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Translator/Editor: Dionysus
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◈ Xianxia Cultivation with a Dragon Heart ◈
Chapter 29: Introduction to Five Elements Spells
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Han Yujin spent a few hours with the Rabbit-Weasel, which now had the name Muyong, and grew a little closer to it. At least, he improved their relationship enough that it no longer feared him outright.
The spirit liquid wine had helped greatly. A few other Rabbit-Weasels furtively lingered nearby during that time, but naturally, Han Yujin did not spare them a glance.
He did more than ignore them. He did not even allow them to eat the monkey monsters' corpses. He immediately took out the Bloodwood Seed and turned three of them into Bloodwood Spirit-Fruits.
After carefully recovering the seed from the remains of the bloodwood, which had rapidly bloomed before crumbling into soil and sand, Han Yujin held Muyong in his arms and spoke.
“Let's go.”
Where they were going was obvious. Taking over the wolves' hideout was far better than continuing to live in that burrow beneath the tree.
It was the safest and most comfortable place he knew of, and having lived there for a while, he was familiar with the surrounding area. There were some unpleasant memories nearby, but there was also a lake full of extremely useful cultivation resources.
It was a place where he could live without trouble until reaching the Dharma Soul Stage. Of course, there were probably better places somewhere in this primeval forest, but he could look for those later.
'How long will I be staying this time?'
Before seriously beginning cultivation, perhaps he should organize the situation in reality and write it down separately. That way, he would not get confused when he returned.
As he moved while sorting through his memories, he reached the wolves' den in no time.
Perhaps sensing danger, the useless little thing kept looking around anxiously.
“I'll show you how strong this big brother is.”
As he said that, he suddenly remembered that Muyong was female. Still, it was only a beast, so what did it matter? Besides, the only alternatives to “big brother” that came to mind were oppa and orabeoni. Thinking of referring to himself that way before a pet made his expression sour.
With such random thoughts drifting through his mind, Han Yujin deliberately adjusted his Concealment Art near the wolves' den and let his presence leak out.
What followed was very simple.
Naturally, the wolves sensed an unfamiliar presence near their den that did not seem particularly strong. They swarmed out like bees and attacked without much hesitation.
What greeted them was the golden energy fired from the Five Elements Sword.
Whatever the reason, if they tried to kill him first, they should have been prepared for retaliation.
'Especially now, this is self-defense I can feel no qualms about.'
With that mindset, he slaughtered every wolf with a stinger on its tail. Then, unlike before, he entered the den and sent the few guards and pups that had failed to escape to the next world as well.
After the battle, which had not been especially fierce but would have looked impressive to anyone unaware of the circumstances...
“What do you think, huh? Don't you feel any awe for this big brother? Maybe your brain isn't developed enough yet?”
Squeak!
“You think that was fucking awesome? I know, you little brat.”
He lifted the useless little thing he had been holding with both hands and teased it for a moment before beginning the cleanup.
He turned most of the bodies into Bloodwood Spirit-Fruits. It was convenient, and he had considerable expectations for the Bloodwood Spirit-Fruit Spirit Liquor he would make from them.
The reason he did not turn all of them into fruit was because he wanted variety in his diet, even if it was somewhat inefficient. Not for nutritional reasons, but for taste and emotional well-being.
'Cultivation is a marathon.'
Going all out without stopping was not always best. Minor inefficiencies and brief rests could ultimately let him go farther for longer.
It was a simple principle anyone should know.
He carefully butchered all the meat he had deliberately left behind and stored it in his Storage Pouch. He burned away the wolves' remaining traces within the secret realm using the Flame Projectile Art, checked once more for any potential dangers, and settled in properly, just as he had before.
Han Yujin brought over one of the rocks he had used in the past as a chair. He set Muyong down in front of him, closed his eyes, focused, and drew out spiritual energy.
A drop of blood suddenly emerged from the tip of his raised right index finger. A faint glow of countless colors flowed from it, occasionally revealing dharma patterns.
