WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Dionysus
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Cultivating Underground ◈
Chapter 33
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“Shouldn’t you be recruiting spirit plant growers, Peak Lord Ju? This child made Spirit-Restoring Pills.”
“Did the ingredients for those pills fall from the sky? Could he make pills like that without properly understanding the medicinal herbs?”
Ju Gyeong-rim, the lord of Baekcho Peak, took a little of the residue left inside the furnace on a finger and examined it.
“Good fire control alone wouldn’t produce this result. This is the work of someone who knows how to care for medicinal herbs.”
“Which is why he should learn alchemy.”
“Which is why he should learn to grow spirit plants.”
Both turned to look at Yi Hyeon.
“...”
Yi Hyeon considered his options for a moment.
‘Which path would bring me closer to the Origin-Raising Pill formula?’
The most direct route was, of course, to become an alchemist. The problem was that he had no idea when he would be entrusted with refining Origin-Raising Pills.
Even mortal craftsmen did not readily share their family secrets with outsiders. A cultivation sect certainly wouldn’t entrust a newcomer with a formula that could break through the barrier between the middle and late Qi Refining stage.
Perhaps it would be easier to work as a spirit plant grower at Baekcho Peak and deduce the formula. After all, Baekcho Peak would supply the spirit plants used in the pills.
‘But knowing the ingredients isn’t enough for alchemy. I also need to know the refining order, heat control, and how to harmonize the medicinal properties. There’s no reason to take a roundabout route.’
Yi Hyeon spoke.
“I’d like to learn pill refining.”
A satisfied smile spread across Go Won-hak’s face.
“Did you hear that?”
The lord of Baekcho Peak looked disappointed.
“To learn alchemy properly, you must first understand spirit plants and medicinal herbs. An alchemist who only examines the ingredients after putting them in the furnace will struggle to rise above second-rate, no matter how well they control fire.”
“I’ll remember that.”
“Even if you join Danjeong Peak, Baekcho Peak’s doors will remain open to you.”
The disciple overseeing the examination cautiously interrupted.
“Elders, we haven’t checked the applicant’s bone age or spiritual roots yet.”
“Isn’t that just a matter of checking them?”
Go Won-hak turned to Yi Hyeon.
“Finish the remaining entrance procedures, then come to Danjeong Peak. Unless there’s a particular problem, I’ll accept you as my nominal disciple.”
“Thank you.”
The lord of Baekcho Peak spoke as they turned away.
“Don’t become an alchemist who burns the herbs and blames bad luck. Come to Baekcho Peak if you change your mind later.”
“Are you cursing someone else’s disciple?”
“My advice is worth its weight in spirit stones.”
The two elders disappeared out of the hall, still arguing.
The independent cultivators taking the examination looked at Yi Hyeon with envy. It was rare for an outsider to draw the attention of two peak lords before even joining the sect.
Yi Hyeon realized that he had underestimated his skill at pill refining.
‘They gave me three sets of ingredients. Succeeding on my first attempt and drawing attention was careless...’
...
When the alchemist examination ended, Yi Hyeon was the only one who had passed.
‘Good thing I succeeded on the first attempt...’
Following his guide, Yi Hyeon headed to another hall.
Various magical implements and measuring formations stood inside the spacious building.
More than twenty applicants had passed the first round. Unlike the alchemist examination, the tests for other fields seemed to have produced quite a few successful candidates.
...
The line for the bone age test gradually grew shorter.
A few places ahead of Yi Hyeon stood a large young man with broad shoulders.
His sun-darkened face and thick forearms made him look like a sturdy mortal laborer, but the aura flowing from his body was at the fifth layer of the Qi Refining stage.
“Place your right hand here.”
The man put his palm on a stone slab.
A silver pattern resembling the bones of a human hand was engraved on its surface.
The pattern soon lit up. A hazy white light swept from the man’s fingers to his wrist and elbow.
Hummm...
Thin rings of light rose above the slab one after another.
The examiner frowned while studying their number and color.
“Your bone age comes out as eighty-three.”
“What? I’m twenty-seven.”
“Twenty-seven?”
The examiner looked back and forth between the man’s face and the slab.
“You haven’t taken a Rejuvenation Pill or a Youth-Preserving Pill?”
“No. How could I afford pills that expensive?”
“What about body-tempering methods?”
“I’ve only learned a little mortal external martial arts.”
As if something had occurred to them, the examiner asked another question.
