Chapter 65
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 65
The commotion was settled in an instant.
No matter how numerous the enemies were, once deprived of their demonic energy, they were nothing more than herbivores before a fierce beast.
Over a hundred laborers were forced to their knees. At the very front knelt the culprit and instigator of the incident—the demonic cultivator, Han Chun-hwa.
After wrapping up his interrogation to fully grasp the situation, Ise set about punishing the mastermind.
“…P-please, spare me.”
Facing the demonic cultivator spouting such absurd nonsense, Ise swung his small axe once.
Split diagonally from her shoulder down to her waist, the woman’s body collapsed half a beat later.
Ise issued instructions to Jangsaeng, the highest-realm cultivator among those remaining.
“Gather the disciples’ bodies and send them back to the main mountain along with this.”
“Yes, Senior.”
Ise cast a brief glance at Goe Tong’s severed head.
Beyond half-open eyelids, Goe Tong’s pupils stared blankly into empty air.
“…What a fool.”
The name Silver Dragon Mine came from how its terrain, despite being a mere hill, twisted and coiled like a dragon, thoroughly winding people up.
It certainly felt as though some ill-omened leyline ran beneath it, given how the chaos never ceased even in this short span of time.
An old man who seemingly had no lingering attachment to life tried to prolong his existence, only to put his father in danger; meanwhile, a Daoist who warned others to beware of women lost his life indulging in female charms.
The reply Ise received from the main mountain after reporting the situation was a single, terse acknowledgment of his hard work.
There was neither a reprimand holding him accountable for the mine's management nor a reward for resolving the incident. It seemed they had offset his merits against his faults, treating the whole affair as if it had never happened.
* * *
With his eventful first official mission at an end, Ise returned to the main mountain for the first time in a long while.
Even Cheongyu Park, with its fluttering fallen leaves, felt surprisingly welcoming.
It’s probably covered in dust again.
Just as he opened the door to his quarters with that idle thought, a shout rang out.
“Senior!”
Two familiar faces suddenly popped out from inside the room. It was Park Gang-seo and Bu Chun.
“What’s this?”
“A surprise welcome-back party, you could say! Senior, I heard all about your exploits. How about a modest little celebration to mark becoming a celebrity on the main mountain?”
“Welcome back, Senior. Great work.”
Seeing those familiar faces made him truly realize he was back on the main mountain.
“Look at these cheeky early-stage Qi Refining initiates, breaking into a senior’s quarters without permission… How did you open the door?”
“Remember that time you were carried back after fighting the demonic cultivator who practiced the Blood Cultivation Art? We got it from the Name Registry Pavilion back then to fetch your clothes, Senior.”
When Ise held out his hand without a word, Bu Chun sheepishly placed the key on his palm.
“Actually, keep it.”
“Huh? Really?”
“Yeah. Come by and clean the place once a month. Practice making Spirit Food while you’re at it.”
“…Yes.”
At a wink from Park Gang-seo, Bu Chun grunted as he unhitched a bundle. Inside were snacks made from Spirit Rice and some Spirit Wine procured from the commercial district.
Three cups were filled.
“Time sure flies. It feels like yesterday that we entered the main mountain, yet a year has already passed,” Park Gang-seo mused.
“You’re transitioning to mission operatives starting next year, right?” Ise asked.
“Yes. They said we could apply in advance, so I applied for Spirit Beast Forest Manager,” Bu Chun replied.
“Spirit Beast Forest?”
“It’s an official post working in the southern sanctuary. You get priority to purchase byproduct materials harvested from Spirit Beasts and Spirit Creatures, which I think will help when the Meal Exchange opens.”
“Then it must be popular. The competition for applications must be fierce.”
“Apparently, the turnover rate is just as high, so openings pop up quickly.”
As Ise tilted his head in confusion, Park Gang-seo chimed in to clarify.
“The job is basically shoveling Spirit Beast dung. Who’d want to do that for long after going through all the trouble of becoming a cultivator?”
At Park Gang-seo’s words, Ise looked at Bu Chun with an expression that asked if he’d really be fine with that, but Bu Chun’s face was resolute.
After chatting and laughing over trivial matters for a while, Bu Chun asked Park Gang-seo:
“By the way, Senior, how are things over at the Training Center?”