After concentrating for quite some time, he successfully created the restriction essence blood for the Spirit Beast Training Formula. At last, he opened his eyes and looked down at the useless little thing before him.
“This is something like a contract. It will also become a seed for your growth.”
He used the Object Manipulation Art to send the unusually gleaming drop of blood flying. As expected of a creature full of appetite, Muyong seemed to sense something tasty and swallowed it on its own.
“You're practically a pig.”
Han Yujin chuckled and patted its head.
It seemed the effect would take a few hours to emerge, so this was a good time to build a place to stay.
* * *
Cultivation for the Dharma Soul Stage, the tempering of body and soul, did not necessarily require sitting down and circulating the Returning to the Origin Art.
Just as moving one's body was exercise in its own way, thoroughly exhausting oneself through spell practice was also quite helpful. This was the principle that allowed Earth's Hunters to grow even without an outstanding cultivation method like the Returning to the Origin Art.
Han Yujin stood some distance away from the hideout.
Over the past month, he had mastered the basics of the spells in the Five Elements Arts. Now, he planned to try them one by one.
'First, the Fire Spirit Bird Art.'
At that thought, flames whirled from his outstretched hand. They transformed into two birds with fairly nimble forms, then flapped their wings as though truly alive and flew around the area.
The “spirit bird” in the spell's name was no empty label. These fire birds did not merely look alive. They actually possessed a small degree of spirituality.
Once he designated a target, they would attack on their own without requiring further attention. They could even act quite cunningly, bypassing defenses or using feints. At the last moment, they could trigger an explosion to inflict even greater damage.
There were only two of them now, but once he reached the Dharma Soul Stage, he should be able to create more than ten as his mastery of the spell improved.
“Go.”
Since he was still inexperienced, conveying his intent aloud was more efficient. At the command, the two fire birds immediately shot forward like arrows and struck the targeted tree.
KRA-BOOM!
BOOM!!
The enormous tree could not withstand the two explosions for even a moment. Its base shattered into ashes, and it quickly toppled over. It collided with other trees, causing a great disturbance in the once-quiet forest.
At that very moment, Han Yujin was casting the second spell.
He concentrated with his eyes closed, then abruptly opened them and pointed at the falling tree.
BOOM!!
A thick bolt of bluish-white lightning appeared from the clear sky and struck with terrifying precision.
The flash briefly dyed his vision black and white. The portion of the tree that had remained intact burned black and crumbled like sand. The acrid stench of burning swept through the area with pale smoke.
Phew...
The Lightning Summoning Art clearly had the drawback of taking some time to cast, but once successfully unleashed, it was exceptionally fast and powerful. There would be no better spell for ambushes or against slow enemies.
With only two spell casts, an ancient tree that had likely lived for over a hundred years was barely left in recognizable form. Han Yujin changed targets and cast the third spell.
Fwoosh!
Spiritual energy and dharma-pattern ripples gleamed in the breath he lightly exhaled through pursed lips. It instantly transformed into a gale and struck another tree.
SKRRAAAK!
With a sharp noise, countless marks appeared on the tree as though it had been chopped with an axe dozens of times. The important point was that the attack was not over yet.
SKRRAAAK!
CRACK!
The Wind Blade Art, cast through his breath, relentlessly carved away at the tree until its power ran out. Even after completely toppling it, the spell chewed away more than half of a neighboring tree before slowly fading.
An attack that was invisible, formless, fast, and persistent would be difficult for an enemy to deal with. It would certainly be useful against multiple opponents as well.
When he cast the fourth spell, spiritual energy condensed like water around Han Yujin's outstretched hand, taking the clear form of a wheel before flying forward at high speed. The sound of it slicing through the air was unusually heavy.
BOOM!!
When it collided with the tree that had already been carved away by more than half, an explosion-like roar erupted. The tree could not endure even for a moment before scattering fragments in every direction and toppling with the most violent force yet.
The Water Wheel Art specialized in heavy impact rather than sharpness. As a weapon, it was not a sword but a blunt instrument, something like a battle-axe or warhammer.
