Chapter 30
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 30
After breaking through to the 4th layer of Qi Refining, Lee Hyun spent several days assessing the changes within himself.
Inside the martial training ground of Tunnel No. 2.
Hummm—
Twenty Spirit Light Shields blossomed around him all at once.
With a flick of his fingers, the shields overlapped, drifted apart, and reformed into a shifting cube.
Next, he drew his iron sword. A faint sheen of spiritual aura quietly enveloped the blade.
“I see…”
Once he grew accustomed to his newfound power, Lee Hyun immediately resumed his cultivation.
* * *
Three days later.
Lee Hyun ceased circulating the Primordial Unity One-Qi Art.
“…Strange.”
The cultivation art operated smoothly, yet the upper limit of his spiritual power—which previously would have expanded, however slightly—barely budged.
Perhaps his body simply needed time to adjust in the wake of the breakthrough. Lee Hyun rested for a few days to let his condition stabilize, then circulated the art again for a fortnight, but the result was the same.
“Why is this happening?”
He examined his internal state multiple times but found nothing wrong with his body. In fact, his essence, qi, and spirit were in better condition than ever.
To narrow down the cause, Lee Hyun tested the ‘recovery’ and ‘growth’ of his spiritual power separately.
He cast spells until his spiritual power was nearly exhausted, then circulated his cultivation art. Four shichen later, his spiritual power was fully replenished.
“Recovery isn’t the problem…”
The issue lay in what came next. Whenever he attempted to further refine his brimming spiritual power and push his upper limit, almost no ambient spiritual qi entered him. No matter how much higher his cultivation realm had become, it was unnatural for his progress to stall so drastically.
A few days later.
Lee Hyun finally discovered the cause.
“I see. From the middle stage of Qi Refining onward, one needs at least a Tier 1 mid-grade Spirit Vein. If the external spiritual pressure is too low, you can recover, but you can’t advance your cultivation realm.”
At his current pace, it was impossible to fathom how long it would take to reach the 6th layer of Qi Refining.
Procuring a Spirit-Gathering Formation and slotting spirit stones into it to raise the spiritual pressure in his cultivation chamber would work.
Yet Lee Hyun soon shook his head.
My spiritual power is fifty times greater than an ordinary cultivator’s. If I rely on a Spirit-Gathering Formation, it’ll eat up dozens of times more spirit stones.
From the very beginning, Lee Hyun’s greatest advantage was that he had time in abundance. There was no reason to squander dozens of times more spirit stones just to buy time.
“Hmm… What should I do? It’s not like I can just blindly join a cultivation sect sitting on a good spirit vein…”
Lost in thought, Lee Hyun moved to the lounge to clear his head.
On one side of the lounge, thousands of books were piled haphazardly.
They were popular pulp novels he had bought over the past 165 years whenever he traveled between markets and mortal cities.
The Son-in-Law of the South Sea Dragon King
My Tribute Ship Can Submerge
The Salt Merchant’s Daughter Born to a Concubine Is Too Beautiful
My Father-in-Law Was the Pirate King
The Namryeo Kingdom was a coastal realm bordering the sea.
Perhaps for that reason, merchant vessels and tribute transport ships, salt merchants and pirates, and sailors lost in storms frequently appeared in the popular fiction here.
At first, he found it amusing to read about the unfamiliar customs, but after more than a century of reading, he couldn’t help but notice the stories repeating the same tropes.
The pirate captain’s daughter always fell in love with a scholar concealing his true identity; royals of fallen kingdoms were invariably discovered aboard merchant ships caught in storms; and the South Sea Dragon King had far too many sons-in-law.
“Ah… there’s really nothing to read. What are writers even doing these days…”
He rummaged through the stacks and picked up a novel.
Ten Years Beneath the Great Salt Merchant’s Wall.
It was the tale of an impoverished scholar in the Namryeo Kingdom who built a hovel right against the outer wall of a massive salt merchant clan’s estate. The protagonist survived the winters on heat seeping from their kitchens and tended a modest vegetable patch with water trickling from the drainage ditch beneath their wall.
Lee Hyun flipped through a few pages.
