Chapter 10 - Act 3. Daemudo Entrance Examination (3)

“There are more of the latter than the former, and they’re dangerous. So as a rule, if you meet a Cultivator who isn’t from Daemudo, run and report it to the sect immediately. That’s what my family taught me.”

Yise did not really understand. His only goal was to wipe out Demons and have his revenge, then become an exorcist worthy of his master’s expectations. He had learned that Cultivators pursued the Dao and accumulated good karma. Why, then, did they spend their time competing, plundering, and keeping one another in check? Could that even be called pursuing the Dao?

Seeing Yise’s troubled expression, Hae Unchan began drawing something on the stone floor with his finger, as if to lighten the mood. Auspicious energy emanated from his fingertip. He seemed to know how to wield spiritual energy already. The moment his fingertip touched the hard stone, it carved a groove as easily as parting sand.

“Yise. Have you ever seen a map of the world?”

“A map? No.”

“Thought so.”

Looking thoroughly confident, Unchan drew lines, circles, and some other barely recognizable marks. In all honesty, Yise thought his four-year-old sibling could have drawn better.

“Here. This is the continent we live on. The Eastern Continent, to be precise.”

“It looks like a half-eaten fried egg.”

“Quiet. No talking about food. You’ll make me hungry.”

Unchan cleared his throat and tapped the drawing.

“This bit sticking out is where we live: Tabaro, Suari, and Gamori. Together, they’re the Three Kingdoms of the Peninsula.”

Then he drew an enormous landmass above the Three Kingdoms of the Peninsula.

“This is the Jeong Empire. A much bigger country than the Three Kingdoms.”

“... That’s huge.”

“There are also small, weak countries like Sihan and Taira, but most are vassal states of the Jeong Empire. The Three Kingdoms of the Peninsula are the only ones that don’t belong to it.”

Something about that explanation struck Yise as odd. Even united, the three countries seemed vastly outmatched by the Jeong Empire. And in a world where the strong preyed on the weak, the weak were bound to be devoured.

“Why haven’t the Three Kingdoms become vassal states of the Jeong Empire?”

“Oh. Good question. Because of the Cultivators.”

“The Cultivators?”

“Yes. Daemudo, to be precise. Daemudo and the rulers of the Three Kingdoms have a mutual nonaggression arrangement, but whenever a country launches a large-scale war of conquest, Cultivators always intervene.”

“Why?”

“Because war breeds evil karma and lingering resentment.”

Ah. Yise understood at once. The more evil karma and lingering resentment accumulated, the more Demonic Energy there would be in the world. Demonic Energy created Demons, upsetting nature’s balance. Daemudo despised Demons and made it its calling to restore that balance through the Demon-Exorcizing Arts. It would never tolerate that.

When Yise gave a slow nod, Unchan pointed at the drawing again, looking pleased.

“While we’re on the subject, want to hear an interesting old story? Look. The Eastern Continent is hemmed in by the Ten-Thousand-Mile Great Wall and the Thousand-Demon Mountains to the north, the sea to the southeast, and deserts and wastelands to the west. They’re natural barriers ordinary humans can’t possibly cross. But they say once you become a Core Formation Cultivator and can fly without a ritual implement, you can go beyond them.”

“What’s beyond them?”

“Other continents. Places called the Western Regions, the Frozen Lands, and the Archipelago.”

Unchan’s eyes sparkled with curiosity and anticipation as he spoke.

“My dream is to travel across every continent and complete a map of the world.”

Yise thought it was a wonderful dream. He even envied Unchan for having a dream of his own and pursuing it. That was why he decided not to point out that Unchan’s drawing skills were woefully inadequate for mapmaking.

“But I asked about Cultivation sects.”

“You’re less fun than I thought.”

Unchan clicked his tongue and drew eight circles on the map. All but one lay within the Jeong Empire.

“Three major Cultivation sects and five distinguished Cultivation families are competing for supremacy on the Eastern Continent. Only Daemudo is based in the Three Kingdoms of the Peninsula. All the others are in the Jeong Empire.”

“Does anyone ally with Daemudo?”

“Not a soul. The Jeong Empire’s Cultivation organizations sometimes ally with each other, but to outsiders, Daemudo is everyone’s enemy. They practically treat us like a demonic-path sect. You know what those are, right?”

“The fallen who practice demonic arts. Enemies of the entire continent, with bounties on their heads.”

“Right. They usually operate underground. The most famous is the Iron Sun Thunder Sect.”

Yise had skimmed that information in the <Daemudo Basic Handbook>. He remembered even seeing detailed instructions for dealing with the Iron Sun Thunder Sect, presumably because clashes with them were so frequent.

With some of his questions answered, Yise offered his sincere thanks.

“Thank you. I’ve learned a lot.”

“What are friends for? Let’s keep looking out for each other.”

Friends. Yise did his best to smile. Somehow, the word brought to mind the Dokkaebi boys he had left behind at Gwisu Temple.

“But you already turned me down as a meal buddy. What kind of friends are we, then?”

“... You’re pettier than you look.”

Just then, word came that their rooms had been assigned, and their first night at the training compound wore on.

* * *

At dawn the next day, tension hung over the faces of the applicants gathered in the waiting hall. The second test was beginning right away.

Chief Examiner Kang Itae slowly stepped forward with the Crane Bird perched on his shoulder.

