Chapter 47
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 47
Three days after applying for deployment as a State-Resident Cultivator to the Anreung Kingdom, Lee Hyun received his final selection notice from the Outer Affairs Courtyard.
The term of deployment was twenty years.
He had one month until his departure.
Is there anything I should prepare?
After a moment of thought, Lee Hyun realized he was missing a certain type of magical artifact.
“I’ll need a flying artifact.”
Until now, Lee Hyun had never given flying artifacts much thought. His Reclining Escape Technique was faster than most low- or mid-grade flying artifacts anyway. Besides, taking to the skies made one an obvious target from afar, so the ever-cautious Lee Hyun had never bothered to buy one.
However, his circumstances would be different as a State-Resident Cultivator. Popping out of the ground or sprinting everywhere on foot hardly projected the dignity required when visiting the royal court or local cultivator clans. There would also be times when he might need to transport children with spiritual roots or convey the wounded.
Might as well buy one.
* * *
The Artifact Courtyard of the Crimson Sky Mountains.
This was where Crimson Sky Sect disciples purchased various magical artifacts that had been vetted by the sect.
When Lee Hyun presented his outer-sect disciple identity token, the managing disciple asked, “What are you looking for?”
“I wish to purchase a flying artifact.”
“Is it for your personal use?”
“I’d prefer something that can carry about five to ten people.”
The managing disciple guided Lee Hyun to the section where flying artifacts were displayed.
Arranged on wooden shelves and stone pedestals were artifacts shaped like small leaves, jade tablets, boats, and birds.
The managing disciple picked up a palm-sized blue leaf.
“The Wind-Riding Leaf is an affordable and easy-to-control low-grade flying artifact. However, its speed drops if more than three people are on it, and its formation inscriptions tend to overheat during extended use.”
“Please show me something of higher quality.”
“Then how about this?”
The disciple opened a wooden box, revealing a round disk crafted from white jade. It was about the size of two palms joined together, its edge seamlessly inlaid with silver formation inscriptions resembling clouds and wind.
“This is the Flowing Cloud Disk. It’s considered quite fine, even among mid-grade magical artifacts.”
Placing the Flowing Cloud Disk on a demonstration plate, the disciple channeled spiritual power into it.
Wuuuung—
The white jade disk expanded rapidly.
Moments later, an elliptical flying artifact roughly three jang long hovered in midair. Recesses were carved into its surface to seat eight passengers in addition to the pilot, and a translucent barrier formed along its perimeter.
“It comfortably seats up to nine adults, including the pilot. It travels about twice as fast as the Wind-Riding Leaf, and thanks to its wind-shielding formation, you’ll hardly feel any wind, even at high altitudes.”
“Does it have any defensive capabilities?”
“The barrier from the wind-shielding formation is more than enough to deflect crossbow bolts used in mortal kingdoms. However, it has no defensive formation to ward off cultivators’ spells.”
Lee Hyun stepped onto the Flowing Cloud Disk.
The artifact beneath his feet barely wobbled. When he infused a wisp of spiritual power, it glided smoothly forward, backward, left, and right according to his thoughts.
“How far can it travel in a day?”
“Assuming the operator has sufficient spiritual power, it can cover about five thousand li. However, carrying a full load of passengers all day would strain even a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator.”
It’s a bit slower than me running on foot, but… it’ll do.
“How much is it?”
“This is considerably pricier than the low-grade artifact. It costs 190 low-grade spirit stones.”
“I’ll take it.”
Lee Hyun paid the price and stored the Flowing Cloud Disk in his storage pouch.
* * *
One month later.
A high-grade flying boat rested on a broad stone platform on the outskirts of the Crimson Sky Mountains. Three late-stage Qi Refining outer-sect disciples, including Lee Hyun, were scheduled to board it, bound for the Immortal Service Courtyard in the Anreung Kingdom.
The flying boat was the public property of the Crimson Sky Sect. Inscribed with formation runes far more intricate than those on personal artifacts, it could fly using spirit stones alone and was equipped with a defensive formation capable of blocking basic spells.
Lee Hyun exchanged brief farewells with the companions he had spent time with in the Outer Alchemy Courtyard.
Yeo Mun-deok spoke first. “Fellow Daoist Lee, you make some baffling choices. Voluntarily heading to such a dangerous place…”
Mun So-ha chimed in. “I’m sorry, I haven’t found any unusual seeds yet. But there should be old merchant companies and small markets in the Anreung Kingdom, too, so don’t forget to look around.”
