WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Dionysus
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Cultivating Underground ◈
Chapter 82
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On the second day of the voyage, Yi Hyeon set down his cup in the flying boat’s tearoom.
A huge man sat to one side, drinking tea in silence.
Across from Yi Hyeon sat Wonjeong, a monk from Concentration and Wisdom Court. This senior brother had narrow eyes and a faint smile that always lingered around his mouth.
A bronze bell about two finger joints long floated between them.
“I’m ready,” Wonjeong said.
Yi Hyeon gathered his spiritual sense into a fine point.
Filled with vow power, it condensed into the shape of a needle. The moment its tip pointed toward the bronze bell, Wonjeong’s spiritual sense around the bell also moved slightly.
The Spirit-Startling Needle shot forward.
A thin layer peeled away from the outside of the spiritual sense surrounding the bell. The Spirit-Startling Needle pierced that layer, but as the membrane was pushed backward and wrapped around it, the needle was turned aside.
Yi Hyeon withdrew the Spirit-Startling Needle that had missed the bell.
“...I missed again.”
“You came close this time, at least.”
Wonjeong smiled and lifted his cup.
The bronze bell was a practice implement that rang when spiritual sense touched its inner surface.
At first, Wonjeong had been ringing it alone with his spiritual sense.
It had seemed simple enough, but a closer look revealed that the spiritual sense surrounding the bell was constantly changing shape.
When Yi Hyeon showed interest, Wonjeong had invited him to try.
“That’s remarkable. How do you predict where I’ll strike...?”
“Predict? You told me where you were going to strike, Junior Brother.”
“I did?”
“The tip was pointing this way from the moment you formed the needle.”
Wonjeong pointed to one side of the bronze bell.
Yi Hyeon thought for a moment, then nodded.
‘I see.’
He could maintain the Spirit-Startling Needle’s shape, but he was not yet used to hiding the signs of its formation or changing its direction just before attacking.
He had effectively given his opponent all the time they needed to prepare.
‘Of course, I could force my way through if I wanted...’
Yi Hyeon’s spiritual sense was also far stronger than that of other cultivators at his realm. Unlike spiritual power, however, it was difficult to find a standard for expressing its strength in numbers, so he had been unable to include it in his homemade status panel.
Even in that last attempt, vow power aside, he could have put far more spiritual sense into the Spirit-Startling Needle.
But if he did, Senior Brother Wonjeong would notice his abnormal strength.
Besides, he liked practicing this way. There were things he could learn from Wonjeong about controlling spiritual sense.
“May I try again?”
“Of course.”
With Wonjeong’s help, Yi Hyeon continued practicing for a gak.
Wonjeong deliberately repeated the same movements, allowing Yi Hyeon to get a feel for how he should train with the Spirit-Startling Needle.
‘I’m learning something before we’ve even reached the gathering. I’m glad I came.’
Yi Hyeon pressed his palms together.
“Thank you for your help.”
“We’re fellow disciples. There’s no need for that. You’re quite good at condensing your spiritual sense, though, Junior Brother Yi.”
“Perhaps it’s because I use it so often in alchemy.”
“Come to think of it, you’re from Lotus Court, aren’t you? Perhaps I should learn a little about heat control...”
The huge man who had been drinking tea in silence laughed.
“Tell the elders of Lotus Court that, and they’ll have you preparing medicinal ingredients for at least ten years.”
He was Jang Tae-san, a disciple from Vajra Court. His hair was tied back, and he was so large that the outlines of his shoulders and arms showed even through his loose robe.
A teacup rested between his thick fingers. It looked so small that, from a distance, he seemed to be holding a tiny lid between his fingertips.
When Jang Tae-san set down the cup, a string of black prayer beads slipped from beneath his sleeve.
Thud.
One bead struck the table, sending circular ripples across the tea.
Noticing Yi Hyeon’s gaze on the beads, Jang Tae-san smiled.
“Want to try lifting them?”
He sent the beads flying over, and Yi Hyeon reached out to catch them. Not only were they extremely heavy, but sharp metal-aspected spiritual power was also condensed within them.
“Are these for training?”
“They are.”
Yi Hyeon returned the beads and studied Jang Tae-san’s arms.
A faint golden light flowed beneath the skin of his thick forearms.
The energy had been hidden while he sat still, but as he retrieved the beads, it moved along his wrists and elbows.
Then he drew it back in, and his arms returned to their ordinary color.
‘That must be another kind of golden body modeled after the Unsullied Golden Body...’
