Chapter 37
Translator: T_Fan
After testing it for a while, Lee Hyun discovered that he could choose the target upon which the Earth-Origin Force acted.
When he raised his left hand, the blackened Spirit-Concealing Talismans and Sound-Isolating Talismans attached to the walls on all sides flew toward him in an instant.
He flicked a finger, and a small flame sprang to life, reducing the talismans to ash.
He put the jade caskets and medicine bottles he had laid out across the cultivation chamber floor into his storage pouch. Only after thoroughly cleaning away even the spirit stone powder left in the grooves of the Qi-Gathering Formation did he leave the cultivation chamber.
Creak―
The moment he opened the door, the fresh morning sunlight streamed into the cultivation chamber.
Lee Hyun narrowed his eyes and gazed at the light for a moment.
Perhaps because he had spent the past several days shut inside the cultivation chamber, or perhaps because of the joy of his breakthrough, even ordinary sunlight seemed exceptionally clear and bright.
He slowly adjusted the aura emanating from his body.
Once he activated the Aura-Concealing Art and Spirit-Concealing Art, all that could be sensed from him was the spiritual power of an ordinary Qi Refining Stage 7 cultivator.
‘There’s no real reason to hide my realm as well.’
He had already been at Qi Refining Stage 6 when he entered the sect, so it would not be strange for others to assume that he had already been close to the limit of that Stage back then.
The environment in the Changchun Sect was incomparably better than the outside world. It was common for disciples who had been in the sect only a few years to make breakthroughs using the dense spiritual qi or the sect’s pills.
…
Pill Cauldron Peak, Yang Fire Court.
Lee Hyun headed toward the lounge.
When he opened the door, he saw several familiar faces.
Luo Jingwen had several ledgers spread across the table and was writing something in them.
Shen Yanzhu was leaning back in a chair on one side, reading the contents of a jade slip pressed against her forehead, while Pei Jingsong sat across the table, placing medicinal ingredients one by one onto a small scale.
“You’re all here.”
Luo Jingwen was the first to look up.
“Long time no….”
His words stopped midway.
A faint spirit light flashed through Luo Jingwen’s eyes. At the same time, Shen Yanzhu lowered her jade slip, and Pei Jingsong stopped handling the medicinal ingredients.
Luo Jingwen shot to his feet.
“Junior Brother Li!”
“Yes.”
“What happened to your realm?”
“Is there a problem?”
“Not a problem, but….”
As though checking whether his eyes had deceived him, he looked Lee Hyun up and down several times.
“Aren’t you at Qi Refining Stage 7?”
“That’s right.”
Shen Yanzhu also studied Lee Hyun for a moment as though gauging his aura, then smiled.
“You really are at Stage 7. Congratulations, Junior Brother Li.”
“Thank you, Senior Sister Shen.”
Pei Jingsong also put down the medicinal ingredients and cupped his hands.
“Congratulations. Now that you’ve entered late Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment isn’t far off.”
“Thank you as well, Senior Brother Pei.”
Luo Jingwen looked suspicious.
“Strange.”
Shen Yanzhu shot him a sidelong glance.
“What’s strange about something worth celebrating?”
“It’s only been a year since he entered the sect. Junior Brother Li was definitely at Qi Refining Stage 6 when he first arrived.”
“It hasn’t been one year. It’s almost been two. And he might already have been close to the limit of Stage 6 back then.”
“Even so, isn’t this too fast? What if some other faction approached Junior Brother Li without us knowing?”
Shen Yanzhu let out a quiet sigh.
“Here we go again.”
Pei Jingsong touched the scar on his chin and asked,
“Junior Brother Li. Did you happen to take a breakthrough pill?”
“I did.”
“How did you obtain it?”
“I used my entire fortune from my days as a rogue cultivator to buy two Essence-Unblocking Pills from a nearby cultivator market and took them.”
“Essence-Unblocking Pills?”
Luo Jingwen blinked.
“You mean those foreign pills that have been circulating in Lan Kingdom recently?”
“That’s right.”
“Since you pushed your realm upward with pills, your body will need time to adjust. For the time being, you should cut back on pills and practice your cultivation art to consolidate your realm.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Luo Jingwen suddenly seemed to remember something and slapped his palms together.