Dang Yeon-bi handed him a map of the Anreung Kingdom used by her clan’s merchant company. “It marks the routes used by merchants in a bit more detail than ordinary maps. It’s an old map, though, so it’s best not to trust the information near the border.”
“Thank you.”
The flying boat lifted off the stone platform. Piercing through the clouds, it left the peaks of the Crimson Sky Mountains behind and set a course for the northwest.
* * *
Ten days later.
The royal capital of the Anreung Kingdom.
Beyond the towering city walls, straight avenues and densely packed tile-roofed buildings stretched across the landscape.
Deep within the royal palace, a low hill was shrouded in a thin mist. When the flying boat descended from the sky and halted before the mist, cultivators emerged from within.
“The reinforcement disciples from the Crimson Sky Sect have arrived.”
A path opened through the mist.
The flying boat touched down halfway up the hill. Before them stood a grand pavilion, its plaque bearing three characters: Immortal Service Courtyard.
Waiting below were cultivators in the robes of the Crimson Sky Sect and the Azure Gauze Sect, alongside officials in the attire of the Anreung royal court.
Lee Hyun’s eyes shifted slightly as he recognized the Crimson Sky Sect disciple standing at the very front.
He was a middle-aged cultivator with slightly drooping eyes and the stable aura of the Great Perfection of Qi Refining.
White Owl.
It was the same face he had seen thirteen years ago in front of the Outer Affairs Courtyard. Back then, the man had just returned from the Anreung Kingdom’s Immortal Service Courtyard to hand over the tribute ledgers.
Yet here he was, back in the Anreung Kingdom.
Is being a State-Resident Cultivator really that appealing?
The middle-aged cultivator inspected the new disciples’ identity tokens.
“I am Jang Gyeong-ik. I oversee our sect’s affairs here in the Anreung Kingdom.”
The new State-Resident Cultivators, including Lee Hyun, clasped their hands respectfully.
“Greetings, Senior Martial Brother Jang.”
Jang Gyeong-ik’s gaze settled on Lee Hyun. “Fellow Daoist Lee Dong-sam is at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining…”
“I am.”
“Since we’re in the same realm, there’s no need to be so formal. Frankly, what does seniority matter? It’s not like we share a master, and among the countless outer-sect disciples of the Crimson Sky Sect, we’re essentially strangers.”
“It’s fine. I’m more comfortable this way.”
Jang Gyeong-ik nodded, seemingly pleased. “Then let me show you to your quarters.”
Eighteen disciples from the Crimson Sky Sect and the Azure Gauze Sect resided in the Anreung Kingdom’s Immortal Service Courtyard. Most were in the middle and late stages of Qi Refining, with four—including Jang Gyeong-ik and Lee Hyun—having reached the Great Perfection.
Nearby stood a separate pavilion where rogue cultivators and martial artists employed by the royal court stayed. The Tier 2 defensive grand formation encasing the hill was connected to a faint spirit vein; activating it required not only drawing upon the vein but also using the mid-grade spirit stones stored in the Immortal Service Courtyard.
Lee Hyun was assigned quarters in the wing used by Crimson Sky Sect disciples.
Jang Gyeong-ik showed him through his living quarters, the pill storehouse, and the alchemy room.
“Since you’re an alchemist, you may use this place as you see fit. The rules of the Immortal Service Courtyard are simple: when dealing with the royal court and cultivator clans, just look at things from the perspective of the Crimson Sky Sect.”
“Understood.”
“Keep an eye out to ensure unauthorized rogue cultivators don’t meddle in royal affairs. If a dispute arises, get the facts first. Suppressing them by force is easy, but you have to consider the fallout.”
“By the way, have you been in the Anreung Kingdom for long, Senior Martial Brother Jang?”
“I returned to the sect for a time, but if you add it all up, it’s been over fifty years…”
“Why have you served here for so long?”
“For a Foundation Establishment Pill, of course. To be honest, I already received one when I returned to the sect in the past.” He added calmly, “But I failed to achieve Foundation Establishment. That’s why I’m still serving as a State-Resident Cultivator—to raise my priority for another pill.”
“…I see.”
“Fortunately, my body wasn’t completely ruined, though it took several years to recover. At any rate, if I want a second Foundation Establishment Pill, I have to contribute even more diligently.”
* * *
One month later.
Having adapted to his duties, Lee Hyun slipped out of the Anreung capital. He made his way to a quiet valley and melted into the ground.
Sss.
Three li underground.
Ten li underground.
Eighteen li underground.
He sped toward the northwest.
