studying Seo Jin-myeong closely.

'Just what I'd expect from a Transformation realm master.'

The tip of Seo Jin-myeong's sword trembled constantly. At a glance, it looked as though Seo's hand was shaking, but a Transformation realm master had reached a level of martial skill rarely seen even across an entire country. Someone like that would never have trembling hands.

Naturally, every tiny movement must contain profound skill honed through actual combat.

Yi Hyeon cultivated the Primordial Unity Body. Spiritual power had bathed his entire body, giving him an exceptional ability to track movement.

Looking closely, he saw that the wooden sword never stayed in one place. Its tip seemed to point upward, then dipped down. The instant it pointed left, it was already prepared to turn into a forward thrust. The angles of Seo's wrist, elbow, and shoulder also shifted by barely noticeable amounts.

It was nothing like the fixed opening stances he had seen in the Azure Steel Sword Art. Was Seo constantly creating changes from the moment the sword was raised, allowing a single stance to lead into dozens of attacks?

'So this is martial arts... A style that isn't bound by fixed forms. Since they can't use spiritual qi directly, they must have developed their control of weapons to the absolute limit.'

Yi Hyeon's expression grew even more serious.

Just then, Seo Jin-myeong cried out urgently.

"W-wait!"

Gwak Cheon-ung, who had been watching from beside the training hall, frowned.

"What's the matter?"

"Please wait a moment."

Without taking his eyes off Yi Hyeon, Seo Jin-myeong took two steps back. Then Seo's lips moved slightly, sending a voice transmission that only Gwak Cheon-ung could hear.

[Something's wrong.]

[What's wrong?]

[It's hard to explain. I can't move when I'm standing in front of him.]

[Do you sense killing intent?]

[No. It's just... I feel that I mustn't face him.]

Gwak Cheon-ung was a little surprised.

Gwak knew Seo Jin-myeong's character well. Even after being surrounded by two Transformation realm masters from the Geonyang Kingdom, Seo had held a narrow passage until the others escaped. Seo had that much courage.

Yet now Seo could not even begin a sparring match with wooden swords?

Gwak Cheon-ung walked into the training hall.

[Let me try first.]

When Gwak held out a hand, Seo Jin-myeong handed over the wooden sword. Gwak swung it lightly a few times to check its weight, then stood opposite Yi Hyeon.

"Instructor Seo seems to be feeling unwell today. I'll face you first."

"Please go easy on me."

"Of course."

Gwak Cheon-ung answered casually, but the look in their eyes changed the moment they faced Yi Hyeon head-on.

From the moment Gwak pointed the sword at him, their chest felt tight. It was as though an enormous, invisible mountain hung overhead.

Gwak Cheon-ung unconsciously tightened their grip on the wooden sword. As Gwak fought to keep its tip from trembling, the tendons on the back of their hand stood out. Small beads of sweat had already formed on their forehead.

...

Yi Hyeon was impressed once again.

'Head Gwak's opening stance is even more profound.'

Gwak Cheon-ung's wooden sword was also trembling ever so slightly. But while Seo Jin-myeong's sword had shown clear changes, Gwak Cheon-ung's seemed to have lost all variation.

Yet on closer inspection, the pressure of the fingers on the hilt and the angles of the wrist, elbow, and shoulder were changing from moment to moment.

The sword was still, yet constantly moving. It was impossible to predict which direction an attack would come from.

Compared with the endless possibilities created by Gwak Cheon-ung's restraint, the changes at Seo Jin-myeong's fingertips had been child's play!

'Is this the realm of movement within stillness (靜中動)?'

As Yi Hyeon nervously gripped his wooden sword in both hands, Gwak Cheon-ung lowered theirs first.

"?"

"There are a few things I'd like to check first. Court Retainer Yi, I'd like to know what means of attack you can use in actual combat."

"For offensive spells, I've learned one that launches fireballs, one that fires needles of spiritual power, and a kind of sword art. I also have a spell that pushes everything around me away with a curtain of qi, but..."

