Chapter 31 - Act 5. Iron Sun Thunder Sect (1)

“Novice disciples Yise and Seol Ryeong, reporting back after completing our mission.”

“Well done.”

The Foundation Establishment Cultivator manning the administrative office answered matter-of-factly, as though he had already received a report. After inspecting the demonic cultivation manuals and Demon-Sealing Album Yise submitted, he asked,

“Will you turn over the sealed Demon corpses?”

“Do we have another option?”

“You may keep them yourselves. If you turn them over to the main mountain, you will receive spirit stones commensurate with their value.”

“May I ask what the main mountain does with Demon corpses?”

“Some are disposed of, and others are used as research materials.”

A Cultivator handling them personally would probably do much the same: use them for private research or sell them for spirit stones. In effect, Daemudo's main mountain acted as a broker for individual Cultivators.

“We'll turn them over.”

“The corpses' value is assessed according to the Demons' Risk Levels.”

“Understood.”

“The main mountain will take charge of the demonic cultivation manuals and the grotto-heaven you reported. Once their value has been assessed, you will receive additional compensation and contribution points. If you wish, you may also be granted first claim to the grotto-heaven. Keep that in mind.”

“Yes, we will.”

The Cultivator handed over twenty-four spirit stones, and Yise and Seol Ryeong took twelve each.

Back in his private quarters, Yise locked his spirit stones and ritual implements in the safe, then went straight to his private training room to review his recent battle. What had he done well, and what had he done poorly? Had he made any errors in judgment, from the moment he chose the mission to the moment he finished it?

'My greatest regret is the moment that fire-attribute spell hit me.'

His enemy's neck had definitely been within arm's reach. However agonizing that moment had been, he should have mustered greater willpower and cut the man down. If there had been a turning point where he might have lost, that was it. Seol Ryeong's support had saved him, but on a solo mission, that place would have become his grave.

'I need to get more accustomed to pain.'

Otherwise, there had been nothing he could particularly call a blunder. Seol Ryeong's underhanded trick had nearly robbed him of his spirit stones, but he had recovered those through perfectly justified threats and persuasion. His first outing had yielded a great deal.

A vast amount of Demonic Energy flowed through his body. Only yesterday, his spiritual energy and Demonic Energy had been roughly equal in quantity. Now, the Demonic Energy was overwhelmingly greater, owing to how much he had absorbed from Kim Siwon.

The two energies, which had snarled at each other and kept one another in check, were now lopsided. Its strength diminished, his spiritual energy cowered beneath the weight of the Demonic Energy. It hardly looked safe, even at a glance... but to him, there was little difference between wielding spiritual energy and Demonic Energy.

'Should I aim straight for the next level?'

The insight formula for the fourth star was Commanding Spirit: the level at which one could freely manipulate spiritual energy outside the body through a threadlike connection. While third-star Qi Refining Cultivators threw spiritual power like a ball, those at the fourth star wielded it like a whip.

With practice, spiritual energy could move freely even outside the body, and the higher one's realm, the farther its reach. This was the final stage of wielding spiritual energy in early-stage Qi Refining.

Yise gathered spiritual energy in his palm. As he focused, a handful rose above it. This much was now as easy as breathing. The problem was what came next.

He swung his arm, sending the tightly condensed mass of spiritual energy flying into the training room wall.

BANG!

The impact left a scorch mark on the wall. It was literally an act of throwing. The question was how on earth he was supposed to control something once it had left his hand.

「The movement of spiritual energy is the Cultivator's will. Drawing it outside the body does not mean granting it freedom, but extending one's will farther afield.」

Most of the annotations in the cultivation manual were like this: vague abstractions that left him grasping at clouds. Advice circulating among Cultivators was more useful.

[“Don't think of it as throwing spiritual energy. Think of pushing it out of your body. As far as you can, without stopping.”]

That advice from Park Gangseo had been particularly decisive. Despite his mediocre five-attribute spiritual root, his outstanding comprehension had already brought him to the fourth star of Qi Refining.

