Chapter 49
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 49
Crackle.
The sound of burning wood helped Ise calm his lingering adrenaline. All around him, flames flared upward—the fiery aftermath of their fierce battle.
He could examine the storage pouch carefully later. Right now, ensuring the enemy had no hidden tricks up his sleeve took priority.
Ise pinned the rogue cultivator down with his foot, securing the man bound within the Shadow Net Formation. As he searched through the cultivator's robes, his sole caught on an odd texture.
Looking down, he saw that beneath the Daoist robe, the rogue cultivator wore armor densely studded with bumpy protrusions.
Holding the Dharma artifact in one hand, Ise peeled it off in a single swift motion. Perhaps because the man was missing both of his arms, it slid off remarkably easily.
Given its shape, it was undoubtedly a defensive Dharma artifact.
‘Come to think of it, he wasn't lying when he said he had three defensive Dharma artifacts.’
The Golden Supreme Parasol, the auto-activating talisman, and now this armor.
It seemed he was an honest killer after all.
Ise lifted the armor to the opening of the storage pouch. At once, the armor's form blurred like smoke and was drawn smoothly inside.
‘How fascinating.’
He held up the storage pouch and peered inside. Just what kind of mechanism governed this thing?
He had no idea how to retrieve items once they were stowed away. After examining it from every angle, he reached his hand inside, only to grasp empty air.
‘Just bring something out.’
With that thought, something suddenly popped into his grasp. He pulled his hand back to find a single talisman resting in his palm.
‘It must operate by linking directly with the mind.’
Marveling inwardly, Ise thrust his hand back inside.
‘Give me something to subdue an opponent. Anything.’
However, there was no response. It seemed mental commands couldn't be quite so vague.
‘A sleeping pellet, a blood suppression pellet, paralysis poison—anything works.’
This time, a tiny pellet drifted up into his fingers. Sniffing it to identify its nature, he confirmed it was indeed a sleeping pellet.
He stuffed the sleeping pellet into the rogue cultivator's mouth and clamped his jaw shut. After a brief struggle, the man went limp.
Blood still seeped from the rogue cultivator's severed stumps.
Ise applied first aid, utilizing the bleeding-control techniques he had learned from the Medical Apprentice Volume of the Ghost-Banishing Spirit-Purging Cultivation Art.
Perhaps because it was his first time applying the technique, blood continued to slowly leak out even though he was certain he had pressed the correct acupoints.
He contemplated feeding the man a healing pellet, but decided against it.
Not only would it be a waste, but it would also be troublesome if the rogue cultivator recovered enough to go on a rampage.
It's not as if a cultivator will die just from losing a couple of arms, he reasoned, slinging the unconscious man over his shoulder.
‘I should also learn how to destroy spirit veins.’
After retrieving the Twin Sickle Spirit Domain Uprising, he surveyed the flames spreading in all directions.
From his hand, he unleashed the Water Attribute Dharma spell, Flow-Dividing Art.
A high-pressure jet of water swept back and forth across the blaze. Since the fire had already spread significantly, putting it out consumed a fair amount of his spiritual energy.
Had they been near the Great Martial Dao, fellow cultivators would have rushed over to assist, but they had traveled far too deep into the wilderness.
Yet leaving it unattended was out of the question; the wildfire might devour the entire mountain, destroying precious spirit herbs and harming spirit beasts.
At long last, the flames died down, and all loose ends were tied up.
With the rogue cultivator hoisted securely over his shoulder, Ise set off.
* * *
Upon returning, Ise headed straight for the Management Office and dumped the culprit onto the floor.
U Jeol made no effort to hide his surprise.
"Is it him?"
"Yes. It's the culprit."
Seeing the unconscious cultivator missing both arms, U Jeol immediately cast a binding spell over the man.
"Faster than expected. Good work."
"May I write the report now?"
"Go ahead."
While Ise stepped aside to write out the mission report, U Jeol dispatched a messenger talisman to the Main Mountain.
"Given the circumstances, it is undoubtedly him," U Jeol said, accepting the finished report. "To resolve a mission in four days that formal disciples failed and abandoned twice... Your talents extend far beyond mere cultivation, it seems."
"I merely did what I was capable of."
Despite Ise's modesty, U Jeol praised him once more.
"It was a task that only you could pull off. Here is your reward."