“Well, nothing special. Aside from the new initiate disciples being utterly sickly and lacking talent.”
“Isn’t that just because last year’s initiates were too unusual…?”
“That’s true. But the headcount increased sharply compared to previous years. It’s gotten to the point where people are talking about expanding the facilities.”
“Why?”
“Who knows. They say the number of applicants has risen year after year since a couple of years ago. Are the Three Peninsular Kingdoms promoting birth encouragement policies or something?”
The number of applicants naturally correlated to the birth rate of a given year.
From the perspective of the Great Martial Dao, the patron behind the Three Kingdoms, population size equaled national strength and an expanding foundation for the sect, so it wasn’t bad news.
Park Gang-seo took a sip of Spirit Wine and added, “Anyway. Senior, what are you going to do now? Go straight back to missions?”
“Of course.”
“Man, Senior, you really are relentless.”
Ise set down his cup and looked back and forth between the two.
“By the way, why haven’t your cultivation realms advanced?”
“……”
At Ise’s question, both of them flinched.
Park Gang-seo’s realm was still 4-Star. Bu Chun’s realm was still 2-Star.
Even for those with Five Spirit Roots, cultivation accompanied by resources and Spirit Food should have produced at least incremental progress.
“Senior really pokes right where it hurts without batting an eye…”
“It’s because you’re moving too fast, Senior.”
“I don't think so.”
Truth be told, Ise had little interest in anyone’s cultivation realm other than his own. He merely treated it like a casual inquiry, checking in on their progress.
However, if those who claimed to be his hands and feet fell too far behind, was there really any point… in keeping them around?
“We are trying our best. But Senior, if you ever have time, could you take a look at us just once?”
“Sure. Since we’re talking about it, let’s start right now.”
“Really?!”
“I should take a week off to gear up and rest before resuming missions anyway.”
Ise had a good hunch about why their cultivation had stalled.
Mindlessly banging their heads against the wall without addressing the root cause wouldn’t lead to progress.
Since these two were meant to save him time in the long run, he decided to view this week as an investment.
The three immediately rented a Sparring Arena.
Before the two, who stood with equal parts nerves and anticipation, Ise took off his Daoist robe. He unbuttoned and removed his undershirt, hanging his clothes aside.
His bare torso, usually hidden from view, was revealed beneath the sunlight.
“……”
The two had no idea why Ise was suddenly stripping, but they couldn't help gasping in awe at his perfectly sculpted physique.
Tightly forged shoulders. Long, pronounced muscles and sinews stretching from forearm to back. Bulging pectorals above chiseled abdominals, with dense micro-muscles firmly set between them.
It was a physical body so flawless that the term "herculean warrior" suited him perfectly.
“Who on earth would take this for the body of a Daoist?”
“By the way, Senior… why did you suddenly take off your clothes?”
“Look at your own bodies.”
“A personal attack out of nowhere?!”
Unquestionably, the difference was beyond comparison.
“Both of you neglected body refining way too much.”
“……”
“What is written on the first page of the Ghost-Banishing Spirit-Purging Cultivation Manual?”
[— Temper the physical body.
— Accumulate the cleansed Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy obtained from hunting demon ghosts into the tempered body.
— Combine enlightenment with the accumulated spiritual energy to advance to the next realm.]
Ise recited the preface from memory without missing a single word.
“‘Temper the physical body.’ You don't even have the absolute basics down. Disciples of the Great Martial Dao tend to look down on physical conditioning, but why ignore the very first line written in your cultivation manual?”
“Well, we just thought, why would physical training be that important for a Daoist…”
Even now, Ise spent about thirty percent of his cultivation time purely on physical conditioning—to ensure his perfectly sculpted body didn't deteriorate in the slightest, and to always exert power reaching his absolute limits.
Yet how could the bodies of these early-stage Qi Refining cultivators be this feeble? It was absolute, utter arrogance.
“Over the next week, I’m going to beat your slack bodies back into shape.”
The two answered with earnest faces.
As expected, he was a genius who worked hard. Their respect for him surged. His words were thoroughly persuasive.
“I learned a method from my master. To borrow her exact words… ‘If you get beaten within an inch of your life, the body will forge itself.’”
“…Pardon?”
