WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: WeTried Translations

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Ophidian of the Immortal World ◈

Chapter 27: What Cultivation Is

──────

“Gasp!”

Jegyeong hurriedly pulled back his tongue.

By his reckoning, he had only had his tongue out for one, maybe two seconds, yet the translucent jelly had shrunk to nearly half its original size.

Before he even had time to regret it, Jegyeong carefully opened his itching eye.

His eyelid, which had refused to budge no matter how hard he tried, as though it were held shut by a thick lock, now moved with absurd ease.

He had worried that he might still be unable to see after opening it, but fortunately, his restored eye was perfectly fine.

Jegyeong blinked for a while as he looked around.

Was seeing with both eyes always this wonderful? To think he had only learned such joy after becoming one-eyed.

This must be what it meant to realize something's value only after losing it.

It was certainly an unforgettable experience, but...

‘Once was enough.’

After fully enjoying the joy of regaining his eye, Jegyeong turned his gaze toward the Healing Water, which had been reduced by half.

Until moments ago, he had not been entirely certain, but now he was convinced that this was Healing Water.

What else could produce such miraculous healing?

‘Only half is left.’

Once the immediate crisis had passed, greed reared its head.

At first, he had thought nothing else mattered as long as his eye healed. Now that it had, he could not help wanting this mysterious spiritual treasure.

Healing his eye was good, but had he really needed to use half the Healing Water? If only he had come to his senses and pulled back his tongue sooner...

‘Pointless thoughts.’

He laughed at himself.

It was not because he was particularly greedy that such shallow thoughts entered his mind. It was because Healing Water was such an incredible treasure.

Valuable treasures often clouded one's heart and judgment.

‘It really is a rare spiritual treasure.’

Yu Gyeyun had said Healing Water was used as an ingredient in many Demon Beast Pills.

Did that mean the Human Race's Demon Beast Pills were even more effective than Healing Water?

‘No. It doesn't necessarily mean that.’

Jegyeong thought so because he could still feel the effects of the Healing Water at that very moment.

As far as he could tell, its effects went beyond simply healing injuries.

It seemed to have a more fundamental effect, one that improved his constitution.

After the Healing Water entered his body and washed through it, Jegyeong felt as though every aspect of his body had improved.

Wondering how that could be, he examined his body. The first change he noticed was how much smoother the flow of his Qi and Blood had become.

Jegyeong had never thought there was anything wrong with his Qi and Blood, but only after sensing the change did he realize that was not true.

Where the previous flow had felt like rattling along an unpaved road, the current flow felt like racing down a wide, paved road without a care.

It was faster and more forceful than before, yet stable at the same time.

Such a change could not come from simply healing wounds.

Jegyeong considered it a form of improvement.

Healing the tiny injuries that had accumulated without his knowledge, correcting imbalances, and restoring the body to a whole state.

It was somewhat similar to Molting, but Healing Water focused more on recovery.

‘Having a treasure like this is like having another life.’

Did the catfish know Healing Water existed here?

It had kept the entire river under its watch, so it likely knew. It simply had never needed to use it.

This treasure was like an extra life, but that was exactly why it should not be used unless one's life hung by a thread.

‘Perhaps it would have remembered this place only when it was on the verge of death.’

If that had truly happened, the catfish would have felt quite wronged.

To die without using a treasure that could have saved its life.

‘The problem is that this isn't someone else's problem.’

The Healing Water, reduced by half, remained gathered in the same place, as though it rested in an invisible vessel.

Jegyeong considered how he could move it, but no suitable method came to mind.

‘If it were that easy, the catfish would have moved it long ago.’

He might find a way later. For now, he could only take comfort in the fact that the Healing Water was hidden in a place like this.

Since it was difficult to discover and even harder to reach, he would not need to worry about other beasts or Demon Beasts finding it.

‘Even so, I can't feel at ease just leaving it here.’

His first thought was to make a nest in this cave, right before the Healing Water.

He could not stay here permanently, but if he established a nest and left traces of himself, ordinary beasts would not dare approach. That would secure the Healing Water's safety to some extent.

The problem was that this place was too deep underwater.

He would not be able to hear Cheongo calling from above the water, so if something happened, he would not be able to respond properly.

‘I can't stay here.’

Jegyeong was deeply disappointed.

It was not only the Healing Water. Because it drew in the surrounding Spiritual Energy, the Spiritual Energy near it was denser than anywhere else in the river.

Even without doing anything special, simply remaining here would bring considerable benefits...

‘What's impossible is impossible. Don't dwell on it.’

He decided to think positively.

Though it could not compare to being directly in front of the Healing Water, this entire river was a Spiritual Land.

He had gained the benefits of a Blessed Land that he had never been able to enjoy before. That alone was a great gain.

‘I should at least take some temporary measures.’

