WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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Chapter 10: Episode 3: Great Exorcist Order Entrance Exam (3)

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“The latter are more common, and more dangerous. So if you run into a cultivator who isn’t affiliated with Great Exorcist Order, get away and report it to the Order immediately. That’s what I was taught by my family.”

Ise did not really understand.

All he wanted was to wipe out every last demon, avenge his family, and afterward become a demon hunter worthy of his master’s expectations.

He had learned that cultivators pursued the Dao and accumulated good karma. Why, then, did they compete, plunder, and keep one another in check?

Could that truly be called cultivation in the first place?

Seeing Ise’s troubled expression, Hae Unchan began drawing something on the stone floor with his finger, as if to lighten the mood.

Auspicious energy gathered at his fingertip. It seemed he already knew how to handle spiritual energy.

The moment his finger touched the solid stone, it sank inward as easily as sand parting.

“Ise, have you ever seen a world map?”

“A map? No.”

“I thought so.”

With a confident expression, Hae Unchan drew lines, circles, and several shapes that were almost, but not quite, recognizable.

Honestly, a four-year-old child could probably draw better than this.

“Here. This is the continent where we live. More precisely, it’s called the Eastern Continent.”

“It looks like a half-eaten egg pancake.”

“Quiet. Don’t talk about food. You’ll make me hungry.”

Hae Unchan cleared his throat and tapped the drawing.

“These parts sticking out are Tabaro, Suari, and Gamori. Together, they’re called the Three Peninsula Kingdoms.”

Then he drew a massive stretch of land above the Three Peninsula Kingdoms.

“This is the Zheng Empire. Compared to the Three Peninsula Kingdoms, it’s a far greater nation.”

“...It’s huge.”

“There are also small, weak countries like Sihan and Taira, but most are vassal states of the Zheng Empire. The Three Peninsula Kingdoms are the only ones not under Zheng rule.”

Something about that explanation struck Ise as strange. Even if three countries had joined together, the difference in power between them and the Zheng Empire seemed enormous.

And in a world where the strong devoured the weak, the weak were bound to be swallowed by the strong.

“Why haven’t the Three Peninsula Kingdoms become vassal states of the Zheng Empire?”

“Oh. That’s a good question. It’s because of cultivators.”

“Cultivators?”

“Right. More precisely, Great Exorcist Order. The rulers of the Three Peninsula Kingdoms and Great Exorcist Order have a mutual nonaggression arrangement, but whenever a country starts a large-scale war of conquest, cultivators always intervene.”

“Why?”

“Because war accumulates evil karma and resentment.”

Ah. Ise understood at once.

When evil karma and resentment accumulated, more demonic qi filled the world. Demonic qi created demons and disrupted nature’s balance.

Great Exorcist Order hated demons, and its calling was to maintain nature’s balance through demon hunting. There was no way it would tolerate that.

When Ise slowly nodded, Hae Unchan smiled in satisfaction and pointed to the drawing again.

“Since we’re talking about it, want to hear an interesting old story? Look, the Eastern Continent is blocked by the Ten-Thousand-Li Great Wall and the Heaven-Demon Great Mountains to the north, the sea to the southeast, and deserts and wastelands to the west. They’re natural barriers ordinary humans could never cross. But they say that once you become a Core Formation Realm cultivator and can fly through the sky without the help of a spirit artifact, you can go beyond them.”

“What’s beyond them?”

“Other continents. Places called the Western Regions, the Frozen Lands, and the Archipelago.”

Hae Unchan’s eyes sparkled with curiosity and anticipation as he spoke.

“My dream is to travel across every continent and complete a world map.”

Ise thought it was a wonderful dream. He envied Hae Unchan for having a dream of his own and pursuing it.

That was why he decided not to point out that Hae Unchan’s drawing skills were far too terrible for someone who wanted to make maps.

“But I was asking about cultivation sects.”

“You’re less fun than I thought, aren’t you?”

Clicking his tongue, Hae Unchan drew eight circles on the map.

All but one were located within the Zheng Empire.

“On the Eastern Continent, three great cultivation sects and five renowned cultivation clans are competing for power. Only Great Exorcist Order is based in the Three Peninsula Kingdoms. All the rest are in the Zheng Empire.”

“Doesn’t anyone ally with Great Exorcist Order?”

“Not at all. Cultivation organizations within the Zheng Empire sometimes form alliances with each other, but Great Exorcist Order is an enemy to everyone else. It’s practically treated like a demonic sect. You know what demonic sects are, right?”

“Degenerates who cultivate demonic arts. Public enemies of the continent with bounties on their heads.”

“Right. They usually operate in secret underground. The most famous is Cheoryang Thunder Gate.”

Ise had briefly read about it in the Great Exorcist Order Basic Handbook. Great Exorcist Order clashed with Cheoryang Thunder Gate so often that the handbook even described in detail how to deal with them.

With most of his curiosity satisfied, Ise sincerely thanked him.

“Thanks. You’ve broadened my horizons.”

“What are friends for? Let’s keep getting along.”

Friends.

Ise tried to smile as naturally as he could.

For some reason, the word reminded him of the young dokkaebi left behind at Gwisu Temple.

“But you already turned down being meal buddies. What kind of friends are we, then?”

“...You’re more petty than you look.”

Just then, they heard that the room assignments had been completed, and their first night at the training academy came to an end.

* * *

Early the next morning.

Tension hung over the faces of the applicants gathered in the waiting hall.

The second test was about to begin.

Chief Examiner Kang I-tae slowly walked out with the Crane Bird perched on his shoulder.