When Master Mongryeon trained the young Dogwi boys’ bodies, she would beat them soundly all day before leaving with the warning: “If I see any flab on you next time, I’m giving you another beating just like this.”
Then, naturally, the young Dogwi boys would train like men possessed to sculpt their bodies.
Of course, Ise hadn't needed such a method to work his absolute hardest. But the time had come for her seemingly useless teachings to shine.
Truly, his master was grand. Not a single one of her teachings was meant to be wasted.
Shortly after, bloodcurdling screams echoed across the Sparring Arena.
Relentlessly.
For an entire week.
* * *
Act 11. Meal Exchange, Open for Business.
Year 316 of the founding of the Great Martial Dao.
Which meant three years and three seasons had passed since Ise entered the cultivation world.
In an unnamed mountain stronghold in southern Tabaro, Ise stepped lightly off the corpse of a demonic cultivator and touched down.
Inside a binding formation deep within the stronghold, three initiate disciples from the Great Martial Dao lay sprawled with deathly pale faces.
They had set out on a mission to eliminate a Grade 9 evil spirit, only to be captured by the demonic cultivator and turned into sacrifices for his Blood Cultivation Art.
Ise fired a burst of spiritual energy, destroying the formation drawn on the ground.
“Thank you, Senior…!”
Freed from his bindings, one of the cultivators looked up at Ise with bloodshot eyes. Having endured severe torture, he was battered and bruised all over.
While his spirit root remained intact, his spirit veins were completely twisted under the influence of the Blood Cultivation Art. It was unlikely he would be able to move freely for quite a while.
Ise handed each of them a Healing Pellet.
“T-thank you… How could we ever repay this grace…?”
“Forget grace. I came out on a mission, too. And that’ll be 10 spirit stones each.”
“Pardon? What for…?”
“For the Healing Pellets.”
“……”
Hong Won-seo’s price for a Healing Pellet was 5 spirit stones, but the value of goods naturally fluctuated depending on time and place.
“Circulate your energy. I’ll clean up the mess and be back.”
“Yes, Senior.”
Ise sealed the demonic cultivator’s sprawled body inside the Demon Ghost Sealing Scroll and swept the stronghold’s belongings into his storage pouch.
Then, he discovered a secret manual.
[Telekinesis Art]
An attributeless dharma spell that manipulated objects without touch. A spell worth 45 spirit stones.
He had contemplated buying it several times but always gave up because he didn’t want to waste the spirit stones.
Jackpot.
Broadly grinning, Ise shoved the secret manual into his storage pouch. Just then, he heard the rescued cultivators whispering inside the stronghold.
“He still looks so young, but his realm is insanely high.”
“He’s that guy. The one who reached 8-Star within two years of entering the cultivation world, and now, before even four years have passed, is eyeing 9-Star. A small axe and a yellow shield. It’s identical to what the seniors said.”
“Ah, that… monster above geniuses.”
“Shh! Keep your voices down, you two!”
These fledglings didn’t seem to realize that no matter how much they lowered their voices, it was useless against a cultivator above a certain realm.
Well, I was like that too once.
Ise recalled back when he took the Great Martial Dao entrance exam, chatting in hushed tones with Hae Un-chan only to be called out by Hall Master Kang I-tae.
Back then, he had thought, He could hear that?
After sending the rescued initiate disciples back to Cheongsangyeong, Ise dispatched a mission completion talisman to the main mountain.
He thought he might drop by to see the faces of the people at the Training Center while he was at it, but he was blocked at the entrance. He was told that non-operatives weren’t allowed inside.
“How cold.”
Cold attitude aside, the gatekeeping operative guarding the Training Center’s main gate made a huge fuss upon recognizing Ise, gushing that he had heard so much about him.
Ise was appalled. Becoming a celebrity was not in his nature.
Of course, that fame was limited to within the Great Martial Dao.
Fortunately, a disciple’s cultivation details were treated as top secret, never leaking to rogue cultivators, external sects, or—especially—the demonic path sects.
That was why Ise actually felt more comfortable taking on missions outside rather than staying inside the main mountain.
Since I’m already out here, maybe I should go repay a debt.
Hong Sa-deuk of nearby Namsan Valley. He intended to settle the debt owed to him.
Mortals lived short lives, so if he didn’t repay it early, it would get troublesome later.