Chapter 17
Chapter 17
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Foundation Establishment (4)
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The cover read *Puppet Research Notes*.
With a flicker of hope, Seoran flipped through the pages.
‘Disciple, this old man...’
The moment she read the opening line of the preface, Seoran shouted.
“Fortuitous encounter!”
If it was a fortuitous encounter, then this was it.
The stroke of luck that turned a wuxia novel protagonist into the world’s greatest master.
At the bottom of the cliff where the protagonist fell, there was always a hidden expert’s martial arts manual left behind.
And right there beside it would be a letter, its opening line invariably ‘Disciple, this old man...’.
Seoran began reading the contents eagerly.
The preface was extremely short.
The author had felt like playing a prank just before dying.
If he left behind an incredible legacy without sharing the creation method, people would surely regret it endlessly, right?
It seemed he wanted to manipulate other cultivators’ emotions even after death.
So that’s exactly what he did.
Instead of neatly documenting his puppetry research results, he hid them inside a wooden puppet.
The conditions for releasing the sealed research notes inside the puppet were just two.
First: The Qi Refining cultivator imprinted as its master must reach Foundation Establishment.
The creator wanted to pass his research notes to someone who truly loved puppets.
That was why he deliberately made the puppet weak.
So that some Qi Refining cultivator would use it for martial arts training.
The insane spirit stone consumption was a form of test, too.
It wasn’t just about having a ton of spirit stones.
One had to spar endlessly, burning through countless stones.
Once certain conditions were met, the bond between puppet and master would strengthen.
Finally, the moment the master reached Foundation Establishment, a signal would travel along that bond to the wooden puppet.
The seal would break, and the research notes would meet their master.
Second: A hundred years must pass after sealing.
This was a backup in case no puppet enthusiast ever appeared.
With the flow of time, the seal would lift, and the notes would become Black Bamboo Sect property.
He couldn’t bear to just discard his hard-earned research.
‘Disciple who inherits this old man’s research, I hope you reach the pinnacle of puppetry.’
And with that, the preface ended.
The rest was all about puppetry research.
It was filled with specialized terms no ordinary person could comprehend.
Seoran tried reading three lines as a test.
She promptly slammed the book shut, overcome by dizziness.
She’d been shocked by the horrific writing that ignored any reader’s background knowledge or readability.
Seated on the bisected wooden puppet corpse like a chair, Seoran pondered.
It’s a fortuitous encounter, so it’s great and all.
But can I just take this?
It came from a puppet I rented, after all.
By her common sense, if something valuable emerged from a rented item, the right thing was to return it.
Especially since she’d even split the rented puppet in half.
The angel in her head cried out.
Return it right now!
Not to be outdone, the devil shouted back.
What are you talking about? Obviously, pocket it secretly!
Seoran’s dilemma only deepened.
Since it came from a rented puppet, should I return it?
But the creator meant for me to have it?
Return just the puppet wreckage and keep the notes?
Her inner angel and devil launched into a heated debate.
Return it? Keep it?
But do I have to choose just one?
Why not just make a copy?
Before long, the brawling angel and devil halted their fight.
Good idea. Let’s head to the Scripture Pavilion right away.
Copy or original, what’s the difference?
It’s not some one-person-only inheritance, so the author won’t mind.
The angel and devil, who’d been watching each other warily, shared an awkward hug.
Seoran dashed to the Scripture Pavilion.
*****
The attendant said,
“You worried needlessly.”
“Why?!”
Seoran asked, startled.
“Sect rules already cover it. Anything a cultivator acquires becomes personal property. Of course, you can submit it for compensation matching its value.”
“But this book came out of a sparring puppet I rented from the Martial Pavilion and split in half—is that okay?”
“Hiding treasures inside seemingly ordinary items is incredibly common. There are specific clauses for that.”
The attendant quickly flipped through a thick legal tome.
“Hm, let’s see. Here it is. You just compensate for the damaged item’s value. What was the item you broke?”
“A sparring wooden puppet rented from the Martial Pavilion.”
The attendant fetched a large ledger and flipped through it again.
“Martial Pavilion, rental list, wooden puppet. Right, this one.”
She looked up and said,
“Compensate with ten small spirit stones.”
“That cheap?”
“You didn’t damage it intentionally, and there was no negligence in handling. Unavoidable circumstances get heavy discounts.