「Lean your back against a rich man’s wall, and you’ll stay warm even in the dead of winter.」
His finger froze mid-turn.
“…Wait.”
He stared back at the sentence he had just read.
Could spirit veins be the same?
Just because a cultivator clan claimed a spirit vein didn’t mean Heaven-and-Earth spiritual qi came to a dead halt right at their estate walls.
Even without penetrating the heart of the spirit vein, if he got close enough, he ought to be able to skim off some of the energy spilling outward.
Approaching from the surface would get me caught, but underground…
What if he approached slowly from deep beneath the earth, determined a safe distance, and carved out a small cultivation chamber?
It’s not as if I’d be stealing their spirit plants or spirit beasts—what’s the harm in sharing a bit of nature’s bounty? Well, if I get caught, they’d certainly view it differently…
Lee Hyun immediately retrieved the Brief Guide to Cultivation in the Southern Ram Kingdom and local maps.
In the southern Namryeo Kingdom, several Foundation Establishment cultivator clans occupied Tier 2 spirit veins, many of which were situated on archipelago islands offshore.
Islands would be inconvenient to travel to and from, and escaping if something goes wrong would be tricky. Unlike the Earth Escape Technique, I’ve never practiced the Water Escape Technique…
Excluding the island powers, Lee Hyun narrowed the list down to clans based on the mainland.
Among them, the closest to Tunnel No. 2 was…
The Yun Clan of Mount Azure Conch. The records stated that they controlled the Tier 2 low-grade Azure Conch Spirit Vein, and their clan head was a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
“Let’s see about leaning against a rich man’s wall.”
* * *
A fortnight later.
Southern Namryeo Kingdom, Mount Azure Conch.
Mount Azure Conch was a low, gentle mountain nestled slightly inland from the coast.
It was said to have earned its name because its ridge, curving gracefully toward the sea, resembled a blue conch shell.
On the mountain’s mid-slope stood the estate of the Yun Clan.
Pavilions with azure tiles and cultivation caves lined the mountain contours, while hundreds of mu of terraced spirit fields unfurled below like steps.
Ten li underground.
Ssshh—
Lee Hyun’s body slipped silently through soil and bedrock.
Having submerged into the earth dozens of li away from Mount Azure Conch, he steadily closed the distance while keeping both the Spirit-Concealment Technique and Qi-Concealment Technique active.
The Heaven-and-Earth spiritual qi was indeed slightly denser than at Tunnel No. 2, but the difference was not as great as he had anticipated.
Am I still too shallow?
Following the periphery of Mount Azure Conch, he descended twenty-five li below ground to the boundary between the Mortal Soil Layer and the Earth Vein Layer.
Though he could sense the pulse of the earth vein through the bedrock, its energy was heavy, turbid, and nowhere near concentrated.
“Strange.”
Lee Hyun reversed course and headed upward.
And then, the energy changed.
At ten li underground, the Five Elements began to achieve balance; at five li, the concentration of spiritual qi rose noticeably.
By three li down, the earth and water qi of the earth vein blended with the wood and wind qi drifting from above. He could even faintly sense the sea breeze and the vibrant life force of the lush vegetation blanketing Mount Azure Conch.
Only then did Lee Hyun realize he had fundamentally misunderstood what a spirit vein was.
A spirit vein isn’t merely an ore vein buried deep in the ground.
An earth vein was only one component. A true spirit vein, it seemed, was only formed when earth veins, water veins, the lay of the mountains, the vegetation, and the qi of the surface and sky all interlocked in a perpetual cycle. The Yun Clan’s estate and spirit fields were likely part of what maintained that cycle.
Does claiming a spirit vein mean occupying the center of that complete cycle?
Come to think of it, if an earth vein alone made a spirit vein, cultivators would all be digging tunnels first thing. Yet most great sects establish themselves on towering mountain peaks.
While sorting through his thoughts, Lee Hyun ascended to two li underground.
This was not directly beneath the Yun Clan’s estate, but horizontally offset by two li as well.
The spiritual qi here was incomparably denser than at Tunnel No. 2.
Lee Hyun lightly circulated his cultivation art.