Clap!
“Right! I just remembered why I was waiting for Junior Brother Li.”
“For me?”
“That’s right.”
Luo Jingwen glanced around, then took a small talisman from inside his robe and stuck it beneath the table.
Hummm―
A faint light spread along the walls and door of the lounge.
“What are you planning to do that you even need a Sound-Isolating Talisman?”
“It could become troublesome if Master finds out we’re drinking in broad daylight.”
“Drinking?”
Luo Jingwen tapped his storage pouch.
Tap.
A wine bottle made of yellow clay appeared on the table.
A strip of red cloth was tied around the bottle’s neck, while the mouth was sealed with wax and a small sealing talisman. Blue ears of rice and clouds were painted across the rounded surface.
Even through the seal, a faint grain fragrance mingled with a medicinal aroma seeped out.
Shen Yanzhu’s eyes lit up.
“That’s Qingya Spring Wine!”
“Indeed. And Qingya Spring Wine aged for thirty years at that.”
Pei Jingsong also looked slightly surprised.
“Isn’t that quite a good one?”
Qingya Spring Wine was a Tier 1 spirit wine brewed from the Changchun Sect’s Qingya Rice and spirit spring water from Ganlu Peak.
“When I handed over the Essence-Raising Pill sales mission before, I promised Junior Brother Li that I would buy some good wine. I, Luo Jingwen, never forget a promise.”
He tapped his storage pouch again, and four drinking vessels appeared on the table.
Thunk.
One of them was closer to a bowl than a cup. The other three were small wine cups about two knuckles tall.
“…….”
Luo Jingwen placed the large bowl in front of Lee Hyun, then set one of the three small wine cups before himself, Shen Yanzhu, and Pei Jingsong.
Shen Yanzhu asked,
“Why is Junior Brother Li’s cup the only one that big?”
“Because I promised to buy Junior Brother Li wine.”
“Then what about us?”
“Aren’t you two simply getting free drinks? Are you really going to complain about the amount when you’re drinking someone else’s wine?”
Pei Jingsong looked down into his tiny wine cup.
“Even so, the difference seems rather excessive.”
“Why are you joining in too, Junior Brother Pei? Wine always tastes best when someone else pours you a cup.”
Shen Yanzhu picked up her small cup.
“Forget it. Good wine is better savored a little at a time than drunk in large amounts anyway.”
Lee Hyun looked at the enormous bowl before him.
“But is it really all right to hold a drinking party inside the sect in broad daylight?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Pardon?”
“This is not ordinary alcohol. It is spirit wine. It circulates spiritual power, warms the meridians, and even relieves fatigue in the primordial spirit. This is clearly part of cultivation. Junior Brother Li must have spent so long as a rogue cultivator that he is unfamiliar with the profound cultivation methods of a proper cultivation sect.”
“Just a moment ago, you clearly said it would be troublesome if Master found out….”
Ignoring him, Luo Jingwen peeled the sealing talisman from the wine bottle. When he broke the wax, a clean fragrance spread through the room.
The aroma drifted into the noses of all four people in the lounge.
Luo Jingwen tilted the bottle.
Glug, glug, glug―
Clear wine with the faintest hint of blue filled the bowl.
Only after filling the large bowl more than halfway did he pour wine into the smaller cups.
Luo Jingwen raised his own cup.
“To Junior Brother Li reaching late Qi Refining.”
Shen Yanzhu and Pei Jingsong also raised their cups.
“Congratulations, Junior Brother Li.”
“Congratulations once again.”
Lee Hyun lifted the bowl with both hands.
“Thank you.”
All four drank at the same time.
Lee Hyun swallowed a mouthful of Qingya Spring Wine.
Rather than sweetness, what he noticed first was the rich, nutty fragrance of well-ripened Qingya Rice and the refreshing energy of the spirit spring water.
A moment later.
Whoosh―
Warm energy spread outward from his stomach.
The medicinal potency of Qingya Spring Wine traveled along his meridians and spread throughout his body. It felt as though the minute imbalances that had accumulated from taking pills over the past several days were melting away.
The intoxication came a little later.
The surrounding sounds seemed to grow more distant, and his body relaxed.
