WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Dionysus
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Cultivating Underground ◈
Chapter 53
──────
Three days later.
The Pill Formula Pavilion of the Inner Alchemy Court.
Yi Hyeon slowly studied the list of inheritances on the wall.
The Pill Formula Pavilion was much smaller than the Inner Pavilion of the Scripture Repository. Instead, its lists were divided by the grade and effects of the alchemical pills, with the qualifications needed to consult each formula written beside them.
His gaze stopped on one wooden plaque.
「Foundation Establishment Pill.
Tier 2 pill formula.
Available only to alchemists of Tier 2 or above recognized by this sect.
240 contribution points.
Unauthorized transmission prohibited.」
‘It really is here.’
Yi Hyeon handed his identity token to the cultivator in charge.
“I’d like to consult the Foundation Establishment Pill formula.”
The attendant placed his identity token on a formation disk. A three-layered flame pattern lit up, and Yi Hyeon’s affiliation and alchemist qualifications appeared in the air.
“So you’re Fellow Cultivator Yi Dong-sam of Yeonha Peak. You haven’t held your Tier 2 alchemist qualification for long, have you?”
“That’s right.”
“You’re qualified to consult it. But reading the formula is no guarantee that you’ll be entrusted with refining the pills.”
“I understand.”
The attendant deducted the contribution points from his identity token, then pointed to a small stone chamber farther inside.
“Go to the third inheritance chamber.”
...
Clank.
The stone door closed.
Yi Hyeon picked up the jade slip on the stone platform and pressed it to his forehead.
「Foundation Establishment Pill formula for one furnace batch.
All ages listed below refer to medicinal age.
Spirit-Storing Ginseng, 250 to 470 years: one root.
Jade-Condensing Grass, 230 to 460 years: one plant.
Fireheart Orchid, 220 to 430 years: one plant.
Twenty-six additional supporting ingredients...」
There were three principal ingredients, followed by a list of twenty-six supporting ingredients.
‘Spirit-Storing Ginseng?’
Yi Hyeon’s attention caught on the familiar name.
He first examined the description of the Spirit-Storing Ginseng in detail.
Foundation Establishment Pills required Spirit-Storing Ginseng with a medicinal age of more than 250 years. The roots needed to be much older than those used in Barrier-Breaking Pills, but they were not a different variety.
‘Spirit Field No. 2-1 through No. 2-5 are all planted with Spirit-Storing Ginseng!’
Pleased, Yi Hyeon checked the remaining ingredients one by one.
There were many supporting ingredients, but they were all commonly traded spirit plants. Rather than growing them himself, he could simply buy them at a cultivator market.
The problem lay with the three principal ingredients.
First, Spirit-Storing Ginseng was an ingredient that required the entire root. Fortunately, he already had plenty of usable plants in his spirit fields.
Jade-Condensing Grass was a spirit plant that formed a jade-colored bulb underground. As its medicinal age increased, medicinal potency gathered inside the bulb. Alchemy required a whole plant with its bulb and roots intact.
In other words, every furnace batch would consume an entire Spirit-Storing Ginseng root and a whole Jade-Condensing Grass plant, both grown for hundreds of years.
The sect also cultivated Jade-Condensing Grass in its spirit fields, but it took a long time to develop sufficient medicinal potency.
‘I can get some seeds and plant this too.’
Fireheart Orchid was different.
This spirit plant developed fine red lines on the insides of its petals, and the medicinal potency needed for Foundation Establishment Pills formed in those lines. However, that potency could only develop by absorbing the earth qi found in a particular secret realm.
There had been successful attempts to transplant mother plants outside and keep them alive. Yet no matter how long they were grown, they could never gain the same medicinal potency as plants raised within the secret realm. The Danso Sect supplied its needs for Foundation Establishment Pill refining by harvesting mature Fireheart Orchids, roots and all, from a secret realm it owned called the Hwacheon Secret Realm. Its yield, however, was very small.
‘So this is what Senior Brother Bang meant.’
After memorizing all the relevant information, Yi Hyeon examined the refining process.
