WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Dionysus
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Cultivating Underground ◈
Chapter 64
──────
Yi Hyeon withdrew his spiritual sense from the jade slip.
“When do we leave?”
“We’re planning to leave in ten days. Finish up your duties and make your preparations before then.”
Song Gye-myeong pointed to the jade slip.
“It isn’t written here, but the Outer Alchemy Court will assign six Qi Refining disciples to work under you. Most are familiar with alchemy and preparing medicinal ingredients, so you shouldn’t have much trouble working there. Formation masters, talisman crafters, and artifact refiners from the other peaks have already gone ahead.”
“Will you be staying the whole time as well, Eldest Senior Brother?”
“I plan to stay with you for about the first month. Once we’ve prepared the living quarters and alchemy chambers and coordinated our work with the local cultivators, I’ll have to return.”
...
Back at Cheongu Gorge, Yi Hyeon examined the jade slip containing the assignment details again.
Haemun Port was about sixty thousand li west-northwest of the Danso Mountains. It didn’t look very far away on the map, but traveling there and back would take quite some time.
‘It’s not far from Underground Hideout No. 3, so that’s good. It should be convenient for Two Heavens Society business, too. But...’
He took the Danso Sect identity token bearing the name Yi Dong-sam from his storage pouch.
He had passed the Special Skills Selection as a thirty-five-year-old independent cultivator at the eighth layer of Qi Refining, then received a Foundation Establishment Pill and broken through at seventy-seven. Now he was posing as a 117-year-old cultivator at the middle Foundation Establishment stage.
Considering a Foundation Establishment cultivator’s lifespan, there would be nothing strange about his staying for another hundred years or so.
Still, he didn’t know whether simply making himself look older would be enough.
Even if he disguised his appearance with a few disguise techniques, someone close to him might find it strange if his vitality and physical condition remained unchanged while his fellow disciples grew frail with age.
‘I’d better stay for no more than another fifty years or so.’
There were reasons he was reluctant to leave right away.
His master knew a great deal and put real effort into teaching. His fellow disciples were decent people, and once he finished his regular duties, he was generally free to do as he pleased.
Finding another place like this would be a task in itself.
Still, he had obtained the formulas for the Foundation Establishment Pill, Origin-Opening Pill, and Profound-Passage Pill, along with seeds and seedlings for their key ingredients. Unlike before, he wouldn’t be at a loss over where to find the things he needed for cultivation the moment he left the sect.
‘Demonic beasts... The situation seems suspicious. I might not come back from this outside assignment, so I should spend my contribution points before I go.’
Over the past fifteen years, Yi Hyeon had continued his regular alchemy and support duties while occasionally taking extra commissions. As a result, he had accumulated a fair number of contribution points.
Thinking about what he should obtain with them, he rose from his seat.
...
The Inner Pavilion of the Scripture Repository.
While looking through the list of inheritances, Yi Hyeon stopped in front of a jade slip.
《Primordial Unity Single-Qi Art》, Golden Core Section
Reading it required 320 contribution points.
‘So they do have it.’
Amusingly, the Primordial Unity Single-Qi Art wasn’t classified as a cultivation art. Instead, it was kept with inheritances covering various technical arts.
Primordial unity true qi had few limitations when changing its properties, so some of the art’s spoken incantations and principles were used in formations, talisman crafting, and other disciplines.
It wasn’t an inheritance the sect held exclusively, and hardly anyone wanted to cultivate it. As a result, its reading fee was low for a Golden Core cultivation art.
Yi Hyeon handed his identity token to the cultivator in charge.
“I’d like to read this.”
...
Inside the inheritance chamber.
Yi Hyeon pressed the jade slip to his forehead.
The opening portion contained instructions for gathering and containing the true essence of a cultivator at Foundation Establishment Great Perfection, then bringing one’s essence, qi, and spirit into balance before core formation. After that came the spoken incantations for forming a golden core, followed by methods of cultivation after forming one.