“Spirit wine really is something different.”
Lee Hyun lowered the bowl.
Across from him, Luo Jingwen had emptied his small wine cup and was exhaling in satisfaction.
“Ahh….”
Shen Yanzhu also put down her cup. A very faint blush had already risen to her cheeks.
“I only had one cup, but the intoxication is quite strong.”
“Qingya Spring Wine tastes best when you accept the drunkenness instead of forcibly driving it away. Try not to detoxify it. Enjoy the lingering sensation. Isn’t this the very life of an immortal?”
Luo Jingwen refilled the three small cups. He also poured a little more Qingya Spring Wine into Lee Hyun’s bowl.
“Don’t hold back, Junior Brother Li. I brought that large cup for a reason.”
“Understood.”
Lee Hyun lifted the bowl again.
The medicinal strength of Qingya Spring Wine was considerable, but perhaps thanks to the Primordial Body, it was quickly absorbed and faded away.
The intoxication was the same.
Even though he was drinking from such a large bowl, it merely lifted his mood a little. His mind remained perfectly clear.
In contrast, Luo Jingwen and Shen Yanzhu were speaking a little louder than usual, while Pei Jingsong had also relaxed and was leaning deep into his chair.
Shen Yanzhu looked at Lee Hyun.
“Junior Brother Li doesn’t seem very drunk.”
“I suppose I have a high tolerance for alcohol.”
After the wine had gone around a few times, conversation naturally turned to alchemy, the Scripture Pavilion, and the missions they had been handling lately.
Pei Jingsong asked Lee Hyun,
“Now that you’ve entered late Qi Refining, what do you plan to do from here?”
“I intend to continue learning alchemy at the Yang Fire Court and look through more of the inheritances in the Scripture Pavilion whenever I have time. There’s no need to rush.”
Their conversation continued for quite some time before Luo Jingwen put down the empty wine bottle.
“Wait.”
Shen Yanzhu asked,
“What?”
“I’ve noticed another strange detail.”
“Again?”
Luo Jingwen lowered his voice.
“What is the name of our sect’s Mountain-Guarding Grand Formation?”
“The Nine Peaks Spring-Restoring Formation.”
“That’s right. The Nine Peaks Spring-Restoring Formation.”
Luo Jingwen emphasized each word.
“‘Nine Peaks’ refers to the nine peaks, including Changchun Peak, Pill Cauldron Peak, and Hundred Herbs Peak. There is nothing strange about that much.”
Pei Jingsong spoke.
“Then you’re saying the ‘Spring-Restoring’ part is strange?” [TL Note: The Korean term 회춘 can mean both the return of spring and rejuvenation, or regaining one’s youth.]
Luo Jingwen’s eyes narrowed.
“Exactly. An elderly Golden Core supreme sect master who no longer shows himself, and a Spring-Restoring Formation… Don’t you find that a little unsettling?”
Shen Yanzhu replied in disbelief.
“It was already called the Nine Peaks Spring-Restoring Formation when the previous Golden Core ancestral masters were still alive.”
Pei Jingsong asked carefully,
“Senior Brother Luo, do you think the supreme sect master is trying to regain his youth through the Nine Peaks Spring-Restoring Formation? If a mere Golden Core cultivator had access to a way to rejuvenate himself, why would Nascent Soul cultivators ever die of old age?”
“Is that so…?”
“There isn’t any wine left anyway, so let’s get up now.”
Shen Yanzhu tried to take the empty wine bottle away.
Luo Jingwen hurriedly grabbed it.
“Wait! I can still sell that bottle for spirit stones.”
“You only sober up at times like this.”
Luo Jingwen carefully tucked the wine bottle into his robe.
…
With empty cups sitting before them, their conversation continued for about another shichen (about two hours).
By the time the Sound-Isolating Talisman’s spiritual power was exhausted, the four of them had thoroughly cleaned the table and the lounge.
They all used the Detoxification Art to remove the remaining signs of intoxication from their faces. Pei Jingsong finished sorting the medicinal ingredients, then headed for the communal alchemy chamber.
Luo Jingwen patted Lee Hyun on the shoulder.
