Chapter 78
Translator: T_Fan
Lee Hyun remained in the Scripture Pavilion for quite some time even after setting down the jade slip of the Arhat Golden Body.
He reread the annotations on the Leakless Golden Body and compared them with the passages he remembered from the Golden Core section of the Primordial One-Qi Art.
After that, he picked up the inheritances one by one again. Even if he had no intention of learning them right away, there was no harm in knowing what they contained.
They might prove useful someday, or help him understand other techniques.
From that day onward, Lee Hyun spent several days going back and forth to the Scripture Pavilion, carefully examining every inheritance he was permitted to read.
Whenever there were sections too difficult to memorize in one sitting, he returned to his residence to organize what he remembered, then came back the next day to check them again.
…
A few days later.
Lee Hyun’s residence on the eastern peak of Lotus Court.
Several blank jade slips lay on the table.
Lee Hyun picked one up and pressed it to his forehead. As his divine sense seeped into it, text and diagrams were inscribed one after another within the previously smooth jade slip.
After a long while, he lowered the jade slip and closed his eyes for a moment.
‘This is incredibly difficult.’
It was the Sumeru Visualization Scripture.
The mnemonic formula was long, but the visualization diagrams were even harder to memorize than the text. He had to know every detail precisely, from the sacred image’s posture and the positions of its fingers to the patterns engraved on its implements.
It was not an inheritance that could be used merely by remembering the general appearance.
Simply put, it was a technique for manifesting a Dharma manifestation outside one’s body.
At Foundation Establishment, one could begin visualization cultivation by imprinting the sacred image upon the mind. Once sufficiently proficient, it was even possible to manifest a faint figure outside the body.
However, that was nothing more than an illusory Dharma manifestation.
It could imitate the motions of extending its arms and swinging its implements, but it could neither strike an enemy nor block a magic tool.
It was different from the Condensed-Essence Grasping Hand, which shaped spiritual power into a hand to seize objects. The Dharma manifestations of the Sumeru Visualization Scripture required complex flows to run throughout the entire body and all of their implements, and those flows had to be supported by the magical power of a Golden Core cultivator.
The first stage that could actually be used in battle was the Four Heavenly Kings manifestation, which could be formed at the Golden Core realm.
The pipa-bearing Nation-Guarding Heavenly King manifestation.
The sword-bearing Growth Heavenly King manifestation.
The Wide-Seeing Heavenly King manifestation, bearing a dragon and a jewel.
The All-Hearing Heavenly King manifestation, bearing a parasol and pagoda.
It was customary to begin by choosing one of the four for visualization and learning the divine ability possessed by that Dharma manifestation.
One could disrupt an enemy’s divine sense with the music of the pipa, unleash ferocious slashes with the sword, coil around an enemy with the form of the dragon, or imprison them beneath the pagoda.
Those who cultivated the scripture deeply enough could even manifest the divine abilities of several Heavenly Kings at once.
In one of the diagrams he had copied into the jade slip, a translucent giant surrounded a monk’s body. When the monk moved his arm, the Dharma manifestation’s arm moved with him, and its enormous palm slammed into the rock face opposite him.
In another diagram, a Heavenly King raised a pagoda.
A golden boundary descended beneath it, and the movements of the demonic creature rampaging inside slowed.
‘Perfect for holding something down while I beat it up!’
The Sumeru Visualization Scripture passed down by Baoguang Temple contained mnemonic formulas all the way through the Nascent Soul realm.
At that stage, the new Dharma manifestation one could wield was the Immovable Wisdom King manifestation.
The cultivator sat cross-legged at the center of the Dharma manifestation, which was surrounded by a flaming halo. The manifestation held a sword and a noose in its hands, yet in contrast to its wrathful face, the monk seated within wore a serene expression.
The Heavenly Kings manifestations of the Golden Core realm largely followed the cultivator’s own movements.
At the Nascent Soul realm, however, the limbs and implements of the Dharma manifestation could each be moved independently around the nascent soul. Even while the monk sat with his eyes closed, the Wisdom King’s sword swung and its noose shot outward as though alive.
Beside the diagram was a brief annotation.
「Borrow the form of wrath, but do not forget your vow or allow yourself to be swept away by personal anger.」
Lee Hyun pondered that passage several times.