“Have you taken Bone-Tempering Powder recently?”
“What? Yes. How did you know? I took one dose on my way here.”
“Did you buy it in the south?”
“I bought it at a cultivator market in the Namnyeo Kingdom. It was mid-grade Bone-Tempering Powder made by the Azure Tide Merchant Alliance’s Azure Tide Pill Pavilion.”
“That’s the reason. The medicinal strength of Bone-Tempering Powder seeps directly into the bones. Until it’s fully absorbed, traces of the ingredients’ medicinal age remain in the bone itself. The slab read those traces as part of the years you’ve lived.”
An awkward look crossed the man’s face.
“What should I do, then?”
“How long has it been since you took it?”
“About ten days.”
“We’ll measure you again in a month. Most of those traces should have vanished by then, allowing us to determine your bone age properly.”
“Then have I passed or failed?”
“We’ll pass you for now. Finish the other tests. However, if the test in a month reveals that you lied, don’t complain about whatever punishment you receive.”
Delighted to hear that he had passed for now, the man stepped away. The examiner immediately called the next applicant.
Yi Hyeon watched the man leave.
‘Bone-Tempering Powder affects bone age tests?’
That was unexpected information.
As the line continued to shorten, Yi Hyeon asked a disciple who was guiding the applicants nearby.
“Doesn’t it cause problems if the bone age test can be wrong so easily?”
“What sort of problems?”
“Couldn’t someone use Bone-Tempering Powder to lie about their age when joining the sect?”
“It’s the opposite. Bone-Tempering Powder only makes your bone age appear higher than it really is, not lower. Anyone trying to join a sect would want to look younger. Who would deliberately make themselves seem older? At the same cultivation realm, a younger disciple receives a better evaluation and is more likely to receive focused training. Increasing your bone age would only make you look less talented.”
“That certainly makes sense.”
Yi Hyeon nodded as though convinced, but inwardly, he was delighted.
‘I can make my bone age come out higher than it really is!’
To anyone else, this loophole was useless.
But Yi Hyeon was different.
‘The next time I join another sect or organization, I can use Bone-Tempering Powder to disguise my age.’
He could already refine first-tier Bone-Tempering Powder himself.
The formula allowed a certain range of medicinal ages for its main ingredient and supporting spirit plants. The reading would likely vary depending on the ingredients’ medicinal ages, the dose, and how long remained before the test. If he worked out the pattern through a few experiments, he should be able to make the slab display a bone age within his desired range.
If he also adjusted his appearance with a few disguise techniques and controlled his aura with the Spirit-Hiding Spell and Qi-Concealing Spell...
‘I could create a much more convincing identity.’
In fact, Yi Hyeon had worried quite a bit about his bone age before coming to the Jangchun Sect.
Unlike the years he had actually lived, his bone age remained at nineteen. Combined with his sixth-layer Qi Refining cultivation, that made him seem far too outstanding for an independent cultivator, which could draw unnecessary attention.
But he hadn’t known how to disguise his bone age, so he had come anyway.
While they talked, the applicants ahead of him finished their tests one by one.
“Next.”
Yi Hyeon stepped up to the slab.
“Your name?”
“Yi Dong-i.”
“Place your right hand here.”
Yi Hyeon put his palm on the stone slab.
Hazy white light slowly swept from his fingers to his elbow.
Hummm...
Thin rings rose one after another.
“Bone age, nineteen...”
The examiner began writing the number in the register, then looked back at Yi Hyeon.
“Wait. You’re nineteen and at the sixth layer of the Qi Refining stage?”
“That’s right.”
“It says here that you’re an independent cultivator. Do you have a master?”
“No. I taught myself from the legacy my parents left me.”
“Were your parents cultivators too?”
“Yes. My father gathered spirit herbs and hunted demonic beasts, and my mother knew how to make a few first-tier alchemical pills.”
“Where are they now?”
“They went out to the southern sea when I was young and never returned.”
Yi Hyeon put on a bitter expression.
Of course, he had made the story up.
The southern sea held countless islands whose names had never been recorded. Ships vanishing in storms or demonic beast attacks were not uncommon either.
Being the son of a missing independent cultivator couple was a background that would be difficult to verify without being particularly unusual.
The examiner watched Yi Hyeon for a moment, then softened their voice.
“They must have left you some pills or spirit stones.”
“I’ve used most of what my parents saved.”
“You had good parents.”
The examiner added a few words to one side of the register.
