Chapter 35
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 35
Lee Hyun returned the jade slip to its place and walked toward the entrance.
“Senior Martial Brother Im, may I ask you something?”
“Go ahead.”
“Does the Scripture Pavilion also have the Foundation Establishment Chapter of the Primordial Unity One-Qi Art?”
Im Do-gyeom’s brush paused.
“The Primordial Unity One-Qi Art?”
He pondered for a moment, then pulled a thick inheritance catalog from beneath the desk.
Rustle, rustle.
After flipping through several pages, his finger halted at one entry.
“It’s here.”
Im Do-gyeom tapped a line in the catalog.
「Primordial Unity One-Qi Art - Foundation Establishment Chapter.
Single reading within the Inheritance Room.
40 Contribution Points.
External transmission and duplication strictly prohibited.」
Lee Hyun asked, “The required contribution points are surprisingly low for a cultivation art of the Foundation Establishment Stage.”
“Because there’s little demand,” Im Do-gyeom replied. “Though the Primordial Unity One-Qi Art is renowned as a mysterious technique, how many people would actually practice it all the way to Foundation Establishment? Even in our sect, disciples from Formation Craft Peak only consult it occasionally when studying formations.”
“The Scripture Pavilion isn’t a marketplace, though. Is there a need to lower the price just because demand is low?”
“What are you talking about? The Scripture Pavilion is precisely where the most important business takes place. By reclaiming the contribution points disciples have hoarded in exchange for books and jade slips, the sect doesn’t have to hand out as many physical rewards like spirit stones or pills, does it? We lower the price on unpopular inheritances to encourage people to read them at least once, while popular ones are kept expensive to control their dissemination. Doesn’t Peak Lord Go often tell you to study in the Scripture Pavilion? Reading is a habit. The more you visit, the more curious you become, and the more contribution points you end up spending.”
…Wait, wasn’t he sending me here to learn the principles of heaven and earth from diverse fields?!
Im Do-gyeom looked at Lee Hyun. “By the way, Junior Martial Brother Lee, why are you looking for the Foundation Establishment Chapter?”
“Earlier, while reading the Treatise on the Five Primordial States and Formations, I saw a mention that the formulas of the Primordial Unity One-Qi Art are used in formations, which piqued my curiosity. Master also told me to look for areas where the principles of alchemy and formations intersect.”
“I see. There’s certainly no harm in studying it.”
Lee Hyun clasped his hands in salute and stepped out of the Scripture Pavilion.
Forty contribution points… I can gather that in no time.
* * *
Two months later.
Pill Cauldron Peak, Yang Fire Courtyard.
A savory aroma wafted through the Communal Alchemy Room.
Fwoosh—
Before Lee Hyun stood a pill cauldron that reached his waist. Inside, finely ground Cheonga Rice powder glowed with a faint bluish-green tint as it slowly revolved.
Cheonga Rice was a Tier 1 spirit rice cultivated in large quantities by the Everlasting Spring Sect. Though its medicinal properties were mild, it was a widely popular spirit plant that could sate the hunger of any disciple without adverse effects, regardless of their cultivation art. The Everlasting Spring Sect supplied a portion of it as food for disciples and used the rest as ingredients for Fasting Pills.
Unlike mortal Fasting Pills, those handled by cultivation sects were classified as spirit pills, and they were one of the very first things alchemists learned to craft.
The pill recipe was uncomplicated and the ingredients were cheap, but that didn’t mean it could be made carelessly. One had to refine both the spiritual qi and the grain essence of the Cheonga Rice while separating the slight turbid qi that offered no benefit to cultivators. If the fire was too strong, the grain essence would burn; if it was too weak, moisture would remain, lowering its shelf life and causing it to spoil quickly.
Lee Hyun’s fingers danced in intricate motions.
Two of the six fire apertures dimmed.
Humm—
The revolving essence of the Cheonga Rice inside the cauldron gradually coalesced.
Lee Hyun formed the final hand seal.
Moments later, the sound of small objects pattering against the bottom of the cauldron echoed out.
Clatter, clatter.
When Lee Hyun extinguished the fire and opened the lid, a delicate luster shimmered from within. Warm steam rolled out alongside a rich, nutty scent.
At the bottom of the cauldron lay twelve pale green pills.
Lee Hyun picked them up one by one, inspecting their color, luster, aroma, internal medicinal efficacy, and remaining moisture.
Three mid-grade.
Nine low-grade.
No ruined pills.
“Getting the hang of it now, I see.”
A voice came from behind.
