Chapter 37
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 37
After a brief test, Lee Hyun confirmed it: he could choose the target upon which the Primordial Earth Force would act.
When he raised his left hand, the blackened Silver Spirit Talismans and Sound-Isolation Talismans stuck to the surrounding walls instantly flew toward him.
With a flick of his fingers, a small flame flared up, reducing the talismans to ash.
He stowed the jade boxes and medicine bottles scattered across the floor into his storage pouch. Only after sweeping away every last trace of spirit stone dust from the grooves of the Spirit-Gathering Formation did he finally exit the cultivation room.
Creak—
The moment he opened the door, crisp morning sunlight spilled in.
Lee Hyun narrowed his eyes, gazing into the light for a moment.
Perhaps because he had spent days cooped up inside, or perhaps from the joy of his breakthrough, the ordinary sunlight felt exceptionally clear and refreshing.
He slowly reined in the aura emanating from his body.
Circulating the Qi-Concealment Technique and Spirit-Concealment Technique, all that remained on the surface was the ordinary spiritual power of a cultivator at the 7th layer of Qi Refining.
There’s no need to hide my cultivation realm entirely.
He had already been at the 6th layer of Qi Refining when he joined, so it wouldn’t seem strange if people assumed he had simply been on the cusp of a breakthrough. Moreover, the environment of the Everlasting Spring Sect was incomparably better than the outside world; it was common for disciples who had entered only a few years prior to break through using the dense spiritual qi or sect pills.
* * *
Pill Cauldron Peak, Yang Fire Courtyard.
Lee Hyun headed to the lounge.
Opening the door, he saw a few familiar faces.
Na Gyeong-mun had several ledgers spread across the table and was busy jotting something down. Sim Yeon-ju leaned back in a chair to one side, pressing a jade slip to her forehead to read its contents, while Bae Gyeong-song sat across the table, weighing medicinal herbs one by one on a small scale.
“Everyone is here, I see.”
The first to look up was Na Gyeong-mun.
“Long time no—”
His words cut off halfway.
A faint spiritual light flickered in Na Gyeong-mun’s eyes. At the same time, Sim Yeon-ju lowered her jade slip, and Bae Gyeong-song froze with his hand on the herbs.
Na Gyeong-mun sprang to his feet.
“Junior Martial Brother Lee!”
“Yes?”
“Your cultivation realm—what happened?”
“Is there a problem?”
“It’s not a problem, but…”
He looked Lee Hyun up and down several times, as if his eyes were playing tricks on him.
“Aren’t you at the 7th layer of Qi Refining?”
“I am.”
Sim Yeon-ju examined Lee Hyun’s aura for a moment before smiling.
“You really are at the 7th layer. Congratulations, Junior Martial Brother Lee.”
“Thank you, Senior Martial Sister Sim.”
Bae Gyeong-song set the medicinal herbs down and cupped his hands.
“Congratulations. Now that you’ve stepped into the Late Stage of Qi Refining, the Foundation Establishment Stage isn’t far off.”
“My thanks to you as well, Senior Martial Brother Bae.”
Na Gyeong-mun, however, still wore a suspicious expression.
“How strange.”
Sim Yeon-ju glared at him.
“Something worth celebrating happened, so what’s so strange about it?”
“It’s only been a year since he entered the sect. When Junior Martial Brother Lee joined, he was definitely at the 6th layer of Qi Refining.”
“It hasn’t been one year; it’s been almost two. Besides, he could have already been on the verge of the 6th layer’s limit.”
“Even so, isn’t it too fast? Could another faction have approached him behind our backs…?”
Sim Yeon-ju let out a small sigh.
“Here he goes again.”
Bae Gyeong-song stroked the scar on his chin and asked, “Junior Martial Brother Lee, did you happen to take a breakthrough pill?”
“Where did you get it?”
“I spent all the savings I had gathered as a rogue cultivator to buy two Vitality-Unblocking Pills at a nearby market.”
“Vitality-Unblocking Pills?” Na Gyeong-mun blinked. “You mean that foreign pill circulating in the Ram Kingdom lately?”
“Since you forcefully pushed your realm forward with pills, your body will need time to adapt,” Bae Gyeong-song advised. “It would be best to cut back on taking pills for a while and focus on circulating your cultivation method to solidify your foundation.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
Na Gyeong-mun clapped his hands as if something had just occurred to him.
