WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Dionysus
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Cultivating Underground ◈
Chapter 24
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As the lift descended, the light above quickly faded into the distance.
The deeper it went, the hotter the wind rising from below became. Water channels and thick bronze pipes of unknown purpose ran through the rock walls.
A long while later.
Clunk!
The lift shook lightly and stopped.
Before Yi Hyeon lay an underground space wider than he had expected.
Dozens of enormous stone pillars supported the cavern, and rows of ventilation shafts lined the ceiling.
‘The facilities are impressive. I suppose that’s what happens when an entire kingdom undertakes the construction...’
As he walked down the stone path, the sounds of alchemy furnaces and the smell of medicinal ingredients came constantly from behind the stone doors on either side.
...
Earthfire Cavern, Level C, No. 7.
When he opened the thick stone door, a wave of heat struck his face.
A familiar elderly voice greeted him.
“You’re here?”
Mun Seong-hak, whom he had met at the Alchemy Hall before, was seated inside the stone chamber.
Medicine chests of various sizes, mortars, steelyard balances, jade knives, tongs, and jade bottles stood around the room. An alchemy furnace as high as a person’s waist occupied the center.
“It’s good to see you again, Lord Mun.”
Yi Hyeon cupped his hands in greeting, and Mun Seong-hak gave a slight nod.
“I heard you rendered a great service at Hoean Fort.”
“I was lucky.”
“If someone who captured a Profound realm expert alive calls it luck, the martial artists that expert killed will turn in their graves.”
Mun Seong-hak tapped the furnace with a palm.
Bong.
“You said you wanted to learn alchemy?”
“That’s right.”
“Why?”
“Because I want to refine my own alchemical pills. For now, I’d like to make Barrier-Breaking Pills.”
“I thought as much.”
Mun Seong-hak did not press him further.
“Most people who want to learn alchemy have similar ideas. They think making alchemical pills themselves will cost less than buying them, and that if they can make what they need, they won’t have to beg favors from others.”
“Is that wrong?”
“Half right and half wrong. It’s true if you can successfully refine the pills. But if you burn ten sets of ingredients to make a single alchemical pill, buying the finished product would be cheaper.”
“You mean the pill success rate needs to be high? But before I can even worry about that, getting a pill formula is too difficult. I heard alchemy became widespread after spirit plant cultivation became common. Why are formulas still so expensive? Earning 500 merit points for the Barrier-Breaking Pill formula feels hopeless.”
“Haha, that’s a slightly different matter.”
Mun Seong-hak picked up a dried herb from the table and slowly rubbed it between their fingertips.
“Aren’t you curious about how the Heaven-Serving Directorate keeps running? The Barrier-Breaking Pill is actually quite important compared with other alchemical pills. It’s used to break through a minor realm. To stretch the comparison a little, it’s like the Foundation Establishment Pill that Qi Refining cultivators use to break through to Foundation Establishment.”
“Are you saying that without a monopoly on the Barrier-Breaking Pill formula, no one would work for the Heaven-Serving Directorate?”
“Exactly. There’s a reason so many of its members are at the third layer of Qi Refining. The Untaek Kingdom only obtained the formula in the first place because a member of an earlier royal generation had an affinity with the path to immortality and received help from a cultivation faction. Ordinarily, it isn’t something you would give to a mere mortal dynasty just because it distinguished itself in a war. Pill formulas are developed from experience accumulated over thousands or tens of thousands of years. Even a Tier 1 formula isn’t something an individual can discover through research or deduction without extraordinary luck. Think about it. Suppose you were a Foundation Establishment cultivator leading a cultivation faction. Would you sell the Foundation Establishment Pill formula to a member who had contributed to your organization?”
“I don’t think I would.”
“But there might be times when you would make the formula available. When would that be?”
“Hmm... I’m not sure.”
“Haha. Let me give you an example. Suppose you made the laws of a kingdom. What would happen if you imprisoned murderers for ten years, but thieves for twenty?”
