WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Dionysus
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◈ Cultivating Underground ◈
Chapter 54
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The lecture hall on Yeonha Peak.
More than twenty disciples sat on their cushions. Apart from a few who had left the sect on outside missions, almost every disciple currently staying on Yeonha Peak was present.
A little later, Dam Un-saeng entered through an inner door. The disciples all rose and bowed.
“Greetings, Master.”
“Sit.”
Dam Un-saeng extended a hand, and a large map unfolded in midair.
“Today, I have something to tell you about the Hwacheon Secret Realm. Since the end of last month, unidentified cultivators have been appearing inside it. At first, only a few spirit plants went missing from the outer areas. But ten days ago, they attacked one of our sect’s spirit fields.”
The lecture hall fell silent.
“The disciples guarding the field were injured and forced to retreat, and many of the spirit plants growing there were taken. We have now withdrawn from two neighboring spirit fields as well.”
Bang Je-un asked, “Were they sent in by another sect?”
“As far as we’ve confirmed, they aren’t from the Gon Kingdom’s cultivation world. Some of the methods they used are rarely seen even in the nearby cultivation kingdoms. And...”
Do Mun-gyeom added, “There’s no sign that they passed through the entrance on our side.”
“You mean there’s another entrance?”
Dam Un-saeng nodded at the disciple’s question.
“That is our judgment. Until now, we thought the Hwacheon Secret Realm had only one realm gate, the one our sect controls. But it seems to have been connected to a cultivation world very far away as well.”
A quiet stir passed through the disciples.
“We also received a recent report that the earth veins inside the secret realm had shifted. We don’t yet know whether that opened the gate on their side, or whether they’ve only now begun using a gate that was already there.”
Dam Un-saeng lightly tapped the map.
“We grow many spirit plants in the Hwacheon Secret Realm. As you know, some of them are difficult to grow outside it. That is because Lesser Yang qi seeps from the realm’s earth veins.”
Dam Un-saeng looked around at the disciples.
“For that reason, our sect cannot give up the Hwacheon Secret Realm. This isn’t simply a matter of losing a few spirit fields. If we lose that place, both the variety and quantity of alchemical pills we can produce will fall.”
Just then, Jeong Eon-su, who was sitting toward the back, raised a hand. An early Foundation Establishment cultivator, Jeong Eon-su had become Dam Un-saeng’s disciple a few years before Yi Hyeon.
“Master, couldn’t the Golden Core elders enter themselves and subdue them?”
Dam Un-saeng shook their head.
“The Hwacheon Secret Realm is a Tier 2 cave-heaven. Golden Core cultivators cannot enter.”
When Jeong Eon-su still looked puzzled, Dam Un-saeng thought for a moment before continuing.
“Some of you have never entered a secret realm, so I should explain that first.”
...
“Planes and celestial realms, worlds and cave-heavens... There are many names for worlds. The places we commonly call secret realms are often a type of cave-heaven space.”
Yi Hyeon listened closely.
“A naturally formed cave-heaven can be considered a small plane. If it grows over a long period, it might develop into a full plane. In that sense, the human realm we live in could also be called an enormous cave-heaven. Each cave-heaven... No, each plane has its own heavenly Dao. The heavenly Dao governs the laws that operate within that world. One of those laws is the highest cultivation realm it can accept.”
“Do you mean cultivators above that limit cannot enter?”
“Correct. The heavenly Dao of the Hwacheon Secret Realm allows entry up to Foundation Establishment. The moment a being who has formed a golden core attempts to pass through the realm gate, the realm’s force rejects them.”
Jeong Eon-su asked again, “Even if they conceal their aura?”
“Hiding one’s strength from the heavenly Dao is extremely difficult. If it were possible, the great immortals of the upper realms could descend to the human realm whenever they pleased. In any case... That is why our Foundation Establishment cultivators must deal with these foreign cultivators. Their side can only send Foundation Establishment cultivators into the secret realm as well, so we should be able to hold our own.”