It wasn’t valued highly to begin with. It was just taking up space in storage. Useless junk’s like that. Pay the compensation at the Martial Pavilion.
By the way, are you willing to share the book from the puppet with the sect? Keep the original and submit a copy—you’ll get rewarded based on its appraised value.”
Seoran nodded and flipped through the research notes.
The attendant jotted something down and said,
“Copying and appraisal will take a few days. Once the reward’s set, this bell will ring—come back then to claim it. Oh, you just entered Foundation Establishment, right? Take this guide too.”
Seoran took the bell and guide, then left the Scripture Pavilion.
A ringing bell?
What is this, a cafe pager? They’ve got everything.
Bet they even have kiosks if you look hard enough.
She stopped by the Martial Pavilion to pay the spirit stones and returned home.
Sprawling on the training ground’s stone slab, Seoran unfolded the guide she’d received.
‘You Too Can Venture Into the Jianghu.
Locked in a cramped room repeating training endlessly? You’ll never ascend that way.
People live beyond the sect’s defensive barrier.
See the secular world. Broaden your horizons.
Cultivators meeting these conditions, don’t hesitate.
One. Reach Foundation Establishment.
One. Master secular conduct guidelines.
One. Learn the listed spells below.
Spirit Eye Art, Transformation Art, Concealment Art, Tool Manipulation Art, Barrier Art.
Pass a simple proficiency test, and you’ll receive an外出 permit.’
Having read the guide carefully, Seoran nodded.
It was sound advice.
An extremely closed-off, monotonous life could breed narrow-mindedness.
Take herself: holed up meditating, she couldn’t overcome her bottleneck.
Then she took advice, went splashing in the water on her day off, and that sparked her breakthrough to Foundation Establishment.
If she hadn’t met the hermit at the waterfall, she’d still be shut away for sure.
What had he said?
Cultivation transcends humanity.
Transcendence compensates for deficiencies.
To know deficiencies, reflect inward.
Looking back now, it fit perfectly.
A true cultivation life coach.
Must be a cultivator of incredibly high realm.
Seoran set her next goal.
Fulfill the conditions and get that外出 permit.
Then roam the world, broadening her horizons.
First step: study spells.
With a cheerful heart, Seoran rummaged through her book pile.
When she’d claimed her earth-attribute method, *Pure Earth Consolidation Art*, she remembered getting basic spellbooks too.
Fortunately, all the required spellbooks were there.
First: Spirit Eye Art.
Allows seeing invisible things like spirit energy or spiritual power.
Seoran had already learned it.
Second: Transformation Art.
A spell to turn into an animal in the blink of an eye.
Requires observing and understanding the target.
Third: Concealment Art.
Hides people or objects.
Spirit Eye Art can detect it, but it works on mortals.
Fourth: Tool Manipulation Art.
Lets one wield cultivator-made artifacts.
Flying artifacts that Foundation Establishment cultivators ride are an example.
Fifth: Barrier Art.
Used to defend moving objects or specific areas.
Nothing matches its versatility.
Seoran laid out the four books excluding Spirit Eye Art and pondered.
Which to learn first?
Transformation Art seems time-consuming, so later.
No artifacts on hand, so Tool Manipulation Art later too.
Left with Concealment Art and Barrier Art.
Right, Concealment Art it is.
Seoran immediately opened the Concealment Art book.
*****
That night, Yi Agum visited Seoran’s residence.
To congratulate her on reaching Foundation Establishment.
She’d even brought some fruit and rice cakes.
But upon arriving, Yi Agum couldn’t bring herself to step inside.
The second-floor building shattered during her breakthrough was pure ruin.
Doors and window frames utterly destroyed, warped wooden planks creaking incessantly.
The lights were out too, making the atmosphere utterly eerie.
Gathering courage, Yi Agum took a step forward.
“Sister? Sister, you asleep already?”
Fear made her voice tremble faintly.
Then someone tapped Yi Agum’s shoulder.
Startled, she whipped around—nobody there.
No way?
That couldn’t be?
Someone definitely tapped me.
Terrified, Yi Agum spun in place.
But the first floor was empty.
Yi Agum felt like bursting into tears.
Then someone tapped her shoulder again.
“Kyaaak!”
With a scream, Yi Agum fainted.
“Uh...”
Seoran suddenly appeared from thin air.
Wearing the guilty look of a puppy that broke expensive porcelain.