Chapter 23
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 23
“You only joined four months ago, and you already want to head south? Were there really that few external assignments?”
“None at all, it seems.”
“…I suppose that’s true.”
Across the desk sat the retainer handling general affairs for the Battlefield Hall.
“If you become a Battlefield Retainer, you must serve for at least six months at an outpost designated by the Battlefield Hall. You’ll earn one day of leave for every seven days of service, which you can save up and use all at once every few months. On top of that, killing or capturing martial artists from the Heavenly Yang Kingdom will earn you significant merit points.”
Two days later, a new retainer token hung from Lee Hyun’s waist.
The blue jade token engraved with a crane soaring above clouds was returned to the Bureau of Heavenly Service, replaced by a black jade token strung on a red cord. The front bore an engraving of a crane holding a spear upright, while the back was carved with the words: Battlefield Retainer Lee Dong-il.
* * *
Half a year later.
Hoean Fort, southern Untaek Kingdom.
Hoean Fort was a stronghold located about a thousand li west of Nosu Pass, which in turn was five thousand li south of the Cloud Capital.
Though far smaller in scale than Nosu Pass, it sat at the crucial junction where the western waterways diverged from the embankment road leading into the Untaek Kingdom’s interior.
People often said Nosu Pass was the most critical stronghold, but in truth, no outpost was insignificant.
If even a single modest outpost like this fell, martial artists from the Heavenly Yang Kingdom could slip through the rivers and reed fields to infiltrate the lands behind Nosu Pass. If that happened, not only would Nosu Pass itself be at risk, but the supply ships ferrying military provisions would also be severely threatened.
Fortunately, no large army had marched on Hoean Fort in the past six months.
There had only been a handful of skirmishes—scouts from Heavenly Yang crossing the reed beds, or night raids on the guard posts atop the embankment under the cover of darkness.
Beneath the tall watchtower, vast reed fields stretched out into the distance.
Every rainfall shifted the contours of the waterways, and on days with heavy fog, one could scarcely see more than a few dozen zhang ahead.
During his stay at Hoean Fort, Lee Hyun spent most of his time in Cheonghak Pavilion, a modest hall within the fortress grounds.
Though Cheonghak Pavilion was not as luxurious as Cool Clarity Villa, it was far better appointed than the quarters of ordinary military commanders.
Enclosed by the inner walls of Hoean Fort, the detached quarters included a bedroom, a study, and even a small bathhouse.
Two young maidservants, So-yun and Mae-hyang, were also assigned to him. Thanks to them, he never had to bother with preparing meals or handling trivial chores, leaving him ample time to study martial arts and spells.
Battlefield Retainers earned one day of leave for every seven days served. Lee Hyun pooled these days, leaving the garrison for about a week every couple of months to visit Tunnel No. 1.
Each time, he inspected the spirit field and the automated irrigation system, tended to the paper bags and silk nets protecting the Rock Honey Peaches, and filled the water tanks with the Spiritual Rain Spell.
Although Tunnel No. 1 lay a staggering eleven thousand li away, Lee Hyun’s abilities allowed him to make the round trip during his leave without any real trouble.
Upon returning to Hoean Fort, he would watch the soldiers train or read martial arts manuals.
He had acquired quite a few manuals during his tour of duty as well.
Searching captives from the Heavenly Yang Kingdom was standard procedure. While common soldiers rarely carried anything of value, masters at the peak realm or above occasionally possessed thin booklets detailing martial arts cultivation formulas or training insights.
As a Battlefield Retainer, treated as Hoean Fort’s supreme fighting force, Lee Hyun faced no objections when he examined or transcribed those texts first.
The man who assisted him most was Vice Commander Tak Mu-seong of Hoean Fort.
Tak Mu-seong was a Transformation Realm master in his early fifties.
He had served in the Southern Army since his youth and knew the waterways, reed fields, and embankment roads around Hoean Fort like the back of his hand.
