WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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Episode 14: Rapid Changes in the Continental Situation (4)

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* * *

The jade slips piled in one corner of his quarters had formed a mountain.

Even after he had carefully narrowed them down, the amount still felt endless.

They were all new cultivation methods and spell arts Ise had bought from the Library Pavilion.

After reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm, the range of spell arts he could learn had expanded dramatically.

There were especially many arts that made use of divine sense. Mind-Reading Art, which could see through an opponent's lies. Divine-Sense Severing Art, which temporarily cut off an opponent's divine sense. Voice-Transmission Art, which let speech reach someone without those nearby hearing it. Those were representative examples.

Still, Ise was not yet skilled at using divine sense. He bought only Mind-Reading Art, Divine-Sense Severing Art, and Voice-Transmission Art for now, then chose to add several unusual cultivation methods and Five Elements spell arts.

First was the Thunderclap Divine Art, which he had wanted most.

Then came the wind-attribute Wind-Shattering Qi Art.

He had bought the lightning-attribute and wind-attribute cultivation methods first because their uses were limitless.

The problem was that they required a lightning spiritual ground and a wind spiritual ground. They were cultivation methods with high barriers to entry in many ways.

He also added five useful-looking spell arts from the Five Elements cultivation methods.

Vital Wood Art, which rapidly increased the body's regenerative ability.

Metal Body Art, which temporarily replaced missing body parts with metal.

Water-Arrow Art, which created arrows from water for sharp attacks.

Firefall Art, which dropped fireballs from the sky like meteors.

Earth-Escape Art, which allowed its user to burrow beneath the ground and travel through it.

He had also bought several spell arts from the Demon-Hunting Spirit-Sending Foundation Establishment Art, as well as three Foundation Establishment spell arts from the Dokkaebi Shadow-Hunting Demonic Art.

The moment he reached Foundation Establishment, he had expanded his range of spell arts as much as he pleased.

He had spent a total of 5,500 Spiritual Stones on secret manuals so far.

In effect, he had invested every spare Spiritual Stone he possessed, except for the ones he had set aside to obtain a hatchet and shield.

Dine and Go was running normally again, so his supply of Spiritual Stones was steadily coming in...

‘It really is like pouring water into a bottomless jar...’

Resources were one problem, but he had learned so many cultivation methods and spell arts at once that his head felt ready to burst.

Each cultivation method and spell art had training stages from the first star to the tenth star.

In other words, to bring out their proper power, he had to reach Great Completion in every cultivation method and spell art separately.

The average Foundation Establishment cultivator lived three hundred years. When he had first heard that, he had thought it was an impossibly long time.

‘I need to cultivate, carry out missions, earn Spiritual Stones, train in using primordial qi and divine sense, and learn cultivation methods and spell arts.’

Now that his tasks had piled up like a mountain, even a thousand years felt insufficient.

‘Even ten bodies wouldn't be enough.’

Ise let out a short sigh, then decided to prioritize using primordial qi and improving his mastery of his new spell arts.

‘The ones useful in actual combat first.’

Choose and focus. That was what Ise needed right now.

* * *

- All Winged Dragon Hall members, assemble at Winged Dragon Hall.

Ise rose from his seat when a Message Talisman flew into his cultivation room.

It was his first summons since joining Winged Dragon Hall.

‘But it doesn't say where I'm supposed to go.’

As Ise stared at the Message Talisman, Gwak Chan poked his head over the wall.

“You got one too, right?”

“Ah, Cultivator Gwak.”

“You don't know where to go, do you? Come with me.”

“Thank you.”

Gwak Chan smiled, vaulted over the wall, and landed in front of Ise.

He led Ise deep into the Inner Hall District, to a pavilion marked Winged Dragon Hall.

“The organization is called Winged Dragon Hall, and the building is called Winged Dragon Hall too. When there's a summons, you usually come here.”

“I understand.”

Winged Dragon Hall was a simple building with one large training ground and a single pavilion.

It seemed to serve no purpose beyond gathering the hall members.

When Ise entered the pavilion, several Foundation Establishment cultivators had already arrived.

