WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Dionysus
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◈ Cultivating Underground ◈
Chapter 4
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Yi Hyeon was certain he had reached the first level of Qi Refining.
Of course, compared to the people he had once seen fighting in the sky, he probably amounted to less than a speck of dust.
But that didn’t matter. He was stronger than he had been yesterday.
If he encountered a wild beast, he felt he would no longer have to run away without a second thought. He probably wouldn’t get hurt so easily if he lost his footing on a mountain path, and he felt he could defend himself even if several ordinary, able-bodied men attacked him.
Above all, unlike the unaging body he had gained by chance, this was something he had achieved himself, after sitting cross-legged every day, reciting the formulas, and failing countless times.
A sense of achievement and satisfaction welled up from deep within his chest.
As he breathed out, he felt as though the turbid qi that had accumulated inside him was leaving with his breath.
Then a terrible stench struck his nose.
“Ugh.”
Yi Hyeon instinctively pinched his nose and looked around the room for the source of the smell before lowering his gaze to his own arms.
Something like blackish-yellow grease was seeping through his skin. The sticky substance was also oozing from his neck, back, and face.
Alarmed, Yi Hyeon hurriedly checked his pulse, but his heart was beating more strongly than before, and nothing seemed wrong with his body. If anything, he felt wonderfully refreshed inside.
Only then did he remember what he had read in 《A Beginner’s Guide to Cultivation》.
It said that upon successfully drawing qi into the body, spiritual qi would cleanse the meridians, expelling some of the turbid qi and impurities that had accumulated within.
When he read it, he had assumed that meant sweating a little. He had never imagined something like rotten mud would pour out of his entire body.
“That smell...”
Beside him, Wang So shifted in bed and wrinkled his nose.
Afraid Wang So would wake up if he stayed, Yi Hyeon quietly climbed out of bed.
Whoosh.
The moment his feet touched the floor, his body shot forward.
“...!”
He had thought he was taking a step with the usual amount of force, but he had nearly sent himself flying. Yi Hyeon hurriedly pressed down with his toes to stop himself, grabbed a spare robe, and quietly left the room.
···
A little way downhill from the outer sect residences was a stream flowing down from the mountain. The sun had yet to rise, and no one was around.
When he took off his robe, the stench grew even worse. The sticky substance clung to his skin like a thin shell.
“This is a bit much...”
Wrinkling his nose, he stepped into the water.
The mountain stream was cold enough to chill his bones. Yet when he stirred a little of the spiritual power in his dantian, warmth spread through his body and drove the cold away.
Yi Hyeon scrubbed himself thoroughly.
The substance dissolved in the water and washed away, but one wash wasn’t enough. Only after repeatedly cleaning away the residue beneath his fingernails and in his hair did his skin finally emerge.
Yi Hyeon ducked his head underwater one last time, then straightened and let out a long breath.
His breath spread through the dawn air as white mist.
His body felt astonishingly refreshed.
It was as though years of fatigue had been drawn out from between his bones and muscles all at once. His vision was clear, and he could hear the water flowing through the valley and even sense animals moving in the distant forest.
Yi Hyeon looked down at his face reflected in the water.
It was still an ordinary face that looked about nineteen. His dull skin had become a little clearer, though, and his eyes held a brighter light than before.
He looked at a stone beside the stream, about the size of his head.
Normally, he would have had to bend down and lift something that size with both hands.
Yi Hyeon carefully gripped the stone with one hand.
It came up so easily.
“Oh?”
Without thinking, he extended his arm upward, raising the stone above his head. It wasn’t weightless, but he didn’t even have to grit his teeth.
He set it down with a thud, leaving a deep dent in the soil beneath it.
Next, he looked up at the steep slope beside the stream. Normally, he would have needed to use his hands to climb it.
Yi Hyeon pushed off with his feet.
His body sprang lightly upward.
Once, twice.
After reaching the top in just a few steps, he looked down at the path he had taken. He wasn’t the slightest bit out of breath. His legs still brimmed with strength.
‘This is fun.’
After coming back down, Yi Hyeon soaked his discarded robe in the water and began scrubbing it, only to discover something surprising. The grime hadn’t soaked into the cloth. Once he submerged it in the flowing water, swished it around, and shook it out, it looked as good as new. Even the dampness soon vanished.
‘Of course! Even the clothes are different in a cultivation sect.’
···
Wang So was still asleep when he returned to the room.