The final part contained extensive material on the Primordial Unity Body. Unlike the Foundation Establishment Section, however, it was so difficult that understanding it on the spot was nearly impossible. Reading the annotations would make him feel as though he understood a little, only for the next passage to leave him stuck again.
‘I should memorize it accurately for now, then record it in a blank jade slip once I leave.’
Yi Hyeon calmly committed even the passages he couldn’t understand to memory.
...
After leaving the inheritance chamber, Yi Hyeon looked through the list of technical inheritances again.
This time, he chose an inheritance titled 《Record of Marine Demonic Beast Materials》.
It described how to identify and prepare venom sacs, bile, bones, shells, and other materials obtained from demonic beasts of the sea.
The reading fee was only thirty contribution points.
Next, Yi Hyeon examined the formation inheritances.
The spirit fields in Underground Hideout No. 3 were still expanding. The spirit plants’ medicinal ages were also increasing, so he felt a little uneasy relying only on the fact that they were hidden deep underground.
Nothing had happened so far, but there was no guarantee that would remain true.
His gaze settled on one entry.
《Spirit-Concealing Formation (藏靈陣)》
It was a Tier 2 formation used to hide underground cultivation cave abodes.
Yi Hyeon read the description beneath it.
It could suppress spiritual power fluctuations leaking from a dwelling and specialized in concealing the formation’s own aura among the surrounding earth energy. The deeper it was installed in bedrock, the better it worked. Since it drew on the power of earth veins and the terrain, it also consumed almost no spirit stones.
‘That would be good for the hideout.’
The reading fee was 140 contribution points.
Yi Hyeon asked the cultivator in charge, “Is there anywhere that sells formation disks and flags for this formation?”
“Not within our sect, as far as I know. This formation only hides a cave abode and offers little protection, so there isn’t much demand for it. Besides, the formation disks and flags have to be made to suit the terrain. You won’t find anyone selling ready-made ones. The inheritance includes instructions for making them, so you’ll have to study the formation yourself or ask a formation master.”
Yi Hyeon thought for a moment.
Would he have to commission a formation master to make the formation disks and flags?
He felt uneasy about explaining every detail of the hideout’s layout and surrounding terrain to someone else. If he built a hideout with a different layout later, he would have to ask a formation master again.
‘None of my hideouts have been discovered so far, so it isn’t urgent. I’ll read it for research first. I can learn to make the formation disks and flags later.’
Yi Hyeon held out his identity token.
“I’ll read this one as well.”
...
The Spirit-Concealing Formation inheritance covered everything from examining bedrock to the materials and refining methods for formation flags, as well as how to engrave restrictions onto formation disks.
The contents were so extensive and thorough that the contribution points were well spent.
Yi Hyeon memorized every diagram and annotation before leaving the Scripture Repository. Back at Cheongu Gorge, he accurately recorded the Golden Core Section of the 《Primordial Unity Single-Qi Art》, the 《Record of Marine Demonic Beast Materials》, and the 《Spirit-Concealing Formation》 in blank jade slips.
* * *
On the fifth day after their departure from the Danso Sect, a flying boat was traveling beneath the clouds.
Yi Hyeon, Song Gye-myeong, and Gal Cheon-ung from the Dharma Protection Court sat on deck. The Qi Refining disciples were resting in the cabin or checking the cargo assigned to them.
Gal Cheon-ung was a seventh-layer Foundation Establishment cultivator. He looked to be in his mid-forties, a solidly built man with a short beard.
Setting down his teacup, he said, “I heard about you from Fellow Cultivator Seol.”
“Do you mean Fellow Cultivator Seol Gyeong-haeng?”
“That’s right. When I said I’d be accompanying you as an escort, Seol seemed rather baffled. Asked why Yi Dong-sam would need an escort... Apparently, you’re the best fighter among all the Danso Sect’s Foundation Establishment cultivators. Is that true?”