Jang Tae-san looked at Yi Hyeon.
“For some reason, you look strong, Junior Brother Yi.”
“Surely not.”
“Would you care to spar once we arrive?”
“I think I’d lose.”
“Liar.”
A voice came from the tearoom entrance.
It was Yuk Hong-yeon.
She looked around at the three of them, then took an empty seat.
“Junior Brother Yi is probably the strongest person here.”
Yi Hyeon picked up the teapot.
“Senior Sister Yuk, people will get the wrong idea if they hear you. Would you like some tea?”
“Changing the subject, are you?”
...
The flying boat traveled northeast with barely a tremor.
By day, rivers and mountain ranges passed beneath the clouds. At night, lamps and formation inscriptions cast a soft light over the hull.
The disciples cultivated in their cabins, but they also came out from time to time to spend time together.
Even those who had spent decades at Jewel Light Temple rarely had a chance to mingle with fellow disciples from so many different courts.
* * *
On the sixth day of the voyage, Yi Hyeon was refining the shape of his Spirit-Startling Needle in his cabin when he noticed a commotion outside.
He opened the door to find Senior Brother Myeongyun from Lotus Court passing through the corridor.
“It seems we’ve arrived.”
The two went up to the deck together.
The first thing Yi Hyeon saw was a long line of mountain peaks.
A broad basin stretched beneath them. At its center stood an enormous immortal city, gleaming white in the sunlight. Tall towers and halls extended endlessly within its walls, while small boats traveled along the waterways running between them.
The cities called immortal cities in this world were truly vast. Even when Yi Hyeon thought of the cities he had seen in Korea in his past life, he could not decide which one to compare this place to.
What had looked like a thin line from afar turned out to be a waterway at least twice as wide as the Han River he had seen in Seoul. More than a hundred carts were crossing its stone bridge side by side. The watchtowers flanking the city gates rose high enough to look down on most grand halls.
Even the individual parts of the city were on such a different scale from those in his past life that he could hardly judge its full size at a glance.
A blue lake lay to the north of the city. Separate residences and training grounds stood in tiers along the mountain slopes beside it.
But Yi Hyeon’s eyes soon turned toward the sky.
Flying boats.
There were flying boats everywhere.
Some were long, slender vessels surrounded by clouds. Others had strange shapes, with enormous bronze rings rotating around their hulls as they flew.
In the distance, a flying boat approached that looked as though it carried an entire broad tower.
Dozens of flags fluttered above its tiered railings, and its shadow swept across the clouds below.
Yi Hyeon moved closer to the railing.
‘There really are a lot of flying boats.’
Those aboard the other vessels were probably thinking the same thing as they looked at Jewel Light Temple’s boat, with its carving of a lion standing on clouds.
Flying boats sent by great sects from across the lands and smaller flying magical implements carrying guests filled the sky.
Yet all those vessels moved in an orderly way.
Tall platforms stood on the peaks outside the city. Whenever the crystal pillars atop them shone, paths of light appeared in the air.
The flying boats followed those paths, slowing down and descending toward broad mooring grounds on different peaks.
Myeongyun rested a hand on the railing and leaned forward slightly.
“Look at that.”
“Where do you mean?”
“The pillars between the peaks. They’re connected to the formation inscriptions on the city walls.”
Skilled in formations, Myeongyun began excitedly examining the structure, looking back and forth between the pillars and the walls.
As Yi Hyeon listened quietly, the voice of a Golden Core elder came from behind them.
“That is Cloud-Gathering Immortal City.”
The disciples turned to see an elderly monk in monastic robes standing on the deck.
“Taeak Sect and Cheongso Palace of Jeong Kingdom manage it together. It stands along the route between their territories, so it receives many cultivators even in ordinary times.”
Yi Hyeon looked around.
Flying boats were descending beyond the distant ridges as well.
This was not a place visited only by disciples entering the Dao Discussion Gathering.
Merchants coming to sell their goods, cultivators hoping to exchange skills, and people seeking to meet members of other sects were all gathering here.
Hummm.
A small boat appeared in front of Jewel Light Temple’s flying boat.
The two blue-robed cultivators standing aboard it bowed respectfully.
“Greetings to the seniors of Jewel Light Temple. We’ve come from Cheongso Palace to escort you.”
After the elder returned their greeting, the silver boat slowly turned.
Jewel Light Temple’s flying boat followed it.
...
On the way down to the mooring grounds, they passed alongside another flying boat.
Dozens of male and female cultivators stood on the deck of the pale jade vessel.
