Chapter 60
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 60
Act 10. Silver Dragon Mine.
Ise took a deep breath in front of the secret cave in the Cultivation District.
As he inhaled, a trace of Turbid Qi flowed into his spirit veins.
The Main Mountain was the place with the absolute lowest concentration of Turbid Qi. Previously, such a minuscule amount wouldn't have bothered him in the slightest. But now that he was about fifty percent through Cleansing Turbidity and Purifying the Spirit, even the faintest trace entering his breath felt gritty.
It was like inhaling sand through his nose—a stark reminder of just how much purer his body had become.
The effects were visible on the outside, too. His complexion was vastly improved, glowing with a radiant luster and as smooth as a baby's skin. No one could ever joke again that he was a country bumpkin who spent his days running through fields and doing farm work.
Even the old scars from his childhood had vanished without a trace.
Ise walked toward the Living District.
He had made significant progress over the past six months. Normally, breaking through to the 8-Star minor realm took a Single Spirit Root Cultivator at least three years—and that was assuming they possessed extraordinary concentration and perseverance. For slower cultivators, it could take up to ten.
Ise's goal was to cross the 8-Star barrier within the next year.
If he achieved that, breaking through 9-Star, Great Completion, and Foundation Establishment in the remaining six years would allow him to shatter Hall Master Woo Yu-hee's record.
...Now that I think about it, that really is a monstrous pace.
As his realm rose, the time required for cultivation naturally increased.
Even now, he questioned whether he could actually pull it off within the timeframe. If not for the serendipitous opportunity of slaying a 10-Star Demonic Cultivator... I definitely wouldn't have been able to beat Hall Master Woo Yu-hee's record, he thought.
Let's not be impatient.
His current pace was already fast enough. At this rate, he could break through to the Foundation Establishment Stage without issue, securing a lifespan of at least three hundred years.
He could afford to take things a bit easier and adjust to a cultivator's perception of time.
I need to get some medicinal pills.
He had used up all the Spirit Food ingredients secured during his last mission, and he couldn't go out for Ghost Exorcism work right now due to the balance of Yin and Yang.
Although he had spent a portion of his wealth on pills and a Spirit Gathering Formation, he still had a decent stockpile of Spirit Stones left.
He briefly cleaned his quarters in the 1st Cheongyu Pavilion, which had gathered dust after sitting empty for half a year. Just as he was about to head to the Commercial District—
Tap. Tap-tap.
Something knocked against the paper window pane. As Ise opened the window, a Messenger Talisman flew swiftly inside and landed neatly in his palm.
—Official Mission Assignment. Management and supervision of the Spirit Stone Mine (Silver Dragon Mine). (Duration: 6 months)
"..."
For a moment, Ise doubted his own eyes.
Management and supervision? For six months?
Official missions were handed out once a year; was it really okay to tie him down for six whole months?
If they kept giving him missions that took up half the year, wouldn't he be unable to take on any other tasks? A perpetual cycle of infinite missions...?
After pondering for a moment, Ise decided to visit the Mission Pavilion to ask in person. Surely, the character for 'day' had been mistakenly written as 'month.'
Ise strode into the Mission Pavilion and quickly scanned the interior.
He approached the youngest official, a cultivator with a low realm, and voiced a quiet objection, suggesting there had been a clerical error.
"No, Senior. It is indeed a six-month mission."
"But is it alright to give a yearly mission for such a long duration? I don't mind if it's tough, so can't I take on a different mission?"
"I'm sorry, but that is outside my authority. Would you mind asking the Pavilion Master over there?"
Ise followed the official's pointing finger. There stood a late Foundation Establishment Stage senior cultivator who looked exceptionally busy and highly irritable.
Should I still try asking...? If I use the homework assigned by Hall Master Hae Il as an excuse, maybe he'll swap it for me.
As Ise paced restlessly near the inner hall of the Mission Pavilion like an anxious puppy—
"Senior?"
A familiar voice reached his ears.
It was Jo Jeong-jin, a 4-Star cultivator who possessed one of the fastest growth rates among his peers.