Shhh—
Ambient spiritual qi seeped in through his skin.
His brimming Primordial Unity True Qi compressed infinitesimally, creating space for the fresh qi to enter.
Lee Hyun’s eyes lit up.
Is this the spiritual pressure of a Tier 1 mid-grade Spirit Vein? My cultivation will progress smoothly here!
A change that had eluded him during a fortnight of cultivating in Tunnel No. 2 occurred in mere moments.
Drawing closer would make the qi even richer, but Lee Hyun stopped right there. Even if the strata obstructed divine sense, without knowing the sensory range of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, venturing any further was too risky.
I should find a space nearby where I can stay for long periods.
Lee Hyun’s divine sense rippled through the soil and rock. Soon, he detected a fairly spacious natural cavern nearby.
“Perfect.”
Lee Hyun utilized the Earth Escape Technique and headed toward the cavern.
The moment he stepped fully inside, a ripple of spiritual power surged from a corner of the cavern.
Lee Hyun instantly deployed his Spirit Light Shields. Simultaneously, a yellowish protective barrier flared up before the opposing rock wall.
In the dim light stood a somewhat gaunt man appearing to be in his late forties, clutching a small bronze rattle in his hand.
The 3rd layer of Qi Refining?
The man’s face was drained of all color.
Although Lee Hyun revealed only the mundane aura of a Qi Refining 4th-layer cultivator, that alone appeared sufficient to terrify him.
[Wait! Do not attack! I am not of the Yun Clan!]
[Then who are you? Why are you in a place like this?]
[That is what I ought to be asking! This is my—]
The man caught himself.
His eyes scanned Lee Hyun up and down.
[Fellow Daoist, are you not a member of the Heaven-Seizing Society?]
[The Heaven-Seizing Society?]
Realizing his slip of the tongue, the man clamped his mouth shut.
Lee Hyun asked,
[What is that?]
[It is nothing.]
[You clearly just said ‘Heaven-Seizing Society.’]
[You misheard.]
[We are communicating via sound transmission.]
A look of sheer embarrassment crossed the man’s face.
After a moment of hesitation, he dispelled his barrier.
Though he still kept the bronze rattle firmly in hand, he clearly had no intention of striking first.
[Are you a rogue cultivator, Fellow Daoist?]
[I am.]
[As am I. I have no connection to the Yun Clan whatsoever.]
[What were you doing here?]
[The same thing as you, no doubt.]
[How do you know what I came here to do?]
The man pointed toward a rock wall on one side of the cavern.
[Did you not follow the spiritual qi here? This is a spot where energy leaking from Mount Azure Conch’s spirit vein is trapped against the bedrock and pools momentarily. It is an ideal spot to cultivate without alerting the Yun Clan. If you had any other purpose, there would be no reason for you to pinpoint this exact cavern.]
The man was right.
Lee Hyun examined his surroundings once more.
Near the cavern walls, four small stone pillars were driven in at regular intervals. He also spotted formation inscriptions subtly concealed beneath a thin smear of dirt.
A patch of the floor was worn smooth, as though someone had sat there for a very long time.
[So you were using this place first.]
[Indeed. This vein cultivation seat was assigned to me for this month.]
[A vein cultivation seat?]
[That is what we call our cultivation spots among ourselves.]
The man looked at Lee Hyun for a moment and sighed.
[Now that you’ve discovered this place, there is little I can do.]
[Do you intend to settle this with a fight?]
[And what exactly would I settle by fighting you?]
The man pointed to himself.
[I despise fighting. Nor do I have any confidence in it.]
[Then what do you propose?]
[First of all, you must not cultivate here today.]
[Why not?]
[Starting tomorrow at the Chen hour, the Yun Clan will activate their detection formation.]
Lee Hyun’s gaze sharpened.
[A detection formation?]
[A formation that sweeps the underground perimeter of the spirit vein. It will run for several shichen starting tomorrow at the Chen hour.]
[How do you know that?]
[There is a place where we share such intelligence.]
He was clearly referring to the Heaven-Seizing Society.
[Will this cavern be exposed once the formation activates?]
