WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: WeTried Translations
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◈ Ophidian of the Immortal World ◈
Chapter 110: Exchange at the Full-Wing Gathering
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The Strange Fire Record was a book that catalogued the renowned flames of the Cultivation World.
As the name suggested, the fires recorded within were no ordinary flames. Every one possessed special properties.
‘Vast-Heaven Suppressing Flame. Soul-Refining Demon Flame...’
The first half contained information on relatively common Strange Fires, while the latter described legendary flames of the Cultivation World whose names alone sounded extraordinary.
Yet the descriptions were so long-winded that they felt less like reliable information and more like the ramblings of a madman lost in fantasy.
Jegyeong remembered only the names of those “famous” flames and dismissed all the descriptions beneath them.
‘Power isn't important. The more ordinary it is, the better.’
Jegyeong had obtained the Strange Fire Record to broaden his horizons and see whether there might be a flame worth making into his Origin Flame.
To a cultivator who practiced Fire Arts, an Origin Flame was not simply fire.
It was both a tool like a Dharma Artifact and a resource like a Spirit Stone. Since it was connected to the cultivator's Origin, it was far more important than either.
The benefits of an Origin Flame were too numerous to list.
It could be used in various cultivation arts, including Alchemy Art and artifact refinement, and it also shone in Dharma combat. The Fire Arts of a cultivator with an Origin Flame were so powerful that calling them a Divine ability would hardly be an exaggeration.
Though Origin Flames seemed to offer nothing but benefits, very few cultivators who practiced Fire Arts possessed one.
The reason was simple.
Igniting an Origin Flame was extremely difficult.
There were two methods. One could carry out refinement of an existing flame, or personally ignite a spark.
The former was simple. In the end, it only required transferring an existing flame into one's Origin, so all one had to do was endure the fire qi of the Strange Fire.
Naturally, this method depended heavily on the cultivator's aptitude, especially the toughness of their Spirit and Flesh. If their Spirit and Flesh were not strong enough, the Strange Fire's fire qi could severely damage their Origin. It was not a method one could attempt without confidence.
The latter method, personally igniting a spark, was far more stable than the first, but also far more difficult.
It was like comprehension with no promise of success. Even with the proper time, environment, and conditions, there was no guarantee of success.
Jegyeong preferred the first method.
His Spirit and Flesh were strong enough to be called monstrous. He was confident he could endure even the fiercest fire qi. If he found a suitable flame to make into his Origin Flame, he wanted to try igniting it at once.
The problem was finding that suitable flame.
The Cultivation World's many miraculous fires had uses of their own, making them hard to obtain even with Spirit Stones. As people often said, they were things one could not acquire without fate.
Jegyeong also had his own preferences.
He wanted a flame that was not overly distinctive. He believed that would make it easier to devour or replace with other flames in the future.
In other words, he valued compatibility over power.
If others learned what he was thinking, they would laugh at him for worrying about running before he could even stand. Yet Jegyeong's resolve was firm.
His eyes were fixed not on what lay before him, but farther ahead.
‘Could Yangseo Lake have Strange Fires?’
Jegyeong decided to look into it.
Yangseo Lake had a Demon King, two Golden Core sects, and even a faction of another race that stood above them all. There had to be Strange Fires there as well.
The problem was that even if they existed, it would be difficult for him to form a connection with one...
‘Even so, I have to try.’
No door opened on its own. Whether it worked or not, he had to knock.
* * *
Bang!
With a loud explosion, the lid of the Alchemy Furnace flew high into the air.
Amid the acrid smoke, Jegyeong frowned and went over the alchemy process in his mind.
‘Was the spirit medicine mixture wrong? Maybe there wasn't enough neutralizing agent... The fire control didn't seem to be the problem.’
He stared blankly at the Alchemy Furnace, grateful it had not exploded, and fell into thought.
The same thing happened whenever he learned a new pill formula. Every time he felt that familiar helplessness, he was reminded that he had no talent for alchemy.
He could now be called an alchemist, more or less, but his skill had been built entirely with Spirit Stones.
He had recovered some of the cost by selling the Medicinal Pills he made, but even accounting for that, he had invested enough Spirit Stones into Alchemy Art that even ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators would struggle to earn that amount in a lifetime.
Yet even after pouring in so much, he was having this much trouble making spirit medicine for the late Qi Refining stage, let alone Foundation Establishment. It was an absurd waste.
His aptitude was not the problem.
Jegyeong considered his talent for alchemy average. He could not succeed without failure, but after experiencing a certain number of failures, he could eventually produce results.
That was likely the achievement most cultivators with ordinary talent could reach.
The issue was that each attempt at alchemy cost a considerable amount.
Naturally, the higher the grade of the Medicinal Pill, the greater the material cost. Normally, one needed at least a thirty percent pill formation rate to recover the cost. Unless someone possessed innate talent for alchemy, reaching that level required repeated failures and accumulated experience.
Most cultivators could not afford those failures.
That was why Alchemy Art could only be the domain of those with backing and talent.
“Phew.”
After thoroughly cleaning the blackened Alchemy Furnace, Jegyeong carefully mixed the spirit medicine again.
There were not many materials left, so this would be his final attempt.