Jegyeong retraced his path and moved several large rocks to block the way leading to the cave where the Healing Water was hidden.

It was only a crude barrier, but it would be enough to keep lost beasts from entering.

* * *

If obtaining Healing Water and healing his eye was the first joyous event, then gaining this river, a Spiritual Land and Spirit Spring, was the second.

Ever since he had hatched, he had wandered from place to place in constant unease. Only now had he finally escaped the life of a drifter with neither home nor shelter and gained a proper base.

It should have been something to celebrate, yet Jegyeong did not feel particularly happy.

Of course, if someone asked whether he was happy, he would naturally say he was. But the joy was not that great.

That was because he understood reality clearly.

‘I can't become like that catfish.’

The Catfish Demon Beast that had previously ruled this Spirit Spring had an innate sensory ability, allowing it to manage the Spirit Spring alone without difficulty.

It was not an ability an ordinary Demon Beast that had not even become a Great Demon Beast could possess.

It was a truly inborn talent, one Jegyeong could not imitate in his current state.

‘That catfish probably never allowed other Demon Beasts into the Spirit Spring. It could do that. The moment anything poked its head in, it would notice and rush over. Its combat ability underwater was also powerful enough that ordinary Demon Beasts couldn't stand against it.’

The catfish had ability, but it also had authority.

This Spirit Spring had been recognized as its territory by the other nearby Demon Beasts and demon fiends.

That was likely the result of it spending a long time declaring, “This Spirit Spring is mine.”

Could Jegyeong, who had taken its place, inherit those results as well?

‘Of course not.’

If Demon Beasts, demon fiends, and all the other rabble were that reasonable, the Human Race's view of the Demon Race would not be so abysmal.

Jegyeong expected that he would soon face many challenges.

Having taken the Catfish Demon Beast's place, he could not avoid them.

‘Part of me wants to tell them all to come at me, but realistically, that would be difficult.’

He had killed the catfish that ruled this Spiritual Land and consumed its flesh and blood.

Then he had found Healing Water and healed his eye.

Jegyeong's confidence had never been higher.

Still, he did not let that confidence turn him into a fool.

Confidence was confidence, and reality was reality.

The reality was that he could not become like the catfish.

He had neither its abilities nor its authority.

Of course, that did not mean he needed to shrink back too much.

No matter how he had done it, he had defeated the catfish. The challengers soon to come would be those the catfish had beaten or frightened away with their tails tucked between their legs.

He did not need to be arrogant, nor did he need to be afraid.

He only needed to be cautious.

‘Things are about to become quite chaotic.’

The owners of Spiritual Lands went without saying, but even the unimpressive-looking drifters were not to be underestimated.

The fact that they had survived endless competition for survival proved their strength.

Having left behind the remote swamp where no one cared about him and claimed to be the master of a Spiritual Land, Jegyeong now had to show himself to all those formidable competitors.

If he seemed weak, they would tear into him. If he seemed strong, they would respect him.

‘I look forward to it.’

Jegyeong's eyes shone brighter than ever as he anticipated the coming turmoil.

He had adapted to life as a beast before. Now, he had fully adapted to life as a Demon Beast as well.

Killing enemies and devouring them to make them his nourishment.

Some might look down on such a method as barbaric, but it was both wildness and a true path of cultivation.

It was an ancient path that had existed long before the Human Race Heritage was established, since a time too distant to imagine. Perhaps it was even the primordial path.

A method of cultivation that had continued without interruption ever since life and competition first existed.

Jegyeong had walked that path ever since he was born into this world, and only now did he finally understand it.

Cultivation was the act of building oneself up.

There could be no disagreement about that, but how should one build oneself up?

Should one pursue comprehension for hundreds or thousands of years, then soar into the heavens in a single moment one day?

It was a fine ideal, but ideals were ideals because they stood apart from reality.

Those who lived in reality had no choice but to follow reality's methods.

They had to recognize their own shortcomings and fill them with something else.

Human Race cultivators said the Demon Race was unpredictable and savage, but from Jegyeong's perspective, that was not entirely true.

In the end, was it not all part of the struggle to seize limited opportunities?

The Human Race fought over all kinds of fortuitous opportunities, from the workings of heaven and earth to spiritual treasures. The Demon Race simply added themselves to what they fought over.

They wagered their own flesh and blood while coveting their opponent's.

In the world where Jegyeong had lived in his previous life, there was a saying that the successful became kings, while the unsuccessful became bandits.

That saying would likely apply to this world as well.

If one won, one climbed another step. If one lost, one fell into ruin and died.

Perhaps the problem was that no one knew how high the steps they needed to climb truly reached.

“How is it?”

After rising to the surface, Jegyeong asked the Wood Demon, which was being washed by the now-gentle current.