“Congratulations on your breakthrough once again. If I’d known Junior Brother Li could drink this well, I would have bought a larger bottle.”
“I had plenty.”
“The next time I reach Foundation Establishment, I’ll buy even better wine.”
“Sounds good.”
…
A few days later.
An unnamed valley more than five thousand li (about 1,960 km) southwest of the Changchun Sect.
Lee Hyun stretched his left hand toward a boulder the size of a house.
Hummm―
The boulder did not budge. Instead, the reaction force from the power he exerted on the house-sized boulder pulled Lee Hyun’s much lighter body toward it.
Whoosh!
Lee Hyun shot forward almost parallel to the ground.
The surrounding scenery streaked past.
‘This is too fast….’
Lee Hyun hurriedly activated the Qi Sphere Barrier.
The air ahead was pushed aside, slowing him down, but less than one zhang (about 3.3 m) remained between him and the boulder.
Hummm!
Three Spirit Light Shields appeared between Lee Hyun and the boulder.
Boom!
The Spirit Light Shields bent sharply, then rebounded and flung Lee Hyun backward.
Lee Hyun flipped himself around in midair and landed on both feet.
Skrrt―
He gave his left arm a light roll.
‘With the Earth-Origin Force, I can not only pull a target toward me, but also pull my own body toward the target.’
Lee Hyun looked toward one side of the valley.
A stone statue carved in the shape of a person stood there. The statue held up an iron shield with both hands.
Shing―
Lee Hyun drew the Mountain-Suppressing Sword.
Thump.
As he activated the Square-Inch Step, Lee Hyun’s figure vanished.
The next instant, he appeared directly in front of the statue.
The statue’s iron shield blocked the path of his sword.
Lee Hyun formed an anchor of Earth-Origin Force at the sword tip and latched onto one edge of the shield.
Hummm―
One side of the shield was abruptly pulled toward the sword tip.
Crack!
Stone fractured along one of the statue’s arms, causing the shield to tilt. At that instant, dazzling light burst from the tip of Lee Hyun’s sword.
Flash!
The sword light skimmed past the edge of the shield and pierced straight through the statue’s neck.
Crack!
The statue’s head flew backward.
Without withdrawing his sword, Lee Hyun swung it sideways.
Swish!
The sword light of the Boundary-Cleaving Saber Art drew a perfectly straight line through the air.
The tilted iron shield moved as though pursuing the sword tip, shifting directly into the path traced by the sword light.
Slice.
The shield split cleanly into two pieces.
A moment later, the statue’s body also revealed a diagonal cut before collapsing.
Rumble―
Lee Hyun examined the severed shield and fallen statue.
‘This is more useful than I expected.’
It could pull an opponent’s body half a cun (about 1.7 cm) just before the sword struck, slightly twist the angle of a defensive magic tool, or disrupt the trajectory of an incoming flying sword for the briefest instant.
Each was only a minor interference, but even that momentary deviation was enough to create an opening for One Ultimate, Six Swords and the Boundary-Cleaving Saber Art to exploit.
…
Whenever Lee Hyun traveled between Tunnel No. 2 and the Changchun Sect, he sought out deserted mountains and valleys where he could practice the Earth-Origin Force.
At first, he frequently pulled his own body toward something only to crash into a boulder, or had an object he drew toward his sword tip fly at him faster than expected, forcing him to deploy a Spirit Light Shield.
Fortunately, as his failures accumulated, he was able to establish an appropriate method of using the technique.
If he wanted to use the reaction force of the Earth-Origin Force for movement, he needed some way to correct his posture and direction in midair.
For that reason, Lee Hyun devoted himself to learning the Wind-Riding Art he had found in the Scripture Pavilion.
The Wind-Riding Art was a technique that generated wind, allowing its user to move or change direction even in midair. When used together with the Lightness Art, it could even allow one to move as though flying for a short while.
Once he linked the Distance-Shrinking Step, Lightness Art, Square-Inch Step, Earth-Origin Force, and Wind-Riding Art together, Lee Hyun’s movements became both extremely fast and highly unpredictable.
The Wind-Riding Art was useful, but it was difficult to learn without a wind-aspect mutated spiritual root. Fortunately, just as he had with the Breath-Sealing Art and Air-Clearing Art, Lee Hyun could use Primordial True Qi to overcome the restriction of elemental affinity.
