Chapter 76
Translator: T_Fan
“What kind of magic tool is it?”
Goose slid a jade slip forward.
“The Three-Molt Silkworm Robe. It’s said to be an exceptional supreme-grade enchanted robe worn beneath one’s outer garments.”
“A silkworm robe….”
Lee Hyun infused the jade slip with divine sense.
An image of a thin silk garment that covered the entire body appeared, along with a brief description. Three small cocoon-like designs were embroidered in gold thread on the inside of the chest.
「Yunzhou Artifact Appraisal, Rank 56: Three-Molt Silkworm Robe.」
It was described as an enchanted robe made by refining the shed skin of a Tier-3 spirit insect, protecting its owner through three molts.
“Does the magic tool become useless after three uses?”
“No. The spirit molts formed by the robe as it absorbs spiritual power tear apart in its place to block attacks. After they’re used, spend some time nurturing the robe and new spirit molts will form. The robe itself also has defensive properties, so a spirit molt is only shed when it takes an attack too powerful for the robe itself to withstand.”
“I see.”
‘I can sell the Black Scale Inner Armor and wear this instead.’
If the Six-Leaf Shield blocked attacks from the front while the Three-Molt Silkworm Robe caught anything that slipped through, he would feel much safer.
“Where is the item being offered?”
“At Yinyue Valley Market in western Heng Kingdom. I’m told it’ll appear at a private exchange meeting held in fifteen days.”
Heng Kingdom was a Tier-4 cultivation nation east of Xuan Kingdom.
“What’s a private exchange meeting?”
“It’s a gathering where cultivators who have been introduced to one another bring out items and trade among themselves. It’s similar to a small auction. You can think of it as a way to avoid the fees charged by large auctions.”
“Were you the one who contacted the other party?”
“Yes. I’ve traded several times with a cultivator there who brokers goods.”
“Then come with me. I’ll need you to guide the way.”
***
Fifteen days later.
A gentle valley nestled among the low mountains of western Heng Kingdom.
Inside a mist-shrouded Tier-2 grand formation stood rows of halls and shops, while channels diverted from a river flowed between the alleys.
The valley glowed faintly beneath the moonlight.
Yinyue Valley Market was jointly operated by three nearby Foundation Establishment clans. Built around a Tier-2 spirit vein, most of the cultivators who came and went were at Qi Refining or Foundation Establishment.
It was a relatively small cultivator market for an exceptional supreme-grade magic tool to appear in, but some Foundation Establishment cultivators actually preferred smaller markets like this, so it was nothing particularly unusual.
Goose led the way into a shop deep within an alley.
The shopkeeper checked the jade token Goose presented, then immediately opened the rear door.
“Two of you?”
“That’s right.”
“They’re waiting inside.”
Beyond a long corridor lay a small garden.
Around twenty cultivators were seated inside the hall across the garden. Most had concealed either their faces or their auras.
Tea had been set on every table, but no one was drinking it.
Quiet glances passed back and forth as everyone studied each other’s clothing, storage pouches, and the fluctuations of spiritual power they revealed.
‘Doesn’t look like there are any Golden Core cultivators.’
Lee Hyun first examined the hall’s structure and restrictions.
It was an ordinary formation that blocked divine sense from outside and prevented sound from leaking out. There was also a defensive formation around the garden, but it did not look capable of lasting long if several Foundation Establishment cultivators clashed.
A veiled female cultivator rose from farther inside.
“You must be the ones from the Two Heavens Society I’ve heard about.”
When Goose nodded, several cultivators glanced briefly at the two of them.
The woman asked for no further introductions and simply gestured toward a table.
“Please sit.”
…
Once the remaining guests had taken their seats, the female cultivator spread a faded silkworm robe across the table.
Aside from the gold embroidery on the chest, the garment had no other decoration.
“This is the Three-Molt Silkworm Robe. It is indeed the item recorded in Yunzhou Artifact Appraisal. Please examine it first.”
She took out a wooden doll the size of her palm and infused spiritual power into the robe. The garment shrank and wrapped itself around the doll.
