Dropped into Murim with an Instant-Kill Skill - Chapter 91

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

Chapter 91: I Was Once a Madman of Chu (13)

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"Lower the risk, and the effect weakens. Raise the effect, and the risk increases."

"Mm."

Yeon Sowol considered it.

'If I can gain a little more insight here, I feel like I'd reach the peak realm soon... But is it worth risking a heart demon...?'

Even now, remembering his last heart demon sent chills down his spine.

His parents' voices calling to him.

That was not something one could get used to. He had overcome heart demons twice already, but he could not be certain he would overcome one again.

They were that terrifying.

The less he experienced them, the better.

So Hye quietly studied Yeon Sowol before asking, "Young Hero Yeon, you're still so young. Are you already on the verge of the peak realm?"

"That is correct."

"Hmm. Then it would be a shame not to try. The insight you gain upon reaching the peak realm greatly affects everything that comes after..."

"Is that so?"

Yeon Sowol's eyes widened.

'The insight at the peak realm affects the realms that come after?'

He had never once heard about realms beyond the peak realm while he was with Yi Yubaek, so So Hye's matter-of-fact explanation felt all the more foreign.

"Yes. I heard it from my master as well. Whether someone can reach the transcendent peak realm depends on what insight they gain at the peak realm."

"...Thank you for such valuable guidance, Miss So Hye."

Yeon Sowol rose, clasped his hands, and bowed.

"Oh, no. It's not that remarkable..."

So Hye looked flustered, but Yeon Sowol did not waver.

"No. It may not seem remarkable to you, but it is to me. If I had not met you, I might have gone my whole life without ever learning it."

Yeon Sowol broke out in a cold sweat internally.

'The insight at the peak realm determines the realms that follow?'

If he had not learned that, his impatience might have driven him to reach the peak realm carelessly.

'It's a good thing I found out now.'

So Hye's single remark had been nothing short of a lifeline. It let him stop and reconsider his blind desire to advance as quickly as possible.

'This is why people make such a fuss about prestigious sects...'

A casual remark from a second-generation disciple of the Hengshan Sect was valuable guidance he had never even heard in Guangdong.

'Is this why he told me to make lots of friends...?'

He felt bitter, yet strangely moved as he began to understand another meaning behind Yi Yubaek's teachings.

Yeon Sowol calmed himself.

'No matter how urgent I feel, I need to let my insight for the peak realm mature longer. At least until I receive instruction from Wudang.'

The thought that there might be other traps he knew nothing about made his back go cold.

So Hye stared at him for a moment, then smiled.

"Young Hero Yeon, you're very strict with yourself. That must be why you're so beautiful. I've found that becoming beautiful requires being extremely thorough and strict too, even with every little thing you eat."

"Excuse me?"

Beautiful?

It was not something he had ever heard in either of his lives, whether as a boy in the twenty-first century or as a man in this martial world.

Yeon Sowol faltered. So Hye did not show the slightest hesitation.

She continued calmly, "If you feel grateful, then next time, teach me about beauty. About that rich inner beauty of yours."

"Excuse me? What?"

Inner beauty?

'Is she flirting with me?'

As Yeon Sowol stood there flustered, So Hye returned to the original subject as though nothing had happened.

"Anyway, you really do need an elixir pill that will help you attain insight. It will be dangerous, but if you're on the verge of the peak realm... you have to accept that risk."

Yeon Sowol swallowed.

Considering the weight behind those words, it felt strange to hear them from a girl who looked about high-school age.

No one on twenty-first-century Earth would say something like, "It's dangerous, but if jumping off a cliff in a wingsuit could get you a job, you have to accept the risk."

'The Jianghu really is...'

Yeon Sowol bit his lip but nodded. So Hye was right. Now that he was entangled with the Demonic Cult, becoming stronger was no longer optional.

Once you enter the Jianghu, you can no longer act as you wish.

Perhaps everyone was the same from the moment they entered the Jianghu.

"Then let us make it an elixir for insight. As for its nature, something that lets you view the contemplative question you've pursued so far from a different perspective would be best."

At those words, Yeon Sowol's ears perked up.

He forgot all the worries and embarrassment from moments ago.

"A different perspective?"

"Yes. There are many kinds of medicines that help one attain insight. The most common kind activates the spirit and temporarily sharpens one's insight and perception, but... I don't think that is what you need right now, Young Hero Yeon."

So Hye tapped the table.

"There are medicines that do not simply awaken the spirit, but briefly connect the spirit with the world."