While studying the Wind-Riding Art, Lee Hyun also discovered that it could be combined to some extent with the Reclining Escape Art.
If he eventually brought the Wind-Riding Art to Major Attainment, perhaps the Reclining Escape Art would allow him to move freely over land and water and even ride the currents of the wind.
‘At this rate, am I going to start flying before I even reach Foundation Establishment…?’
…
In addition, whenever Lee Hyun visited Tunnel No. 2, he researched ways to manipulate bone age using Tier 1 Bone-Forging Powder.
At first, the results were completely unpredictable.
Every time he measured his bone age after taking Bone-Forging Powder, the readings jumped wildly between seventy-one, sixty-four, forty-three, fifty-seven, fifty-two, and forty-nine years old.
But as he repeated the experiments and gradually figured out which variables affected bone age, the margin of error steadily decreased.
Before he knew it, fifteen years had passed.
Lee Hyun’s life had not changed much during that time. He refined pills at the Yang Fire Court and read books and jade slips from the Scripture Pavilion whenever he had spare time. He accumulated only as many contribution points as he needed for cultivation and research and almost never participated in dangerous external missions.
Once every two or three months, he returned to Tunnel No. 2 to inspect the spirit fields and fuzzbees.
Because the Primordial Body required an enormous amount of spiritual power to fill a single Stage, Lee Hyun’s realm remained at Qi Refining Stage 7.
Shen Yanzhu, meanwhile, had advanced to Qi Refining Stage 9, while Pei Jingsong had reached Qi Refining Stage 7. Luo Jingwen was still at Qi Refining Stage 9.
Then, one day.
Several dozen disciples had gathered in front of the mission board at the Yang Fire Court.
In the center of the board, an unusual mission had been written on a large sheet of paper bordered in red.
「Harvest Spirit Plants at Qingmu Ridge and Transport Them to the Main Mountain.
Participants: 100 disciples at mid Qi Refining or above.
Four Foundation Establishment Elders will accompany the group.
Expected duration: fifteen days.
Specific rewards will vary according to role and realm.」
“Qingmu Ridge….”
Lee Hyun’s gaze stopped on the mission.
Luo Jingwen stood beside him, and his name had already been added to the participant list.
Shen Yanzhu asked,
“Are you really going?”
“This mission awards twice the usual contribution points. Four Foundation Establishment Elders are accompanying us, and there will be a hundred Qi Refining disciples. What is there to worry about? If we include the Elders stationed at Qingmu Ridge, no ordinary force would even dare approach us.”
Pei Jingsong stared silently at the mission.
The fingers touching the scar on his chin tightened.
Lee Hyun asked,
“There is one thing I don’t understand.”
“What is it?”
“Didn’t you say the attackers last time even knew Qingmu Ridge’s harvest schedule and transportation route?”
“They did.”
“If they knew that much, was there any need for them to wait for the transport group?”
The three of them looked toward Lee Hyun.
“Wouldn’t it have been easier to attack Qingmu Ridge directly under normal circumstances and dig up the mature spirit plants?”
Luo Jingwen shook his head.
“That would actually be more difficult. Qingmu Ridge is protected by a Tier 2 Field-Guarding Formation linked to its spirit vein. If the two Foundation Establishment Elders and the Qi Refining disciples stationed there operate the formation, they could hold off several Foundation Establishment cultivators for a long time.”
“And support from the main mountain would arrive in the meantime.”
“Exactly. Attacking Qingmu Ridge directly would not be like robbing a single spirit field. It would be like fighting an entire mountain. It would practically amount to declaring war on the Changchun Sect.”
Shen Yanzhu continued,
“Harvesting spirit plants is difficult too. Some have to be dug up while preserving their roots and growth points, and others must be harvested at the exact time when their medicinal potency rises into the leaves or fruit. Handle them incorrectly, and a two-hundred-year-old spirit plant could end up worse than a hundred-year-old one.”
Pei Jingsong spoke in a low voice.