Yi Hyeon naturally studied them.
Three sheaths hung at an angle across the back of a sharp-eyed young man. A female cultivator with her hair tied high had her hands exposed outside her sleeves, and dark droplets rolled between her fingers.
A man leaning against the rear railing had his eyes closed.
He was merely standing there, yet his aura was unusually deep and steady.
Yuk Hong-yeon spoke quietly.
“Most of them are at higher cultivation levels than we are.”
She was right.
Most of those in view were at late Foundation Establishment, and some seemed close to Great Perfection.
The disciples opposite them were also examining Jewel Light Temple’s deck.
Then a door on the upper level of the other boat opened. A white-haired old man walked out, and the disciples nearby naturally stepped aside.
The old man exchanged greetings with Jewel Light Temple’s elder.
Neither Golden Core elder made any particular show of power, yet the auras of the Foundation Establishment cultivators that had filled the decks moments before faded to nothing before the two elders’ presence.
...
The residence assigned to Jewel Light Temple stood in the northern part of the immortal city.
Several buildings rose within a low wall, with a small pond and a pavilion at the center.
The disciples were assigned to the buildings in small groups. Yi Hyeon would be staying in the same building as Myeongyun.
Each private room had a simple defensive formation.
After putting away their belongings, they gathered again in the front courtyard.
A steward from the Guest Reception Hall handed each of them a jade token and a thin jade slip.
“Please don’t lose your jade tokens. You’ll need them to pass through the residence’s restrictions, and they also serve as proof that you’re competing in the sparring tournament.”
Yi Hyeon hung the token at his waist and held the jade slip to his forehead.
The first thing that appeared was a simple map of Cloud-Gathering Immortal City.
It marked the cultivator markets, auction houses, residences where the various sects were staying, and the training hall where the tournament would take place.
The gathering’s schedule followed.
‘There are still ten days until the opening.’
The official events were scheduled to last about a month from the opening day.
Between the tournament dates, the times and locations of numerous other events filled the schedule.
There were alchemy lectures, implement-refining demonstrations, magical implement appraisals, joint formation demonstrations, and spirit plant and spirit beast exchange meetings. There would also be spell discussion sessions where the sects shared their experiences with spells and cultivation.
A Vajra Court disciple beside him asked, “Can we attend all these and still compete?”
The steward smiled.
“Check the times of your own matches first, then choose what else you’d like to attend. You don’t have to go to everything.”
“How many people are competing?”
“The lists submitted by the sects already contain more than five hundred names. We won’t know the final number until registration is complete.”
Several disciples let out quiet sounds of amazement.
More than five hundred people.
And these were not just any Foundation Establishment cultivators.
They were disciples chosen by their sects in recognition of their skills.
Adding the cultivators accompanying them and those who had come to attend lectures, the number gathering in this immortal city would be far greater.
The tournament prizes also caught Yi Hyeon’s attention.
Three supreme-grade magical implements listed in the Unju Implement Appraisal had apparently been prepared.
The elder looked around at the disciples.
“Before the opening, you need only finish registering and make your own preparations. You may mingle with people from other sects or look around the markets.”
The disciples’ faces brightened.
“But wherever you go, tell at least one fellow disciple your destination. Use the designated training hall for private sparring as well.”
“Yes.”
The elder paused, then added, “Don’t make needless enemies. The people you befriend here may help you in the future, so put some thought into building good relationships.”
...
After they dispersed, Yuk Hong-yeon prepared to go out with several Demon-Subduing Court disciples.
“Want to come with us, Junior Brother Yi?”
“I’m going to look around the markets first. There are a few things I need.”
“Really? Then let’s go somewhere together later.”
Yi Hyeon told Myeongyun, who was standing in the residence’s rear courtyard, where he was going. Then he left alone.
...
The immortal city’s main street was broad, but it certainly did not feel empty.
Cultivators in all kinds of clothing traveled along it, and people also filled the corridors connecting the buildings.
Large signs advertising the Dao Discussion Gathering hung outside the shops on both sides.
Many temporary shops had opened for the occasion as well.
One displayed spirit plants from various regions, while another had spirit insects floating within small restrictions.
A ring of spectators stood in front of a shop demonstrating a new magical implement.
Music drifted from the windows of an upper floor. Beneath them, passing cultivators carried jade slips and small boxes.
Yi Hyeon walked slowly, looking around.
There were so many goods.
‘This must be the largest cultivator market I’ve visited.’
