WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Dionysus
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◈ Cultivating Underground ◈
Chapter 37
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After a brief test, Yi Hyeon learned that he could choose what his Earth-Origin Force affected.
When he raised his left hand, the blackened Spirit-Concealing Talismans and Soundproofing Talismans attached to the walls flew toward him.
He flicked a finger, and a small flame bloomed, burning the talismans to ash.
He put the jade cases and medicine bottles spread across the training room floor into his storage pouch. Only after cleaning away even the spirit stone dust left in the Spirit-Gathering Formation’s grooves did he leave the room.
Creeeak.
Fresh morning sunlight entered the training room as he opened the door.
Yi Hyeon narrowed his eyes and gazed at the light for a moment.
Perhaps it was because he had spent several days inside the training room, or perhaps it was the joy of his breakthrough. Whatever the reason, the ordinary sunlight seemed unusually clear and bright.
He slowly adjusted the aura coming from his body.
With the Qi-Concealing Spell and Spirit-Hiding Spell in use, all he revealed was the spiritual power of an ordinary cultivator at the seventh layer of the Qi Refining stage.
‘There’s no need to hide my cultivation realm.’
He had been at the sixth layer when he joined the sect. It would not seem strange if people assumed he had already been close to that layer’s limit.
The Jangchun Sect’s conditions were incomparably better than those outside. It was common for disciples to make breakthroughs within a few years of joining by using the dense spiritual qi or the sect’s alchemical pills.
...
Third-Stem Fire Court, Danjeong Peak.
Yi Hyeon headed to the lounge.
When he opened the door, he saw familiar faces.
Na Gyeong-mun had several ledgers spread across a table and was writing something.
Sim Yeon-ju leaned back in a chair, reading a jade slip pressed to her forehead. Across the table, Bae Gyeong-song was placing medicinal ingredients on a small scale, one at a time.
“You’re all here.”
Na Gyeong-mun was the first to look up.
“It’s been a while...”
He stopped midsentence.
A faint spiritual light passed through his eyes. At the same time, Sim Yeon-ju lowered her jade slip, and Bae Gyeong-song stopped handling the ingredients.
Na Gyeong-mun sprang to his feet.
“Junior Brother Yi!”
“Yes?”
“What’s happened to your cultivation?”
“Is something wrong?”
“No, it’s not that...”
He looked Yi Hyeon up and down several times, as if checking whether his eyes had deceived him.
“Aren’t you at the seventh layer of Qi Refining?”
“I am.”
Sim Yeon-ju also studied Yi Hyeon for a moment, as though gauging his aura, then smiled.
“You really are at the seventh layer. Congratulations, Junior Brother Yi.”
“Thank you, Senior Sister Sim.”
Bae Gyeong-song put down the ingredients and clasped his hands.
“Congratulations. Now that you’ve entered late-stage Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment isn’t far off.”
“Thank you too, Senior Brother Bae.”
Na Gyeong-mun looked suspicious.
“How strange.”
Sim Yeon-ju gave him a sideways look.
“What’s strange about something worth celebrating?”
“It’s only been a year since he joined. Junior Brother Yi was definitely at the sixth layer when he arrived.”
“It’s been almost two years, not one. He could have been close to the sixth layer’s limit already.”
“Even so, isn’t this too fast? Could another faction have approached him without our knowledge?”
Sim Yeon-ju sighed softly.
“Here we go again.”
Bae Gyeong-song touched the scar on his chin and asked, “Junior Brother Yi, did you take a breakthrough pill?”
“I did.”
“How did you get it?”
“I spent all the money I’d saved as an independent cultivator to buy two Tongwon Pills at a nearby cultivator market, then took them.”
“Tongwon Pills?”
Na Gyeong-mun blinked.
“Those imported pills that have been circulating in the Ram Kingdom lately?”
“Yes.”
“Since you used pills to force your cultivation higher, your body will need time to adjust. You should cut back on pills for a while and focus on practicing your cultivation art to stabilize your realm.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Something suddenly seemed to occur to Na Gyeong-mun, and he clapped his hands.