Clap!
“Right! I just remembered why I was waiting for Junior Martial Brother Lee in the first place.”
“For me?”
“Indeed.”
Na Gyeong-mun glanced around, pulled a small talisman from his robes, and slapped it beneath the table.
Wuuung—
A faint light rippled across the lounge’s walls and doors.
“What are you doing that requires a Sound-Isolation Talisman?”
“If Master finds out we’re drinking in broad daylight, it could become a hassle, couldn’t it?”
“Drinking?”
Na Gyeong-mun tapped his storage pouch.
Thud.
A liquor bottle crafted from yellowish clay appeared on the table.
A red cloth was tied around its neck, and the mouth was sealed with wax and a small sealing talisman. Blue ears of rice and clouds were painted across the rounded surface of the jar.
Even through the seal, a subtle aroma of grain and medicinal herbs leaked out.
Sim Yeon-ju’s eyes widened.
“Isn’t that Cheongachun Wine?”
“It is. And thirty-year-aged Cheongachun, no less.”
Bae Gyeong-song looked mildly surprised as well.
“Isn’t that quite premium?”
Cheongachun Wine was a Tier 1 spirit wine brewed from the Everlasting Spring Sect’s Cheonga Rice and the Spirit Spring Water of Nectar Peak.
“When I handed over the Vitality-Raising Pill sales mission, I promised Junior Martial Brother Lee that I’d buy him good wine. A man named Na Gyeong-mun never forgets his promises.”
He tapped his storage pouch again, and four cups appeared on the table.
Clatter.
One of them was closer to a large bowl than a cup. The remaining three were tiny liquor cups barely two knuckles high.
Na Gyeong-mun set the large bowl in front of Lee Hyun, placing the three small cups before himself, Sim Yeon-ju, and Bae Gyeong-song.
Sim Yeon-ju asked, “Why is only Junior Martial Brother Lee’s cup so big?”
“Because I promised to treat Junior Martial Brother Lee.”
“Then what about us?”
“Aren’t you two just freeloading? Freeloaders don’t get to complain about portion sizes!”
Bae Gyeong-song peered down into his miniature cup.
“Even so, isn’t the difference a bit extreme?”
“Why are you joining in, Senior Martial Brother Bae? Wine always tastes best when it’s a free drink poured by someone else.”
Sim Yeon-ju picked up her small cup.
“Forget it. Fine wine is better savored little by little rather than gulped down anyway.”
Lee Hyun stared at the massive bowl before him.
“By the way, is it really fine to hold a drinking session inside the sect in broad daylight?”
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
“Pardon?”
“This isn’t ordinary alcohol; it is spirit wine. It circulates spiritual power, warms the meridians, and even relieves fatigue of the primordial spirit. This is an undeniable part of cultivation. Living as a rogue cultivator for so long must have left you ignorant of the profound cultivation practices of an immortal sect.”
“Just moments ago, you clearly said it would be troublesome if Master found out…”
Paying him no mind, Na Gyeong-mun peeled off the sealing talisman. As he broke the wax, a clear fragrance drifted forth, tickling the noses of all four people in the lounge.
Na Gyeong-mun tilted the bottle.
Trickle, trickle—
Clear liquor tinged with the faintest hint of blue filled the bowl.
Only after filling more than half of the large bowl did he pour into the small cups.
Na Gyeong-mun raised his cup.
“To Junior Martial Brother Lee reaching the Late Stage of Qi Refining. Cheers!”
Sim Yeon-ju and Bae Gyeong-song raised their cups as well.
“Congratulations, Junior Martial Brother Lee.”
“Congratulations once again.”
Lee Hyun lifted the bowl with both hands.
“Thank you.”
The four drank together.
Lee Hyun swallowed a mouthful of Cheongachun Wine.
Before any sweetness, the savory fragrance of ripe Cheonga Rice and the brisk energy of Spirit Spring Water greeted his palate.
A moment later.
Fwhoosh—
A warm glow radiated from his stomach.
The medicinal properties of Cheongachun coursed through his meridians, spreading across his entire body. It felt as though the minute imbalances accumulated from taking pills over the past few days were melting away.
Only after that did a pleasant buzz rise up.