[Tunnel No. 3]
“It really is close.”
Traveling from the Crimson Sky Sect had taken nine days, but from the Immortal Service Courtyard in Anreung’s capital, he could get here in under two.
Lee Hyun first inspected the water tanks, irrigation facilities, and spirit fields. The Spirit-Accumulating Ginseng, Bone-Corroding Flowers, and Yin Soul Grass were all growing well. The oldest batch of Spirit-Accumulating Ginseng had reached a medicinal age of 279 years, while the Bone-Corroding Flowers, Purple Poison Orchids, Yin Soul Grass, and Earth Vein Flowers in spirit field No. 1-1 averaged 448 years.
Once they reach five hundred years, won’t they be considered Tier 3 spirit plants? What would their market value be? I can’t even begin to imagine how much wealth I’m sitting on.
Spirit field No. 3-1 was still empty. The spot where he had buried the seed of the Ringless Divine Tree remained tranquil.
Lee Hyun probed beneath the soil with his divine sense. The seed still held a spark of life.
Chirp! Chirp-chirp!
Golden Fluffy Bees flew over, circling his head and shoulders.
“I’ll be able to visit more often now.”
Buzzzz—
As if they understood, the little creatures fluttered about with even greater energy.
* * *
Half a month later.
Hoeam Market, Hundred Wares Shop.
Inside the underground stone chamber, Black Crow, Gray Mountain Goat, Mole, Blue Snake, and White Owl sat distanced from one another.
It was the first Central Gathering in eighteen years.
Tap.
The stone floor rippled like water, and a cultivator draped in a purple robe slowly emerged. His face was concealed by a Badger Mask.
The five figures rose from their seats.
“Greetings, Society Leader.”
Jang Gyeong-ik, who nonchalantly led the Crimson Sky Sect’s cultivators back at the Immortal Service Courtyard, now wore a White Owl mask and bowed with deep respect.
Lee Hyun revealed no emotion.
“Be seated.”
The members took their seats.
First, Black Crow reported on the Twin Heavens Society’s finances and contact points. “Though they are used less than before, our strongholds are operating without issue. While the Central Gatherings were suspended, we accepted no new members and only permitted existing members to use the vein cultivation seats.”
Gray Mountain Goat reported on the status of the vein cultivation seats in the Earth Kingdom. “There are no major changes. However, in recent years, the patrol perimeters of the Crimson Sky Sect and Azure Gauze Sect have been expanding little by little.”
Mole briefly reported that there were no anomalies with the vein cultivation seats under his charge.
Blue Snake explained the situation in the Heavenly Yang Kingdom. “No further movements by the Black Sun Bureau specifically targeting the Twin Heavens Society have been detected.”
Finally, White Owl spoke. “Recently, the Crimson Sky Sect and Azure Gauze Sect dispatched additional disciples to the Immortal Service Courtyard in the Anreung Kingdom. For the time being, it seems safer to limit travel in and out of the capital and nearby markets.”
Though it was their first gathering in a long time, the reports concluded quickly, as Lee Hyun had assigned no special tasks in the interim.
“What of Yellow Field Mouse?”
“He passed away of old age. No secrets of the Twin Heavens Society were leaked in the process.”
“I see…”
The years spent running the Twin Heavens Society were long, and the fate of members who failed to break through to Foundation Establishment was always the same. It was a familiar story to Lee Hyun.
“The Central Gatherings will now resume. However, we will not hold them frequently. Until you receive new orders, maintain only your assigned duties.”
The five bowed.
“We will keep that in mind.”
* * *
Three months later.
A spacious martial training ground south of the Anreung royal palace.
Clang! Claaang!
The crisp ring of clashing metal echoed in rapid succession.
Two martial artists wielding long spears darted back and forth across the center of the training ground.
One was a burly man who appeared to be around sixty. His long beard was half-gray, and the spear in his hands was two cheok longer than a man’s height.
The other was a lean man in his forties. Gripping his spear shaft short, he pressed into his opponent’s guard.
Both men were martial arts grandmasters who had attained the Profound Realm. Each time their feet struck the ground, the solid stone flagstones rumbled with a low thud.
Boom!
The two spears collided.
Qi erupting from the tip of the burly man’s spear sliced through his opponent’s hem. The lean man twisted his torso to parry the shaft, then spun low, grazing the flagstones as he targeted the legs.
Whoosh!
The burly man planted his spear upright to block the strike.
The two backed away almost simultaneously.
“Let us stop here.”
“Very well.”