Then a blue flying sword rose from the female cultivator’s sleeve.
Whoosh!
The flying sword slashed down at the doll’s chest.
At that instant, a single molt swelled outward from the doll’s body.
Rip!
The molt, pierced by the blade, tore apart and peeled away. The flying sword was caught inside it and jerked to a sudden halt.
As the molt scattered into fine threads, the completely unscathed doll was revealed.
One of the cocoons embroidered on the chest had lost its glow.
“When struck by a powerful attack, it sheds one layer like this to block it. It can even withstand a single blow from a low-grade magic treasure.”
“What happens once all three layers are used?”
One cultivator asked.
“It must be nurtured again. That takes around ten days. However, if the robe is attacked after all three layers have been shed, the robe itself may be damaged.”
Once the female cultivator recalled her flying sword, Lee Hyun also stepped forward to inspect the robe.
It was thin and light. When he sent spiritual power through his fingertips, he could sense the overlapping restrictions woven into its interior.
Their level was extremely high. Even Lee Hyun, who considered himself to have at least reached the threshold of a Tier-2 artifact refiner, could not imagine reproducing something like this.
The Three-Molt Silkworm Robe was closer to the work of a Tier-3 artifact refiner capable of crafting magic treasures.
The other cultivators examined the item one after another.
Once the appraisal was over, the female cultivator placed the robe in the center of the table.
“I will only accept mid-grade spirit stones. Bidding starts at five hundred.”
“Six hundred.”
“Seven hundred.”
Two cultivators called out prices in succession.
A low voice came from across the room.
“Eight hundred.”
It belonged to a man in a yellow robe.
His eyebrows were unusually thick, and black metal rings encircled two fingers of his right hand. He gave off the aura of late Foundation Establishment.
When he looked around, the cultivators who had bid earlier fell silent.
Lee Hyun spoke.
“One thousand.”
The man’s gaze shifted toward him.
“Eleven hundred.”
“Twelve hundred.”
Lee Hyun answered immediately.
For the past decade or so, he had covered the cost of pills for his cultivation through alchemy. Combined with the money he had separately earned from selling Tier-3 Yin Soul Grass and Purple Poison Orchids, this had left him with roughly 4,000 mid-grade spirit stones in his storage pouch.
The yellow-robed man paused for a moment.
“Twelve hundred and fifty.”
“Thirteen hundred.”
The man’s eyes narrowed.
The female cultivator’s voice brightened.
“Any higher bids? This is by no means an expensive price. At a large auction, it would certainly have gone higher.”
Instead of raising the price, the yellow-robed man looked Lee Hyun up and down.
The Cicada mask, the robe, the storage pouch at his waist.
Eventually, the corners of his mouth curled upward.
“You said you were from the Two Heavens Society? I’ve heard of you. They say you’re vein vermin who cling beneath other people’s spirit veins and suck away their spiritual qi.”
Goose spoke.
“That is going too far.”
“Is that why you’re wearing a cicada mask?”
The man laughed, and a cultivator beside him snickered as well.
“The bugs have managed to save quite a few spirit stones. Is that the money you saved by stealing other people’s spiritual qi?”
Lee Hyun looked at the female cultivator.
“If no one else intends to bid, I would like to complete the transaction.”
The smile vanished from the yellow-robed man’s face.
Three cultivators seated near him slowly rose.
One walked toward the door, while the other two positioned themselves on either side of the table.
Goose’s shoulders stiffened.
“Withdraw your bid.”
The yellow-robed man spoke.
“I’ll be taking that robe.”
“Fellow Daoist.”
A middle-aged steward seated farther inside the hall rose to his feet.
“The item goes to whoever offers the highest price. In this market….”
“Steward, you should concern yourself with the other guests. We are speaking among ourselves, are we not?”
The steward looked at the four men now spread around the room and could not immediately continue. None of them looked easy to deal with, and as someone affiliated with a Foundation Establishment clan, he was reluctant to make enemies of them.
Goose stepped forward.
“If you want the item, then bid for it. How can you disrupt a trade like this?”
The man twitched his fingers, and a thin beam of light shot from one of the black rings.
