Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: So Hyang
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It looked less like annotations and more like doodles.
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Tae-eul is the origin of all things. When Tae-eul incarnates, it becomes the Heavenly Sovereign, the ruler who governs all creation. Contemplating the Heavenly Sovereign requires at least reaching the True Person realm. Thus, what can be contemplated in the Qi Condensation realm is Tae-eul's fundamental form and...
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Ugh, complicated.
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Someone had scribbled over this and added a doodle note below:
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Tae-eul = Heaven-Earth Spiritual Energy. Yang Chant = the sound of wind when absorbing Heaven-Earth Spiritual Energy. You must fully absorb it into your body and circulate it! The louder the wind, the more it means your realm is advancing!
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This explanation was far simpler than the official scripture text and stuck in his head perfectly.
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This was way easier to understand than vaguely talking about Tae-eul this and that. Forget the Heavenly Sovereign stuff—this made it clear and straightforward.
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Whoever wrote these doodles must be a top instructor in the cultivation world.
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Who the hell was it? Maybe they signed their name at the end?
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He flipped through quickly to the end, and there it was—a clue about the doodler's identity.
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-Annotations by Tae-eul True Person.-
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Tae-eul True Person? What kind of figure was that? Being called a True Person suggested someone of lofty cultivation.
Usually, titles like True Person or Divine Army were reserved for the deceased or those of exalted realms.
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But...
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The handwriting had zero immortal vibe—it was like a kid's scribbles.
Even the "Tae-eul True Person" part was crooked and sloppy, making it seem less like the real deal and more like someone delusionally aspiring to the title.
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"So, not a True Person yet, but someone who wants to be the future Tae-eul True Person. The annotations show real talent, though. Thanks to them, I'm getting the sweet stuff."
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Yuk-gyeong ignored the scripture's verbose explanations and focused on studying the annotations.
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This made it so much easier.
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No wonder top instructors' lectures were worth attending. Even cryptic texts like this became digestible when broken down by someone who truly understood them and knew how to teach.
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Ah, so that's how you interpret this part. Yeah, that makes it way clearer.
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Mm-hmm, exactly. Do it like this. I've felt that too.
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Yuk-gyeong gradually immersed himself in the Tae-eul Yang Chant Scripture's explanation of the Tae-eul Yang Chant Technique.
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Before he knew it, he slipped into meditation. Despite never being taught how, he did it as naturally as breathing. It was astonishing.
This feat came from his solid aptitude combined with his Single Spiritual Root.
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Heaven-Earth Spiritual Energy gathered around Yuk-gyeong. The momentum was terrifying, far beyond what Response Qi should produce.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The steward of the Miscellaneous Labor Quarter, Yeong Sun-il at Response Qi 7th Star, opened his eyes in the dead of night, sensing the violent flow of spiritual energy.
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Whoooosh!
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This level of energy flow was no ordinary cultivation session.
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The surrounding Heaven-Earth Spiritual Energy seemed to be condensing.
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Even Yeong Sun-il, at Response Qi 7th Star, couldn't generate such a flow.
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Naturally, he assumed it was a senior cultivator ahead of him.
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"Hm? Is some Gathering Qi senior cultivating nearby? What's got them training in the Miscellaneous Labor Quarter? They must be at least an inner sect named disciple."
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One thing Yeong Sun-il had learned over decades of cultivation:
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Don't question the actions of cultivators at higher levels than you.
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"They'll finish and leave. Not my business. Better not annoy a senior. Weird things happen."
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Yeong Sun-il closed his eyes again and resumed his steady cultivation.
It wasn't going smoothly thanks to the unnamed Gathering Qi cultivator, but what could he do? He couldn't just shoo them away...
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The next morning dawned.
Yuk-gyeong stretched as he got up, preparing for cultivation.
Privy cleaning? Someone else would handle it.
He just waited in his quarters until a senior brother came to take him somewhere quiet for training. That was all.
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Wonder when they'll show up today.
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Steward Yeong Sun-il probably hoped the privy duty would wear him down, but Yuk-gyeong felt fine.
His body felt incredibly refreshed. Aftereffects from yesterday's session? He felt even lighter.