He understood what it meant. What he could not grasp was how one was supposed to keep one’s own mind serene while pouring power into a wrathful form.
‘That’s something for the Nascent Soul realm. There’s no need to worry about it yet.’
Maintaining a Dharma manifestation also required no small amount of magical power and vow power. Using the divine abilities imbued in its implements consumed even more.
It was said that at Baoguang Temple, when a monk who followed the Dao of Incense Offerings operated the Mountain-Guarding Grand Formation to supply incense offerings, they could sometimes manifest a Heavenly King fifty zhang (about 165 m) tall, or a Wisdom King a hundred zhang tall.
However, maintaining such an enormous Dharma manifestation for long was difficult.
It was useful when defending the sect or attacking a wide area all at once, but under normal circumstances, the manifestation was usually condensed to a size the cultivator could comfortably sustain.
The annotations toward the end briefly mentioned Dharma manifestations that could be used after reaching Spirit Transformation, but did not contain the mnemonic formulas for those stages.
Lee Hyun set down the jade slip and examined the other inheritances.
He had also secured the Palm of Compassion, Fist of Deliverance, Demon-Subduing Seal, Mighty Vajra Body, and Arhat Golden Body, but he had no intention of cultivating all of them.
As Lee Hyun saw it, a significant number of Baoguang Temple’s inheritances had one major drawback: they depended on Buddha-Light True Qi containing vow power.
The Buddha-Light True Qi he currently produced relied on his vow to preserve his primordial yang. In other words, if that vow were broken, he would no longer be able to use the techniques that depended on it.
‘I haven’t had any affinity with women so far… but something unexpected could always happen.’
He did not want a power bound by such a condition to become his primary means of combat.
‘The Mighty Vajra Body requires far too many resources. I’d be better off using those resources to advance my whole-body cultivation. I can just study the martial principles behind the Palm of Compassion and Fist of Deliverance. I don’t need the Arhat Golden Body either… because I’m going to create the Leakless Golden Body.’
One of the advantages of the Leakless Golden Body he intended to achieve was that it did not depend on Buddha-Light True Qi or vow power.
That was because the Leakless Golden Body had never been a cultivation method belonging to the Buddhist tradition in the first place. It was a result produced through the process of forming a golden core with the Primordial Body of the Primordial One-Qi Art.
Rather, the Arhat Golden Body was something monks had created after seeing the Leakless Golden Body and attempting to imitate its advantages.
Therefore, once Lee Hyun created the Leakless Golden Body, even if his vow were broken afterward, the golden-core structure established throughout his entire body and the resulting physical strength would remain intact.
There was no need for Lee Hyun to cultivate the Arhat Golden Body.
‘Let’s start with the Demon-Subduing Seal and Sumeru Visualization Scripture.’
The Demon-Subduing Seal could suppress resentful spirits and ghostly entities, making it useful for Lee Hyun, who currently had no particular means of dealing with them.
The Sumeru Visualization Scripture would not help him in a fight right away, but it belonged to an entirely new area that did not overlap with his existing combat methods, so he decided to cultivate it as well.
Of course, both techniques depended on Buddha-Light True Qi.
But that did not matter if he used them only as supplementary methods rather than his primary means of combat. Moreover, the visualization cultivation of the Sumeru Visualization Scripture consisted of imprinting sacred images upon the mind, so at least that portion should remain even without vow power.
Having finished his thoughts, Lee Hyun put the jade slips away for the time being.
‘Now I need to gather information on demon markings.’
***
Three years later.
Lee Hyun followed Huitan into the Inner Alchemy Chamber of Lotus Court to participate in the alchemy of a Golden Core Condensing Pill.
Restrictions far thicker than those in the communal alchemy chambers covered the walls and floor. The burner inside was closed, yet a faint heat could be felt merely from stepping into the stone chamber.
Two disciples who had arrived earlier pressed their palms together in greeting.
“Greetings, Martial Uncle Huitan.”
Huitan nodded, and Lee Hyun greeted the two as well.
Both were late Foundation Establishment cultivators.