To connect the spirit with the world.

It sounded terribly dangerous, but just as effective.

"It is dangerous. But we are in a position to use the finest alchemists, ingredients, and facilities. We should be able to make it properly. I think we should proceed with your medicine that way. What do you think?"

Yeon Sowol swallowed his apprehension and nodded.

"You know far more about elixir refinement than I do, Miss So Hye. I'll trust you with it."

So Hye's eyes widened.

"You're humble?"

Yeon Sowol smiled easily at her surprised tone.

"Of course. Medicine should be left to alchemists."

"Wow... I've never heard anyone say that before. Everyone else is incredibly demanding."

So Hye glanced toward Won Huiseung and Jin Geol. The two seemed uninterested, their eyes closed as they drank tea.

So Hye smiled softly.

"Still, when there's something you want, you have to tell us without holding back! You're the one who'll take the medicine, after all!"

"Yes. I understand."

* * *

The conversation Yeon Sowol had with So Hye had been simple enough.

The actual process of determining the ingredients and effects of the elixirs was far more complicated.

More than ten of the finest alchemists in Hengyang, all selected by So Hye herself, arrived and began scrutinizing every detail.

First came pulse diagnoses to determine the constitutions of Yeon Sowol, Jin Geol, and Won Huiseung. That alone took four full hours.

Then came endless arguments.

The alchemists had been gathered solely for their skill, regardless of age. They ranged from Daoists with white hair and wrinkled faces to Daoists with black hair and smooth skin, but every last one of them was stubborn.

They argued for two hours over which medicinal ingredients to use, then another hour over how much of each ingredient to use.

They argued for another two hours over how to prepare the chosen ingredients.

Jin Geol and Won Huiseung occasionally jumped into the arguments as well.

Still, there was no doubt that every alchemist gathered here was a master.

After all the arguing, they reached an agreement that made everyone nod. Even Jin Geol and Won Huiseung had been completely convinced.

By the time the prescriptions for the two men's elixir pills were complete, darkness had already fallen.

Braziers had been lit to illuminate the area, but the world remained dark, and stars glittered overhead.

By then, Yeon Sowol was thoroughly sick of it.

'...Jin Geol. Won Huiseung. Are you two insane?'

Wouldn't they have saved at least four hours if those two had not kept interrupting? Four hours!

Because of the two men, who knew little but were fiercely stubborn, Yeon Sowol's formula was only now about to be made.

Fortunately, no one except Yeon Sowol looked tired.

"At last, it is Young Master Yeon's turn."

"Good. This is the main event."

"This turned out well. We've already worked out our rhythm, so now is the perfect time."

The alchemists began discussing Yeon Sowol's formula with even greater enthusiasm.

"Shall we establish the broad outline first?"

"Yes. Young Master Yeon possesses extremely hot true qi, and even his body has undergone excellent bodily cultivation..."

"He cultivates an inner cultivation method of the Daoist tradition..."

"Mm. This one will be done in no time."

Perhaps because they had found their rhythm during the earlier work, Yeon Sowol's formula came together without a hitch.

The alchemists seemed to find it surprising themselves, because they kept asking Yeon Sowol questions along the way.

"Young Master Yeon, we plan to proceed this way. Do you have any other thoughts?"

"Young Master Yeon, I think it would be good to handle this part in this manner. Do you have an opinion?"

Each time, Yeon Sowol gave the same answer.

"I know little about elixir refinement, so I'll leave it to you, esteemed masters."

"Oh?"

"You trust us this much...?"

"Young Master, you truly don't seem like a martial artist."

"Martial artists are usually so confident, with endless demands and requests. Hahaha."

The alchemists looked awkward, but they did not seem displeased. They smiled broadly.

Before long, the framework of the formula was established.

"Excellent! This is a masterpiece!"

"Mm. A splendid formula."

"The foundation is properly laid. Now we need only speak with Young Master Yeon and decide on the special ingredients that will provide the finishing touch."

"Very good."

With no one interrupting them, the alchemists had focused more deeply and achieved a result they were pleased with.

Smiling brightly, they asked Yeon Sowol, "Young Master Yeon, what did you see when you became a first-rate master?"

"It isn't an exact measure, but it can sometimes be useful as a reference."

"That is right. This medicine connects the spirit with the world, and the experience of becoming first-rate is itself a moment when the spirit briefly connects with the world. Knowing that can give us an idea of which ingredients to use."

They asked as though it were nothing important, so Yeon Sowol answered just as casually.

"I saw the world."