“The second test will now begin.”

No greeting, just straight to the point. Ise felt he had begun to understand Kirin Hall Master Kang I-tae’s personality.

“The second test is to create a spiritual root.”

The applicants, who had been murmuring among themselves, drew in sharp breaths.

Anyone seeking the path of a cultivator could not fail to know what a spiritual root was.

Even so, Kang I-tae kindly continued his explanation.

“A spiritual root is both the root and the constitution needed to become a cultivator. Just as blood vessels carry blood through the body, spiritual veins are created to carry spiritual energy. The attributes, quality, and scale of those veins are all included in what we call a spiritual root. A spiritual root is an inborn talent. If you are not born with one, you cannot create one, nor can you change the quality you were born with.”

Kang I-tae gently stroked the Crane Bird’s back. The Crane Bird fluttered its wings as though pleased.

“Only Great Exorcist Order can change the Mandate of Heaven bestowed upon you. Because of this being.”

That was why thousands of applicants gathered every year at Great Exorcist Order, despite the countless cultivators who died in demon hunting.

The Crane Bird was a divine beast that could create spiritual roots. It was the pet bird of the Great Exorcist Order Lord, the founder of Great Exorcist Order who had led the Heaven-Demon Great War to victory three hundred years ago and had practically created the cultivation system of the present age. The Crane Bird was also known as the divine bird that inspired fighting spirit in soldiers going to war.

“But even with the Crane Bird’s blessing, there are those whom heaven refuses to grant immortal cultivation. Do not be too disappointed. Even if you fail to awaken a spiritual root, you may still enter Great Exorcist Order as an outer disciple and fulfill an important role if you perform well in the other tests.”

In other words, anyone who wished to become an inner disciple, part of Great Exorcist Order’s main fighting force, had to obtain a spiritual root.

This was something effort alone could not solve.

It depended solely on the Mandate of Heaven.

On the fate bestowed by heaven.

“Those who already possess spiritual roots, step forward.”

Quite a few applicants moved forward. Most of them were in their late teens.

“Excluding repeat applicants, first-time applicants only, take one more step forward.”

Nine people, including Hae Unchan, stepped forward. Most were dressed extravagantly. They were likely from noble families or collateral branches of Great Exorcist Order.

The other applicants called them “preselected candidates,” people whose admission had already been decided.

Kang I-tae began examining the spiritual roots of the preselected candidates one by one.

“Three spiritual roots of water, wood, and metal.”

“Two spiritual roots of fire and wood.”

“Five spiritual roots.”

Ise recalled what he had read in Gwisu Temple’s library.

A spiritual root could have anywhere from one to five attributes.

The attributes determined which techniques a person could learn. More attributes gave greater versatility in battle, but cultivation progressed more slowly.

Since advancing through realms was already so difficult, people generally considered fewer spiritual-root attributes better for those of ordinary talent. Such roots were rare as well.

Kang I-tae stopped before Hae Unchan.

“Oh?”

The corner of Kang I-tae’s mouth lifted after he examined Hae Unchan’s spiritual root.

“A single water spiritual root. And a constitution beloved by heaven, at that. It has been a long time since I last saw a Heavenly Root Physique. You are even already nearing the Third Star of the Qi Condensation Realm. Your name is... yes, Hae Unchan.”

Kang I-tae stroked his beard and continued with interest.

“You are Azure Dragon Hall Master Haeil’s nephew’s great-great-grandson.”

“Yes. I am an unworthy descendant, but that is correct.”

Ise asked an applicant beside him, who was staring blankly ahead.

“What is a nephew’s great-great-grandson?”

“Um... a nephew’s grandson’s grandson? Something like that?”

“That’s practically a stranger.”

Just how old was this Haeil person?

They said cultivators with high realms had exponentially longer lifespans. It seemed that was true.

After the preselected candidates with spiritual roots returned to their places, it was the turn of the applicants who had failed to awaken one.

“Everyone, sit down and cross your legs.”

The method was simple. Each applicant closed their eyes and assumed a meditative posture, then the Crane Bird approached and stabbed its beak into the applicant’s heart.

Its entire beak entered the heart before coming back out, yet not a single drop of blood fell.

The applicants did not even scream. They only sat there with dazed expressions.

“This process will help those who already possess spiritual roots awaken them. It will also give those without spiritual roots another chance to create one. Of course, the timing differs according to each person’s talent. Some may awaken spiritual energy today, while others may not do so until the final day.”

With his eyes closed, Ise felt Kang I-tae’s voice draw closer and closer.

“If you fail to awaken spiritual energy over the remaining six days, then either heaven has refused you, or your talent has been abandoned by heaven. Accept it. You would be better off giving up.”

At last, it was Ise’s turn, and auspicious energy rippled before him.

The Crane Bird stared directly at him.

Then, with a sharp thrust, the Crane Bird’s beak pierced deep into his heart.

Rather than pain, a warm and comforting energy entered through the beak and flowed through every part of his body like blood. His mind calmed, and he felt at peace.

At the same time, the demonic qi that had already settled inside him began to writhe as though having a seizure.

Caw! Caw!

The Crane Bird suddenly began trembling all over. Then it beat its wings wildly.

“This one! He has demonic qi inside him!”

An eerie voice, utterly unlike a human voice, rang through the hall. Cold killing intent followed, along with the touch of cold metal at Ise’s throat.

Kang I-tae had moved like lightning, drawing his sword and pointing it at him before Ise could react.

“Move, and I’ll cut you down.”

He practically growled at Ise.

“You. Are you a spy from a demonic sect?”

Footnotes:

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