‘The important thing is to burn it gently for a long time. The Vermilion Marquess Fire must have melted too early before and ruined the mixture.’
He raised his concentration to its peak.
He carefully watched every detail, including the heat and slight movements of the Alchemy Furnace and the scent it gave off, while picturing the situation inside the furnace.
Then, half a day later.
Bang!
Another deafening explosion rang out, followed by a cloud of dark smoke.
Jegyeong's face darkened.
Not because of the smoke coming from the Alchemy Furnace.
‘Damn it.’
Leaving even the cleaning of the Alchemy Furnace for later, Jegyeong fled to the Forget-Me Garden.
“You've come?”
Uh Dobaek had arrived first again today.
Ye Janggyeong and two other cultivators were also there. All of them were newcomers at the early Foundation Establishment Stage who had recently joined the Full-Wing Gathering.
“Senior.”
The two newcomers politely greeted the Demon Race senior, who appeared to be in a foul mood.
Jegyeong accepted their greetings casually, then went to his seat and calmed himself.
“Did something happen?”
They had known each other for more than a day or two. Uh Dobaek immediately saw through Jegyeong's unease.
“Alchemy hasn't been going well. I've already burned out who knows how many Alchemy Furnaces.”
“Haha. Isn't that how it is for everyone? Alchemy is difficult, so few people learn it.”
“That's true, but it's far too difficult. Every time I learn a new pill formula, it feels like I'm starting everything over from the beginning.”
“I don't know much about alchemy, but isn't that the pain of progress?”
Uh Dobaek was right.
If Jegyeong stopped learning new pill formulas and continued making only the Medicinal Pills he already knew, he could steadily earn Spirit Stones.
But Jegyeong kept seeking new formulas of a higher level. It was no different from leaving a nest he had only just grown comfortable in and stepping onto a road of thorns.
He had brought this hardship upon himself.
“I know, but that doesn't stop it from hurting.”
“It's only human. If my Spirit Stones were burning away, I'd probably take it worse than you.”
Since releasing their obsession with cultivation, Uh Dobaek had become gentler, and their words and actions had changed as well.
Five or six years ago, it would have been impossible to imagine Uh Dobaek making such a joke. Now, it came naturally to both Uh Dobaek and Jegyeong.
“Still, you wouldn't take it as badly as I do. Don't forget that I'm a member of the Demon Race.”
“Haha. If you hadn't said it, I might have forgotten.”
They chatted in the easy atmosphere for a while before Choe Jutang and Yi Janggyeong arrived.
“Then let's begin.”
For a moment, Jegyeong remembered the first Full-Wing Gathering meeting he had attended.
There had been six people then as well.
Only, Yu Gyeyun and Chae Yeonri had occupied the places of the two newcomers.
It felt like only yesterday, but more than ten years had already passed.
He was no longer a greenhorn who knew nothing. To some newcomers, he was now an unfathomable senior of the Demon Race.
“While researching Mountain-Guarding Formations, I gained a small insight this time.”
After they had exchanged various thoughts about cultivation, Uh Dobaek opened a discussion about Formation Arrays.
“Most Formation Arrays draw upon the power of earth veins, but Mountain-Guarding Formations rely on them even more. That is likely because the mountains where sects and clans establish themselves are usually spirit mountains.”
Uh Dobaek had recently begun studying Formation Dao.
According to Uh Dobaek, the goal was to become a Formation Dao Master during the rest of their life and leave behind a respectable Formation Array legacy for their clan. Jegyeong had taken those words as a joke.
Yet whether Uh Dobaek had meant it seriously or not, their attitude toward Formation Arrays was quite sincere.
At every gathering, Uh Dobaek spoke about insights and thoughts on Formation Arrays. Their level was not particularly high, but what they shared was substantial.
At least, that was how Jegyeong saw it.
“In the end, whether it is an earth vein or a water vein, there is little difference in that both borrow the Spiritual Energy of heaven and earth.”
“Mm. I think the broad principle is the same. But the transformations within it are countless, so that similarity does not mean much.”
Whenever Formation Arrays became the topic, only Uh Dobaek and Jegyeong spoke.
Usually, Uh Dobaek lectured while Jegyeong occasionally asked questions. The other cultivators had suddenly become an audience, but they did not seem dissatisfied.
Uh Dobaek and Jegyeong's knowledge of Formation Dao was not so advanced that even complete outsiders could not gain something from it.
Some of them even seemed to be considering seriously studying Formation Arrays alongside Uh Dobaek.
It was not a bad idea.
Formation Dao did not have a high barrier to entry. With sufficient comprehension and diligence, it was not difficult to cultivate it to a certain level.
Going beyond that was another matter.
“I was fortunate enough to obtain a Formation Dao inheritance this time.”
“Oh? What kind of inheritance?”
“It contains several second-grade Formation Arrays, including the Sealing Formation.”
Uh Dobaek immediately showed interest.
Choe Jutang also looked intrigued, though he seemed more interested in Jegyeong's claim that he had obtained it by chance than in the Formation Dao inheritance itself.
“I obtained the inheritance, but my level was too low to understand much of it.”
Jegyeong shared the understanding he had gained from the inheritance.
As Uh Dobaek listened, they sometimes marveled, sometimes their eyes shone, and sometimes they fell silent.
Footnotes:
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