Chapter 52
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 52
"I heard rumors that you’re a talent destined to break my record."
Woo Yu-hee scrutinized him intently from behind her mask.
Ise waited quietly for the Winged Dragon Hall Master to continue. Having someone scan him up and down so brazenly was something he could never quite get used to, no matter how many times it happened.
"You certainly are unusual." Woo Yu-hee tilted her head, then added, "Raise it quickly. Your cultivation realm."
"Yes. I will redouble my efforts."
"Your role is crucial."
"I’m honored by your high opinion, but I am still a mere nobody."
"For now, perhaps."
Woo Yu-hee slowly circled him. Whether out of habit or something else, she kept pacing around him as she spoke. A rather rude thought crossed his mind—she was acting a bit like a puppy wagging its tail.
"If you rise through the ranks quickly, the others will change."
"Change in what way?"
"Everyone has grown too complacent. They lack competitive drive."
The meaning behind her muffled voice was somewhat difficult for Ise to fully grasp.
"Once Senior Hae Il ascends, the Great Martial Dao will collapse."
Ise remained silent. He already knew Hae Il’s goal was ascension to the Heavenly Realm. Hae Il was an absolute powerhouse who single-handedly enforced peace, despite the stark imbalance of power between the Jeong Empire and the Great Martial Dao.
If he were to ascend to the Heavenly Realm one day, would anyone actually be able to fill the void he left behind?
"Even so... would the Azure Dragon Hall Master really leave behind such trouble for the future? He cares deeply for the Great Martial Dao."
"The only way to prevent it would be to wipe out all external enemies before ascending. But that senior refuses to stain his own hands with blood."
Ise understood Woo Yu-hee’s concern. Was that why Hall Master Hae Il had told him to become his sword? Setting aside whether such high expectations were warranted, focusing on his cultivation was his obvious priority regardless.
"I understand. I may be lacking, but I will do my best."
"Good. To mark our meeting, I’ll tell you a secret."
"A secret?"
"A Secret Realm will be opening soon. It’s a place only Qi Refining Cultivators can enter. An agreement has already been made with the Jeong Empire that neither side will interfere with anyone entering or leaving. Once you reach the Late Qi Refining Stage, you’ll be able to enter as well. Make that your goal."
A faint gleam flickered in Ise’s eyes.
A Secret Realm. The rumor Park Gang-seo had shared just solidified into fact. It would be a perilous trial, but it was a realm of opportunity well worth the risk.
"When you say soon... may I ask roughly when that will be?"
"Two years at the earliest. Fifteen at the latest."
...Isn’t that a bit too large of a margin?
A cultivator’s sense of time was something he still couldn't quite adapt to. Seeing Woo Yu-hee step back as if her business was concluded, Ise asked cautiously, "Hall Master... if I may ask, what became of the incident where Hall Master Hae Il was attacked?"
"We agreed to treat it as if it never happened."
"It seems a resolution was reached, fortunately."
"We peacefully resolved it by decapitating the mastermind behind the attack and agreeing not to press the issue any further."
Ise caught his breath. Could that really be described as a peaceful resolution?
"...Did they simply yield their head without a fight? They were a Core Formation Great Cultivator."
"No. Senior Hae Il sliced off his head on the spot."
Ise was finding it downright impossible to follow the logic of this conversation. How had that not ignited a full-scale war? It was far beyond what his common sense could process.
"Is it really alright to just kill someone like that? I thought he was worried about Heavenly Tribulation."
"Senior mentioned that to you?" A hint of amusement laced Woo Yu-hee’s voice. "Fascinating. But don’t worry. He didn’t kill him."
"..." Ise asked in confusion, "Didn’t you say he cut off his head?"
"Yes. He decapitated him."
"And yet he didn’t die?"
"Ah-ha." A breathy laugh leaked out from behind her mask. "At the Core Formation Stage, as long as your Golden Core remains intact, you won't die even if your head gets chopped off. Though losing a portion of your Spiritual Nature will drop your cultivation realm a bit."
"...Pardon?"
Ise’s mind went completely blank for a moment. Just what kind of insane world did these Great Cultivators live in? He couldn't even begin to imagine a world where people who could survive decapitation casually walked the streets.
Of course, the person who could answer his questions was already leaping across the rooftops without looking back, offering only a casual wave of her hand in goodbye.
"……"
The white hem of her Daoist robe vanished from sight in a single leap. Ise stood frozen in place for a long time, staring up at the empty air.
*
Setting aside his thoughts on the Scripture Hall, Ise headed straight to inspect the Arts Street in the Research District.
Among the buildings lined with workshops, Pill Furnaces, and research rooms, not a single one catered to Spirit Food. It was merely lumped under "Other Arts," sharing a communal workshop. Without personal storage or a private workspace, it was a terrible environment for preparing Spirit Food.
This is a problem.
He could rent a private room, but the monthly cost in Spirit Stones was far from trivial. Even renting a small vegetable patch or a single pen for livestock would drain his Spirit Stones every single month.
Ultimately, it seemed he wouldn't be able to properly craft Spirit Food until the new year arrived and he officially began taking on missions.
I should just focus on cultivation.
The answer was simple. The only thing left on his schedule was the Exchange Meeting, so concentrating on his cultivation until then was the best course of action. Leaving without regret, Ise turned back toward the Living District.
Just as he turned onto the shortcut leading to his residence at the 1st Cheongyu Pavilion—
—the face of a familiar cultivator caught Ise’s eye, flailing in midair under a binding spell.
...What is he doing up there?