"It's been a while. Has your closed-door cultivation ended? It seems... you've reached 7-Star."
In truth, he had reached 7-Star well before that, but Ise didn't bother to elaborate.
"Yeah. It wasn't closed-door cultivation, just focused training."
"Are you heading straight out on a mission?"
When Jo Jeong-jin asked, Ise explained his situation. Upon hearing it, Jo Jeong-jin burst into a hearty laugh.
"Long-term missions like this are usually assigned to disciples who recently entered the Main Mountain, or to cultivators whose progress is slow. Most of our peers, myself included, completed theirs during spring and summer. They probably assigned it to you out of consideration because you went through that major incident. There isn't much to do even if you go, so just think of it as a change of scenery for your cultivation."
"Is that so?"
Hearing that they had delayed assigning him a mission out of consideration, Ise looked at the Mission Pavilion cultivators with a newfound perspective.
When one receives consideration, one should show gratitude. Ise accepted it cleanly and decided to drop the matter.
Walking side by side with Jo Jeong-jin, Ise asked, "Is there anything I need to be careful of on a mine supervision mission?"
"Hmm. Well? As I said, it's not particularly difficult work. Ah, but it would be best to avoid contacting the miners as much as possible. And don't pity them, either."
"Miners, huh."
Ise didn't quite understand, but he made a mental note of it. This, too, would become a new experience to build upon.
"By any chance, have you heard any news about Bu Chun or Gang-seo?"
"Fellow Daoist Park probably took on the mission of educating initiate disciples at the Training Center."
"He really seems to like that mission. Does he dream of becoming a master?"
"Haha. As far as I know, Bu Chun mainly handles delivery missions. He's likely away on one right now."
Missions in the Great Martial Dao were so varied that even a dullard like Bu Chun could earn enough Spirit Stones if he worked hard. Since Bu Chun had mentioned transitioning to an official next year, he was probably diligently taking on missions this year.
"Anyway, thanks. It was good seeing you. See you next time."
"Yes, Senior."
He really is a dependable cultivator. Ise watched Jo Jeong-jin's departing back with a proud gaze.
Next, he headed to the Alchemy Room in the Research District.
To be precise, it was the alchemy room in the red building where Hong Won-seo's pill furnace was located. Inside the rather spacious room, various expensive-looking pill furnaces and alchemy tools were lined up, with Hong Won-seo sitting alone inside.
No matter how one looked at it, this appeared to be a communal alchemy room, yet the actual public alchemy rooms were located elsewhere.
"You're alone every time I come here. Don't tell me you use this entire place by yourself?"
"No. This building and alchemy room belong to the Flame Flower Hong Clan."
"Ah, so that's why. What about the other alchemists?"
"There aren't any. I'm the only Qi Refining cultivator in the Flame Flower Hong Clan. Foundation Establishment cultivators have their own private alchemy rooms, after all."
"...So you do use it by yourself."
"You came because you need these, right?"
Hong Won-seo offered him Low-Grade Fasting Pills and Healing Pellets. Ise calculated the lowest market price and handed over the Spirit Stones to her.
"Can't you just buy them at the market? This isn't a retail shop."
"Then I'd get hit with transaction fees. What are colleagues for? By the way, have you made any other pills?"
"I have some freshly made Low-Grade Explosive Spirit Pills. Do you want them?"
Explosive Spirit Pills. They temporarily detonated one's spiritual energy to generate explosive power. However, the side effects were severe—essentially borrowing power from one's future self.
"Not stuff like that. Something like Spirit Gathering Pills or Qi Condensation Pills. Something that helps with cultivation."
"Nope. Don't have any."
"Come on. If you've got any stashed away, bring them out. I'll buy them for a high price."
"I don't even have enough for myself."
Hong Won-seo lowered the blind she had pulled up in front of her pill furnace and refocused on her alchemy. Ise slyly picked up the Explosive Spirit Pills resting on the floor and slipped them into his storage pouch.
