Chapter 31
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 31
Act 5. Cheolyang Lightning Sect
“Initiate Disciples Ise and Seol Ryeong reporting back upon mission completion.”
“Good work.”
The Foundation Establishment cultivator guarding the office replied casually, as if he had already received word.
After verifying the Demonic Path Cultivation Manual and the Demon Ghost Sealing Scroll that Ise handed over, he asked, “Will you be turning in the corpse of the sealed demon ghost to the sect?”
“Do we have other options?”
“You can keep it for yourselves if you wish. But if you turn it over to the Main Mountain, you will be compensated with spirit stones corresponding to its value.”
“May I ask what the Main Mountain does with demon ghost corpses?”
“They dispose of them or use them as research material.”
Even if a cultivator handled it personally, the options would be similar: use it for personal research or sell it directly for spirit stones. In essence, the Great Martial Dao’s Main Mountain acted as an intermediary for individual cultivators.
“We will turn it in.”
“The corpse’s value will be assessed based on the demon ghost’s danger rating.”
“Understood.”
“The Demonic Path Cultivation Manual and the grotto-heaven you reported will be managed by the Main Mountain. Once their value is verified, additional compensation and contribution points will be awarded. If you wish, priority rights to the grotto-heaven may be granted to you two. Keep that in mind.”
“Yes. We will keep that in mind.”
The cultivator handed over twenty-four spirit stones, which Ise and Seol Ryeong split evenly, taking twelve each.
Returning to his private quarters, Ise secured the spirit stones and Dharma artifacts in his safe, then went straight to his personal training room to reflect on the recent battle.
He analyzed what went well and what went wrong. He searched for any misjudgments at any step, from the moment he chose the mission to its completion.
‘My biggest regret was when I was struck by that Fire Attribute Dharma spell.’
He had been well within arm's reach of striking the enemy's neck. No matter how intense the pain was in that moment, he should have pushed through with raw willpower and cut the bastard down. If there was a single turning point that could have led to defeat, that was it.
Though he survived thanks to Seol Ryeong's support, that place would have been his grave on a solo mission.
‘I need to get more used to pain.’
Other than that, there were no notable blunders. He had almost lost his spirit stones to Seol Ryeong's underhanded trickery, but he had successfully reclaimed them through righteous blackmail and persuasion.
All in all, it was a highly rewarding first foray.
A vast quantity of demonic energy flowed through his body. Up until yesterday, his spiritual energy and demonic energy were roughly balanced, but now the demonic energy far outweighed the former. It was the result of absorbing a massive amount of demonic energy from Kim Si-won.
The two energies, which had previously been growling and keeping each other in check, were now heavily lopsided. His shrunken spiritual energy was crushed beneath the demonic energy, forced to tread on eggshells.
It certainly didn't look like a safe state of affairs, but...
To him, handling demonic energy was no different from handling spiritual energy.
‘Should I aim for the next realm right away?’
The core mantra of 4-Star Qi Refining was Spirit Control. It was a stage where one could connect to spiritual energy that had left the body like threads, manipulating it at will.
If 3-Star Qi Refining cultivators threw spiritual power like a ball, 4-Star cultivators wielded it like a whip. The more accustomed one became, the more freely spiritual energy moved outside the body, and as one's realm grew higher, so did its reach.
This was the final hurdle of early Qi Refining when it came to controlling spiritual energy.
Ise gathered spiritual energy in his palm. As he concentrated his mind, a cluster of spiritual energy floated above his hand.
Up to this point, it was as easy as breathing. The problem was what came next.
Ise swung his arm, launching the tightly condensed clump of spiritual energy across the room, striking the wall of his training chamber.
With a loud thud, scorch marks appeared on the stone.
He was literally just throwing it. The problem was how on earth one was supposed to control something once it had been thrown and left the hand.
[“The movement of spiritual energy is the cultivator's will. Releasing it from the body does not mean granting it freedom, but extending one's will to greater distances.”]
Most annotations in cultivation manuals were like this. Vague and nonsensical. Advice circulating among fellow cultivators was far more useful.
“Don't think of it as throwing spiritual energy. Think of it as pushing it out from your body. As far as possible, continuously.”
In particular, the advice from Park Gang-seo—who, despite having the mundane talent of Five Spirit Roots, had already reached 4-Star Qi Refining thanks to his exceptional comprehension—had been decisive.
Having exhausted his spiritual energy, Ise next drew out demonic energy and pushed it out from his body. The dark energy left his fingertips and stretched out like a thread.
Though it soon snapped and scattered into the air, repeating the process dozens of times gradually gave him a feel for it.
He lost track of time. It felt as though the area outside his room had brightened and darkened again. Normally, hunger would have driven him to wander off in search of food, but training time was an exception. Curiously, whenever he was cultivating, he felt neither an empty stomach nor hunger, no matter how many hours or days passed.
The demonic energy extending from Ise's body maintained its thread-like shape and touched the wall. From there, it bent at an angle and stretched out further until it reached the next obstacle.
Because he had such an abundant supply, the accumulated threads of demonic energy tangled together, crisscrossing the interior of the training room like a spiderweb. It was like trying to fill a bottomless jar with water; when pouring failed, one simply submerged the jar entirely into the water to get the job done.
The cobweb of demonic energy wrapped around him.
A profound sense of satisfaction welled up inside him. He was certain that he had stepped onto the next stair.
4-Star Qi Refining.
It had not even been a month since he entered the sect.
* * *
Reaching 4-Star within a month of entering the sect was actually untrue.
A knock on the door of his room roused Ise from his thoughts. He had just broken through to 4-Star and was in the middle of probing the wall of 5-Star, known as the Minor Realm boundary.
Ise let out a disappointed sigh and opened the stone door.
Park Gang-seo stood outside.