One of them was a Senior Brother who went by the Dharma name Mingzhen. Lee Hyun had encountered him several times during Refining practice. He was skilled at processing the flesh and blood of demon beasts and had already assisted with other alchemy sessions in the Inner Alchemy Chamber.
At the center of the stone chamber stood a waist-high stone platform, above which a blue demon core the size of an adult’s fist slowly rotated.
Black energy flowed between the six golden sealing rings wrapped around its surface.
The faint sound coming from it resembled both the wind and the distant weeping of many people at once.
Lee Hyun’s gaze lingered on the demon core.
It was a Tier-3 demon core.
A thin monk standing beside it raised his hand and pressed down on one of the golden sealing rings.
Hummm.
The weeping subsided.
“Everyone, come closer and take a look.”
It was Elder Huijue, a Golden Core cultivator and Tier-3 alchemist overseeing this batch of Golden Core Condensing Pills.
He pointed at the demon core.
“It came from an aquatic demon beast that lived in Heishui Pool. Resentful-spirit energy and toxic qi are heavily entangled within it, so processing it is somewhat troublesome.”
Black energy writhed beneath the surface of the demon core.
“The stronger resentful spirits and the more violent demon power have already been suppressed. Your task is to remove the baleful qi remaining in the outer layer.”
Huijue moved a fingertip. A narrow gap opened between the golden sealing rings, revealing blue, threadlike strands within.
The threads seemed tangled, yet continued in a consistent direction. Clumps of black energy were lodged between them like drops of ink.
“The blue must remain.”
Huijue’s fingertip pointed to the black portions.
“This must be removed.”
He looked around at the disciples.
“If anything goes wrong, I’ll intervene, so there’s no need to be too nervous.”
The first disciple stepped forward and kindled a golden flame at his fingertip.
Whoosh.
As the flame seeped between the golden sealing rings, the black energy shrank back.
However, a faint poisonous mist soon rose from the demon core’s surface. The disciple increased the flame slightly, causing the mist to vanish, but the blue threads beneath it trembled as well.
Huijue curled a finger.
Tap.
A golden sealing ring rotated and pushed the flame away.
“That will do.”
The disciple withdrew his hand.
“My apologies.”
“You did nothing wrong. You were merely a little slow in adjusting the flame after seeing how the baleful qi moved.”
After letting them examine the section that had been treated, Huijue opened the restriction over another area.
This time, Mingzhen stepped forward.
His Clear Yang Purifying Fire was much more finely controlled than that of the previous disciple.
The flame slowly followed the edge of the black energy. A thin wailing sound emerged from within the demon core, but Mingzhen’s flame did not waver.
After some time, the black stain had diminished by roughly half.
Mingzhen did not try to press deeper and withdrew the flame.
Huijue nodded.
“Good. You didn’t overreach.”
Mingzhen wiped the sweat from his forehead.
“I don’t think I can handle the deeper portion.”
“This old monk can take care of that. You did exactly what could safely be entrusted to you.”
Finally, Lee Hyun stepped forward.
His master, Huitan, spoke from behind him.
“Do as you normally do.”
Lee Hyun nodded and examined the flows within the demon core.
Black energy clung in a thin film between the blue threads.
‘This seems easy…’
A small flame formed at his fingertip.
The center of the pale golden flame was almost white.
Lee Hyun spread his fingers slightly, and the flame split into several flame threads that flowed between the golden sealing rings.
It was a feat made possible by the Flame-Threading Art.
Still, many people knew how to divide flames into multiple strands, so those watching merely thought Lee Hyun was highly skilled.
Huijue’s gaze settled on his fingertips.
The thin flames moved in different directions within the demon core.
Where the baleful qi had gathered thickly, they brightened slightly. Within narrow gaps where blue threads intertwined, they dimmed until they were almost invisible.
Ssssss.
As one strand of black energy burned away, the blue thread that had been pinned beneath it regained its original flow and quivered lightly.
Lee Hyun immediately shifted the position of the neighboring flames. He left room for the blue thread to move while slowly stripping away only the black stain clinging behind it.
Huijue’s hand stopped above the golden sealing rings.
There was no need to intervene.
‘Was his name Li Dongsi? This fellow really is skilled!’
Some time later.
Lee Hyun withdrew his hand.