“That looks like quite a bit more than just getting the hang of it.”
Before he realized it, Na Gyeong-mun, Sim Yeon-ju, and Bae Gyeong-song had entered the alchemy room.
“Senior Martial Brother Na, Senior Martial Sister Sim, Senior Martial Brother Bae.”
Na Gyeong-mun examined the pills before Lee Hyun. “From what I heard, hasn’t it been less than two months since Junior Martial Brother Lee began learning to refine Fasting Pills?”
“That is correct.”
“Yet you produced three mid-grade pills from a single batch, with not a single one ruined?” Na Gyeong-mun marveled. “Junior Martial Brother Lee, you’re an alchemy genius!”
Sim Yeon-ju clicked her tongue. “He makes one good batch of Fasting Pills, and suddenly he’s a genius?”
“It’s not just one batch. Looking at the records, this makes nine consecutive successful batches without failure. No matter how simple Fasting Pills are, achieving that is remarkable.”
Bae Gyeong-song took out previous samples from a jade bottle on the side of the table and compared them one by one to the newly finished Fasting Pills.
“There’s barely any difference in medicinal efficacy between each batch.”
“Is that particularly impressive?” Lee Hyun asked.
Bae Gyeong-song nodded. “Your level of spiritual power control is excessively high, isn’t it? You’re better at it than I am.”
Sim Yeon-ju also inspected the latest Fasting Pills and chimed in, “Huh? Joking aside, you really are good at this. Come to think of it, didn’t you say you learned alchemy back when you were a rogue cultivator?”
“I only learned the basics.”
“Your foundation must have been extraordinarily solid.”
Well, I did spend quite a long time solidifying those basics.
Lee Hyun put on an appropriately embarrassed expression.
Na Gyeong-mun crossed his arms and said, “I really should tell Master. A remarkable talent has entered Pill Cauldron Peak; the other peaks might hatch a plot to snatch him away.”
Sim Yeon-ju sighed. “We’re the only peak that practices alchemy. What kind of plot could there possibly be?”
“That’s just because we haven’t uncovered it yet! Be reasonable—could a cultivation sect exist without hidden conspiracies? I bet there are nine… no, eighteen more peaks hidden underground!”
“What kind of nonsense is that? How could there be peaks in the Everlasting Spring Sect that we don’t know about? The sect’s grand formation is literally named the Nine Peaks Rejuvenation Formation! Besides, if they’re underground, how can they even be peaks?!”
Lee Hyun tuned out their bickering as he divided the finished Fasting Pills into medicine vials.
Refining Fasting Pills was one of the most common missions undertaken by disciples of Pill Cauldron Peak. The sect provided the ingredients and alchemy rooms, and when a disciple delivered a certain quota of pills, contribution points were awarded based on yield and quality. Wasting herbs reduced the reward, while producing many pills of mid-grade or higher yielded bonus points.
Over the past two months, Lee Hyun had refined several types of basic pills, including Fasting Pills. Once he turned in this batch, his total contribution points would reach 55.
Time to make my move.
* * *
The next day.
Everlasting Spring Peak, Scripture Pavilion.
“Follow me.”
Im Do-gyeom opened the door behind his desk and led Lee Hyun into a narrow corridor. At the end of the hallway stood a row of small stone chambers.
When Im Do-gyeom inserted Lee Hyun’s identity token into a groove beside one of the chambers, the inscribed formation runes glowed faintly.
Humm—
“Deducting forty contribution points.”
The number on the identity token dropped to 15.
Im Do-gyeom pulled the token from the groove and handed it back to Lee Hyun as the stone door rumbled open.
Inside sat only a single chair and a low stone pedestal. Atop it, enclosed by a small restriction, hovered a grey jade slip.
“The jade slip may only be viewed in this room. You must not record its contents or transmit it outside.”
“Understood.”
“When you are finished reading, touch your identity token to the formation inscription on the inner wall, and the door will open.”
Im Do-gyeom stepped back, and the stone door closed.
Lee Hyun sat on the chair and pressed the grey jade slip to his forehead.
Huuung—
Text, diagrams of human meridians, and illustrations showing the circulation of spiritual power surged into his consciousness.
Primordial Unity One-Qi Art - Foundation Establishment Chapter.
Lee Hyun had already circulated the Qi Refining Chapter for over a thousand years. Consequently, the formulas of the Foundation Establishment Chapter did not feel foreign at all. Following the flow of spiritual power, he etched every detail into his memory.
