Chapter 102
Translator: T_Fan
‘A gathering….’
Lee Hyun looked down at the two books in his hands.
With nearby mountain lords and great demons in attendance, several Nascent Soul-level old monsters would be gathered in one place. He would be a newcomer of uncertain lineage sitting among them.
‘It’ll be a problem if even one of them catches on.’
Still, there was something to gain.
He might learn about ancient inheritances of the demon race, rare spirit plants in Cangmang Forest, or sources of Tier-3 spirit materials he could use to make magic treasures in the future.
It would also be good to settle the matter with Heiyi Ridge.
To stay on Qingshi Mountain for the long term, he needed to get along with his neighbors. Above all, the invitation had come from Master Hu, who had given him a mountain with a Tier-3 spirit vein.
‘And it wouldn’t feel right to turn down kindhearted Master Hu’s invitation….’
Lee Hyun asked,
“Will the Tier-5 Demon Lords be attending as well?”
Master Hu’s ears perked up.
“Ah, no. The Demon Lords do not attend gatherings like this.”
Master Hu adjusted his jade spectacles and added,
“It is simply a gathering of nearby fellow practitioners to exchange news. We discuss matters between our territories and sometimes trade things we need.”
“I’ll attend.”
Master Hu nodded in satisfaction.
“About half a day’s journey north of Lulin Pavilion, there is a place where several enormous ancient trees have fallen. Their exposed roots intertwine to form a broad platform. Come to Lulin Pavilion on the morning of the gathering. We shall go together.”
“Understood.”
…
After seeing Master Hu off, Lee Hyun returned and laid out thirty-odd storage pouches on the storeroom floor in Tunnel No. 4.
As he emptied them one by one, the stone table quickly became too crowded. In the end, he had to push the rock wall farther back and carve three new rows of shelves into it.
“Let’s see…”
He had already returned the medicinal ingredients stolen from the Two Heavens Society and handed over the spirit stones set aside for compensation, so everything that remained was his to keep.
He started with Xiahou Heng and Xiahou Zhen’s storage pouches. Between them, the two Golden Core cultivators had possessed 120 high-grade spirit stones and about 5,000 mid-grade spirit stones, equivalent to 17,000 mid-grade spirit stones in total.
‘They had plenty of goods… but not many spirit stones for Golden Core cultivators. Is that because they belonged to a cultivation clan rather than a great sect?’
After putting away the spirit stones, Lee Hyun turned to the other items.
One of Xiahou Heng’s jade caskets contained three lumps of dark blue iron. A tag on the outside identified them as Mystic Water Iron and listed their weight. When Lee Hyun lifted one into his palm, he sensed a cold aura and a faint trace of its spiritual nature.
‘Tier-3 spirit materials! Even all three together aren’t enough to make a single magic treasure, but…’
Beside them were half a bottle of spirit sand, an additive used when forging blades, seven copper-red rods, and other items. All of these, however, were only Tier-2 spirit materials.
He also found dozens of pills. Their former owners had apparently taken anything precious as soon as they obtained it, leaving only ordinary recovery pills, Detoxification Pills, and Hunger-Warding Pills. Lee Hyun kept a few for emergencies and set the rest aside to sell.
The flat jade casket Xiahou Zhen had hidden inside his belt proved more promising. It contained two useful talismans: an elementary-grade Tier-3 Crimson Flame Protection Talisman and a mid-grade Tier-3 Wind Escape Talisman.
The Crimson Flame Protection Talisman raised a fiery barrier capable of blocking a single strike from a Golden Core cultivator. The Wind Escape Talisman carried its user dozens of li (one li is about 392 m) away on the wind in an emergency. He added the dozens of other talismans of Tier 2 and below to the pile of goods to sell.
…
Next, he examined the magic tools. When he extended a thin strand of divine sense into the small jade token Xiahou Heng had produced at the very end, a milky-white film shimmered over its surface, obscuring his probe.