"Do you have spells for defense and movement as well?"

"I have one that creates a shield, one that makes my body lighter, one that lets me run quickly, and one that lets me enter the ground."

"How well have you mastered those spells?"

"I've used all of them for a long time, so I'm quite familiar with them."

"For a long time..."

Gwak Cheon-ung pointed to the wooden boards, leather shields, iron plates, and several stone pillars set up at one side of the training hall.

"Before we begin sparring, I'd like to check how dangerous your spells are. After all, someone could get hurt if we don't know their exact power."

"Understood."

'Hmm... If I want to look like an ordinary cultivator at the third level of the Qi Refining stage... how much spiritual power should I use for a single basic spell...?'

After a brief calculation, Yi Hyeon drew a small amount of spiritual power into his fingertips.

"This is a spell called the Seventh-Stem Metal Art. It's used to kill spirit insects."

A fine thread of silvery-white energy gathered at his fingertip.

Glimmer.

A slender silver needle cut through the air.

The Seventh-Stem Metal Art pierced the wooden board in front, passed through the leather shield behind it, then left a small hole in the middle of an iron plate as thick as a finger.

Even after piercing the iron plate, the silver needle continued onward. It sank almost half a chi into the stone pillar behind it before finally disappearing.

Gwak Cheon-ung approached the iron plate and examined the hole.

'Bloody hell... This is what he uses to kill bugs?'

Yi Hyeon had used what he considered a small amount of spiritual power. But his mastery of the spell was so high that its power was still astonishing.

"Then... would you show us the next spell?"

Next came the Fireball Spell.

A fist-sized ball of fire appeared above Yi Hyeon's palm. The power coming from it was so great that it sent a chill through the observers.

Unlike ordinary flames, the fire on its surface did not spread outward. Instead, it curled inward into the sphere. The light grew stronger toward the center, turning a dazzling white.

When he extended his hand, the fireball shot toward a stone pillar.

Flash!

A blinding burst of light erupted.

KABOOM!

Searing heat and a powerful shock wave spread in every direction.

The impact shook the ground, traveling up through Gwak Cheon-ung's and Seo Jin-myeong's feet and rattling their internal organs. An acrid smell spread with the clouds of dust.

The blast shattered the stone pillar. Web-like cracks covered the surface of the stump that remained, and several spots glowed red and were beginning to melt.

"...?"

Finally, Yi Hyeon decided to demonstrate the Azure Steel Sword Art.

With a flash of light, the broad, thick Earthspade Sword emerged from his storage pouch. Its tip touched the stone floor with a heavy sound.

Thud.

Gwak Cheon-ung and Seo Jin-myeong looked back and forth between the Earthspade Sword and Yi Hyeon's face for a moment, then nodded.

'The things immortals use really do look unusual.'

Yi Hyeon held the Earthspade Sword in both hands and activated the Azure Steel Sword Art. Blue light spread across its broad blade.

The light extended beyond the metal, forming a translucent blade three chi long.

Only when the blue energy covered the Earthspade Sword's stubby shape did it look like a greatsword with normal proportions.

Yi Hyeon swung it at an angle.

Shing!

The upper part of a standing stone pillar remained in place for a moment. Then it slowly slid sideways and fell to the floor.

After examining the cut surface, Gwak Cheon-ung was lost for words.

"......"

Yi Hyeon lowered the Earthspade Sword.

"I'm sorry. Did I break too much?"

"It's fine. Things get broken here all the time."

Yi Hyeon returned the Earthspade Sword to his storage pouch.

Gwak Cheon-ung maintained a calm expression, but their feelings were far more complicated.

The new court retainer named Yi Dong-il had spells far too powerful to judge them solely as a cultivator at the third level of the Qi Refining stage.

Gwak had heard that cultivation level and spell mastery were separate matters. Even so, seeing someone so young possess attacks that even one of the Untaek Kingdom's finest martial artists could not carelessly meet head-on left Gwak feeling rather hollow.

