Chapter 54
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 54
A pure-blood cultivator charged forward, swinging a naked blade entirely devoid of spiritual energy.
Even with their spiritual energy sealed, the sheer sharpness of the weapons was threatening enough.
Every single weapon was a Dharma artifact forged from high-quality metal. If one of them had been wielding a hand axe, Ise might have actually coveted it.
But no matter how fine the blade, if the hand swinging it lacked real weight and power, it was nothing more than a sharp toy.
Having awakened their spiritual energy at an early age, they had grown far too reliant on it in their training.
It was obvious at a single glance.
Ise stood still, waiting for them to close the distance before smoothly stepping forward. He swatted away the leading weapon with his Golden Supreme Parasol.
Clang!
Following the metallic clash between blade and shield, Ise drove his fist directly into the cultivator's philtrum.
A single strike rattled the cultivator's brain, instantly fading his consciousness. The situation was no different for the others charging in behind him.
Philtrum, jaw, solar plexus, temple.
He treated these reckless mudskippers—fools who had only raised their cultivation realms by bleeding their families dry—to their very first taste of real-combat agony.
Though they belatedly flailed their weapons, they couldn't even touch Ise. His figure glided effortlessly through their ranks, propelled by the Dokkaebi Footwork.
The Golden Supreme Parasol slammed into an opponent's flank.
A heavy thud, the sickening crack of breaking ribs, and the dull thud of a body hitting the dirt echoed in rapid succession.
"..."
As their martial brothers fell one by one, the remaining pure-blood cultivators turned as pale as ghosts.
Combat without spiritual energy exposed the raw, primal gap in sheer physical prowess.
And that primal violence was far better at instilling true terror than any disparity in cultivation realms.
A straight thrust of the shield struck a cultivator directly in the Adam's apple.
Coughing up blood, the man clutched his throat and collapsed to his knees.
"Ah, my bad. I almost killed you just now," Ise muttered softly.
At the same time, his figure blurred, reappearing between his two nearest opponents.
His shield cracked one across the jaw. Spinning instantly, his trailing kick slammed into the other's side.
One launched upward; the other flew sideways. Perfectly in sync, both rolled all the way to the edge of the sparring arena.
It didn't take long for every pure-blood cultivator in the sparring arena to end up sprawled across the floor.
Groans echoed from all directions, accompanied by harsh, hacking coughs.
They couldn't understand why this senior was holding such a violent grudge over a petty argument, but they now knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was an opponent far beyond their reach.
He was an unhinged brute whom they should never, ever mess with.
"S-stop, please stop, Senior! We will... never touch the Training Center disciples again..."
Ju Gu-yeon, barely regaining his senses, choked out the words in agony.
Ise did not stop.
He hauled the fallen Ju Gu-yeon to his feet, beat him down again, and dragged him right back up.
If someone passed out, Ise set them aside for a moment to beat up the others. As soon as anyone woke back up, he instantly pounced, beating them into a bloody pulp all over again.
After several rounds of this ruthless cycle, tears streamed uncontrollably down Ju Gu-yeon's face.
"I was wrong, Senior... How long are you going to keep doing this?"
"Who knows?" Ise answered very slowly. "Until your mindset is properly fixed. Until I stop thinking about murdering you all to silence you, just so you don't become a nuisance later."
Ju Gu-yeon's pupils dilated in horror. Instinct told him this was no joke.
The man standing before him was not the type to toss around words like "murder to silence" as a jest.
Of course, Ise didn't actually have the slightest intention of committing murder.
The regulations of the Great Martial Dao strictly forbade killing disciples or destroying their spirit roots.
In other words, as long as he didn't kill them or cripple their spirit roots, a certain degree of violence was perfectly permitted.
Insubordination, in particular, was an offense punishable by having one's tongue ripped out and limbs severed. The justification was entirely on his side.
"...Never again. We will never offend you again, Senior. We will keep our mouths shut about this, too. Please, have mercy..."
"Good. It seems you've received some enlightenment."
"T-thank..."
"About ten percent, anyway."
"...?"
