Chapter 38
Chapter 38
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: Cho Ryu-ha
-----------------------------------------------------------------
After chatting for a good long while with Yuk-gyeong and Ju-hee, Ryu-ha finished sorting the herbs and headed down Herb Prosperity Peak.
Having conversations with this junior brother and that senior sister was truly fun.
They always played along with his tall tales without scolding or mocking him. The other senior brothers and sisters would just laugh or yell at him to stop spouting nonsense.
The work at the Herb Hall was a hassle, but going there was great—thanks to this junior brother and that senior sister.
With a heart full of contentment, Ryu-ha made his way down the peak. The gentle slopes of Herb Prosperity Peak had wide paths that weren't too steep, so they couldn't slow down his excited, rhythmic steps.
That's when someone descending the mountain called out to him.
"Hey, Cho Ryu-ha!"
A group with a swaggering attitude and smirks on their faces stared at Ryu-ha. Their gazes were filled with contempt—it was clear they weren't being friendly.
The one who called Ryu-ha was a young man who seemed to be the leader of the pack.
The youth, who looked just shy of twenty, stood with his legs spread wide and arms akimbo, glaring down at Ryu-ha.
"...Yi Han."
It was Yi Han, Ryu-ha's fellow initiate.
Yi Han had always had a bit of a thug vibe since joining. A bit older than Ryu-ha, he'd nearly failed the entrance exam at the sect but had been saved by Ryu-ha's help.
But had that become his grudge?
Ingrate that he was, Yi Han had started bullying Ryu-ha from then on.
Maybe he felt inferior to Ryu-ha after the embarrassing display he'd put on during the entrance exam.
In any case, Yi Han, who tormented Ryu-ha whenever he got the chance, was blessed by the heavens—he had better talent than Ryu-ha. And since Ryu-ha was always bragging whenever he could, no one ever stepped in to help when he got picked on.
So today, having reached the 5th Star of the Response Qi Realm, Yi Han had come to bully him some more.
"Where do you think you're going? Call me senior brother! This body of mine has already hit the 5th Star of Response Qi. You're not even worthy of glaring at me like that!"
Thwack!
Yi Han, Ryu-ha's fellow initiate, kicked him while shouting.
"Go fetch some water! You useless sack of hot air."
Ryu-ha tumbled from Yi Han's kick.
The kick, infused with 5th Star Response Qi energy, inflicted internal injuries on him. Swallowing the taste of blood in his mouth with his saliva, Ryu-ha trembled as he struggled to stand.
"Braggart Cho Ryu-ha, hurry up and call Yi Han senior brother."
"Still stuck at the 4th Star of Response Qi, what a waste."
"Heh heh, look at him wriggling on the ground like a worm."
Yi Han's gang pointed and laughed at Ryu-ha.
This was how the cultivation world worked.
The higher your realm, the more of a senior brother you became. The lower one was naturally the junior.
That's why Yuk-gyeong was so unusual, and why Ryu-ha liked him.
He was at the Peak of Response Qi himself, yet he still called Ryu-ha senior brother.
Ryu-ha gritted his teeth, clenched his fists tight, and turned to go fetch water.
At that moment,
"Why don't you fetch the water yourself?"
A deep voice came from behind.
Yi Han turned around to see a man standing right behind him before he knew it.
Handsome face, tall stature, refreshing smile.
Yi Yuk-gyeong!
Ryu-ha's expression lit up, then darkened again.
It brightened at the arrival of someone to help, but darkened with self-loathing at having shown such a pathetic sight to Yuk-gyeong.
Yi Han didn't recognize Yuk-gyeong even after seeing him.
No matter how famous a Single Spiritual Root cultivator was in the sect, they weren't wanted criminals with wanted posters plastered everywhere, so it was hard to guess from just a face.
Well, if he'd heard that the Single Spiritual Root guy was incredibly handsome, he might have made the connection upon seeing Yuk-gyeong.
That failure was Yi Han's mistake.
"Who the hell are you?"
Yuk-gyeong was furious at the plight of Ryu-ha, with whom he'd become close.
So he decided to unleash a bit of his usual restrained authority.
Yuk-gyeong stirred his energy, revealing the pressure of the Peak Response Qi Realm. The heaven-earth spiritual energy responded in kind, making the surrounding energy tremble.
Whoosh—!
"Me? Your senior brother, punk."
Response Qi Realm disciples were sensitive to the surrounding heaven-earth spiritual energy. To them, who cultivated by absorbing it, that energy was like the very air they breathed.
Imagine if the air around you started shaking and humming.
You wouldn't be able to think straight amid the noise and vibrations.
Yi Han was no different.
From the intensity of the vibrating heaven-earth spiritual energy and the weight of the pressure, Yi Han roughly gauged Yuk-gyeong's realm. And then he realized.
"Uh... Peak Response Qi? You, you're... that Single Spiritual Root guy?"
"That's right. You've heard my name, huh? But it's not 'you,' it's senior brother."
Thud!
Yuk-gyeong kicked Yi Han, who dared to act insolently toward a Peak Response Qi senior brother.
Of course, that kick was packed with Peak Response Qi momentum, thoroughly shaking up Yi Han's internals.
"Gahk!"
Yi Han spewed a fountain of blood from his mouth, collapsed, and passed out. His vision spun, his mind a haze.