The blue threads were clearly revealed where the black stains had vanished. Even the baleful qi embedded deep within the narrow gaps had been removed, yet the pattern formed by the threads had barely changed.
The stone chamber fell silent for a moment.
Huijue drew the demon core closer and examined the section Lee Hyun had Refined several times.
Mingzhen also tilted his head slightly and peered at it.
“He even removed the baleful qi deeper inside… yet the underlying pattern is almost completely undamaged.”
Huijue slowly nodded.
“Indeed.”
The corners of Huitan’s lips rose.
“What did I tell you?”
“I had heard he was good.”
Huijue looked at Lee Hyun.
“But he’s even better than I expected! I didn’t know he could divide his Clear Yang Purifying Fire like that while maintaining such precise fire control over each individual strand.”
Lee Hyun pressed his palms together.
“You flatter me.”
Huitan spoke with a satisfied expression.
“His primordial yang is so pure that he can remove baleful qi even with his fire control kept that low. My disciple is practically at the level of a man who’s never even held a woman’s hand.”
‘…’
Huijue snorted.
“Maybe he just hasn’t met the right woman yet.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I mean he might think differently after seeing Young Lady Wang smile.”
Huitan’s expression stiffened.
“Don’t entertain such foolish ideas. What good would come of snuffing out such a precious flame?”
…
After the disciples finished processing the outer layer, Huijue and Huitan stepped in to Refine the baleful qi deeper within and remove the toxicity that had seeped deep between the condensed structures.
Lee Hyun watched every detail of their methods.
After several days of Refining and compounding, the pill furnace was finally opened.
A pill glowing with a faint golden hue rose through the mist.
It was a Golden Core Condensing Pill.
Lee Hyun’s gaze remained fixed on the pill.
Huijue placed it on a jade dish and used his magical power to draw out a trace of its medicinal strength.
The medicinal fragrance grew richer.
Within the faint energy rising into the air, Lee Hyun saw a familiar flow.
It resembled what had been inside the demon core, but the energies of multiple medicinal ingredients had been added, making it far gentler and more stable.
“Can you see it?”
Huijue asked.
“Yes.”
“This is what helps condense true essence.”
After finishing his explanation, Huijue held out a small spirit tablet to Lee Hyun.
“From now on, take on Refining work in the Inner Alchemy Chamber. You’ll begin by processing the outer layers. Learn the other steps by watching from the side.”
“Thank you.”
When Lee Hyun accepted the spirit tablet, Huitan added from beside him.
“There are Refining records in the study inside. Before handling an unfamiliar material, be sure to read them. There can be differences depending on the demon core.”
“Are there also records of the cultivators who took the pills?”
Huijue’s gaze turned toward Lee Hyun.
“There are. Is there something you’re curious about?”
“I’d like to know how much of the demon markings remain when someone takes several Golden Core Condensing Pills.”
Huijue thought for a moment.
“I’m not sure about that myself. Golden Core Condensing Pills are precious, so there probably aren’t many people who’ve received and taken several… Still, when you have time, go look through the records.”
…
That evening.
Lee Hyun sat in a small study inside the Inner Alchemy Chamber.
Several jade slips lay on the table.
The species of demon beast, the state of its demon core, the medicinal ingredients and Refining methods used, and the quality of the completed pill.
Baoguang Temple had also recorded what happened after each Golden Core Condensing Pill was made.
They documented the recipient’s realm and age, whether their Core Formation succeeded, and what form the demon markings took. Some cultivators continued examining their own golden cores at regular intervals even after Core Formation and sent back records of their findings.
Many of the diagrams were more detailed than those Lee Hyun had seen in Mei Sujun’s jade slip.
Lee Hyun first selected cases in which cultivators had taken two or more Golden Core Condensing Pills.
Fortunately, several such records remained.
The amount and form of the remaining demon markings varied from person to person, but taking more Golden Core Condensing Pills did not necessarily make the refining process slower.
There were even cases in which the demon markings faded more quickly than in cultivators who had taken only one pill.
‘If that’s the case… isn’t this fine?’
Lee Hyun laid out in sequence the diagrams one cultivator had submitted over several decades. The demon markings had not been erased one location at a time. Instead, the foreign flows throughout the golden core had gradually faded together as the years passed.