Things he would normally have to seek out in major markets across several kingdoms were gathered along a single street.
Many items caught his eye, but he already knew what he wanted to buy today.
Magical implements.
He had the Moon-Sinking Sword, the Six-Leaf Shield, and the Three-Molt Silkworm Robe he wore beneath his outer robe. They were all excellent supreme-grade magical implements, but they were just as famous.
The Moon-Sinking Sword was ranked eighth in the Nammyeong Catalogue of a Hundred Implements.
Its light-obscuring property made the blade difficult to see, and someone unfamiliar with the Nammyeong Twelve-Sect Alliance’s implements might fail to recognize it.
But artifact refiners and appraisers from many kingdoms had gathered here.
If even one person recognized it, word could spread.
The Six-Leaf Shield was listed in the Unju Implement Appraisal, making it even more noticeable.
‘This won’t be like sparring a few times within the main temple...’
At Jewel Light Temple, the only people who had examined his implements closely were acquaintances from Lotus Court and fellow disciples who had accompanied him on missions.
Even if they recognized his supreme-grade magical implements, they had no reason to go outside and talk about them.
But a tournament watched by cultivators from all Nine Kingdoms of Unju was another matter.
The Three-Molt Silkworm Robe was less of a problem because he wore it underneath his clothes.
Unless he suffered an attack powerful enough to force him to shed a spirit molt, it was unlikely to reveal itself.
‘I should prepare a separate sword and shield.’
He could easily win a match against a Foundation Establishment cultivator with any magical implement. The results were entirely up to him, so all he needed now were implements to use in place of his supreme-grade ones.
Yi Hyeon stopped and counted the spirit stones in his storage pouch.
A full 6,400 mid-grade spirit stones!
He had bought the Three-Molt Silkworm Robe after saving up 4,000 spirit stones, but soon recovered most of its price through the spirit stones taken from four attackers and the proceeds from selling their magical implements.
More than twenty years ago, he had received 1,200 for the Scale-Armored Sea Ape’s demonic core and another 400 for its scales, tendons, skeleton, and other materials. That alone had brought in 1,600 mid-grade spirit stones.
He had also earned money over the decades by taking on refining and alchemy work and selling spirit plants. Even after buying cultivation pills and various supplies, and paying to maintain his spirit fields and Bonefuzz puppets, his spare funds had increased by about another 900.
After all his income and expenses were counted, he had 6,400 spirit stones left.
Besides, the spirit plants growing in his fields were worth far more. He could simply buy a few implements for casual use.
...
In a shop specializing in magical implements a little way off the main street, four swords lay on a table.
The middle-aged cultivator who owned the shop pointed to one of them.
“If you intend to pour a lot of spiritual power into it, this Cheonggang Sword would be the better choice.”
“May I test it?”
“Of course.”
The owner led him to a small training hall farther inside.
Yi Hyeon floated the Cheonggang Sword into the air, poured a little spiritual power into it, and moved it several times.
‘Not bad. Perfect for something I can use without worrying.’
The owner explained, “Even among top-grade magical implements, its blade is quite durable.”
“How much?”
“One hundred and eighty mid-grade spirit stones.”
Yi Hyeon nodded.
“I’d like to see some defensive implements too.”
The owner soon brought several out.
Yi Hyeon chose the Triple Union Shield, which consisted of three shield plates.
Unlike the Six-Leaf Shield, it could not distribute the impact received by one plate among the others. Still, he was familiar with separating shield plates and floating them around his body.
‘This should be good for everyday use too.’
“This one is one hundred and ninety.”
His final choice was a magical implement called the Mountain-Suppressing Seal. It was a square seal with a yellowish cast, about the size of a fist when resting in his hand.
With enough spiritual power, it could grow to a maximum size of ten jang and was well suited to striking downward from above.
It had no other special features.
The owner offered it for 130.
After checking the restrictions on all three implements, Yi Hyeon took out 500 mid-grade spirit stones and paid.
...
By the time he returned to the residence, the sky was already dark.
In his room, Yi Hyeon took out the Cheonggang Sword, Triple Union Shield, and Mountain-Suppressing Seal and began ritually refining their restrictions.
...
Three days later.
At the training hall in the residence’s rear courtyard, three round shields, the Cheonggang Sword, and the Mountain-Suppressing Seal slowly circled Yi Hyeon.
‘This should be enough for basic use.’
Just then, he heard Myeongyun’s voice.
“Are you here, Junior Brother Yi?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Junior Sister Yuk is looking for you.”