It did not protect the primordial spirit directly, but as an exceptional supreme-grade magic tool that disrupted casual probing by another person’s divine sense, it seemed useful for concealing his aura.
The black iron ring he had taken from Xiahou Heng’s wrist was also practical. When Lee Hyun channeled magical power into the ring, which was engraved with the name Heavy Mystic Ring, it expanded and began spinning rapidly around him like a top.
The ring’s afterimages traced a protective circle capable of deflecting strikes from every direction. He could also launch the ring at will to lock down an opponent’s weapon or bind their wrist.
“I’ll keep this one.”
Among Xiahou Zhen’s possessions were the Crimson Fang Twin Blades, a pair of slender daggers, and the Fire Cloud Pearl, a fist-sized red orb. Both were exceptional supreme-grade magic tools.
The Crimson Fang Twin Blades were designed for ambushes, flying silently to pierce an enemy’s body-protecting spirit light. When infused with fire-attributed magical power, their tips released searing fire toxin that could melt through defensive barriers.
The Fire Cloud Pearl was a smokescreen magic tool. Once infused with magical power, it instantly spread dense smoke and searing heat over a radius of dozens of zhang (one zhang is about 3.3 m), disrupting an enemy’s vision and divine-sense probing.
…
He then checked the jade slips among the spoils one by one.
The cultivation arts Xiahou Heng and Xiahou Zhen had practiced included mnemonic formulas up to Golden Core. Perhaps owing to the limitations of a small cultivation clan, however, they were hopelessly crude compared to those of Baoguang Temple.
The only worthwhile find was the 《Record of Metal Separation and Material Purification》 from Xiahou Heng’s storage pouch. His notes on refining several types of Tier-3 mineral materials would help Lee Hyun assess materials when making magic treasures in the future or commissioning an artifact refiner.
…
Next, he sorted the items from the Foundation Establishment cultivators’ storage pouches.
There was plenty to go through: pills, talismans, magic tools, medicinal ingredients, all kinds of ores, spare robes, food, jars of wine, and more.
One pouch contained a toolbox full of iron needles, small hammers, and blades. Beneath it were records of repairs to broken formation flags.
Lee Hyun examined the six copper plates stored with those records. They were magic tools used to deploy a Tier-2 Earth-Listening Formation, which detected underground vibrations.
‘This could be useful for detecting demon beasts or members of the demon race approaching the tunnel.’
He also found formation flags and formation plates for one set of the Tier-2 Four-Gate Sealing Formation and two sets of the Tier-2 Azure Armor Formation. The Four-Gate Sealing Formation blocked entry and exit in every direction, while the Azure Armor Formation was a small defensive formation that covered a limited area with a barrier of light.
…
Finally, he counted the spirit stones again.
Including those from cultivators at Foundation Establishment and below, his haul this time came to 132 high-grade spirit stones and 9,200 mid-grade spirit stones.
That was equivalent to 22,400 mid-grade spirit stones.
Before his breakthrough to Golden Core, his reserves had stood at about 68,000 mid-grade spirit stones. Selling a Golden Core Condensing Pill to Red Deer had added another 5,000.
With his latest gains, he now had the equivalent of about 95,400 mid-grade spirit stones, or roughly 954 high-grade spirit stones.
‘That’s enough to buy a decent mid-grade magic treasure and still have some left over. And I haven’t even sold the magic tools, pills, or spirit materials yet….’
He also had fourteen Golden Core Condensing Pills on hand, with one more entrusted to Rabbit.
‘I won’t need to sell the old spirit plants in Tunnel No. 3 for a while.’
***
The next day, Lee Hyun began bonding with the two magic treasures he had taken as spoils.
Both were still steeped in the auras their former owners had left through years of nurturing.
Each time he sent his divine sense into them, it felt unpleasantly like handling something that still bore traces of someone else’s touch.
Lee Hyun took his time, gradually cleansing away the lingering auras, starting with those on the surface.