After a moment’s thought, Dam Un-saeng spoke again.
“Our sect has already requested help from the Byeokra Sect, and they have agreed. The Danso Sect will send around a hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators to the Hwacheon Secret Realm, and the Byeokra Sect will send around fifty. If the situation worsens, we may send in more Foundation Establishment disciples.”
Hearing the numbers made the situation real, and the disciples’ expressions grew serious. Deploying Foundation Establishment cultivators on this scale was no different from going to war.
One disciple asked, “Master, can we trust the Byeokra Sect’s cultivators?”
“The Byeokra Sect’s cultivators are not skilled at alchemy. Besides, our sect supplies them with a considerable quantity of pills made from medicinal ingredients grown in the Hwacheon Secret Realm. They want to protect it just as much as we do.”
A disciple asked cautiously, “Will the alchemists of our Inner Alchemy Court have to go as well?”
“Yes. Our sect has well over ten thousand Qi Refining disciples, but fewer than a thousand Foundation Establishment cultivators. Some of them must handle outside missions as well.”
Dam Un-saeng slowly looked around at the disciples.
“The Danso Sect’s main craft is alchemy. If we exclude everyone in the Inner Alchemy Court, how many cultivators would we have left to send?”
When no one answered, Dam Un-saeng continued.
“Yeonha Peak will send four people. Mun-gyeom will lead them, and three others will go along. I will take volunteers first.”
As silence settled over the lecture hall, Yi Hyeon studied the map of the secret realm floating in the air.
It was a secret realm where Fireheart Orchids, an ingredient for Foundation Establishment Pills, grew. If he examined its soil, water, and the flow of earth qi himself, he might discover things he could never learn from pill formulas and records alone.
‘If I can dig up the source of the Lesser Yang qi... Couldn’t I grow Fireheart Orchids in Underground Hideout No. 3 too?’
Yi Hyeon spoke.
“May this disciple volunteer?”
Do Mun-gyeom turned toward him.
“You, Junior Brother Yi?”
“Yes.”
Dam Un-saeng asked, “Do you have a reason for volunteering?”
“I’m fairly used to combat. I’d like to contribute to the sect. In the past, I served as a resident cultivator in the Anneung Kingdom for thirty years. During that time, I learned martial arts from skilled mortal fighters and exchanged blows with a gu adept from the Geonyang Kingdom.”
Dam Un-saeng looked at Yi Hyeon for a moment.
“Good. That is commendable. I’ll give you one of the places.”
“Thank you, Master.”
A little later, two more disciples volunteered.
...
Once the expedition members had been chosen, an explanation of the preparations followed. They had one month before departure.
The sect would provide basic recovery pills and communication talismans. It would also prepare shared formations to be installed at the camp. Naturally, everyone had to prepare their own magical implements and consumable supplies for combat.
They would receive more contribution points than usual upon completing the mission. Any special achievements would earn additional rewards.
When the explanation was finished, Dam Un-saeng said, “If you have any questions, ask Mun-gyeom. Those staying behind must divide the four departing disciples’ alchemy duties among yourselves, so settle that before you leave as well.”
The disciples clasped their hands.
“Yes, Master.”
...
On the way back to Cheongu Gorge, Yi Hyeon flew slowly among the clouds.
‘The Hwacheon Secret Realm...’
Confidence was part of the reason he had volunteered despite the danger. He felt he could handle any Foundation Establishment cultivator he met.
Of course, a cultivator at Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment might have unexpected methods hidden away.
But even by the most conservative estimate, he had at least twice as much spiritual power as a Foundation Establishment cultivator at Great Perfection. He also had spells and martial arts he had practiced for many years, and he could use Earth-Origin Force. If things went wrong, he was confident he could escape underground.
‘Still, nothing in this world is certain.’
Yi Hyeon looked down at his storage pouch.
He had considered replacing his magical implements after reaching Foundation Establishment. Until now, however, he had put it off because his current equipment had caused him no real trouble.
