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Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
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Episode 19: Essence-Absorbing Demon Valley (3)
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Beomseo followed close behind them, taking shallow breaths as they steadied themself.
The flush in their face gradually faded as they forced down their excitement.
They pointed at Ise and asked, “Do you know who I am?”
“Of course. Beomsu of the Gold Spear Sect.”
“Beomseo! You damned bastard. How dare some rootless independent cultivator covet something that belongs to a great sect?”
One of Ise's eyebrows rose slightly.
“Covet it? I bought it fairly, even paying a premium. Are you objecting to an event hosted by the Heavenly Ice Palace?”
Beomseo shut their mouth.
To say that someone had coveted an item won through the formal process of a Heavenly Ice Palace auction was no different from denying the auction's legitimacy.
If word spread that they had said such a thing in the heart of the Heavenly Capital Realm, they would have a hard time escaping criticism.
“...That's not what I meant! Hoo. I'll put this nicely. You don't want to earn the enmity of the great Gold Spear Sect either. I'll pay you exactly what you spent, so hand it over.”
“And if I refuse?”
“As I said before, you'll earn the enmity of the one who will inherit the Gold Spear Sect. A gentleman's revenge is not too late even after ten years. I'll make those words a reality. You can imagine how frightening that will be.”
“I know how frightening it is. I've heard it's better to earn the enmity of a gentleman than offend a petty man.”
“Y-you...!”
Beomseo's teeth ground together.
They had called themself a gentleman, only to be treated like a petty man instead.
What gave this independent cultivator the nerve to act so shamelessly?
“How about this?”
Ise suggested it with a faint smile.
The Northern Continent had an interesting custom.
Cultivators wagered something, then dueled over it.
“Let's have an internal qi spell duel.”
“What?”
“If I win, hand over the Wind God Plate. If you win, I'll give you the Golden-Needle Ring.”
Two emotions flashed through Beomseo's eyes at once.
One was anticipation at the thought of obtaining the Golden-Needle Ring without spending a single Spiritual Stone. The other was anger toward the independent cultivator who was looking down on them.
“Ha. You want to fight me? Beomseo, heir of the Gold Spear Sect and one of the continent's foremost rising Daoist stars?”
“Yeah, Beomsu. Let's have a fight.”
“...You. Don't regret this, even if you die.”
Ise only smiled at Beomseo's snarling provocation.
If Beomseo had recognized Ise's realm, they would never have agreed to this wagered spell duel.
Ever since entering the auction house, Ise had limited his divine sense to the range of an early Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator.
The constant collisions of divine sense had felt like men pressing their bare skin together, so he had withdrawn it for a while out of discomfort. That had unintentionally concealed his realm.
Still, in the cultivation world, doubting the realm one saw was among the most basic rules.
The liar was not at fault. The fool who was deceived was.
The three went to a nearby private sparring ground.
Beomseo tied back their hair, straightened their collar, and kept muttering under their breath.
“You're awfully full of yourself after getting the Golden-Needle Ring.”
“Don't worry, I'll take it off. It's the item we're wagering, so it would be a problem if it got damaged. Ryu Seonghan, hold on to it.”
When Ise entrusted the Golden-Needle Ring to Ryu Seonghan, Beomseo was swept along by the mood and handed over the Wind God Plate as well.
Soon, they wrote a soul-binding contract.
The terms stated that the loser of the internal qi spell duel would willingly hand over the item and would never try to reclaim it afterward by any means.
As he watched Beomseo struggle to regain their composure, Ise relaxed his arm, letting the hand holding his hatchet hang at his side.
He had teased a junior and lured them into a trap, so he intended to concede the first move at least.
“Seniors, please begin.”
The moment Ryu Seonghan spoke, Beomseo rapidly formed hand seals.
The movements were broad and flashy, as though they were putting on a performance.
Soon, four golden spears formed in midair.
“Go on, try taking this!”
Two spears flew at Ise first.
Ise lightened his body with Tailwind Step and leaped aside, evading the spear strikes.