“Furthermore, the spirit plants in the spirit fields are scattered across hundreds of mu (each about 667 square meters). Properly harvesting all of them would require occupying Qingmu Ridge for several days. But once we harvest and preserve them ourselves, all that wealth fits inside a few storage pouches. Those bastards were waiting for us to dig up and package decades’ worth of spirit plants for them. Then they only had to kill the transport group and flee immediately, and it would be easy enough to claim that the whole thing was simply a robbery committed by rogue cultivators.”
“I see.”
Luo Jingwen said,
“There truly shouldn’t be any problems this time. We have four Foundation Establishment Elders, a hundred disciples, and the forces permanently stationed at Qingmu Ridge. Mobilizing enough strength to deal with all of them would cost more than the spirit plants themselves are worth. If a force that large attacks us, it would no longer be about spirit plants. It would be a war between sects.”
Normally, Luo Jingwen would have been the first to suspect some conspiracy behind the situation, but he was optimistic about this particular mission. Having failed to obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill for more than fifteen years, he needed to earn as many contribution points and spirit stones as possible.
“Would Junior Brother Li like to come as well? At Qi Refining Stage 7, you’re certainly qualified…”
“I won’t go.”
“Think about it before answering.”
“I’m sorry.”
Luo Jingwen clicked his tongue.
“Junior Brother Li is strangely unhurried. A cultivator must sometimes risk danger to seize an opportunity.”
Shen Yanzhu cut in.
“Why do you keep trying to drag along someone who doesn’t want to go?”
…
Ten days later.
Three flying boats rested atop a broad stone platform on External Affairs Peak of the Changchun Sect.
The largest flying boat was over twenty zhang long. The Changchun Sect’s tree emblem was carved into the side of its hull, while formation inscriptions belonging to defensive formations ran around the deck and cabins.
One hundred Qi Refining disciples divided themselves among the three flying boats.
Four Foundation Establishment Elders hovered in the air, surrounded by spirit light.
The previously noisy stone platform gradually fell quiet as the departure time approached.
Before boarding the flying boat, Luo Jingwen turned back toward Lee Hyun, Shen Yanzhu, and Pei Jingsong.
“I’ll be back before long. I’ll bring back some good wine.”
Thrum―
A moment later, the three flying boats rose into the air one after another.
Hummm―
The inner formation and outer formation of the Nine Peaks Spring-Restoring Formation opened in succession.
Escorted by the Foundation Establishment Elders, the flying boats headed north. Their enormous hulls grew smaller and smaller before disappearing beyond the mountain range.
…
That afternoon.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The warning bell ringing from External Affairs Peak was amplified by the power of the formation, carrying all the way to Pill Cauldron Peak.
Lee Hyun, who had been about to refine pills at the Yang Fire Court, raised his head.
‘The warning bell?’
A warning bell sounding throughout the entire sect signaled an invasion by an outside enemy or an emergency of comparable severity.
Bang!
The door to the communal alchemy chamber flew open.
A Qi Refining disciple wearing the robes of External Affairs Peak rushed inside, gasping for breath.
“Where is Peak Master Gao?”
The disciples of the Yang Fire Court all turned toward him.
Shen Yanzhu asked,
“What happened?”
“Rogue cultivators have gathered at the External Affairs Market.”
“Rogue cultivators?”
“More than two hundred of them. Some are from cultivation clans, and there are six Foundation Establishment cultivators among them.”
He caught his breath once before continuing.
“They’re demanding compensation, claiming our sect deceived Lan Kingdom’s poor Qi Refining rogue cultivators by selling counterfeit Essence-Raising Pills!”
“Counterfeit Essence-Raising Pills?”
“Yes. Dozens of people suffered damaged meridians or failed their breakthroughs after taking Essence-Raising Pills. Some are even said to have died.”
“That’s impossible.”
Shen Yanzhu rose from her seat.
“Every Essence-Raising Pill sold by the Changchun Pill Pavilion undergoes pill inspection before it leaves the pavilion. There’s no way failed pills or pills with unstable medicinal potency could be mixed in.”
“External Affairs Peak also explained that they must be counterfeits. But….”
The disciple’s expression darkened.
“The medicine bottles and Spirit-Sealing Talismans they brought with them bear our sect’s pill-inspection seal.”
“What?”
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