Cultivating Underground - Chapter 9

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Dionysus

◈ Cultivating Underground ◈

Chapter 9

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Left alone in an instant, Yi Hyeon stood in a daze.

After a moment, he came to his senses and looked at the iron token in his hand.

The words “No. 8” were inscribed on the front, while a fragment of a low-grade spirit stone was fitted into the back. A little spiritual energy still remained in the stone.

Yi Hyeon gripped the access token and used his spiritual sense to activate its formation. The token began to glow faintly.

Hummm...

An invisible force pushed the mist away in a circle around him.

The mist retreated about one zhang, revealing a narrow path leading to the hut. Bone-Rotting Flowers with ivory blooms grew to the left, while Purple Poison Orchids drooped their purple leaves to the right. In the shaded spirit field at the very back, blue-black Yin Soul Grass grew thickly.

Yi Hyeon carefully stepped inside.

A faint barrier covered the area around the hut. When he brought the access token close, the barrier parted with a ripple.

Once inside, he immediately closed the door and checked the windows.

Unlike outside, the air inside the hut was fairly clean. Formation flags (陣旗) were planted at various points along the walls and floor, and a formation plate fitted with a low-grade spirit stone sat on one side of the room.

The stone had lost nearly half its glow. It seemed to be maintaining the hut’s formation.

A ledger and a map of the Withered Yin Field lay on the table.

Yi Hyeon opened the ledger first.

It listed watering dates and amounts, harvest times, and even when to replace the spirit stones in the formations.

He opened a drawer beneath the table and found three wooden boxes. They were labeled “Yin-Gathering Formation (聚陰陣),” “Poison-Warding Formation (辟毒陣),” and “Emergency Use.” Inside, low-grade spirit stones for his work at the Withered Yin Field lay in neat rows.

At the beginning of every month, the Outer Sect Affairs Hall provided eight low-grade spirit stones. Five went toward maintaining the formations around the spirit field and hut. The remaining three were the monthly pay of the disciple managing the Withered Yin Field.

Yi Hyeon turned to the next page of the ledger, which explained how to tend the field.

The Bone-Rotting Flowers and Yin Soul Grass needed the Spirit Rain Spell once every two days. The Purple Poison Orchids needed watering once every three days. If their roots came within three chi of one another, they had to be transplanted before their vitality was drained away.

The Yin-Gathering Formation at the center of the field had to be activated every ten days. Inserting one low-grade spirit stone and running the formation for a day would draw the yin energy scattered throughout the valley into the field.

He would have to catch any spirit insects himself, though the ledger said they rarely appeared in the Withered Yin Field.

Harvesting methods were also recorded.

Every three months, the fully opened Bone-Rotting Flowers were cut, stems and all. If the flowers were left on one out of every ten plants, white seedpods resembling bone fragments would form where the petals fell. When those pods split, black seeds emerged. They only needed to be buried one finger joint deep.

The Yin Soul Grass was harvested every four months by cutting its mature leaves at the base. The seeds that formed at the tips of old stems were as light as dust. On a windless day, they had to be scattered over damp soil and pressed down gently with a palm.

Every six months, the thickened roots of the Purple Poison Orchids were dug up. The finger-sized young bulbs were separated from them and replanted three finger joints deep, where they would grow into new orchids.

‘It really is easy.’

The problem was going outside the hut.

The ledger told him that he had to pay for the low-grade spirit stones used in the access token himself.

If he relied on the token to work in the field without learning the basic spells, it would consume one low-grade spirit stone a month. In other words, unless he learned those spells quickly, his monthly pay would shrink by a full third.

‘First, I need to find out whether the toxic energy in the Withered Yin Field shortens my lifespan. If it doesn’t, there’s no need to waste low-grade spirit stones.’

‘If it doesn’t shorten my lifespan, I might not need the basic spells or the access token. Still, those spells have plenty of uses outside this job, so I should learn them anyway...’

He checked the dates Senior Brother Mun Gang had written at the end of the ledger. All three spirit plants had last been watered today.

In two days, he would need to go outside and use the Spirit Rain Spell on the Bone-Rotting Flowers and Yin Soul Grass. Until then, he decided to start learning the Clear Air Art, the Breath-Sealing Art (閉息訣), and the Spherical Qi Barrier.

...

After spending two days inside the hut practicing nothing but spells, Yi Hyeon could use all three at a very basic level.

He raised a Spherical Qi Barrier, activated the Breath-Sealing Art as well, and went out into the field.

Ssshhh...

Murky energy laden with poison crept up the barrier.

The purple mist clung to the surface of the Spherical Qi Barrier as though eating away at it. Perhaps because his proficiency was low, his spiritual power drained faster than he had expected.

Yi Hyeon hurriedly watered the Bone-Rotting Flowers and Yin Soul Grass with the Spirit Rain Spell, then returned to the hut.

There was nothing wrong with his body.

...

The third day.

Today, he needed to use the Spirit Rain Spell on the Purple Poison Orchids. This time, Yi Hyeon removed the Spherical Qi Barrier from just one arm.