His business partner and fellow initiate, Bu Chun, was surrounded by a gang of cultivators, getting thoroughly bullied.
Looks familiar.
It was a scene that vividly dredged up memories from his childhood. It was almost impressive that even as adults walking the path of cultivation, some people still managed to act like petty children. Most were in the early Qi Refining Stage, with the ringleader appearing to be at the 5-Star Qi Refining Stage.
It naturally made one think: At your realm, shouldn’t you be focusing on cultivation instead of pulling this nonsense?
Ise approached without breaking his stride or concealing his presence.
"What are you doing?"
At the sudden intrusion of his voice, all eyes turned to Ise.
"Senior!"
Recognizing Ise, Bu Chun’s face brightened. Meanwhile, brief flickers of hesitation passed over the bullies' faces as they registered Ise’s realm, though none of them backed away.
The man in the center offered a polite bow.
"Senior. I don’t believe we’ve met—are you a recruited disciple?"
"I didn't ask for your name. I asked what you’re doing. He’s my peer."
Glances were exchanged among the group. Only then was the binding on Bu Chun released. Stumbling as his knees nearly gave out, Bu Chun hurriedly scampered to Ise’s side.
The leader bowed once more.
"You must be the top disciple from the Training Center cohort. I am Ju Gu-yeon, First Senior Brother of the Pure-blood Cultivators admitted as Formal Disciples this term."
Pure-blood. Ise mentally mulled over the word. The source of the friction Park Gang-seo had mentioned regarding the Exchange Meeting was standing right in front of him.
"It was merely a small argument between peers. Your junior here lost his temper and lunged at us, so we simply restrained him for a moment." Ju Gu-yeon attempted to gloss over the incident smoothly.
Ise brushed the explanation aside and turned to look at Bu Chun.
"What did they say to make someone with a lower realm like you go rushing at your seniors?"
"They... they said people from the Training Center reek every time we walk by because we grew up in a place full of Turbid Qi!"
"That’s nothing special. So?"
Flabbergasted by Ise’s nonchalant reaction, Bu Chun choked back tears as he replied, "I mean, even if we come from different backgrounds, we’re still peers! That was way too harsh..."
Ise sighed softly.
"I thought it was something serious. That’s hardly anything to get worked up over. Don’t you know that an unwavering composure is the mark of a true cultivator?"
"Hardly anything...?"
"It’s not like they said, ‘Since these worm-like outsiders dared to crawl in here without knowing their place, I’ll chop off their limbs and feed them to Demon Ghosts,’ right?"
"……"
Time seemed to freeze for a moment. Bu Chun stared at Ise with his mouth agape, while the expressions of Ju Gu-yeon and his companions froze in unison. To their ears, it sounded alarmingly like a threat to chop off their limbs and feed them to Demon Ghosts on the spot.
"Good heavens... How can a Daoist speak with such foul vulgarity?"
"What are you talking about? That’s the baseline standard for real bullying."
"……"
Having grown up hearing insults like, An orphan fed on stranger’s milk grows up to become a Demon Ghost, petty spite like theirs was practically a harmless joke that any ordinary person faced daily. Compared to his expectations after hearing so much about the pure-bloods' tyranny, these boys were surprisingly mild—living up to their status as sheltered kids.
"As expected of an outsider raised on Turbid Qi, you clearly lack even a shred of proper decorum." Ju Gu-yeon’s brow creased into a faint scowl.
Facing his increasingly condescending tone and attitude, Ise had to struggle against the urge to reach for his Small Axe.
They might be mild... but that pretentious air gets on my nerves in its own way.
Being insulted so grandly somehow managed to rub him the wrong way in a completely different manner. For insubordination like this, chopping off one wrist each ought to be fine... wait, no, calm down.
"At any rate." Ise shifted his gaze back to Ju Gu-yeon’s group. "Work it out with words. Don’t go using force against your peers from now on. Because I happen to enjoy using force—and I’m exceptionally good at it."
He delivered the warning casually, yet the underlying threat was heavy.
Ju Gu-yeon stared at Ise. He seemed to instinctively sense that beneath that nonchalant air rested an oppressive, battle-forged presence that couldn't be measured by cultivation realm alone. Yet Ju Gu-yeon was not the type to back down easily either.
"Enjoy your position while you can, Senior. No matter how skilled you are at ghost exorcism, someone from the Training Center without bloodline backing has clear limits. We may be behind for now because we were forbidden from leaving the Main Mountain, but the day will come soon enough when you will have to call me Senior."
"Speak up a bit. Your cultivation realm is so low I can barely hear you."
"Why you...!"
"By the way, if you guys never left the Main Mountain, how did you do ghost exorcism work?"
"We practiced our Exorcism Art with Demon Ghosts escorted directly to the Main Mountain for live combat training. How else would we do it?"
Sheltered greenhouse flowers, Ise muttered to himself.
"...Mark my words! Dominance over the 313th Cohort will belong to us, the pure-blood brothers!"
"What on earth are these kids rambling about? Does the Main Mountain have a formal brotherhood system? And what’s with '313th Year of Sect Founding'?"
"We formed a sworn brotherhood among ourselves."
Ise hadn't expected an actual answer, yet Ju Gu-yeon replied right away. The kid was surprisingly, unnecessarily helpful.
"The 313th Year refers to this year. Do people from the Training Center not even know the history of the Great Martial Dao?" His refined yet condescending tone grated on Ise’s nerves once more.
Should I just beat them all to a pulp right here?
Ise gave it serious thought. The Exchange Meeting would provide a fine opportunity later, but he had a feeling it was going to be very hard to hold back until then.