Chapter 10
Translator: penny
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Arms Aren't the Problem (4)
"A secret cave?"
Do Mun-hyang's eyes widened in surprise at my words.
"Yeah. A secret cave."
"How?"
"I found it while wandering around looking for new water to use for spirit liquor."
I glossed over how I'd actually discovered the secret cave. Truth be told, Mun Yoo had stumbled on it while searching for a good spot to commit misdeeds and rack up karmic force... but it was better to say I'd found it while hunting for brewing water.
I'd only seen the entrance and hadn't gone inside, but considering the dangers of a secret cave, I mentioned needing help. Do Mun-hyang nodded with a smile.
"Sounds great! I'll help! I hope we find something good in there."
"Yeah. It'd be nice if something you need turns up too, Hyang-ah. It'd be unfair to you if you're just helping me out."
"It's fine! Master has given me plenty already. Oh, your cultivation has been rough lately, right?"
"Yeah."
I answered Do Mun-hyang's question honestly. She could tell just by glancing that my progress hadn't improved much from a year ago, so hiding it would be pointless.
"I'll get you a few more Vessel Completion Pills."
"Whoa, no, that's okay!"
I tried to stop her in surprise, but Do Mun-hyang just shook her head, insisting it was no big deal.
"I want you to catch up and become a direct disciple like me soon, Senior Brother. So let me help."
"......Something happen?"
Do Mun-hyang's face fell a little at my question.
"Mun Yoo......"
I was startled that Do Mun-hyang called him Mun Yoo instead of Yoo Senior Brother. What had happened to make her like this?
"Mun Yoo's changed a lot."
"Changed?"
"Yeah. He's... scary now. Rough and violent... just like the stories I heard about you before, Senior Yoo."
"......"
"He used to approach people in trouble and help them, but lately... when he sees someone like that, he just gets even harsher and makes things harder for them. Why do you think that is?"
"No idea. Why's he acting like that?"
Mun Yoo, what the hell's wrong with you?
Lately, Mun Yoo wasn't happy with the situation around him.
Becoming Geum So-ryeo's direct disciple after quickly accumulating karmic force was great, but now everywhere he went, people's gazes followed him, making it harder to build up more karmic force.
As accumulating karmic force grew difficult, his growth slowed. The moment he hit Foundation Establishment Realm 1st layer, stagnation set in, and the looks from those around him subtly shifted.
Just as the stares and reactions had slowly eroded Do Mun-hyang's Dao heart while she was stuck at Foundation Establishment 1st layer, Mun Yoo was crumbling even faster.
Unable to gather karmic force, Mun Yoo tried building meritorious force instead, but every time he approached someone in need, things inevitably soured into arguments and curses.
Through these constant clashes, Mun Yoo grew distant from everyone, and bad rumors about him began to spread.
The one stroke of luck for him was that Geum So-ryeo didn't care about a disciple's personality as long as they had talent.
But Mun Yoo couldn't ignore her scrutiny.
Hitting a wall right after Foundation Establishment 1st layer, he had no idea how long her favor would last.
So he had to prove his talent even more.
Damn it. No ordinary passersby around? Thanks to that last guy, I reached Foundation Establishment. One more, and I might hit 2nd layer.
Mun Yoo recalled the recent incident of an ordinary person who knew nothing of the cultivation world stumbling into High Heaven Sect by chance.
Mun Yoo didn't know it, but that ordinary person, after being saved by him and learning about the cultivation world, had his spiritual root discovered and become an outer disciple of High Heaven Sect.
With astonishing talent as a pill refiner, he'd risen to inner disciple in just two years, then met Mun Yoo again and repaid the one who'd led him into cultivation with unwavering support.
But.
That was only if Mun Yoo had saved him and brought him to High Heaven Sect.
At least in this life, that wouldn't happen.
Unaware of how he'd altered the future, Mun Yoo anxiously practiced his spells.
On his way back from the market with a new spell manual, he overheard Sea Severing Peak disciples whispering.
"No way, really? Do Mun-hyang? Why would she?"
"Who knows. Why buy three Vessel Completion Pills now? They're useless for Foundation Establishment."
"Bet her cultivation dropped back to Refining Qi. Heh."
Disciples who disliked Do Mun-hyang, they mocked her for hoarding pills worthless to Foundation Establishment cultivators as they chatted.
Mun Yoo glared at them and unleashed the karmic force within him.
"Eek?!"
"Ugh...!"
The three women suddenly broke out in chills, looking around until they spotted Mun Yoo staring them down. They fled in terror.
"Hiiik! It's Senior Brother Mun!"