[If you circulate a cultivation art here, you will almost certainly be caught.]
The man stepped into the corner of the cavern and pulled out the stone pillars.
It seemed he had come here specifically to retrieve his formation.
[You can even deduce that?]
[It is not as though we knew from the beginning, either.]
The man answered as he stowed a stone pillar into his storage pouch.
[We learned because people were caught and either killed or captured.]
Lee Hyun fell silent for a moment.
[It appears this is your first time approaching the Yun Clan’s spirit vein, Fellow Daoist.]
[It is.]
[You were fortunate. Had I not come here today, you might have been dragged out by the Yun Clan’s cultivators tomorrow.]
The man hesitated briefly before pulling a black wooden plaque from his robes.
Not a single character was carved onto the plaque.
[Come to Baekpo Market three days from now at the Wu hour. In the northeast corner, there is a dilapidated shop called Withered Wood Shop. Show this to the clerk.]
Lee Hyun did not accept the wooden plaque right away.
[What is there?]
[What you wish to know.]
[The Heaven-Seizing Society?]
The man nodded.
[It is a gathering created by rogue cultivators like us who have no spirit veins of our own, so that we may help one another. You can decide whether to join after hearing what we have to say. No one will force you to stay.]
[Why help me? We only met today.]
The man went quiet for a moment.
[Because you remind me of how I was when I first arrived here. And I appreciated that despite your higher cultivation realm, you did not immediately attack me or seize my spot. Above all, if you wander around in ignorance, you will inevitably clash with another member eventually. It is far better to share the rules and use the vein together.]
Lee Hyun accepted the wooden plaque. He inspected it, but sensed no distinct spiritual power or runes.
[What is your name, Fellow Daoist?]
[In the Heaven-Seizing Society, we do not ask for true names.]
The man slipped into a narrow passageway concealed in a corner of the cavern.
[I shall see you in three days, then. And do not circulate your cultivation art beneath Mount Azure Conch tomorrow between the Chen and Wu hours. If you wonder whether I am lying, feel free to watch from afar.]
Before long, the man’s presence faded into the distance.
Left alone, Lee Hyun looked down at the black wooden plaque.
“The Heaven-Seizing Society, is it…”
* * *
The following day at the Chen hour.
Concealed atop a peak about ten li away from Mount Azure Conch, Lee Hyun deployed the Qi-Observation Technique.
Wuuung—
Moments later, a massive pulse rippled outward with Mount Azure Conch at its epicenter. An invisible net swept through the soil and bedrock like a comb.
On the surface of Mount Azure Conch, several cultivators moved in coordination with the formation’s pulse.
He wasn’t lying.
* * *
Two days later.
Southern Namryeo Kingdom, Baekpo Market.
Baekpo Market was a small market situated roughly three thousand li northeast of Namae Market.
It was not a bustling hub like Namae Market. A few dozen shops and stalls were all it had to offer, and the goods traded there were generally of low quality.
Lee Hyun had also visited several times in the past.
Because worthwhile items were scarce, he had rarely set foot here in recent times.
Lee Hyun arrived half a day earlier than appointed. Altering his face with the Seven-Form Disguise Art and running both the Spirit-Concealment Technique and Qi-Concealment Technique, he circled the market several times to ensure he was not being tailed.
After scouting the interior and exterior of the agreed-upon location, Withered Wood Shop, he probed beneath it into the ground. Inside an underground stone chamber were a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator and the man he had met days ago, but he detected no other ambushes or hazardous formations.
There were also cultivators maintaining order in Baekpo Market. Even if this turned out to be a trap, the forces inside Withered Wood Shop alone would hardly pose a threat to him.
When the appointed time arrived, Lee Hyun entered Withered Wood Shop.
Inside the shop, faded formation flags and fragments of magical artifacts stripped of nearly all spiritual qi lay on display.
A clerk approached.
“Are you looking for something in particular?”
Lee Hyun held out the black wooden plaque. The clerk inspected it once and nodded.
“They are waiting for you inside.”
He guided Lee Hyun to a storeroom at the back of the shop.
Moving aside a wooden floorboard revealed a narrow staircase leading down.