As though Beomseo had expected that, the remaining two spears shot into the air.
Fire-Release Art unfolded from Ise's palm and melted the golden spears away.
Ise landed lightly.
‘Let's not use primordial qi.’
This time, he intended to overwhelm Beomseo with spellcasting alone.
Since this was a duel rather than a real fight, he wanted to improve his feel for casting spells.
When Ise raised one hand, several burning meteors appeared in the air.
They fell one after another over Beomseo's head.
Beomseo hurriedly cast a defensive spell, but the relentless flames shattered the metal barrier and crashed down on them.
Still, they seemed to have a hidden defensive spirit artifact. Blue energy wrapped around their body and shattered the flaming meteors.
Ise slipped through the opening, closed in, and swung his hatchet at Beomseo's legs.
Clang!
A sound like metal striking metal rang out.
Even with the blade hardened by Adamantine Chain, Ise could not cut through Beomseo's leg.
‘Foundation Establishment cultivators really are sturdy.’
Without primordial qi and using spells alone, overpowering a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator was not easy.
It made him realize again just how great an advantage it was to wield a Core Formation Realm cultivator's primordial qi.
Beomseo formed hand seals and recited incantations, deploying one metal-aspect spell after another. Yet in a battle between cultivators of similar realms, the limits of a one-spiritual-root bearer were obvious.
Their fighting style was too straightforward, and they lacked tactical variety.
Perhaps it would have been different if they knew some wondrous spells or had at least trained in body arts.
But Fire-Release Art alone could melt away every spell they unleashed.
Judging that the elemental matchup was unfavorable, Beomseo began using the talismans and spirit artifacts they possessed.
Ise dodged and deflected as much as possible, making Beomseo burn through all their consumable items.
After responding to Beomseo's attacks in various ways for some time, boredom gradually appeared on Ise's face.
‘I've entertained them enough.’
Beomseo was supposed to be a promising rising Daoist star, so Ise had played along for quite a while.
Today's experience would surely become a valuable foundation for them as well.
It was a lesson for a junior willing to offer a senior a precious item.
Ise closed the distance in an instant, flicked a finger, and cast a spell.
Dokkaebi Shadow-Hunting Demonic Art.
Dokkaebi Flame Art.
Azure dokkaebi flame swallowed Beomseo whole in an instant.
Beomseo belatedly used a talisman to spray water, trying to extinguish the flames, but it was useless.
Dokkaebi Flame Art was no ordinary fire.
Dokkaebi flames could not be extinguished by something as insignificant as water.
The azure flames only blazed harder. Beomseo's Daoist robe began to burn, and the tough flesh of a Foundation Establishment cultivator melted away.
“What kind of vile...!”
Beomseo could not finish their sentence before screaming.
“Surrender. Otherwise, you'll die.”
The more Beomseo tried to extinguish the flames, the fiercer the azure fire became.
Only after Beomseo declared their surrender in a cry close to a shriek did Ise withdraw the flames.
Beomseo collapsed to the ground, gasping repeatedly as their body trembled.
“Of all things, a fire-aspect one-spiritual-root bearer...”
They still could not accept that they had lost and vented their frustration.
“You already knew about me. That's why you... you lured me into a trap.”
Ise corrected their misunderstanding.
“No? I'm a three-spiritual-root bearer.”
Ise personally demonstrated three elemental spells at the same time.
He mixed in a suitable lie in case word got out and spread.
Beomseo's eyes widened as though they would burst, and their mouth fell open.
It was wide enough to fit a fist inside.
“That can't be. An independent cultivator, a three-spiritual-root bearer, and already at the Foundation Establishment Realm at that age...?”
“Anyway, I'll put the Wind God Plate to good use. Thanks.”
Ise took the Wind God Plate, leaving the stunned Beomseo behind.
Before Beomseo could become troublesome, Ise moved as far away as possible and handed it to Ryu Seonghan.
Ryu Seonghan stared down at it for a long time with a distant expression before murmuring as though to themself.
