WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Dionysus
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Cultivating Underground ◈
Chapter 84
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Yi Hyeon was surprised too.
‘Is this really a pill tribulation?’
He had read about pill tribulations during his work as an alchemist.
Alchemical pills were generally ranked according to the major realm of the cultivators who used them. Within each rank, they were further divided into low, middle, high, and supreme grades.
Some supreme-grade pills were said to resonate with the energy of heaven and earth once they passed a certain level, calling forth a small tribulation cloud.
Supreme-grade pills that reached that level were given a separate name: Dao Pills!
This was his first time seeing a Dao Pill being refined.
When Jin So-yeong called forth the pill tribulation, several Golden Core elders moved.
The formation inscriptions around the stone platform soon lit up, and the blue curtain between the stands and the alchemy platform grew thicker. The top remained open.
‘I see. They prepared for the possibility of a pill tribulation from the start. Impressive.’
Crackle.
A thin streak of light sparked beneath the cloud.
Someone drew in a breath somewhere behind him.
Jin So-yeong watched only the pill, without even raising her head.
The fire threads slowly circled around it. Each time the flames passed, tiny points of light appeared on its surface and vanished.
The purple light inside the dark cloud gathered in one place.
The wind in the courtyard stopped.
A flash!
His vision turned white.
The moment a bolt of purple lightning pierced the air and descended, Jin So-yeong’s fingers were already moving.
The fire threads surrounding the pill spread apart in an instant.
Yi Hyeon’s eyes widened.
Jin So-yeong was not blocking the lightning, but guiding it!
The pill swallowed the lightning.
A fist-sized mass of light bloomed where there should have been a tiny bead. Purple trails of light spread outward, swirling between the fire threads.
Only then did a sharp clap of thunder erupt.
Crack-boom!
The formation’s curtain of light rippled.
Yi Hyeon gathered spiritual power in his eyes to see inside the mass of light.
He could faintly make out the pill.
Dazzling medicinal strength leaked through fine cracks in its surface.
Jin So-yeong held the pill together as it threatened to split, constantly adjusting the flames to match the violent changes within.
Only then did Yi Hyeon feel he understood a little.
A Nascent Soul cultivator would probably have no trouble destroying that small bolt of lightning.
But she was trying to make the pill withstand the lightning without falling apart, then absorb even its energy.
The mass of light shook.
The medicinal fragrance grew stronger, then abruptly vanished.
As the escaping medicinal strength curled back inside, the purple light circled the pill’s surface once before sinking deep within.
Hummm.
A round pill floated above the furnace.
The cracks from a moment earlier were gone. In their place was a single silvery-purple marking.
The marking ran around the pill. Unlike the ordinary pill markings Yi Hyeon had seen before, this fine line drew the surrounding spiritual qi along it in a very slow flow.
‘That marking...’
The dark cloud in the sky came apart.
It scattered from its black edges inward, as though melting in the sunlight. The last traces of purple light soon vanished too.
The courtyard brightened again.
Someone let out a long breath.
Only then did Yi Hyeon realize he had been holding his own.
A Golden Core cultivator in the front row brought their hands together.
“Congratulations on completing a one-mark Dao Pill, True Lord.”
Several people bowed toward Jin So-yeong, and she gave a slight nod.
She set the pill on a transparent jade platter. Then she took out the other five pills that had been undergoing gentle warming below and placed them on a separate plate.
Those True Essence Pills were all high or supreme grade as well.
Jin So-yeong raised the jade platter.
“This is the tribulation marking that forms after a pill survives its tribulation. It differs from an ordinary pill marking, which appears as medicinal strength gathers.”
The silvery-purple line shone faintly in the sunlight.
“A Dao Pill is considered more complete the more tribulation markings it has. A one-mark Dao Pill is the limit of what I can show you, but somewhere in the human realm, there may be people who can refine two-mark or three-mark Dao Pills.”
She looked down at the pill for a moment.
“It means there is still much to study.”
Though Jin So-yeong spoke calmly, everyone present knew.
Even a one-mark Dao Pill was an extraordinary achievement that no one could dare take lightly.
