WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Dionysus
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◈ Cultivating Underground ◈
Chapter 78
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Yi Hyeon stayed in the Scripture Repository for a long while.
He reread the annotations on the Unsullied Golden Body and compared them with the Golden Core Section of the Primordial Unity Single-Qi Art.
Then he picked up the other inheritances again, one by one. Even if he didn’t learn them right away, there was no harm in knowing what they contained.
Over the next few days, Yi Hyeon visited the Scripture Repository to examine the inheritances he was allowed to read. After returning to his residence, he copied their contents into blank jade slips.
...
A few days later.
At his residence on the eastern peak of Lotus Court.
Yi Hyeon picked up a jade slip and pressed it to his forehead. Words and diagrams appeared in his mind one after another.
A long while later, he put down the jade slip and briefly closed his eyes.
‘This is incredibly difficult.’
It was the 《Mount Sumeru Visualization Scripture》.
The spoken incantations were long, but the visualization diagrams were even harder to memorize. He had to know every detail precisely, from the sacred figures’ poses and finger positions to the patterns engraved on their weapons and ritual objects.
A rough memory of their appearance wasn’t enough to use this inheritance.
In simple terms, it was a spell that created a Dharma manifestation outside the practitioner’s body.
At Foundation Establishment, a cultivator could begin visualization training by imprinting the sacred figure’s appearance on their mind. With enough practice, they could even produce a faint image outside their body.
However, that was only a false Dharma manifestation.
It could imitate the movements of outstretched arms and swinging weapons, but it could neither strike an enemy nor block a magical implement.
It was different from the Essence-Condensing Grasping Hand, which shaped spiritual power into a hand to seize objects. The Mount Sumeru Visualization Scripture required complex flows to be connected throughout the manifestation’s body and equipment. That required the magical power of a Golden Core cultivator as its foundation.
The first manifestations useful in actual combat were those of the Four Heavenly Kings, which could be created at Golden Core.
The manifestation of Dhritarashtra, holding a pipa lute.
The manifestation of Virudhaka, holding a treasured sword.
The manifestation of Virupaksha, accompanied by a dragon and a precious jewel.
The manifestation of Vaisravana, holding a jeweled parasol and a treasured pagoda.
Normally, practitioners first chose one of the four to visualize, then learned that manifestation’s divine abilities.
According to the text, those who mastered the art deeply could display the abilities of several Heavenly Kings together.
In one of the diagrams Yi Hyeon had copied into the jade slip, a translucent giant surrounded a monk’s body. When the monk moved an arm, the manifestation’s arm moved with it, and its huge palm struck the rock wall opposite.
In another diagram, a Heavenly King raised a treasured pagoda.
A golden border descended beneath the pagoda, slowing the movements of a demonic creature rampaging inside it.
‘That would be great for holding something in place and beating it up!’
The Mount Sumeru Visualization Scripture passed down at Jewel Light Temple contained spoken incantations up to Nascent Soul.
The new manifestation available at that stage was the Immovable Wisdom King.
A practitioner sat in meditation at the center of a manifestation surrounded by a halo of flames. The manifestation held a sword and a noose. In contrast to its furious face, the monk sitting inside looked calm.
A short annotation stood beside the diagram.
「Though you borrow a wrathful form, you must not forget your vows and be led astray by personal anger.」
Yi Hyeon considered the passage several times, but he couldn’t quite grasp it.
‘It’s something I’ll use at Nascent Soul, so there’s no rush.’
The annotations near the end also briefly mentioned manifestations used at Spirit Transformation and beyond, but the spoken incantations for those stages were not included.
Yi Hyeon put down the jade slip and examined the other inheritances.
He had also obtained the 《Compassion Palm》, 《Deliverance Fist》, 《Demon-Subduing Seal》, 《Mighty Vajra Body》, and 《Arhat Golden Body》, but he had no intention of practicing all of them.
As he saw it, many of Jewel Light Temple’s inheritances had one problem: they depended on Buddha-Light True Qi, which contained vow power.
The Buddha-Light True Qi he currently produced relied on his vow to preserve his primordial yang. In other words, if he broke that vow, he would no longer be able to use the spells that depended on it.
‘I haven’t had any romantic ties with women so far... but something unexpected could happen.’
He didn’t want a power bound by that condition to become his main means of fighting.
‘The Mighty Vajra Body takes too many resources. I can just study the martial principles behind the Compassion Palm and Deliverance Fist. I don’t need the Arhat Golden Body either... I’m going to create an Unsullied Golden Body anyway.’