Over a dozen martial artists of the Transformation Realm watching from the periphery shouted in unison, “Thank you for the wonderful instruction!”
A few State-Resident Cultivators from the Immortal Service Courtyard sat off to one side, observing the sparring match: Jang Gyeong-ik and Lee Hyun from the Crimson Sky Sect, along with So Bul-ui, a 9th-layer Qi Refining cultivator, and Im Yak-ran, an 8th-layer female cultivator, from the Azure Gauze Sect.
Lee Hyun watched the two men in the middle of the training ground with genuine interest.
The burly man was Yuk Gyeong-cheon, Commander of the Anreung Royal Guard, while the lean man was Wan Cheong-jo, the royal martial arts instructor.
Ever since they began sharing a border with the Heavenly Yang Kingdom, the Anreung royal house had exerted great effort to elevate the prowess of its martial artists. Royal martial arts had gradually incorporated techniques designed to counter Insect-Bonded Warriors and cultivators.
Yuk Gyeong-cheon took a sip of water and approached Lee Hyun.
“Immortal Lee, do you know the spear?”
“A little.”
“I ask because you were watching our spar with an unusual intensity.” Yuk Gyeong-cheon glanced toward Lee Hyun’s storage pouch. “If it wouldn’t be an imposition, would you care to exchange some martial insights with us, without using magical artifacts?”
Jang Gyeong-ik chimed in. “Commander Yuk, Junior Martial Brother Lee is an alchemist.”
“I am aware. I’m not suggesting a full-powered contest.” Yuk Gyeong-cheon clasped his hands politely. “I merely wish to exchange pointers on the martial way.”
Jang Gyeong-ik turned to Lee Hyun. “If you don’t want to, you can refuse, Junior Martial Brother.”
“It’s fine.” Lee Hyun rose to his feet. “I was also curious about martial arts.”
Delight surfaced on Yuk Gyeong-cheon’s face. “Thank you.”
A royal martial artist brought over an iron spear just over a jang in length from a weapon rack at the edge of the training ground.
“This is a practice spear.”
Taking the spear, Lee Hyun swung it lightly a few times.
Whoosh. Whuff.
The center of gravity was biased slightly toward the front, designed to add weight to thrusts and downward strikes—a weapon tailored for royal warriors fighting in armor.
Lee Hyun held the spear upright with one hand, then readjusted to a two-handed grip.
Yuk Gyeong-cheon also took up his spear and stood in the center of the training ground.
“Then, I ask for your guidance.”
Yuk Gyeong-cheon’s aura shifted.
Hooo—
With his breath, the air grew heavy. The spearhead leveled directly at Lee Hyun’s chest.
Lee Hyun’s stance, by contrast, appeared somewhat clumsy. His lead hand was far too loose, the butt of the spear drooped low enough to brush the ground, and his weight leaned slightly to one side.
A few young Transformation Realm warriors exchanged glances.
“That doesn’t look like the stance of someone who’s practiced the spear for long…”
“The Immortal has probably only ever trained in spells.”
Yet Wan Cheong-jo, the grandmaster second only to Yuk Gyeong-cheon in the Anreung Kingdom, studied Lee Hyun’s hands and feet, his expression turning solemn.
Yuk Gyeong-cheon made the first move.
Thud!
The moment the commander’s toes pushed off the ground, a silver-white flash ripped through the air toward Lee Hyun.
He raised his spear half a beat late.
Clang!
Sparks flew with an ear-splitting screech. Lee Hyun’s lead hand was forced back, sending his spearhead wobbling wide.
Light flashed in Yuk Gyeong-cheon’s eyes. Twisting his hips, his spear carved an arc, boring in toward Lee Hyun’s flank.
Lee Hyun stepped back awkwardly, checking the strike with his shaft.
Clack!
Once again, he was pushed back.
Disappointment colored the faces of the young warriors.
Yet Yuk Gyeong-cheon knitted his brows, and Wan Cheong-jo’s gaze sharpened even further.
Something is strange.
Immortal Lee Dong-sam was clearly half a beat late every single time. And yet, the tip of Yuk Gyeong-cheon’s spear failed to graze even a thread of his robes.
The third strike.
The fourth.
The fifth.
Cl-cl-clang!
Thrusts, slashes, and cleaves layered over one another in the span of a single breath. The silver-white spearhead left afterimages in its wake, relentlessly hounding every part of Lee Hyun’s body.
Swish!
The spearhead split into multiple trajectories, simultaneously targeting Lee Hyun’s neck, chest, and dantian.
The instant the shrieking tear of cleaved air deafened the ears, Lee Hyun tilted his spear shaft at a subtle angle.