Yi Hyeon lay down on his bed. His body wasn’t tired, but perhaps because he had finally relaxed, he fell asleep soon after closing his eyes.
···
That morning.
“Yi Hyeon.”
“Yes.”
Wang Jin studied him for a moment.
“You succeeded in drawing qi into your body at dawn today.”
Small gasps rose throughout the lecture hall.
Wang So stared at Yi Hyeon, mouth hanging open.
“Yes.”
“The seventh, then... Not bad.”
Wang Jin’s tone was neither particularly praising nor dismissive.
“Spend some time getting used to your body. One fool was so delighted to reach the first level of Qi Refining that they kicked a wall and broke their ankle.”
A few children held back their laughter.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Wang So leaned closer.
“Brother, when did you succeed?”
“At dawn today.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me?”
“You were asleep.”
“You should’ve woken me!”
Even after training ended that day, Wang So kept asking questions.
How much lighter did his body feel? Could he break rocks? What form did spiritual power seem to take? Were there any signs that Wang So might break through soon, too?
After Yi Hyeon answered as best he could, Wang So immediately climbed onto the bed and sat cross-legged.
“I’ll break through before the day is over, too.”
“Don’t push yourself.”
“Don’t worry. I have triple spiritual roots of earth, metal, and water. Triple spiritual roots, just like you, Brother, so I’ll get there soon!”
At dawn a few days later, Wang So finally succeeded in drawing qi into the body.
Yi Hyeon might have offered a little more congratulations if not for the stench of the impurities seeping out of Wang So’s body.
···
Time passed quickly.
Fifty days after they joined the sect, only a handful of people still felt nothing while sitting cross-legged in the lecture hall.
Under Wang Jin’s instructions, those who had already broken through to the first level of Qi Refining repeatedly practiced controlling their spiritual power with the Cheongha Qi-Drawing Art.
They gradually grew used to controlling their strength as well. Yi Hyeon found the process quite enjoyable.
···
On the ninetieth day after joining the sect, Yi Hyeon entered the lecture hall and found that its layout had changed.
A folding screen stood to one side. Behind it, the three people who had yet to reach the first level of Qi Refining sat cross-legged under the guidance of an outer sect disciple.
Their faces were full of anxiety.
There was still some time before the hundred days were up, but watching everyone else move on to the next stage must have been difficult to bear.
Wang Jin walked behind a long table at the front of the lecture hall.
Books were stacked on top of it.
“Starting today, those who have reached the first level of Qi Refining will learn the basic cultivation methods widely used in the outer sect.”
A stir ran through the hall.
“The Cheongha Qi-Drawing Art is a method for drawing qi into the body. It is not suitable for advancing to the second level of Qi Refining or beyond.”
Wang Jin looked around at the disciples.
“You must choose a method with your spiritual roots and your future duties in mind. You can change methods before reaching the third level of Qi Refining, but doing so requires you to disperse most of the spiritual power you have already accumulated. Do not take this lightly.”
Wang Jin picked up the book on the far left.
“The Greenwood Vitality-Nourishing Art. Those with wood spiritual roots can practice it. Its speed of drawing in spiritual qi is ordinary, but its nature is gentle, and it helps injured meridians recover quickly. It also helps you sense the vitality of spirit herbs, making it suitable for anyone who wishes to work at Herbfield Peak.”
Yi Hyeon took some interest.
His reason for choosing Cheongha Valley in the first place had been to learn how to grow spirit herbs.
Wang Jin picked up the next book.
“The Scarlet Flame Art. This is a fire cultivation method. Of the methods I will introduce today, it offers the fastest cultivation speed, and its spiritual power has great explosive force. It is useful for learning fire spells and pill refining. However, its nature is fierce. It can easily burn your meridians, and prolonged practice causes fire toxins to accumulate in your body. I do not recommend it to anyone hotheaded.”
Wang Jin picked up the third book.
“The Thick Earth Art. Earth attribute. Cultivation is slow, but its spiritual power is dense and stable. At the same cultivation stage, it allows you to maintain defensive spells longer than other methods. It is also useful for those who wish to tend spirit fields or learn formations.”
Explanations of the fourth and fifth methods, the 《Metal Edge Art》 and the 《Dark Water Art》, followed.
The Metal Edge Art produced sharp spiritual power with strong offensive abilities, but it also wore away at the practitioner’s meridians. Medicinal herbs were needed regularly to keep the body healthy, making it expensive.
The Dark Water Art produced spiritual power that flowed smoothly and changed freely, making it compatible with many spells. However, using it for long periods caused cold energy to accumulate in the body.