Cold yin energy passed through his skin and seeped into his flesh. It felt as though an invisible hand inside his body was slowly tugging at something warm.

Yi Hyeon was a little afraid that his agelessness might not work against such a strange force. Yet even after waiting, he felt no change in his body.

The cold yin energy tried to draw out his vitality, but it scattered uselessly, as though there were nothing for it to pull on.

“Hmm... So I am immune?”

Yi Hyeon removed the Spherical Qi Barrier completely. Purple vapor entered through his nose and mouth, reaching deep into his lungs.

He took ten breaths.

Twenty.

Thirty.

His body showed no reaction.

He circulated his spiritual power, trying to expel the toxic energy that had entered his lungs. As he let out a long breath, pale mist flowed from his mouth.

A little more confident now, he walked deeper into the field.

Crouching in front of a Bone-Rotting Flower, he brought his face close to its petals and carefully breathed in.

“Suuuup...”

His lungs tickled a little.

“Haaaah...”

Yi Hyeon yawned so widely that his jaw nearly came unhinged.

“...”

He felt no bone-rotting pain. Instead, it was pleasant, like stepping into the shade on a sweltering summer day.

“So to me, this is just a nice, cool farm...”

After finishing his work and returning to the hut, Yi Hyeon examined himself carefully for any possible side effects.

He found no signs of reduced vitality or vital essence. His head did feel a little heavy, though, and he grew sleepy. Perhaps he had inhaled too much mist.

Only then did Yi Hyeon realize there had been a flaw in his thinking.

‘Damn, I let my guard down! Now that I think about it, this stuff doesn’t just eat away at my lifespan. I might be able to avoid aging, but that doesn’t mean I’m immune to the poison itself...’

...

A few days later, Yi Hyeon confirmed that his body had suffered no damage.

Relieved, he nevertheless resolved to be more cautious from now on. In the cultivation world, a moment of carelessness could put him in terrible danger.

* * *

One year later.

Yi Hyeon had fully adapted to life at the Withered Yin Field.

He used the Spirit Rain Spell and activated the formations at the prescribed intervals. When the spirit plants were ready to harvest, he cut them, packed them into wooden boxes, and replanted the seeds he had set aside.

The work took less than two hours a day.

Almost no weeds grew there. Spirit insects rarely appeared either, perhaps because they could not withstand the toxic energy, or perhaps because they disliked the three spirit plants.

Compared with growing Azure Dew Grass under Senior Brother No Baek-san, this was a very easy schedule.

He spent his free time learning spells and cultivating.

Now, a single gesture with the Cleaning Spell could wash the poisonous dust off his clothes and body. The spark he created with the Flame-Kindling Spell had grown to the size of a torch flame, and he could also use the Clear Air Art to refresh the air inside the hut.

He deliberately used the Spherical Qi Barrier and Poison-Expelling Art every day to practice them as well.

...

One day, an inspector from the Outer Sect Affairs Hall came to visit, not because there was a problem with his work, but simply as a formality required by the rules.

“Junior Brother Yi, you still look well, even after coming to the Withered Yin Field.”

The visiting inspector, Jin Gu-myeong, spoke while studying Yi Hyeon’s face.

“I’ve been strictly following the rules the senior brothers taught me.”

“Even so, most people turn pale and start losing a little hair after about a year...”

“I suppose I’ve always had a strong constitution.”

“How enviable.”

Jin Gu-myeong thought little of it, but Yi Hyeon could not smile.

From that day on, he grew a beard. He also mixed a tiny amount of dry grass ash left in the stove with water and applied it around his eyes and to his cheeks.

His duller skin and the shadows beneath his eyes made him look several years older.

But that was no real solution.

A year had passed since he came to the Withered Yin Field, yet his bone age was still nineteen. If he looked the same after spending another four years here, even the most oblivious person would find it strange.

If Senior Brother Jin Gu-myeong grew suspicious and brought something that could measure his lifespan, he would be in serious trouble.

‘I can’t keep this up for five years. I need to leave the sect as soon as possible!’

Fortunately, he had gained plenty, too.

Every month, he received three low-grade spirit stones and thirty contribution points. Good harvests earned him extra contribution points as well.

Yi Hyeon carefully saved all the spirit stones he received as his share without spending any. He used contribution points to cover his daily needs.

He began making gradual preparations to leave Cheongha Valley.

...

Before he knew it, a year and a half had passed since his move to the Withered Yin Field, and it was late summer.

At the foot of a mountain a few li from the valley where the Withered Yin Field lay, there was a small, empty cave that had once housed a bear.

It was far from any path people used, and there was nothing valuable nearby. Cultivators had little reason to visit.

Yi Hyeon sat deep inside the cave, moving his brush.

Across from him, Wang So was busily copying characters from an open book.

“Brother, you always seemed so honest. I never dreamed you’d be the one to suggest something like this...!”

Wang So spoke in a low voice.