An hour later, he put down the jade slip. Lee Hyun reviewed the contents in his mind several times from start to finish. There were no gaps or stumbling blocks.
I’ve memorized it all.
He stood up.
After exiting the stone chamber, Lee Hyun did not leave the Scripture Pavilion right away.
Since I’m already here, I might as well browse around a bit more.
He headed toward the section dedicated to spirit plants and medicinal herbs. He realized that although he had read through a vast amount of material in the Scripture Pavilion over the past two months, he had hardly read anything about spirit plants.
As a sect centered around alchemy and spirit plants, the Everlasting Spring Sect’s Scripture Pavilion naturally possessed an abundance of related texts.
Collecting and Storing Root and Rhizome Spirit Plants, Three Hundred Cases of Conflicting Spirit Plants…
Lee Hyun browsed the titles of books and jade slips one after another until a particular volume caught his eye.
Records of Medicinal Uses of Aquatic Spirit Plants.
Flipping through the pages, a familiar name caught his attention.
「Yin Water Lotus.
Grows in ponds where yin qi is dense and water qi gathers evenly. While the flowers and lotus leaves also possess medicinal properties, the most widely used part is the seed nestled within the fully ripened seedpod. Ingesting raw Yin Water Lotus seeds aids in expelling pill poison through respiration. They are also used as supplementary ingredients in certain pills.」
It has the effect of expelling pill poison?
He had been eating them as snacks all this time without realizing they had such medicinal efficacy.
No wonder I felt so refreshed every time I ate them.
Suddenly, he thought of the Rock Honey Peaches.
If the Yin Water Lotus had a use like this, maybe the Rock Honey Peaches also have properties I don’t know about.
He searched through a few more compendiums of spirit fruits nearby, but the name “Rock Honey Peach” did not appear.
Perhaps the name varies by region. I can look into it at my leisure later.
* * *
That night.
His residence on Pill Cauldron Peak.
Lee Hyun closed the door of his cultivation room and lay comfortably on the floor. He mentally reviewed the Foundation Establishment Chapter of the Primordial Unity One-Qi Art that he had memorized at the Scripture Pavilion, starting from the very beginning.
I see… If I had forced a breakthrough using only the Qi Refining Chapter, I would have faced immense trial and error when liquefying my spiritual power. And if I mismanaged the remaining medicinal power of the Foundation Establishment Pill, it would have strained my meridians. I’m glad I acquired it in advance.
Lee Hyun felt exceptionally pleased. Cultivation arts for the Foundation Establishment Stage were inherently precious, and he had never expected to obtain one while still at the 6th layer of Qi Refining.
Although he had no grandiose ambition to reach the pinnacle of the cultivation world, growing stronger brought an indescribable thrill. Cultivation was quite addictive in its own right.
Still, it’s said that the Great Flight-Sealing Formation uses the formulas of the Foundation Establishment Chapter to revert the Five Elements spiritual qi into the aspect of Primordial Unity. In that case, since I possessed Primordial Unity True Qi from the very start, couldn’t I skip the ‘Return to Unity’ step entirely?
It seemed possible. However, generating Primordial Earth Force required Materialization after the Return to Unity, and the formation relied on earth veins, as well as formation implements and plates aligned with the Five Elements. The Foundation Establishment Chapter alone didn’t reveal which formulas the formation masters adapted or how they applied them.
I’ll need to look up records on the Great Flight-Sealing Formation later.
Suddenly, knowledge from his past life surfaced in his thoughts.
If Primordial Earth Force truly is a power akin to gravity, could it affect space and time at its extremes?
Moreover, Primordial Substance of the Five Primordial States is the fourth stage, isn’t it? If the Supreme Ultimate divides into Two Modes, Two Modes into Four Images, Four Images into Eight Trigrams, and the nature of all things in heaven and earth manifests through the Five Elements… the transformation modeled by Primordial Earth Force predates all of those divisions! In terms of theoretical roots, it’s far closer to the source.
Of course, power directly tied to the Five Primordial States was completely out of reach for his current self. Even the Treatise on the Five Primordial States and Formations stated that acquired Five Elements spiritual qi could not replicate Primordial Substance itself. Primordial Unity True Qi was merely refined from the acquired spiritual qi of heaven and earth in the mortal realm.
Furthermore, just because Primordial Earth Force modeled the transformation of Primordial Substance didn’t guarantee it was unconditionally stronger than acquired Five Elements spells. Perhaps it was simply an order of emergence. After all, isn’t it possible for an offspring to surpass their parents?