Clap!
“Right! Now I remember why I was waiting for you.”
“For me?”
“Indeed.”
Na Gyeong-mun glanced around, then took a small talisman from inside his robe and attached it beneath the table.
Hummm.
A faint light spread along the lounge’s walls and door.
“What are you planning that needs a Soundproofing Talisman?”
“It could be troublesome if Master found out we were drinking in broad daylight.”
“Drinking?”
Na Gyeong-mun tapped his storage pouch.
Tap.
A wine bottle made of yellow clay appeared on the table.
Red cloth was tied around its neck, and the opening was sealed with wax and a small sealing talisman. Blue rice stalks and clouds decorated the bottle’s round surface.
Even through the seal, a faint fragrance of grain and medicinal herbs escaped.
Sim Yeon-ju’s expression changed.
“Isn’t that Cheonga Spring?”
“It is. Aged for thirty years, no less.”
Bae Gyeong-song also looked a little surprised.
“That’s quite a fine wine, isn’t it?”
Cheonga Spring was a first-tier spirit wine brewed from the Jangchun Sect’s Cheonga Rice and spirit spring water from Gamno Peak.
“When I passed the Origin-Raising Pill sales mission to Junior Brother Yi, I promised to buy him some good wine. Na Gyeong-mun never forgets a promise.”
He tapped his storage pouch again, and four cups appeared on the table.
Clunk.
One was closer to a bowl than a cup. The other three were small wine cups only two finger joints high.
“...”
Na Gyeong-mun set the large bowl before Yi Hyeon and placed one small cup each before himself, Sim Yeon-ju, and Bae Gyeong-song.
Sim Yeon-ju asked, “Why is Junior Brother Yi’s cup the only big one?”
“Because I promised to buy him wine.”
“What about us?”
“Aren’t you two just drinking for free? Are you going to complain about the portions when you’re getting free wine?”
Bae Gyeong-song peered into his tiny cup.
“Even so, this difference seems a little excessive.”
“Not you too, Junior Brother Bae. Someone else’s wine always tastes best when you get a cup for free.”
Sim Yeon-ju picked up her small cup.
“Fine. Good wine is better savored a little at a time anyway.”
Yi Hyeon looked at the large bowl in front of him.
“But are we allowed to sit around drinking in broad daylight inside the sect?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Pardon?”
“This isn’t ordinary wine. It’s spirit wine. It circulates spiritual power, warms the meridians, and even eases fatigue in the primordial spirit. It’s a perfectly legitimate part of cultivation. You must have spent so long as an independent cultivator that you don’t understand the profound training methods of cultivation sects.”
“But didn’t you just say it would be troublesome if Master found out...?”
Ignoring him, Na Gyeong-mun peeled the sealing talisman off the bottle. When he broke the wax, a clear fragrance spread through the room.
The scent reached all four people in the lounge.
Na Gyeong-mun tilted the bottle.
Trickle, trickle.
Clear wine with the faintest blue tint filled the bowl.
Only after filling the large bowl more than halfway did he pour wine into the small cups.
Na Gyeong-mun raised his cup.
“To Junior Brother Yi’s advancement to late-stage Qi Refining.”
Sim Yeon-ju and Bae Gyeong-song raised their cups as well.
“Congratulations, Junior Brother Yi.”
“Congratulations once again.”
Yi Hyeon lifted his bowl with both hands.
“Thank you.”
All four drank together.
Yi Hyeon swallowed a mouthful of Cheonga Spring.
Before any sweetness, he tasted the rich, nutty fragrance of well-ripened Cheonga Rice and the refreshing energy of spirit spring water.
A moment later...
Whoooosh.
Warm energy spread from his stomach.
The medicinal potency of Cheonga Spring traveled along his meridians and through his whole body. The slight imbalances that had built up over several days of taking pills seemed to melt away.