Ambient sounds faded slightly, and his body relaxed.
“As expected, spirit wine is truly something else.”
Lee Hyun set down his bowl.
Across from him, Na Gyeong-mun exhaled in deep satisfaction after draining his small cup.
“Khaaah…”
Sim Yeon-ju set her cup down too. A faint blush was already creeping onto her cheeks.
“Even though it’s just one cup, the potency is quite strong.”
“Cheongachun tastes best when you don’t force the drunkenness away and just accept it as it is. Try not to detoxify it and just enjoy the afterglow. Isn’t this what living like an immortal is all about?”
Na Gyeong-mun refilled the three small cups, then topped up Lee Hyun’s bowl with a bit more Cheongachun.
“Junior Martial Brother Lee, don’t hold back and drink up. There has to be a point to bringing such a large bowl, after all.”
“Understood.”
Lee Hyun lifted the bowl once more.
The medicinal efficacy of Cheongachun was substantial, but perhaps due to his Primordial Unity Body, it was swiftly absorbed and dispersed.
The drunkenness was the same. Even after drinking from such a massive bowl, his mood had merely lifted while his mind remained razor-sharp.
On the other hand, Na Gyeong-mun and Sim Yeon-ju’s voices grew slightly louder than usual, and Bae Gyeong-song leaned deeply back into his chair, looking thoroughly relaxed.
Sim Yeon-ju looked at Lee Hyun.
“Junior Martial Brother Lee doesn’t seem drunk at all?”
“I suppose my constitution handles alcohol well.”
As the wine made several more rounds, conversations flowed naturally about pill refining, the Scripture Pavilion, and the missions they had recently undertaken.
Bae Gyeong-song asked Lee Hyun, “Now that you’ve reached the Late Stage of Qi Refining, what do you plan to do next?”
“I intend to master pill refining in the Yang Fire Courtyard and look through more inheritances in the Scripture Pavilion whenever I have free time. There is no rush.”
After their conversation went on for quite some time, Na Gyeong-mun set down the empty liquor bottle.
“Wait.”
Sim Yeon-ju asked, “What is it?”
“I’ve discovered yet another bizarre point.”
“Again?”
Na Gyeong-mun lowered his voice.
“What is the name of our sect’s Mountain-Protecting Grand Formation?”
“It’s the Nine Peaks Rejuvenation Formation.”
“Right. Nine Peaks Rejuvenation Formation,” Na Gyeong-mun stressed each word. “‘Nine Peaks’ refers to the nine peaks. Everlasting Spring Peak, Pill Cauldron Peak, Hundred Herbs Peak, and the others. Nothing strange so far.”
Bae Gyeong-song remarked, “So you’re saying ‘Rejuvenation’ is the strange part?”
Na Gyeong-mun narrowed his eyes.
“Exactly. An aged Golden Core Grand Sect Master who never shows his face, and a Rejuvenation Formation… Doesn’t that strike you as creepy?”
Sim Yeon-ju scoffed in disbelief.
“It was called the Nine Peaks Rejuvenation Formation even when our late Golden Core Patriarchs were alive!”
Bae Gyeong-song asked cautiously, “Senior Martial Brother Na, do you believe the Grand Sect Master is trying to regain his youth through the Nine Peaks Rejuvenation Formation? If a mere Golden Core cultivator possessed the means to rejuvenate, why would Nascent Soul cultivators ever die of old age?”
“Is that so…?”
“There’s no more wine to drink, so let’s wrap this up.”
Sim Yeon-ju reached out to take the empty bottle away and clean up.
Na Gyeong-mun hurriedly snatched it back.
“Wait! I can sell that bottle for spirit stones!”
“Your head only clears up when it comes to things like this.”
Na Gyeong-mun tucked the bottle carefully into his robes.
Facing empty cups, their conversation lingered for about another shichen.
By the time the spiritual power of the Sound-Isolation Talisman ran out, the four had cleaned the table and the lounge spotlessly.
Each cast the Detoxification Formula to wipe away the lingering flush of drunkenness from their faces. Bae Gyeong-song finished organizing his herbs and headed for the Communal Alchemy Room.
Na Gyeong-mun patted Lee Hyun on the shoulder.
“Congratulations again on your breakthrough. Had I known Junior Martial Brother Lee could drink so well, I would’ve bought a bigger bottle.”
