Chapter 18. Hwang Danha
About a month passed, and he safely returned to the Unkak Sect. The return trip took twice as long as the journey there, as they moved far more cautiously than before. Still, getting back without any issues was what mattered most, so the extra time was no loss.
Near the cave, there was a spot with decent spiritual energy, so he planted the Hongsu tree there along with the soil he'd brought. He transplanted other trees around it for camouflage, making it blend in from a distance. If he had a formation artifact, he could set up a Gold Vault Formation to protect the cave and the tree, but without one, this disguise would have to do. Someone from the sect might steal the Hongsu while he was away. It'd be great if Senior Brother Baek Gong could craft a formation artifact from the Black Ironwood. If not, he'd have to head to Dancheol Fortress... Surely they could make a flying artifact too, right? He had no idea how long he'd be stuck riding this pathetic twig-shaped flying artifact.
With a sigh, he mounted his flying artifact and headed to the central shops of the Unkak Sect.
Entering the shop run by Senior Brother Baek Gong, a servant greeted him. He returned the greeting casually and asked if Senior Brother Baek was in. The servant told him to wait a moment and left. Soon after, Senior Brother Baek approached.
"Junior Brother Yuseong, how's the silver snake armor I repaired for you last time?"
"Thanks to you, it's serving me well."
"What brings you here today?"
Pulling out the Black Ironwood from his storage pouch, he said, "Could you make a formation artifact from this Black Ironwood, by any chance?"
Senior Brother Baek stroked and lightly tapped the Black Ironwood before replying, "This is some fine Black Ironwood... But my refinement skills aren't up to crafting a formation artifact yet. If you want one, why not check out the market at Dancheol Fortress?"
He'd half-expected that, but hearing it still brought a twinge of disappointment.
"I'll head to the Dancheol Fortress market once my schedule clears up. In the meantime, could you make a flying artifact from the Black Ironwood?"
Senior Brother Baek grinned confidently. "A flying artifact? Of course. What'll you pay with?"
"How about the blood of the Blue-Eared White Serpent I gave you last time?"
"Hmm, I don't need any Blue-Eared White Serpent blood right now. If you don't have anything good to trade, how about 30 low-grade spirit stones?"
"Deal."
"I'll have the servant deliver it to your cave when it's done."
"Thanks. I'll be off then."
He handed over the Black Ironwood and 30 low-grade spirit stones to Senior Brother Baek and left the shop. He wondered what shape the flying artifact would take. It wouldn't be twig-shaped again, would it?
After leaving Baek Gong's shop, he entered the Mibong Shop, which mainly dealt in spiritual herbs and pills.
Inside, a silver-haired beauty with a bluish tint and a modest, refined woman were in conversation.
"Disciple Yuseong greets Elder Nae and Senior Sister Hwang."
Why were Nae Cheonha and her eldest disciple, Hwang Danha, here?
Nae Cheonha gave a slight nod in greeting, while Hwang Danha flashed an enigmatic smile.
"What is it?" Nae Cheonha asked.
"I came to buy something from the Mibong Shop. But wasn't there a different owner before?"
"I've taken over the Mibong Shop recently. My disciple here will handle most of the management."
"With Elder Nae running the shop, it's bound to prosper greatly. I'll be a frequent customer if you need anything."
"No need for flattery. I'll be going now—tell my disciple what you need."
"Understood."
He caught a faint upward twitch at the corner of Nae Cheonha's mouth as she left the shop. No need for flattery? Then why the smile?
Hwang Danha spoke up from beside him. "Junior Brother Yuseong, what materials do you need?"
He already had the ginseng from the Low Moon Platform, so he just needed Black Herb over 50 years old and Hyun Eum Paper over 30 years old.
"Senior Sister Hwang, do you have any Black Herb over 50 years and Hyun Eum Paper over 30 years?"
Hwang Danha glanced over the jade boxes and containers on the wide shelves before answering, "Black Herb over 50 years and Hyun Eum Paper over 30... Isn't this for the auxiliary ingredients of the Hongsu Pill?"
"Yes, exactly."
"Lucky you, getting your hands on a Hongsu Pill recipe."
Looking back, the recipe Jo Mihyeon had given him with her apology seemed quite valuable.
Hwang Danha handed him two jade boxes. "Since you're my first customer, Junior Brother, I'll let these go for 50 low-grade spirit stones—a special deal."
Fifty low-grade spirit stones was most of what he had left. But for refining the Hongsu Pill, he had no choice. He pulled 50 low-grade spirit stones from his storage pouch and handed them over.
"Could I get just a bit of Wood Vitality Powder too?"
