Chapter 14
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 14
Lee Hyun wondered if he was simply imagining things and tested several other spells, but it was no illusion.
The instant he formed the hand seal for the Spherical Qi Barrier, a translucent shield snapped into place around his body almost instantaneously.
“I see! It was never a defect of the Primordial Unity One-Qi Art after all…”
When he had first learned of the Primordial Unity One-Qi Art back in Cheongha Valley, Steward Wang Jin had told him:
— The spiritual power refined through this cultivation art is known as Primordial Unity True Qi. Because it can be converted freely upon release, one can cast spells that do not align with their spiritual root attributes. However, its power is somewhat diminished…
Steward Wang Jin had vaguely framed it as diminished power, but the true flaw of the Primordial Unity One-Qi Art had always been its sluggish activation speed.
Indeed, whenever Lee Hyun cast spells using Primordial Unity True Qi, the noticeable delay had always frustrated him.
Until now, he had assumed that this drawback was simply an unavoidable compromise for the versatility of multi-attribute casting. Since there was an intermediary step of converting the Primordial Unity True Qi into the required element, a delay felt only natural.
Yet that was not the case. The Primordial Unity One-Qi Art had evidently been designed from the very beginning under the premise of forging the Primordial Unity Body. Once he formed that physique, the flaw practically vanished.
After running several tests, Lee Hyun realized why his casting speed had improved so drastically.
Spiritual power now saturated his entire body, right up to the surface of his skin!
Previously, he had to draw Primordial Unity True Qi from his dantian, circulate it through his meridians, and guide it to his hands before a spell could manifest at his fingertips.
Now, however, the Primordial Unity True Qi brimming at his fingertips flared the very instant he shaped a hand seal. Any casting delay was virtually imperceptible. For spells formed by hand, the Primordial Unity True Qi suffusing his palms and fingers answered immediately. For defensive spells enveloping his body, the spiritual power resting just beneath his skin surged in unison. The cumbersome process of hauling energy across long distances from his dantian had been completely eliminated.
Lee Hyun estimated that while the Primordial Unity One-Qi Art had once scored a mere 50 out of 100 in casting speed, it was now easily a 90.
Naturally, specialized cultivation arts might boast an even faster activation—say, a 95. But compared to those, the gap was now a negligible five points. Set against its previous score of 50, the flaw had essentially been eradicated.
Bridging the remaining ten points to reach a perfect 100 would be ideal, but that was unrealistic. In the end, the Primordial Unity One-Qi Art still required that microscopic instant to convert spiritual power into the appropriate element. No matter how much the art was refined, completely erasing that split-second conversion was impossible.
Still, it hardly mattered. Falling short by ten points was fine. In the cutthroat cultivation world, the versatility of wielding spells across every elemental affinity was far more valuable.
In the end, the core of the Primordial Unity One-Qi Art was always the Primordial Unity Body! Most cultivators probably have no idea the physique patches the art’s flaws like this. Considering it took me over a century just to forge a Primordial Unity Body at the 2nd layer of Qi Refining, there’s no way anyone else has ever pulled this off.
Having attained the Second Stage of the Primordial Unity Body, Lee Hyun decided to write down his accomplishments to visualize them and savor the lingering thrill of his breakthrough.
He produced a wooden plaque and began carving a “Handmade Status Window” into the grain with his fingertip.
Considering the time I’ve spent cultivating and the sensation in my body, my total spiritual power feels roughly fifty times greater than before. If I assume my baseline was 1 back when I was in the middle of the 1st layer of Qi Refining… does it look something like this now?
【Age: 61 → 161】
【Cultivation Realm: Qi Refining, 2nd layer → Qi Refining, 2nd layer (Whole Body)】
【Spiritual Power: 1.7 → 83】
【Physique: Primordial Unity Body, Stage 2】
【Spiritual Roots: Wood, Fire, Earth】
【Cultivation Art: Primordial Unity One-Qi Art】
The age Lee Hyun recorded was calculated by adding the years he had spent in this world to his physical age of nineteen at the time of his transmigration. If his body truly never aged, chronological age was essentially meaningless, but since he still did not understand the true nature of his immortal body, he kept track for record-keeping purposes.