He was unfailingly courteous toward Lee Hyun.
“Lord Retainer, the water at the western sluice gate has risen today. If you intend to go out tonight, it would be best to take the northern embankment road.”
“Understood.”
“Please let me know if you require anything.”
Tak Mu-seong cupped his hands in a respectful bow and stepped back.
His politeness was a mixture of respect and fear.
This was because on the day Lee Hyun first arrived at Hoean Fort, he had conjured a fireball over his palm and pierced an iron plate using the Yang Metal Formula.
Even so, Tak Mu-seong harbored a single doubt.
Can he actually use those arts properly in real combat?
Tak Mu-seong had fought alongside other Battlefield Retainers from the Bureau of Heavenly Service before.
A cultivator’s spells were bizarre and immensely powerful.
But the martial artists of the Heavenly Yang Kingdom never stood politely dozens of zhang away, waiting for their turn.
They hurled hidden weapons, scattered poison powders, and aimed first for the fingers forming spell seals or the eyes.
The moment a flustered cultivator hesitated over which spell to cast, a Transformation Realm master was already upon them.
Retainer Lee Dong-il’s spells were undeniably stronger than his predecessor’s. Yet whether someone so young possessed sufficient combat experience remained questionable. In truth, more than a few Battlefield Retainers had been wounded or killed in action.
If I ambushed him from within ten zhang, even I might stand a chance against Retainer Lee.
Tak Mu-seong was confident in his martial prowess. Among those who attained the Transformation Realm, who didn’t believe in the supremacy of the Martial Way?
Still, Retainer Lee Dong-il was a decent man.
He was humble, didn’t boss the soldiers around, and never complained about the food or lodgings.
And so, Tak Mu-seong hoped Retainer Lee Dong-il wouldn’t meet a pointless death on the battlefield.
* * *
One dawn, a fog heavier than usual hung over Hoean Fort.
Even from the tall watchtower, the reed beds beneath the embankment were completely invisible.
A damp wind swept over the fortress walls.
Lee Hyun lay on the bed in his quarters, reading a martial arts manual.
His finger paused mid-page.
Screeech—
A faint metallic friction scraped through the air from far away.
It was so quiet an ordinary person would not have noticed it, or if they had, would have dismissed it as a creaking door hinge. But to Lee Hyun, who had activated the Enhanced Hearing Technique, it was clearly the sound of a taut iron bowstring catching on a latch.
Creak. Screeech—
Crossbows?
Lee Hyun closed the manual.
In that instant, a shout erupted from a distant guard post.
“Enemy attack!”
Crash!
The pavilion’s window frames exploded inward all at once.
Dozens of black crossbow bolts rained into the room.
Dark blue liquid coated the arrowheads.
Wuuung—
A translucent Spirit Light Shield materialized.
Cl-cl-cl-clang!
Several of the pelting crossbow bolts carried a peculiar energy.
Aura?
Aura-infused bolts slammed into the center of the Spirit Light Shield in rapid succession.
The second and third bolts struck with pinpoint precision, hitting the exact spot where the first had landed.
The moment the fourth bolt struck, a tiny crack spiderwebbed across the surface of the Spirit Light Shield.
They’re using aura-infused crossbow bolts to target a single point from a distance? A textbook One Point Breaks the Surface. Impressive accuracy…
Casting aside his usual restraint, Lee Hyun swept his hand with deliberate focus.
The first Spirit Light Shield flared with dazzling brilliance, its durability multiplying tenfold as the crack vanished without a trace.
Simultaneously, Spirit Light Shields of equal potency manifested in every direction around him.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Crossbow bolts relentlessly pounded the same spot.
An instant later, dark figures vaulted through the shattered windows.
The first to breach the room was a middle-aged martial artist wielding twin swords.
Behind him followed a spear-wielding master and two swordsmen.
All four radiated intense, fierce auras.
Four Transformation Realm masters? They must have been the ones who shot those aura-infused bolts.