Yi Hyeon scratched his head.
“Of course not. Fellow Cultivator Seol must enjoy praising people.”
“Fellow Cultivator Seol? I’ve never received a single compliment...”
“...”
“Anyway, knowing you’re good in a fight puts me at ease.”
...
A few days later.
An endless stretch of blue waves appeared ahead of the flying boat.
It was the sea.
Yi Hyeon approached the edge of the deck.
The mountain ridges grew lower as they extended toward the sea, with a large port nestled between them. Ships of every size crowded the waters inside the long breakwaters.
Small fishing boats moved past huge merchant ships with their sails lowered. Carts and workers formed long lines along the docks, while cultivators could be seen traveling above them on magical implements.
On a low hill west of the port, a long wall built from black stone enclosed the grounds.
Thick pillars stood at regular intervals atop the seaward wall. Between them, a curtain of formation light glowed faintly.
Above the gate, three characters spelled out “Sea-Pacifying Fort (靖海堡).”
Several factions had worked together to expand what had originally been a small stone fort guarding the port. Within its walls stood dozens of halls, warehouses, and workshops, connected by roads broad enough for cargo carts.
A tall watchtower stood on the side facing the port. Beneath it, several cultivators inspected carts entering and leaving.
...
The flying boat landed in a broad open space inside Sea-Pacifying Fort.
Two Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Byeokra Sect and the Danso Sect cultivators who had arrived earlier greeted the party. After checking one another’s identity tokens and assignment documents, Song Gye-myeong accompanied them to a hall farther inside.
Five Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Danso Sect were already staying there.
They included a formation master, a talisman crafter, and an artifact refiner from different peaks, along with a Dharma Protection Court cultivator responsible for guarding and escort duties. The fifth belonged to the External Affairs Office and handled supplies, personnel, and contact with the local factions.
With Yi Hyeon and Gal Cheon-ung, seven Foundation Establishment cultivators would be stationed there.
The Byeokra Sect had also sent six Foundation Establishment cultivators. They hadn’t sent any alchemists, but they had people repairing formations, making talismans, and maintaining magical implements. Counting the disciples assisting in each discipline and the people assigned to guarding, escorting, and transport, the two sects alone had sent nearly two hundred people.
Cultivators from small local sects and hired laborers were also staying there.
Yi Hyeon led the Qi Refining disciples in unloading their cargo.
“Move the medicinal ingredients to the inner storeroom without opening their seals.”
“Yes, Martial Uncle Yi!”
The disciples hurried to work.
The hall assigned to their group stood on the eastern side of Sea-Pacifying Fort.
A signboard above the main entrance read “Pill Refining Pavilion.” Inside were four alchemy chambers, a medicinal ingredient storeroom, and a large workroom for preparing ingredients. Across a small courtyard at the back stood rooms for the cultivators.
Yi Hyeon’s quarters were in a separate building farther inside, with a yard of its own.
The sea was visible through the windows. Inside, it had a bedroom and a separate study furnished with bookshelves. The adjoining stone chamber even had a Spirit-Gathering Formation installed for private cultivation.
‘Not bad.’
...
The first few days were somewhat busy.
First, they installed the middle-grade Tier 2 pill furnace and formation flags brought from the sect, then checked the quantities and condition of the supplies delivered to the storeroom. Yi Hyeon also examined the pill formulas used locally and the records of demonic beast venoms.
The formation master and artifact refiner who had arrived earlier checked the fire vents and restrictions that would connect to the furnace. This place had no earthfire supply, so they would have to insert spirit stones into the fire vent’s formation to light a fire, or the alchemist would have to use fire spells directly.
After testing the heat, Yi Hyeon chose where to prepare the ingredients and where to store the finished pills.
An elderly local Qi Refining cultivator handed him a thick ledger.