Presently, the most important metric on his Handmade Status Window was spiritual power. Lee Hyun had done his best to calculate this value using a consistent baseline.
For a cultivator merely at the 2nd layer of Qi Refining, a value of 83 was downright absurd. By his estimation, it was likely on par with an ordinary late-stage Qi Refining cultivator.
Even though my total spiritual power is fifty times that of a typical 2nd layer cultivator, cultivation difficulty scales exponentially with every higher layer, so this definitely wouldn’t match the Foundation Establishment Stage. It’s probably around the 7th or 8th layer of Qi Refining…
Comparing the 2nd layer to the 8th layer of Qi Refining was not a simple matter of multiplying by four.
In typical xianxia worlds, major divisions such as the Qi Refining Stage, Foundation Establishment Stage, Golden Core Stage, and Nascent Soul Stage were known as Major Cultivation Realms.
Within each Major Cultivation Realm lay Minor Cultivation Realms. Typically, layers 1 through 3 were classified as the Early Stage, layers 4 through 6 as the Middle Stage, and layers 7 through 9 as the Late Stage. Those who reached layer 10 were said to have attained Great Perfection.
Great Perfection was not truly a separate realm; it simply represented the absolute culmination of layer 9. Calling it layer 10 was merely a gesture of special respect for those fully prepared to break through to the next Major Cultivation Realm. Strictly speaking, each Major Cultivation Realm was divided into three Minor Cultivation Realms: Early, Middle, and Late.
There was good reason cultivators made these distinctions.
Cultivators frequently ran into immense bottlenecks when transitioning from Early to Middle, and from Middle to Late. Consequently, many Qi Refining cultivators remained stuck at the 3rd and 6th Layers for life.
In other words, an 8th layer Qi Refining cultivator had broken through realm bottlenecks twice more than someone at the 2nd layer. Their spiritual power possessed a qualitative difference, not just a quantitative one.
This was merely Lee Hyun’s deduction based on rumors and lore gathered during his days in Cheongha Valley, but since there had been no shortage of middle- and late-stage Qi Refining cultivators there, it was unlikely to be far off the mark.
Even within a single Major Cultivation Realm, the growth curve steepens drastically with every layer. Right now, I still probably couldn’t defeat a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator. But a middle-stage cultivator? Once I get used to spells and combat, I might actually stand a chance…
Lee Hyun continued carving into the wooden plaque.
The status of my spell repertoire should look something like this.
【Spells (Initiation): Glimmer Spell, Lightness Technique, Earth-Sensing Technique, Sprouting Spell, Poison Analysis Technique】
【Spells (Minor Accomplishment): Night Vision Technique, Spiritual Rain Spell, Soil-Turning Spell, Yang Metal Formula, Earth Escape Technique, Cleansing Spell, Clear Qi Formula, Breath-Holding Formula, Spherical Qi Barrier, Detoxification Formula】
【Spells (Major Accomplishment): None】
【Spells (Perfection): None】
【Applied Spells: Reclining Escape Technique】
The mastery tiers from Initiation to Perfection were based on Lee Hyun’s personal estimates and might not be entirely accurate. But since this board was merely a tool to track his own progress, a slight margin of error hardly mattered.
“For now, let’s pause pushing my cultivation realm and learn some basic combat spells. Ah, but before that, I’d better sow the seeds in the new spirit fields.”
Over the past century, Lee Hyun had used his spare time to excavate sites for spirit fields No. 1-2, No. 1-3, No. 1-4, and No. 1-5. He had held off on sowing them because tending multiple plots with the Spiritual Rain Spell would have eaten into his cultivation time.
Now that he had reached the Second Stage of the Primordial Unity Body and possessed ample spiritual power, he could tour multiple fields in a single circuit and cast the Spiritual Rain Spell to his heart’s content. By aligning their maintenance schedules to the exact same day, managing all five fields would be effortless.
The layout and area of the newly constructed fields were nearly identical to spirit field No. 1-1.
Moving from spirit field No. 1-2 to No. 1-5 in turn, Lee Hyun planted Bone-Corroding Flowers, Yin Soul Grass, Purple Poison Orchids, and Earth Vein Flowers, finishing each with the Spiritual Rain Spell.
Pitter-patter—
Rainwater infused with spiritual qi fell evenly over the freshly tilled soil.