“Next, we’ll check your spiritual roots. Place both hands here.”
When Yi Hyeon placed both hands on the orb used to identify spiritual roots, three kinds of light bloomed inside it.
“Triple spiritual roots. Ordinary quality.”
The examiner looked slightly disappointed.
“Is there a problem?”
“No. Your cultivation at such a young age was so impressive that I got my hopes up. Reaching the sixth layer of the Qi Refining stage at nineteen is truly rare among independent cultivators. If you had dual spiritual roots or better, it would have been reasonable to recommend you immediately as a candidate to become an elder’s direct disciple...”
The examiner continued.
“Still, there’s no need to feel discouraged. Becoming an inner sect disciple is already quite good. Besides, I hear Elder Go offered to accept you as their nominal disciple?”
“Yes.”
“If you work diligently as an alchemist, you could certainly be entrusted with important duties... Anyway, since you’re already at the sixth layer of the Qi Refining stage, you must be after an Origin-Raising Pill?”
“That’s right.”
“If you build up contribution points by serving the sect, you’ll eventually be able to exchange them for an Origin-Raising Pill. However, those pills are fairly rare. Even an inner sect disciple has to carry out missions for a long time. Some of the sect’s sixth-layer Qi Refining cultivators simply buy them with spirit stones.”
“Spirit stones... How much does one pill cost?”
“When they’re cheap, about a hundred and fifty low-grade spirit stones. These days, they sometimes sell for two hundred. And that’s the price within the sect. Outside, one would cost at least two hundred and fifty.”
“That’s expensive. What about Foundation Establishment Pills?”
“Foundation Establishment Pills... Our Jangchun Sect can’t refine those, so even with spirit stones, they’re difficult to obtain. You’d have to look for an opportunity outside the sect. Still, you’re only nineteen. Even after reaching the ninth layer of the Qi Refining stage, you should have plenty of time to find one.”
...
At last, all the tests were over.
While waiting to receive his identity token, Yi Hyeon thought back to what the examiner had said.
‘Come to think of it, why was I planning to refine Origin-Raising Pills myself?’
He was no longer poor.
‘Of course, buying fifty at once would be impossible. But couldn’t I change my appearance, disguise my identity, and steadily buy one or two at a time from the cultivator markets around the Jangchun Sect? I could put the ones I bought first in good jade boxes to keep their medicinal potency from dispersing, seal them with talismans, and store them in my storage pouch.’
‘Right. Instead of worrying about the formula, I’ll buy Origin-Raising Pills a few at a time and save them.’
‘Until I have fifty, I can cultivate to the limit of the sixth layer here in the Jangchun Sect and practice pill refining. If I get the formula too, all the better.’
...
After completing all the entrance procedures, Yi Hyeon received a green robe, a new identity token, and a thin booklet containing the sect rules.
A small pill furnace was embroidered on the robe’s sleeve.
The front of the identity token bore a green tree, while his name and affiliation were engraved on the back.
Yi Hyeon put the robe on over his Force-Dispersing Underarmor and hung the identity token at his waist.
‘This is my first time becoming an inner sect disciple!’
He had been an outer sect disciple at Cheongha Valley and a court retainer at the Heaven-Serving Directorate. He had also served as the Heaven-Drawing Society’s leader and a guest alchemist for the Azure Tide Merchant Alliance.
But this was his first time becoming a formal inner sect disciple of a cultivation sect and calling someone his master.
...
A broad flying boat five jang long hovered outside the hall.
Its hull was made of light brown spirit wood, with leaf patterns carved along the edges.
“I heard someone’s going to Danjeong Peak. Who is it?”
“That’s me!”
Yi Hyeon hurried aboard.
A cultivator who looked to be in his late thirties stood on the boat. The sleeve of his green robe bore the same pill furnace embroidery as Yi Hyeon’s.
“Good to meet you, Junior Brother. I’m Na Gyeong-mun of Danjeong Peak. My cultivation is at the ninth layer of the Qi Refining stage, and... I’m one of Master’s nominal disciples, so that makes me your senior brother. I’ll give you a brief explanation on the way.”
“Thank you, Senior Brother. I’ll be in your care.”
Humm...
The flying boat slowly rose.
A long stretch of pale blue mist lay between the examination hall and the Jangchun Sect’s nine peaks. At first glance, it looked like ordinary mist, but when Yi Hyeon examined it with the Qi-Observing Spell, countless patterns appeared and vanished within it.