Hwang Danha frowned. "Are you messing with me, Junior Brother? I already gave you a discount on the Black Herb and Hyun Eum Paper, and now you want Wood Vitality Powder for free?"
Ah, mistake. He should've just offered to buy it.
"Sorry. My pouch is a bit light right now... My mouth ran ahead of me."
Hwang Danha gave him an exasperated look, her gaze flicking briefly toward the shop entrance before she said, "Fine, take the Wood Vitality Powder. But only if you promise to stop by the Mibong Shop next time too."
Free Wood Vitality Powder out of nowhere? Score. He had no idea why her attitude had shifted.
"Thank you."
He received the powder, gave a polite cupped-fist salute, and left the Mibong Shop.
Now he had all the main and auxiliary ingredients for the Hongsu Pill—time to refine it.
Entering the cave's secret chamber, he brought out the pill furnace and materials.
The recipe allowed for four attempts. He needed at least one success out of four. Qi Refining 8th star was within reach.
He sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and mentally rehearsed the refining process until he felt proficient. Then he opened his eyes and loaded the main and auxiliary ingredients for the Hongsu Pill into the furnace.
He heated the furnace with fire, gradually raising the temperature. To make proper Hongsu Pills, he had to mix according to the recipe and control the heat precisely.
After an hour of intense focus, he finished refining and checked the furnace. The Hongsu Pill had crumbled.
What? Where did he go wrong?
He reviewed the entire process from start to finish, pondering his mistake. After much thought, he touched the crumbled pill and realized the cause. He'd kept the flame too high until the end, evaporating all the moisture from the Hongsu ingredients and burning it.
He'd used 60-year-old ginseng instead of the recipe's 50-year-old, so he'd thought to raise the fire a bit higher—that was the error.
Should've asked Jo Mihyeon first.
At least now he knew the failure point. He could succeed in the remaining three tries.
After circulating his qi to rest, he started refining again. This time, he lowered the flame slightly from before and paid extra care at the end.
An hour later, he checked the furnace. Success—a Hongsu Pill.
Checking the recipe's quality standards, it wasn't low-grade. Good.
"Phew. One down."
Repeating qi circulation and refining, he succeeded twice more with the remaining materials, producing three Hongsu Pills total.
Having spent nearly all his spirit stones on these, the three successes felt exhilarating.
Right there, he sat cross-legged and swallowed one. The pill's energy spread through his body, and he circulated the Yin-Yang Art to guide it to his dantian.
Half an hour after taking it, he checked his abdomen—eight blue stars.
He'd reached Qi Refining 8th star.
"Qi Refining 8th star! Yuseong, you're one hell of a guy!"
He was drawing closer to Core Formation, the true gateway to the cultivation world.
He absorbed the full effects of the first pill, then took the other two, converting them all to mana reserves.
The higher his realm, the more he appreciated the Yin-Yang Art's supreme quality. Its pure mana made breakthroughs effortless—he could feel it in his bones.
For a week, he circulated qi to stabilize his realm. During that time, a servant from Baek Gong's shop delivered the Black Ironwood flying artifact and left.
Thankfully, it wasn't twig-shaped—a sleek black boat form.
He tested the new boat flying through the sky. It was faster than his standard-issue one and used less mana, making flights more efficient.
Thrilled with his new ride, he zipped around the skies before returning to the cave.
To make a formation artifact from the remaining Black Ironwood, he'd need to visit Dancheol Fortress's market—but he had no spirit stones left for payment. He'd spent them all on Hongsu Pill materials and the flying artifact refinement. Time to take missions for more.
It hadn't been long since his last outer disciple mission, but for spirit stones, no choice.
He flew to the Mission Hall to meet Senior Brother Park Eung.
"Greetings, Senior Brother Park."
"Junior Brother Yuseong, already at Qi Refining 8th star. Your cultivation speed is extraordinary."
"Haha, I got some good effects from the pills I obtained."
Park Eung flipped through a ledger and said, "The usual—good rewards?"
"Yes. Ideally something rewarding but low-risk."
"Hmm, how about this? The Library Pavilion Lord needs help."
Library Pavilion Lord Yeop Inyeong?
"What's the reward?"
"It just says... 'very good reward.'"
Very good reward... Even if it wasn't great, he owed Yeop Inyeong too much to pass it up.
"I'll take that one."
He handed his mission token to Senior Brother Park Eung, who wrote "Library Pavilion 3rd Floor" on the blank spot.
He'd never been to the 3rd floor of the Library Pavilion, and the thought stirred quiet excitement. Her sparkling eyes like stars, her intellectual beauty, her slender yet curvaceous figure that her robes couldn't fully hide...
Any more imagining, and he'd picture her naked. He shook off the thought and headed straight for the Library Pavilion.