He wasn't sure if the kick had hit somewhere vital, but the pain was intense. Of course, it wasn't a serious injury.
Yuk-gyeong berated Yi Han, who was still out of it.
"Go fetch some water, punk."
Yi Han's gang had already half-fled long ago, while the other half supported him with terrified expressions.
The group that had pointed and mocked Ryu-ha couldn't utter a word at the sight of Yuk-gyeong.
Yuk-gyeong yelled at them.
"Why don't you scram?"
Like cockroaches scattering at the sight of a lit kitchen, they all dispersed and vanished—taking the fallen Yi Han with them.
Having chased them all away like that, Yuk-gyeong helped up Ryu-ha, who was still sprawled on the ground.
He didn't ask if he was okay or if it hurt.
Come on, how embarrassing would that be? Showing such a sight to a junior brother he was close with.
Ryu-ha tried to walk on his own without Yuk-gyeong's help, but due to his internal injuries, he had to accept it.
And so Ryu-ha limped along, with Yuk-gyeong supporting him from the side.
They headed back up Herb Prosperity Peak to find some herbs good for internal injuries.
As they climbed the mountain supporting Ryu-ha like that,
Ryu-ha spoke up.
"Junior brother—no, senior brother. Don't you find me pathetic too? Always bragging about what I'll do when I reach Core Formation, or what I'll gain at Nascent Soul. Spouting all that nonsense."
"..."
Yuk-gyeong didn't bother replying. He felt it would be rude to add anything to the boy's honest confession.
As if he hadn't wanted a response from Yuk-gyeong anyway, Ryu-ha continued without waiting.
"See, I'm not as talented as you, senior brother, nor as hardworking as that Ah Young or whatever. I'm just... ordinary. Stuck at the 4th Star of Response Qi. And the worst part? I settle for this mediocrity. I tell myself this is good enough, then brag my head off. I'm really pathetic."
Ryu-ha's self-confession grew heavier by the moment. It sometimes veered into self-deprecation. That's what self-confessions were like. Already down after being bullied, digging into his own shortcomings only made him more depressed.
Yuk-gyeong carefully interjected into the flow.
"Senior brother."
"Yeah?"
A bizarre situation with no junior brothers and two senior brothers. But the mood wasn't funny.
Yuk-gyeong spoke plainly to Ryu-ha, whose eyes were glistening with tears from the gloom.
"Do you know how many people in this world lack spiritual roots? They don't even get the chance to cultivate. They spend their lives tilling fields and working paddies. Senior brother, unlike them, you were born with so much more. The chance to cultivate and seek immortality."
Not waiting for Ryu-ha's response, Yuk-gyeong pressed on.
"I don't know exactly what's in your heart, senior brother. Somehow, that's how you ended up. I don't think it's bad that what you call 'bragging' is a declaration of your dreams. I can feel your dream—that you'll reach it someday, no matter what."
"Dream?"
"Yes. Dreams aren't just for sleeping. The dreams you have while awake become the drive to achieve them. When you talk about Gathering Qi or Core Formation, senior brother, you look overflowing with hope. I believe that hope will take you to great heights."
Ryu-ha's expression brightened at Yuk-gyeong's sincere encouragement. It wasn't just sweet words. Yuk-gyeong's words rang with more sincerity than ever.
Ryu-ha knew when Yuk-gyeong was giving half-hearted replies out of annoyance. But not today.
"Me? Really?"
"Of course."
Yuk-gyeong grinned.
Being handsome was a crime.
It drew affection not just from the opposite sex, but even from the same—platonic friendship, of course, not physical.
In any case, Ryu-ha felt a strong bond of friendship toward Yuk-gyeong.
No one had ever spoken to him like this before.
He'd only ever gotten scolded to stop bragging. These words meant the world to him.
For Ryu-ha, whom no one—not even himself—had ever cheered on, the appearance of one supporter was a miraculous inner transformation, like something from nothing.
And so Ryu-ha declared it. His dream.
"I will become an immortal who carries on the name of our founding sect—'Radiant Moon'!"
At Ryu-ha's declaration, a bolt of realization struck Yuk-gyeong.
Radiant Moon True Person Cho Ryu-ha!
The real Radiant Moon True Person Cho Ryu-ha?
Descriptions of the Radiant Moon True Person appeared even in the novel.
When the protagonist caused the Radiant Moon Sect's downfall, the sect leader at the time said, "Urk! If only the guardian of our founding ancestor, the Radiant Moon True Person, hadn't passed away, you wouldn't have dared set foot in the Radiant Moon Sect!"—and that was his brief appearance.
Later, the protagonist Yongheon heard of the Radiant Moon True Person again in tales of his exploits.
"Heard of that immortal named Cho Ryu-ha? They say he faced a True Immortal-level immortal before even fully surviving his tribulations—and killed him."
"Someone who hadn't survived tribulations beat a True Immortal? Don't lie. The gap between Tribulation Transcendence and True Immortal is huge!"
"That's exactly why the story's going around. If it were an ordinary fight, would it be making waves in the cultivation world?"
"Who won against a True Immortal? Cho, who?"
"Cho Ryu-ha. Radiant Moon True Person Cho Ryu-ha."
Radiant Moon True Person Cho Ryu-ha.
His name would one day become legend.