The boy who had been sixteen had since grown into a young man with a fairly sturdy build. A sword hung at his waist, and a shallow scar had appeared above his right eyebrow.

“We have to do whatever we can to survive in the cultivation world. How are we supposed to get ahead on the same footing as everyone else?”

“You’re right. But will this really be all right?”

Wang So glanced anxiously at the cave entrance.

“How much attention does anyone pay to outer disciples in the early Qi Refining stage? As long as we keep quiet, no one will know.”

Books borrowed from the Scripture Repository were piled in front of them.

Cheongha Valley allowed disciples to take basic cultivation manuals and spellbooks out of the pavilion so they could practice in their spare time at home.

Cultivators did not use only jade slips to record or read things.

From the middle Qi Refining stage onward, they often read jade slips with their spiritual sense. Early Qi Refining disciples, however, had spiritual senses too weak for that, so they often used books. Unlike jade slips, though, reading a book once did not immediately imprint its contents in the mind.

The Scripture Repository knew this, so it allowed disciples to borrow cultivation manuals and spellbooks for periods ranging from as little as fifteen days to as long as two months.

Naturally, however, showing a borrowed book to another disciple or copying out its contents to pass on was forbidden.

Even if these were not the sect’s core teachings, there was no way the sect would permit disciples to teach them privately without paying contribution points.

In other words, Yi Hyeon and Wang So were breaking sect rules!

After discussing it, they had divided the spells they needed between them, borrowed the books, and copied from each other’s books somewhere out of sight.

Over the past six months, they had copied several volumes this way.

Yi Hyeon, who had first suggested this risky plan, paid more contribution points than Wang So. Managing the Withered Yin Field had earned him far more points than Wang So had.

The books Yi Hyeon had paid contribution points to borrow were 《Three Methods of Self-Defense》, 《Earth Escape Spell》, 《Spirit-Hiding and Qi-Concealing Art (潛靈斂氣訣)》, 《Six Sensory Arts》, and 《Basic Spells of the Five Elements Explained》.

Three Methods of Self-Defense contained the Spiritlight Shield (靈光盾), which formed a shield from spiritual power; the Earth Armor Spell, which covered the entire body in earthen armor; and the Flowing Water Curtain, which deflected attacks with a curtain of water.

The Earth Escape Spell allowed movement through the soil. Given their low cultivation levels, they could not pass through solid rock or ground covered by formations. Without enough practice, there was also a risk of losing their way underground or suffocating.

Spirit-Hiding and Qi-Concealing Art contained the Qi-Concealing Spell (斂氣術), which hid fluctuations in one’s spiritual power, and the Spirit-Hiding Spell (潛靈術), which made one’s cultivation level appear lower than it really was. At first glance, the two produced similar effects, but the details of how they worked were different.

Six Sensory Arts collected six spells: the Farsight Spell (遠視術), which brought distant sights closer; the Sound-Listening Spell, which amplified quiet sounds; the Night Vision Spell, which allowed one to see in the dark; the Scent-Tracing Spell, which distinguished faint smells; the Qi-Observing Spell (望氣術), which examined flows of energy; and the Earth-Sensing Spell, which detected nearby movement through vibrations in the ground.

Basic Spells of the Five Elements Explained contained attack spells commonly used in the cultivation world, such as the Fireball Spell, Water Arrow Spell (水箭術), Metal Blade Spell (金刃術), Earth Spike Spell (地刺術), and Wood-Binding Spell (木縛術).

Wang So, meanwhile, had borrowed 《Essentials of Lightness and Footwork》, 《Azure Steel Sword Art》, and 《Introduction to Object Manipulation and Sword Control》.

Essentials of Lightness and Footwork contained the Body-Lightening Spell, which made the body lighter, and the Ground-Shrinking Step, which allowed rapid movement over short distances.

The Azure Steel Sword Art was the basic sword art most commonly practiced by outer sect sword cultivators. Introduction to Object Manipulation and Sword Control began with the Object Manipulation Spell, which used spiritual power to pull objects closer or push them away, and covered the basics of the Sword Control Spell for controlling flying swords.

All these spells could be learned from the early Qi Refining stage. None could be called particularly outstanding, but their principles were simple and their fundamentals sound. They would be useful when learning better spells later.

In particular, the Earth Escape Spell, Spirit-Hiding and Qi-Concealing Art, and Essentials of Lightness and Footwork were the first things Yi Hyeon needed to learn to avoid pursuit after leaving the sect.

...

Yi Hyeon copied the final sentence and set down his brush.

“Done.”

He let the ink dry, then folded the copies one after another.

“This way, we’ve learned the spells for only half the contribution points.”

“As long as we don’t get caught.”

“If we do, let’s say it was your idea.”

“Brother!”

Wang So looked wronged.

“I’m joking.”

Yi Hyeon returned the books to Wang So.

Having finished his own copies, Wang So also pushed 《Earth Escape Spell》 and 《Spirit-Hiding and Qi-Concealing Art》 toward Yi Hyeon.