Tribulation clouds gathering and lightning tribulation falling just to make a pill! If this was not the work of an immortal, what was?
A Golden Core cultivator in the front row asked cautiously, “True Lord, can you also make other pills into Dao Pills?”
Jin So-yeong shook her head.
“So far, I have only achieved this much with True Essence Pills.”
‘I see...’
It seemed that a high cultivation realm did not mean someone could push every pill formula to its limits.
Earlier, she had said she had been refining True Essence Pills regularly since early Golden Core. All those years of study seemed to have come together in the single pill before them.
More than eight hundred years had passed since they took the Special Skills Selection together, so Jin So-yeong was probably around that age. But her current appearance, which suggested she had taken a Youth-Preserving Pill, gave no clue as to when she had formed her golden core or reached Nascent Soul.
‘If she occasionally made True Essence Pills like this for her own use back in Golden Core... she must have saved a great many years of cultivation.’
While Yi Hyeon was lost in thought, the Golden Core Tier 3 alchemists in the front row had already begun vying to ask questions like eager but well-mannered nestlings. Jin So-yeong answered them one by one.
Why had she lowered the heat before adding the medicinal liquid? What should they watch for when dividing the medicinal liquid just before pill condensation? How should they finish the refining if the pill seemed unlikely to survive its tribulation?
The Golden Core cultivators had so many questions that the Foundation Establishment cultivators did not dare take up True Lord So-yeong’s time with foolish ones.
Yi Hyeon carefully recorded every question and answer he heard in a jade slip.
He left nothing out, even things he could not understand yet. Perhaps he would understand them when he read them again later.
After answering the final question, Jin So-yeong prepared to leave. The cultivators all rose to bow.
Yi Hyeon put away his jade slip and pressed his palms together too.
‘Thank you for the lesson, Senior Sister Jin.’
* * *
On the fourth day of the gathering, the preliminary rounds began in the sparring arenas around the main training platform.
The arenas lined a broad road. A list of each group’s members and the day’s matches hung in front of every arena.
After checking when their turns would come, cultivators either sat in nearby stands or moved to another arena.
When the clash of metal rang out on one side, flames stained a curtain of light red on the other.
After each bout, the cultivators managing the arena went in to inspect the floor and formation inscriptions. As soon as they left, the next participants stepped up.
Yi Hyeon sat in the stands with Myeongyun and Wonjeong.
Below them, Yuk Hong-yeon’s long spear thrust fiercely toward her opponent’s chest.
Whoom!
The front of the cultivator’s gray enchanted robe swelled. Round patterns rotated across it, making the spearhead slide aside at an angle.
At the same time, two throwing knives shot from the opponent’s sleeve like venomous snakes.
Yuk Hong-yeon twisted, and the knives skimmed past her chest and shoulder. The moment one changed course to strike her back, the vajra above her head released a golden ripple.
Boom!
The throwing knife bounced away helplessly. Yuk Hong-yeon did not miss that brief opening.
She kicked off the ground and shifted to a shorter grip on her spear. Her opponent hurried backward in alarm.
The patterns on the enchanted robe turned again.
This time, however, a palm strike arrived before the spear.
Thud!
A golden palm burst from Yuk Hong-yeon’s left hand, slamming into the robe’s protective barrier and crushing it inward.
The six iron rings on her long spear immediately rang out fiercely.
Clatterrr!
Before the Protective Spiritlight could recover, the sharp spearhead pierced the gap and stopped a handspan from her opponent’s shoulder.
The referee raised a hand.
“Stop.”
Yuk Hong-yeon withdrew her spear.
The cultivator opposite her took a moment to steady their breathing, then brought their hands together.
“I admit defeat.”
“Thank you for the match.”
As the two stepped down, the waiting arena staff went up.
Myeongyun nodded.
“Junior Sister Yuk really does strike quickly.”
Wonjeong added, “She studied her opponent’s protective robe well. After it blocked a blow, there was a brief gap before the patterns came around again.”
A little later, Yuk Hong-yeon climbed into the stands.
As soon as she sat in an empty seat, she opened a palm-sized book. She took a short wooden writing stick from inside its cover and began writing something.
After a while, she closed the book and looked at Yi Hyeon.