“This is the current backlog. Most of it is Detoxification Pills and Blood-Staunching Pills, with a few pills to replenish vitality.”
The elderly cultivator led Yi Hyeon to a separate stone chamber.
Jade boxes on a stone table contained venom sacs, dried clots of blood, broken demonic beast bones, and other materials. Each box had a sheet of paper attached, recording where and when the beast had been captured and what it looked like.
“We recognize some of these, but others are things we’ve only seen recently. We were afraid we might ruin the ingredients if we tried to process them ourselves...”
“You did the right thing.”
...
After a few days, their duties were more or less settled.
The local alchemists continued making familiar pills, while the Danso Sect disciples divided the backlog and inspection work among themselves.
As expected of disciples from a major sect, the first-tier alchemists from the Outer Alchemy Court were generally capable.
Only Tier 2 demonic beast materials, specimens that were difficult to process using existing methods, and pill formulas that needed changes to their ingredient ratios were brought to Yi Hyeon.
For unfamiliar demonic beast materials, he could find a suitable method by comparing them with local records and testing small amounts. No one pressed him for immediate answers. Here, the Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Byeokra Sect and Danso Sect were like kings. Local merchant groups and small sects couldn’t simply demand that they hurry.
Once he filled the required quota, the rest of his time was his own.
Even so, Yi Hyeon intended to do what he could as a second-tier alchemist for the local cultivators and mortals.
...
About half a month had passed.
Six disciples gathered in the ingredient preparation room, looking at the stone table.
Before Yi Hyeon lay a venom sac harvested from an unfamiliar demonic beast. Fine blue veins covered its surface like a net, and tiny bubbles constantly formed in the mucus inside.
One disciple spoke cautiously.
“Martial Uncle Yi, we don’t know how to process this.”
Yi Hyeon read the disciple’s processing records, examined the venom sac, then took it to an alchemy chamber.
A low, broad pill furnace stood on a stone platform.
First, Yi Hyeon activated the furnace’s restrictions. Then, with a wave of his hand, the venom sac floated into the air and split open above the furnace, spilling a thick blue liquid.
Examining its energy with the Qi-Observing Spell and Poison Identification Spell, Yi Hyeon moved his fingers.
Fwoosh!
One of the three streams of flame unraveled into fine fiery threads. The threads crossed over one another, forming a dense covering over the furnace, while the other two flames entered it and began heating the venom.
The Qi Refining disciples gaped at the marvelous spell they had never seen before.
The venom swelled, releasing blue mist. Just as the mist was about to escape the furnace, the curtain of flame linked to its restrictions curved inward and pressed it back down.
A little later, the material inside the furnace had separated into three parts: a clear liquid, a sticky lump, and a blackened powder.
Yi Hyeon placed the refined liquid and lump into separate jade bottles.
He examined the remaining powder as well. Only after confirming that it contained no energy that reacted to the Poison Identification Spell did he lower his hand.
“Seal these two bottles for research. There’s no poisonous miasma left in the powder, so you can throw it away.”
One disciple stood openmouthed for a moment before bowing.
“That was amazing. May I ask the name of the spell that splits the flames into several streams? Can we read it at the Scripture Repository, too?”
“Oh, this?”
Yi Hyeon shaped the flame above his hand into a crane and made it flap its wings. The Qi Refining disciples cried out in admiration.
“It’s called the Fire-Dividing Thread Spell, but only Yeonha Peak disciples can learn it. It isn’t in the Scripture Repository.”
“Yeonha Peak...”
“Don’t try to copy it carelessly. Fire spells can be deadly.”
“Yes!”
The disciples took the jade bottles and left.
From several dozen jang away, their whispers reached Yi Hyeon’s spiritual sense.
“He covered the furnace with a curtain of flame to keep the poisonous mist from spreading outside. What an incredible technique...”
“But he only just arrived. How does he know how to handle demonic beast venom so well? Are all second-tier alchemists like that?”