The moment they caught sight of Lee Hyun, they fanned out.
“Kill the cultivator!”
The twin-sword wielder sprang from the floor.
Kwahng!
Sword aura lashed violently against the left flank of the Spirit Light Shield.
At the same instant, a spearhead thrust into another Spirit Light Shield from the opposite side.
Clang!
Yet neither shield broke.
Just as bafflement dawned in the eyes of the two attackers, light erupted from Lee Hyun’s body.
A blinding barrier expanded outward from Lee Hyun at terrifying speed.
The two martial artists with the twin swords and the spear smashed through the pavilion walls, flung violently outside.
It was then.
Th-th-th-thump!
As another salvo of bolts slammed into the Spirit Light Shields from outside, clouds of black powder detonated, rapidly filling the room with toxic fumes.
“It’s poison!” Tak Mu-seong’s shout drifted from afar.
Circulating the Breath-Holding Formula and the Spherical Qi Barrier, Lee Hyun stepped out through the collapsed wall.
Several corpses already littered the mist-shrouded courtyard of Hoean Fort.
Shouts and the clang of clashing weapons rang out from the distant barracks.
It appeared the intruders were not limited to just these four.
Just then, a low voice resonated from the fog.
“Failing to deal with a mere Qi Refining cultivator—what on earth are you doing?”
Step.
The thick fog parted.
From within strode an old man clad in a long red robe.
In his right hand, he held a long, narrow sword. The blade gleamed with a crimson hue, dripping with fresh blood.
The presence radiating from his body was on an entirely different level from the previous Transformation Realm masters.
Tak Mu-seong’s face turned pale.
“Red Sunset Sword Jo Byeong-ak…!”
Jo Byeong-ak.
He was a Profound Realm master from the Western Army of the Heavenly Yang Kingdom.
Over a decade ago, he had cut down three of Untaek’s Transformation Realm masters at once, and he was infamous for slaughtering a thousand soldiers single-handedly during the siege of Baeksu City.
Jo Byeong-ak looked at Lee Hyun.
“Young, just as I heard.”
“You know of me?”
“Word reached me that a young Battlefield Retainer had joined the Bureau of Heavenly Service.”
Information must be leaking.
Jo Byeong-ak’s gaze swept over Lee Hyun.
“Cultivators bring far too many variables. It is safer to put them down first.”
He raised his sword.
At that moment, the four scattered Transformation Realm masters sprang into motion simultaneously.
Two fanned out to the left and right, one fell back and readied a crossbow, and the last pulled three black pouches from his robes.
Jo Byeong-ak took a step forward.
Boom!
A single stride erased over twenty zhang of distance.
A scarlet sword aura flashed toward Lee Hyun’s throat, while from left and right, the Transformation Realm masters thrust their aura-clad swords and spears.
From behind flew aura-charged crossbow bolts, while the black pouches burst in midair, spewing red and blue toxic smoke.
Every strike converged upon Lee Hyun with seamless coordination and not a hair’s breadth of error.
Watching from afar, Tak Mu-seong froze with his sword drawn. Had he been in that spot, death would have been instantaneous.
At that moment.
Wuuung! Woong! Woong!
Twelve Spirit Light Shields bloomed simultaneously around Lee Hyun.
The translucent shields bloomed not just in front, behind, and to his sides, but also above his head and below his feet, overlapping to form a perfect sphere with no openings.
K-k-k-kwahng!
Sword auras, spear auras, and crossbow bolts slammed furiously into the Spirit Light Shields, yet failed to pierce a single one.
Jo Byeong-ak was astounded.
What in the world…?!
He had encountered many Qi Refining cultivators before. But even among late-stage cultivators, he had never seen anyone deploy defensive spells of such overwhelming strength so seamlessly in every direction.
Kwahng!
Several Spirit Light Shields shot outward like an explosion.
