Foundation Establishment
When Jin Somyeong asked her to refine a pill for him, Cheong Hwa-ran stared as if she could not believe what she had just heard.
"You're asking me to take a pill-refining commission inside a secret realm?"
"Who knows when I'll meet someone as precious as an alchemist again? If it isn't too much trouble, I would appreciate your help."
"Hah. Fine. Let me at least hear what kind of pill it is."
Tap.
The moment she gave permission, he took out a single Red Silk Fruit and showed it to her.
If eaten as it was, the fruit would extend one's lifespan by five years, but if refined into a medicinal pill and taken, it would add ten. Now that he had met a skilled alchemist, there was no reason to swallow it raw.
"I would like to turn it into a first-grade Life Extension Pill. Would that be possible?"
"A Red Silk Fruit? ...What about the supplementary ingredients?"
"I'm sorry, but I don't even know the formula for a first-grade Life Extension Pill. If you tell me what is needed, I'll procure it as best I can."
"You'll procure the ingredients... Are you suggesting we meet outside the secret realm?"
"Wouldn't that be better than refining it here?"
When he shrugged, she pinched the bridge of her nose as if her head hurt.
"Forget it. I have all the supplementary ingredients, so let's do this instead. It depends on the alchemist's skill, but one Red Silk Fruit can produce up to three first-grade Life Extension Pills."
"Meaning?"
"I'll refine it now and give you the highest-quality pill. In exchange, I keep however many are left. Do you agree?"
"...Very well."
The Life Extension Pill only worked once anyway. Taking several would not increase his lifespan further, so he could be satisfied with a single pill of the best quality.
"But will it be all right to refine it here? I think it would be better to leave quickly."
"Hah. You truly know nothing about pill refinement. Unless the environment is this quiet, success is difficult."
"Hmm..."
Jin Somyeong narrowed his eyes and studied Cheong Hwa-ran closely. For some reason, she seemed reluctant to leave this place.
"Outside is just as dangerous. I've restored the formation, so for the time being, this place should be safer."
Jin Somyeong looked around the pill-refining chamber. Aside from the jade slip from earlier, he could not see anything particularly special, but the white flame that had nearly killed him still left him uneasy.
"...Understood."
After some thought, he agreed. Her words had merit, but the real reason was the state of his body.
There was a high chance cultivators were lying in wait outside, so he could not simply walk out as he was. His realm had risen too quickly, leaving his spiritual energy unstable. If he wanted to use proper concealment techniques, he first had to calm that energy.
Whoosh.
When he tossed her the Red Silk Fruit, she caught it carefully and let out a small sound of admiration.
"The quality is better than I expected. This should produce a decent pill."
"I'm glad to hear that. Is there anything I can help with?"
"No. I would prefer it if you kept as much distance as possible so I can concentrate."
Jin Somyeong nodded and had just stepped back several paces to lean against the wall when Cheong Hwa-ran took out a dozen or so flags and swept her hand through the air. A milky-white curtain rose around her.
A formation?
It seemed she had set up defenses because she was wary of him, but he paid it no mind.
As long as the result is good, that's all that matters.
He closed his eyes in silence and meditated, bringing under control the spiritual energy that had become unstable after his breakthrough.
After that, while waiting for the refinement to end, he explored the Divine Sense he had recently awakened.
Divine Sense was similar to the five senses, yet different.
Far superior.
Its range was a radius of five meters. Within that range, he could detect even a single ant without missing it.
It doesn't see well underground. Maybe because there are too many obstructions, I can only perceive about one meter down.
Other than that, there were no particular drawbacks. He could feel even a speck of dust gathered on the floor with perfect clarity, and beyond the opaque formation, he could see Cheong Hwa-ran refining the pill with a careful expression.
Now I understand why Foundation Establishment grand cultivators are so strong.
He realized why even more than a hundred Qi Refining cultivators gathered together could not defeat someone at Foundation Establishment. There was no way a person with senses like this could be weak.
One of the most important things in battle was seeing one's opponent. Divine Sense allowed him to observe in every direction at once, a full three hundred and sixty degrees. It had no blind spots like ordinary vision, so the odds of being ambushed were low.