“That doesn’t seem reasonable. If that were the case, wouldn’t someone caught stealing think they’d be better off killing the witness?”
“Exactly. A law like that would ruin the kingdom’s order. Now, think about it. What do you think it means that the Barrier-Breaking Pill formula costs 500 merit points?”
“Well...”
“Let me put it another way. If the formula couldn’t be exchanged for merit points, or if it cost far too many, what would a cultivator who wanted it do to the Untaek Kingdom?”
“They’d simply take it by force. Ah! Then could the 500 merit points mean...?”
“That’s precisely it. A cultivator capable of earning 500 merit points would likely be powerful enough to pose a considerable threat to the Untaek Kingdom, even if they couldn’t take on the entire royal family.”
“I see...”
“What the Heaven-Serving Directorate expects of its court retainers is for them to earn 100 merit points, obtain a Barrier-Breaking Pill, and break through to the middle phase of Qi Refining. The formula is less a reward for court retainers than a path left open so there’s no need to seize it by force.”
Mun Seong-hak set the dried herb back on the table.
“Then even if I earn 500 merit points, they won’t give it to me unless I’m strong enough to frighten the royal family?”
“Haha! That’s quite a leap. They would most likely give it to a cultivator who had earned that much merit. Of course, if you were badly injured while earning those points and became weak enough for someone to dispose of you easily, things might be a little different...”
Yi Hyeon cleared his throat softly.
“Well, I was hoping to obtain the Barrier-Breaking Pill formula. It sounds like I’ll be in trouble if they underestimate me.”
“I’m joking. Don’t worry too much. I was describing an extreme case. The current royal family is unlikely to do such a thing to a hero of the Untaek Kingdom. If they killed people who earned merit to silence them, who would work for the Heaven-Serving Directorate?”
“I see. Something just occurred to me. Does the Untaek Kingdom also have a formula for an alchemical pill that helps people break through from the sixth layer of Qi Refining to the seventh?”
“Hmm? No, it doesn’t.”
“Then how did the late Qi Refining court retainers break through?”
“Most of them had already reached late Qi Refining when they joined the Heaven-Serving Directorate. They probably just want to spend their old age in luxury.”
Yi Hyeon wondered whether Mun Seong-hak or the Untaek royal family might be hiding a formula for breaking through the second minor realm barrier.
‘Even if they have a formula like that, there must be a reason they’re hiding its existence. There’s no need to make them wary by prying. For now, I only need the Barrier-Breaking Pill formula.’
After a moment’s thought, Yi Hyeon realized his last question had been careless.
‘I shouldn’t have asked that. If Lord Mun is close to the Untaek royal family, I may have already aroused suspicion.’
Yi Hyeon quickly spoke up.
“That’s certainly true! After experiencing the hospitality at Cheongnyang Retreat myself, I was quite overwhelmed. The thought of returning to a gloomy cave abode to cultivate alone feels bleak.”
“Haha! I feel the same. You said you’re staying at Cheongnyang Retreat? Is there a maid you fancy? You can take a concubine if you wish. If there are young women you like, I could introduce you to as many as you want...”
“Ahem. I’m still at an important stage in my cultivation. I’d like to preserve my primordial yang if possible.”
In general, once cultivators lost their primordial yang (元陽) or primordial yin (元陰), establishing their foundation or forming a golden core became a little harder.
“My, giving up even that pleasure. You must still have quite a desire to pursue the path to immortality. Perhaps it’s because you’re young. Well, that’s enough chatter. Let me teach you the basics of pill refining.”
As though they had prepared them in advance, Mun Seong-hak pushed three booklets toward him: 《Record of Herb Identification》, 《Essential Guide to Heat Control》, and 《Introduction to Alchemy》.
“You’ll be studying these for a while during the basic lectures. Open Introduction to Alchemy first. Broadly speaking, alchemy has four stages: ingredient selection (選藥), choosing the medicinal ingredients; refining (精鍊), extracting the medicinal properties you need; harmonization (調和), blending different medicinal properties; and finally, pill condensation (凝丹), solidifying them into a single alchemical pill. We’ll begin with ingredient selection.”