One advantage of the Unsullied Golden Body was that it did not depend on Buddha-Light True Qi or vow power.
It was not originally a Buddhist cultivation method. Rather, it was the result of forming a golden core with the Primordial Unity Body of the Primordial Unity Single-Qi Art.
The Arhat Golden Body, on the other hand, was something monks had created by imitating the Unsullied Golden Body.
That meant breaking his vow after creating an Unsullied Golden Body would have no effect on it.
‘Then I only need to learn the Demon-Subduing Seal and the Mount Sumeru Visualization Scripture.’
The Demon-Subduing Seal could suppress vengeful spirits and ghostly beings. It seemed useful to Yi Hyeon, who had no particular method for dealing with them.
The Mount Sumeru Visualization Scripture would not help him fight right away, but he decided to practice it because it offered something new that did not overlap with his existing combat methods.
Of course, both spells depended on Buddha-Light True Qi.
But that was fine if they were supporting methods rather than his main weapons. Besides, the visualization training in the Mount Sumeru Visualization Scripture was a process of imprinting sacred figures on his mind. At least that part would remain even without vow power.
Having reached a decision, Yi Hyeon put away the jade slips.
‘Now I need to gather information about demonic markings.’
* * *
Three years later.
Yi Hyeon followed Hyedam into Lotus Court’s inner alchemy chamber to take part in refining Gold-Condensing Pills.
Restrictions far stronger than those in the communal alchemy chamber covered the walls and floor. The fire vent inside was closed, but he felt a faint heat as soon as he stepped into the stone chamber.
Two disciples who had arrived earlier pressed their palms together.
“Greetings, Martial Uncle Hyedam.”
Hyedam nodded, and Yi Hyeon greeted them as well.
Both were late Foundation Establishment cultivators.
He had met one of them, a senior brother with the Dharma name Myeongjin, several times during refining practice. Myeongjin was skilled at preparing demonic beast flesh and blood, and was already assisting with other pill-refining work in the inner alchemy chamber.
A waist-high stone platform stood in the middle of the chamber. Above it, a blue demonic core the size of an adult’s fist slowly rotated.
Black energy flowed between six golden sealing rings wrapped around its surface.
The faint sound coming from it resembled both the wind and many people weeping together in the distance.
Yi Hyeon’s gaze lingered on the demonic core.
It was a Tier 3 demonic core.
A thin monk standing beside it raised a hand and pressed down on one of the golden rings.
Hummm.
The weeping subsided.
“Everyone, come closer and take a look.”
It was Elder Hye-gak, a Golden Core cultivator and the Tier 3 alchemist overseeing this batch of Gold-Condensing Pills.
He pointed to the demonic core.
“This came from an aquatic demonic beast that lived in Blackwater Pool. It contains a great deal of tangled vengeful spirit energy and poisonous miasma, so preparing it is a little troublesome.”
Black energy writhed beneath the core’s surface.
“I’ve already suppressed the powerful vengeful spirits and the violent demonic power. Your task is to remove the malevolent energy remaining in the outer layer.”
Hye-gak moved a fingertip. A narrow gap opened between the golden rings, revealing what looked like blue threads inside.
Though tangled, the threads ran in a consistent direction. Clumps of black energy lay between them like drops of ink.
“The blue parts must remain.”
Hye-gak pointed to a black patch.
“These must be removed.”
He looked around at the disciples.
“If you make a mistake, I’ll stop it, so there’s no need to be too nervous.”
The first disciple stepped forward and lit a golden flame at their fingertips.
Fwoosh.
As the flame seeped between the golden rings, the black energy shrank back.
But a thin poisonous mist soon rose from the surface of the demonic core. The disciple strengthened the flame slightly, making the mist disappear, but the blue threads beneath it trembled as well.
Hye-gak bent a finger.
Click.
The golden rings turned and pushed the flame away.
“That will do.”
The disciple withdrew their hand.
“My apologies.”
“You did nothing wrong. You were simply a little slow to adjust the flame after seeing how the malevolent energy moved.”
After letting them examine the treated area, Hye-gak opened the restrictions over another section.
This time, Myeongjin stepped forward.
His Clear Yang Purifying Flame spread more precisely than the previous disciple’s.
The flame moved slowly along the edges of the black energy. Faint weeping came from within the demonic core, but Myeongjin’s flame remained steady.
After a long while, the black stain had shrunk by about half.
Rather than going deeper, Myeongjin withdrew his flame.