The massive, spinning translucent discs swept across the area. The Transformation Realm masters lunging from the flanks had no time to recover their footing before the shields struck their chests. With the sickening crunch of breaking bones, they vomited blood and were sent flying.
The one holding the crossbow twisted his body to dodge, but a shield grazed his thigh, snapping his leg and sending him tumbling across the ground.
Another Spirit Light Shield hurtled straight toward Jo Byeong-ak.
“Hmph!”
Gripping his sword with both hands, Jo Byeong-ak slashed diagonally downward with his crimson sword aura.
Kahang!
Jo Byeong-ak had intended to split the Spirit Light Shield clean through, but his sword aura could not even penetrate its surface. Instead, the shield forced his blade back, wrenching his arms and shoulders.
Damn it!
Jo Byeong-ak immediately angled his blade to deflect the shield’s momentum.
The shield veered off course, and he threw himself aside so closely that strands of his hair were grazed by its surface.
Kwah-ahng!
The deflected Spirit Light Shield crashed directly into the base of the watchtower behind him. Wooden pillars thicker than two arm-spans shattered into splinters, causing one side of the watchtower to tilt precariously.
Jo Byeong-ak rolled several times across the dirt before pushing himself up on one knee. Blood dripped from both hands gripping his sword.
“You bastard…!”
He looked up to find Lee Hyun, but the youth had already vanished.
Above?!
Looking up, Jo Byeong-ak witnessed an unreal sight.
With the dark blue light of dawn at his back, the young cultivator swept his fingers in a gentle arc, releasing dozens of silver streaks that fanned out from his fingertips like a folding fan.
The silver needles unerringly targeted the joints and vital points—wrists, ankles, shoulders, and knees—of the scattered Transformation Realm masters.
Thud! Puk-puk-puk!
Blood spouted from their limbs.
One of them gritted his teeth, twisting violently as he raised his Protective Aura. But the Protective Aura shattered under the silver needles, and as he twisted, a needle originally aimed at his shoulder pierced right through the center of his forehead.
“Ugh…”
The martial artist fell backward, his face a mask of disbelief.
The other three were not dead, but with their limbs impaled, they writhed on the ground, unable to stand.
“Insolent cur!”
Jo Byeong-ak soared toward Lee Hyun in midair. Concentrated at the tip of his blade was a sword aura far denser than before.
Surging upward, the sword aura roared with the momentum of a reverse crimson waterfall, threatening to swallow Lee Hyun whole.
Lee Hyun extended his hand, layering three Spirit Light Shields at an angle.
Cl-cl-cl-clang—
Sparks showered from the surface of the first Spirit Light Shield. Though the sword aura failed to pierce it, Jo Byeong-ak focused his sword tip on a single point and poured in all the internal energy of his body.
As even the second shield bent noticeably, Lee Hyun compressed the power of his Spherical Qi Barrier into a single point behind the Spirit Light Shields.
It was the exact moment Jo Byeong-ak drove his blade in deeper.
Kwah-ah-ahng!
The compressed Spherical Qi Barrier detonated. Riding the recoil, Lee Hyun vaulted another ten zhang higher into the air, while Jo Byeong-ak plummeted toward the earth as though struck by an immense iron flail.
Crunch!
Jo Byeong-ak’s legs sank into the ground up to his knees. Unable to withstand the impact, his torso buckled forward as dark red blood gushed from his mouth.
“Kuh-ack!”
Gritting his teeth, Jo Byeong-ak wrenched his legs from the earth. His boots and trousers were shredded, blood streaming down his legs, but paying it no heed, he raised his sword once more.
His sword aura began gathering at the tip of the blade.
Wuuung—
The aura compressed continuously until it formed a fist-sized sphere, its surface spinning with mad fury.
Tak Mu-seong swallowed a dry breath.
“A Sword Pill…!”
Jo Byeong-ak thrust his sword forward.
Sshhhhk!
The crimson Sword Pill tore through the air toward Lee Hyun. The spinning sword aura sucked the surrounding mist and air into its core.