It had lived without issue even in a swamp where it was hard to find anything alive nearby, so it would probably be fine. Still, it had not originally taken root underwater. It might manage for a while, but remaining like this indefinitely could become a burden.

Woooo!

That was roughly an affirmative response.

The Wood Demon's cry sounded more relaxed and cheerful than usual, as though it liked the Spiritual Energy of the Spirit Spring.

“Tell me right away if anything comes in. I'm going to look around.”

He had noticed it while searching for the Healing Water, but there were only ordinary fish underwater.

That was likely thanks to the catfish diligently managing its territory.

So he did not need to worry about something unexpected appearing for now.

For now, at least.

What Jegyeong intended to do was not patrol. It was exploration, or more precisely, a treasure hunt.

A treasure like Healing Water had been hidden in a crack along the riverbed. Who knew whether something else might be hidden elsewhere?

‘The chances are low, though.’

Could two tigers live on one mountain?

Spiritual treasures were similar.

It was not because spiritual treasures possessed territorial instincts or a competitive nature. The Spiritual Energy of heaven and earth was limited, so the number of spiritual treasures born from it had to be limited as well.

This Spirit Spring was fairly large, but with a spiritual treasure like Healing Water already present, the chance of another existing here was honestly slim.

Still, slim did not mean nonexistent. He wanted to look around while also learning about the underwater terrain and ecosystem.

“I'll be back. Guard this place well.”

Jegyeong glanced once at Cheongo, who was asleep on the Wood Demon's branch, then slipped back into the water.

* * *

In the end, Jegyeong found nothing.

That did not mean he gained nothing at all.

He was able to roughly determine the boundaries of the Spirit Spring, in other words, the extent of the catfish's territory.

There was a point where the Spirit Spring's Spiritual Energy noticeably thinned. Just beyond that boundary, he sensed the Aura of several aquatic Demon Beasts.

They did not cross the boundary, as though blocked by an invisible wall, but neither did they move far away.

Sensing their lingering presence, Jegyeong knew he would encounter them one way or another before long.

‘But not now.’

Jegyeong forcibly suppressed the urge to cross the boundary at once and hunt a few of them.

The fighting spirit that had settled in his heart at some point was gradually growing stronger.

It was likely a change brought about by a Demon Beast's instincts.

He did not consider it particularly good or bad, but it required proper control.

Otherwise, how would he be any different from a foolish beast?

‘My digestion has become faster.’

He could feel the Catfish Demon Beast's flesh and blood in his stomach continuing to dissolve rapidly.

It had not reached the Great Demon Beast realm, but it had come close. It was the flesh and blood of a Demon Beast that had ruled a Spiritual Land.

Jegyeong had originally thought digestion would take quite some time. If necessary, he had even considered trusting Cheongo and the Wood Demon to keep watch while he slept.

He had thought he needed to finish digesting before the invaders began causing trouble in earnest.

Now, there was no need.

After Healing Water improved his constitution, his digestive ability had made another great leap forward.

At this rate, he could digest all the catfish's flesh and blood within two or three days.

‘Would that let me reach the threshold of the Great Demon Beast realm?’

He would probably still fall a little short.

Devouring the Catfish Demon Beast's flesh and blood did not mean he could devour its cultivation realm as well.

‘It's fine. I'm already fast enough.’

Jegyeong was satisfied with his cultivation speed.

Come to think of it, how long had it been since he hatched? Had even one year passed?

The Demon Race's cultivation speed varied greatly by species and circumstance, but if Jegyeong's cultivation were compared to that of the Human Race, he had already reached the middle phase of the Qi Refining Stage.

That was already an astonishing pace, and now he was aiming for the late phase as well. More than a few people would be stunned if they learned of it.

Of course, this remarkable cultivation speed owed much to the traits of a Demon Beast.

Unlike the Human Race, which had to consider many factors, Demon Beasts at this stage only needed to focus on Qi and Blood.

Their cultivation consisted entirely of continuously growing and strengthening their Qi and Blood to make their bodies more powerful.

‘It won't be that simple after this, though.’

Just as a Human Race Qi Refining cultivator underwent a qualitative improvement when reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage, with the Spiritual Power in their body changing into Dharma Power, a Demon Beast also had to undergo such a transformation to become a Great Demon Beast.

‘The problem is that I don't know what that transformation is.’

Even the senior cultivators of the Full-Wing Gathering knew little about this matter.

They had some rough guesses, but they were only useful as a reference and could not be trusted.

In the end, Jegyeong had no choice but to discover for himself how to become a Great Demon Beast.

‘It's still too early to worry about that.’

It was all because of his rapid growth.

Having become accustomed to such abnormal progress, he had begun to regard distant things as though they were right before him.

‘It doesn't have to be fast. I only need to keep moving.’

Having calmed his impatient heart, Jegyeong leisurely swam upstream.

Then time passed.

Footnotes:

Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried