Chapter 4
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 4
Lee Hyun was certain he had stepped into the 1st layer of the Qi Refining Stage.
Of course, compared to the figures he had once seen clashing in the sky, he was less than a speck of dust.
Still, it didn’t matter. He was stronger today than he had been yesterday.
Even if he crossed paths with a mountain beast, he felt he would no longer have to flee in blind terror. If he took a misstep on a rugged mountain trail, he was unlikely to be badly hurt, and if a few ordinary grown men were to attack him, he was confident he could protect himself.
Above all, unlike the Ageless Body he had obtained by pure chance, this was an achievement he had earned with his own two hands—by sitting cross-legged day after day, chanting the cultivation formula, and pushing through countless failures.
A deep sense of accomplishment and satisfaction welled up from within his chest.
As he exhaled, it felt as though the turbid qi accumulated inside his body flowed out along with his breath.
Just then, a foul stench assaulted his nose.
“Ugh.”
Lee Hyun reflexively pinched his nose. He scanned the room to find the source of the awful smell but soon looked down at his own arms.
A layer of blackish-yellow grease was oozing from his skin, and the sticky grime was seeping out across his neck, back, and face as well.
Startled, Lee Hyun hastily checked his pulse, but his heart beat stronger than ever, and there was nothing wrong with his body. In fact, he felt utterly refreshed on the inside.
Only then did what he had read in the Primer on Cultivation come to mind.
It had stated that once one succeeded in Guiding Qi into the Body, the spiritual qi would cleanse the meridians, expelling a portion of the turbid qi and impurities accumulated within.
When he had merely read the words, he assumed it would amount to breaking a light sweat. He had never imagined that something akin to rotten mud would pour out from his entire body.
“What’s that smell…?”
Beside him, Wang So tossed and turned, scrunching his nose.
Realizing Wang So would wake up if he stayed any longer, Lee Hyun quietly slipped off the bed.
Whoosh.
The moment his feet touched the floor, his body shot forward.
He thought he had taken a step with his usual amount of strength, but he had nearly flown across the room. Lee Hyun hurriedly dug his toes into the floorboards to stop himself, grabbed a spare robe, and crept out of the room.
A short walk downhill from the Outer Sect quarters was a stream flowing down from the mountain. Since the sun had not yet risen, there was no one around.
When he stripped off his robe, the stench grew even more pungent. The sticky grime clung to his skin like a thin crust.
“This is a bit much…”
Wrinkling his nose, he stepped into the water.
The mountain stream was bone-chillingly cold. Yet the moment he stirred just a sliver of spiritual power from his dantian, warmth surged throughout his entire body, driving away the chill.
Lee Hyun scrubbed himself vigorously.
The grime dissolved and washed away in the water, but a single rinse was far from enough. Only after repeatedly scraping away the residue trapped beneath his fingernails and scrubbing it from his hair did his clean skin finally emerge.
Finally, Lee Hyun dunked his head beneath the surface, stood up, and let out a long breath.
His breath drifted into the dawn air as white mist.
His body felt astoundingly refreshed.
It felt as if ages of accumulated fatigue had been ripped straight from his bones and muscles. His vision was crystal clear, and he could hear the gentle burble of the stream as well as sense the rustle of beasts moving far off in the forest.
Lee Hyun looked down at his reflection in the water.
It was still an ordinary face of roughly nineteen years. However, his previously dull skin had cleared up slightly, and a sharper clarity gleamed in his eyes.
He glanced at a rock the size of a human head resting by the stream.
Normally, he would have had to bend his knees and hoist it with both hands.
Lee Hyun cautiously gripped the rock with one hand.
It lifted effortlessly.
“Oh?”
Surprised, he extended his arm upward, and the rock rose above his head. It wasn’t weightless, but he didn’t even need to grit his teeth.
When he set it down, a heavy thud sounded, leaving a deep depression in the dirt where it landed.
Next, he looked up at the steep slope beside the stream. Usually, it was an incline he would have had to scramble up using his hands.
Lee Hyun put strength into his feet.
His body soared lightly into the air.
One step, two steps.
Reaching the top of the slope in just a few bounds, he looked back down at the path he had traveled. He wasn’t out of breath in the slightest. His legs still brimmed with energy.
This is fun.
Returning to the stream, Lee Hyun submerged his discarded robe in the water and began to scrub it, only to discover something remarkable: the grime hadn’t soaked into the fabric at all. After a quick plunge and shake in the running water, he wrung it out. The robe looked good as new, and the moisture evaporated almost instantly.
As expected of a cultivation sect! Even their clothes are different.
When he returned to the room, Wang So was still fast asleep.
Lee Hyun lay down on his bed. His body wasn’t tired, but as he closed his eyes, the release of tension lulled him to sleep in no time.
* * *
That morning.
“Lee Hyun.”
“Yes.”
Wang Jin observed him for a moment before speaking.
“You succeeded in Guiding Qi into the Body at dawn.”
Subdued gasps rippled across the lecture hall.
Wang So stared at Lee Hyun, his jaw hanging open.
“The seventh, is it…? Not bad.”
Wang Jin spoke in a tone that neither praised nor dismissed him.
“Take time to adjust to your body for the time being. There was once a fool so thrilled at entering the 1st layer of Qi Refining that he kicked a wall and broke his ankle.”
A few boys stifled their laughter.
“I will keep that in mind.”
Wang So leaned in close.
“Brother, when did you succeed?”
“At dawn.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because you were sleeping.”
“You should have woken me up!”
Even after cultivation practice ended for the day, Wang So chattered incessantly.
He asked how light his body felt, whether he could smash rocks, what spiritual power felt like, and whether Lee Hyun saw any signs that Wang So himself might break through soon.
When Lee Hyun answered as best as he could, Wang So immediately climbed onto his bed and assumed the lotus position.
“I’ll break through today as well!”
“Don’t overdo it.”
“Don’t worry. I have triple spiritual roots of Earth, Metal, and Water. The exact same triple spiritual roots as you, Brother, so I’ll get there soon too!”
A few days later at dawn, Wang So finally succeeded in Guiding Qi into the Body.
Had it not been for the stench of impurities oozing from Wang So’s body, Lee Hyun might have congratulated him a bit more warmly.
Time passed swiftly.
By their fiftieth day in the sect, the number of disciples who still couldn’t sense any qi could be counted on one hand.
Following Wang Jin’s instructions, those who had already broken through to the 1st layer of Qi Refining repeatedly practiced controlling their spiritual power with the Cheongha Qi-Guiding Formula.
They gradually grew accustomed to regulating their strength. To Lee Hyun, the whole process was rather enjoyable.
On the ninetieth day since their entry into the sect.
Upon entering the lecture hall, Lee Hyun discovered that the interior layout had changed.
A folding screen had been set up on one side of the hall, behind which the three who had yet to reach the 1st layer of Qi Refining sat cross-legged under the guidance of an Outer-Sect Disciple.
Anxiety was written plain across their faces.
Although there was still some time left until the hundred-day mark, watching everyone else move on to the next stage must have been agonizing.
Wang Jin walked behind the long table set up at the front of the lecture hall.
Piles of books were stacked atop the table.
“Starting today, those who have entered the 1st layer of Qi Refining will learn the foundational cultivation arts widely used in the Outer Sect.”
A ripple of excitement stirred through the hall.
“The Cheongha Qi-Guiding Formula is a cultivation art designed solely for Guiding Qi into the Body. It is not suitable for advancing to the 2nd layer of Qi Refining and beyond.”
Wang Jin looked over the disciples.
“You must choose your cultivation art while considering your spiritual roots and the duties you will take on in the future. It is possible to switch arts before the 3rd layer of Qi Refining, but you will have to dissipate most of the spiritual power you have already built up. Do not take this lightly.”
He lifted the book on the far left.
“The Azure Wood Origin-Nourishing Art. Only those with a Wood-attribute spiritual root can cultivate it. While its speed of drawing in spiritual qi is ordinary, its nature is gentle, and injured meridians recover rapidly. It also aids in sensing the life force of spiritual herbs, making it well-suited for anyone wishing to work at Herb Field Peak.”
Lee Hyun felt a spark of interest.
His very reason for choosing Cheongha Valley in the first place had been to learn how to grow spiritual herbs.
Wang Jin picked up the next book.
“The Red Flame Formula. A Fire-attribute cultivation art. Among the arts introduced today, it boasts the fastest cultivation speed, and the explosive force of its spiritual power is potent. It provides an advantage when mastering Fire-Attribute Spells and alchemy. In return, its nature is volatile. It can easily scorch your meridians, and cultivating it for a prolonged period accumulates fire poison within your body. I do not recommend it to the impatient.”
Wang Jin picked up the third book.
“The Thick Earth Art. An Earth-attribute art. Its cultivation speed is slow, but its spiritual power is dense and stable. At the same cultivation realm, you can sustain defensive spells far longer than with other arts. It is also useful for cultivating spirit fields or learning formations.”
He then described the fourth and fifth arts. The Metal Edge Formula produced sharp, offensively powerful spiritual power, but it gnawed at the cultivator’s own meridians, requiring a constant supply of expensive medicinal herbs to nourish the body. The Profound Water Art had smooth, adaptable spiritual power that harmonized well with various spells, but prolonged cultivation caused cold qi to accumulate within the body.
Of the arts introduced so far, Lee Hyun could choose from the three that matched his attributes: Wood, Fire, and Earth.
The Azure Wood Origin-Nourishing Art was advantageous for cultivating spiritual herbs, the Red Flame Formula suited alchemy, and the Thick Earth Art excelled in spirit-field management and defense.
None of them seemed like a bad choice.
Just then, Wang Jin held up the sixth and final cultivation art.
“The last is the Primordial Unity One-Qi Art. It does not discriminate by attribute, meaning anyone possessing any kind of spiritual root can practice it. The process of absorbing the spiritual qi corresponding to one’s spiritual roots and refining it into spiritual power is exceptionally safe, so the risk of falling into qi deviation is the lowest.”
Wang Jin paused briefly.
“However, its cultivation speed is the slowest.”
Disappointment flickered across faces throughout the hall.
“Yet the reason we teach this art to disciples is that it offers substantial advantages. The spiritual power refined through this art is called Primordial Unity True Qi. Because it can be freely transformed during release, you can cast spells that do not match the attributes of your spiritual roots. While their power is somewhat diminished, this trait is immensely useful. Why do you suppose that is?”
Wang Jin looked around at the disciples for a moment before speaking.
“Because we often need to use spells of various attributes. To give a clear example, just how many spells do you think a spirit plant farmer must use when working in our Cheongha Valley?”
Wang Jin pointed at Wang So.
“You. Answer.”
Singled out without warning, Wang So’s eyes widened.
“The spells a spirit plant farmer uses?”
“Yes.”
Wang So pondered for a moment, then began folding his fingers one by one.
“A spell to water the spiritual herbs… and one to make the soil fertile, isn’t that about it?”
Wang Jin’s eyebrow arched slightly.
“You think that’s enough? Spirit plants are not weeds that grow on their own just because you plant them in a field and splash some water.”
He raised his hand and formed a subtle seal in the air.
Above his palm, a wisp of pale cloud drifted up, drizzling a few fine drops of rain.
“First, there is the Spiritual Rain Spell. A Water-attribute spell that conjures a small cloud using spiritual power to pour rain imbued with spiritual qi. It is universally required for cultivating most spiritual herbs.”
As the cloud dispersed, a yellowish light blossomed from Wang Jin’s fingertips this time.
A mound of earth resting in the corner of the hall turned over on its own, softening and loosening. Only the tiny grass roots and stone fragments mingled within were pushed outward.
“The Earth-attribute Soil-Turning Spell. It is a quintessential spell used to till hardened earth, sift out stones and weed roots, and allow the spirit field’s soil to embrace spiritual qi evenly.”
Wang Jin flicked his finger.
A slender silver needle sliced through the air.
The needle pierced a flying insect perched on one of the hall’s pillars, then vanished without leaving so much as a scratch on the wood.
“This is the Metal-attribute Yang Metal Formula. A spell designed to kill spirit insects without damaging the leaves or stems of spiritual herbs. Naturally, spirit insects are difficult to eradicate with Fire-Attribute Spells, as casting such magic usually ends up incinerating the herbs along with the pests. Thus, this spell is a fundamental requirement for spirit plant farmers—though if your control is clumsy, you will turn the spiritual herbs into a honeycomb before you ever hit an insect.”
A few boys unconsciously turned to glance at the pillar.
“There is also the Wood-attribute Sprouting Spell, which infuses life force into seeds to promote germination.”
Wang Jin lowered his hand.
“Everything I just mentioned is merely the basic repertoire of spells a spirit plant farmer must learn. Even so, it already spans four attributes: Water, Earth, Metal, and Wood.”
One boy raised his hand.
“Then couldn’t we simply assign different spirit plant farmers for each attribute? One person to make rain, another to till the earth, and so on.”
“That is indeed an option,” Wang Jin readily conceded. “If this were a great sect overflowing with cultivators, where multiple dedicated spirit plant farmers could be assigned to a single spirit field, you could certainly do that.”
A tinge of bitterness seeped into his voice.
“However, our Cheongha Valley is composed entirely of cultivators at or below the Foundation Establishment Stage, save for a single Golden Core Ancestor. Furthermore, because the quality of our spirit fields is low, we must cultivate herbs across vast tracts of land. There is a mountain of work to manage, yet our manpower and resources are strictly limited. If you had to call a cultivator trained in the Spiritual Rain Spell every time the herbs needed watering, call another who knows the Soil-Turning Spell every time weeds had to be pulled, and hunt down someone adept with the Yang Metal Formula whenever spirit insects appeared, do you have any idea how tedious and impractical managing each spirit field would be?”
Wang Jin clearly hoped the disciples would choose the Primordial Unity One-Qi Art. Yet having heard that its cultivation speed was the slowest, the disciples’ reactions remained lukewarm.
Lee Hyun shifted his gaze toward the Primordial Unity One-Qi Art.
Wait… isn’t it perfectly fine if my cultivation speed is slow?