Of the methods introduced so far, Yi Hyeon could choose from the three corresponding to wood, fire, and earth.
The Greenwood Vitality-Nourishing Art was useful for growing spirit herbs, the Scarlet Flame Art suited pill refining, and the Thick Earth Art excelled at tending spirit fields and defense.
None of them seemed like a particularly bad choice.
Then Wang Jin picked up the sixth and final method.
“Last is the Primordial Unity Single-Qi Art. It makes no distinction between attributes, so anyone can practice it, whatever their spiritual roots. The process of taking in spiritual qi corresponding to your roots and refining it into spiritual power is safe, so it also carries the lowest risk of qi deviation.”
Wang Jin paused.
“Its cultivation speed is the slowest.”
Disappointment appeared on faces throughout the hall.
“However, we teach this method to our disciples because it has many advantages. 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 do not match the attributes of your spiritual roots. Their power is somewhat reduced, but this is still a very useful quality. Why might that be?”
After looking around at the disciples, Wang Jin continued.
“Because we often need to use spells of several different attributes. For a simple example, how many spells do you think a spirit plant grower working here at Cheongha Valley needs?”
Wang Jin pointed at Wang So.
“You, answer.”
Caught off guard by the sudden question, Wang So’s eyes widened.
“The spells a spirit plant grower uses?”
“Yes.”
Wang So thought for a moment, counting off on his fingers.
“A spell for watering spirit herbs... and one for making the soil fertile? Wouldn’t that be about it?”
Wang Jin’s eyebrows rose slightly.
“You think that would be enough? Spirit plants are not weeds that grow on their own once you plant them in a field and sprinkle them with water.”
Wang Jin raised their fingers and formed a small hand seal in the air.
A wisp of pale cloud rose above his palm and released a few fine drops of rain.
“First, there is the Spirit Rain Spell. It is a water spell that uses spiritual power to create a small cloud and produce rain infused with spiritual qi. It is needed for growing most spirit herbs.”
As the cloud dispersed, a yellowish light appeared at Wang Jin’s fingertips.
A mound of soil in the corner of the hall turned itself over and loosened. Only the small grass roots and fragments of stone mixed into it were pushed out.
“The earth-aspected Soil-Turning Spell. This is a common spell used to turn over hardened ground, remove stones and weed roots, and ensure that the soil in a spirit field holds spiritual qi evenly.”
Wang Jin snapped their fingers.
A slender silver needle cut through the air.
It pierced a flying insect clinging to a pillar in the hall, then vanished without leaving so much as a mark on the pillar.
“The metal-aspected Seventh-Stem Metal Art. It kills spirit insects without harming the leaves or stems of spirit herbs. Naturally, spirit insects are difficult to kill with fire spells, because most of the time, you will burn the spirit herbs along with them. That makes this spell a basic requirement for spirit plant growers. Though if your control is poor, you will fill your spirit herbs with holes before you hit any insects.”
Several children found themselves turning toward the pillar.
“There is also the wood-aspected Germination Spell. It infuses seeds with vitality to help them sprout.”
Wang Jin lowered their hand.
“These are all just basic spells that spirit plant growers learn. Yet we already need four attributes: water, earth, metal, and wood.”
A boy raised his hand.
“Then couldn’t we assign different spirit plant growers for each attribute? We could have one person provide water and another till the soil.”
“That is one way.”
Wang Jin readily acknowledged the suggestion.
“A great sect with cultivators to spare, one that can assign several specialized spirit plant growers to every field, could certainly do that.”
A trace of bitterness entered Wang Jin’s voice.
“But here at Cheongha Valley, apart from a single Golden Core Ancestor, all our cultivators are at Foundation Establishment or below. Our spirit fields are also of poor quality, so we must grow spirit herbs over a wider area. We have much to do, but limited people and resources. If we had to call a cultivator who knew the Spirit Rain Spell every time the herbs needed watering, summon someone who knew the Soil-Turning Spell whenever weeds needed removing, and search for someone who knew the Seventh-Stem Metal Art whenever spirit insects appeared, how troublesome would managing each field become?”
Wang Jin seemed to want the disciples to choose the Primordial Unity Single-Qi Art. However, after hearing that it had the slowest cultivation speed, their response was lukewarm.
Yi Hyeon turned his gaze toward the spot where the 《Primordial Unity Single-Qi Art》 lay.
‘But does it matter if I cultivate slowly?’
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