An underground stone chamber.
Only two small oil lamps flickered along the walls.
Across the table in the center of the chamber sat a figure wearing a brown Cicada Mask.
The eyeholes of the mask were slit narrow, and patterns resembling cicada wings were carved into the forehead and cheeks.
An aura estimated to be around the 7th layer of Qi Refining radiated from him.
To one side of the chamber stood someone wearing a gray field mouse mask.
It was the man he had encountered in the underground cavern at Mount Azure Conch.
The field mouse mask bowed his head toward Lee Hyun.
“Good to see you again.”
Lee Hyun gave a slight nod in return.
The cicada mask across the table spoke.
“Take a seat.”
Once Lee Hyun sat before the table, the cultivator in the cicada mask produced a small stone slab, inserted a low-grade spirit stone into a groove, and brushed against the formation inscriptions.
Wuuung—
The Sound-Isolation Formation engraved on the chamber walls activated.
Sounds from the outside were cut off in an instant, and noise within the chamber would no longer leak out.
“I am Seon-gak, the leader of the Heaven-Seizing Society. It is not my true name, so just address me as such,” said the cultivator in the cicada mask. “Our fellow daoist beside me is called Gray Rat. In the Heaven-Seizing Society, we do not inquire into each other’s faces, names, or origins.”
The cultivator in the field mouse mask clasped his hands.
“I am Gray Rat.”
Lee Hyun also clasped his hands.
“I do not have a name yet.”
“You will choose one along with your mask after you join.”
Seon-gak regarded Lee Hyun for a moment.
“The 4th layer of Qi Refining. As a rogue cultivator, crossing a minor cultivation realm cannot have been easy. You did well to break through.”
“I was fortunate.”
“May I ask why you wish to join the Heaven-Seizing Society?”
“I have not yet decided to join.”
“Haha. Prudence is never a flaw. In that case, I should first explain what kind of organization the Heaven-Seizing Society is.”
Seon-gak reached beneath the table and drew out a rolled leather map.
As he smoothed it flat, the coastlines and rugged mountain ranges of the southern Namryeo Kingdom unfolded before them, marked clearly with the territories of various cultivator clans. Aside from the familiar landmarks Lee Hyun recognized, dozens of intricate dots and connecting lines were plotted across the aged parchment.
Several of those dots were clustered directly around Mount Azure Conch, the seat of the Yun Clan.
“In the southern Namryeo Kingdom, there are seven Foundation Establishment clans that occupy Tier 2 spirit veins,” Seon-gak began, tapping a slender finger against the leather. “Beneath them, far more Qi Refining clans and minor powers control smaller Tier 1 veins.”
His finger shifted, coming to rest squarely on Mount Azure Conch.
“The heart of the spirit vein and its spirit cave belong entirely to them. Yet, as you witnessed firsthand on Mount Azure Conch, Fellow Daoist, not even a clan of their stature can completely contain the stray branches and leaking spiritual energy within their estate walls.”
“And the faction that covertly siphons that leaking energy is the Heaven-Seizing Society?” Lee Hyun asked.
“Precisely. We are a society that locates the exact nodes where that stray energy pools, sharing them safely among our members. Naturally, the cultivator clans brand us as thieves and vermin. More often than not, they call us ‘vein leeches.’”
Gray Rat scoffed under his breath. “Not as if they created Heaven-and-Earth spiritual qi themselves.”
Seon-gak raised a hand to quiet him before continuing. “Even so, there is a line that must never be crossed. Approaching the heart of a spirit vein or tampering with a clan’s defensive formations and spirit fields is strictly forbidden. We only touch the energy that bleeds beyond their borders.”
“I doubt the cultivator clans would ever honor such a distinction,” Lee Hyun pointed out.
“Of course they wouldn’t,” Seon-gak chuckled, the sound muffled beneath his wooden mask. “Which is precisely why we must never be caught.”
He tapped the scattered markings on the parchment one by one.
“These points on the map are verified residual-vein pockets—places where minor offshoots of a spirit vein traverse the subterranean rock, or where escaping spiritual qi is trapped by the terrain and natural underground pools. The prime positions within them, perfectly suited for cultivation, are what we refer to as vein cultivation seats.”