Lee Hyun hurled a radiant fireball, then layered his Spherical Qi Barrier and Spirit Light Shield in front of him.
Fwoosh!
The fireball he launched collided head-on with the Sword Pill.
The scarlet Sword Pill spun frenziedly, burrowing into the fireball’s center as its sword aura shredded the flames into ribbons.
Yet the flames, split into dozens of strands, snaked around the surface of the Sword Pill like serpents. The faster the Sword Pill spun, the more rapidly the fire was drawn inward.
Jo Byeong-ak’s face hardened.
The instant the flames penetrated the Sword Pill’s core, Lee Hyun clenched his five fingers.
Flash!
The darkness of dawn was wiped away in brilliant white.
KWA-BOOM!
The fireball erupted from the inside out.
Unable to withstand the internal blast, the compressed Sword Pill shattered into hundreds of shards. Shrapnel of red sword aura and flames poured down in all directions like a torrential storm.
Pa-pa-pa-pat!
Countless sword marks gouged the ground and surrounding walls.
Disbelief surfaced in Jo Byeong-ak’s eyes.
“My Sword Pill… broken so easily…”
The fire and dust kicked up by the explosion obscured his vision.
In that split second, Jo Byeong-ak felt a sensation he had long forgotten: the terror of death.
Swish.
Appearing out of nowhere, Lee Hyun brushed past Jo Byeong-ak’s side.
Jo Byeong-ak reflexively spun his sword, but Lee Hyun was already behind him.
Lee Hyun’s palm struck Jo Byeong-ak’s right shoulder.
Thwack! Crack!
The shoulder blade shattered, and the arm twisted unnaturally.
Jo Byeong-ak gritted his teeth and shifted his sword to his left hand, but Lee Hyun’s knife-hand struck down on his left elbow.
Snap!
“Aargh!”
Jo Byeong-ak’s left elbow crumpled, and the sword clattered to the ground.
Even with both arms ruined, Jo Byeong-ak kicked toward Lee Hyun’s flank. The aura condensed at his toe was as sharp as a spearhead.
A Spirit Light Shield sprang up before Lee Hyun’s ribs.
Thump!
The moment Jo Byeong-ak’s foot slammed against the shield, Lee Hyun shoved the Spirit Light Shield downward.
Crack!
Jo Byeong-ak’s knee buckled and snapped.
His body tilted sideways.
Lee Hyun swept a kick into Jo Byeong-ak’s remaining leg.
“Guh!”
Jo Byeong-ak crashed to the ground.
Just then, the flow of qi coursing through Jo Byeong-ak’s body suddenly inverted.
Through the Qi-Observation Technique, Lee Hyun saw the qi scattered across the man’s meridians surging backward, converging on his heart and dantian.
Attempting suicide?
Just as Jo Byeong-ak’s chest and abdomen were about to balloon outward, Lee Hyun’s hand flashed.
Thud! Thud!
The Yang Metal Formula precisely struck the Shanzhong acupoint at the center of the chest and the Qi Sea Acupoint below the navel.
The Primordial Unity True Qi severed the reverse surge of internal energy, causing the berserk qi to lose its direction and dissipate harmlessly.
“Stay still.”
“What… did you…”
Lee Hyun’s fingers tapped in a rapid sequence against Jo Byeong-ak’s neck, shoulders, chest, and flanks. It was an acupoint-sealing technique he had mastered over recent months by comparing martial manuals from the Untaek and Heavenly Yang kingdoms. Infusing thread-thin strands of Primordial Unity True Qi, he tied them like tiny, intricate knots around the man’s major acupoints.
Instantly, all strength drained from Jo Byeong-ak’s body.
A cultivator using acupoint sealing…?!
With Lee Hyun having subdued Jo Byeong-ak and the Transformation Realm masters, the Heavenly Yang martial artists who had breached the fort’s interior lost their escape route. Tak Mu-seong and the soldiers of Hoean Fort immediately counterattacked, capturing most of the surviving infiltrators.