Ise rolled his shoulders once and called out toward the outside of the sparring arena.
"Bu Chun."
Bu Chun, who had been guarding the Twin Sickle Spirit Domain Uprising, peeked his head out from the arena entrance.
Having never seen Ise act like this before, Bu Chun answered with extreme tension. "Yes! Senior!"
"How long is the rental period for this arena?"
"Usually three days at minimum."
"Three days might be a bit tight."
Ise put on a seriously contemplative expression. Ju Gu-yeon's face turned deathly pale.
"Well, no choice then. Let me speed things up a bit."
Ise retrieved the Twin Sickle Spirit Domain Uprising and stuffed it into his storage pouch.
Instantly, the suppressed spiritual energy burst forth from all directions. The flow of spiritual energy was so dense that the very air above the sparring arena grew heavy.
"Again. Starting with your eldest senior brother."
"...?"
"Now that your spiritual energy is back, this is going to hurt a little more."
An auspicious glow gathered in both of Ise's hands.
Just as his spiritual energy had been blocked before, it now overflowed through his body in a sudden, powerful surge.
"Just so you know, if you try to resist, it'll be hard for me to hold back."
Ear-splitting screams erupted immediately following Ise's words.
Cultivators passing by outside grimaced at the noise.
"Isn't that the arena used by the cultivators who just became formal disciples? Why are they training so intensely?"
"Leave them be. It's nice to see them working so hard. Swarming around together like that is just a passing phase anyway."
"True. Must be nice to be young."
* * *
The re-education ended much faster than expected.
On the sparring arena, the juniors—re-educated to a highly satisfying degree—were kneeling neatly in a row.
Their clothes were torn to shreds, and not a single spot on their faces was left unbruised.
Yet, their limbs were perfectly intact, and their minds remained crystal clear. That mental clarity was precisely the most crucial part of Ise's re-education.
Fainting was an escape. From his extensive experience, Ise knew that denying someone that escape was the fastest way to completely overhaul their mindset.
They had to be terrified enough to wet themselves at the mere mention of his name or a single glance.
His personal creed was that if one didn't possess that level of resolve, they shouldn't even start.
"Hey."
"Yes!"
When Ise barked the word, all thirteen cultivators responded simultaneously with thunderous vigor.
"Remember this. When someone disrespects the realm another person worked so hard to achieve, murderous intent naturally arises. If you act like foolish mudskippers who don't know your place, you'll end up dying a lonely death out in the wild without anyone ever knowing."
"Yes!"
"What do you do when you see disciples from the Training Center?"
"If we see a senior, we serve them respectfully! If we meet a fellow Daoist, we act friendly! If we meet a junior, we kindly look after them!"
"And what do you do if you offend a senior?"
"Please spare our lives, Senior!!"
A disciplined, deafening chorus rang across the sparring arena.
Ise surveyed his juniors with satisfaction, the corner of his lip curling into a smirk.
He seemed to have reshaped them enough so they wouldn't strut around outside and meet an untimely demise.
Though he had wasted a precious day on these pathetic fools... he decided to view it as a contribution toward building a healthy sect.
"Then I'll see you at the Exchange Meeting. If anyone pulls any stupid tricks before then, you'll be reliving today all over again. Getting beaten until your head splits in front of everyone isn't particularly enjoyable, is it?"
"...Yes!"
"Return the spirit stones you took from Bu Chun. With interest."
"Understood!"
The pure-bloods trembled in sheer terror as they shouted in unison.
"And no more whining about 'pure-blood' this or that. What, are the rest of us mutts?"
"No, sir!"
They answered without a single moment of hesitation. Satisfied, Ise turned around.
Behind his back, a heavy series of thuds echoed as his juniors finally collapsed into a heap.
* * *
The Year-End Merit Reward Ceremony.
It was a minor festival concluding the year for the Great Martial Dao, commending those who had brought glory to the sect and pledging diligence for the coming year.
By a cultivator's standards, a year passed in the literal blink of an eye.
As a result, the festival wasn't particularly crowded or bustling with excitement.
It was an annual event where someone passing by might casually think, Ah, that? I suppose it is about that time of year.
