The Tale of Cultivation and Demon Extermination - Chapter 146

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

Episode 21: Core Formation Preparations (4)

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He felt sorry for the Hall Masters who had sincerely offered him advice, but he had no intention of taking a Dao companion and starting a family simply because he needed one.

It would be rude to the other person, and starting a family came with responsibility.

Taking responsibility for something was even harder than protecting himself.

That was why his master deserved such respect.

He calmed his heart until it was as clear as still water and took time to look inward.

As he steadily strengthened his foundation, Ise sorted through his thoughts and reached a conclusion.

The absence of his birth parents was not a deficiency in his soul.

Deficiency was often followed by longing.

Yet he had never longed for his birth parents.

Surprisingly, he had never wished to reunite with them or even felt their absence.

Naturally, being insulted as a bastard with no parents did not hurt him in the slightest.

It only made him think, ‘Fine. Let's see if having parents keeps your head from getting smashed in.’

Perhaps it was because, even without parents from the beginning, the families who had raised him, the elders of the dokkaebi people, and Master Mongryeon had filled the space left by blood relatives.

Then when had he last felt the fiercest rage?

One incident came to mind without hesitation.

It was when he confronted the demonic cultivator who made Child Ghosts and exploited Giwon and the other children.

That was what he could never abide.

Children who had no one to protect them.

Whenever a child failed to receive the love they deserved, whenever they could not enjoy the ordinary life that should have been theirs, he felt truly enraged.

And when they finally found their rightful places, he had felt a fullness as though his very soul had been filled.

It was a warmth unlike the exhilaration of cutting down a powerful enemy, something difficult to name.

There lay the answer.

The events he had experienced as a child must have caused that deficiency in his soul.

The shock had damaged his soul when the village adults he had hoped would protect him plundered his foster family's wealth and threw stones at him, calling him a monster.

At that young age, he had learned down to his bones just how cruel the world could be.

‘I should go out into the mortal world.’

That was his conclusion.

Hall Master Hong Mi-hee's advice was right.

Rather than using children for his own goals like Bi Hyeongrang, he would accumulate good karma through compassion.

Even if that, too, was for his own goal.

So that even one child could live the happy life they deserved.

He would gladly become a hypocrite.

* * *

After asking Hall Master Woo Yu-hui for permission to travel through the mortal world, Ise went to see Chief Master Kang I-tae.

When Ise asked to take on a mission to find people with spiritual roots, Kang I-tae regarded him silently.

“Is this related to breaking through to Core Formation?”

“You could say that.”

“Approved.”

The Chief Master granted permission without further questions. Then he added, “But that's something you can do at the Mission Pavilion. That cannot be the real reason you came to see me.”

“Yes. I have one more request. May I take in orphans and bring them to headquarters?”

“Even if they do not have spiritual roots?”

“Yes.”

“You intend to accumulate good karma regardless of aptitude?”

“That is correct. ...Would that be difficult?”

“By principle, it is not allowed. I will look for an exception.”

After answering briefly, Kang I-tae took out the Great Exorcist Order headquarters rulebook and skimmed through it.

He flipped through the pages quickly, then set the book down.

“There is none. Adding an exception requires the Order Lord's approval, so wait a moment.”

As expected, he was a thoroughgoing man of principle.

Still, perhaps carrying the heavy responsibility of Chief Master had taught him some flexibility.

A short while later, Kang I-tae exchanged Message Talismans with Haeil before granting permission.

“I will approve it on the condition that those you bring in take the headquarters entrance examination. You will take responsibility for their follow-up care and ensure they can safely become disciples of the Great Exorcist Order.”

“Yes. I will.”

“Take this message to the third room on the right downstairs.”

In the place Kang I-tae directed him to, a familiar cultivator was handling Chuyo Hall's affairs.

“Oh. Fellow Daoist, it has been a while.”

It was a welcome face.

Ujeol, the late Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator who had managed the Training Compound administration office.