I’m still only at the 6th layer of Qi Refining. My priority is to gather Vitality-Raising Pills, advance to the 7th layer, reach the peak of the 9th layer, and then obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill. I can take my time researching Primordial Earth Force.
* * *
A few days later.
Songgye Market, some 800 li east of the Everlasting Spring Sect.
A pudgy, middle-aged cultivator with a short beard crouched before a stall selling worn magical artifacts. It was Lee Hyun, transformed through the Disguise Method.
After leaving the Everlasting Spring Sect, he had shifted directions multiple times and altered both his attire and appearance. He had also concealed his outward cultivation down to the 3rd layer of Qi Refining.
The stall was a jumble of cracked shields, ownerless flying swords, and weathered formation plates.
Browsing through the artifacts, Lee Hyun picked up a stone tablet about the size of two palms joined together. On its surface was an engraved silver pattern resembling human hand bones.
“Is this for measuring bone age?”
The old man tending the stall nodded. “Aye, it is.”
“Does it work properly?”
“Accurate enough for Qi Refining cultivators and mortals. The margin of error is at most a year or so.”
Lee Hyun visited other shops and bought two more bone age measuring artifacts that operated on different principles. In total, purchasing the three cost him fifty low-grade spirit stones.
* * *
Two days later.
Tunnel No. 2.
Lee Hyun headed straight for the storeroom. Clearing a section of a shelf, he placed the bone age measuring artifacts he had bought from the market upon it. Beside them, he set a small wooden board and carved text into it using the Yang Metal Formula:
「3 types of artifacts for bone age disguise testing using Bone-Tempering Powder.
Record the medicinal age of herbs, dosage, measurements over elapsed time after consumption, and the point at which traces of medicinal age dissipate.」
Lee Hyun placed his hand on the three artifacts one by one. The results showed nineteen, twenty, and nineteen again.
Leaving the storeroom, he proceeded to the experimental spirit field to plant some spirit plants needed for Tier 1 Bone-Tempering Powder. The Bone-Corroding Flower was the primary ingredient of Bone-Tempering Powder and demanded the highest medicinal age in the recipe. It was also the most likely to have the greatest impact on the medicinal traces left in the skeletal structure, so he planned to prepare Bone-Corroding Flowers of varying medicinal ages first.
After tidying up the experimental spirit field, Lee Hyun headed to spirit field No. 1-6.
Creak—
As the stone door opened, cool, humid air drifted out. Broad lotus leaves spread across the pond, and among them, lotus seedpods bowed their heads.
Lee Hyun picked a ripe seedpod and split it open. Extracting a neatly embedded seed, he peeled away the skin and popped it into his mouth.
Crunch.
Swallowing the seed brought a cooling sensation to his chest, and his breathing felt noticeably clearer.
“Knowing what it does makes it feel even more refreshing. Should I dig another pond?”
He excavated a new pond, divided several young lotus roots from the existing pond to plant in the mud, and filled it with water using the Spiritual Rain Spell.
Next, he went to spirit field No. 1-7.
From three Rock Honey Peach trees, Lee Hyun selected and pruned a healthy branch from each. Casting the Sprouting Spell upon the cut ends, he wrapped them in damp cloth and soil, then planted them in three spots within the newly expanded spirit field. If these three new Rock Honey Peach trees took root properly, he would have six trees in total.
Since the Yin Water Lotus possessed unexpected efficacy, the Rock Honey Peach might have something special too.
Even if it lacked any remarkable medicinal property, it tasted delicious, so it didn’t really matter.
Having finished expanding the spirit fields, Lee Hyun inspected the entirety of Tunnel No. 2’s facilities. First, he expanded the water storage reservoir located one level above the spirit fields. He left thick stone pillars at regular intervals between the reservoir’s ceiling and floor to support the structure and prevent cave-ins. He also built low stone partition walls within the expanded reservoir, dividing the interior into several compartments. This way, even if a fissure developed in one section, the stored water wouldn’t all drain away at once.
He inspected the bamboo pipes leading to each spirit field and replaced the worn ones.
Finally, channeling a vast amount of spiritual power, he cast the Spiritual Rain Spell.
Whoooosh—
A brief downpour cascaded inside the reservoir. Moments later, clear water brimming with spiritual qi filled even the newly expanded spaces to the brim.
After verifying the water flow to each spirit field, Lee Hyun nodded in satisfaction.
“Now there won’t be any issues with automatic watering even if I leave it unattended for two years.”
Lee Hyun inspected the remaining spirit fields one by one. The Bone-Corroding Flowers, Purple Poison Orchids, Yin Soul Grass, and Spirit-Accumulating Ginseng were all thriving.