“Then the cavern I stumbled into on Mount Azure Conch was one of them.”
“Azure Conch Vein Seat No. 3. Its location is advantageous and its spiritual qi balance is quite rich, but it turns perilous the moment the Yun Clan activates their detection formation.”
“Why don’t they simply leave the formation running at all times?”
“Hardly any clan keeps their grand formations active without interruption. Maintaining them perpetually burns through an astronomical number of spirit stones.”
Seon-gak opened a compact ledger resting beside the map. Its pages were densely covered in precise notations—dates, hours, and clan names penned in neat, meticulous script.
“The Yun Clan generally deploys their detection formation once every three months. However, that schedule can shift on short notice depending on spirit field harvests or visits from prominent guests.”
“How do you acquire such detailed intelligence?”
“We purchase information from mortal servants employed within the clan estates, as well as merchants who supply them with formation materials. On top of that, we personally observe the subtle fluctuations of the formation arrays. We have compiled these records across decades. This intelligence, Fellow Daoist, is the true lifeblood of the Heaven-Seizing Society.”
Seon-gak pointed to an entry beside the Mount Azure Conch territory.
[Yun Clan — Earth-Patrolling Spirit-Detection Formation
Standard activation: Once every three months, from the Hour of the Dragon until roughly the Hour of the Horse.
Capabilities: Senses spiritual power fluctuations and traces of spiritual qi absorption up to 3 li underground.
Mount Azure Conch, Vein Seats No. 1 and No. 2: Evacuate before activation.
Vein Seat No. 3: Shift fifty zhang east, concealing oneself behind the stratum of black iron ore. Cease all circulation of cultivation arts.
Vein Seat No. 4: The natural flow of the lower water vein counteracts the formation’s pulses, permitting cultivators to conceal themselves in place.]
“What does it mean that it counteracts the formation?” Lee Hyun asked.
“A detection formation is ultimately just a spell cast through formation plates and formation implements. Its pulses can be deflected by strata dense with metal qi, or swallowed by the currents of subterranean water and earth veins. Furthermore, every formation has blind spots; no single array can detect every form of movement.”
Lee Hyun studied the ledger, then glanced back up. “Coordinating members so their cultivation schedules don’t overlap must also fall under the Society’s duties.”
“Indeed. If multiple cultivators absorb spiritual qi from a single residual-vein pocket at once, the flow destabilizes, making it far too easy for the clan’s scouts to notice the disturbance. That is why we dictate precisely who occupies each vein seat, for how long, and strictly regulate the total volume of spiritual qi consumed. For this month, Azure Conch Seat No. 3 had been assigned to Fellow Daoist Gray Rat.”
Gray Rat bobbed his masked head. “You have no idea how terrified I was when you suddenly emerged from the wall. Wandering through the bedrock all on your own and unearthing that exact cavern… I truly took you for a mole demonic beast.”
Seon-gak turned toward Lee Hyun. “Are you adept in the Earth Escape Technique?”
“I have merely practiced it for many years.”
“A talent uniquely tailored to our Heaven-Seizing Society. Would you care to join us?”
“I will decide once I have heard the rules and the price of entry.”
Seon-gak nodded, clearly pleased by his cautious temperament. “Fair enough. The terms are straightforward. The Heaven-Seizing Society offers no personal protection. Our intelligence might prove flawed, or a clan’s circumstances might change in a breath. Should you be discovered while cultivating in a residual-vein pocket and struck down, no one will avenge you or bear responsibility.”
“That is only natural.”
“Anyone who shifts danger onto a fellow member, monopolizes a vein cultivation seat, or intentionally leads clan cultivators to our sites will be expelled immediately. For grave offenses, the Society will hunt them down. The same penalty awaits anyone who pries into another member’s identity or leaks our information to outsiders. Maps and ledgers detailing the residual-vein pockets are never permitted to leave our hands; members are only granted coordinates and instructions for their designated seat. That way, even if a cultivator falls into enemy hands, the Society remains secure.”