By the time the fog lifted, a line of prisoners knelt across the courtyard.
So-yun and Mae-hyang, who had hidden in the rear quarters of Cheonghak Pavilion, were safely rescued. Despite their pale faces, the two maidservants brought out cloth and water to tend to the wounded soldiers.
Lee Hyun gazed briefly at the corpse of the Transformation Realm master lying before the collapsed pavilion, then forced himself to look away. It was the first time he had taken a human life with his own hands.
He had to do it. Had he hesitated, the maidservants, Tak Mu-seong, and countless more soldiers would have perished. Even as he reminded himself of this, the sight of the corpses strewn about left an uncomfortable churn in his stomach.
After finishing binding the prisoners, Tak Mu-seong approached Lee Hyun, holding out a bloodstained oilcloth bundle with both hands.
“Lord Retainer.”
“What is this?”
“These were retrieved from the Transformation Realm masters. Since you subdued them all, it is only right that the spoils be presented to you first.”
Inside the bundle were secret martial arts manuals, treatises of personal insights, formulas for compounding poison powders, and notebooks detailing methods to channel aura into crossbow bolts. Every single item was a treasure an ordinary martial artist would risk their life to obtain.
Lee Hyun quickly skimmed through the pages to grasp their contents, but nothing caught his interest. He tied the bundle back up and handed it to Tak Mu-seong.
“Keep them for yourself or dispose of them as you see fit, Vice Commander Tak.”
“Pardon?”
“You may distribute them to whoever needs them.”
“Are you certain, sir?”
“I am. I will inspect this one’s belongings.”
Lee Hyun turned and began searching Jo Byeong-ak’s person. Martial artists did not use storage pouches, but useful items often turned up on their bodies. Many chose to carry their family heirlooms, secret arts, or lifelong insights on their person rather than entrust them to anyone else.
Tucked inside Jo Byeong-ak’s long robe were several stitched pockets made of thin, oiled leather.
First, Lee Hyun pulled out several thin booklets: the Red Sunset Sword Scripture, Essentials of Condensing Sword Pills, and Red Sunset Step. They contained instructions on sword techniques, methods for condensing sword pills, and footwork.
Beyond those, there were treatises on joint-attack formations designed to break a cultivator’s defensive spells, texts on human acupoints, and records organizing his personal failures and enlightenments during cultivation.
Among them, one item in particular caught Lee Hyun’s eye: the Record of Formidable Enemies, which detailed the martial arts and weaknesses of strong foes Jo Byeong-ak had battled over the past forty years.
The Record of Formidable Enemies also documented his experiences fighting three early-stage Qi Refining cultivators. It recorded methods for disrupting hand seals, tests on the weaknesses of defensive spells, and even tips on reading an opponent’s casting habits in considerable detail.
This will be quite useful.
To Lee Hyun, the truly terrifying enemies were not mortal martial artists but fellow cultivators. This record, therefore, held real value.
Meanwhile, Tak Mu-seong looked down at the broken man collapsed on the ground. To most martial artists of the Untaek Kingdom, Red Sunset Sword Jo Byeong-ak was a name synonymous with despair. Yet here that Profound Realm master lay, completely incapacitated, all four limbs broken and his internal energy sealed.
Tak Mu-seong turned his gaze back to Retainer Lee Dong-il.
The retainer had merely gathered a bit of dust on his sleeves; he was completely uninjured, his breathing not even the slightest bit disturbed. He had faced Jo Byeong-ak and the Tra—
Even after fighting four Transformation Realm masters, there was not the slightest sign that his spiritual power had been depleted.
Tak Mu-seong recalled the thought he had entertained earlier—the notion that he might have stood a chance if he had launched an ambush from within ten zhang.
It had been nothing more than an absurd delusion.