From that day on, Yi Hyeon began learning pill refining from Mun Seong-hak.
...
A few days later.
“You know the Fireball Spell? Show me.”
A fist-sized fireball appeared above Yi Hyeon’s palm.
“An excellent fire for burning people to death.”
“...Thank you.”
“That wasn’t praise. If you used it for alchemy, there wouldn’t even be ashes left the moment you put the ingredients in.”
Mun Seong-hak created a small flame above their own palm.
It was smaller than a candle flame.
They held a thin leaf over it.
The leaf did not burn.
Instead, small droplets of moisture slowly rose from its surface, turning into a blue mist that gathered above Mun Seong-hak’s palm.
“In alchemy, precision matters more than power when handling fire.”
Mun Seong-hak moved their fingers slightly.
The flame changed from red to yellow.
“Every ingredient needs a different temperature. Even with the same ingredient, you must raise the heat at some moments and lower it at others. Sometimes you need different temperatures in different parts of the furnace.”
Mun Seong-hak pointed to the formation beneath the furnace.
“The burners below are connected to the earthfire formation. By channeling true qi into it, you can adjust the strength of each burner separately.”
“Each one separately?”
“That’s right. Heating the entire furnace evenly isn’t enough. Depending on the state of the ingredients, you may need to raise the heat on one side and lower it on another. First, open three burners.”
Yi Hyeon sat before the furnace and channeled primordial unity true qi into the earthfire formation.
Fwoosh.
Flames rose from three burners at once.
“Too strong.”
Yi Hyeon reduced his spiritual power, and the flames shrank by half.
“Still too strong. Lower them a little more.”
The flames became as small as candle flames.
Mun Seong-hak nodded.
“That’s about right. Now make the three flames different sizes.”
Yi Hyeon focused his mind.
He raised the eastern flame a little, lowered the western one, and narrowed the central flame to a thin tongue. The three flames burned at different sizes.
“...?”
Mun Seong-hak’s eyes widened.
“Not bad for your first try.”
“I’ve used a lot of spells.”
With primordial unity true qi spread throughout his body, Yi Hyeon was accustomed to dividing it and directing it to several places.
“That doesn’t mean you should grow conceited. This time, gradually raise the heat of the eastern burner while keeping the other two steady.”
The eastern flame slowly grew.
The western and central flames did not waver.
The look in Mun Seong-hak’s eyes changed slightly.
“Could you divide the fire among nine points?”
“I’ll try.”
Mun Seong-hak adjusted the formation beneath the furnace, revealing six more burner patterns.
Yi Hyeon split his primordial unity true qi into threads and connected one to each burner pattern.
Fwoosh.
Nine flames rose to different heights.
Mun Seong-hak walked around the furnace, examining each flame in turn. An odd expression appeared on their face.
“Your control of spiritual power is already at the level of a Tier 1 alchemist.”
“Does that mean I have a talent for alchemy?”
“A little.”
Mun Seong-hak’s answer was cool.
“Handling fire well and making alchemical pills well are different things. Not everyone who can move a knife precisely becomes an excellent chef.”
They placed three kinds of herbs before Yi Hyeon.
“Today, we’ll make Heat-Clearing Pills. They use mundane medicinal ingredients, so failure won’t be too costly. These alchemical pills soothe mild fire toxins, but they have little effect on cultivators.”
Mun Seong-hak began by teaching him how to prepare the ingredients.
They separated the leaves and stems of Clear Qi Grass, peeled the outer skin from Meridian-Warming Root, and removed the seeds from Scarlet Yang Fruit, setting them aside.
Once everything was ready, they put the ingredients into the furnace one by one.
Blue medicinal liquid flowed from the Clear Qi Grass leaves, while the Meridian-Warming Root slowly melted, releasing a red aura.
Yi Hyeon adjusted the fire according to Mun Seong-hak’s instructions.
“Lower the eastern burner.”
Fwoosh.