It covered everything from preparing the ingredients to removing toxins and refining, combining the ingredients and condensing the pills, and finally the gentle warming just before completion.
He could more or less understand the early steps. But once the process involved more ingredients and handling several medicinal properties at once, he keenly felt the difference between reading the words and actually carrying them out.
According to the formula, even while adjusting the heat for one ingredient, the conditions of the others continued to change. A small difference in an earlier step affected both the distribution of medicinal strength and the intensity of heat needed in the next.
‘The difficulty is on a completely different level from any formula I’ve seen before...’
For now, Yi Hyeon focused on committing the contents accurately to memory. His memory surpassed that of ordinary people, but the formula was both complex and lengthy.
...
After leaving the inheritance chamber, Yi Hyeon did not immediately leave the Pill Formula Pavilion. Instead, he examined the lists again, looking for formulas that used familiar spirit plants.
Normally, he would have had no way of knowing which formulas used a given ingredient, but he had a few clues.
The Tier 2 Bone-Tempering Powder formula caught his eye first. He already knew it used the Bone-Rotting Flowers growing in his spirit fields, so it was well worth consulting.
Next was a Tier 2 Poison-Warding Pill formula. He knew that this also used one of the spirit plants he had grown, Purple Poison Orchid, so he decided to consult it as well.
The last formula he searched for was the Spirit-Calming Pill. Long ago, Senior Brother No Baek-san of Cheongha Valley had told him that Yin Soul Grass was an ingredient in Spirit-Calming Pills.
But there was no formula by that name in this Pill Formula Pavilion.
Yin Soul Grass might be used in other formulas, but he could not spend contribution points blindly consulting them all.
‘The Tier 2 Bone-Tempering Powder and Tier 2 Poison-Warding Pill formulas are already a good enough haul.’
Yi Hyeon consulted the two formulas in turn. They cost far fewer contribution points than the Foundation Establishment Pill formula, so they were not much of a burden.
...
A few days later.
Danso Immortal City.
In this city, which was effectively the Danso Sect’s cultivator market, stood a building called Spirit Materials Hall.
Flowerpots of various sizes and wooden boxes lined the space in front. Each box held a wooden label stating the variety, medicinal age, and suitable growing conditions.
Yi Hyeon slowly looked around inside. He intended to buy seeds or young seedlings of some of the spirit plants used in the formulas he had recently consulted, including the Foundation Establishment Pill formula.
He did not plan to grow every spirit plant required by his new formulas.
For some varieties, growing them beyond the age required by the formula offered little extra benefit. There was no real advantage to raising those in his own spirit fields.
Increasing the number of varieties too much would only make the fields harder to manage.
Matching medicinal ages for each harvest, replanting, and separately storing the necessary parts were all surprisingly bothersome. Now that he was not short of spirit stones, there was no reason to take on that trouble.
Yi Hyeon crossed most of the varieties off his mental list.
‘I’ll only plant the ones that become more valuable with age.’
He approached a cultivator in the late Qi Refining stage tending a table farther inside.
“I’d like some Jade-Condensing Grass seeds.”
“Please take a look.”
The cultivator brought out a thin wooden box with seeds neatly arranged inside.
Yi Hyeon examined the vitality of each seed.
“I hear the older bulbs only fetch their full price if they’re undamaged. Is there anything I should watch out for when growing them?”
“Jade-Condensing Grass isn’t difficult to grow. Keep the soil from drying out, but don’t let water collect and rot the bulbs. Leave plenty of room for the roots to spread, and avoid moving the plants after planting them if possible.”
“Would they still be useful if grown for more than five hundred years?”
“My apologies. This humble junior doesn’t know that much. But considering the nature of Jade-Condensing Grass, a plant grown for more than five hundred years may become a third-rank spirit plant.”
When Yi Hyeon nodded, the cultivator cautiously added,
“Senior, are you aware that Jade-Condensing Grass with a low medicinal age isn’t particularly useful? It’s a variety that needs a long time to show its worth.”