After several days, he could operate them at a basic level.
He went to a rocky valley deep within Qingshi Mountain, spread his divine sense in every direction, and sent the black curved blade into the air.
It was a little over one chi (about 33 cm) long. There was no clear division between hilt and blade, and its two ends curved in opposite directions.
When Lee Hyun poured magical power into it, the blood-red patterns along its spine lit up one after another.
Hummm―
A tremendous power emanated from the curved blade!
At a flick of his fingertips, the black blade shot across the valley. A boulder opposite him split diagonally, and its upper half slid to the ground.
Although it was only a low-grade magic treasure, it could handle more magical power and strike with greater force than the Sinking Moon Sword, an exceptional supreme-grade magic tool.
It was slightly inferior to Yan Wuzhen’s Nine Nether Yin Wind Fan as a magic treasure, but Lee Hyun found a bladed magic treasure easier to wield than a fan.
‘I can just sell the Sinking Moon Sword instead of repairing it.’
Next, he took out Xiahou Zhen’s red iron ruler.
It was the Blazing Flame Heavy Ruler, a blunt iron ruler two chi long.
It ranked among the lowest of magic treasures, but its straightforward function made it useful enough.
As Lee Hyun infused it with magical power, the entire iron ruler glowed red like a lump of metal fresh from a furnace, and its weight surged in an instant.
Even a casual swing through the air unleashed scorching wind and crushing pressure that seemed capable of pulverizing a boulder whole.
‘This should be handy for rough use.’
***
The day of the gathering arrived.
Several streaks of light descended onto the broad platform formed by the tangled roots of fallen ancient trees.
Lee Hyun followed Master Hu along a path between the roots.
The thick roots resembled fortress walls. Stone slabs lay across their bare upper surfaces, and farther down stretched a wide, level expanse of earth.
Members of the demon race at Tier 3 and below had gathered nearby with goods to trade.
Some wore long robes but left their tails exposed. Others had humanlike heads but forelegs for arms, while still others lay there in the forms of enormous beasts.
Those seated on the platform were different.
All had almost human forms, and even without doing anything, they radiated an overwhelming presence.
It was a little frightening to realize he was walking straight into their midst.
‘I’m only a frail Golden Core Stage 1 cultivator…’
Lee Hyun swallowed.
“You’re here!”
The enormous Tan Yue waved at him. The cup beside him was the size of a small jar.
“Come sit here. We were just talking about you.”
‘That’s not good.’
Before Lee Hyun could sit, a man in black robes rose across from him.
He was tall and broad-shouldered, with his long hair tied back. Two iron-black feathers jutted up above his temples, and a small golden ring gleamed within each pupil.
“I am the lord of Heiyi Ridge. I hear my subordinates behaved disgracefully at your residence, fellow Daoist. The fault lies with me for failing to discipline them. I offer my apologies.”
It was the Black Horn Immortal Lord.
At a turn of his head, the black hawks behind him stepped forward.
Lee Hyun recognized their faces.
One still moved an arm awkwardly. The black hawk behind him apparently had not fully healed the tip of his beak, for even in human form, his mouth was crooked.
Beside them stood a young man Lee Hyun had never seen before.
“This is my nephew. He completed his human-form transformation recently. I sent him to look over the residence beforehand, but he gave those fools the wrong directions. Since he bears responsibility as well, I brought him along.”
The black feathers on the young man’s shoulders bristled.
He had never even set foot on Qingshi Mountain, yet immediately after completing his human-form transformation, he was being made to bow his head in front of several great demons. He seemed to resent it.
The Black Horn Immortal Lord glared at him.
The feathers immediately flattened.
“I apologize for my discourtesy.”
“Very well. I hope there will be no further incidents.”
To the surrounding great demons, this was a case of Tier-3 members of the demon race barging into a Tier-4 great demon’s residence. They had returned alive, so no one present could find fault with Lee Hyun.
Master Hu watched them exchange courtesies and felt relieved.