Hye-gak nodded.
“Good. You didn’t get greedy.”
Myeongjin wiped the sweat from his forehead.
“I don’t think I can handle the inner part.”
“I can prepare that part myself. You did exactly what could be entrusted to you.”
Finally, Yi Hyeon stepped forward.
His teacher, Hyedam, spoke from behind him.
“Do as you always do.”
Yi Hyeon nodded and examined the flows inside the demonic core.
Thin layers of black energy clung between the blue threads.
‘This looks easy...’
A small flame formed at his fingertips.
The center of the pale golden flame was almost white.
When Yi Hyeon spread his fingers slightly, the flame divided into several fire threads and flowed between the golden rings.
This was possible thanks to his practice of the Fire-Dividing Thread Spell.
However, many people knew how to divide a flame into several parts, so the observers merely thought him skilled.
Hye-gak’s gaze shifted to his fingertips.
The slender flames moved in different directions inside the demonic core.
They brightened slightly where the malevolent energy had gathered thickly. In the narrow gaps between tangled blue threads, they faded until they were almost invisible.
Ssssss.
As a strand of black energy broke apart, the blue thread trapped beneath it trembled lightly and returned to its original flow.
Yi Hyeon immediately adjusted the neighboring flame’s position. Leaving room for the blue thread to move, he slowly removed only the black stain clinging behind it.
Hye-gak’s hand stopped above the golden rings.
There was no need to intervene.
‘Was his name Yi Dong-sa? This fellow really is skilled!’
A little later.
Yi Hyeon withdrew his hand.
The blue threads stood out clearly where the black stains had vanished. Even the malevolent energy clinging deep inside the gaps had been removed, yet the pattern formed by the connected threads had barely changed.
The stone chamber fell silent for a moment.
Hye-gak drew the demonic core closer and examined the section Yi Hyeon had refined several times.
Myeongjin also tilted his head to look.
“He even removed the malevolent energy inside... but there’s almost no damage to the structure.”
Hye-gak nodded slowly.
“Indeed.”
The corners of Hyedam’s mouth rose.
“What did I tell you?”
“I heard he was good.”
Hye-gak looked at Yi Hyeon.
“But he’s even better than I expected! I didn’t realize he could divide the Clear Yang Purifying Flame like that while adjusting the heat of each strand so carefully.”
Yi Hyeon pressed his palms together.
“You praise me too highly.”
Hyedam spoke with a satisfied expression.
“His primordial yang is so pure that he can remove the malevolent energy at such low heat. My disciple really hasn’t even held a woman’s hand.”
‘...’
Hye-gak snorted.
“Perhaps he simply hasn’t met the right person yet.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean he might change his mind if he saw my disciple, Miss Wang, smile.”
Hyedam’s expression stiffened.
“Don’t get any foolish ideas. What good would it do to extinguish this precious flame?”
...
Once the disciples finished preparing the outer layer, Hye-gak and Hyedam stepped in. They refined away the malevolent energy inside and removed the poison that had seeped deep into the gaps in the core’s structure.
Yi Hyeon watched every part of their work.
After several days of refining and blending, the pill furnace finally opened.
An alchemical pill with a soft golden glow rose through the mist.
It was a Gold-Condensing Pill.
Yi Hyeon’s gaze remained fixed on it.
Hye-gak placed it on a jade dish and used his magical power to draw out a little of its medicinal strength.
The medicinal fragrance grew stronger.
In the faint energy floating in the air, Yi Hyeon saw a familiar flow.
It resembled what had been inside the demonic core, but the energies of various medicinal ingredients had made it much gentler and more stable.
“Can you see it?” Hye-gak asked.
“Yes.”
“This is what helps true essence condense.”
After finishing his explanation, Hye-gak offered Yi Hyeon a small spirit token.
“From now on, take on refining work in the inner alchemy chamber. At first, you’ll prepare the outer layers. You can learn the other steps by watching.”
“Thank you.”
As Yi Hyeon accepted the spirit token, Hyedam added from beside him, “There are refining records in the study inside. Be sure to read them before handling an unfamiliar material. Each demonic core can be different.”
“Are there also records of the cultivators who took the pills?”
Hye-gak turned his gaze to Yi Hyeon.
“There are. Is there something you’re curious about?”
“I’d like to know how many demonic markings remain after taking several Gold-Condensing Pills.”
Hye-gak thought for a moment.