“Don’t worry. I know what I’m buying.”
“In that case... each seed costs three low-grade spirit stones.”
“That’s not cheap for a seed.”
“For some reason, demand is quite high.”
For now, Yi Hyeon paid ninety low-grade spirit stones for thirty Jade-Condensing Grass seeds. The sum was almost nothing to him.
* * *
Ten days later.
Underground Hideout No. 3.
Bzzz, bzzz, bzzz.
As Yi Hyeon entered the cavern, golden balls of fluff flew toward him from every direction.
“Yes, yes. Have you been well?”
Squeak! Squeak, squeak!
Some landed on his shoulders, while others clung to the hem of his robe.
The three with particularly strong auras naturally claimed his head and the backs of his hands. When the other Fuzzbees came near, they even raised their short front legs to push them away.
These were the ones that had broken through to become second-tier spirit insects.
Yi Hyeon raised the Fuzzbee resting on the back of his hand to eye level.
Its spiritual power flowed much more steadily than before. When it had first broken through, only the energy inside its body had grown stronger. Now, that strength seemed to flow naturally all the way into its wings and short legs.
“You’re second-tier spirit insects now... What are you good at besides eating and sleeping?”
Squeak!
The Fuzzbee raised its antennae stiffly.
“Don’t take offense. Let’s have a look.”
Yi Hyeon pointed at a stone pillar on the other side of the cavern and sent a simple command through the Spirit-Nurturing Seal.
Go to the stone pillar and come back.
Bzz!
The golden light on the back of his hand vanished.
By the time the delayed buzz of its wings brushed his ears, the Fuzzbee was already rounding the pillar on the other side.
“Oh...”
Before Yi Hyeon could even hold out his hand, it landed on his head.
Squeak, squeak!
The other two immediately took flight.
Three streaks of golden light crossed the cavern. They turned sharply between the pillars and passed through a crack near the ceiling, then circled Yi Hyeon as though competing to get ahead.
He focused his spiritual sense on their movements.
Even when they stopped suddenly or changed direction at high speed, their bodies barely wobbled.
“A cultivator in the Qi Refining stage wouldn’t even be able to get a proper look at you.”
Squeak!
The first Fuzzbee to return rubbed its front legs together on Yi Hyeon’s finger. The other two settled beside it and waved their antennae.
Somehow, they looked rather proud of themselves.
...
After inspecting the water tanks and existing spirit fields, Yi Hyeon looked for a place to prepare a new field.
Jade-Condensing Grass needed shade and soil that did not dry out easily. As long as the bulbs did not sit in water, it should be easy enough to manage with properly laid water channels.
‘Somewhere near Spirit Field No. 3-1 should do.’
As Yi Hyeon walked along a familiar passage, he noticed a wooden plaque fixed to the wall.
「Spirit Field No. 3-1」
This was where he had planted the Ringless Divine Tree.
He glanced inside without much thought, then suddenly stopped.
“Huh?”
Something had risen above the black soil.
A slender, dark blue-green stem stood upright. At its tip, two seed leaves smaller than a fingernail had opened, facing each other.
Yi Hyeon hurried over, crouched down, and cast the Qi-Observing Spell.
Faint vitality ran from the two seed leaves down the stem and into the soil. At the end of that trail, the seed coat that had remained closed for so long had split in two.
“It sprouted...?”
It really had.
Yi Hyeon took the spirit field ledger from his storage pouch and placed a finger on the page recording the sowing date.
‘It’s already been about forty-one years.’
Whenever he visited the hideout, he had only checked that the seed still had vitality. With no visible changes, he had not held out much hope.
But it had finally sprouted!
Yi Hyeon reached out to touch the soil beside the stem, then stopped.
‘Let’s not disturb it for no reason.’
Below the sowing record, he wrote today’s date.
「Germination confirmed.」
After looking at it for a moment, he added another line.
「Two seed leaves.」
“Haha.”
He could not help laughing.
Yi Hyeon sat there for a while, gazing at the tiny sprout.
Bzzz.