Ise immediately greeted him with delight.

“Cultivator Woo, have you been well?”

“As you can see, I've suffered under the wrong superior. What brings you here?”

“The Chief Master asked me to deliver this.”

Ise handed him Kang I-tae's Message Talisman.

After checking its contents, Ujeol pursed his lips with interest.

“Hmm. Relief work. You're planning something unusual again. There are oddballs who sometimes go out and do good deeds when their cultivation stalls, but isn't your advancement speed already monstrous enough? Do you really need to rush?”

“Isn't it better than stagnating?”

“Not necessarily, but as long as you're not planning to kidnap perfectly healthy children and bring them here, it should be fine.”

With his usual joke, he stamped out several dozen passage tokens.

“Give one of these passage tokens to each person you bring to headquarters. They are spirit artifacts that will let them enter the formation, so make sure they don't lose them.”

Ujeol added some advice.

“The Chief Master must have told you to take responsibility for anyone you rescue until the end. But I see it a little differently. Personally caring for them and worrying over every detail is not the only answer. It would be inefficient. Find people who can act in your place and create a system that can manage them while you're away.”

“Thank you for the advice.”

Ujeol had a point.

Taking responsibility did not mean he needed to carry everything alone.

Among his own people, there were already enough hands to nurture the next generation.

Ise stepped outside Chuyo Hall and shouted, pouring spiritual energy into his voice.

“Bisang!”

Bisang, who had been flying nearby, arrived in an instant.

Ise climbed onto Bisang's back, which had grown large enough to carry a person with room to spare.

“Can you fly?”

At his question, Bisang seemed delighted. The spirit beast spread its wings wide and leaped into the sky.

It felt freer than riding a flight spirit artifact.

- Flying within headquarters is against the rules.

- Yes. Sorry.

Ise landed immediately after receiving a voice transmission from the Chief Master's office.

It felt a little unfair that a spirit beast could fly while a person could not, but rules were rules.

Still, he had confirmed that Bisang could carry people. If he found a child in need of rescue, he planned to send them back to headquarters on Bisang.

He would leave their daily care to Buchun. Dine and Go's resources could cover the necessary support. Caring for ordinary children would not require much money.

He could leave preparation for the entrance examination to Park Gangseo. Park had always been interested in nurturing juniors, enough to volunteer for Training Compound management missions every time.

For children talented in the arts, he could ask Seolryeong, Hong Wonseo, or Pi Garam. Jangsaeng or Ise's fellow disciples from his entry class would surely be willing to help as well.

Before putting his plan into action, he sent Message Talismans to his companions, explaining his plan and asking for their approval.

Fortunately, everyone responded positively.

After stepping outside headquarters, he looked around.

‘Where should I go first?’

It would be a journey without a destination. He had deliberately not chosen one.

This time, he intended to go wherever his feet led him.

He did not plan to be gone long, only to travel until the preparations he had asked Buchun to make were complete.

‘At most, around a year.’

Ise mounted Bisang instead of the Dream-Saving Cloud.

“Let's go wherever you want.”

Bisang's flying speed rivaled the Dream-Saving Cloud.

The ride actually felt steadier, and best of all, Ise did not need to use divine sense.

“When you're carrying children, you can't fly this fast. They'll foam at the mouth.”

“Kururuk!”

Just in case, Ise gave the warning and let the creature lead him through the wind.

* * *

“I was sleeping in the official residence, but I needed to relieve myself, so I was heading to the latrine when it happened. A white, disk-shaped aura was spinning in the air. Then it came at us and bam! It killed my family!”

Ise looked at the man kneeling before him with a bewildered expression.

“Daoist, please. I beg you. Kill that wicked demon... I will offer anything as payment.”

He had spotted a nearby village and landed without much thought. The moment the man saw him, he ran over shouting, “Daoist!” and poured out his troubles, begging for help.

A circular demon that spun. Victims who had died bleeding from their mouths and noses.