Clang-clang-clang!
Three distinct metallic impacts converged into a single, seamless burst of thunder.
Once again, Lee Hyun was pushed back a step.
Yet Yuk Gyeong-cheon’s brow furrowed even deeper.
Why is he in the exact same spot?
Without question, Yuk Gyeong-cheon had been driving his opponent backward with ferocious momentum. And yet, every single time Immortal Lee Dong-sam yielded ground, he somehow drifted right back to the exact footprints he had stood upon moments before. Before he even realized it, Yuk Gyeong-cheon was the only one running circles around the man, locked in a tight, dizzying radius.
Yuk Gyeong-cheon shifted his spearmanship in a heartbeat. The spearhead, initially thrusting straight ahead with lethal speed, plummeted abruptly downward.
Crash!
The iron spear violently lashed the stone flagstones at an angle, targeting the space right beneath Lee Hyun’s feet. As jagged fragments of shattered rock erupted into the air, Yuk Gyeong-cheon harnessed the violent recoil, snapping his waist and shoulders in one fluid motion.
Screeech—!
Bouncing upward off the stone, the iron spear traced a sweeping, massive arc through the air, plunging directly toward Lee Hyun’s head with force heavy enough to cleave a mountain boulder in two.
Lee Hyun’s lead hand loosened once more. To an onlooker, it appeared as though the shaft was carelessly slipping from his trembling grip.
Yuk Gyeong-cheon’s eyes flashed with predatory instinct. He adjusted the downward strike mid-descent, angling to bat aside the loose shaft sliding out of Lee Hyun’s grasp and drive his spearhead straight into the immortal’s exposed shoulder.
It happened at that exact, razor-thin juncture.
Tap. Creeeak—
Like two entwining serpents slithering across one another, the iron spear shafts locked together.
The instant Yuk Gyeong-cheon unleashed his terrifying brute strength through the shaft, that very force was warped into nothingness. The colossal momentum slid harmlessly down the length of Lee Hyun’s spear and diverted sideways, completely dispersed as if being swallowed whole by an empty abyss.
What in the world is this…?!
As Yuk Gyeong-cheon lurched forward, violently thrown off-balance by his own deflected momentum, Lee Hyun took a single step on an unexpected half-beat.
Yuk Gyeong-cheon instinctively scrambled to pull back his frame.
Yet before he could retreat an inch, the blunt tail of Lee Hyun’s spear shaft tapped the nape of his neck.
Tap.
The violent gale howling across the training grounds vanished in an instant, choking off into total silence.
Yuk Gyeong-cheon froze, paralyzed where he stood.
Lee Hyun casually withdrew his weapon, setting the butt against the ground. “That was fine spearmanship.”
Yuk Gyeong-cheon slowly reached up, his fingers lightly grazing the skin at the back of his neck where the spear had made contact. “What technique was that? I… I could not comprehend it at all.”
“Haha. I suppose I was merely lucky.”
Yuk Gyeong-cheon lowered his gaze, his breathing ragged as he looked down at the physical traces carved into the stone beneath them.
The flagstones across the center of the training ground were utterly mutilated, gouged and fractured in countless places. Tracing a frantic, suffocating circle, more than a hundred of his own ferocious, violent footprints overlapped one another in deep indentations.
And right in the center of that devastating carnage, the footprints left serenely behind by Immortal Lee Dong-sam were—
Merely four.
Yuk Gyeong-cheon shuddered violently, feeling as though a bolt of lightning had blasted straight through his skull.
Against me, the foremost martial arts grandmaster of the entire Anreung Kingdom… he fought while stepping on a mere four spots?
Just then, Wan Cheong-jo, who had been observing the duel from the edge of the training grounds in stony silence, stepped forward with an intensely grave expression.
“Immortal Lee.” Wan Cheong-jo clasped his hands in a formal martial salute. “May I also request a bout of your esteemed guidance?”
Lee Hyun glanced down at the weapon Wan Cheong-jo carried. It was noticeably shorter than the grand spear Yuk Gyeong-cheon favored, designed for swift, close-quarters lethality.
“Very well.”
Before the air could settle, Yuk Gyeong-cheon snapped out of his daze and cut in, utterly refusing to be cast aside. “Wait! Immortal, our sparring match is not yet over, is it?”
Frantically readjusting his white-knuckled grip on his spear, Yuk Gyeong-cheon leaned forward, his eyes burning with frantic desperation.
“Please, grant me one more chance! May I go all out this time?”