The alcohol took effect a little later.
The sounds around him grew slightly distant, and his body relaxed.
“Spirit wine really is different.”
Yi Hyeon set down the bowl.
Across from him, Na Gyeong-mun had emptied his small cup and was letting out a satisfied breath.
“Ahh...”
Sim Yeon-ju put down her cup too. A very faint flush had already risen to her cheeks.
“It’s quite strong, even after just one cup.”
“Cheonga Spring is best enjoyed when you accept the intoxication instead of forcing it away. Try not to expel it. Just enjoy the lingering feeling. Isn’t this how immortals spend their leisure?”
Na Gyeong-mun refilled the three small cups. He poured a little more Cheonga Spring into Yi Hyeon’s bowl too.
“Don’t hold back, Junior Brother Yi. I ought to get some use out of bringing that big cup.”
“All right.”
Yi Hyeon raised the bowl again.
Cheonga Spring’s medicinal strength was considerable, but perhaps thanks to his Primordial Unity Body, he absorbed it quickly and its effects faded.
The same was true of the alcohol.
Despite drinking from a large bowl, he felt only a little happier. His mind remained clear.
Meanwhile, Na Gyeong-mun and Sim Yeon-ju were speaking a little louder than usual. Bae Gyeong-song had also sunk back into his chair, looking relaxed.
Sim Yeon-ju looked at Yi Hyeon.
“You don’t seem very drunk.”
“I suppose my constitution handles alcohol well.”
After a few rounds, their conversation naturally turned to alchemy, the Scripture Repository, and their recent missions.
Bae Gyeong-song asked Yi Hyeon, “Now that you’ve reached late-stage Qi Refining, what do you plan to do?”
“I’ll keep learning alchemy at Third-Stem Fire Court and study more of the teachings in the Scripture Repository whenever I have time. There’s no rush.”
They talked for quite a while longer before Na Gyeong-mun set down the empty bottle.
“Wait.”
Sim Yeon-ju asked, “What is it?”
“I’ve noticed something else strange.”
“Again?”
Na Gyeong-mun lowered his voice.
“What’s the name of our sect’s grand mountain-protecting formation?”
“The Nine-Peak Rejuvenation Formation.”
“Exactly. The Nine-Peak Rejuvenation Formation.”
Na Gyeong-mun emphasized each word.
“The nine peaks are our nine mountains, including Jangchun Peak, Danjeong Peak, and Baekcho Peak. Nothing strange about that.”
Bae Gyeong-song said, “Then you mean the rejuvenation part is strange?”
Na Gyeong-mun narrowed his eyes.
“Precisely. Our Golden Core Supreme Sect Master stays out of sight due to old age, and we have a Rejuvenation Formation... Doesn’t that send a chill down your spine?”
Sim Yeon-ju sounded exasperated.
“It was called the Nine-Peak Rejuvenation Formation back when our late Golden Core ancestors were still alive too.”
Bae Gyeong-song asked cautiously, “Senior Brother Na, do you think the Supreme Sect Master is trying to regain youth through the Nine-Peak Rejuvenation Formation? If there were a way for a mere Golden Core cultivator to become young again, why would Nascent Soul cultivators die of old age?”
“Is that so...?”
“There’s no more wine, so come on, get up.”
Sim Yeon-ju took the empty bottle and tried to clear it away.
Na Gyeong-mun hurriedly grabbed it.
“Wait! I can sell that bottle for spirit stones too.”
“Funny how your mind clears at times like this.”
Na Gyeong-mun tucked the bottle carefully inside his robe.
...
They continued talking for about another shichen with their empty cups in front of them.
As the Soundproofing Talisman’s spiritual power was about to run out, the four cleaned the table and lounge.
Everyone used the Poison-Expelling Art to remove the lingering signs of intoxication from their faces. Bae Gyeong-song finished sorting the medicinal ingredients and headed to the communal alchemy chamber.
Na Gyeong-mun patted Yi Hyeon’s shoulder.