“Your turn’s tomorrow at wu hour, right, Junior Brother?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll have some time free after my morning match. I’ll come watch.”
...
Before the next bout began, the four left the stands. They stopped in front of a hall across the road, where a wooden board on the wall listed the prizes.
Below the three supreme-grade magical implements, a notice said that all 128 participants who reached the main tournament would receive thirty mid-grade spirit stones each. Those who reached the round of thirty-two could choose one item from a separate selection or take spirit stones instead.
Yuk Hong-yeon said, “So it’s not just the top three who get something? Now that makes it worth the effort.”
Yi Hyeon’s gaze lingered briefly on the Whirlwind Shoes.
He did like them.
But to obtain them, he would have to place among the top three of the hundreds of Foundation Establishment cultivators gathered from the Nine Kingdoms of Unju.
‘There’s no need to draw that much attention just for one supreme-grade magical implement.’
Yi Hyeon had come as though he were going on a picnic.
He could fight a few more matches in the main tournament, then withdraw at a suitable point.
* * *
On the fifth day of the gathering, at wu hour, Yi Hyeon arrived at the arena assigned to Group Forty-Seven.
He presented his jade token to confirm his identity, then stepped onto the stone platform.
Opposite him, a male cultivator from Cheongso Palace was straightening his sleeves.
He was at the eighth layer of Foundation Establishment, with a metal ring hanging at each side of his waist. Closely spaced diagonal grooves covered their surfaces.
He brought his hands together.
“I am Han Gyeong-su of Cheongso Palace.”
“I am Yi Dong-sa of Jewel Light Temple. I look forward to our match.”
The referee outside the arena looked at them.
“Begin!”
Han Gyeong-su moved first.
The two rings came free from his waist and crossed in midair, then split to the left and right with a low whistle of wind.
Whoooosh!
Two shield plates rose in front of Yi Hyeon.
Clang!
The ring coming from the right struck the edge of a plate. Almost at the same time, the other ring dropped close to the floor, then shot up toward his thigh.
Yi Hyeon pushed it away with his third shield plate.
Meanwhile, the Cheonggang Sword flew toward Han Gyeong-su.
But Han Gyeong-su was already retreating. Dust swept out in a long trail beneath his feet as his body slid diagonally away.
The Cheonggang Sword cut through empty air.
‘Not bad. My acting...’
He had intended to take it easy, but his opponent was no fool either.
The flying Cheonggang Sword’s course was wavering slightly.
Wherever the rings passed, taut currents of air overlapped, weaving an invisible net of wind across the entire arena.
‘Interesting.’
Han Gyeong-su slid like a ghost, riding the spring of the air currents he had created.
When Yi Hyeon thrust with his sword, Han Gyeong-su rode the wind aside. When Yi Hyeon raised a shield plate, a ring swept in on the air currents from a blind spot.
Shreeee!
At Han Gyeong-su’s gesture, the paired rings soared overhead and spun furiously, pouring down condensed wind blades like heavy rain.
Yi Hyeon overlapped his three shield plates to form a wall.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
As the fierce wind pressure battered the plates and blocked his view, Yi Hyeon concentrated his spiritual sense into a fine point, shaping a Spirit-Startling Needle.
Han Gyeong-su’s eyes narrowed at the sharp presence of spiritual sense.
He instinctively sprang backward and was about to recall one of his rings when...
Rumble.
A huge shadow settled over the arena.
It was the Mountain-Suppressing Seal.
The heavy seal had expanded to two jang across. It fell straight toward Han Gyeong-su as though to crush him beneath it.
“Ugh!”
Alarmed, Han Gyeong-su overlapped the paired rings above his head. A condensed gust shot up through their narrowed opening and struck the corner of the Mountain-Suppressing Seal.
Booom!
The seal tilted and fell to the floor.
Thoom!
The stone platform shook, sending fragments of stone flying. Han Gyeong-su barely escaped its shadow and was about to sigh in relief.
But at the very instant the rings’ paths spread apart to knock away the Mountain-Suppressing Seal...
Clang!
Two shield plates that had moved out to the sides snapped together in midair like scissors.