That had changed.
‘Time to spend some spirit stones.’
* * *
The next day, at the Equipment Hall in the Danso Mountains.
When Yi Hyeon presented his inner sect disciple’s identity token, the Qi Refining disciple at the reception desk bowed politely.
“Senior, what are you looking for?”
“First, can I sell my used magical implements here?”
“Of course. You’ll need to have them appraised first.”
Yi Hyeon was shown into a small hall farther inside. A middle-aged cultivator at early Foundation Establishment was appraising magical implements there.
When Yi Hyeon took out his Force-Dispersing Underarmor, Mountain-Subduing Sword, and the Earthspade Sword he had used long ago, the appraiser picked them up one by one.
“You’ve used these for quite some time.”
The appraiser tapped the Mountain-Subduing Sword’s blade.
Ting.
A clear note briefly rang out.
“The condition isn’t bad. Though it is only a mid-grade magical implement...”
Yi Hyeon did not take out his six bronze flying swords, black iron spear, or Body-Guarding Bell. They were all high-grade magical implements, and he was used to handling them. There was no particular reason to replace them yet.
...
After selling his mid-grade and lower magical implements, Yi Hyeon decided to buy new defensive equipment first.
While looking around the Equipment Hall, he noticed a set of underarmor made from overlapping black scales.
“This is Dark-Scale Underarmor. Its protection is excellent even among high-grade magical implements.”
“How much?”
“Twelve mid-grade spirit stones.”
“I’ll take it.”
Next, he chose a small shield called the Dark Iron Buckler. Normally, it was only the size of a palm, but when supplied with spiritual power, it grew large enough to cover the upper body.
“This is a high-grade magical implement as well. It’s good for blocking attacks from one direction.”
“How much does it cost?”
“Fourteen mid-grade spirit stones.”
Yi Hyeon paid.
...
Then he went to look at swords. The Equipment Hall had separate display areas for longswords and flying swords. The attendant first brought out a blue longsword.
“This is the Windspirit Sword. Its blade is light, and it moves quickly when controlled in flight.”
After examining it briefly, Yi Hyeon shook his head.
“Do you have anything a little longer and sturdier? Preferably something suited to close combat.”
“Then have a look at this.”
The attendant brought out a sword with a broad, thick blade. But after gripping its hilt, Yi Hyeon soon put it down. Despite being a high-grade magical implement, it did not seem capable of accepting much more spiritual power than the Mountain-Subduing Sword.
“Do you have anything better?”
“Even a high-grade magical implement isn’t enough?”
“I’d like something that can take a lot of spiritual power. The blade and its restrictions mustn’t be easily damaged.”
The attendant thought for a moment, then walked toward the back of the display shelves. When they held an identity token against a restriction on the wall, a locked wooden case slid forward.
Click.
The lid opened, revealing a longsword.
Its blade was about one chi longer than an ordinary longsword. Though broad and thick, it narrowed gently toward the tip, keeping it from looking clumsy.
There were no particular decorations on its surface. Only a black line that reflected almost no light ran straight down the center of the blade.
“This is the Dark Palace-Gate Sword. Even among high-grade magical implements, it can withstand an unusually large amount of spiritual power.”
Yi Hyeon gripped the hilt. It was heavy, but he liked its balance.
“The main material is heavy-spirit dark iron. Particular care went into the Adamantine Form-Stabilizing Restriction that keeps the blade strong.”
Yi Hyeon poured primordial unity true qi into it.
Hummm.
When he sent in a little more spiritual power, the black line down the center began to glow faintly. He could feel almost no vibration through the hilt.
‘Not bad.’
Yi Hyeon withdrew his spiritual power.
“How much?”
“Thirty-two mid-grade spirit stones.”
“I’ll take it.”
...
After leaving the Equipment Hall, Yi Hyeon entered the Spirit Talisman Pavilion. An elderly cultivator sitting behind a table rose.
“Greetings, Senior.”