It was a completely different level from Qi Refining cultivators, who would be struck down the moment someone pierced the blind spot in their senses.
And besides that, the form of Divine Sense detection could be changed at will. Normally it sensed the surroundings in a spherical shape, but if he wished, he could stretch it long in a single direction.
The maximum distance is around fifteen meters.
When he tried to examine anything beyond that, a stabbing headache shot through him, so he stopped.
He was testing his Divine Sense like a child playing with a new toy when he sensed a change from Cheong Hwa-ran's direction.
Three pills emerged from the cauldron-shaped refining furnace. Two were rather ordinary, while one rippled faintly with spiritual energy, its color alone setting it apart.
Is it finished?
Cheong Hwa-ran examined the three Life Extension Pills, then exhaled in relief. After hesitating briefly, she tucked away the two pills other than the best one and waved her hand.
"It's done."
The formation protecting her dispersed. Looking somewhat tired, she held out the pill, and Jin Somyeong accepted it carefully.
Unexpected. She really did give me the best one.
As he held the red pill made from the dissolved Red Silk Fruit, he felt a powerful vitality radiating from it. He stared as if bewitched at the miracle medicine that could extend his lifespan, then paused.
Even though this was the first Life Extension Pill he had ever seen, he could tell that it was no ordinary pill.
"Middle grade...? No, could this be high grade?"
"Yes. The medicinal potency of the Red Silk Fruit you gave me was stronger than I expected. If you take it, it should extend your lifespan by about thirteen years."
"Oh!"
A smile rose of its own accord at the good news. He carefully stored the first-grade high-grade Life Extension Pill in his subspace, then offered his thanks first.
"You worked hard. Your pill-refining skill is truly remarkable, Fellow Daoist."
"Spare me the empty compliments. It seems our business is finished now... If you leave first, I'll go separately."
At the way she gestured as if dismissing a guest, Jin Somyeong paused in thought.
Cheong Hwa-ran's skill in alchemy was far better than he had expected. With talent like that, he might need her help again in the future. There were a few things about her that bothered him, but in any case, there was no harm in maintaining a friendly relationship.
Once he finished thinking, he spoke.
"A Foundation Establishment old monster from the Red Yang Sect is targeting you. He found it offensive that you reached the ninth layer of Qi Refining."
"What?"
"I hope we can meet again someday."
Cheong Hwa-ran's brow furrowed. Her lips parted as though she wanted to ask something, but in the end she let out a sigh.
"...Thank you."
Jin Somyeong nodded and left the pill-refining chamber as he was.
He was walking down the corridor along the single path when, at the edge of his Divine Sense, he felt a strange sensation unlike anything he had ever experienced.
It was as if his clear field of perception had warped. The Divine Sense he had extended to monitor the passage ahead was knocked back by something.
"...!"
Jin Somyeong's eyes flew wide open.
He understood not from experience, but instinctively, what had just interfered with his Divine Sense.
Foundation Establishment!
A collision between Divine Senses.
Whether he liked it or not, there was no mistaking what was approaching from the far end of the long corridor.
Alarmed, he took a bundle of talismans out of his subspace. He scattered them through the passage like traps, then immediately turned and ran.
Boom!
When he burst roughly back into the pill-refining chamber, Cheong Hwa-ran, who had been pacing near the wall, flinched in confusion.
"W-what is it all of a sudden?"
"Foundation Establishment! A Foundation Establishment old monster is coming!"
"What?"
"We don't have time for this! You know something about this place, don't you? Is there another way out?"
At his urgent question, she bit her lip. After an instant of hesitation, she began pressing here and there along the wall.
How many seconds passed?
Boom! Bang!
A chilling sound erupted behind them. The talismans he had set as traps had activated and exploded.
But there was no way a few miscellaneous talismans could stop a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Just as an ominous aura drew right up to their backs, the wall split open with a low hum, revealing a passage.
It was an intricate mechanism that even Jin Somyeong's Divine Sense could not detect.
After entering the passage with Cheong Hwa-ran, she manipulated the wall, and the entrance closed again.
Leaving a faint sense of relief behind, they ran for some time. Then the dark view ahead suddenly brightened.
A peaceful hill appeared without warning, leaving him momentarily bewildered, but he quickly scanned the surroundings.