As he emerged, the Fluffy Bees swarmed toward him.
Bzz— Bzzzz— Bzz—
Squeak. Squeak-squeak. Squeak.
* * *
Before he knew it, a full year had passed since Lee Hyun joined the Everlasting Spring Sect.
The tension from the Azure Wood Ridge Herb Robbery five years prior had yet to dissipate. Disciples returning from external missions now had to present their identity tokens at both the outer and inner layers of the Nine Peaks Rejuvenation Formation. Transport routes for spirit plants and pills were kept secret until the last possible moment, and disciples entrusted with vital supplies were always paired with cultivators from different peaks. Foundation Establishment elders even took turns standing guard at the Outer Affairs Peak’s warehouse and Mission Pavilion.
These security measures had slowly become a part of daily life, yet the culprits behind the herb robbery remained at large.
Lee Hyun paid the matter little mind. It was hardly something a disciple of only one year needed to worry about. All he had to do was perform his duties faithfully, learn alchemy and spells, and gather the pills he needed.
During that time, Lee Hyun had visited the markets near the sect and bought seven Vitality-Raising Pills. He placed them in a jade box, sealed it with a Tier 1 Spirit-Sealing Talisman, and stored it carefully in his storage pouch.
When will I ever manage to buy all forty-three remaining pills? he wondered. It seems I’m still a long way from being trusted enough to receive the Vitality-Raising Pill recipe…
Lee Hyun had been disappointed to learn that not even Senior Martial Brother Na Gyeong-mun, a cultivator at the 9th layer of Qi Refining, had been granted the recipe. It was likely reserved solely for Foundation Establishment elders.
Then, one day, in the lounge of the Yang Fire Courtyard.
Na Gyeong-mun tossed a mission token onto the table and grumbled, “Dammit all…”
Lee Hyun looked up from his book. “What’s wrong?”
“The Vitality-Raising Pills aren’t selling like they used to.”
Na Gyeong-mun leaned back heavily in his chair, crossing his arms. “Apparently, some merchant company from a cultivation state on another continent flooded the market with pills for breaking through to the late stage of Qi Refining. Because of that, the price of Vitality-Raising Pills has plummeted across the entire Ram Kingdom.”
“I see.”
Na Gyeong-mun tapped the mission token with his finger. “The problem is, a sales mission from the Outer Affairs Peak landed on me. I’m supposed to set up a counter at the Everlasting Spring Pill Pavilion and sell thirty Vitality-Raising Pills for at least 230 low-grade spirit stones each.”
“What’s the deadline?”
“Three months.”
“Isn’t that plenty of time?”
“I have to man the counter for ten days every month until they’re all sold! I need to be refining pills and figuring out how to get a Foundation Establishment Pill, not sitting around a shop selling Vitality-Raising Pills. It’s a total waste of my time.”
“Senior Martial Brother Na.”
“What is it?”
“I’ll do it.”
Na Gyeong-mun blinked. “Do what?”
“The mission. Selling the Vitality-Raising Pills.”
“You, Junior Martial Brother Lee?”
“I happen to have a knack for selling things.”
“I thought you were just good at alchemy. You have a talent for business, too?”
“When you spend enough time as a rogue cultivator, the first thing you learn is how to buy and sell what you need.”
Na Gyeong-mun’s face lit up. “You’ll really take it?”
“Yes.”
“Fantastic!”
Na Gyeong-mun sprang to his feet and thrust the mission token into Lee Hyun’s hands.
“I haven’t even picked up the pills from Outer Affairs Peak yet. Just go to the steward at the Mission Pavilion, get the mission assigned to you, collect the pills, and then head to the Everlasting Spring Pill Pavilion on Outer Affairs Peak. The shop manager will set you up with a sales counter. That way, you’ll get all the contribution points once they’re sold.”
“Understood.”
“Just sell them all and bring back at least the required amount of spirit stones.”
“Do I need to verify the buyers’ identities and report them?”
“Of course not! If we demanded identification, the cautious cultivators would never buy from us. In the Everlasting Spring Pill Pavilion’s ledger, you only need to record the quantity sold and the spirit stones you receive. It doesn’t matter if it’s a masked rogue cultivator or an agent from some merchant company—as long as they pay, that’s all that counts.”
Lee Hyun took the mission token.
“Thank you, Junior Martial Brother Lee! I’ll treat you to some good liquor later!”
With that, Na Gyeong-mun hurried out of the lounge.