Whoosh!
The beam aimed at Goose’s throat curved through the air like a snake.
“Since when does a bug get to lecture me….”
Shrrk!
A teal shield plate slid between them.
Clang!
The beam struck the shield plate and ricocheted away.
Just as Goose hurriedly began drawing on his spiritual power, Lee Hyun’s voice sounded.
“Stay behind me.”
The remaining five shield plates appeared in succession.
At the same time, the cultivators on either side moved.
Flying swords and flying blades came at them from every direction. The cultivator beside the door also raised both hands and formed a hand seal.
The yellow-robed man bared his teeth.
Clang! Claaang!
The flying swords and flying blades were stopped by the Six-Leaf Shield.
One shield plate tilted toward two slender golden needles that had slipped beneath the others.
Ting-ting!
The golden needles struck the teal shield plate and bounced away.
At that instant.
The sword drawn by the Cicada-masked figure was already blazing with intense light.
Flash!
Cross-shaped lightning erupted inside the hall.
BOOOOM!
Four streaks of sword light engulfed the four cultivators.
Boom! CRACK!
Sword scars starting at the Cicada-masked figure’s feet stretched all the way outside the hall.
Once the room fell silent, the cultivators who had retreated came closer to inspect the surroundings.
“…….”
The yellow-robed man had been cleaved in half along with his black shield.
The cultivator beside him had been bisected while still twisted in the posture of trying to dodge.
A hole had been blasted through the chest of the cultivator holding a flying blade, while the last cultivator had been torn open from shoulder to waist before he could even use the talisman in his hand.
Someone sucked in a breath.
The steward overseeing the exchange meeting stood frozen in shock, while the female cultivator had already gathered up the Three-Molt Silkworm Robe and could not take her eyes off Lee Hyun.
The Sinking Moon Sword slid back into its sheath.
Shnk.
At the sound, a nearby cultivator flinched.
Goose stood behind Lee Hyun with his mouth hanging open.
‘…What?’
There had been four of them.
One late Foundation Establishment cultivator and three others.
And they were dead.
All in a single strike!
‘Was the inspector a Golden Core cultivator!?’
There was no other way something like this could have been possible.
‘Someone like this is only the Society Head’s inspector….’
Then what realm was the Society Head at?
‘Could it be… Nascent Soul…?’
…
Lee Hyun held out 1,300 mid-grade spirit stones to the female cultivator.
“The price I bid earlier.”
Only then did the female cultivator regain her composure enough to check the spirit stones before handing over the Three-Molt Silkworm Robe and a jade slip containing its artifact-control formula.
Lee Hyun checked for any remaining divine-sense imprint or suspicious aura, then put the items away.
When he looked toward the steward, the man’s back immediately straightened.
“Is there a shop here that purchases goods?”
“…Pardon?”
“I’d like to dispose of their belongings.”
When Lee Hyun pointed at the corpses, the steward’s gaze followed his fingertip.
“Ah, yes. The market’s communal warehouse….”
“Could you call an appraiser over?”
The steward was speechless for a moment before nodding.
“I’ll summon one immediately.”
…
Lee Hyun first searched the four cultivators’ storage pouches and obtained around 800 mid-grade spirit stones.
He placed the remaining magic tools, talismans, and medicine bottles on the table.
A short while later, an appraiser from the warehouse spoke cautiously.
“If you hand these items over to us… we can offer you up to… 480 mid-grade spirit stones.”
After speaking, the appraiser studied Lee Hyun’s mask, but the Cicada mask showed no expression.
“Fine.”
Lee Hyun glanced back at the fractured floor.
“How much will the repairs here cost?”
“That….”
“Deduct it from the purchase price.”
The steward looked back and forth between Lee Hyun and the floor before carefully bowing his head.
…
Once everything had been settled, Lee Hyun rented a private room, removed the Black Scale Inner Armor, and put on the Three-Molt Silkworm Robe.
When he formed the hand seal, the robe shrank to fit his body. After pulling his outer robe over it, it felt as though he were wearing only one extra thin underlayer.
When Lee Hyun left the hall, Goose followed one step behind him.