The sight of pure white clouds after so long felt unfamiliar. Since the clouds in the Red Cloud Secret Realm were red, a suspicion rose in his mind.
"Are we outside the secret realm?"
"No. We're still in the deepest area. From here on, even I don't know much."
She did not seem to be lying; her footsteps slowed sharply. Judging by the way her brow tightened, she appeared not to know where to go.
Jin Somyeong raised his Divine Sense. Stretching it as far as he could, he swept it in every direction, searching for an exit.
...Purple Yang Jade Essence Flower?
The result of his Divine Sense search was astonishing. Now that he looked properly, this hill was a field of spiritual herbs.
Unknown medicinal plants lay scattered everywhere, and he could even see three or four Foundation Establishment spiritual treasures. Just as greed naturally welled up in him and made him pause, a violent explosion snapped him back to his senses.
Treasure was only useful while one was alive.
He did not know why that Foundation Establishment old monster had risked his life to enter the secret realm, but if the man left these spiritual treasures behind, it would delay him in pursuit.
"Let's go that way."
Without hesitation, he ran toward the most suspicious place he had found with his Divine Sense.
The instant he passed between two wooden pillars, the surrounding scenery changed abruptly with a faint surge of nausea.
When he looked up at the sky in the strangely welcome heat, the clouds were red. They had clearly emerged into the deepest area of the secret realm.
"Let's split up from here."
"All right."
At the same moment she vanished like smoke, Jin Somyeong kicked off the ground at full strength.
How long had he fled?
By the time even his sturdy body began to complain of exhaustion, Jin Somyeong squeezed his eyes shut.
Ha.
A hollow laugh almost escaped him from sheer disbelief. The Foundation Establishment old monster behind him was gradually drawing closer.
Why me?
A sudden sense of injustice surged up in him. Of the two possible targets, he had won the one-in-two chance.
"...Whew."
With a single breath, he swept away every stray thought drifting through his head. His cooled reason focused only on battle.
Using Divine Sense, he rapidly examined the surrounding terrain and features. If he could not avoid this, he had to fight.
To increase his odds even by a fraction, he chose the most favorable battlefield and launched himself toward it.
He landed near a volcano that spewed ash laced with poison.
Tap.
The black-clad man following him arrived at an unhurried pace, hands clasped behind his back, and leisurely took in the surroundings.
"Is this the grave you chose?"
"..."
Jin Somyeong carefully observed the Foundation Establishment grand cultivator. He did not know the man's true age, but outwardly he looked to be in his late thirties.
Then a foul reek of blood suddenly pricked his nose. Just how many living beings had this man killed over the course of his life? The stench was worse than the acrid smell of the volcano.
As Jin Somyeong observed him, the Foundation Establishment grand cultivator was also studying him, and their gazes collided.
The man's murky eyes were filled with naked killing intent.
Seeing that, Jin Somyeong knew instinctively that no matter what he said or how he pleaded, this man would never let him go.
"Senior. Let me ask just one thing. Why did you chase me? There were plenty of useful spiritual herbs back there."
"How amusing. You ask me that? You have my disciple's grudge smeared all over your soul, and yet you play innocent!"
"Ah! So that was it!"
As if he had only just realized, Jin Somyeong slapped his forehead and sighed.
"Hah! Seeing your black robes, Senior, I finally know who you are. If I'd known that weakling was your disciple, I wouldn't have killed him."
"...What did you say?"
"I'm truly sorry. No, wait. In truth, that man killed himself. I didn't even kill him... Haven't you come after the wrong person?"
"You dare! A mere Qi Refining wretch acts that way before me? Are you so desperate to die?"
"Well... We don't know yet who will die."
He arrogantly shifted his weight onto one leg and sneered openly.
Did he need to be courteous to someone trying to kill him?
Not at all.
They would be exposing everything down to the bottom of their souls as they fought to the death anyway. There was no need for such pretenses.
"Old man. You seem to have forgotten, but this is a secret realm."
"Huh?"
Dropping the insolent posture, Jin Somyeong gripped the hilt of his sword and glared at his opponent.
"In the end, both you and I are Qi Refining cultivators here."