“The Ryu Clan had two heirlooms. The other one... is in the possession of a Foundation Establishment senior from the Heavenly Ice Palace.”
It seemed they had judged it too risky to submit both at once.
Ise only listened quietly.
“I thought this one had already fallen into someone else's hands as well... yet it has returned to me. I am deeply grateful. Thank you, Senior. What price must I pay?”
“Forget it. I have no intention of asking for payment just because an item found its rightful owner.”
“No. I will repay you. Even if I must offer my life.”
Their resolve was admirable, but it had simply been fated to return to them.
Ise scolded Ryu Seonghan for saying something so unlucky.
“Words can become reality. Don't say unlucky things when you're about to break through to Foundation Establishment. Hurry up and find a Shaman to perform a purification rite.”
“...Ha ha.”
“If repaying the debt is the only way you'll feel at ease, I won't stop you. Repay it someday.”
“Yes, Senior.”
* * *
After finding a fortune teller from the Northern Continent who resembled a Shaman and having them perform a purification rite, Ise stood guard for Ryu Seonghan.
“I didn't think you'd really make me do it.”
“I learned it from a truly skilled Shaman. They said that if you say something unlucky before an important event, you have to clear it away.”
Ryu Seonghan was about to attempt a Foundation Establishment breakthrough.
They were still a little short on spiritual energy, but the Foundation Establishment Pellet they had prepared for the breakthrough would make up the difference.
Ise placed the Mind-Settling Mirror before Ryu Seonghan, who sat cross-legged.
“I'll stand guard, but I won't help you. If things get dangerous, I'll use a Mind-Settling Talisman and offer a word or two, but in the end, you have to do this yourself.”
“Yes.”
“Check one last time. Is your center firm and unshaken?”
“I am ready.”
Ise nodded. Ryu Seonghan swallowed the Foundation Establishment Pellet and began cultivating.
Ryu Seonghan took a step onto the path Ise had walked before.
The Foundation Establishment process took longer than expected. It also proceeded quite differently from the Eastern Continent.
Even for a breakthrough across the same major realm boundary, there seemed to be differences between continents.
Their cultivation continued for several full days.
Worried that he might interfere, Ise quieted even his breathing and watched the process in silence.
Perhaps because Ryu Seonghan's cultivation method was not as brutally simple as the Demon Hunting and Spirit-Sending Art, they did not repeatedly faint and awaken.
Instead, cold sweat gradually flowed down their body, turbid qi poured from them, and their entire body gradually took on a bluish cast.
Soon, their face twisted like that of a vicious ghost.
A heart demon was coming.
Ise watched without intervening for now.
Intervening was a last resort. A heart demon tribulation would not transfer to him like a heavenly tribulation during a Core Formation breakthrough, but it could still ruin all of Ryu Seonghan's efforts.
“Ugh, ughhh...”
The battle against the heart demon consumed another day.
When Ise finally judged that it was becoming dangerous, he tore a Mind-Settling Talisman and spoke quietly.
“Hold on to your center.”
He had emphasized those words many times.
When someone was caught in a heart demon, hearing a simple, familiar, memorable phrase was especially effective.
Perhaps it worked. Ryu Seonghan's color gradually returned to normal.
On the fifth day of their Foundation Establishment breakthrough attempt, Ryu Seonghan's divine sense began spreading outward from them, and a Dharma-Flower Dantian formed at their solar plexus.
“So this is the sight of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.”
Ryu Seonghan waved their divine sense around as though fascinated, then sprang to their feet.
“I'll visit the Library Pavilion first.”
“Move slowly. You'll need time to adjust.”
“No. I need to confirm the whereabouts of the Two Principles Return-to-Origin Art first. Anyone with the qualifications can check the cultivation-method catalog. I'll go confirm it at once.”
Ryu Seonghan staggered forward.
Then they missed a step and rolled across the floor in an undignified heap.
Ise clicked his tongue at the sight, which made Ryu Seonghan look no different from a drunkard.
“What an ungraceful Daoist.”
“...I'll adjust for just two hours.”
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