Goose was considerably less talkative than on the way there.
Lee Hyun turned his head.
‘Did I scare him?’
“I’ll give you fifty mid-grade spirit stones as your brokerage fee.”
“Thank you!”
***
Ten years later.
Tunnel No. 3, Spirit Field No. 2-5.
Lee Hyun brushed the soil from the roots of the Spirit-Storing Ginseng plants and stored them one by one in his storage pouch.
Over the past ten years, he had cultivated while occasionally taking pills and had finally reached the very peak of Foundation Establishment Stage 3.
It was time to refine the Origin-Opening Pills he would take himself.
…
A few days later.
The alchemy chamber in Tunnel No. 3, twenty-five li (about 9.8 km) underground.
When the lid of the pill furnace opened, round pills emerged through the curling mist.
They were Origin-Opening Pills.
He had refined them countless times for sale through the Two Heavens Society, so there was nothing particularly difficult about the alchemy process.
Lee Hyun divided the completed pills among several jade bottles.
…
Cultivation chamber.
Lee Hyun lay down comfortably and swallowed the first Origin-Opening Pill.
As the pill dissolved, warmth spread through his abdomen.
He slowly guided its medicinal strength.
Hummm―
At some point, one of the blocked areas opened.
With his eyes closed, Lee Hyun examined the quality of the spiritual power newly forming in that area. Once he confirmed that it was sufficiently stable, he moved on to the next.
…
One month later.
The spirit light surrounding his entire body brightened, then gradually settled.
After a long while, Lee Hyun opened his eyes.
“Finally…!”
Whole-body Foundation Establishment Stage 4!
At last, his entire body had entered mid Foundation Establishment.
After thoroughly examining his body, he rose to his feet.
Then he took out the stone tablet, erased the old writing, and carved new characters into it.
【Realm: Foundation Establishment Stage 6 (lower dantian), Foundation Establishment Stage 4 (rest of the body)】
【Spiritual Power: 5,828 → 7,396】
【Constitution: Primordial Body, Foundation Establishment Stage 4】
He mounted the stone tablet on the wall and gazed at it with satisfaction.
A moment later, he took a small wooden box from his storage pouch.
Inside were Mei Sujun’s letter and jade slip.
Lee Hyun read their contents again for the first time in a long while.
Baoguang Temple’s Golden Core Condensing Pill.
‘Hmm… Is it about time I started looking into the Golden Core Condensing Pill recipe?’
***
Ten years later.
Lee Hyun had intended to enter Baoguang Mountain, but when the time actually came, he found the prospect bothersome and ended up spending ten years reading pulp novels he bought in Heng Kingdom.
Just as he was beginning to grow bored, he heard that Baoguang Mountain was recruiting disciples.
…
Xu Kingdom, Baoguang Mountain.
The smell of incense could be detected from the foot of the mountain.
Shops selling tea and food lined both sides of the road, while people in monastic robes mingled with ordinary cultivators moving back and forth.
In the distance, tiered halls supported by pillars rose along the mountainside. Beyond them, the higher peaks were obscured by thin clouds.
Lee Hyun read the notice posted before the Mountain Gate.
Below the dates and qualifications for accepting young disciples was a separate notice.
「Cultivators skilled in alchemy, artifact refining, talisman crafting, formations, and other crafts should register separately at the Guest Hall.」
The entry procedure was written below it.
From what Lee Hyun had learned, Baoguang Temple accepted cultivators as disciples even if they practiced other cultivation arts, provided their skills were sufficient.
…
Lee Hyun’s face looked like that of an ordinary middle-aged man around forty. It was the sort of appearance most commonly seen among Foundation Establishment cultivators.
A Foundation Establishment cultivator who looked like this might actually be fifty or a hundred and fifty years old depending on when they entered cultivation and when they achieved their breakthroughs, making age difficult to judge from appearance alone.
This time, he had decided to use the alias Li Dongsi and set his public age at seventy.
By adjusting the dosage and timing of the Bone-Forging Powder he took, he had also made sure beforehand that his bone age would register accordingly on magic tools used to examine it.
