WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 31: Episode 5: Cheoryang Thunder Gate (1)
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“Entry disciples Ise and Seolryeong reporting. We have completed our mission and returned.”
“Good work.”
The Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator guarding the administration office answered as casually as if he had already received the report.
After checking the demonic cultivation manual and the Demon-Sealing Talisman Book Ise submitted, the cultivator asked, “Will you turn in the demon corpses you sealed?”
“Do I have a choice?”
“You may keep them yourselves. If you turn them in to headquarters, though, you’ll receive Spiritual Stones equal to their value.”
“May I ask what headquarters does with demon corpses?”
“They dispose of some and use others as research material.”
It would likely be much the same if a cultivator handled them personally. They could use them as research material or sell them for Spiritual Stones.
Great Exorcist Order headquarters was essentially acting as a broker for individual cultivators.
“We’ll turn them in.”
“The corpses will be appraised according to the demons’ danger ratings.”
“Yes.”
“Headquarters will take charge of the demonic cultivation manual and the blessed grotto you reported. Once their value has been assessed, you’ll receive additional compensation and contribution points. If you wish, you may also be given priority rights to the blessed grotto. Keep that in mind.”
“Yes, we will.”
The cultivator handed them twenty-four Spiritual Stones, which Ise and Seolryeong split evenly.
After returning to his quarters, Ise placed the Spiritual Stones and spirit artifacts in his lockbox, then immediately entered his private cultivation room to reflect on the battle he had just fought.
What he had done well. What he had done poorly.
Whether he had made any wrong judgments from the moment he chose the mission to the moment he completed it.
‘My biggest regret was getting hit by that fire-attribute spell.’
He had been close enough to reach out and cut off his enemy’s head.
No matter how much pain he was in, he should have pushed through with greater willpower and cut the bastard down.
That had been the turning point where he might have lost.
Seolryeong’s support had saved him, but if he had been on a solo mission, that place would have become his grave.
‘I need to get more accustomed to pain.’
Other than that, he could not think of any major mistakes.
Seolryeong’s underhanded scheme had nearly robbed him of Spiritual Stones, but he had recovered them through perfectly fair threats and persuasion.
His first field mission had brought him much.
A great amount of demonic qi flowed through his body.
Until yesterday, his spiritual energy and demonic qi had been nearly equal in quantity. Now, the demonic qi vastly outnumbered the spiritual energy.
He had absorbed too much demonic qi from Kim Siwon.
The two energies, which had once growled as they kept each other in check, had become lopsided.
His diminished spiritual energy was being pressed down by the demonic qi, too intimidated to do anything but watch.
It did not look particularly safe, but...
To him, there was little difference between controlling spiritual energy and demonic qi.
‘Should I aim for the next star right away?’
The fourth-star insight formula was Spirit Wielding. It was the stage where one could connect spiritual energy that had left the body like threads, then control it freely.
If third-star Qi Condensation Realm cultivators threw spiritual energy like balls, fourth-star cultivators wielded it like a whip.
The more accustomed one became to it, the more freely spiritual energy could move outside the body. As one’s realm rose, its range would expand as well.
This was the final stage of the early Qi Condensation Realm, the stage of controlling spiritual energy.
Ise gathered spiritual energy in his palm. When he focused, a handful of it floated above his hand.
Getting this far was as easy as breathing now.
The problem came next.
When Ise swung his arm, the tightly condensed mass of spiritual energy flew forward and struck the wall of the training room.
Bang!
A scorch mark appeared on the wall with the impact.
He was literally throwing it. The question was, how was he supposed to control something after it had left his hand?
「The movement of spiritual energy is the cultivator’s will. Drawing it outside the body does not grant it freedom. It extends one’s will farther than before.」
Most annotations in cultivation manuals were like that.
They were vague enough to feel like grasping at clouds. Advice passed around among cultivators was often more useful.
“Don’t think of it as throwing spiritual energy. Think of it as pushing it out from your body. As far as possible, without stopping.”
Park Gangseo’s advice had been particularly important. Despite his ordinary five spiritual roots, his exceptional comprehension had already brought him to the fourth star of the Qi Condensation Realm.
After exhausting all his spiritual energy, Ise drew out demonic qi and pushed it beyond his body.
Black energy stretched from his fingertips in the form of a thread.
It soon snapped, and the demonic qi dispersed into the air. Yet after repeating the process dozens of times, he gradually began to get the feel for it.
He had no idea how much time had passed.
At some point, it had grown bright outside his room, then dark again.
Normally, hunger would have sent him hunting for food at once. Training was an exception.
For some strange reason, whenever he trained, he felt neither an empty stomach nor hunger, whether hours or days passed.
The demonic qi that left Ise’s body maintained its threadlike form as it touched the wall.
It changed direction, then extended again until it reached the next obstacle.
He had such an abundant supply that the accumulating threads of demonic qi tangled together, linking the inside of the training room like a spiderweb.
It was like trying to fill a bottomless jar with water, then solving the problem by lifting the jar and placing it in the water.
A web of demonic qi wrapped around him.
A deep sense of satisfaction filled him.
He was certain he had stepped onto the next stair.
The fourth star of the Qi Condensation Realm.
Less than a month after entering the order.
* * *
It was not actually just one month after entering the order when Ise reached the fourth star.
A knock on the door to his private room pulled him from his thoughts.
He had broken through to the fourth star and immediately begun feeling out the wall of the fifth star, known as a minor realm boundary.
With a regretful sigh, Ise opened the stone door.
Park Gangseo stood outside.