One of the returning rings was caught between them, held fast.
“...?!”
Han Gyeong-su’s face went white.
With one ring trapped, the net of air currents tightening around the arena collapsed in an instant.
Deprived of the wind’s spring, Han Gyeong-su staggered.
The circling Cheonggang Sword shot toward that opening like lightning.
Whoosh!
Before he could raise his remaining ring, the sword tip pierced the Protective Spiritlight at his side and stopped.
At the same time, the Mountain-Suppressing Seal rose from the floor again and aimed at the crown of his head.
“Stop.”
The referee’s voice rang out.
Han Gyeong-su looked between the Mountain-Suppressing Seal overhead and the sword stopped beside him.
He pressed his lips together for a moment, then slowly relaxed his hands.
“I admit defeat.”
Yi Hyeon withdrew his sword and seal, then brought his hands together.
“Thank you for the match.”
...
Yuk Hong-yeon raised a hand from below the stands.
Wonjeong and Myeongyun were beside her.
“Well done.”
As Yi Hyeon approached, Yuk Hong-yeon gestured toward his storage pouch with her eyes.
“That seal... You bought it recently, didn’t you? Why does everything look so good when you use it, Junior Brother Yi?”
Yi Hyeon chuckled.
Wonjeong said, “A shame about the Spirit-Startling Needle.”
“Yes. It’s not easy to hide the signs of forming it.”
“Your opponent was sensitive in his use of spiritual sense too. It couldn’t be helped.”
Yi Hyeon nodded.
Myeongyun checked his jade token.
“My turn is at wei hour. Shall we get something to eat before then? We’ve come all this way. It would be a shame to settle for Fasting Pills, wouldn’t it?”
Yuk Hong-yeon nodded.
“Sounds good.”
The four headed toward a restaurant by the road.
* * *
The preliminary rounds continued.
Yi Hyeon faced his remaining opponents one after another.
Some controlled spirit beasts. Others scattered talismans around the small arena, then drove their opponents into them. Some skillfully wielded a single magical implement, while others switched between implements with different properties.
As he faced them, Yi Hyeon gradually grew more familiar with the Cheonggang Sword, Triple Union Shield, and Mountain-Suppressing Seal.
...
And so the twelfth day of the gathering arrived.
When Yi Hyeon stepped down from the stone platform after his final bout, a steward checked his jade token.
“You’ve won all seven matches. You’re first in Group Forty-Seven.”
“Thank you.”
“Please come to the main training platform tomorrow morning to receive your token for the main tournament and your reward. We will also decide the main tournament matchups there.”
Yi Hyeon took back his jade token.
He had reached the round of 128.
Yuk Hong-yeon waved from a distance.
She had also advanced to the main tournament, taking second place in her group. Myeongyun, however, had lost his final bout and narrowly finished third.
“You almost had your opponent at the end too, Senior Brother.”
At Yuk Hong-yeon’s words, Myeongyun shook his head.
“I still have much to improve. Now I can relax and enjoy watching.”
Just then, a low, long bell sounded in the distance.
Yi Hyeon looked up.
A flying boat had appeared in the sky southeast of the immortal city.
It was a large vessel with a dark gray hull and black sails. Two slightly smaller flying boats followed on either side.
Dark metal plates overlapped beneath its high, pointed prow, and flags bearing different designs hung between its masts.
Flying boats had continued to arrive even after the Dao Discussion Gathering began, so the appearance of another was nothing unusual.
Yet this time, something felt wrong.
Yuk Hong-yeon slowed her steps.
“That ship...”
A small silver flying boat approached the three vessels.
It was a guide boat from Cheongso Palace.
As the crystal pillars on the peaks lit up one after another, a path of light opened in the air. The three flying boats slowed and followed it toward the northern part of the immortal city.
Myeongyun’s brow furrowed.
Then a familiar voice came from behind them.
“My fellow cultivators from Jewel Light Temple.”
It was Im Gyeong-hwa of Cheongso Palace.
They seemed to have spotted Yi Hyeon’s group while walking with two fellow disciples.
Wonjeong pressed his palms together.
“Fellow Cultivator Im. Where have those flying boats come from?”