A Fuzzbee took off from his shoulder and hovered near the seed leaves.
“You need to take good care of this little friend. Don’t let any spirit insects touch it.”
Squeak!
...
Yi Hyeon shaped a cavern near Spirit Field No. 3-1 into Spirit Field No. 3-2, where he would grow the Jade-Condensing Grass.
Following the instructions he had received at Spirit Materials Hall, he tilled the soil deeply and dug shallow water channels along the edges. He also made a separate drainage channel for excess water.
Leaving plenty of room for the bulbs and roots to grow, he planted the thirty Jade-Condensing Grass seeds one by one.
Next, he connected bamboo pipes leading from the existing water supply tank on the upper level. He also installed basic formation inscriptions to sense the water qi in the soil, along with water-drawing formation inscriptions at the tank.
‘I’ll have to experiment a little to work out the watering schedule...’
For now, he set the new field’s watering schedule to roughly match the others and added an entry to the ledger. As he traveled back and forth to Underground Hideout No. 3 and gathered more records, he would be able to determine the right watering method.
「Spirit Field No. 3-2」
Once the wooden plaque was in place, his work was done.
* * *
One year later.
A rumor spread that Dam Un-saeng would personally refine Foundation Establishment Pills on Yeonha Peak.
Yi Hyeon heard the news while preparing ingredients in the communal alchemy hall. That evening, Eldest Senior Brother Do Mun-gyeom visited Cheongu Gorge.
“Junior Brother Yi, have you ever consulted the Foundation Establishment Pill formula?”
“I read it last year.”
“Good. Master is looking for disciples to assist.”
Yi Hyeon raised his head.
“May I take part?”
“We need people to inspect and prepare the ingredients. I told Master that you could be trusted with that much. I haven’t mentioned it before, but I’ve watched you work in the communal alchemy hall a few times. I’ve never seen another junior brother as steady and skilled as you. It’s like watching an experienced alchemist...”
“Haha... Thank you.”
“In fact, only disciples confirmed to have consulted the Foundation Establishment Pill formula may assist or observe. We’ll check the Pill Formula Pavilion’s records tomorrow, so bring your identity token.”
A disciple had to pay contribution points to consult a formula officially. The contribution points disciples spent were an important source of income for the sect, and that income was directly tied to the shares received by its Golden Core elders. For that reason, passing an inheritance to a disciple who had not consulted it was forbidden, even under the pretext of helping with alchemy.
Of course, inheritances the sect did not possess were another matter. For example, the Fire-Dividing Thread Spell Yi Hyeon had received earlier was not in the Danso Sect’s Scripture Repository. Dam Un-saeng had acquired it privately.
Yi Hyeon nodded.
“I’ll be ready.”
...
The next day.
An alchemy chamber deep within Yeonha Peak.
When Yi Hyeon arrived, Do Mun-gyeom and several other senior brothers and sisters were already examining the ingredients.
A purple pill furnace taller than a person stood in the center. Beneath its three legs were formation inscriptions that drew up earthfire. Clear water flowed slowly through narrow grooves running across the floor.
Do Mun-gyeom handed Yi Hyeon two jade trays.
“Junior Brother Yi, take care of these supporting ingredients. First check for any hidden damage or loss of medicinal potency. If there’s nothing wrong, prepare them in the marked quantities.”
“Understood.”
Yi Hyeon examined the supporting ingredients on the trays with the Qi-Observing Spell. He had handled them before, and they had been stored well.
He took out a slender knife, and his hands moved without hesitation.
Scrape. Scrape.
He neatly removed the soil on the surface and the damaged fine roots.
While he prepared the ingredients, the other disciples finished their own tasks. Do Mun-gyeom repeatedly checked the three principal ingredients, while Bang Je-un inspected the connection between the pill furnace and the earthfire formation.
Before Do Mun-gyeom lay a thick Spirit-Storing Ginseng root, a Jade-Condensing Grass plant with its jade-colored bulb, and a Fireheart Orchid with clear red lines. It was Yi Hyeon’s first time seeing a real Fireheart Orchid, so his gaze lingered on it briefly.