"I secured a confession from the culprit, but I couldn't obtain any physical evidence. Is that alright?"
"Since you brought him back alive, a prior confession isn't strictly necessary. We will verify his guilt with the Mind-Reading Art. Though unlikely, if it turns out he isn't the killer, you can settle the matter between yourselves."
"I am certain."
Ise accepted the pouch of spirit stones.
Just as he bowed and turned to leave, U Jeol's voice called out from behind him.
"Return the Dharma artifacts before you go, you greedy rascal."
"Ahaha... You didn't forget."
With a look of profound regret, Ise unequipped the armor and placed it down alongside the bead.
"This will be your final mission."
The tone was different from usual. Ise looked closely at U Jeol.
"With your mission completed, the Management Office will be closing down for a while. You may focus comfortably on your cultivation until it is time to depart for the Main Mountain. I also plan to undergo closed-door cultivation until the next batch of initiate disciples arrives."
"Understood. Thank you for everything you've done for me during this time."
U Jeol gazed at Ise for a moment before continuing.
"My position is managing the Training Center Management Office, so our paths won't cross often in the future. Should you happen to join Kirin Hall, however, I shall look after you well."
"That is still a long way off."
"Hmm, is it really?"
When U Jeol offered an uncharacteristically clear smile, Ise smiled back. It seemed a mutual fondness had grown between them over time.
"I will drop by from time to time."
At first, U Jeol had seemed like nothing more than a formidable senior, but the more Ise got to know him, the more he realized that genuine kindness lay hidden beneath his blunt exterior.
He was a cultivator worthy of respect.
Ise bowed deeply and stepped out of the Management Office.
* * *
Upon returning to his quarters, the first thing he did was check the Dharma artifacts inside his new storage pouch.
The first item he pulled out was the Golden Supreme Parasol.
‘Sounds kind of like a person's name.’
Chuckling at the silly thought, Ise continued to inspect the artifacts one by one.
Next was the bumpy armor. After that came a necklace. Judging by its appearance, it seemed to be a Dharma artifact that summoned the Stone Hand.
Then out came an object shaped like a long flute, though he couldn't fathom its purpose in the slightest.
There were quite a few consumables as well—talismans, pellets, and various pills. To think this much remained even after the culprit had unleashed so many during their fight.
Just how many cultivators had that man murdered? Was he not afraid of facing Heavenly Tribulation?
The last item he retrieved was a pouch of spirit stones. Feeling its considerable weight, he counted them one by one—there were a staggering 240 stones.
Adding the 65 he originally possessed, the 240 from the storage pouch, and the 100 he'd just received as a reward...
A grand total of 405.
If he liquidated the single-use Dharma artifacts he had no use for, his wealth would easily exceed 500.
The sudden influx of riches gave him a strange, giddy sensation.
It felt just like the time he had received pocket money from his adoptive parents for the very first time in his life—a moment filled with blissful imagination as he agonized over what to spend it on.
He hefted the heavy pouch up and down before his gaze drifted to his nicked and scarred small axe.
Now that he had acquired a defensive Dharma artifact, he wondered if he should buy a proper Dharma weapon as well, but he quickly changed his mind.
Master personally obtained this Black Iron for me. I'll use it until it breaks.
He decided to take his time pondering what to spend the spirit stones on. The real issue right now was appraising the remaining three Dharma artifacts.
According to the Great Martial Dao's rules, leaving the sect grounds was only permitted during official missions, meaning he was stuck leaving his newfound artifacts shoved inside his storage pouch for the time being.
He was far too cautious to try using them without knowing what they might trigger.
This dilemma was precisely why he hadn't dragged the blood-soaked rogue cultivator through the local town earlier to find an appraiser.
‘I should go see Seol Ryeong.’
Her goal was to become an artifact crafter, and she possessed the most extensive knowledge regarding Dharma artifacts among all the initiate disciples. Asking her was his best solution.
A brief flash of embarrassing memories held him back, but Ise shook his head to disperse the thought.
His curiosity about the Dharma artifacts easily triumphed over his embarrassment.
Standing outside the female initiate disciples' dormitory a short while later, Ise realized he didn't actually know which room belonged to Seol Ryeong.
He had rarely ever visited this area.
In the end, he decided to simply shout.
"Seol Ryeong—!"
His resounding voice echoed across the front of the dormitory building.
"Seol! Ryeong!"