Im Gyeong-hwa looked up.
“They carry envoys from the Nammyeong Twelve-Sect Alliance.”
‘Huh?’
Yuk Hong-yeon asked, “Nammyeong sent people to the Dao Discussion Gathering too?”
“They apparently have something to discuss with the seniors from the Hyeong Kingdom.”
“The Hyeong Kingdom?”
Im Gyeong-hwa nodded.
“It’s because of Cheongam Island.”
Yi Hyeon had never heard the name before.
When he asked about it, Im Gyeong-hwa pointed southeast of the immortal city.
“It’s an island in the sea east of the Gon Kingdom. It’s also easy enough to reach by ship from the southern Hyeong Kingdom. It used to be little more than a place for passing ships to rest, but a spirit stone mine was recently discovered there.”
“A spirit stone mine...?”
“They say it mainly produces mid-grade spirit stones. The deposit is extensive, and apparently a few high-grade spirit stones have been found deeper down.”
Myeongyun let out a breath.
“Both sides would want that.”
“The Haemyeong Sect of the Hyeong Kingdom says they found the vein first and even dug mine tunnels. But the Nammyeong sects ruling the Gon Kingdom apparently claim the island has always belonged to their territory.”
Im Gyeong-hwa briefly looked around before continuing.
“They say both sides have sent people there and are engaged in a standoff. With so many seniors gathered in the Jeong Kingdom, they probably intend to settle the matter here. I heard they’ve been arranging this visit for several days.”
Yuk Hong-yeon looked up again.
“But why did they bring so many disciples?”
As the flying boats drew closer, the people on deck became easier to see.
There was a man with a coffin strapped to his back.
Beside a young man with several spirit insect pouches at his waist stood a female cultivator holding a long sword case. Farther back, two cultivators were carrying a cage covered in black cloth.
Their clothing varied, but most of those in view had similar cultivation levels.
Late Foundation Establishment.
Even a rough count put their number above a hundred.
They too were looking down, surveying the crowded streets, the flags announcing the Dao Discussion Gathering, and the light of spells rising from the arenas.
Then a door on the upper level of the largest flying boat opened.
An elderly woman with silver hair walked out first.
A middle-aged cultivator wearing a black ceremonial cap followed, along with a very thin elder. Last came a man in a long white robe.
Im Gyeong-hwa lowered their voice.
“The elderly woman at the front seems to be from the Heuksu Sect. I don’t recognize the others.”
The woman stood by the railing and turned toward the training hall.
At once, it felt as though someone had placed a palm on Yi Hyeon’s head and was slowly pressing down.
All conversation in the street stopped.
Clatter.
A Qi Refining attendant at a roadside stall dropped a tray. The sound rang out unusually loudly, but no one turned toward it.
They could not.
Yuk Hong-yeon’s hand instinctively gripped the spear on her back. Myeongyun pressed his lips together and held his breath. One of the Cheongso Palace disciples behind Im Gyeong-hwa turned pale.
‘Nascent Soul...!’
Yi Hyeon immediately withdrew his spiritual sense.
A wave of spiritual sense swept over the cultivators in the street one by one. It passed Wonjeong, then Yuk Hong-yeon...
And reached Yi Hyeon.
A chill ran down his spine.
He had spent more than two thousand years refining his Qi-Concealing Spell and Spirit-Hiding Spell. But he had never tested whether they would work under a Nascent Soul cultivator’s gaze.
Fortunately, the spiritual sense passed over him in an instant. It lingered no longer than it had on his fellow disciples.
‘...She doesn’t seem particularly interested.’
Only then did he notice the other three figures at the railing. They too gave off auras whose depths he could not measure.
There were four Nascent Soul cultivators!
At that moment, a clear bell rang once from a peak north of the immortal city.
Dong.
The pressure over the street split apart.
A calm voice sounded in the air.
“Our guests have come a long way, but you seem rather too interested in the children.”
A smile appeared on the elderly woman’s lips.
“Hoho. I was simply pleased to see such fine talents.”
The immense spiritual sense withdrew.
Only then did people let out their breaths.
Yuk Hong-yeon released her spear and wiped her palm on her clothes.
...