"Ugh, gave me the creeps."
"Heart demon possession? How's his face even like that?"
Mun Yoo muttered under his breath as the three ran off cursing him.
"Filthy bugs."
After spitting his curse, Mun Yoo thought of Do Mun-hyang buying Vessel Completion Pills and turned back to his spell practice.
"Huh."
Then he noticed his hand gripping his drawn sword and dropped it in shock.
When did I draw my sword? Damn it. It's those rude bugs. Weirdos messing with my head.
Mun Yoo ground his teeth recalling the three women.
Naturally, his hand reached for the sword on the ground. Realizing his own movements, he clenched his jaw, snatched it up, and slammed it back into its sheath.
"Hoo...! Hoo...!"
Mun Yoo suppressed his boiling rage and headed back to his quarters to spend time stabilizing his Dao heart through cultivation.
Thanks to the Vessel Completion Pills Do Mun-hyang gathered, I'd steadily consumed them over the past month, detoxifying the pill poison and reaching Refining Qi 10th layer—Refining Qi perfection.
Ideally, I'd cultivate both my dragon spiritual root and river spiritual root together, but if Do Mun-hyang found out I had two, who knows what might happen. So I hid the river spiritual root and advanced solely with the dragon spiritual root.
I didn't think Do Mun-hyang would harm me... but some high realm cultivator might overhear through her and target me for my dual roots.
"Too bad we couldn't break through to Foundation Establishment."
Do Mun-hyang and I chatted as we sneaked toward the secret cave, avoiding prying eyes.
"Can't be helped. Not everything goes your way in life."
"Still though..."
The place we were heading was a secret cave—a hidden space within another space.
These secret caves or secret realms were mostly created and abandoned by powerful high realm cultivators or major forces. Since their makers could freely create new spaces within space, they often contained rare fortuitous encounters unavailable elsewhere.
There might be long-extinct spirit herbs or spirit beasts, dharma treasures from space-manipulating cultivators, or unique techniques and spells they'd left behind.
Hard to say which was better—secret caves or secret realms.
Secret caves were small, allowing discreet entry and solo monopolization of rewards.
Harvests were modest, but since creators often made them for closed-door cultivation, the chances of finding cultivation aids were high.
Secret realms burst open massively once formations were broken, impossible to hide, drawing in hordes of cultivators from all sides.
Vaster scale meant bigger hauls, but you had to compete with desperate cultivators, raising the risk of death.
"I thought High Heaven Sect, with over ten thousand years of history, would've found all the secret caves by now."
I nodded in agreement at Do Mun-hyang's amazed words.
I sympathized outwardly, but inwardly, I thought differently.
Of course it hasn't been found. The creator was Geum Yang-pyeong.
This secret cave was built by Geum Yang-pyeong to break through to Soul Harmony Realm. He succeeded, reaching Merging Realm, and founded his sect there.
That sect was High Heaven Sect. After Geum Yang-pyeong ascended, no great talents emerged, leading to gradual decline—which explained why his secret cave remained undiscovered.
Later, Geum So-ryeo finds another secret cave that reacts only to bloodline and gains a fortuitous encounter before ascending... but that's one I can't reach anyway.
Following the novel's description, I reached the riverbank with cascading waterfall. As I headed behind it, Do Mun-hyang gestured, halting the flow.
"Behind the waterfall?"
"Uh? Yeah. ...Impressive."
"What? Heh heh heh."
As I marveled at the frozen waterfall, Do Mun-hyang giggled cutely and waved it off.
With her help, finding the spatial rift was a breeze.
Ages had weakened the formation, exposing the rift. I prodded it with spiritual energy, and the stimulated formation crumbled instantly, revealing the secret cave entrance.
"Hyang-ah, let's go."
"Okay!"
We entered, and as Do Mun-hyang released her spell, the waterfall roared back, concealing the entrance.
Inside, a vast space soon greeted us.
A simple secret cave made by Geum Yang-pyeong for his breakthrough, it hadn't withstood time's ravages—all traps and formations protecting against intruders had long broken.
"Guess the senior who made this wasn't that skilled. Nothing's intact."
I nearly burst out laughing at Do Mun-hyang's words but swallowed it and surveyed the cave.
"Still, this place is nice. Filled with pure water spiritual energy—perfect for my cultivation."
"Yeah. But stay alert, just in case."
The real danger of this secret cave was about to emerge.
Pretending to explore with Do Mun-hyang, I approached where Mun Yoo had found the dharma treasure and reached for what looked like a pile of trash.
At that moment, the dharma treasure—which had lain dormant until we entered—erupted into frenzy.