“I’d like to look at some talismans. Before that, can I sell these here?”
Yi Hyeon took several old wooden cases from his storage pouch. Inside were talismans he had obtained as spoils long ago, sorted by type.
All of them had lost spiritual power over the years.
Of course, Yi Hyeon could still activate them by forcing spiritual power into them. But their age made their strength inconsistent, so he could hardly rely on them in an emergency.
The elderly cultivator picked up a talisman and held it to the light. Red talisman inscriptions remained on its yellowed surface.
“This is very old.”
“It is.”
“But the talisman paper was made from good materials. Some of those should be worth recovering.”
The elderly cultivator set aside the talismans whose materials could be recovered. The rest could be sold to talisman crafters studying inscriptions, but would not fetch much.
After selling them all, Yi Hyeon examined the new talismans.
He chose talismans that protected the body, blinded opponents with brilliant light, covered the surroundings in thick fog, and more. Most were Tier 2 talismans.
Even as the elderly cultivator sorted them by purpose and placed them in small jade cases, Yi Hyeon picked out several more. As the cases began to pile up on the table, the elderly cultivator spoke.
“Senior, this defensive talisman serves much the same purpose as the one you chose earlier.”
“I know.”
“Do you intend to activate them together?”
“When the first talisman wears off, I’ll need to use the next one, won’t I?”
The elderly cultivator was briefly taken aback.
‘Is this person planning to start a war?’
...
After purchasing enough talismans, Yi Hyeon also visited a shop selling alchemical pills.
The pills supplied by the sect might be enough, but he decided to buy a few extra recovery and poison-expelling pills.
...
After buying the pills, he decided to get a defensive formation as his final purchase.
The Formation Implements Pavilion, on the western side of Danso Immortal City.
Inside, every shelf held wooden cases containing formation disks and formation flags. Some contained only four flags, while others held dozens. The disks also came in all shapes: round, square, and even divided into several pieces.
Yi Hyeon explained what he wanted to the cultivator attending the table.
“I’m looking for a defensive formation that’s easy to move and can be deployed in an emergency.”
“It isn’t for a cave abode?”
“I intend to use it outdoors.”
“In that case, one powered by spirit stones would be better.”
The cultivator brought out several wooden cases. One caught Yi Hyeon’s eye. It contained a deep yellow formation disk and nine small formation flags.
Patterns resembling flowing sand were carved into the disk, while the flags were embroidered with designs like winding mountain ranges.
“This is the Nine-Bend Dust-Sand Formation. A middle-grade Tier 2 formation.”
When the cultivator set the nine flags on a demonstration disk, faint yellow light connected them.
Whoooo.
A palm-sized cloud of sand rose. Inside it, layer upon layer of winding curtains blurred the view of its center.
“The sand gathered within the formation creates several layers of barriers. Even if an attack breaks through one layer, it will be caught by the next. The sand flows constantly, so damaged areas are gradually repaired with power from the spirit stones.”
The cultivator shot a thin ray of light from a fingertip.
Tap.
The edge of the sand cloud briefly caved in, then filled out again.
“Of course, it can’t withstand continuous powerful attacks. The more it’s attacked, the faster it consumes spirit stones.”
“How long does it take to deploy?”
“Only a few breaths, provided the flags are placed correctly. But you won’t manage that right away. It takes practice.”
The cultivator opened a thin book. Diagrams showed the spacing and directions in which the flags should be placed.
“How much?”
“Eighteen mid-grade spirit stones.”
Yi Hyeon considered it briefly, then nodded.
“I’ll take this one.”
While buying the Nine-Bend Dust-Sand Formation, Yi Hyeon took the opportunity to ask the cultivator a few questions about formations.
Strictly speaking, formation disks and formation flags were also magical implements.
In the ancient age, formations had not been used this way. Normally, a formation master with deep knowledge of the subject would inspect the terrain and carve formation inscriptions to establish a formation.
But formations were so difficult that, after long research, cultivators had developed a way to place them within magical implements for deployment.