‘So taking fifty Golden Core Condensing Pills wouldn’t mean spending fifty thousand years refining them.’
…
The next day.
Just to be certain, Lee Hyun asked his master Huitan about the matter.
“Is my guess correct?”
Huitan looked down at the diagrams his disciple had spread out, then nodded.
“You don’t pick out the demon markings and erase them one by one. Following the refining formulas, you circulate your magical power evenly throughout the entire golden core. Changes occur simultaneously everywhere that magical power flows. You should still have some time before Core Formation. Are you already curious about things like this?”
“I heard that Elders who achieved Core Formation using Golden Core Condensing Pills have difficulty breaking through to Nascent Soul. If this problem can be solved, I thought it might be a great help to Baoguang Temple.”
“You really… just how much merit are you trying to accumulate? I certainly hope you find a way through this problem so this master of yours can break through to Nascent Soul!”
“Did you also achieve Core Formation using a Golden Core Condensing Pill, Master?”
“I did.”
Lee Hyun pressed his palms together.
“This disciple will think about whether there is a way to accelerate the refining.”
“Hoho, I was only joking. Countless people have already studied the problem without solving it.”
…
After returning to his residence, Lee Hyun took out the Golden Core section of the Primordial One-Qi Art and examined its contents closely.
‘Based on everything I’ve learned so far, it should be worth preparing for Core Formation with this method while using Golden Core Condensing Pills.’
To do that, he first needed to learn the pill recipes.
However, a problem arose when it came to learning the recipes for the Golden Core Condensing Pill.
Or, more precisely… there were far too many different Golden Core Condensing Pill recipes.
The characteristics of a demon core differed between every species of Tier-3 demon beast, so the alchemy method had to be adapted accordingly.
Even if Lee Hyun became stronger in the future, there was no guarantee he would be able to obtain enough Tier-3 demon cores from a single species. Therefore, he needed to observe the alchemy process for as many different kinds of Tier-3 demon cores as possible.
‘At this rate, I’ll have to stick around Baoguang Temple for quite a while… I need to watch them process as many kinds of demon cores as possible, don’t I? Well, I have plenty of time anyway, so it doesn’t matter…’
Fortunately, the Golden Core Elders of Baoguang Temple permitted Foundation Establishment alchemist disciples to naturally learn the pill recipes while observing the alchemy of Golden Core Condensing Pills.
In truth, the Golden Core Condensing Pill recipes themselves were not particularly precious to Baoguang Temple.
The greatest problem was the simple fact that their key ingredient was a Tier-3 demon core.
Those who needed Golden Core Condensing Pills were cultivators at Foundation Establishment Great Perfection, yet cultivators at that realm could not hunt Tier-3 demon beasts. Without the assistance of a Golden Core cultivator, obtaining one was something they could only dream of.
Unless, of course, someone appeared who could easily slay Tier-3 demon beasts while still at Foundation Establishment Great Perfection.
…
And so Lee Hyun continued visiting the Inner Alchemy Chamber and learning the process for refining Golden Core Condensing Pills.
Every different type of demon core gave him something new to learn, so even after finishing his assigned Refining work, he often stayed to watch the Elders continue with the remaining steps.
He also steadily continued cultivating the Demon-Subduing Seal and the Sumeru Visualization Scripture.
From time to time, he left the sect to handle matters concerning the Two Heavens Society and tend to the spirit fields and fuzzbees of Tunnel No. 3.
***
Before he knew it, ten years had passed.
Lee Hyun’s residence on the eastern peak of Lotus Court.
Lee Hyun reclined on a long couch by the window, reading a popular novel.
On one side of the table lay the Refining records he had organized that morning, while beside them was a stack of books he had yet to open.
He had already finished his assigned work for the day.
Just as the protagonist of the novel was about to open a treasure chest in an undersea ruin, a faint vibration came from the restriction outside the door.
Lee Hyun raised his head.
‘Who is it?’
A young monk stood outside his residence.
“Elder Huitan has summoned you.”
Lee Hyun slipped a bookmark into the novel and rose from his seat.
…
Several jade slips and a folded letter lay in Huitan’s study.
The seal on the letter bore the name of an unfamiliar country.
Haiguang Kingdom.