The alchemists began talking all at once.

"The world! As expected! You saw something vast, befitting a hero!"

"What does he mean by the world? Mountains and fields? The energy of earth?"

"Did you see a river as well? If so, it would be best to add the energy of water."

"If you saw a city too, we should add a little energy of fire. Where people live, there is fire."

"Oh, come now. Surely he didn't see a city as well."

"Mm... I suppose not."

Yeon Sowol was beginning to feel a little flustered.

"Ah, well. By the world, I didn't mean mountains and fields."

"Then what did you mean?"

"..."

Unsure how to explain the universe, Yeon Sowol looked up at the sky.

"Hm? The sky?"

"Do you mean the heavens?" the Daoists asked.

Yeon Sowol nodded.

"Yes. Something like that. The stars and the Milky Way..."

The alchemists' expressions turned strange.

They whispered among themselves.

"The heavens? He says he saw the heavens? Is that possible?"

"How could that make sense? How could a person see the heavens? It's not as if he's an immortal who fell from the sky."

"But he says he saw the heavens."

The alchemists looked back at Yeon Sowol.

"Could it be... that you mistook it for something else? A lake, perhaps, clear as a mirror and reflecting the sky."

"Ah, that must be it. A lake. That seems likely."

The alchemists spoke as if they had found the answer themselves.

Yet Yeon Sowol had only one thing to say.

"Absolutely not. It was the sky. Far beyond us. An endless world more distant than the sun and moon. That is what I saw."

Yeon Sowol was rather desperate. He needed to explain this properly if he wanted to receive the right medicine.

But there was no way to explain the universe to people who had never seen it.

"Beyond the sun and moon, there is only the taut celestial sphere..."

"Do you mean the Nine Heavens?"

"It sounds like he may be speaking of the Buddhist trichiliocosm..."

Similar concepts came close, but never reached the truth.

Because...

"Nonsense! How could a person see such a thing?"

"That is not a realm for humans, but for immortals."

"Young Master Yeon, there seems to be some confusion. We should only take what you said as a reference and adjust the medicine's effect accordingly. Medicine becomes poison if it is too strong."

They could not even imagine the universe. Even if they could, they could not accept it as something within the realm of humanity.

Thinking Yeon Sowol must have misunderstood something, they began moving toward dismissing his testimony.

If they trusted uncertain testimony, made the medicine too potent, and a severe heart demon struck, there would be no undoing it.

Yeon Sowol read the mood.

It was not something he could accept.

'...Should I step in?'

If he did, he would have to insist firmly. He would have to demand a stronger effect.

That would make the danger of a heart demon even greater.

It was not a direction the alchemists recommended either.

But...

'If I'm going to do this, shouldn't I do it right? I definitely saw the universe.'

If he was going to accept the risk anyway, shouldn't he seek the best possible result?

If fear kept him from becoming strong enough now, a situation beyond his control might arise later.

Yeon Sowol made up his mind. Even if the alchemists could not understand the universe, he would insist on what he had seen.

"No. I clearly saw this entire world. Whether it is the Nine Heavens you speak of or the trichiliocosm, I saw something that encompassed all of it. Another world beyond this land. Another sun beyond the sun, and things beyond that greater even than the sun... Round Heaven, Square Earth, and all else. The entire world we live in became smaller than dust before that vast, immeasurable universe."

The alchemists stared at Yeon Sowol with wide eyes.

They looked at him as though he were insane.

One white-haired alchemist spoke, irritation creeping into their voice.

"Young Master Yeon, if even one hundredth of what you say is true, this will be difficult. We would have to throw in all the finest ingredients available to us and draw out the strongest possible effect. It would be an enormous undertaking. But does adding the finest to the finest make the finest medicine? No. Medicine that overflows the vessel is not medicine, but deadly poison... Please set aside some of your ambition."

Yeon Sowol firmly shook his head.

"Make it the finest of the finest. I'll take responsibility."

"Young Master Yeon, I have refined elixirs for fifty years. Please trust me in this matter..."

"But I truly saw the endless universe beyond the heavens. Wouldn't it be right to make the medicine accordingly?"

"...That is true, but surely you must have misunderstood something..."

“If that’s the right course, then do it that way. Didn’t I say I’d take responsibility?”

"But..."

"Esteemed master."

As their words went in circles, Yeon Sowol decided to press harder.

'I don't want to do this, but...'

This was insight that could affect his path from the peak realm to the transcendent peak realm. He could not treat it carelessly.

"Do you know the heavens?"