The flying boats descended toward a high docking platform in the north.
Cultivators from the Taeak Sect and Cheongso Palace were already waiting there.
From the road Yi Hyeon’s group was walking along, they could see the long stone staircase leading to the docks and the pavilion above it.
When the Nammyeong Nascent Soul cultivators disembarked, those waiting before the pavilion stepped forward.
At their head stood the white-haired elder of the Taeak Sect who had given the opening address. Beside the elder was a female cultivator in a pale blue enchanted robe.
It was Jin So-yeong.
Unlike when she had answered questions before the pill furnace, there was no trace of a smile on her lips.
As the two sides exchanged greetings, the Nammyeong disciples began leaving the flying boats as well.
Their procession stretched out in a long line.
The Nascent Soul cultivators went inside somewhere, while the Nammyeong disciples were guided toward another corridor.
* * *
On the morning of the thirteenth day, the participants who had advanced to the main tournament gathered before the training platform.
Yi Hyeon stood in line with his fellow disciples from Jewel Light Temple.
Stewards checked the lists and handed out jade tokens and spirit stones. But there was no box for drawing the matchups.
Instead, several seats had been arranged on the training platform.
A little later, the elderly Nascent Soul cultivator from the Taeak Sect appeared.
Cultivators from Cheongso Palace and the Haemyeong Sect followed onto the platform. Opposite them sat the Nammyeong Nascent Soul cultivators they had seen the day before.
The courtyard fell silent.
The Taeak Sect elder spoke.
“Before we decide the main tournament matchups, there is something you must hear.”
Yi Hyeon put away his jade token.
“The negotiations concerning Cheongam Island concluded overnight. Both sides have agreed to entrust one side with the right to manage the island and operate its mine for the next hundred years.”
The elder’s gaze swept over the disciples.
“We have decided to determine who receives that right through a contest between the disciples of both sides.”
Heads rose throughout the crowd.
“Unju and Nammyeong will each field sixty-four disciples for one-on-one matches. The side with more victories will receive the rights. If each side wins thirty-two matches, both will send out one more representative for a final match.”
Nammyeong’s silver-haired elder leisurely raised her teacup.
The Taeak Sect elder continued.
“We intend to choose Unju’s participants from among the main tournament qualifiers gathered here.”
The mood in the courtyard changed.
Hands that had been checking jade tokens went still.
Yi Hyeon looked toward the seated Nascent Soul cultivators.
The Haemyeong Sect cultivator was studying the disciples with a stiff expression. The Nammyeong Nascent Soul cultivators showed little reaction.
The elder spoke again.
“The standoff on Cheongam Island has already cost both sides considerable spirit stones and manpower. But surely old people like us cannot take action ourselves and destroy both the island and its mine.”
A slight smile followed.
“Since we are asking this of you, we have prepared suitable payment. Each participant will receive three hundred mid-grade spirit stones. If you win, you may receive the same amount again or choose an item from a separate selection of rewards.”
The look in several disciples’ eyes changed.
Three hundred mid-grade spirit stones was enough to buy a fairly good magical implement and still have some left over.
Victory would double that amount.
“The main tournament of the original competition will continue once these matches are over. The Dao Discussion Gathering’s prizes remain unchanged, so you need not worry about that.”
The elder paused briefly, then added, “However, these matches will differ from the bouts held so far. We have agreed that neither side will hold the other responsible for injuries or deaths during a match.”
The courtyard fell silent.
Someone slowly lowered the jade token they were holding.
“...Are these death matches?”
A cultivator in the front row asked the question.
“You may admit defeat and withdraw. But you must make that decision yourselves. There will be no referee inside to stop an attack.”
Yuk Hong-yeon’s eyes narrowed.
Yi Hyeon waited for the elder to continue.
“We will place screening restrictions around the training platform. Once a match begins, no one outside will be able to see inside or examine it with spiritual sense.”
Murmurs rose.
This time, the elderly woman from Nammyeong spoke.
“Would disciples hold back their sects’ secret arts when their lives are at stake? We cannot let those arts be displayed for all to see.”
She looked toward the other side.
“Surely Unju agrees?”
The Taeak Sect elder nodded calmly.