Na Gyeong-mun raised his identity token.
Hummm...
A round passage opened in the blue mist. As the boat entered, both the air and the spiritual pressure changed at once.
Sss...
Dense spiritual qi of heaven and earth naturally seeped through Yi Hyeon’s skin. The environment was better not only than Underground Hideout No. 2, but also than most of the vein seats he had used in the Heaven-Drawing Society.
“Surprised?”
Na Gyeong-mun smiled at Yi Hyeon’s expression.
“We’re inside the inner section of the Nine-Peak Rejuvenation Formation. It gathers the nine peaks’ spiritual qi to keep it from escaping, and if an enemy invades, it becomes a grand mountain-guarding formation. This is also why inner sect disciples receive residences inside.”
“What an impressive formation. Can the sect afford the spirit stones needed to keep something this large running all the time?”
“Spirit stones? It isn’t running at full power right now. If you design a formation to use the harmony of the natural world, it doesn’t need many spirit stones. But only an exceptional formation master can build something like this. It’s all part of the legacy our Jangchun Sect’s Golden Core ancestors left us after inviting great formation masters here in the past.”
Pride filled Na Gyeong-mun’s voice.
The scenery of the Jangchun Mountains spread beneath them.
Nine great peaks stood at the center of the range, forming a broad circle.
Rows of old-fashioned halls stood on the tallest central peak. In the broad valley below, a lake of clear, flowing water and spirit fields came into view, with small formation barriers covering various places.
The entire northwestern peak looked like one enormous spirit field. Terraced fields ran along its slopes.
Several thin trails of smoke rose from the western peak.
Na Gyeong-mun pointed out the peaks one by one.
“The Main Peak in the center is Jangchun Peak. It holds the sect master’s residence, the Council of Elders, the Scripture Repository, and so on. To the northwest is Baekcho Peak, where we grow spirit plants. To the west is Danjeong Peak, where we’re headed.”
The flying boat slowly changed direction.
“The one with those silver pillars is Jin-gi Peak. They handle formations, pill furnaces, and magical implements. The eastern peak with all the sword light flying about is Chungeom Peak. The others are Yeongsu Peak, Oesa Peak, Jihwa Peak, and Gamno Peak. You’ll learn about them naturally as you live here. Each peak lord decides the affairs of their own peak. Major matters affecting the whole sect are discussed at the Nine-Peak Council, a gathering of all nine peak lords.”
Listening to the explanation, Yi Hyeon took in the terrain and the locations of the halls.
According to Na Gyeong-mun, the Jangchun Sect had a grand sect master at the Golden Core realm. However, that person was over five hundred years old and now rarely active. The current sect master had reached Great Perfection in Foundation Establishment, while most of the other peak lords were at late-stage Foundation Establishment. In practice, these nine peak lords led the Jangchun Sect.
...
As the flying boat passed near Oesa Peak, Na Gyeong-mun pointed below.
Dozens of shops and large warehouses lined the foot of the mountain. Merchant wagons and small flying boats constantly came and went.
“Oesa Peak is like a cultivator market managed by the sect. It sells our pills and spirit plants to outsiders and purchases the supplies we need. If you want to take on missions outside the sect, that’s where you should go.”
...
The flying boat continued west.
As they approached Danjeong Peak, the scent of medicinal herbs in the air grew stronger.
Bitter and sweet smells mingled with hot air and the scent of heated metal and stone.
Alchemy chambers of all sizes covered the mountainside like cells in a beehive. Most of the small chambers used by new disciples and first-tier alchemists were on the lower slopes. Higher up, the halls and chambers grew larger.
The sounds of pill furnaces rang out from all around.
Booom!
Black smoke burst from one alchemy chamber. Its door soon opened, and a young cultivator staggered out with a soot-blackened face.
Yi Hyeon looked around at the chambers with interest.
‘The facilities are well equipped. It couldn’t have been easy to draw earthfire all the way up the peak...’
...
The flying boat landed on a broad stone platform halfway up Danjeong Peak.
Na Gyeong-mun led Yi Hyeon toward a hall with red roof tiles.
Three characters were written on its signboard.
「Third-Stem Fire Court (丙火院)」
Inside, lecture rooms, medicinal herb storerooms, and rooms of various sizes for the disciples were arranged in orderly rows.
“The Third-Stem Fire Court is where first-tier alchemists who join Danjeong Peak learn pill refining.”