“I’m not sure about that myself. Gold-Condensing Pills are precious, so there can’t be many people who received and took several... Still, you might find something. Look through the records when you have time.”
...
That evening.
Yi Hyeon sat in the small study inside the inner alchemy chamber.
Several jade slips lay on the table.
Jewel Light Temple had also kept records of what happened after its Gold-Condensing Pills were made. They included the recipients’ realms and ages, whether they had formed their cores, and diagrams of their golden cores sent over the following decades. Many records were more detailed than those he had seen in Mae So-gun’s jade slip.
There were also a few cases of people taking two or more Gold-Condensing Pills.
The amount and shape of the remaining demonic markings varied, but taking more Gold-Condensing Pills did not necessarily make refining them away slower. In some cases, the demonic markings had faded faster than those of cultivators who took only one pill.
‘How is that possible?’
...
The next day.
Yi Hyeon laid the diagrams out before his teacher, Hyedam.
“In some cases, the demonic markings faded faster in people who took several Gold-Condensing Pills. Do you know why?”
Hyedam looked down at the diagrams and nodded.
“You don’t pick out the demonic markings and erase them one at a time. You follow the refining instructions to circulate your magical power evenly throughout your golden core. Changes occur together wherever your magical power flows. So whether there are more demonic markings or the golden core is larger, it should take about the same amount of time.”
‘Then... taking fifty Gold-Condensing Pills wouldn’t mean spending fifty thousand years refining the markings away.’
“But you still have some time before core formation. Are you already curious about this?”
“I heard that elders who formed their cores with Gold-Condensing Pills struggle to break through to Nascent Soul. I thought solving this problem would be a great help to Jewel Light Temple.”
“You really... Just how much merit do you intend to earn? I do hope you find a solution and help this teacher of yours break through to Nascent Soul.”
“Master, did you also break through with a Gold-Condensing Pill?”
“I did.”
Yi Hyeon pressed his palms together.
“I’ll think about whether there’s a way to speed up the refining.”
“Ha ha, I was only joking. Countless people have already studied it without finding a solution.”
...
After returning to his residence, Yi Hyeon took out the Golden Core Section of the Primordial Unity Single-Qi Art and examined its contents closely.
‘Based on what I’ve learned so far, it seems worth preparing for core formation with this method while using Gold-Condensing Pills.’
To do that, he first needed to learn the pill formula.
However, there was a problem with obtaining the formula for Gold-Condensing Pills.
Or, more precisely... there were too many different formulas.
The demonic cores of different Tier 3 demonic beasts had different properties, requiring suitable alchemy methods for each.
Even if Yi Hyeon became stronger in the future, there was no guarantee that he could obtain enough Tier 3 demonic cores of a single type. He therefore needed to observe the refining process for cores from as many different demonic beasts as possible.
‘This means I’ll have to stay at Jewel Light Temple for quite a while... I need to watch them process as many types of demonic cores as I can, don’t I? Not that it matters, since I have plenty of time...’
Fortunately, Jewel Light Temple’s Golden Core elders allowed their Foundation Establishment alchemist disciples to learn the formulas naturally while observing the refining of Gold-Condensing Pills.
In truth, the temple’s formulas for Gold-Condensing Pills were not particularly precious.
The greatest problem was that the main ingredient itself was a Tier 3 demonic core.
Cultivators at Great Perfection in Foundation Establishment needed Gold-Condensing Pills, but they could not hunt Tier 3 demonic beasts at that realm. Without help from a Golden Core cultivator, the pills were out of reach.
Unless, of course, someone appeared who could easily slay Tier 3 demonic beasts while still at Great Perfection in Foundation Establishment.
...
And so, Yi Hyeon continued visiting the inner alchemy chamber and learning how to refine Gold-Condensing Pills.
Each new type of demonic core offered something to learn. Even after finishing his assigned refining work, he often stayed to watch the elders continue theirs.
He also kept practicing the Demon-Subduing Seal and the Mount Sumeru Visualization Scripture.
From time to time, he left the temple grounds to handle Two Heavens Society business and tend to the spirit fields and Fuzzbees at Underground Hideout No. 3.
* * *
Before he knew it, ten years had passed.
At his residence on the eastern peak of Lotus Court.
Yi Hyeon lay on a long chair beside the window, reading a popular novel.
The refining records he had organized that morning lay on one side of the table. Beside them sat a stack of books he had yet to open.
He had already finished his work for the day.
Just as the novel’s protagonist was about to open a treasure chest in some underwater ruins, a light vibration came from the restrictions outside his door.