“Is everything ready?”
“Yes, Master.”
Dam Un-saeng examined the ingredients divided among the trays, then paused before the supporting ingredients Yi Hyeon had prepared. Holding one thin slice up to the light, the master spoke with interest.
“Oh? Our youngest is very good at preparing ingredients. I didn’t expect that.”
“Thank you.”
Dam Un-saeng sat before the pill furnace.
“Once I begin refining, don’t send your spiritual sense inside the furnace without my permission. You may observe the flow from outside.”
“We’ll remember.”
Dam Un-saeng raised a hand lightly.
Hummm.
The formation inscriptions on the floor lit up in sequence.
Earthfire rose from the fire vent and wrapped around the bottom of the furnace. Red light climbed its legs, revealing the patterns engraved on its surface one by one.
Clank.
The lid opened and stopped in midair.
With a movement of Dam Un-saeng’s fingers, the ingredients flew from the jade trays into the furnace in a set order.
Then it happened.
Fwoosh.
The flames inside the furnace divided into fine threads.
‘The Fire-Dividing Thread Spell.’
Yi Hyeon had learned it too.
Of course, the fire threads Dam Un-saeng controlled were incomparably more precise than his own. Yi Hyeon might have lived a long time, but he had only learned this spell recently.
Dam Un-saeng’s Fire-Dividing Thread Spell was so marvelous that it was a pleasure to watch.
A barely visible thread of fire passed beside one burning brightly. They crossed so closely that they almost seemed to touch, yet the flames neither merged nor wavered.
Novice alchemists mainly refined pills by heating the bottom of the furnace. At Dam Un-saeng’s level, however, it seemed they sometimes worked the fire directly in the furnace’s upper portion.
Sss.
One of the first ingredients to enter crumbled.
Its impurities were pushed toward the furnace wall, while the refined medicinal strength gathered in one place like a clear liquid.
Without delay, Dam Un-saeng handled the other ingredients in turn. As more ingredients entered, the flow grew so complex that merely watching it was dizzying. The master’s fingers also moved too quickly to follow.
Just before medicinal liquids with different properties merged, some of the churning liquid would turn clear for a fleeting instant.
Ssss.
The rippling surfaces soon settled.
‘Even measuring it in seconds wouldn’t be precise enough...’
Dozens of ingredients constantly mixed and separated, tracing dazzling paths. Yet through it all, the flow never broke even once.
‘This is seriously difficult...’
Yi Hyeon was busy enough simply following the steps written in the formula.
He had certainly worked hard at refining Barrier-Breaking Pills once. But he had only made easy alchemical pills as he needed them, so the level of alchemy Dam Un-saeng displayed came as a tremendous shock.
...
Two shichen later.
The medicinal properties of the three principal ingredients and the supporting ingredients finally joined as one.
The medicinal strength gathered inside the furnace was dense and heavy. Even after forming a single mass, different colors continued to cross within it.
Dam Un-saeng formed hand seals with both hands.
Hummmmm.
The combined medicinal strength divided into five portions.
The flames surrounding each portion rotated in circles. When Yi Hyeon concentrated, he saw subtle differences in the movements of the five sets of flames. Dam Un-saeng was adjusting each one to suit the condition of the alchemical pill being condensed.
Once the rotation of the medicinal strength stabilized, the lid floating in the air slowly descended.
Clank.
The furnace closed.
They could no longer see inside, but Dam Un-saeng’s hands did not stop as the gentle warming continued. Yi Hyeon tried to take in every small change.
...
How much time had passed?
The flow of spiritual power inside the furnace suddenly began to surge violently.
At that moment, Dam Un-saeng flicked a finger, and the lid opened.
Flash!
Dazzling light burst from the furnace.
It faded in an instant, but in that fleeting, mysterious light, Yi Hyeon felt as though he had glimpsed some profound mystery.
Soon, five ivory-colored alchemical pills flew out and settled on a jade tray.