“The same conditions will apply to both sides. Both sides will also inspect and oversee the restrictions together.”
The elder took a small jade token from a sleeve.
“If you break this, you will be considered to have admitted defeat, and the screening restrictions will be lifted. Any attack after that will be treated as harming someone after a match has ended.”
The jade token slowly turned above the elder’s hand.
Yi Hyeon felt it was merely a show meant to reassure the Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Even at Foundation Establishment, battles were extremely fast and deadly.
There would hardly be any time to break the token and hold out until the restrictions lifted.
The elder looked around at the disciples.
“We have already asked the elders of each sect for their cooperation. We will finalize the list before sunset today, and the matches will begin tomorrow.”
The elder’s gaze paused briefly.
“I hear Unju’s finest young talents are gathered here. Surely it will not be difficult to find sixty-four among you.”
...
After leaving the training platform, the Jewel Light Temple disciples gathered around Hyejeong, the elder leading them.
The old monk lowered the jade slip in his hand.
“They have asked our temple to fill three places.”
Yuk Hong-yeon asked, “Was this decided overnight?”
“Yes. It seems they originally intended to discuss the island’s boundaries and the terms of mining, but Nammyeong proposed settling it through matches between disciples.”
Wonjeong looked toward the gathered Nammyeong disciples.
“They may have intended this from the beginning.”
Hyejeong did not deny it.
“The Haemyeong Sect accepted after negotiating the terms. They also made separate agreements to supply spirit stones to the sects helping them with this matter.”
The old monk looked at the disciples.
“Anyone who wishes to participate should tell me. But do not decide based on the payment alone. Their disciples will have been carefully selected from each sect too.”
A brief silence followed his words.
‘What a sudden nuisance.’
A Nascent Soul cultivator had personally encouraged them to participate, and Jewel Light Temple had been assigned places.
Even so, Yi Hyeon had no reason to volunteer first. He was an alchemist from Lotus Court. The Demon-Subduing Court and Vajra Court had disciples with a greater interest in combat.
Yuk Hong-yeon spoke.
“Where can we see the rewards?”
Hyejeong pointed to a nearby hall.
“They have been arranged inside. Some items require you to check how to grow or use them, so ask a steward if anything interests you.”
Yuk Hong-yeon set off first.
Yi Hyeon followed the others into the hall.
...
Inside, jade cases, bottles, and various magical implements stood in rows.
Several potted spirit plants sat inside glass cases protected by restrictions.
Wooden boards listing the items hung on the walls. Below them, stewards handed out jade slips with detailed explanations.
Most of the rewards had been provided by the Haemyeong Sect, so many were spirit materials from the sea. Yi Hyeon noticed materials refined from demonic beast shells and pearls, as well as ores suitable for water-element magical implements.
Yuk Hong-yeon stopped before a list of materials that could be used to improve her spear and vajra.
Wonjeong closely examined a small jade bottle.
Yi Hyeon read through the items in order, then stopped at the section listing spirit plants.
「Heaven-Origin Divine Tree (乾元神木). One sapling.」
‘Heaven-Origin Divine Tree?’
A short description followed.
「A rare spirit tree whose fruit contains heaven-origin qi (乾元之氣). Cultivation records and observation records of a mature tree are included.」
Yi Hyeon asked a nearby steward for the jade slip.
When he sent his spiritual sense inside, images of the tree’s shape, leaves, and roots appeared in turn.
Its leaves were small and thick, and round fruit hung from the tips of its branches. Shallow grooves ran around the fruit’s surface.
Yi Hyeon’s eyes widened as he read the explanation that followed.
The Heaven-Origin Divine Tree grew by absorbing the spiritual qi of heaven and earth. Only after a very long time would small fruit form at the tips of its branches.
The fruit remained on the branches, nurturing a unique energy within.
That energy was called heaven-origin qi.
According to the records, dust did not gather around fruit containing heaven-origin qi.
Water poured over it would part before touching the fruit. Small stones brought close would be pushed away, as though blocked by something invisible.
‘This is... repulsion, isn’t it? Could I use this to create Heaven-Origin Force, the opposite of Earth-Origin Force?’
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