Yi Hyeon cleared away the energy clinging to his body with the Poison-Expelling Art and Cleansing Spell.
In truth, he knew quite a bit about removing toxins.
The Bone-Rotting Flowers, Purple Poison Orchids, and Yin Soul Grass he had handled for over a thousand years were all poisonous medicinal herbs. Of course, he still had to learn about unfamiliar demonic beast venoms. But keeping medicinal potency intact while separating out poisonous miasma little by little was already second nature to him.
...
When Yi Hyeon reached the yard outside his quarters, a small jade box was sitting on the table. He opened it to find round pieces of white flesh.
“What’s this?”
A disciple in the yard answered, “It’s meat from Cheonggak Clams, a first-tier spirit creature. The merchant group that brought ingredients today left some for us. We shared it among the people at the Pill Refining Pavilion and set aside your portion, Martial Uncle.”
Yi Hyeon picked up a piece with his chopsticks.
After checking it for poison or sinister energy with the Qi-Observing Spell and Poison Identification Spell, he put it in his mouth. It was tender, with a sweet finish.
“Delicious.”
“I’ll get some more the next time I go to the port.”
“There’s no need. Finish your assigned work, then get some rest.”
“Yes.”
Once the disciple withdrew, Yi Hyeon leaned back on a long chair.
He opened his spirit insect pouch, and a small ball of golden fur crawled out. The Fuzzbee touched the clam meat on the table, then crawled into his sleeve, apparently uninterested. Yi Hyeon put it back in the spirit insect pouch and took a popular novel from his storage pouch.
‘This is the life.’
He ate another piece of clam meat and turned the page.
* * *
About a month after their arrival, the work arrangements were settled. Before returning to the main sect grounds, Eldest Senior Brother Song Gye-myeong called Yi Hyeon aside.
“If anything happens that you can’t handle, report it to the main sect. You don’t need to try to solve everything with only the people here.”
“Yes.”
The Pill Refining Pavilion continued to run smoothly after Song Gye-myeong left.
Once Yi Hyeon had worked out a method for preparing a demonic beast material, the juniors processed it themselves, adding annotations to their own records. They set aside only unfamiliar materials.
Gal Cheon-ung would occasionally stop by for tea on his way back from patrolling the port’s surroundings or escort duty.
...
Then, one day.
Seokman Market, northeast of Haemun Port.
Nestled among low, rocky hills, it was a cultivator market where independent cultivators traveling to and from Haemun Port bought and sold goods or stopped for a short rest. Old shops lined both sides of the street. At stalls in the open spaces, dried medicinal ingredients lay mixed with chipped magical implements, demonic beast bones, and hides.
It had been a small market in decline. Recently, however, the appearance of Tier 2 demonic beasts and the frequent passage of Foundation Establishment cultivators had begun bringing it back to life.
Dongsun General Store, tucked inside an alley, was one of the less noticeable shops. Cracked medicine mortars and empty jars were piled by the entrance, while an elderly clerk nodded off beneath its faded signboard.
Masked cultivators were gathered in the stone chamber below it.
Soon, the floor rippled, and a cultivator in purple robes rose out of it. Seven people stood at once.
“Greetings, Society Leader.”
Beneath the Badger mask, Yi Hyeon’s gaze swept over them.
Compared to the time when a Tier 2 gu adept from the Geonyang Kingdom’s Black Sun Bureau had infiltrated them disguised as Black Sable, every member attending the central gathering had changed. Though they wore the same masks, their voices and movements were different. All the previous members had either died of old age or retired after handing their duties to successors.
Yi Hyeon took the seat of honor.
“Give your reports.”
First came reports on the vein seats and contact points.
After that, they discussed exchanges and sales of magical implements, talismans, alchemical pills, and other goods.
Yi Hyeon let the members trade freely without taking part himself. His cultivation realm and technical skills had advanced, and he now had access to the Danso Sect’s various resources. The goods the members dealt in were almost useless to him at present.