Na Gyeong-mun pointed toward the residences behind the hall, then the alchemy chambers on the opposite slope.
“The residences are to the west, and the shared alchemy chambers are to the east. I’ll explain the rules in detail later. First, let’s go pay our respects to Master.”
...
On the upper slopes of Danjeong Peak, a small hall stood at the end of a stone path winding around the mountainside.
Bamboo mats for drying medicinal herbs and pill furnaces of various sizes stood in its courtyard. Black jars containing failed pills lined the space beneath one of the eaves, and the lingering scent of medicinal herbs filled the entire yard.
Go Won-hak sat at a table inside the hall.
On the wall behind them hung a portrait of a Daoist with a pill furnace in front. Beneath it stood a small incense altar honoring Danjeong Peak’s past peak lords and alchemy ancestors.
Two cups of tea and a small incense burner stood on the table.
“You’re here?”
“Greetings, Elder Go.”
“You should call me Master now, not Elder.”
“I haven’t formally paid my respects yet.”
“True. You know the proper procedure.”
Go Won-hak spoke to Na Gyeong-mun.
“Make the preparations.”
Na Gyeong-mun lit three sticks of incense and handed them to Yi Hyeon.
“First, pay your respects to Danjeong Peak’s ancestors. The ceremony for a nominal disciple is simple, but we must still mark your entry into the lineage.”
Yi Hyeon bowed three times before the incense altar, then placed the incense sticks in it.
Na Gyeong-mun handed him one of the cups of tea from the table.
Taking it with both hands, Yi Hyeon knelt before Go Won-hak, bowed three times, and offered the tea.
“Your disciple Yi Dong-i pays his respects, Master.”
“Good.”
Go Won-hak accepted the tea and took a sip.
They brought out a thick register from beneath the table. Its cover was dark red, as though scorched by fire, and its pages were packed with names and dates of entry.
Some names had red dots beside them. Others had been crossed out with thin lines of ink.
In the final empty space, Go Won-hak wrote the name “Yi Dong-i” and today’s date.
“From today onward, you are my hundred and seventh nominal disciple.”
‘...?’
As if they had noticed Yi Hyeon’s subtle expression, Go Won-hak stroked their beard.
“I’m sorry if you expected too much. Being a nominal disciple mainly means having your name listed under mine and gaining the right to attend my public lectures. Only my direct disciples receive personal instruction at my side.”
They pointed to the register.
“From now on, you may attend the lecture I give once a month and use an alchemy library one level above the Third-Stem Fire Court’s shared library. If you encounter a problem while refining pills, you may ask me about it directly once each season. However, you must earn contribution points for medicinal herbs, pill furnaces, and high-grade cultivation cave abodes, just like any other inner sect disciple. If you try to use my name to get something, you will lose your status as my nominal disciple.”
“I’ll remember that.”
Yi Hyeon actually felt relieved. He liked being left alone.
“For now, learn the basics of pill refining at the Third-Stem Fire Court.”
“Yes.”
“Gyeong-mun, show Dong-i his residence and explain the court’s rules.”
“Understood.”
Yi Hyeon cupped his hands.
“I’ll take my leave, Master.”
Na Gyeong-mun led Yi Hyeon down to the western side of the Third-Stem Fire Court.
Unlike the eastern side, where alchemy chambers clustered together, houses with spacious yards stood scattered across the western slope.
They stopped in front of the outermost house.
When Na Gyeong-mun inserted Yi Hyeon’s identity token into an empty slot, a faint light circled the door and the courtyard wall.
Humm...
The closed wooden door slowly opened.
The house had a bedroom, a small cultivation room, and a room for preparing medicinal herbs. A type of Spirit-Gathering Formation was installed in the cultivation room, and one wall had a slot for spirit stones.
As Yi Hyeon slowly looked around, he noticed signs that someone had lived there until recently.
“It looks like someone was using this house. Is it all right for me to stay here?”
“Senior Brother Gwak, Master’s thirty-first nominal disciple, used to live here.”
“Did he move to another residence?”
“He died.”
“I see...”
Yi Hyeon suddenly had a bad feeling.
“By the way, Senior Brother.”
“Yes?”
“If I’m the hundred and seventh... Master has taken over a hundred nominal disciples, but I didn’t see anyone except you on the way here. Where is everyone?”
“Ah, is that what you were wondering? Almost all of them are dead.”
“...?”
“The path of cultivation has always been full of danger. You should get used to it quickly too, Junior Brother.”
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