‘That settled things nicely.’
Then the Black Horn Immortal Lord smiled and spoke.
“However, I have one request. My subordinates tell me you have a truly exceptional physique, fellow Daoist Li. Since so many fellow practitioners have gathered for once, why not exchange a few friendly moves and get better acquainted?”
The Black Horn Immortal Lord extended an arm.
Black light flowed from his sleeve and became a long spear. Both its head and shaft looked as though they had been fashioned from bundles of feathers, and wind swirled ceaselessly around its tip.
“I shall set this aside. We will spar in human form. We may cloak our bodies in demon power, but let us use no innate divine abilities.”
The spear landed on the stone slab with a heavy thud.
The Black Horn Immortal Lord intended to show how strong he was even without a weapon. If he merely apologized and left, word might spread that all of Heiyi Ridge had been cowed by a great demon who had only just completed his human-form transformation.
All he needed was to demonstrate that his skill was a few notches above his opponent’s without creating a grudge.
“We came here to make peace, fellow Daoist Black Horn. Must you really….”
Master Hu had been about to intervene, but his words trailed off as his gaze fell on Lee Hyun.
Golden demon markings were emerging along the back of Li Dongwu’s neck, above his collar.
Lee Hyun himself, however, was tense.
‘Of course this wasn’t going to end peacefully. Master Hu must have brought me here to put Heiyi Ridge in its place and bolster Lulin Pavilion’s standing.’
He looked around. Nascent Soul-level old monsters watched him with interest. In the society of the demon race, where the strong preyed on the weak, showing himself to be an easy target now would all but guarantee another mountain lord would come looking for trouble tomorrow.
‘I’ll make it very clear that picking a fight with me is more trouble than it’s worth.’
Lee Hyun slowly rose.
“I seek your guidance.”
Master Hu sighed softly, closing his eyes before opening them again. It was already too late to stop either of them.
‘Perhaps it can’t be helped when the fellow has battle in his blood… A defeat here might teach him some humility. This could be a chance to polish that rough gem…’
Master Hu spoke.
“I shall watch from close by. Stop as soon as the outcome is decided.”
…
They moved to a vast clearing some ten li from the gathering site.
With the great demons and other onlookers from the demon race surrounding them, Lee Hyun and the Black Horn Immortal Lord faced each other on the bare earth.
‘I can’t use the All-Hearing Heavenly King manifestation. Baoguang Temple is right on Cangmang Forest’s doorstep. If I reveal a Dharma manifestation of the Buddhist tradition, they might realize I belong to the human race.’
“Here I come.”
The instant he spoke, the Black Horn Immortal Lord vanished from sight. A moment later, with a shriek of tearing wind, his black robes filled Lee Hyun’s vision.
‘Fast!’
The Black Horn Immortal Lord’s five fingers, hooked like a hawk’s beak, darted toward Lee Hyun’s shoulder. It was a vicious claw technique.
Rather than retreat, Lee Hyun stepped half a pace inward and drove his left forearm upward into his opponent’s wrist.
BOOM!
Only flesh had struck flesh, yet a crash like an iron bell being struck rang out, and the ground beneath them sank into a circular hollow.
‘Even his raw strength is on a different level from a Golden Core cultivator’s!’
His forearm tingled, but Lee Hyun did not miss the flicker of alarm in the Black Horn Immortal Lord’s eyes.
Using the recoil, the Black Horn Immortal Lord twisted in midair and drove a vicious knee toward Lee Hyun’s chin.
In that instant, Lee Hyun’s limbs moved with lightning speed, guided by the principles of the martial path he had mastered through the secret manuals of countless Profound Realm experts, going back to his days in Yunze Kingdom.
Lee Hyun leaned back, letting the strike miss by a hair, then spun like a top around his planted left foot.
It was a masterful kicking technique that united offense and defense!
As the Black Horn Immortal Lord’s knee skimmed past Lee Hyun’s chin, Lee Hyun’s right heel whipped into the outside of that knee with the full force of his spin.