Seon-gak placed his palms flat upon the wooden table, his gaze sharpening.
“The Way of Heaven diminishes surplus to replenish what is lacking. The great cultivator clans hoard vast oceans of qi within their spirit veins, while we rogue cultivators scrape for drops. We merely take a sliver of that which would otherwise dissipate into heaven and earth.”
Lee Hyun asked, “What is required to join?”
“An initial entrance fee of thirty low-grade spirit stones. Thereafter, ten stones every ten years for membership dues, which go toward acquiring fresh intelligence.”
Not bad…
Lee Hyun’s fingers twitched toward his storage pouch, then paused.
If it is thirty low-grade spirit stones… this works out even better.
Instead of reaching for stones, he withdrew a small, pale jade bottle from his robes.
Clack.
The bottle met the wooden table with a soft click. Both Seon-gak and Gray Rat immediately shifted their attention to it.
“May I settle the entrance fee with this rather than spirit stones?”
“What is inside?”
“A pill.”
Lee Hyun pulled the wax stopper, allowing a delicate medicinal fragrance to drift into the room as he tipped out a single Barrier-Breaking Pill onto the table.
“It aids in breaking through from the third layer to the fourth layer of the Qi Refining Stage.”
“What?” Gray Rat gasped, unable to hold back his shock.
Seon-gak leaned forward, carefully taking the pill into his palm. He scrutinized its surface, held it near his nose to take in the herbal undertones, and extended a thread of divine sense, thinning it to the breadth of a hair to inspect the medicinal core.
A heavy silence settled over the room before Seon-gak spoke, his tone measured and deeply intrigued.
“I have never encountered this recipe before, yet its medicinal potency is extraordinarily refined. What is it called?”
“That is a secret.”
Seon-gak shifted his gaze between the pill and Lee Hyun, finally offering a slow, appreciative nod.
“If its efficacy matches your claim, its worth easily surpasses thirty low-grade spirit stones. Very well. As of this moment, Fellow Daoist is a member of the Heaven-Seizing Society.”
Rising from his seat, Seon-gak walked toward the far stone wall of the chamber.
Arrayed along the rock were dozens of masks carved from various woods and metals. There were visages depicting a red fox, a black turtle, a white goat, and even a one-eyed bird. Most carried the worn patina of long use; a few had gathered a light sheen of dust.
Seon-gak reached toward a mask resting quietly in the corner and pulled it free.
It had a broad, rounded face framed by short, rounded ears, with dark patterns encircling the eyeholes that tapered down into a stout, pale snout.
“As luck would have it, this one currently lacks a master.”
Lee Hyun accepted the mask from his hands.
“From this day forward, Fellow Daoist shall be known as Badger.”
Lee Hyun inspected the Badger Mask for a brief moment before lifting it to his face and securing the strap behind his head.
“Welcome to the Heaven-Seizing Society, Fellow Daoist Badger.”
Gray Rat also raised his hands, clasping them in formal greeting. “A pleasure to cultivate alongside you, Fellow Daoist Badger.”
“Likewise, Fellow Daoist Gray Rat, Fellow Daoist Seon-gak.”
* * *
Three hundred and fifty years later.
Baekpo Market, southern Namryeo Kingdom.
In a quiet, shadowy corner of the market stood a nondescript, weathered establishment known as the Withered Wood Shop.
Creak.
The wooden door parted, and a figure draped in long black robes stepped across the threshold, his features completely concealed beneath a familiar Badger Mask.
His aura rested steadily at the absolute peak of the fifth layer of the Qi Refining Stage.
Walking directly past the shelves to the deepest corner of the storeroom, he smoothly lifted a loose floorboard and stepped down into the dark stairwell beneath.
Below the surface lay an expansive, branching subterranean labyrinth. Moving through the stone tunnels with absolute familiarity, he navigated several winding corridors until he reached a dead-end of solid bedrock. The moment he halted before it, the stone slab ground silently inward, revealing a spacious hidden chamber.
The instant his black robes swept across the threshold, the dozen masked cultivators seated within rose to their feet as one, bowing in deep, reverent unison.
“Greetings, Society Leader!”