He planned to check her cultivation room if she didn't show up after three calls, but a door on the left suddenly burst open.
"You're gonna break my eardrums! What's all this racket?!"
Seol Ryeong popped her head out, her hair a disheveled mess.
Glaring at Ise, she grumbled as she fumbled to slip into her shoes.
"Were you actually sleeping in the middle of the night? That's a bit lazy for a cultivator."
"I was studying, okay?! Besides, the middle of the night is when people are supposed to sleep! Not come barging over to the women's dormitory! And if you had to come by, you should've knocked quietly instead of shouting at the top of your—"
Seol Ryeong cut herself off mid-tirade. She had belatedly scanned Ise's cultivation realm.
"Uh—wha—huh?!"
As Seol Ryeong sputtered out strange noises, Ise tilted his head.
He had run into Bu Chun and a few other initiate disciples before leaving for his mission, so he assumed the rumors would have already spread.
"What, didn't you know?"
"I took on a Dharma artifact crafting mission, so I've barely stepped outside my room... But if you're at 6-Star... then for me to talk to you casually like this..."
"'To you'? You should be calling me 'Senior'."
"..."
Seol Ryeong couldn't bring herself to speak, looking as though she wanted to die right on the spot.
Ise burst out laughing at her reaction.
"I'm joking. 3-Star is pretty fast for you, though."
"Believe it or not, I'm the fourth fastest among the initiate disciples. I think I'll break through to 4-Star soon, too."
"What about Hae Un-chan?"
"Probably at the peak of 4-Star. Last time I saw him, he mentioned feeling the barrier to the next minor realm. He's right on the verge of breaking through."
It seemed Hae Un-chan had been diligently training during his seclusion.
"Anyway, what brings you here?"
When Ise explained his errand, Seol Ryeong's eyes sparkled.
"If that's the case, then Lady Seol Ryeong must step up to help! Come inside. Wait, no! Don't come in yet!"
After making a fuss, she rushed back inside.
Following a series of noisy clatters and frantic shuffling, she finally gave him permission to enter.
When Ise took out the armor, necklace, and flute from his storage pouch and laid them out, Seol Ryeong's eyes widened comically.
"A storage pouch! You got a storage pouch?!"
Storage pouch. Ah, what a wonderful ring that had.
"Are there still people without a storage pouch? Can they even call themselves cultivators?" Ise teased.
"You are so frustrating..."
Grumbling, Seol Ryeong began examining the three Dharma artifacts meticulously.
The appraisal took longer than expected. She seemed to struggle particularly with interpreting the flute-shaped artifact.
"Argh... Okay, first off, this armor is a Qi Refining Stage Dharma Treasure called the Needle Eruption Armor."
"A Dharma Treasure? Not a Dharma artifact?"
"Yeah, a Dharma Treasure."
Within each cultivation realm, artifacts were categorized into four grades based on their power level:
Dharma Artifact, Dharma Treasure, Ghost Treasure, and Divine Object.
A Dharma Treasure referred to an artifact powerful enough to be effective against cultivators of a higher stage.
A Ghost Treasure was an artifact that allowed its wielder to contend with opponents an entire minor realm higher.
A Divine Object referred to an artifact capable of overcoming major realms—enabling combat across vast realm boundaries. Thus, a Qi Refining Stage Divine Object could exert lethal power even against a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
"When you channel spiritual energy into it, massive needles shoot out like a hedgehog, turning the surrounding area into a wasteland. Judging by the spirit stone embedded in it, it packs considerable power, so be careful when using it."
Ise felt a wave of relief that he hadn't tried testing it out blindly earlier and waited for her next words.
"This necklace is the Stone Hand Mala. It's a Dharma artifact imbued with the Earth Attribute Dharma spell, Stone Hand. And as for this flute..."
Seol Ryeong shook her head and continued.
"It's my first time seeing one like this, too. It seems to be related to beast control."
"Beast control... as in taming spirit beasts?"
"Yeah. That's just my guess, though. To be certain, you'll probably need to get it checked by a specialized artifact crafter. If you don't mind, should I research it a bit more?"
Without a word, Ise packed the Dharma artifacts back into his storage pouch and held out a single spirit stone as payment.
"Thanks."
"Please visit again, valued customer," Seol Ryeong chirped, happily taking the spirit stone.
Ise stood up.