WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Dionysus

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◈ Xianxia Cultivation with a Dragon Heart ◈

Chapter 47: Searching for the Dragon Heart

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“Waaaaah!!”

Even with one arm gone and more than half his scalp melted away, Han Yujin let out a victorious roar. His head was being restored by Healing Art, but he was clearly seriously injured, and there was no need to mention the missing arm.

At his feet lay the corpse of a Yao Tribe member that looked like a cross between a mantis and a scorpion, its entire body still burning, severed, and crushed.

It was the very Yao Tribe member that had once killed him instantly and left him with a godawful sense of helplessness.

“I won!! You bastard!!”

It had not been an easy fight.

He had nearly died more than ten times along the way, and the creature had been so cunning that it never fell for small mind games. More often than not, Han Yujin had been the one to suffer for trying.

Still, he had won. It had been a hard-fought victory, and he could not calm his excitement.

Before defeating this Yao Tribe member, he had even driven back another one with three heads and six arms, protecting an allied Dharma Soul Stage cultivator. It was the same creature that had once retreated while chewing and eating that cultivator's head while they were still alive.

'I’m not who I was back then!'

He had reached the Dharma Soul Stage through Perfect Foundation Establishment and learned many spells suited to his level. He also possessed the Five Elements Bracelet, a top-grade magical artifact, so he lacked nothing in terms of gear.

Unlike before, there were hardly any Dharma Soul Stage cultivators who could display greater combat power than him. No, there were none at all. There might be some somewhere, but Han Yujin had not seen any.

Just as he basked in the satisfaction of having accomplished every secondary goal of this visit to Thousand Origin City...

“You're quite boisterous for a human!”

Another Dharma Soul Stage, no, a Yao Soul Stage Yao Tribe member charged at Han Yujin. It looked like a bipedal tiger.

“You look like you ought to be stuffing your face with Frosted Flakes, and you dare come at me?!”

As Han Yujin boldly shouted and faced it...

“I acknowledge your skill, so I’ll take you on as well!”

“Hehehe...! Your blood and flesh are mine!”

Other Yao Soul Stage monsters rushed toward him as though he were the most tempting prey imaginable.

“Hahahaha! Fine, come at me, all of you!”

Han Yujin had no intention of surviving anyway, so he laughed heartily as he clashed with the Yao Tribe members. If he was going to die, he might as well gain experience fighting many opponents at once.

About a minute later, he failed to overcome their numbers. As his limbs were torn apart and his heart was crushed, he cursed up a storm internally.

It was a death that hurt a little more than he had prepared for.

* * *

The harvest he needed to choose was obvious. There were the Borrowed Might Talisman, Jade Dew Wine Bottle, and Bewildering Illusion Array Device from the exchange gathering, as well as the Jade Slip of Formation Dao Explanations he had obtained from Song Jamun.

Less Karma had been spent than expected, so despite his painful death, his mood immediately improved.

After waking in bed and making brief preparations, he left the lodging with Muyong in his arms, just as he had yesterday. Naturally, he was heading out for the clearing operation.

He needed to work hard, accumulate Karma, and build enough merit to buy Spirit Stones later.

“Good morning.”

“Yes, good morning.”

As he traveled, everyone he encountered greeted Han Yujin with utmost courtesy. Returning their greetings naturally put him in a good mood.

He had only been active for two days, and today was only his third, yet it seemed there was no one left who had not heard of him.

'It’s really easy to gain renown.'

The thought made him snort.

Why was it easy to gain renown? Because he possessed enough strength. Meticulous, elaborate plans were only necessary when one lacked strength.

Power ruled the world. He did not know who had first said it, but it was certainly true.

A little later.

The moment he stepped outside, he left the outpost fortress and began the clearing “work.”

He moved swiftly with Wind Escape Art, using Divine Sense and Spirit Vision Art to locate monsters and kill whatever he found.

Pababababak!

Golden rays shot from his sword-sign fingers, piercing every fleeing creature that resembled a wild dog and bringing them down. Han Yujin quickly approached and put the one still alive, writhing in pain, out of its misery as he considered something else.

'Which world should I visit next...?'

Now that he had learned Formation Array Arts and obtained the Bewildering Illusion Array magical artifact, the issue of safety had essentially been resolved. He could proceed with his original plan and search for a world with dragons whose hearts he might obtain.

Still, he wondered whether he could spend a day or two exploring entirely different worlds.

For example, a science-fiction-like world with excellent technology, or a world that specialized in controlling or eliminating ghosts.

'I could also open the Door blindly and hope for a place as strong as a xianxia world.'

There was too much he could do, which made it difficult to decide. Yet after a moment, he shook his head and decided to carry out his original plan first. Everything had its priorities.

He could postpone visiting other worlds until he felt short of options.

Just then.

Sptoo!

Muyong, who had been resting quietly in his arms, suddenly fired a golden beam from her mouth.

It was the Geng Metal Sword Qi Art that he had taught her through the Spirit Beast Training Formula, and her target was a fist-sized beetle-like insect clinging to a nearby tree trunk.

The Geng Metal Sword Qi struck it perfectly and mercilessly split the insect in two. Han Yujin, who had stopped in surprise, vigorously petted Muyong in his arms.

“Aww, good girl!”

Squeak! Squeee!

Thrilled by her master's praise, Muyong wagged her tail wildly despite not being a dog. It was her own way of showing excitement.