Yi Hyeon’s eyes fixed on them.
Blue pill patterns marked their surfaces. Their medicinal fragrance was faint, but the medicinal strength condensed within them was anything but weak.
He did not yet know exactly what level was required to form patterns on an alchemical pill’s surface. But one thing was certain: these were fully formed Foundation Establishment Pills.
After checking each alchemical pill, Dam Un-saeng handed them to Do Mun-gyeom.
“Have them undergo pill inspection, then deliver them to the Pill Storehouse.”
“Yes.”
While Do Mun-gyeom prepared the seals, Dam Un-saeng turned to the disciples.
“If you have any questions, ask.”
The words had barely left the master’s mouth before Yi Hyeon and several other disciples began pouring out questions.
...
That night.
After returning to Cheongu Gorge, Yi Hyeon sat at the table instead of going straight to bed.
He took out blank sheets of paper and wrote down everything he had seen that day. Yet the more he organized his notes, the more keenly he realized that he had understood less than half of Dam Un-saeng’s techniques.
“Hmm...”
Yi Hyeon made a few marks on the paper.
‘I’ll have to ask at the next lecture!’
...
After that, Yi Hyeon took every opportunity to assist with alchemy, observing and recording each movement of Dam Un-saeng’s hands.
...
Yi Hyeon also chose a combat spell from the Scripture Repository’s Inner Pavilion.
《Essence-Condensing Grasping Hand》
It resembled a spell used by one of the two Foundation Establishment alliance elders he had fought on Jeogyo Island, an island belonging to the Azure Tide Merchant Alliance in the southern Ram Kingdom.
The spell shaped a Foundation Establishment cultivator’s concentrated spiritual power into a giant hand. Since it formed the hand from spiritual power alone without relying on a separate magical implement, it seemed highly versatile.
...
The years continued to pass.
After sprouting, the Jade-Condensing Grass in the hideout gradually grew more leaves. A few years later, small bulbs began to form beneath the soil. Still, the plants needed much more time before they would develop medicinal potency suitable for Foundation Establishment Pills.
The Ringless Divine Tree was especially slow.
The following year, and the year after that, its changes were so slight that he could only just make them out by comparing it with his ledger.
Whenever Yi Hyeon visited the hideout, he inspected the spirit fields and Fuzzbees, filled the water tanks, and lingered briefly before the Ringless Divine Tree before returning.
* * *
In the tenth year after his successful Foundation Establishment.
The cultivation chamber in Cheongu Gorge.
Hummmmm.
Spiritual qi gathered through the Spirit-Gathering Formation and seeped into Yi Hyeon’s body.
Whoooosh.
The flow beneath his Sea of Qi acupoint made one great turn.
The liquid true essence filling his lower dantian settled more heavily, and spiritual pressure surged upward. Unable to withstand that force, a blocking layer was pushed aside from within.
Thump.
The hem of Yi Hyeon’s robe stirred lightly.
A little later, he slowly opened his eyes.
“I did it!”
He had reached the second layer of Foundation Establishment.
To be precise, his lower dantian had reached the second layer of Foundation Establishment. He still had to bring the remaining regions of his body into Foundation Establishment.
Yi Hyeon took a wooden board from his storage pouch.
【Age: 1,450】
【Realm: Foundation Establishment, Layer 2 (Lower Dantian)】
【Spiritual Power: 1,376 → 1,396】
He nodded as he looked at the newly carved words.
“Hehe.”
...
A few days later.
A red paper crane appeared before the waterfall in Cheongu Gorge.
It circled the edge of the Cloud-Barrier Abode-Guarding Formation, then unfolded on its own, turning into a Voice Transmission Talisman and attaching itself to the formation’s curtain.
“Hm?”
Sensing the disturbance in the formation, Yi Hyeon beckoned, and the Voice Transmission Talisman flew inside. When he unfolded it, Eldest Senior Brother Do Mun-gyeom’s voice rang out.
[Master has issued a summons. All his disciples are to come to Yeonha Peak.]
‘What’s going on...?’
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