“I enjoyed it plenty.”
“Next time, when I advance to Foundation Establishment, I’ll buy an even better wine.”
“Sounds good.”
* * *
A few days later.
In an unnamed valley roughly five thousand li southwest of the Everlasting Spring Sect.
Lee Hyun extended his left hand toward a boulder as large as a house.
Wuuung—
The boulder did not budge in the slightest. Instead, the recoil of the force yanked Lee Hyun’s far lighter body toward it.
Whoosh!
Lee Hyun’s body shot forward nearly parallel to the ground.
The surrounding scenery whipped past in a blur.
Too fast…!
Lee Hyun hurriedly deployed a Spherical Qi Barrier.
The air in front compressed and slowed his momentum, but less than a zhang remained between him and the boulder.
Wung, wung, wung!
Three Spirit Light Shields unfolded between the rock and him.
Boom!
The Spirit Light Shields bent violently before bouncing Lee Hyun backward.
Flipping midair, Lee Hyun landed firmly on both feet.
Ssshk—
He rolled his left shoulder lightly.
Using the Primordial Earth Force doesn’t just pull the target; it can also pull my own body toward it.
Lee Hyun looked toward one side of the valley.
A stone statue carved into a humanoid shape stood there, holding an iron shield with both hands.
Shing—
Lee Hyun drew the Mountain-Suppressing Sword.
Thump.
As he executed the Square-Inch Step, Lee Hyun’s figure vanished.
The next instant, he appeared right in front of the stone statue.
The statue’s iron shield blocked the sword’s path.
Lee Hyun formed an anchor of Primordial Earth Force at the tip of his sword and latched onto the shield’s edge.
One side of the shield was violently yanked toward the sword’s point.
Crrrack!
Stone fractured along one of the statue’s arms, tilting the shield sideways. In that split second, a dazzling light erupted from the tip of Lee Hyun’s sword.
Flash!
The sword light skimmed past the shield’s edge and pierced the statue’s neck.
Crunch!
The statue’s head snapped backward.
Without withdrawing the blade, Lee Hyun swung it sideways in a continuous arc.
Swish!
The blade light of the Boundary-Cleaving Saber Art drew a straight line through the air.
As if chasing the sword’s tip, the tilted iron shield was drawn right into the path of the saber light.
Snikt.
The shield was cleanly sliced in two.
A moment later, the statue’s torso collapsed along a clean, diagonal cut.
Rumble—
Lee Hyun inspected the severed shield and statue.
This is surprisingly practical.
Pulling an opponent’s body by half an inch just before the blade struck, slightly twisting the angle of a defensive magical artifact, or minutely disrupting the trajectory of an incoming flying sword—each was merely a subtle interference, but that brief fraction of displacement was more than enough to open gaps for the Six Swords of the Single Ultimate and the Boundary-Cleaving Saber Art to penetrate.
Whenever Lee Hyun traveled between Tunnel No. 2 and the Everlasting Spring Sect, he sought out deserted mountains and valleys to practice the Primordial Earth Force.
In the beginning, he often pulled his own body only to crash into rocks, or objects pulled toward his sword tip flew faster than anticipated, forcing him to deploy Spirit Light Shields.
Fortunately, as failures accumulated, he was able to establish proper techniques for its application.
To use the recoil of the Primordial Earth Force for mobility, he needed a means to correct his posture and direction in midair.
Thus, Lee Hyun painstakingly mastered the Wind-Riding Formula he had found in the Scripture Pavilion.
The Wind-Riding Formula was a spell that summoned wind to move the body or alter direction mid-flight. When executed alongside the Lightness Technique, it allowed him to move almost as if flying, if only briefly.
Chaining together the Earth-Shrinking Step, Lightness Technique, Square-Inch Step, Primordial Earth Force, and Wind-Riding Formula made Lee Hyun’s movements blisteringly fast and impossible to predict.
While useful, the Wind-Riding Formula was notoriously difficult to master without a Wind Mutated spiritual root. Fortunately, just as he had done with the Breath-Holding Formula and Clear Qi Formula, Lee Hyun bypassed the elemental restriction using his Primordial Unity True Qi.
Furthermore, through researching the Wind-Riding Formula, he discovered it could be combined to some extent with the Reclining Escape Technique.