CRUNCH!
The Black Horn Immortal Lord was hurled sideways before he could even land. But a Tier-4 great demon possessed monstrous reflexes.
Instead of crashing into the ground, he balanced himself with one hand, carried his momentum into a spin, and pushed off to retaliate with a storm of chained kicks.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
The hem of his black robe flared like wings as the afterimages of his kicks and claw strikes rained down by the dozen. He was recreating the killing techniques of a bird of prey through human limbs, swooping from above, striking from blind spots, and trying to tear joints apart.
Screeech! BOOM! BOOOM!
Every brush of his sharp fingertips shredded Lee Hyun’s sleeves. Yet golden demon markings shone across the exposed forearms, and claws sharp enough to slice through steel repeatedly bounced or slid off them.
Bewilderment filled the Black Horn Immortal Lord’s eyes.
Lee Hyun’s gaze, by contrast, remained calm as the storm of attacks battered his entire body.
The martial arts of the human race had been honed to enable the weak to defeat beasts and superhuman opponents stronger than themselves.
BOOM!
As the Black Horn Immortal Lord’s right hand flew toward him, Lee Hyun did not evade. Using his footwork, he advanced half a pace straight into the attack.
The bedrock underfoot fractured into a web of cracks. The Palm of Compassion’s method of releasing force, which he had learned at Baoguang Temple, combined with the Fist of Deliverance’s method of layering force like waves and the explosive strength of the Leakless Golden Body.
Lee Hyun’s left fist drove forward in a short, heavy strike and slammed squarely into the center of the Black Horn Immortal Lord’s palm.
CRRRACK!
“Urgh!”
Overwhelmed by sheer force, the Black Horn Immortal Lord’s fingers bent backward and his entire arm was knocked upward. His chest lay wide open!
Lee Hyun’s right fist shot forward at once.
BOOOM!
A single straight punch struck the Black Horn Immortal Lord in the solar plexus. The robe across his back bulged outward as a shock wave erupted behind him.
The Black Horn Immortal Lord stifled a groan as pain twisted through his insides and he was driven backward, but Lee Hyun gave him no chance to recover.
THUD! BOOM! BANG!
The earth shook with every step Lee Hyun took, and his alternating punches and kicks cracked through the air like thunder.
Whenever the Black Horn Immortal Lord spread his arms to block, a short crushing punch slipped inside and hammered his ribs, while kicks rose from below to lash his chin and flank.
His techniques flowed seamlessly from punches to kicks, then from kicks back to palm strikes.
Before the shock of the first punch could fade, blow after blow piled on top of it, until even the great demon’s resilient body began to scream.
The Black Horn Immortal Lord’s bloodied lips twisted as he summoned the demon power throughout his body. Crossing his arms to deflect Lee Hyun’s punch, he confidently whipped a spinning back kick toward Lee Hyun’s temple.
But Lee Hyun blocked the kick with his left arm while springing off the ground into a half-turn. The force of his leap and the twist of his waist combined with the monstrous strength of the Leakless Golden Body, all concentrated in his right leg.
Like a colossal axe cleaving down through the sky, Lee Hyun’s right foot descended straight onto the Black Horn Immortal Lord’s arms.
BOOOOOM!
With a blast like a thunderbolt, the Black Horn Immortal Lord’s guarding arms buckled and his knees smashed into the ground.
With his lower legs buried in the earth, the Black Horn Immortal Lord raised bloodshot eyes to find Lee Hyun already right in front of him.
Lee Hyun drove off his planted rear foot, blasting soil backward as his right fist tore through the air in a brilliant swirl of golden light.
Whoooosh―
The fist came to an impossibly sudden halt just one cun (about 3.3 cm) from the space between the Black Horn Immortal Lord’s brows.
The wind compressed in front of the fist burst apart, surging past both sides of the Black Horn Immortal Lord’s body.
BOOOM!