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Yuk-gyeong could tangibly feel his realm advancing rapidly.
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If Elder Geum saw him now, he'd be shocked.
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Yuk-gyeong, who had barely touched Response Qi at the One Heart Sect, had broken through in just one day.
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He was now at Response Qi 1st Star.
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This stood in stark contrast to his fellow initiates, who hadn't even started cultivating. Were they lazy? No, the obtuse technique manuals stumped them despite their efforts.
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Even in Radiant Moon Sect history, entering Response Qi in a single day after receiving the manual was rare.
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Yuk-gyeong reined in his slackening mind.
Am I cultivating fast enough? Maybe I can take it slower? When lazy thoughts crept in, he reminded himself why he got this privilege.
Single Spiritual Root. They expect quick progress, so they pulled me from chores and gave me time to cultivate.
Yuk-gyeong whipped his near-slothful self like that and focused on training.
Separately, he was enjoying cultivation. Watching his skills grow made him think he was cut out to be a cultivator.
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Breathing via the Breathing Method from the Tae-eul Yang Technique and contemplating his inner body as instructed drew in Heaven-Earth Spiritual Energy, letting him vividly feel it circulate and exit.
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It was like wind.
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A wind that thoroughly cleansed his body as it left.
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As the wind swept through bones, joints, major vessels, and fine meridians, his whole body felt refreshed. Each cleansing tempered his flesh.
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The Tae-eul Yang Chant Scripture said washing one's muscles and meridians with spiritual energy would forge a sturdy body.
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Yuk-gyeong judged his state as early Response Qi 1st Star.
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Though busy initiates rarely mingled, Yuk-gyeong knew his progress was fast. Glimpsing his peers from afar, they were still mortals.
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This was a perception only higher-realm cultivators could sense.
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Yuk-gyeong marveled at how effective the annotations on his Tae-eul Yang Chant Technique were.
His Single Spiritual Root played a big role, but with annotations, he wasn't just leaping—he was soaring.
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A bit more practice, and he'd hit mid- or late-stage soon.
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Did they give me this annotated basic technique as Single Spiritual Root perks? Nah, Steward Yeong Sun-il—who seems to hate me—handed it over. Whatever. Faster cultivation is good.
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Training's great, but gotta eat while doing it.
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Radiant Moon Sect provided two meals: morning rice balls and dinner at the canteen.
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After chores, as the sun dipped, the canteen opened to all sect members.
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As Yuk-gyeong scooped rice and sat:
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"Hey! You stink—eat outside!"
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"Pardon?"
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"You smell, so eat outside, not in the canteen."
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A brash woman from the canteen glared daggers.
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Her baggy clothes, tightly bound sleeves, eczema-ridden hands, and wet apron screamed Miscellaneous Labor Quarter canteen worker.
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She was determined to boot Yuk-gyeong out.
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He shot back, annoyed.
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"Is there a rule that smelly people eat outside?"
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Eat outside? On the dirty ground, choking on dust? No way.
I didn't clean any privies—how would I smell?
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"There is. I, So Hyang, say so in this canteen."
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So Hyang planted hands on hips, scowling fiercely.
But her cute, doll-like face made even frowns adorable, not scary.
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That cherubic face atop... a hefty bosom visible even through baggy clothes!
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So Hyang boasted an enormous bust.
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To show this much through loose fabric, it must be too big for both hands...
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Yuk-gyeong caught himself sizing her up and shook his head.
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Not the point.
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What matters is this bitch mouthing off to me.
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"No such rule—you just made it up! Ridiculous!"
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"Makes perfect sense. Out, out!"
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Yuk-gyeong got kicked out of the canteen.
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Damn, playing dirty with food.
Messing with meals crosses the line.
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Yuk-gyeong seethed.
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Turns out So Hyang handled the crucial hearth duties—a top-five power player in the canteen.
You might scoff at power rankings in a labor quarter canteen, but wherever people gather, hierarchies form. Even two people divide power.
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As a power broker, she could dictate "rules."
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Fine, avoid shit because it's dirty or scary? Skip the canteen bigshot, no biggie.
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But just as Yuk-gyeong couldn't dodge stinky privies, he couldn't avoid So Hyang at mealtime.