“Congratulations again on your breakthrough. If I’d known you could drink this much, I would’ve bought a bigger bottle.”
“I had more than enough.”
“Next time, when I reach Foundation Establishment, I’ll buy even better wine.”
“I look forward to it.”
...
Several days later.
In a nameless valley some five thousand li southwest of the Jangchun Sect, Yi Hyeon stretched his left hand toward a boulder the size of a house.
Hummmm.
The boulder did not budge. Instead, the reaction to the force he applied to it pulled his much lighter body toward it.
Whoosh!
Yi Hyeon shot forward almost parallel to the ground.
The scenery rushed past.
‘This is too fast...’
Yi Hyeon hurriedly cast the Spherical Qi Barrier.
The air ahead was pushed aside, slowing him down, but he was already less than one jang from the boulder.
Hum, hum, hum!
Three Spiritlight Shields appeared between Yi Hyeon and the boulder.
Crash!
The Spiritlight Shields bent sharply before flinging him backward.
Yi Hyeon flipped in midair and landed on both feet.
Skrrr.
He lightly rotated his left arm.
‘Earth-Origin Force can do more than pull objects toward me. It can pull me toward them too.’
Yi Hyeon looked toward one side of the valley.
A stone statue carved in human form stood there, holding up an iron shield with both hands.
Shing.
Yi Hyeon drew his Mountain-Subduing Sword.
Thud.
He used the Square-Inch Step, and his figure vanished.
The next moment, he was right in front of the statue.
Its iron shield blocked his sword’s path.
Yi Hyeon formed an anchor of Earth-Origin Force at his sword tip and caught one edge of the shield with it.
Hummmm.
One side of the shield jerked toward the sword tip.
Crack!
Stone split along one of the statue’s arms, and the shield tilted. At that instant, dazzling light burst from Yi Hyeon’s sword tip.
Flash!
The sword light skimmed past the shield’s edge and pierced the statue’s neck.
Crunch!
The statue’s head flew backward.
Without drawing his sword back, Yi Hyeon swept it sideways.
Swish!
The sword light of the Boundary-Dividing Saber drew a straight line through the air.
The tilted iron shield moved as though chasing the sword tip, entering the path of the sword light.
Shhk.
The shield split cleanly in two.
A moment later, the statue’s body collapsed as well, revealing a slanted cut.
Rumble.
Yi Hyeon examined the severed shield and statue.
‘This is more useful than I expected.’
Pulling an opponent’s body half an inch closer just before his sword struck. Slightly twisting the angle of a defensive magical implement. Briefly disturbing the path of an incoming flying sword.
Each was only a tiny interference, yet that momentary shift was enough to create an opening for the Single-Pole Six Swords and Boundary-Dividing Saber.
...
Whenever Yi Hyeon traveled between Underground Hideout No. 2 and the Jangchun Sect, he sought out deserted mountains and valleys to practice using Earth-Origin Force.
At first, he often pulled himself into boulders or had to cast Spiritlight Shields when objects drawn toward his sword tip flew at him faster than expected.
Fortunately, his growing collection of failures helped him establish suitable ways to use it.
To use the reaction of Earth-Origin Force as a movement technique, he needed a way to adjust his posture and direction in midair.
So Yi Hyeon devoted himself to learning the Wind-Riding Art he had found in the Scripture Repository.
The Wind-Riding Art was a spell that created wind, allowing him to move or change direction in midair. Combined with the Body-Lightening Spell, it could even let him move as though flying for a short time.
By linking the Ground-Shrinking Step, Body-Lightening Spell, Square-Inch Step, Earth-Origin Force, and Wind-Riding Art, Yi Hyeon made his movements both extremely fast and difficult to predict.
The Wind-Riding Art was useful, but it was difficult to learn without a wind-element mutated spiritual root. Fortunately, just as he had with the Breath-Sealing Art and Clear Air Art, Yi Hyeon could overcome the elemental restriction with his primordial unity true qi.