It was a mortal kingdom on the southern coast under the protection of Xu Kingdom’s cultivation world.
“Sit.”
Huitan held out a jade slip.
“This is a report from the south.”
Lee Hyun sat down and sent his divine sense into the jade slip.
Tier-2 aquatic demon beasts had been appearing along various parts of Xu Kingdom’s southern coastline and attacking people.
The first report had come from Baisha Port in Haiguang Kingdom.
Five fishing boats had failed to return, and enormous bite marks had been found on wreckage washed ashore.
Not long afterward, demon beasts began coming all the way into the shallows.
Monks from local temples stepped forward and moved the people away from the coast, but Qi Refining cultivators were incapable of dealing with Tier-2 demon beasts. For now, all boats had been forbidden from sailing, and the residents of coastal villages were being relocated inside nearby cities.
Similar reports had also come from other ports some distance from Baisha Port.
Several mortal kingdoms along the coast had rushed to request aid from Baoguang Temple, and the temple had decided to dispatch disciples to save the sentient beings there.
Lee Hyun examined the latter portion of the jade slip.
There were illustrations recording the demon beasts’ appearances and movements.
One was a turtle-shaped demon beast with a thick shell, while the other was a water snake with a long, slender body and red stripes.
Huitan spoke.
“This water snake normally even preys on that turtle. Yet they attacked the boats together, and when the monks approached, they retreated in the same direction.”
“They may be spirit beasts under someone’s control.”
“That’s why the Demon-Subduing Court isn’t treating this as a simple demon-beast extermination either. They intend to determine whether a beast tamer is controlling them or whether some other method is being used.”
Huitan paused briefly, then added,
“Lotus Court has decided to send people this time as well. They’ll examine the traces remaining in the demon beasts’ flesh, blood, and meridians, and preserve any necessary materials to bring back.”
Huitan looked at Lee Hyun.
“The temple said they would like you to make the trip. When they were discussing whom to send, Junior Brother Huijue strongly recommended you. It seems he thinks quite highly of the Refining skills you’ve shown over the years.”
A hint of pride could be heard in Huitan’s voice.
Lee Hyun studied the demon beasts drawn on the jade slip for a moment longer, then recalled the rearing records of the Life-Bound Gu he had obtained long ago.
Just because demon beasts that normally did not get along were moving together did not necessarily mean gu insects were involved. But if gu had been implanted in them to control them, it would explain the situation.
‘Is the Dongming Sect of the Nanming Twelve-Sect Alliance making a move?’
Lee Hyun readily agreed.
“Understood.”
‘If the Dongming Sect is controlling demon beasts by implanting gu in them… they’d make excellent food for the fuzzbees…’
Huitan nodded in satisfaction when Lee Hyun agreed so readily.
…
On the day of departure, in front of the Mountain Gate.
“Junior Brother, over here.”
Lee Hyun turned his head at the clear voice, like jade beads rolling across a silver tray.
It was Wang Shulin, Elder Huijue’s direct disciple.
She was stunningly beautiful.
Her eyes were gentle and the corners of her lips naturally curved slightly upward, giving her a strangely captivating air that made people feel good simply looking at her, even when she was not smiling.
Far from shaving her head, she had loosely pinned half of her lustrous, jet-black hair up with a jade hairpin, while the rest cascaded softly over her slender shoulders and down her back.
Her attire was equally far removed from dull monastic robes. Her silk enchanted robe, woven in subtle shades of jade and white, fluttered like wings whenever the wind blew. Each time she moved, wrists as pale as white jade showed between her sleeves, accompanied by a delicate fragrance.
She stared openly at Lee Hyun for a moment before her eyes curved into crescents and a mischievous smile appeared on her face.
“So you’re the famous Primordial Yang Layman, Junior Brother? Master told me about you. Looks like I won’t be bored.”
Watching from some distance away, Huitan grabbed Huijue by the sleeve.
“Huijue, you wretched bald monk! You’ve really set your mind on snuffing out my disciple’s flame!”
“Hohoho, Senior Brother Huitan, really now. Wouldn’t a young man and woman going together to save sentient beings also be a fine immortal affinity? Hm. If his Dao heart is as unyielding as vajra, how could a mere woman’s smile possibly shake it?”
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