“I made a huge sacrifice and brought back something called a Jade Dew Wine Bottle just for you. How did you know to do something this adorable, huh?”

She had only dealt with a single beetle, yet Han Yujin was strangely pleased and continued praising her.

“Try attacking when you run into monsters from now on. Don’t be timid and only kill bugs like that.”

Squeak!

He decided that letting Muyong gain experience attacking enemies with spells would not be a bad idea. It would also add a little fun to a clearing operation that was starting to grow monotonous.

Han Yujin's face was full of smiles as he moved to resume his work.

* * *

It took nearly a week to deal with all the aftermath of the sudden wave. It would have taken longer originally, but Han Yujin had worked like a madman, reducing the time to that extent.

Thanks to that, South Korea was no longer at any disadvantage in the tensions among South Korea, China, and Japan over the level 7 Mana Stone open-pit mine.

China and Japan had more S-rank Hunters, but the mine was undeniably very close to South Korean territory. China and Japan claiming even partial ownership had been more than half absurd to begin with.

It was so absurd that even Han Yujin, who had little interest in disputes between nations, found it quite ridiculous.

'Well... Come to think of it, there have been plenty of similar things.'

There was no need to explain what those things were, how they had happened, or how many there had been.

Fortunately, Han Yujin had deliberately made frequent trips near the open-pit mine at Park Seryong's request. Without that, the situation might have become even worse.

In any case.

Based on his contributions, Han Yujin could insist more strongly that he receive his reward in Mana Stones. At the same time, he demanded the right to purchase Mana Stones with money later.

'Maybe I should look for other Mana Stone mines someday.'

If he demanded Mana Stones instead of the money normally given as a discovery reward, he could accumulate Karma more quickly.

While his efforts and plans to acquire Karma in reality proceeded smoothly, his search for a Dragon Heart through his awakening ability was slightly sluggish. He had only tried seven times, but he still did not like it.

In two attempts, the target had only barely reached the Nascent Soul Stage, so after some consideration, he decided to put them on hold.

In the remaining attempts, the targets had been at the Spirit Transformation Stage, but he ultimately gave up because there was simply no viable opening. His hopes of simply plucking a Dragon Heart out of a corpse or ruin had failed every time.

'Should I be less greedy, or should I be even greedier?'

With his safety secured by the Bewildering Illusion Array magical artifact, Han Yujin played with Muyong for a while as usual before lying down in bed.

'I’ve only tried seven times. If I keep searching for nothing more and nothing less than a Spirit Transformation Stage target...'

Just before he activated his awakening ability, a different idea came to him.

'Since I never know, should I try searching for a Void Refinement Stage Dragon Heart once?'

Normally, a cultivator's realms after the Nascent Soul Stage were the Spirit Transformation Stage and then the Integration Stage. However, depending on the characteristics of a cultivation method and other factors, a special realm called the Void Refinement Stage could sometimes exist between the Spirit Transformation Stage and the Integration Stage.

'A Void Refinement Stage one might be manageable with Karma somehow.'

Soon after.

Han Yujin activated his awakening ability and opened his eyes in the empty waiting space.

Having prepared without bringing Muyong, he recalled a well-organized wish based on his experiences so far and reached for the ever-changing Door.

The form of the successfully fixed Door was, once again, a fantasy-like stone gate.

A round white crystal was embedded in its center, while angel-like beings sculpted in platinum stood on either side, creating a rather sacred atmosphere.

Astradia of Liberation, Subservient to the Stars.

As he looked at the silver letters that appeared above it, he made a simple guess.

'Being liberated while submitting means switching masters?'

What suddenly came to mind was the furious declaration of the dragon he had first seen, which had been at least at the Integration Stage.

'It got angry, saying they had dared invite those disgusting Asterions in...'

Astradia and Asterion. The names were similar enough to seem connected at a glance. Furthermore, according to his transcendent comprehension, both words were proper nouns related to stars.

For some reason, he felt that he might be able to gain something by taking advantage of the Asterions' fight with the dragons.

As he pushed the Door open and crossed through, he let out a quiet laugh. During the previous seven searches, things had always seemed promising, only for him to gain nothing in the end.

The moment he passed through the Door and set foot on another world's ground...

Waaaaaah!

A massive roar from tens of thousands of people greeted him.

He did not even have time to confirm that the Door behind him had vanished.

Under the blue sky, the gates of an enormous castle opened with a deep rumble. Inside, countless people stood gathered in formation, shouting again to raise their morale.

Every prominent figure present wore either armor or robes. The armored people gleamed with a sturdy luster, weapons included, while those in ornate robes held staffs set with large gemstones, displaying an air of mystery.

Heavy footsteps rang out as the front ranks slowly began to move.

Countless banners fastened to raised spear shafts fluttered and dazzled the eye. Citizens filled not only the surrounding area but even the city walls, where they normally would not have been allowed, cheering and scattering flower petals to bless the departing force.

“We will finally be freed from this ancient oppression!”

An incredibly powerful voice burst from the mage floating in the air above the castle gate. They appeared to have been giving some sort of speech, and those words seemed to be its conclusion.

Han Yujin checked his own robe and, caught off guard, began moving with them. Since he was at the edge of the formation, it was not difficult to move along without drawing attention.

'It seems to be some kind of departure ceremony.'

Though the situation was sudden, the grand scale of the scene made his heart race. He hoped this visit would go well.

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