With the sowing complete, Lee Hyun carved the date, species, and the time of the initial casting onto the wooden plaque hanging at each entrance.
Thanks to the Second Stage of the Primordial Unity Body, plenty of Primordial Unity True Qi still circulated through his body even after watering all four fields.
Finally, he visited spirit field No. 1-1.
The moment he opened the stone door, a cloud of purple poison mist far denser than before billowed through the seam.
Sssss—
A faint hissing sound echoed as the venomous vapor struck his Spherical Qi Barrier. Ripples cascaded across the translucent shield in rapid succession.
Even though his mastery of the Spherical Qi Barrier had grown and his spiritual power had expanded, the venomous miasma remained intimidating.
“…The poison has grown remarkably potent, hasn’t it?”
Even accounting for the harsh underground growing conditions, roots that had grown for a hundred years possessed medicinal properties equivalent to roughly thirty-three years in the outside world.
The roots of the Bone-Corroding Flowers had grown thick and knobby like beast bones, and the buds of the Purple Poison Orchids pulsed slowly like living creatures, exhaling plumes of purple mist.
After pruning a few withered leaves, he cast the Spiritual Rain Spell. Since the four new plots and No. 1-1 were now watered on the exact same schedule, he would only need to make the rounds once every ten days going forward.
Stepping out of the chamber, Lee Hyun cast the Cleansing Spell to brush off any toxic powder clinging to his clothes, followed by the Detoxification Formula just to be safe.
A few days later.
While excavating a new passage, Lee Hyun discovered a small natural cavern enclosed by dense, crystalline bedrock. Even when struck with all his might using the Earth-Shoveling Sword, the rock yielded only a shallow scratch.
Perfect timing.
Lee Hyun dug a tunnel connecting his cultivation chamber to this stone cavern and inscribed “Martial Training Ground” onto a wooden plaque at the entrance. Inside, he carved the excavated stone into practice targets.
I can practice gentle basic spells in the cultivation chamber and save this place for destructive spells like the Fireball Technique. It’s over a hundred zhang away from my living quarters and the tunnel winds several times, so the tremors won’t carry back.
From that day on, flashes of light and concussive blasts never ceased within Lee Hyun’s Martial Training Ground.
Ten years later.
Lee Hyun succeeded in initiating training in six new spells!
【Spells (Initiation): Qi-Concealment Technique, Earth-Shrinking Step, Cheonggang Sword Formula, Spirit Light Shield, Fireball Technique, Qi-Observation Technique, …】
Lee Hyun was genuinely moved by his own diligence.
With no lifespan limit, I could easily throw away a decade without a second thought, yet I still learned six whole spells in that time. Truly, I am diligence incarnate! This must be my Korean nature. The moment I sit idle, I feel like I’m committing a crime…
Returning to his quarters from the Martial Training Ground, he collapsed onto his bed and picked up the popular novel he had been reading.
Lately, popular street pulp novels called sijeong soseol had been sweeping the Untaek Kingdom. While many depicted the everyday struggles and romances of worldly mortals—merchants, courtesans, and common folk—a fair number were downright absurd.
The title of the book Lee Hyun was reading was Untaek’s Royal House Has No Princes, Only Five Peerless Princesses, and All Five Are Obsessed with Me, a Woodcutter.
Having lived as a woodcutter for a short time after first arriving in this world, Lee Hyun had bought the book on impulse, drawn in by the ridiculous title.
The plot was pure nonsense.
A destitute woodcutter happened to rescue a princess in the mountains and gained entry to the royal palace, only to cross paths with the other four princesses as they snuck in and out of the palace in disguise. Naturally, all five princesses engaged in vicious catfights over him, and far from stopping them, the King of Untaek was actually contemplating passing the throne to the woodcutter.
By the time Lee Hyun reached the third volume, he couldn’t even remember why the woodcutter had gone into the mountains to chop wood in the first place.
Then, when he discovered that the full-color illustration of the peerless princess—meant to appear at the story’s absolute climax—had been torn straight out of the book, Lee Hyun was utterly outraged.
His Night Vision Technique had reached such proficiency that he could clearly see every detail of a drawing in pitch-black darkness without relying on the Glimmer Spell. Yet the illustration he had looked forward to most was gone, robbing him of the satisfaction of mastering the spell in the first place!