“What’s the matter?”
“She’s arranged to meet some fellow cultivators from Cheongso Palace and Geumjeong Sect. I’m going too. Would you like to join us?”
“Gladly.”
Yi Hyeon put away his implements.
...
Beside the lake north of the immortal city, small waterside pavilions stood at intervals along a corridor extending far over the water.
Flowing Rosy Clouds Pavilion.
Beneath a signboard written in an elegant, old-fashioned hand, Qi Refining attendants welcomed the guests.
Lotus leaves floated between the pavilions, with beautiful fish of many colors swimming beneath them. As the lake breeze passed through the corridor, small bells hanging from the pillars rang clearly.
Seven people had come from Jewel Light Temple. Besides Yi Hyeon, Myeongyun, Wonjeong, and Jang Tae-san, there were three Demon-Subduing Court disciples, including Yuk Hong-yeon.
Yi Hyeon followed his fellow disciples and looked around the lake.
Guests sat in the pavilions across the corridor as well.
They could see one another, but no voices carried between them. Formations around the pavilions blocked the sound.
An attendant led the group farther inside.
Eight cultivators had already gathered in the large pavilion at the far end. Four were disciples of Cheongso Palace, and four were from Geumjeong Sect in Hyeon Kingdom.
A round-faced cultivator with a short beard rose first.
“Monk Wonjeong, it’s been a long time.”
“Have you been well too, Fellow Cultivator Im?”
The cultivator was Im Gyeong-hwa of Cheongso Palace in Jeong Kingdom. They and Senior Brother Wonjeong had apparently met at an exchange gathering in Hyeon Kingdom several years earlier.
A female cultivator in a navy robe sat beside them. Her hair was neatly tied back, and thin silver finger guards covered two fingers of her right hand.
She was Yun Chae-ryeong of Geumjeong Sect in Hyeon Kingdom.
When she was introduced as someone skilled in implement refining, Myeongyun was the first to speak to her. The others also exchanged names and sect affiliations with those seated nearby.
As fifteen people gathered around the large round table, the quiet pavilion quickly grew lively.
Im Gyeong-hwa nodded to an attendant.
Dishes soon arrived one after another.
Clear broth was poured over thin slices of spirit fish. Beside it were a bowl of spirit rice and a plate of seasoned young spirit vegetable shoots.
An attendant lifted a small lid, releasing soft steam and a fresh fragrance.
Yuk Hong-yeon picked up her chopsticks.
“How did you find this place?”
“Our palace’s disciples often come here when receiving fellow cultivators from elsewhere. There are quite a few of us today, so I booked a large pavilion.”
Smiling, Im Gyeong-hwa lifted a wine bottle.
Wonjeong lightly brought his hands together.
“I’ll have tea.”
“Of course.”
Those who drank received spirit wine, while the others were served pale spirit tea.
Yi Hyeon tasted a spoonful of broth.
A clean, refreshing flavor spread through his mouth.
As he swallowed, warmth spread through his belly. Gentle spiritual qi seeped into his meridians and slowly dispersed.
‘Delicious!’
Im Gyeong-hwa raised their cup.
“Thanks to the Dao Discussion Gathering, we can sit together with fellow cultivators from so many kingdoms. I hope we’ll see one another often during your stay.”
Their cups lightly touched.
...
The conversation began with the tournament.
They discussed which sects’ disciples they had seen and what spells this year’s competitors used.
The matchups had not even been announced, yet some cultivators’ names were already coming up repeatedly.
Yuk Hong-yeon said, “I saw him too. You mean the cultivator with three sheaths on his back?”
“That’s right. I hear he’s very strong.”
A Geumjeong Sect disciple seated nearby joined in.
Im Gyeong-hwa looked at Yun Chae-ryeong.
“Do you know which implements will be offered as prizes, Fellow Cultivator Yun?”
“I don’t know either. But even if I win a supreme-grade magical implement, I intend to sell it to pay for my travels.”
Yi Hyeon asked, “Is there somewhere you want to go?”
“I’d like to visit the Geonwon Empire.”
Those seated nearby turned toward her.
Myeongyun raised his eyebrows.
“The empire in the east?”
“Yes.”
The Geonwon Empire.
A fifth-tier cultivation kingdom said to lie far to the east of Unju.
It was an empire guarded by Spirit Transformation cultivators.
That, however, was about all Yi Hyeon knew of it.
Yun Chae-ryeong continued.