“Raise the central burner a little.”
Flames curled around the bottom of the furnace.
“Put in the Scarlet Yang Fruit seeds now.”
Yi Hyeon added the seeds.
Sss.
Red smoke rose inside the furnace.
“Lower the fire!”
Yi Hyeon immediately reduced the burners’ strength.
But he was a little too late.
Pop!
A small explosion occurred inside the furnace, and black smoke leaked through the gap beneath the lid.
Mun Seong-hak sighed.
“It burned.”
Yi Hyeon opened the lid.
Blackened remnants of the ingredients clung to the inside, and a foul smell spread through the room.
“This isn’t easy...”
“Even seeds from the same Scarlet Yang Fruit differ slightly in their properties. The ones you just added contained more oil than usual. You should have checked them by sight beforehand. After adding them to the furnace, you should also have paid attention to the sound and smell and lowered the heat sooner.”
“The sound and smell...”
“Following the order and temperatures written in a formula isn’t enough to produce an alchemical pill. Medicinal ingredients aren’t pictures in a book. They’re living things. Even those grown in the same field have different properties, and their moisture content changes depending on how long they’ve been stored.”
Mun Seong-hak pointed to the charred remains.
“It’s much more demanding than I expected. I thought there would be a fixed procedure, like a formula.”
“A fixed formula... There is a broad framework, of course. But following that alone won’t make you a good alchemist. You captured a Profound realm expert alive, so surely you understand? If you swing a sword along a set path, will your opponent simply let it hit them?”
“No. My opponent is a living fighter too, so I respond to the situation each time.”
“It’s the same with medicinal ingredients. A pill formula only shows you the way. It doesn’t tell you the exact state of the ingredients before you. In the end, you must look, smell, and judge for yourself. Miss a small difference, and you’ll burn an entire batch, just as you did now.”
Yi Hyeon stared into the furnace for a long time.
“May I try again?”
“We have plenty of ingredients.”
...
A few days later.
“Now! Form the Pill Condensation Seal.”
Yi Hyeon’s fingers moved.
Vmmm.
The furnace trembled faintly.
A moment later.
Tock. Clatter.
Six round objects dropped onto the bottom of the furnace.
Yi Hyeon opened the lid.
Inside lay six pills, each about the size of the last joint of a finger.
Two had cracked surfaces, and one was scorched black.
The remaining three gave off a faint medicinal fragrance.
“Did I succeed?”
Mun Seong-hak picked up a pill, pressed it between their fingers, and held it beneath their nose to smell it.
“It’s poor even for a low-grade pill. Thirty percent of its medicinal potency has dissipated, and a little fire energy remains.”
“So I failed.”
“If making three finished pills after only a few days counts as failure, ninety percent of the world’s alchemists should give up alchemy.”
Mun Seong-hak returned the pill to Yi Hyeon.
“Your control of spiritual power is sufficient. Your way of using your senses is unusual, but it works. What you lack now is the experience to understand medicinal ingredients.”
“How long do I need to study?”
Mun Seong-hak pointed to a bowl piled with charred ingredient scraps.
“Once you’ve had another thousand failures like that, you should have a rough feel for it.”
Yi Hyeon looked at the amount of scraps.
“Would that much experience put me beyond the beginner level?”
“A thousand attempts only makes you someone who has tried a thousand times. You’d be a beginner before someone who has handled the same ingredients two thousand times. And when you encounter a spirit herb you’ve never seen before, you’ll be a beginner all over again.”
Mun Seong-hak looked at the pills resting on the furnace.
“Alchemy is ultimately about countless substances and heat, their combinations and their changes. Faced with all those possibilities, who could easily call themselves a master? Perhaps if they could study for an infinite amount of time...”
“Wise words.”
* * *
Half a year later.
“This concludes the advanced pill-refining lectures. There’s nothing more I can teach you. If you really do earn 500 merit points and obtain the Barrier-Breaking Pill formula someday, come back then. I’ll teach you until you can at least make low-grade Barrier-Breaking Pills.”
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