Yi Hyeon raised his head.
‘Who’s that?’
A young monk stood outside his residence.
“Elder Hyedam wishes to see you.”
Yi Hyeon slipped a bookmark into the book and rose.
...
Several jade slips and a folded letter lay in Hyedam’s study.
The letter’s seal bore the name of an unfamiliar kingdom.
Haegwang Kingdom.
It was a mortal kingdom on the southern coast, under the protection of Seo Kingdom’s cultivation world.
“Sit down.”
Hyedam offered him a jade slip.
“This is a report from the south.”
Yi Hyeon sat down and sent his spiritual sense into the jade slip.
Tier 2 aquatic demonic beasts were appearing along various parts of Seo Kingdom’s southern coast and attacking people.
The first news had come from Baeksapo (白沙浦) in Haegwang Kingdom.
Five fishing boats had failed to return. Wreckage washed ashore bore enormous tooth marks.
Soon afterward, demonic beasts had begun appearing even in the shallows.
Monks from a local temple had stepped forward and moved the people back, but cultivators at the Qi Refining stage could not fight Tier 2 demonic beasts. Ships were now forbidden from leaving port, and the coastal villagers were being moved inside nearby city walls.
Similar reports had arrived from other ports some distance from Baeksapo.
Several mortal kingdoms along the coast had rushed to ask Jewel Light Temple for aid. The main temple had decided to send disciples to save sentient beings.
Yi Hyeon examined the latter part of the jade slip.
There were drawings recording the demonic beasts’ appearances and movements.
One was a turtle-like demonic beast with a thick shell. The other was a long, slender water snake with red stripes.
Hyedam spoke.
“This water snake sometimes preys on that turtle. Yet they attacked ships together, and when the monks approached, they retreated in the same direction.”
“They might be spirit beasts controlled by someone.”
“That’s why the Demon-Subduing Court doesn’t see this as a simple demonic beast hunt. They intend to find out whether a beast controller is directing them or some other method is involved.”
Hyedam paused briefly before adding, “Lotus Court has also decided to send people this time. They’ll examine the traces left in the demonic beasts’ flesh, blood, and meridians, and preserve any necessary materials to bring back.”
Hyedam looked at Yi Hyeon.
“The main temple said they would like you to go. When they discussed whom to send, Junior Brother Hye-gak strongly recommended you. It seems he has a high opinion of the refining skills you’ve shown.”
Quiet pride colored Hyedam’s voice.
Yi Hyeon studied the drawings of the demonic beasts a little longer, then recalled the Life-Sharing Gu rearing records he had obtained long ago.
The fact that demonic beasts that normally wouldn’t associate were moving together did not necessarily mean gu insects were responsible. But implanting gu to control them would explain it.
‘Is the Life-Sharing Sect of the Nammyeong Twelve-Sect Alliance making a move?’
Yi Hyeon readily agreed.
“Understood.”
‘If the Life-Sharing Sect is implanting gu to control the demonic beasts... those would make good food for the Fuzzbees...’
Pleased by his ready agreement, Hyedam nodded.
...
On the day of departure, in front of the temple gates.
“Junior Brother, over here.”
Yi Hyeon turned at a voice as clear as jade beads rolling across a silver tray.
It was Wang Seo-rin (王舒璘), Elder Hye-gak’s direct disciple.
She was a stunning beauty.
Her eyes had a gentle shape, and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly. Even without smiling, she had an unusual charm that drew people in and lifted their spirits.
Far from shaving her head, she had loosely pinned up only half of her glossy, jet-black hair with a jade hairpin. The rest flowed softly over her slender shoulders and down her back.
Her clothing was nothing like dull monastic robes either. Her silk enchanted robe blended soft jade green with white, fluttering like wings whenever the wind blew. As she walked, wrists as white as jade appeared between her sleeves, and a delicate fragrance drifted from her.
She stared at Yi Hyeon, then curved her eyes into crescents and gave him a mischievous smile.
“So you’re the famous Primordial Yang Layman, Junior Brother? I heard about you from my master. This won’t be boring.”
Watching from some distance away, Hyedam grabbed Hye-gak’s sleeve.
“Hye-gak, you wicked fraud of a monk! You really are determined to put out my disciple’s flame!”
“Ha ha ha, really, Senior Brother Hyedam. Isn’t a young man and woman going to save sentient beings together also a fine karmic connection? Hmm. If his Dao heart is as firm as a diamond, how could a mere smile from a woman shake it?”
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