“Sorry. I know it’s an unwritten rule not to interrupt someone’s private training, but as you know, I have to interview the entry disciples and make a report at least twice a month.”
“It’s fine, Park Gangseo. But didn’t we have an interview just before I left for last week’s mission?”
“What are you talking about? You’ve been shut in here for over fifteen days already.”
“What?”
That meant it had been roughly a month since he entered Great Exorcist Order.
‘I thought only three or four days had passed.’
Park Gangseo clicked his tongue and began to lecture him.
“A cultivator can only go without food after reaching Great Completion in the Qi Condensation Realm, when their body and organs have been completely remade. Until then, at least take fasting pills while you train.”
“Yes. I apologize for worrying you.”
“Wait a second. Your spiritual energy has increased a lot.”
“Ah, yes. I had a small realization.”
“As expected of the top disciple. With talent like yours, I can see why you’d throw yourself into training like a madman. Still, take care of yourself. You’re young, so make some friends too.”
“Yes.”
“I need to report this to our superiors. What realm are you at now?”
Park Gangseo looked Ise up and down.
Judging by the amount of spiritual energy he could sense, Ise appeared to be around the third star.
“I just reached the fourth star.”
“...”
Park Gangseo seemed speechless for a moment, then wrinkled his nose.
“I understand wanting to impress headquarters, but lying about your realm is a serious offense.”
Tilting his head, Ise drew out spiritual energy to show him directly. He flicked his finger where he stood, and words appeared on the floor.
-It’s the fourth star.-
“...”
“Is there a problem?”
“The problem is that you, no, fellow Daoist, have only been here for around a month.”
“Is that unusually fast?”
“My realm is currently at the fourth star.”
“Ah.”
“I’ve trained for more than two years. I even took the Great Exorcist Order examination after reaching the second star of the Qi Condensation Realm at my family home.”
A brief silence passed.
“And even though we’re both at the fourth star, I can’t pull off lunacy like writing on the floor with spiritual energy. You really...”
Park Gangseo wore an unreadable expression.
“You don’t just crush a person’s spirit. You make them sick of you.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Forget it. It’s not a crime to be talented. Soon enough, I’ll have to start calling you Senior.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“Don’t feel too uncomfortable about rank. Always remember this: ‘Please spare me, Senior.’ Those words might save your life. Of course, most of the time you’ll die anyway.”
If someone failed to respect the realm another person had struggled so hard to attain, killing intent might rise within them, Park Gangseo added.
“In three days, all the entry disciples will gather for a lecture. On the first day of every month, a Foundation Establishment Realm senior helps with cultivation, so don’t forget to attend. You’ll be the only one losing out if you skip it.”
“I’ll remember.”
“Oh, and I heard a rumor that Hall Master Hong Mi-hee will soon finish crafting the spirit artifacts for you all.”
Ise’s eyes lit up. That was welcome news.
“Really?”
“You can show emotion after all.”
“Ah, I’m sorry.”
“No. Don’t apologize. And please, start dropping the formal speech too...”
Park Gangseo muttered with a face full of self-reproach.
* * *
Three days later.
With no clue at all about the wall of the minor realm boundary, Ise headed toward the Great Hall.
During the entrance examination period, it was used as an examination hall. It was the largest chamber in the Training Compound.
For those who spent most of their time cultivating, it was a rare chance to gather in one place.
Fifty-nine people.
Unlike when they had first passed the entrance examination, all of them now gave off denser spiritual energy.
Not only had the density of their spiritual energy changed, but each person’s bearing had changed as well.
Barely a month ago, they had been boys and girls with youthful faces. Now, they carried the calm presence of cultivators.
Ise exchanged brief nods with Hae Unchan and Pi Garam, whom he was seeing again after some time.
Each pair of eyes held its own accomplishments, walls, and longing.
A month earlier, they had felt excitement. Now, what they felt was thirst.
Nearly sixty pairs of thirsty eyes turned toward the senior cultivator walking in with steady steps.
‘That person is...’
Ise knew him.
He was the man who had worked with a bored expression in the administration office where Ise had gone to receive missions.
He gave off an entirely different air from his usual listless appearance.
He was not as imposing as a Core Formation Realm great cultivator like Kang I-tae, but the presence of a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator was still undeniably intimidating.
“I am Ujeol of Kirin Hall.”
After a brief introduction, Ujeol wasted no time with unnecessary remarks. He immediately began explaining the insights, examples, and practices that would help them progress from the first to the fourth star of the Qi Condensation Realm.
As expected of someone who had already walked the path ahead of them, his advice was extremely helpful.
The entry disciples listened with bright eyes. When Ujeol finished speaking and opened the floor for questions, nearly every entry disciple raised a hand, striving to break through the point where they had become stuck.
As the allotted time was about to end, Ise, who had not asked a single question until then, finally raised his hand.
He had been wondering why Senior Ujeol had only explained matters up to the fourth star.
“I’ll take your question as the last one. What are you curious about?”
“Senior, I would also like to hear about the fifth star of the Qi Condensation Realm, known as the minor realm boundary. I understand that heaven-and-earth spiritual energy must be converted into cultivation power, but honestly... I have no idea where to begin.”
“That is not a realm you need concern yourself with yet. I told you to set your goals high, but focus on the stair before your eyes.”
Ujeol’s eyes narrowed. Ise answered carefully, trying not to provoke him.
“I ask because I recently reached the fourth star... If I have sounded disrespectful, I apologize.”
Murmurs instantly spread through the previously quiet hall.
Ujeol stared fixedly at Ise with an expression that might have been surprise, confusion, or anger. Ise only met his gaze calmly.
Footnotes:
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