If he achieved Major Accomplishment in the Wind-Riding Formula later on, the Reclining Escape Technique might allow him to freely ride the currents of the wind, not just move through earth and water.
At this rate, won’t I end up flying before I even reach Foundation Establishment…?
Aside from that, each time he visited Tunnel No. 2, Lee Hyun researched methods to manipulate bone age using Tier 1 Bone-Tempering Powder.
Initially, the results were erratic.
Each time he measured his bone age after consuming the Bone-Tempering Powder, the results fluctuated wildly: seventy-one, sixty-four, forty-three, fifty-seven, fifty-two, forty-nine.
Yet through repeated trials, as he gradually identified which variables influenced bone age, the margin of error shrank.
* * *
Before he knew it, fifteen years had passed.
During that time, Lee Hyun’s daily routine changed little. He refined pills in the Yang Fire Courtyard and read books and jade slips in the Scripture Pavilion whenever time permitted. He accumulated only as many contribution points as needed for cultivation and research, and rarely took part in dangerous external missions.
Once every two to three months, he returned to Tunnel No. 2 to check on the spirit fields and Fluffy Bees.
Because the Primordial Unity Body demanded an immense amount of spiritual power to fill a single layer, Lee Hyun’s cultivation realm remained at the 7th layer of Qi Refining.
By contrast, Sim Yeon-ju had advanced to the 9th layer of Qi Refining, and Bae Gyeong-song had reached the 7th layer. Na Gyeong-mun was still at the 9th layer of Qi Refining.
Then came a certain day.
Dozens of disciples had gathered in front of the mission notice board in the Yang Fire Courtyard.
In the center of the board, an ominous mission was written on a large sheet of paper bordered in red:
[Harvest of Azure Wood Ridge spirit plants and Transport to Main Mountain.
Participants: 100 cultivators at the Middle Stage of Qi Refining or higher.
Four Foundation Establishment Elders will accompany.
Estimated duration: Half a month.
Detailed rewards distributed differentially according to role and cultivation realm.]
“Azure Wood Ridge…”
Lee Hyun’s gaze lingered on the notice.
Na Gyeong-mun stood beside him, his name already inscribed on the roster of participants.
Sim Yeon-ju asked, “Are you really going?”
“This mission offers double the contribution points of ordinary ones. Four Foundation Establishment Elders are accompanying us, and a hundred Qi Refining disciples are going—what is there to worry about? Count in the elders stationed at Azure Wood Ridge, and hardly any force would dare dream of approaching.”
Bae Gyeong-song stared at the mission notice in silence, his fingers tensing as they traced the scar on his chin.
Lee Hyun asked, “Still, there’s one thing I don’t understand.”
“What is it?”
“They said the previous raiders knew the harvest time and transport route for Azure Wood Ridge in advance, right?”
“They did.”
“If they had that kind of intelligence, why would they need to wait for the transport convoy?”
The eyes of the other three turned toward Lee Hyun.
“Wouldn’t it have been easier to raid Azure Wood Ridge on any other day and just harvest the aged spirit plants themselves?”
Na Gyeong-mun shook his head.
“On the contrary, that would be far more difficult. Azure Wood Ridge is protected by a Tier 2 Hojeon Defensive Formation linked to the spirit vein. If the two resident Foundation Establishment Elders and the Qi Refining disciples operate the formation, they can tie down multiple Foundation Establishment cultivators for a considerable amount of time.”
“And in the meantime, reinforcements from the main mountain would arrive,” Lee Hyun finished.
“Exactly. Attacking Azure Wood Ridge directly isn’t plundering a spirit field; it’s waging war against an entire mountain. It would be equivalent to declaring war on the Everlasting Spring Sect.”
Sim Yeon-ju added, “Harvesting spirit plants is also a delicate art. You have to preserve the roots and growing points, and some plants must be gathered at specific times when their medicinal properties peak in the leaves or fruit. If you mishandle it, a two-hundred-year-old spirit plant could become less valuable than a hundred-year-old one.”