This offered many conveniences. Even cultivators who knew little about formations could deploy them. As formations became more widespread, formation masters could also earn more spirit stones.
Yi Hyeon knew some basic formation inscriptions, but he could not yet dream of understanding and deploying a formation himself. Formations were practically an entire field of scholarship, and studying them was terribly dull and no fun at all.
‘Buying one is definitely easier.’
He examined the disk again. Lines extending from the spirit stone slots split and joined repeatedly, connecting to patterns in the center and around the edges.
‘Hmm...’
The restrictions carved into magical implements, the inscriptions on talismans, and the formation inscriptions on formation disks had certain similarities in shape. They also seemed alike in how they directed spiritual power along set paths and made it act under certain conditions.
‘They’re like the circuits from my past life. They decide where power flows and produce the desired response.’
He had heard there was also a craft called puppet arts. Puppets that moved on their own and followed simple orders presumably had their movements determined by formation inscriptions and restrictions carved inside them.
‘Maybe I don’t need to study all these fields separately. Puppets, formations, artifact refining, and talisman crafting might have some things in common... It wouldn’t hurt to study them a little at a time if I get bored later.’
* * *
Cheongu Gorge.
Yi Hyeon took out his remaining spirit stones and placed them on the table.
Clatter.
After buying new magical implements, a formation, talismans, and emergency pills, he had around twenty mid-grade spirit stones left. He had spent most of the spirit stones he owned.
But his greatest asset was the spirit fields in Underground Hideout No. 3 anyway.
‘If I need spirit stones, I can just sell a few plants.’
He put the spirit stones away and took out the Dark Palace-Gate Sword. It was time to ritually refine the magical implements he had bought.
Yi Hyeon finished refining them all in a few days.
The ritual refinement itself was not difficult. Still, he would need more time to handle them as naturally as the bronze flying swords and black iron spear that had accompanied him for centuries.
He also learned how to place and retrieve the Nine-Bend Dust-Sand Formation’s flags.
...
Before departure, he visited Underground Hideout No. 3 to fill the water tanks and check the watering system again. There was nothing wrong with the Jade-Condensing Grass he had planted relatively recently.
The Ringless Divine Tree was still growing, though only very slowly.
Chirp! Chirp, chirp!
The Fuzzbees circled him.
Yi Hyeon put some of them into his spirit insect pouch, including the three that had broken through to Tier 2.
“We might be going somewhere rather far away this time.”
Chirp.
They did not seem particularly interested.
After ordering the remaining Fuzzbees to guard the spirit fields, Yi Hyeon looked around the hideout once more, then sank into the wall.
By the time he returned to the sect, only a few days remained before the expedition left for the secret realm.
* * *
The day of departure.
A deep gorge in the northern Danso Mountains.
Tall, thick stone pillars stood along the cliffs on both sides. Formation light linked the pillars, enclosing the inner gorge in layer after layer.
Beyond them, a long vertical crack split an enormous rock face. Pale red light rippled slowly within it. This was the realm gate to the Hwacheon Secret Realm.
Around a hundred and fifty Foundation Establishment cultivators had gathered on a broad stone platform. More wore the robes of the Danso Sect, while the Byeokra Sect cultivators had gathered separately to check their numbers and supplies.
Their appearances varied greatly. Some carried high-grade magical implements on their backs, while others stood empty-handed with their arms folded. All around, people called each other’s names in greeting.
‘This is the first time I’ve seen so many Foundation Establishment cultivators together.’
Yi Hyeon stood on one side of the platform with his fellow disciples from Yeonha Peak.
A little later, a deep bell rang from the front of the gorge.
Dong.
As the cultivators’ voices faded, the three Golden Core elders standing before the realm gate each raised a jade token and chanted a complex incantation.
Hummmmm.
The stone pillars surrounding the gorge lit up one after another. The red light flowing from the crack in the rock gradually widened, and at its center, unfamiliar mountains and forests came faintly into view.
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