The aura he revealed was Foundation Establishment Stage 4.
Thanks to the Aura-Concealing Art and Spirit-Concealing Art he had practiced for so long, he could disguise himself as a cultivator who had reached Foundation Establishment Stage 4 only in his lower dantian.
As for his identity, he chose to present himself as a rogue cultivator alchemist.
…
A late Foundation Establishment guest-receiving monk was assigned to guide him.
“You applied to the Lotus Court.”
“That’s right.”
“This way, please. Not many people have come to register today, so you shouldn’t have to wait long.”
Lee Hyun followed the monk up the stairs, then looked at the back of his head.
His hair was long.
His black hair was tied behind his head, and the ends had a bluish tint.
“You don’t have to shave your head?”
“No.”
The monk glanced back briefly.
“I can’t cut mine because of my vow, but some people do shave theirs.”
What exactly was a vow?
From the brief research Lee Hyun had done before coming to Baoguang Temple, the sect derived its Buddhist power from vow cultivation.
Vow cultivation was a method of accumulating power by making a pledge to oneself and gaining strength for as long as one kept it.
Spiritual roots were still necessary for their cultivation.
However, they added the vow power gained through vow cultivation to the spiritual or magical power produced by absorbing spiritual qi through their spiritual roots, creating true qi suited to Baoguang Temple’s cultivation arts.
Lee Hyun spoke again.
“Is the color at the ends of your hair also related to your vow?”
The monk touched his hair.
“No, I just dyed it.”
“…I see.”
Lee Hyun was slightly taken aback.
‘This is a little different from the Buddhism I had in mind…’
As they climbed farther, the path widened.
Lee Hyun slowed when he saw the paintings hanging on the walls to either side.
At first, he thought they depicted Immortals and celestial maidens enjoying themselves.
But on closer inspection, their clothing was far too revealing.
Some paintings showed men and women exchanging cups of wine inside pavilions, while others depicted figures gazing at one another through curtains of thin silk.
A woman in one of the paintings slowly turned her head.
When her eyes met Lee Hyun’s, she smiled.
‘!?’
As Lee Hyun tried to look again, the monk guiding him stopped walking.
“Is this your first time seeing them?”
“I didn’t expect to find something like this in a temple.”
The monk pointed to a wooden plaque on one wall.
「All paintings here are for cultivation.
If your heart is stirred, your cultivation is lacking.
If your heart remains unmoved… you are already a Buddha.
However, do not steal the paintings.」
“This….”
The monk guiding him spoke with complete seriousness.
“They were painted personally by a Golden Core painter monk. They’re used to observe how one’s heart responds to beautiful things.”
“If your heart remains unmoved even after seeing them, then you’re fine?”
“These are only for beginners. People passing through the Mountain Gate can see this area as well… There are paintings farther inside that are much more stirring.”
…
In the broad courtyard at the top of the stairs, monks were carrying wooden crates.
One crate rattled, and a short claw poked through a hole.
Grrr.
It was the cry of a small beast.
“Carry them carefully.”
“Yes, Martial Uncle.”
One monk leaned his head closer to a wooden crate, and the growling inside grew louder.
The monk nodded.
“You’ve grown well. May you live a long life after you’re released into the forest.”
Lee Hyun asked,
“Is this where you raise spirit beasts?”
“This is the Life-Release Court. We’re moving the young ones that will be released into the Cangmang Forest today.”
Lee Hyun looked at the wooden crates.
“I didn’t realize you even raised young demon beasts yourselves just to release them.”
“It is a way of accumulating merit.”
The monk smiled contentedly.
Just then, one of the monks carrying a wooden crate shouted,
“Martial Uncle, they say the Black-Horn Deer we released in the western valley has formed a demon core!”
The face of the monk stroking the wooden crate brightened.
“Oh, at last our paths have crossed again! Inform the Demon-Subduing Court. If they’re too late, something else might eat it.”
“Yes!”
The monk guiding Lee Hyun spoke.
“Accumulate merit, and karmic connections will arise.”
…
In front of the inner hall stood a stone stele engraved with Baoguang Temple’s monastic rules.