Bae Gyeong-song spoke in a low voice. “Furthermore, the spirit fields are spread out over hundreds of mu. To harvest everything properly, they’d have to occupy Azure Wood Ridge for days. But once we finish harvesting and preserving everything, all that wealth fits into just a few storage pouches. Those bastards were just waiting for us to do all the work, packing decades of spirit plants up for them. They kill the convoy, flee immediately, and it’s easy to pass it off as a simple raid by rogue cultivators.”
“I see.”
Na Gyeong-mun said, “There really won’t be any trouble this time. We have four Foundation Establishment Elders, a hundred disciples, plus the forces already stationed at Azure Wood Ridge. The cost of mobilizing a force strong enough to defeat us would far outweigh any profit from stealing some spirit plants. If an enemy that powerful showed up, it wouldn’t be about spirit plants anymore—it would be an all-out war between sects.”
Though Na Gyeong-mun would normally be the first to suspect a hidden conspiracy, he was uncharacteristically optimistic about this mission. Having failed to obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill for over fifteen years, he was desperate to earn as many contribution points or spirit stones as he could.
“Are you coming with us, Junior Martial Brother Lee? At the 7th layer of Qi Refining, you’re more than qualified…”
“I’m not going.”
“At least pretend to think about it before you answer!”
“My apologies.”
Na Gyeong-mun clicked his tongue.
“Junior Martial Brother Lee, you’re unnervingly laid-back. A cultivator must sometimes brave danger to seize opportunity.”
Sim Yeon-ju chimed in, “Why do you keep trying to drag someone along who doesn’t want to go?”
* * *
Ten days later.
Three flying boats were moored on the wide stone terrace of the Everlasting Spring Sect’s Outer Affairs Peak.
The largest of them measured over twenty zhang in length. The tree crest of the Everlasting Spring Sect was carved into its hull, and defensive formation inscriptions lined the deck and cabins.
A hundred Qi Refining disciples boarded the three vessels.
Suspended in midair were four Foundation Establishment Elders, each shrouded in a brilliant spirit light.
As the departure time drew near, the bustling stone terrace gradually grew quiet.
Before boarding his flying boat, Na Gyeong-mun turned back to face Lee Hyun, Sim Yeon-ju, and Bae Gyeong-song.
“I’ll be back soon. I’ll bring back some good wine.”
Dooong—
Moments later, the three flying boats rose into the sky one after another.
Wuuung—
The inner and outer layers of the Nine Peaks Rejuvenation Formation opened in sequence.
Escorted by the Foundation Establishment Elders, the flying boats headed north. The colossal vessels shrank into the distance before vanishing beyond the mountain range.
* * *
That afternoon.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The alarm bell ringing from Outer Affairs Peak, amplified by the power of the formation, reverberated all the way to Pill Cauldron Peak.
Lee Hyun, who was about to refine pills in the Yang Fire Courtyard, snapped his head up.
The alarm bell?
An alarm bell resounding throughout the entire sect was a signal of an enemy invasion or a crisis of equal magnitude.
Bang!
The door to the Communal Alchemy Room flew open.
A Qi Refining disciple clad in the long robe of Outer Affairs Peak stumbled in, gasping for breath.
“Where is Peak Lord Go?!”
The disciples of the Yang Fire Courtyard turned to look at him as one.
Sim Yeon-ju asked, “What happened?”
“Rogue cultivators have swarmed the Outer Affairs Market!”
“Rogue cultivators?”
“There are over two hundred of them! Some are even from cultivator clans, and there are at least six Foundation Establishment cultivators among them.”
Catching his breath, the disciple continued.
“They’re claiming our sect sold counterfeit Vitality-Raising Pills to swindle the poor Qi Refining rogue cultivators of the Ram Kingdom, and they’re demanding compensation!”
“Counterfeit Vitality-Raising Pills?”
“Yes. They say dozens of people suffered damaged meridians or failed breakthroughs after consuming them. They’re even claiming people have died.”
“That’s absurd,” Sim Yeon-ju said, rising to her feet.
“Every Vitality-Raising Pill that leaves the Everlasting Spring Pill Pavilion undergoes Pill Inspection before it’s sold. There’s no way a defective pill, or one with unstable medicinal properties, could have slipped through.”
“Outer Affairs Peak explained that they had to be fakes, too. But…”
The disciple’s expression darkened.
“The pill bottles and Spirit-Sealing Talismans they presented all bear our sect’s official Pill Inspection Seal.”
“What?”