Even if he went out to the market, there wouldn't be any medicinal pills available. For pills, even Low-Grade ones commanded whatever price the sellers demanded, and the moment they appeared, cultivators swarmed them like hungry ghosts. The ones he had obtained last time had been hard-won as well.
Ise let out a sigh.
Maybe I should have learned alchemy instead of Spirit Food.
But he soon shook his head. The harsh reality of an alchemist was that without ingredients, one couldn't even train their skills properly.
"Pay for those Explosive Spirit Pills before taking them."
Unless, of course, one was born with a golden spoon like Hong Won-seo.
* * *
Silver Dragon Mine in northern Tabaro.
Standing below a small mountain the size of a hill, Ise let out a dry laugh.
A Spirit Stone mine, huh.
He had always wondered how Spirit Stones were made, only to find they were simply dug out of a mine like any other mineral.
According to the information he got from Jo Jeong-jin, Spirit Stone mines were places where enemies of the Great Martial Dao had their spirit roots sealed and were subjected to forced labor.
The manager of the Silver Dragon Mine was a Foundation Establishment cultivator who introduced himself as a stonemason—one of the Hundred Arts of Cultivation—who processed Spirit Stones.
Ise thought to himself that there truly were all kinds of diverse arts in the world.
"A 7-Star. Since you hold the highest realm among those currently assigned to Silver Dragon Mine, you shall take on the role of supervisor, managing all the cultivators. I will call the previous supervisor so you can take over."
"Yes, Senior."
Soon after, a 6-Star Qi Refining cultivator entered.
"I am Goe Tong. Allow me to guide you."
The short cultivator with the unusual name took him on a tour around the Silver Dragon Mine, explaining the supervisor's duties.
"Silver Dragon Mine is a small mine with an annual Spirit Stone yield of around one hundred thousand."
"One hundred thousand is... small?"
"Yes. It is small. Among the major mines managed by the Great Martial Dao, there are places that yield several million."
As Ise grew flustered at the jaw-dropping numbers, Goe Tong smiled understandingly.
"But isn't the resident combat force a bit lacking?"
The personnel here consisted of a single Foundation Establishment cultivator and barely twenty Qi Refining Stage cultivators, all at the mid-stage or below. It truly seemed insufficient to guard a mine producing one hundred thousand Spirit Stones.
"First of all, Senior Master Stonemason is here. There's also a defensive barrier deployed. If we come under attack, neighboring disciples will all arrive as reinforcements, so there's no major cause for concern."
"So it does get attacked?"
"More often than you'd think. The last raid was about thirty years ago, I believe. In particular, Foundation Establishment sects from the Jeong Empire or Demonic Path Sects on the verge of ruin sometimes attack, seeking one final jackpot. Once they succeed, crossing the empire's borders makes tracking them difficult."
Goe Tong added that the severe shortage of Core Formation and Foundation Establishment cultivators was the Great Martial Dao's primary vulnerability.
"Though actual successful attempts are extremely rare."
"So that's why our seniors are always saying they're 'terribly busy with affairs.'"
As they conversed, they passed by the laborers' quarters.
Former cultivators were huddled together in thatched huts that were in worse condition than the Spirit Beast sheds at the Main Mountain.
Their faces were devoid of life, their bodies so emaciated that their skin clung tightly to their bones. Noticing the two, a young miner approached, bowing obsequiously.
"Cultivators, please, could you spare a bit of food? I haven't eaten a thing for three days..."
Ise tossed the miner a chunk of Demonic Beast Jerky he had cast aside after its effects had degraded.
Jo Jeong-jin's advice crossed his mind, but whether out of simple pity or memories of starving after losing his family as a child, he found it hard to just walk past.
"Ah. Senior. It would be better if you didn't..."
The miner stuffed the large piece of jerky whole into his mouth and bolted as if fleeing.
Immediately, other miners chased after him, beat him into the dirt, and pried the jerky right out of his mouth to devour it themselves.
Witnessing this utterly hideous spectacle, Ise's brow furrowed tightly.