He spotted Irang among the familiar faces and gave a silent bow.

More cultivators gradually entered. Woo Yu-hui came in last.

The moment Woo Yu-hui arrived, Irang immediately stood beside her.

“Gu Myeong-su and Doha are on missions.”

“Mm.”

Woo Yu-hui climbed onto a high platform and looked down at the hall members.

“I wanted to introduce a new member.”

Wheeet!

A whistle sounded from somewhere.

“Ise.”

“Yes, Hall Master.”

At her call, Ise stood and greeted everyone around him.

“So you're that famous demon beast pulverizer.”

“I saw you at Dine and Go! Remember me?”

“What is your relationship with Senior Sister Irang? Are you a younger brother she kept hidden?”

“Shut your mouth, Heeya.”

Ise did not know what to do with himself under the blazing welcome.

He had heard the atmosphere here was relaxed, but he had not expected it to be this uninhibited.

“Introduce yourself.”

At Hall Master Woo Yu-hui's words, Ise blushed in embarrassment and began to speak haltingly.

This was his first experience like this, so he was not used to it.

“I'm Ise. I'm from Aegul County in Tabaro... and I grew up at Gwisu Temple.”

“Ooh!”

At the mention of Gwisu Temple, the hall members let out curious exclamations.

“Questions. First come, first served. Three people.”

At Hall Master Woo Yu-hui's words, the female cultivator at the front shot up a hand. It was the cultivator called Heeya.

“Can I ask why you came here?”

It was a relatively easy question, so Ise answered more comfortably.

“There are many people I owe. If I stay close, I'll have chances to repay them.”

“Owe?”

“Yes. Hall Master, Cultivator Gwak, and Cultivator Irang too.”

Hall Master Woo Yu-hui had treated him twice, once when he had been attacked by the Blood Formation demonic cultivator and once when he had been attacked by the Zheng Empire's Core Formation Realm great cultivator.

Cultivator Gwak had saved his life and the lives of his companions from a Foundation Establishment demonic cultivator.

When he entered the Dark Heaven Secret Realm, Cultivator Irang had readily shared information and even given him a precious Spiritual Herb Pouch.

If he did not know where to go, he would go where he had debts to repay.

That was the conclusion he had reached after much thought.

“Ha ha ha! This is why you should build up good karma. The words of the sages are never wrong, you know?”

“You only carried out a mission.”

“What an ungrateful thing to say. Do you know how hard I ran when I saw that lightning?”

“While riding a flying sword.”

“...Are you really going to tear me apart like this in front of a junior?”

“If you don't like it, come at me.”

“Wow, damn it. Want to fight?”

Woo Yu-hui raised a finger as if she were sick of them, and the two cultivators floated into the air.

Then they were thrown outside.

“Get out. Both of you. Whoever loses doesn't come back in.”

The outside soon grew noisy. A little later, Irang came back alone.

“I sent Gwak Chan to his cultivation room.”

“Good.”

The next question soon followed.

“What spiritual roots do you have? Judging by your cultivation speed, you must have a single spiritual root, right?”

This question was more difficult. Ise glanced at Hall Master Woo Yu-hui, and she answered for him.

“Five spiritual roots. Special constitution. Next.”

This time, a rather fierce-looking man raised his hand. Someone shouted, “Cut that bastard's hand off!”

The man ignored it and continued with his question.

“Which woman in Winged Dragon Hall is closest to your ideal type? If you had to form a paired-cultivation Dao companion bond with only one person for the rest of your life?”

“...”

The hall members pressed their hands to their foreheads in embarrassment.

Someone kicked the man's face.

Ise cleared his throat and looked at Hall Master Woo Yu-hui.

She stood there without reacting.

“Do I really have to answer?”

“Answer when you're asked. That's the rule.”

“...”

Ise felt that no matter how much he learned about the cultivation world, he would never understand it.

‘The Foundation Establishment cultivators I know aren't like this...’

Still, it seemed he had to answer, so Ise gave the obvious answer.

“Hall Master Woo Yu-hui.”

“Boooo!”