While studying the Wind-Riding Art, he also discovered that he could combine it with the Reclining Escape Art to some extent.
If he eventually reached Major Mastery in the Wind-Riding Art, perhaps he could use the Reclining Escape Art to travel freely not only over land and water, but along air currents as well.
‘At this rate, will I be flying around before I even reach Foundation Establishment...?’
...
Whenever Yi Hyeon visited Underground Hideout No. 2, he also studied ways to manipulate his bone age using first-tier Bone-Tempering Powder.
His early results were unpredictable.
After taking Bone-Tempering Powder, his bone age measurements varied wildly: seventy-one, sixty-four, forty-three, fifty-seven, fifty-two, and forty-nine.
But repeated tests gradually revealed which variables affected his bone age, and the margin of error steadily decreased.
* * *
Before he knew it, fifteen years had passed.
Yi Hyeon’s life had changed little during that time. He refined pills at Third-Stem Fire Court and read books and jade slips in the Scripture Repository whenever he had time. He earned only as many contribution points as his cultivation and research required, rarely taking part in dangerous missions outside the sect.
Once every two or three months, he returned to Underground Hideout No. 2 to check on his spirit fields and Fuzzbees.
Because the Primordial Unity Body required enormous amounts of spiritual power to fill each layer, Yi Hyeon remained at the seventh layer of the Qi Refining stage.
Meanwhile, Sim Yeon-ju had reached the ninth layer, and Bae Gyeong-song had reached the seventh. Na Gyeong-mun was still at the ninth layer.
Then, one day...
Dozens of disciples gathered before Third-Stem Fire Court’s mission board.
At the center of the board, an unusual mission was written on a large sheet of paper with a red border.
「Harvest spirit plants at Cheongmok Ridge and transport them to the main sect grounds.
Participants: 100 disciples at middle-stage Qi Refining or above.
Four Foundation Establishment elders will accompany the group.
Estimated duration: fifteen days.
Individual rewards will vary according to role and cultivation realm.」
“Cheongmok Ridge...”
Yi Hyeon’s gaze lingered on the mission.
Na Gyeong-mun stood beside him. His name was already on the participant list.
Sim Yeon-ju asked, “Are you really going?”
“This mission offers twice the usual contribution points. Four Foundation Establishment elders will accompany us, along with a hundred Qi Refining disciples. What is there to worry about? Add in the elders stationed at Cheongmok Ridge, and most factions wouldn’t even dare come near us.”
Bae Gyeong-song stared silently at the mission.
The fingers touching his chin scar had tensed.
Yi Hyeon asked, “There’s one thing I don’t understand.”
“What is it?”
“Didn’t you say the previous attackers knew both Cheongmok Ridge’s harvest schedule and the transport route?”
“They did.”
“If they had that much information, did they really need to wait for the convoy?”
The three turned to Yi Hyeon.
“Wouldn’t it have been easier to attack Cheongmok Ridge directly and dig up the old spirit plants?”
Na Gyeong-mun shook his head.
“That would actually be harder. Cheongmok Ridge has a second-tier Field Protection Formation connected to its spirit vein. With the two Foundation Establishment elders stationed there and the Qi Refining disciples operating it, they could hold off several Foundation Establishment cultivators for a long time.”
“And reinforcements from the main sect grounds would arrive in the meantime.”
“Exactly. Attacking Cheongmok Ridge directly isn’t robbing a spirit field. It’s fighting an entire mountain. It would be no different from declaring war on the Jangchun Sect.”
Sim Yeon-ju continued.
“Harvesting spirit plants is tricky too. Some need their roots and growing points kept intact. Others have to be gathered at the precise time their medicinal potency rises into their leaves or fruit. Handle one incorrectly, and a two-hundred-year-old spirit plant could become worth less than a hundred-year-old one.”
Bae Gyeong-song spoke quietly.