“Sorry. I know it's an unwritten rule not to disturb personal training, but as you know, I have to interview the initiate disciples and report back at least twice a month.”
“It's fine, Mister Park Gang-seo. But didn't we have an interview last week, right before I left for the mission?”
“What are you talking about? You've been holed up in here for over half a month already.”
“Pardon?”
In other words, nearly a month and a half had passed since he entered the Great Martial Dao.
‘I thought it had only been three or four days.’
Park Gang-seo clicked his tongue and nagged him.
“A cultivator going without food is only possible once you reach Great Completion in Qi Refining, where your body and internal organs are completely reconstituted. Until then, make sure to at least eat fasting pills while training.”
“Yes. My apologies for causing you concern.”
“Wait a second... your spiritual energy has increased considerably?”
“Ah, yes. I gained a small enlightenment.”
“As expected of the chief initiate disciple. With talent like yours, it's no wonder you'd fall obsessively into training. Still, take care of your body. You're still young, so make some friends too.”
“I will.”
“I need to report to superiors—what realm are you at now?” Park Gang-seo asked, scanning Ise up and down.
Judging by the spiritual energy he felt, the boy seemed to be around 3-Star.
“I've just reached 4-Star.”
“……”
Park Gang-seo seemed lost for words for a moment, then scrunched up his nose.
“I understand wanting to impress the Main Mountain, but faking your realm is a severe offense.”
Ise tilted his head, drew out his spiritual energy, and demonstrated directly. As he twitched his finger right where he stood, glowing letters were written on the floor.
[-I really am at 4-Star.-]
“……”
“Is there a problem?”
“You brat... I mean, Fellow Daoist... the problem is that it's only been a month and a half since you entered.”
“Is that considered very fast?”
“My realm right now is 4-Star.”
“Ah.”
“It's been over two years since I started training, and I even took the Great Martial Dao examination after already reaching 2-Star Qi Refining in my clan.”
A short silence fell.
“And even at the same 4-Star, I can't do insane stuff like writing on the floor with spiritual energy. You really are—”
Park Gang-seo's expression was complex.
“You don't just demoralize people, you make them sick of trying.”
“I'm sorry.”
“Forget it. Having great talent isn't a crime. At this rate, I'll have to call you 'Senior' soon.”
“You really don't need to go that far.”
“Don't feel too uncomfortable about hierarchy. Always remember: 'Please spare my life, Senior.' Those words might just save your life. Though, of course, most people end up dead anyway.”
If someone disrespects a realm you've strived so hard to achieve, you might feel a murderous urge to kill them, Park Gang-seo added.
“In three days, all initiate disciples will gather for a guided lecture. On the first of every month, a Foundation Establishment Senior helps with training, so don't forget to attend. Skipping out only hurts you.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
“Ah, right. There's a rumor that Hall Master Hong Mi-hui will soon finish crafting the Dharma artifacts for you guys.”
Ise's eyes sparkled. That was welcome news.
“Is that true?”
“So you can show emotion after all.”
“Ah, my apologies.”
“No, don't apologize. And please, drop the formal speech already...” Park Gang-seo muttered with a face full of self-deprecation.
* * *
Three days later.
Without having gained the slightest grasp on the wall of the Minor Realm, Ise headed to the Great Hall.
Used as a testing ground during the initiation exam period, this place was the largest cavern among the Training Center facilities. It was a rare moment for those who spent most of their time training to gather in one place.
Fifty-nine people.
Unlike when they first passed the initiation exam, they were now emitting a noticeably thicker aura of spiritual energy overall. Not only the concentration of spiritual energy, but the individual demeanor of each person had subtly changed as well.
Young boys and girls who felt green just a month ago now exuded the composed aura of proper cultivators.
Ise caught the eyes of Hae Un-chan and Pi Ga-ram, whom he hadn't seen in a while, and exchanged brief nods. Everyone held their own achievements, walls, and yearning within their eyes.
If they had felt excitement a month ago, what they felt now was thirst.
Nearly sixty pairs of thirsty eyes turned toward the senior cultivator walking steadily toward them.
‘That person is...’
It was a cultivator Ise recognized.
The man who had been going about his work with a bored expression back at the Management Office where Ise went to receive missions. He exuded an aura distinctively different from his usual sluggish impression.
While not on the level of a Core Formation Great Cultivator like Kang I-tae, the aura of a Foundation Establishment cultivator was undoubtedly imposing.
“I am U Jeol of Kirin Hall.”
After a brief introduction, U Jeol immediately launched into useful insights, examples, and practices for the stages from 1-Star to 4-Star Qi Refining, without any needless pleasantries.
As expected from someone who had already walked the path, his advice was immensely helpful.
Every single initiate disciple listened with shining eyes, and during the Q&A session that followed, nearly all of them raised their hands, striving to overcome the hurdles holding them back.
As the allotted time drew to a close, Ise, who had asked nothing until the very end, finally raised his hand. He had been wondering why Senior U Jeol only explained up to 4-Star Qi Refining.
“I will take your question as the last one. What do you wish to know?”
“Senior. I would like to hear an explanation regarding 5-Star Qi Refining, known as the Minor Realm. It is said that one must convert Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy into Dharma Power, but... to be honest, I haven't gotten the slightest grasp on it.”
“That is not a realm you need to concern yourself with yet. Did I not say to focus on the steps right in front of you, even if you set your goals high?”
U Jeol's eyes narrowed. Ise answered cautiously, taking care not to upset him.
“I ask because I recently reached 4-Star... but if I sounded impolite, I apologize.”
A sudden wave of murmurs instantly rippled through the quiet crowd.
U Jeol stared intently at Ise with an unreadable expression—a mix of surprise, bewilderment, or perhaps anger—while Ise simply met his gaze with calm composure.