Most independent cultivators seeking vein seats or residual-vein pockets in this area were at the Qi Refining stage. Those at Foundation Establishment or above were rare.
‘Should I raise the standard for membership? Still, the news the members gather while moving around different places is useful...’
After various matters had been discussed, the member wearing a Red Crab mask spoke last.
“Society Leader, why don’t you establish a connection at Haemun Port?”
“With whom?”
“I hear there’s a second-tier alchemist sent by the Danso Sect. His name is Yi Dong-sam.”
“And?”
“If we could recruit him, I think he would be a great help to the Two Heavens Society members nearby. With your abilities, Society Leader, bringing in a Foundation Establishment cultivator should be easy.”
Black Crow snapped, “What nonsense. Who knows what trouble we’d bring down on ourselves by letting a Foundation Establishment alchemist from a major sect into the Two Heavens Society?”
“Hmph. Our Two Heavens Society has limitless hidden strength, and its influence spans several cultivation kingdoms. You’re the one who knows nothing because you’re new. Even the Danso Sect may be insignificant compared to the Two Heavens Society’s true power.”
Yi Hyeon looked gravely at Red Crab.
‘The Two Heavens Society isn’t that powerful...’
He thought back over his past actions, wondering whether he had created too much mystery around the society, but this seemed to be Red Crab getting carried away.
“Red Crab, don’t act carelessly in the Two Heavens Society’s name. Our hidden strength is boundless, but that doesn’t mean it’s yours to wield.”
“My apologies.”
“Don’t try to recruit cultivators from major sects. And report any new developments concerning nearby demonic beasts, the Geonyang Kingdom, or other matters.”
“Yes!”
* * *
Half a month later.
Yi Hyeon was studying the Spirit-Concealing Formation’s inscriptions in the Pill Refining Pavilion’s rear courtyard when Gal Cheon-ung came to see him.
He held a fragment of blue shell in one hand.
“Fellow Cultivator Yi, could you take a look at this?”
Yi Hyeon accepted the shell fragment.
Its edges were scorched black, and dark green mucus had dried on the inside.
“The poisonous miasma is quite strong. What creature is it from?”
“A Tier 2 demonic beast called an Iron-Ridged Sea Crocodile (鐵嶝海鰐). They look like crocodiles about five or six jang long, with plates like cast iron rising along their spines. Apparently, they attacked a merchant ship on a nearby shipping route yesterday. Some local Foundation Establishment cultivators in the area tried to drive them away, but failed.”
Gal Cheon-ung took a map from his storage pouch.
A chain of small islands lay a little over two hundred li southwest of Haemun Port. A narrow channel between them bore a red mark.
“They’ve settled around here.”
“How many are there?”
“Three have been confirmed. The largest was reportedly at the late Tier 2 level. Their poisonous mist makes it difficult to get close, and when cornered, they dive underwater.”
“Are you going to hunt them?”
“I plan to go tomorrow. One of the local Foundation Establishment cultivators who went there before will guide us, and we’ve agreed to hunt them with two Byeokra Sect cultivators. Would you join us, Fellow Cultivator Yi? It would help if you could examine their poisonous miasma. Of course, it would be even better if we could borrow those sword skills Seol Gyeong-haeng mentioned.”
“Certainly.”
...
The following morning.
Five Foundation Establishment cultivators left Haemun Port and headed southwest.
The coastal cliffs and small harbors receded behind them.
The clear seawater gradually turned a deep navy blue.
The cultivator guiding them pointed ahead.
“There.”
A half-wrecked merchant ship was lodged between two small islands.
As a dark blue armored back rose beneath it, the large hull tilted to one side.
Craaaack!
With the sound of the ship’s underside splitting apart, a long crocodile snout shot above the surface. The armored plates lining its spine followed, cutting through the water.
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