'Even a martial genius as exceptional as I am would struggle to take the spells of a cultivator at the third level of the Qi Refining stage head-on...?'

The Heaven-Serving Directorate's court retainers did not usually spar with them. Even on the rare occasions when they did, the power and casting speed of their spells fell short of this new court retainer's.

Unlike the Untaek Kingdom, the Geonyang Kingdom did not deploy cultivators at the Qi Refining stage, so Gwak Cheon-ung rarely had reason to fight cultivators.

As a result, Gwak had never considered a cultivator at the third level of the Qi Refining stage much of a threat. That made the shock of seeing Yi Hyeon's spells all the greater.

Gwak Cheon-ung put those thoughts aside and spoke.

"As expected, the methods of immortals are on another level in terms of sheer power. But that comparison only matters if your opponent waits for you to cast your spells."

"I agree. When I watched your match with General Kang the other day, Head Gwak, you both moved very quickly."

"The Geonyang Kingdom's martial artists won't kindly wait for you to cast a spell, Court Retainer Yi."

At that point, Seo Jin-myeong asked cautiously.

"Before we continue, may I ask you something?"

"Please do."

"Have you learned any spells or cultivation arts that frighten people?"

"Hmm? I've never learned anything like that..."

Looking troubled, Seo Jin-myeong turned to Gwak Cheon-ung. Gwak explained instead.

"When I stood facing you with my sword drawn, I felt a pressure I couldn't identify."

"Pressure?"

Yi Hyeon thought for a moment, then activated the Qi-Concealing Spell without releasing the Spirit-Hiding Spell. A thin veil spread over his skin and wrapped around his entire body, covering the fluctuations of his spiritual power.

At that moment, Seo Jin-myeong and Gwak Cheon-ung blinked.

"H-how did you do that? The pressure from a moment ago is gone."

"It really is."

'Does the Qi-Concealing Spell hide the little traces of energy leaking out of my body along with my spiritual power fluctuations? From now on, I'd better keep both the Spirit-Hiding Spell and the Qi-Concealing Spell active.'

Yi Hyeon offered a suitable excuse to ease their suspicions.

"It's probably because of my constitution. My family has been unusually strong for generations. Even before I began following the path to immortality, my body was sturdy enough to face wild beasts in the mountains. The cultivation art I practice also has some body-training properties. Perhaps you sensed the energy that has seeped into my body."

Gwak Cheon-ung stroked their beard, apparently convinced.

"So you're an immortal who also trains the body. No wonder your presence felt unusually strong."

Seo Jin-myeong relaxed as well and picked up a wooden sword from a rack at one side of the training hall.

"Then I'll begin by explaining the methods martial artists use against cultivators. What do you think is the greatest difference between martial artists like us and cultivators?"

"Whether or not you have a spiritual root?"

"That's right. Without spiritual roots, we can't directly absorb the spiritual qi of heaven and earth. We nourish our bodies' vital essence with food and medicinal herbs, then train it over a long period to turn it into internal energy."

Seo Jin-myeong opened a palm. As Seo circulated internal energy, a faint energy moved along the veins on the back of his hand and around his wrist.

"Those who reach the Transformation and Profound realms gain power that makes it hard to call them ordinary mortals. Even so, it's difficult for us to match cultivators in terms of the total power we possess. That's why martial masters don't compete with cultivators in raw strength."

Seo Jin-myeong brought over a thick wooden shield and set it upright, then held the tip of the wooden sword close to it.

White light gathered at the sword's tip. At first, the sword force was as thick as a finger, but it gradually narrowed with Seo Jin-myeong's breathing. From the thickness of a little finger to that of a chopstick, it compressed further into a fine line like a thick needle.

Seo Jin-myeong gently thrust the sword forward.

Thwack!

The thin sword force pierced the thick wood and left a small hole in the iron plate standing behind it.

"The martial artists of the Geonyang Kingdom usually call this Single-Point Piercing (一點破面). It means piercing a surface through a single point."