However, exactly three groups truly enjoyed this festival. The first was the mortals.
The second was the cultivator families. Second-generation cultivators, in particular, were said to count down the days until this event starting from early autumn.
Parent cultivators—who were rarely seen by their families because they normally devoted themselves to secluded cultivation—would take their children by the hand on this day and stroll around the main mountain plaza.
Finally, the last group comprised cultivators who had reached the Great Completion of the Qi Refining Stage and were on the verge of Foundation Establishment.
This was because the main event of the Year-End Merit Reward Ceremony—a Dharma battle tournament open only to those in the Qi Refining Stage—offered a medicinal pill known as the Void Accumulation Pill as its grand prize.
Bang! Bang!
A spell-casting sparring match unfolded to mark the start of the festival.
Two Foundation Establishment cultivators, forcefully assigned to the duty, stepped up with expressions that clearly broadcasted how much they didn't want to be there. They unleashed flashy, superficial spells purely for show.
Visually, it was quite impressive. Rays of blue light shot from swords to clash against flames scattered by talismans, creating an effect like bursting stars above the platform each time they collided.
Below the stage, young children cheered and clapped enthusiastically at the spectacle, while the adults watched on with gentle smiles.
Even the Foundation Establishment cultivators, who had initially been half-heartedly waving their weapons around, seemed moved by the children's excitement. They gradually poured more effort into their dazzling spells to heighten the festival mood.
Following that, the Qi Refining Dharma Battle Tournament commenced.
To be precise, since the preliminaries had already been conducted beforehand and only the semifinals and finals were being held today, only four participants were introduced.
Unlike the opening performance that resembled a theatrical show, the mood of the Qi Refining Dharma Battle Tournament was strikingly serious.
Serious to the point of appearing downright desperate.
Though lacking the flashy brilliance of the Foundation Establishment cultivators, their desperate longing for victory resonated with the audience, who responded with roaring cheers.
However, Ise's interest lay elsewhere.
Is it really okay to offer a medicinal pill as a prize when they call the Jedan Sect a bunch of druggies...?
The Void Accumulation Pill was a medicinal pill modified from Foundation Establishment Pills looted from the Jedan Sect. It had been adapted to suit the cultivation arts of the Great Martial Dao disciples, easing their transition into Foundation Establishment.
Since pillaging was a prerequisite, the annual production amounted to a mere one or two pills at most.
Two cultivators who had reached the 10-Star level were clashing on the stage.
Ice and water, fire and metal violently collided atop the platform, releasing booming explosions with every impact.
This side was undeniably in earnest. Those who had surpassed the minor realms were putting their lives on the line for a single pill to cross into the major realm.
So that's a fight between 10-Stars.
Ise stared calmly at the stage. The thought crossed his mind that it seemed much more manageable than he had anticipated.
Even setting aside the effect of his ghost treasure, the Twin Sickle Spirit Domain Uprising, he felt that their spell manipulation and physical capabilities were not drastically different from his own.
He watched the match while continuously imagining how he would fight if he were up there.
"Ise! There you are!"
A familiar voice pushed through the crowd toward him. It was Seol Ryeong.
"They said the exchange match starts right after this finishes. You need to get ready quickly."
"Already?"
"Yeah. We have to prepare in advance. Come on, hurry!"
Seol Ryeong tugged at Ise's sleeve.
The exchange match was conducted as a three-on-three team battle.
The representatives from the Training Center were three: top-ranking Ise, second-ranking Hae Un-chan, and third-ranking Hong Won-seo.
While the three were chatting in a corner of the waiting room, the pure-blood cultivators strode directly toward them.
Hae Un-chan grew nervous, and Hong Won-seo took a defensive stance at their solemnly grim momentum. But instead of attacking, the three pure-bloods bowed their heads sharply.
"Greetings, Senior!!"
At the sight of them bowing at a precise ninety-degree angle, Hae Un-chan and Hong Won-seo's faces flushed with bewilderment. Their expressions then twisted grotesquely as they watched Ise casually raise his hand to accept the greeting.