This man is the true monster…
Tak Mu-seong bowed deeply at the waist. “Had it not been for you, Sir Retainer, Hoean Fort would have fallen today.”
“It was only because you and your men held off the other intruders alongside me, Vice Commander Tak.”
“Not at all. The credit for today’s victory belongs entirely to you. If there is ever anything you command of me, whatever it may be, please do not hesitate to ask.”
“Calm yourself for now, and see to securing the area.”
* * *
Half a month later, word of what had occurred at Hoean Fort made its way through Nosu Pass and the Bureau of Heavenly Service, ultimately reaching the royal palace in the Cloud Capital.
Through the military documents found on Jo Byeong-ak and the confessions of the prisoners, several infiltration routes used by the Heavenly Yang Kingdom were uncovered. Consequently, the movements of a detached unit targeting the rear of Nosu Pass were thwarted in advance.
The Bureau of Heavenly Service awarded forty merit points for capturing Jo Byeong-ak alive, eighteen points for capturing and slaying the Transformation Realm masters, and fifteen points for defending Hoean Fort and securing intelligence.
Combined with the merit points he had accumulated over the past half year, Lee Hyun’s total surpassed eighty.
This should be enough to attend all the lectures on alchemy. For now, learning alchemy might be a good way to clear my head.
Having fulfilled his minimum six-month service term, Lee Hyun notified the Battlefield Hall of his intention to return to his duties as an External Retainer. A new Battlefield Retainer was dispatched to Hoean Fort to take his place.
On the day of Lee Hyun’s departure, Tak Mu-seong escorted him all the way to the fort’s main gates.
Soldiers on duty lined the battlements above and flanked both sides of the gate. Though none spoke a word, their eyes were filled with unmistakable reverence.
“If you ever take up a battlefield assignment again, Sir Retainer, please come back to Hoean Fort if you can.”
“I will if the opportunity arises.”
“Every soldier in Hoean Fort will be waiting for your return.”
“Don’t be so tense,” Lee Hyun said reassuringly. “Having lost a master of the Profound Realm, they are unlikely to dispatch another powerhouse anytime soon.”
Upon returning to the Cloud Capital, Lee Hyun visited the Bureau of Heavenly Service’s Alchemy Hall.
The aboveground pavilions of the Alchemy Hall were used for sorting and drying medicinal ingredients or served as living quarters for alchemists and their apprentices. The actual alchemy rooms, which utilized earthfire, were located deep underground.
When Lee Hyun presented his Retainer Token, the Alchemy Hall clerk checked a ledger.
“Are you registering for both the basic and advanced alchemy lectures?”
“I am.”
“You will need to complete the basic lecture first. Master Mun Seong-hak will be overseeing your instruction.”
The clerk handed him a black bronze token engraved with a flame motif.
[Earthfire Cave, Level C, Room 7]
Guided by the clerk, Lee Hyun headed toward a black stone hall at the deepest recess of the Alchemy Hall. Inside, a massive vertical shaft plummeted into unseen depths. Suspended over the abyss was an iron lift held by four thick chains. Red silk lanterns lined the shaft walls at regular intervals, and a ceaseless, sweltering wind surged up from the darkness below.
“Do I ride this down?”
“Yes. The Earthfire Cave is located five li underground.”
“Does earthfire normally emerge at such a shallow depth?”
“No, sir,” the clerk explained. “The upper layer of ordinary soil and bedrock is called the Mortal Soil Layer. The lower region, where the true flow of earth veins and spirit veins manifests, is known as the Earth Vein Layer. The boundary between them is typically formed about twenty-five li underground. Occasionally, however, branches of an earth vein surge up into the Mortal Soil Layer. This is one of those places, which allows us to harness earthfire just five li down.”
“I see.”
Once Lee Hyun stepped onto the lift, an attendant pulled a large lever on the wall. The sound of massive gears grinding together echoed from above, and as the chains slowly unwound, the lift began its descent into the shaft.
Screeech—