「Eat spirit-beast meat with enjoyment. Forcing yourself to eat it is disrespectful to the offering.
Grain tea is grain.
Do not transmit the Dharma to those without affinity.
Do not mock another’s vow. Yours is stranger.
Refrain from pointless killing. For what counts as beneficial killing, inquire at the Life-Release Court.」
When Lee Hyun looked at the stele, the monk guiding him spoke.
“The founding patriarch said that clinging to precepts is itself another form of attachment. Shaving your head doesn’t make worldly troubles disappear, and refusing to eat meat doesn’t make your heart pure.”
“Then does everyone simply cultivate however they wish?”
“For the most part. But you must keep the vows you make for yourself.”
The monk opened his palm, and a faint golden aura seeped between the lines of his hand.
‘Is this the famed Buddha-Light True Qi…?’
It was gentle, yet carried a peculiar quality that made it difficult to disperse.
The abilities of Baoguang Temple’s monks were the real thing.
“Many of our temple’s Dharma teachings imbue one’s true qi with one’s vows. A vow you have faithfully upheld becomes a source of strength, but if you break it, that same power can turn against you.”
…
Lotus Court Guest Hall.
The Lotus Court was the division of Baoguang Temple responsible for crafts such as alchemy, spirit-plant cultivation, and formations. Research into medicinal ingredients and the refining of Golden Core Condensing Pills were also carried out here.
Seated across from Lee Hyun before a small pill furnace was an elderly monk with thick eyebrows and a broad jaw. He was an early Golden Core Elder.
The monk examined the documents Lee Hyun had filled out along with several items, then asked him to demonstrate some basic alchemy techniques.
After Lee Hyun demonstrated several skills over the course of one ke (about fifteen minutes), the Elder set down the documents and closely studied his fingertips.
At last, the monk raised a hand.
“Excellent!”
After writing something on the documents, the monk looked up again.
“Why do you wish to enter Baoguang Temple?”
“I want to learn more about alchemy. I’ve heard few places can compare with Baoguang Temple when it comes to handling materials from demon beasts.”
The monk nodded.
“Our Court does possess many such inheritances. But joining us does not guarantee you will be allowed to learn everything……”
“I’ll work hard.”
“Can you really?”
The monk opened a thin booklet lying beside the documents.
“The Clear Yang Purifying Fire Art is one of the Dharma teachings most commonly used in the Lotus Court! It is used to purify the turbid and fierce qi mixed into the flesh, blood, and demon cores of demon beasts. The requirement for learning this Dharma teaching is absolutely brutal. You cannot even imagine it.”
“What sort of requirement could be that severe?”
The monk’s expression turned grave.
“To master this Dharma teaching deeply, you must preserve your primordial yang!”
Lee Hyun nodded.
“I see.”
The monk paused and studied Lee Hyun’s face carefully.
“Do you actually understand what that means?”
“You mean I must not lose my primordial yang, correct?”
“Yes. But….”
The monk leaned forward.
“It is harder than you think.”
Lee Hyun waited.
The monk set down the brush in his hand.
“I am not talking about a few days or a few months. You must maintain it for as long as you practice the Dharma teaching. It could be decades. It could exceed a hundred years.”
“Yes.”
“I’m telling you, this isn’t something you should answer so casually!”
His voice rose.
The monk leaned back against his chair, then pitched forward again.
“There are many beautiful female cultivators in this world. Through immortal affinity, you might meet someone who asks to cultivate together with you. Could you refuse even then?”
“I think I could.”
“You think?”
The monk’s eyes widened.
“Answer with certainty. It means you cannot marry, and you cannot go chasing women! You cannot even sleep with a woman from the mundane world who isn’t a cultivator! This is not about enduring it for a little while. If you endure today, you must endure tomorrow. If you endure next year, you must endure the year after that!”
The monk’s expression grew increasingly solemn.
“Are you prepared to endure all those years of abstinence and restraint? Can you remain in the Lotus Court, staying away from women and cultivating alone for more than a hundred years?”
****
TL:
Lee Hyun be like:
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