'All that's left is...'
Estimating the spiritual energy he had consumed, Han Yujin formed a sword-finger gesture. It was a hand shape made by raising his index and middle fingers together from a clenched fist.
Golden light gathered on the sword-finger gesture in an instant. With a light swing, that energy shot forward at high speed. It looked like a master from a martial arts novel releasing sword qi.
Shhk!
An ordinary person would only have seen a brief flash of gold. Yet the ancient tree it struck was severed diagonally and began to fall as though it were sliding apart.
Once the tree had completely fallen and all the commotion subsided, he fired the Geng Metal Sword Qi Art gathered on his sword-finger gesture again.
The spell's energy split into two streams mid-flight, cutting down ancient trees in different directions. Those trees also seemed to slide apart before soon crashing down loudly.
Once he became proficient, he could split it into not two streams but three or four. It was a technique called Sword Light Division. Naturally, he believed his Geng Metal Sword Qi Art was far stronger than the sword qi found in martial arts novels.
'Of course it is. It's an actual spell.'
It was also the golden energy he fired by controlling the Five Elements Sword.
'Now, to finish...'
His spiritual power felt almost fully depleted, but he forced himself to concentrate and cast the final spell.
In an instant, an aura of mixed gold and purple light burst out around his body.
It looked like insubstantial light, but it was actually a barrier far more durable than the Jade Skin Art. Unlike the Jade Skin Art, it did not have the weakness of leaving any area uncovered by skin unprotected.
Since it was not a basic spell, it simply consumed a great deal of spiritual energy. Even that would feel manageable once he reached the Dharma Soul Stage. As his mastery improved, he would also be able to control this conspicuous violet-gold radiance.
Han Yujin maintained the violet-gold radiance for a while longer. Only when he finally felt completely exhausted did he end the spell and catch his breath.
Phew...
As he rested while breathing in the forest's fresh air and dense spiritual energy, Muyong, which had been alone behind him, soon approached and tugged at his trouser leg with its teeth.
“Why?”
Squeak!
“You want to go back now?”
It seemed uneasy because of the disturbance he had caused while practicing spells. Thanks to their connection through the Spirit Beast Training Formula, he could roughly understand such emotions.
“Fine, let's go.”
He had already checked the area's safety several times before practicing, but Han Yujin did not insist. Picking Muyong up, he used the Wind-Cloud Art and began returning to the hideout. Unfortunately, he did not have enough energy left to practice the Earth Escape Art on the way.
About twenty minutes later.
After safely arriving at the hideout, he let the little thing, which was useless except for being cute, go free and headed to one side.
Like before, he had made the dwelling around a hollow in the cliff wall. The difference was that he had created it using only the Earth Manipulation Art.
With enough power invested, the Earth Manipulation Art could harden a simple mound of dirt into something like rock. As a result, the dwelling before him looked much sturdier and cozier than it had before.
After entering, he examined the specially made jar he had crafted with the Earth Manipulation Art according to the method written in the Bloodwood Spirit-Fruit Brewing Art.
When he lifted the lid slightly, the fragrant scent of alcohol lifted his spirits. Though it was his first attempt at brewing, it seemed to be progressing successfully.
'What would I have done if I hadn't taken that alchemy lecture? Seriously.'
He closed the lid again and went outside while humming. Aside from the jar containing spirit liquor, he needed to check on the fruits harvested from the monkey monsters' nest, which were being dried and aged.
Personally, he was actually looking forward to those fruits even more than the spirit liquor.
After investing time and carefully examining them with his transcendent comprehension, he had determined that the fruits seemed capable of tempering the body while enhancing the five senses.
Improved five senses meant a stronger foundation for handling Divine Sense once he reached the Dharma Soul Stage. Considering Divine Sense's usefulness and importance, that was something he could only welcome.
He would never have known how best to consume them if he had not attended the Cheonwonseong alchemy lectures either.
Footnotes:
Muyong's name is a pun that can mean either “useless” or “martial valor,” depending on the Hanja.
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