“Besides, the spirit plants are scattered across hundreds of mu of fields. Harvesting them all properly would mean occupying Cheongmok Ridge for days. But once we finish harvesting and preserving them, all that wealth fits into a few storage pouches. Those bastards waited for us to dig up decades’ worth of spirit plants and package them on their behalf. They only had to kill everyone in the convoy to make a quick escape, and it would be easy to insist it was just a raid by independent cultivators.”
“I see.”
Na Gyeong-mun said, “There really won’t be a problem this time. We have four Foundation Establishment elders, a hundred disciples, and the forces stationed at Cheongmok Ridge. Mobilizing enough strength to fight them would cost more than anyone could gain from stealing the plants. If a force that large attacked, it would no longer be about spirit plants. It would be a war between sects.”
Normally, Na Gyeong-mun would have been the first to suspect a hidden conspiracy, but he was optimistic about this mission. After failing to obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill for over fifteen years, he needed to earn as much as he could, whether in contribution points or spirit stones.
“Will you come along, Junior Brother Yi? At the seventh layer, you’re more than qualified...”
“I won’t be going.”
“At least think before you answer.”
“I’m sorry.”
Na Gyeong-mun clicked his tongue.
“You’re strangely unhurried, Junior Brother Yi. A cultivator sometimes has to take risks and seize opportunities.”
Sim Yeon-ju cut in.
“Why do you keep trying to drag him along when he doesn’t want to go?”
...
Ten days later.
Three flying boats rested on a broad stone platform at the Jangchun Sect’s Oesa Peak.
The largest was over twenty jang long. The Jangchun Sect’s tree emblem was engraved on its side, while the inscriptions of defensive formations ran around the deck and cabins.
A hundred Qi Refining disciples boarded the three boats.
Four Foundation Establishment elders hovered in the air, wrapped in spiritual light.
The noisy platform gradually quieted as departure time approached.
Before boarding, Na Gyeong-mun turned to Yi Hyeon, Sim Yeon-ju, and Bae Gyeong-song.
“I’ll be back soon. I’ll bring back some good wine.”
Doom.
A short while later, the three flying boats rose into the air, one after another.
Hummmm.
The inner and outer formations of the Nine-Peak Rejuvenation Formation opened in turn.
Escorted by the Foundation Establishment elders, the flying boats headed north. Their huge hulls grew smaller and smaller before disappearing beyond the mountain range.
...
That afternoon.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The alarm bell at Oesa Peak rang out. Amplified by the formation, its sound spread all the way to Danjeong Peak.
Yi Hyeon, who had been about to refine pills at Third-Stem Fire Court, looked up.
‘The alarm bell?’
An alarm heard throughout the sect signaled an enemy invasion or a crisis of similar severity.
Bang!
The communal alchemy chamber’s door flew open.
A Qi Refining disciple wearing Oesa Peak’s long robes rushed in, gasping for breath.
“Where is Peak Lord Go?”
All the disciples of Third-Stem Fire Court turned toward the newcomer.
Sim Yeon-ju asked, “What’s happened?”
“Independent cultivators have descended on Oesa Market.”
“Independent cultivators?”
“More than two hundred. Some are from cultivation families, and six of them are Foundation Establishment cultivators.”
The disciple paused to catch their breath, then continued.
“They’re demanding compensation! They say our sect deceived the Ram Kingdom’s poor Qi Refining independent cultivators by selling fake Origin-Raising Pills!”
“Fake Origin-Raising Pills?”
“Yes. Dozens of people have suffered damaged meridians or failed breakthroughs after taking them. They say some have even died.”
“That’s impossible.”
Sim Yeon-ju stood up.
“Every Origin-Raising Pill leaving Jangchun Pill Pavilion is inspected before shipment. There’s no way failed pills or ones with unstable medicinal potency could get mixed in.”
“Oesa Peak explained that they must be counterfeits. But...”
The disciple’s expression darkened.
“The medicine bottles and Spirit-Sealing Talismans they brought bear our sect’s pill-inspection seal.”
“What?”
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