Gwak Cheon-ung added an explanation.

"No matter how tough the defensive spell of a cultivator at the Qi Refining stage may be, anything that protects a broad area at once is bound to be weak against an attack concentrated on a single point."

"I see."

'It's not a difficult concept for someone from the modern world. The force is fixed, so they reduce the area to increase the pressure.'

Next, Gwak Cheon-ung thrust the sword tip at one spot on a wooden shield three times. Only shallow marks remained on the surface, but when the fourth thrust struck the exact same spot, the shield burst apart from within.

Crack!

"If we can't break through in one blow, we may attack the same point repeatedly. In the Geonyang Kingdom's Linked Sword Formation, several martial artists take turns thrusting at the same spot as though they were one person."

Seo Jin-myeong continued.

"It's no exaggeration to say that all the methods mortal martial masters like us use to break through an immortal's defenses ultimately take the form of a thrust, whatever means we use. Applying the principle of Single-Point Piercing is the most practical way to kill an immortal."

This time, Seo Jin-myeong took out three short wooden throwing knives.

"The next thing you should watch out for is... Since immortals usually have many methods available, it's easy for your attention to scatter while you decide which one to use. That's when martial masters like us cut your fingers to interrupt your hand seals, attack your eyes so you lose sight of your target, and disrupt your breathing to break up your spoken incantations."

Seo threw the first knife. It soared high above Yi Hyeon's head, and his gaze naturally followed it upward.

At that moment, Seo Jin-myeong threw the second knife. It flew toward Yi Hyeon's wrist, and he drew his hand back slightly. Before he knew it, the third knife was flying toward the top of his foot.

"The third one might be the real attack, or all three might be decoys."

"And you could charge in yourself the moment I've dodged all the decoys."

"On top of that, we may launch hidden weapons from our sleeves, or scatter powdered stone or medicinal herbs to interfere with your sight and sense of smell."

Gwak Cheon-ung spoke again.

"Now let's think about this from your position, Court Retainer Yi. If the Fireball Spell were the only spell you knew, you'd use it the moment you saw an enemy. But since you know several spells, when you're attacked, you'll first consider whether to block, push the enemy away, dodge, hide, or attack."

"That's certainly true."

"Having many options is an advantage in itself. But using them together effectively in actual combat requires that much more training for different situations. In a real fight, it's better to make a quick choice, even if you're a little unsure, than to be late because you're searching for the perfect answer."

Yi Hyeon was silent for a moment, then nodded.

"I understand the idea, but how should I train?"

"At first, we'll limit your options."

Gwak Cheon-ung held up two fingers.

"Defensive spells and movement spells. Use only those two types to begin with. If you use a spell that pushes your opponent away, use it only for defense."

"No offensive spells?"

"You're welcome to use them if you want to kill Instructor Seo."

"I won't use them."

Seo Jin-myeong returned to stand opposite Yi Hyeon.

"The rules are simple. Block my attacks or push me away. If that's difficult, put some distance between us."

"May I enter the ground?"

"That's... forbidden for now."

"Understood."

The two faced each other again, ten jang apart.

"I'll begin."

The moment those words ended, Seo Jin-myeong advanced straight toward him and thrust the sword.

Without hesitation, Yi Hyeon immediately summoned a translucent Spiritlight Shield in front of his chest.

'Blocked...'

Boom!

Just before the wooden sword touched the Spiritlight Shield, Seo Jin-myeong performed a Shock Stomp, breaking the training hall's floor.

The impact threw Yi Hyeon off balance, lifting him slightly into the air. At that moment, Seo Jin-myeong brought the wooden sword down on the Spiritlight Shield. With the sword strike added to the impact of the stomp, Yi Hyeon toppled backward!

Seo Jin-myeong did not miss the opening and pressed forward. As Yi Hyeon's back was about to touch the floor, the wooden sword fell toward his chest.

Sh-sh-shhk!

Yi Hyeon slid backward, his body still in the same reclined position.

"...?"

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