“One of our sect’s elders went there to study implement refining. After the elder returned, the number of refining methods we could learn in our sect increased considerably. According to that elder, the Nine Kingdoms of Unju are nothing but the countryside compared to the Geonwon cultivation world.”
She paused briefly, then added, “I believe people need to venture into a larger world if they want to grow. The Geonwon Empire is classified as a single fifth-tier cultivation kingdom, but its overall size is incomparably greater than the Nine Kingdoms of Unju.”
Yi Hyeon nodded.
Fourth-tier cultivation kingdoms did not even consider regions with only Golden Core sects to be proper cultivation worlds. A fifth-tier cultivation kingdom would surely be on an entirely different level from a fourth-tier one.
Im Gyeong-hwa spoke.
“Isn’t the Geonwon Empire far away?”
“It is. Even after passing through Hyeong Kingdom in the east and leaving Unju, you still have to cross several cultivation kingdoms. There are fourth-tier kingdoms ruled by Nascent Soul sects there too.”
“I’ve heard there’s a desert beyond them.”
Yun Chae-ryeong nodded at Wonjeong’s words.
“You have to cross the Severed-Vein Sand Sea. And even then, you’ll only reach the empire’s western frontier.”
The Severed-Vein Sand Sea was a vast desert where spirit veins were sparse and broken.
Oases and towns stood wherever small spirit veins remained, and merchant caravans traveled between those outposts to cross the desert.
The problem was the distance between them.
“Flying boats need spirit stones to keep flying, and cultivators need rest too. If you take the wrong route, you might go for days without being able to replenish your spiritual qi properly.”
Yun Chae-ryeong emptied the wine remaining in her cup.
“I haven’t seen it myself, either. I’ve only read accounts left by people who’ve been there.”
...
Another round of food arrived.
Perhaps because they had been discussing the Geonwon Empire, the conversation moved on to other lands.
“There’s a place in the north where the mountains and rivers themselves move.”
A Cheongso Palace disciple brought it up, mentioning having traveled along the northern trade routes.
Someone asked, “Do you mean the Yucheon Plateau?”
“Yes. I’ve been as far as its southern region. The mountain belonging to the sect I was delivering goods to arrived late, so I had to wait nearly a month.”
Yuk Hong-yeon asked, “The mountain arrived?”
“Yes. The mountains really do move.”
The Cheongso Palace disciple opened a palm and slowly moved it through the air.
“They float in the sky and travel over the plateau. Some have spirit veins, so sects occupy the larger mountains, while cultivation families sometimes live on the smaller ones.”
Myeongyun spoke.
“I’d like to see that someday.”
“If you go, a map alone won’t be enough.”
The Cheongso Palace disciple smiled.
“You need to know when each mountain passes through each place. They generally follow fixed routes, but sometimes they’re delayed, as happened when I was waiting.”
Yuk Hong-yeon asked, “What’s beyond the plateau?”
The Cheongso Palace disciple shook their head.
“I haven’t heard anything about the lands beyond it.”
Yuk Hong-yeon said, “It’s much the same in the west. Even our temple has very few records of anyone traveling farther west beyond the Vast Verdant Forest Sea.”
Im Gyeong-hwa nodded.
“I hear there are many demonic beasts there.”
“I’ve heard that deep inside are the territories of fourth-tier demonic beasts, equivalent to Nascent Soul cultivators.”
A Geumjeong Sect disciple added, “Our sect also has records left by a Nascent Soul elder who traveled there. Apparently, it’s extremely dangerous because you have to cross the territories of many demonic beasts.”
Someone said, “Wherever you go, any good spirit vein already has an owner. Even if that owner isn’t human.”
Im Gyeong-hwa replied, “Indeed. There’s even talk that in the Nammyeong region, they drain the spirit veins they acquire.”
Yi Hyeon paused with his cup halfway raised and looked at Im Gyeong-hwa.
“Drain them?”
“Apparently, there’s a method that makes a spirit vein produce higher-grade spiritual qi for a time, at the cost of shortening its life.”
Myeongyun also turned toward Im Gyeong-hwa.
“Who told you that?”
“A merchant who travels across the Nammyeong Sea. It’s one of the long-standing theories about how the Nammyeong Twelve-Sect Alliance managed to expand its power as it advanced north.”
Someone asked, “What fools. Do they give no thought to future generations? What are the disciples left behind supposed to do when the spirit veins decline?”
Im Gyeong-hwa replied, “Someone whose lifespan will run out unless they break through now might think differently. Of course, it hasn’t yet been confirmed whether such a method really exists.”
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