“How dare a mere worldly mortal sell damaged goods to an immortal of the subterranean realm! I ought to march over there and raise hell for a refund. Hmm… speaking of royalty, I wonder if there’s a rogue cultivator market near the capital of Untaek?”
He sat up on the edge of the bed.
“With my current strength, visiting a market shouldn’t be dangerous. It’s not like I’ve made any enemies…”
Over the past decade, Lee Hyun had confirmed that he had plenty of spiritual power left over even after maintaining all five spirit fields. He could easily afford to build a few more.
“I should look for spirit plant varieties at the market that grow more valuable the longer they mature.”
Three days later.
Rustle—
In a deserted stretch of forest, Lee Hyun’s head emerged from the soil.
He no longer surfaced directly above Tunnel No. 1 as he had in the past. Instead, he traveled ten li horizontally underground before angling upward another ten li to the surface.
Now that I have abundant spiritual power, traveling with the Earth Escape Technique is remarkably convenient.
He wore a navy-blue robe newly purchased in Cheongryu County City. An ordinary cloth pouch hung at his waist to conceal his storage pouch, within which the Earth-Shoveling Sword was tucked safely away.
His spirit plant seeds and the vast majority of his wealth were stored separately in a hidden chamber inside Tunnel No. 1. All he carried in his storage pouch this time were low-grade spirit stones, a bit of silver, a small pouch of nuts, and his Earth-Shoveling Sword.
Lee Hyun activated the Qi-Concealment Technique.
The technique’s energy washed over his skin like a thin membrane, masking the Primordial Unity True Qi rippling from his body.
Inspecting himself with the Qi-Observation Technique, he nodded in satisfaction.
Even at the Initiation stage, the Qi-Concealment Technique masks my aura quite well.
Tunnel No. 1 sat three hundred li southeast of Cheongryu County City in Imgang Province, but looking at the Untaek Kingdom as a whole, it was still perched on the northwestern frontier.
Cloud Capital, the royal seat, lay roughly eight thousand li to the southeast.
For an ordinary mortal relying on carriages and riverboats, the journey would take months, but for Lee Hyun, it would not take nearly as long.
Along deserted mountain trails, he layered the Lightness Technique with the Earth-Shrinking Step. Whenever he neared mortal settlements or official highways, he slowed down and walked like an ordinary traveler.
Each time Lee Hyun triggered the Earth-Shrinking Step, the spiritual power beneath his soles erupted, propelling him forward. Lightened by the Lightness Technique, combining the two techniques flung his body ten zhang with every single stride.
Whoosh!
Shooting through the forest with such weightless speed lifted his spirits immensely. At this pace, it felt comparable to traveling at eighty kilometers per hour in his previous life.
Even amidst the thrill, he never lowered his guard, keeping the Qi-Observation Technique active at all times.
Qi Refining cultivators possessed a pathetic detection range with their divine sense, forcing them to rely heavily on visual cues to monitor their surroundings.
Seen through the Qi-Observation Technique, the aura of ordinary mortals was fainter than candlelight. Young, robust men carried a slightly stronger crimson blood qi, while frail elders showed murky gray energy tangling about their forms.
In wild beasts, the larger the creature, the more vibrant its blood qi.
Cultivators, however, existed on an entirely different plane. Anyone harboring spiritual power within shone like a bright lantern even from a distance—provided they were not deliberately masking their realm, of course.
The following day.
He had covered approximately two thousand li.
Lee Hyun had veered off the official road and was currently navigating a narrow mountain trail. Ahead, gentle peaks rolled one after another, draped in thin valley mist. It was an isolated wilderness far removed from any mortal settlement.
A faint gleam flickered across Lee Hyun’s eyes as he reflexively channeled the Qi-Observation Technique.
Huh?
He caught sight of spiritual light along the mountainside to his right.
And it wasn’t just one.
Four distinct strands of qi of differing intensities were moving along the mountain trail. Three were heading outward, while the fourth was carrying a load and heading inward.
Though the spiritual light of all four was noticeably fainter than Lee Hyun’s, they were unmistakably Qi Refining cultivators!
Lee Hyun stopped dead in his tracks.
Wait… could there be a market here?