A fan-shaped swath of earth stretching dozens of zhang behind him was gouged away. A few severed black feathers spun between columns of dirt flung high into the sky.
A trickle of cold sweat ran down the Black Horn Immortal Lord’s forehead. The heat radiating from the golden fist before his eyes stung his skin.
“Enough!”
Only then did Master Hu come to his senses, his shout ringing across the clearing. Lee Hyun withdrew his fist without hesitation and took a step back.
Rising slowly from where his knees had sunk into the ground, the Black Horn Immortal Lord looked back and forth between his tingling arms and Lee Hyun’s face for a long moment. At last, he unclenched his jaw and spoke.
“…I have lost.”
After a brief silence, the watching great demons burst into laughter.
“Hahahaha! What did I tell you? I warned you to be careful about fighting that fellow hand-to-hand!”
Tan Yue slapped his knee in delight, while great demons all around laughed and raised their cups.
“Qingshi Mountain has gained a fine fellow practitioner.”
“Let’s have a drink later, fellow Daoist Li!”
One onlooker marveled while mimicking Lee Hyun’s fierce kicks and the rapid combinations of his fist art in the air. Another mocked the Black Horn Immortal Lord, saying that a flying beast fighting on the ground had gotten what it deserved.
The Black Horn Immortal Lord brushed the dirt from his torn sleeves and said ruefully,
“It wasn’t a real fight, after all…”
Only after looking around did Lee Hyun finally relax.
‘Have I finally won these monsters’ respect?!’
He turned to Master Hu.
Master Hu had his head tilted back, his eyes gently closed and a hand pressed to the back of his neck. To Lee Hyun, he looked as though he were savoring the victory.
‘He looks very pleased. Heiyi Ridge won’t dare challenge Lulin Pavilion’s authority now.’
…
The great demons were still animated from watching the sparring match when they returned to the gathering, but the mood grew somber when Tan Yue took out a broken piece of bone.
“I found this on an island to the south.”
The bone was placed on a stone slab.
One end was ragged, as though a beast had torn at it, but fine knife marks remained inside the joint.
“There were several carcasses left behind after their flesh and demon cores had been harvested.”
‘But I did that…’
“After opening the joint, they cut the tendons first.”
The white-robed mountain lord with vertically slit pupils spoke.
“Artifact refiners of the human race use this method to avoid damaging their materials.”
Tan Yue continued.
“That was one of the places where there were at least traces left to find. Most others were empty. In some waters I’ve frequented for years, every Tier-3 demon beast has vanished.”
“The outer seas are no longer enough for them, so now they’re coming all the way to the waters near the forest.”
“We should start by sinking the ships of the human race.”
“We must question those bastards at Baoguang Temple too. They’re the ones who turn demon cores into medicine and take it themselves!”
The great demons’ killing intent flared menacingly, but Master Hu calmly intervened.
“If we sink every ship in sight, they may launch a full-scale invasion of the forest. We cannot decide here to wage all-out war against every sect of the human race. You all know how difficult it is to unite the demon race of the forest unless the Demon Lords themselves give the order.”
As the discussion continued, the white-robed mountain lord looked at Lee Hyun.
“I heard you spent a long time in the lands of the human race, fellow Daoist Li.”
“That is correct.”
“Is it also true that you do not know your own lineage?”
“Yes. I’m an orphan.”
The white-robed mountain lord’s eyes narrowed.
“You are well versed in the martial arts of the human race, and you bear a remarkable resemblance to them. With a fellow practitioner like you arriving just as demon beasts are vanishing from the outer seas, I cannot help being a little curious.”
An icy silence fell over the gathering.
‘Dammit, there’s a sharp one here. Should I kill the bastard?’
“Fellow Daoist Bai.”
Master Hu’s voice was low.
“Fellow Daoist Tan and I watched that Junior undergo a heavenly tribulation with our own eyes. We also saw his body just after his human-form transformation.”
“I do not question your judgment, Master. It is just….”