Boos immediately poured down on him.

“Look at this opportunist drunk on power. You haven't even seen Hall Master Woo's face. You're already sucking up to the powerful at your age?”

It was not exactly wrong, so Ise did not argue.

Sticking close to the most powerful person was simply the natural way to conduct oneself.

In any case, Hall Master Woo Yu-hui's lips were twitching as if pleased, so that was enough.

“You seem to be in a good mood, Hall Master.”

“Be quiet.”

After Ise's introduction ended, the hall members introduced themselves one by one.

There were thirty-four people, excluding the two absent members and the one who had been beaten and thrown out. Including Ise, Winged Dragon Hall had thirty-eight members in total.

‘Fewer than I expected.’

There were said to be a little over five hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators at headquarters. Since Azure Dragon Hall had no members, he had expected each hall to have around fifty.

“His goal is the Core Formation Realm, so help him well. If you don't want a green little child to surpass you, work hard too.”

“Yes, Hall Master!”

Core Formation Realm. Hearing the goal from the Hall Master's mouth made it feel more concrete.

Out of more than ten thousand Qi Condensation cultivators, five hundred had broken through to Foundation Establishment.

Of those five hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators, only ten had reached Core Formation.

And among them, only one had achieved the Nascent Soul Realm.

The path was narrower than the eye of a needle.

Ise's fighting spirit flared as well.

Then a Message Talisman trembled and flew toward him.

- Formal mission assigned. Guard the Shaman mission operative. Rendezvous location: headquarters entrance.

It was a formal mission.

They had said missions would be given irregularly, but since they were sending him out after only a few days... it seemed they would not simply overlook the time he had spent resting.

“A mission?”

“Yes. A formal mission.”

“Go. Everyone else, dismissed.”

Ise bowed to Hall Master Woo Yu-hui and headed for the rendezvous location.

‘A mission guarding a Shaman.’

It was probably an evil spirit extermination mission.

Ise remembered the Bamboo-Tube Beauty mission he had undertaken with Seolryeong.

Back then, he really had gone on missions without knowing a thing.

“Hm?”

Seolryeong was waiting at the rendezvous location.

“You're the mission operative?”

“Yeah. I got a formal mission assignment too.”

“You've got it easy. A Qi Condensation cultivator gets a Foundation Establishment cultivator as a guard.”

“You're seriously getting on my nerves...”

When people were grouped for missions, they were usually grouped with acquaintances. That reduced unnecessary conflicts.

Still, he had not expected them to pair a Qi Condensation cultivator with a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

There had to be another reason. Most likely, it was because he had reached Foundation Establishment after putting off missions and not going out for several years.

‘Looks like they're planning to work me hard on missions for a while.’

Ise had a feeling that whenever something came up requiring a Foundation Establishment cultivator, they would drag him along without hesitation.

Still, he had to earn his keep.

Had the generous order not repaired his damaged quarters for free?

Cultivator Gwak had said, “Wow, is this special treatment because you're such a promising prospect?” But Ise did not think that was it.

Ise asked Seolryeong, “What's the mission?”

Instead of answering, Seolryeong showed him the mission details.

- Location: Suari Pearl City

- Objective: Exterminate an evil spirit, estimated rank 6 to 9

“If it's rank 6, it's rank 6. If it's rank 9, it's rank 9. What does rank 6 to 9 mean? An unidentified demon?”

“That type of evil spirit is normally rank 9, but the outer branch outpost reported it as rank 6 difficulty. The demonic qi of a vengeful ghost evil spirit can vary enormously depending on the resentment it harbors.”

“Sounds like it died with a pretty deep grievance.”

Evil deeds and resentment accumulated until they created demons.

That was why people should avoid evil deeds and try to build up good karma whenever possible.

Why did people treat such a basic truth so lightly?

“So what kind of evil spirit are we exterminating?”

“A Fallen Courtesan Wraith.”

Ise frowned.

They were not common, but they were fairly well-known evil spirits.

“It is a demon formed when a courtesan murdered by sexual violence becomes a vengeful ghost evil spirit.”

Footnotes:

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