‘From the description, it sounds like a fifth-rank White Wheel.’

The man was an ordinary mortal, so he probably had nothing worth taking. Still, dealing with the demon would be as easy as breathing.

The problem was...

‘Can I deal with a Qi Condensation Realm demon?’

There was a simple reason Qi Condensation Realm demons were left to Qi Condensation Realm cultivators.

They needed chances for Demon Hunting and resources to grow as well.

If Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators performed spirit-sending rites on every demon that barely registered to them, what would the others use to advance their realms?

Still, it did not feel right to ignore a demon that had appeared right in front of him...

‘It would be better to submit a request to headquarters.’

Especially since this was a village near headquarters, it was only right to give other cultivators the opportunity.

He could not become a shameless bastard who stole even his juniors' chances.

He realized anew just how much he had changed.

Most demons he encountered in the Three Peninsula Kingdoms were not even a mouthful.

He had not reached the Core Formation Realm or Nascent Soul Realm, only the late Foundation Establishment Realm.

Of course, once he left the Great Exorcist Order's territory, he would have to worry about his own safety again.

But at least around here, there was not a single being capable of threatening him.

Remembering his days as an entry disciple, when he had run wild like an unbroken colt and hunted demons, this relaxed version of himself felt unfamiliar.

It was a strange feeling, seeing how much had changed.

“I will call another Daoist who can help. Go wait at the government office for a moment.”

After reassuring the man, Ise sent a Message Talisman to headquarters.

While he searched the village for abandoned orphans, three Qi Condensation Realm cultivators arrived from headquarters.

They looked happy to see him, and Ise tilted his head at their vaguely familiar faces.

“It has been a long time, Senior!”

Only when they bowed respectfully did he remember that they were entry disciples he had once rescued from a demonic cultivator who used the Blood Cultivation Art.

Twenty years had passed, and they had reached the middle and late stages of the Qi Condensation Realm. They looked properly like cultivators now.

“Ah, it's you. Let's see, your name was... Choi Yun?”

“Choi Yeongha. I'm touched that you remembered even one character of my surname.”

Seeing how grateful Choi Yeongha was made Ise reflect on how he had treated seniors who had always gotten his own name wrong.

“It is an honor that you remembered insignificant people like us and personally assigned us this mission, Senior. We will certainly live up to your expectations.”

“Me?”

Ise asked what they meant, but their fighting spirit was already boiling over. They encouraged one another as they busied themselves preparing for Demon Hunting.

“Senior is watching. Don't make mistakes. It's only fifth-rank, but don't let your guard down.”

Was there really any need to be this solemn?

Ise followed after them with a conflicted expression.

He had originally planned to leave it to them and go, but he could not bring himself to ignore their strong desire for him to watch.

Soon, the three Qi Condensation Realm cultivators began their grand battle.

A Demon Hunter, a Shaman, and a Healer. It was practically the textbook example of coordinated combat taught at the Training Compound.

Memories of his own fledgling days came back to him, and a fond smile spread across his face.

They were so cautious, though, that the battle dragged on for quite a while.

A White Wheel was not particularly difficult prey as long as the talismans were prepared properly, but they relied on raw power rather than proper strategy.

‘That isn't how you hunt.’

He watched quietly, then yawned without realizing it.

Ise flinched and shut his mouth.

Fortunately, no one had noticed, but it was rather embarrassing.

For a Great Exorcist Order Daoist to yawn with a demon right in front of him.

The sixth principle of Demon Hunting. No matter how weak the demon, hunt it with your full effort.

Remembering the Training Compound's Ten Commandments for the first time in a while, Ise opened his eyes wide.

Still, it was impossible to feel any tension when the enemy was this weak.

“We have slain it, Senior.”

The three cultivators had carved up the fifth-rank demon and now stood before him in a proud line.

“Uh... yes. Well done.”

“If you permit it, may we ask for your advice on how we did?”