Tan Yue snorted.
“If you are curious, try sparring with that fellow. You will never believe he belongs to the human race after that.”
As though recalling the one-sided thrashing the Black Horn Immortal Lord had just endured, the white-robed mountain lord quietly waved the suggestion away.
“That was not what I meant. I merely wished to ask whether he had seen or heard anything in the lands of the human race.”
Lee Hyun considered for a moment before speaking.
“I’ve heard that a group called the Nanming Twelve-Sect Alliance has been gradually moving north from the Nanming Sea over the years. Could those bastards be the ones hunting the Tier-3 demon beasts?”
…
After a lengthy discussion, the mountain lords agreed to tighten security along the coast and the travel routes.
They would gather clues about the clansmen and demon beasts missing from their respective territories and capture any hunters who crossed the prohibition markers to find out who was behind them. They reached no decision on the proposal to attack Nanming’s coastal strongholds directly.
Lee Hyun merely nodded in silence, careful not to get saddled with any duties.
…
Once the gathering ended, the market opened.
The great demons brought out their goods first. Then the clansmen who had accompanied them opened their boxes and unwrapped their leather bundles.
Lee Hyun looked for ancient inheritances of the demon race among the goods for sale, but unfortunately there were none this time. No spirit plants seemed particularly worth cultivating, either.
As he walked deeper into the market, an unfamiliar scent reached his nose.
‘The scent of humans?’
It was the smell of sweat, blood, and people who had gone too long without washing.
Twelve people sat in the shade of a massive root.
Black collars encircled their necks, with chains running from each collar to a single iron post.
There were both men and women, and all were cultivators.
Beside them sat a red-furred member of the demon race. He had a long snout and dirt caked beneath his nails.
“Are they for sale?”
The member of the demon race hurried to his feet.
“Yes, Senior.”
He held out some jade tokens.
“Their primordial spirits are bound, so they’re easy to control. Some of them know how to sort medicinal herbs and tend fires, too.”
The captives looked up. Several went pale at the terrifying presence emanating from Lee Hyun’s entire body.
“Where did you capture them?”
“They’re members of the human race who were coming and going across the forest’s eastern boundary.”
“Are they all hunters?”
“I don’t know. Some were gathering medicinal herbs… In any case, capable fighters from the human race rarely make it this far.”
That presumably meant the better fighters had escaped, died, or been sold elsewhere first.
“How much for all of them?”
***
Below is the Q&A posted by the author when this series was officially released and became paid.
[Q&A]
Here are answers to some questions readers may have.
1. Will this novel end before ascension, like your first one?
No. This time, I’ll continue the story beyond ascension. With my first novel, I made the wrong decision without fully considering what readers were hoping for. This time, I’ll see the story I’ve planned through to the end.
2. Will the story move to a fantasy world, like your first novel?
I have no plans for that. Hiding Tunnels in Xianxia will remain within its xianxia setting. I don’t plan to switch genres partway through by moving the story to a fantasy world.
3. If you have health problems, will you rush the ending again?
If I experience health problems or struggle to keep up physically, I’ll let readers know first, then take a break or adjust the release schedule. I won’t deal with it by rushing the story to an end. Rather than pushing myself to release multiple chapters a day, post seven days a week, or hurry to finish, I’ll prioritize the quality of each chapter and making sure the story is complete and coherent.
4. What matters most to you when writing?
My top priority is always to make the story enjoyable. Even when I introduce unfamiliar elements or plot developments, the aim isn’t to push my own views or lecture readers. I’ll listen carefully to readers’ feedback and keep working to improve any areas where the story falls short.
Every day, I’ll immerse myself in the story’s world, observe what unfolds there, and put my heart and soul into bringing that living, breathing world to you in the most engaging way I can.
Thank you for reading.
I’ll deliver a story that lives up to your expectations.
Sincerely,
Bullo Suseonjeon (Chronicles of an Ageless Cultivator)
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