“We will now begin the second test.”

Straight to the point, without even a greeting. Yise thought he was beginning to understand what sort of man Kirin Hall Master Kang Itae was.

“The second test is to create a spiritual root.”

The murmuring applicants caught their breath. No one aspiring to walk the path of a Cultivator could be ignorant of spiritual roots. Even so, Kang Itae obligingly continued his explanation.

“A spiritual root is the foundation and constitution required to become a Cultivator. Just as your body has blood vessels through which blood flows, spiritual meridians form to carry spiritual energy. The term encompasses everything about them: their attributes, quality, and extent. A spiritual root is, as a rule, an innate talent. If you aren’t born with one, you cannot create one, nor can you alter its predetermined quality.”

Kang Itae gently stroked the Crane Bird’s back. It fluttered its wings as though pleased.

“Only Daemudo can change the fate heaven has ordained for you. Thanks to this being.”

That was why thousands applied to join Daemudo every year, despite the countless Cultivators who died practicing the Demon-Exorcizing Arts. It was thanks to the pet bird of the Lord of Daemudo—the sect’s founder, who had led them to victory in the Thousand-Demon War three hundred years ago and had all but created the present system of Cultivation. The Divine Beast that created spiritual roots. The bird that stirred the fighting spirit of soldiers going to war: the Crane Bird.

“Yet even with the Crane Bird’s blessing, there are those whom heaven denies the path of Cultivation. Do not be too disappointed. Even if you fail to awaken a spiritual root, good results in the other tests can earn you admission to Daemudo as an outer disciple, with important duties of your own.”

In other words, to become an inner disciple—one of Daemudo’s core fighting force—they had to obtain a spiritual root. This was one thing effort could not solve. Only heaven’s decree mattered. They had to entrust themselves to the fate heaven bestowed.

“First, those who already possess spiritual roots, step forward.”

A considerable number of applicants went forward, most in their late teens.

“Those retaking the examination, remain where you are. First-time applicants only, take another step forward.”

Nine stepped forward, including Hae Unchan. Most were conspicuously well dressed. They were likely from noble families or Daemudo’s secular branches. The other applicants called them the “shoo-ins,” their admission already decided.

Kang Itae began examining the shoo-ins’ spiritual roots one by one.

“A triple spiritual root: water, wood, and metal.”

“A dual spiritual root: fire and wood.”

“A five-attribute spiritual root.”

Meanwhile, Yise recalled what he had read in Gwisu Temple’s library. A spiritual root could have anywhere from one to five attributes. Those attributes determined which spells one could learn. More attributes offered greater versatility in combat, but slowed one’s training. Advancing to a higher realm was so difficult that, as a general measure of aptitude, fewer attributes were considered better. Such roots were indeed rare.

Kang Itae stopped in front of Hae Unchan.

“Oh?”

The corners of his mouth lifted as he examined Unchan’s spiritual root.

“A single-attribute water spiritual root. And a constitution beloved by heaven, at that. It has been a long time since I last saw a Heavenly Root Constitution. You are even approaching the third star of Qi Refining already. Your name is... yes, Hae Unchan.”

Stroking his beard, Kang Itae continued with interest.

“You’re Hall Master Hae Il’s nephew’s great-great-grandson.”

“Yes, sir. Unworthy descendant though I am.”

Yise asked the dazed applicant beside him,

“What’s a nephew’s great-great-grandson?”

“Hmm... a grandnephew’s grandson’s grandson? Something like that?”

“They’re practically strangers.”

Just how old was this Hae Il? They said a Cultivator’s lifespan increased exponentially at higher realms. Apparently, that was true.

After the shoo-ins with spiritual roots returned to their places, it was the turn of those who had yet to awaken theirs.

“Everyone, sit in the lotus position.”

The procedure was simple. Once the applicants closed their eyes and assumed a meditative posture, the Crane Bird approached them one at a time and pierced their hearts with its beak. Its entire beak went into each heart and came back out, yet astonishingly, not a single drop of blood spilled. The applicants did not even scream. They simply sat there looking bewildered.

“For those who already possess a spiritual root, this process will help awaken it. Even those without one will have another chance to form one. Naturally, how long it takes will depend on your talent. You may awaken to spiritual energy today, or not until the final day.”

Eyes closed, Yise sensed Kang Itae’s voice drawing closer.

“If you fail to awaken to spiritual energy within the remaining six days, then heaven has rejected you, or your talent is heaven-forsaken. Accept it. You are better off giving up.”

At last, Yise’s turn came, and auspicious energy rippled before him. The Crane Bird stared straight at him. In an instant, its beak plunged deep into his heart.

Rather than pain, he felt a comforting warmth flow through its beak and circulate throughout his body like blood. His mind grew calm and peaceful. At the same time, however, the Demonic Energy already lodged within him began thrashing as though in a seizure.

CAW! CAW!

The Crane Bird suddenly began trembling. Then it flapped its wings wildly.

—This boy! There’s Demonic Energy inside him!

A strange voice, utterly unlike a human’s, rang out. Icy killing intent washed over Yise, and cold metal touched his throat. Moving like lightning, Kang Itae had drawn his sword and leveled it at him before he could react.

“Move and I’ll cut you down.”

He addressed Yise in something close to a growl.

“You. Are you a spy from a demonic-path sect?”