Having exhausted his spiritual energy, Yise next drew out his Demonic Energy and pushed it beyond his body. Black energy stretched out from his fingertips in a thread. It soon broke and dispersed into the surroundings, but as he repeated the attempt dozens of times, determined to succeed, he felt himself slowly getting the hang of it.

He had no idea how much time had passed. He vaguely thought it had grown light outside his room, then dark again. Normally, hunger would have sent him straight off in search of food, but cultivation was an exception. Strangely enough, while cultivating, he felt neither emptiness in his stomach nor hunger, whether hours or days passed.

Demonic Energy emerged from Yise's body and reached the wall, retaining its threadlike shape. Then it turned and extended onward until it met the next obstacle. With such an abundant supply, the accumulating threads tangled together, crisscrossing the training room like a spiderweb. It was rather like finding a bottomless jar too difficult to fill, then solving the problem by picking it up and plunging it into the water.

A web of Demonic Energy surrounded him. A deep satisfaction welled up within him. He was certain he had climbed onto the next step.

The fourth star of Qi Refining.

Not even a month had passed since he joined.

* * *

It was not, in fact, true that he had reached the fourth star within a month of joining.

A knock on his door brought Yise out of his thoughts. After breaking through to the fourth star, he had immediately begun probing the fifth-star barrier known as a minor threshold. With a disappointed sigh, he opened the stone door. Park Gangseo stood outside.

“Sorry. I know there's an unwritten rule against interrupting private cultivation, but as you know, I have to meet with the novice disciples at least twice a month and report on them.”

“It's all right, Master Park Gangseo. But didn't we meet last week, just before I left on my mission?”

“What are you talking about? You've been holed up in here for over a fortnight.”

“What?”

In other words, roughly a month had now passed since he joined Daemudo.

'I thought it had been three or four days.'

Park Gangseo clicked his tongue and began to scold him.

“A Cultivator can only go without food after reaching Great Attainment in Qi Refining and reconstructing their entire body and internal organs. Until then, at least eat fasting rations while you cultivate.”

“Yes. I'm sorry to have worried you.”

“But hang on. Your spiritual energy's grown quite a bit, hasn't it?”

“Oh, yes. I had a small insight.”

“The top disciple really is different. With talent like that, I can see why you'd be obsessed with cultivation. Still, take care of yourself. You're young. Make some friends, too.”

“Yes.”

“I'll be reporting to the higher-ups. What level have you reached?”

Park Gangseo looked Yise up and down as he asked. Judging by the amount of spiritual energy he could sense, somewhere around the third star.

“I've just reached the fourth star.”

“...”

Park Gangseo seemed momentarily lost for words, then wrinkled his nose.

“I understand wanting to impress the main mountain, but lying about your realm is a serious offense.”

Yise tilted his head and drew out spiritual energy to demonstrate. Without moving from his spot, he twitched a finger, writing on the floor.

-I really am at the fourth star.-

“...”

“Is there a problem?”

“The problem is that you brat—no, fellow Daoist... only joined a month ago.”

“Is that unusually fast?”

“I'm at the fourth star myself.”

“Oh.”

“I've been cultivating for over two years. And I'd already reached the second star of Qi Refining with my family before I took the Daemudo exam.”

A brief silence fell.

“And even at the same fourth star, I can't do something as crazy as writing on the floor with spiritual energy. You really—”

Park Gangseo wore an unreadable expression.

“You don't just discourage people. You leave them sick of the whole thing.”

“I'm sorry.”

“Forget it. Having exceptional talent isn't a crime. Soon I'll have to call you Senior.”

“You needn't do that.”

“Don't be so uncomfortable with hierarchy. Always remember: ‘Please spare my life, Senior.’ Those five words might save you one day. Though most of the time, you'll die anyway.”

If someone refused to respect a realm he had worked so hard to attain, Park Gangseo added, he might find himself wanting to kill them.

“In three days, all the novice disciples will gather for an instructional lecture. On the first day of every month, a Foundation Establishment Senior helps with your cultivation, so don't forget to attend. You're the only one who loses out if you miss it.”

“I'll keep that in mind.”

“Oh, and I've heard Hall Master Hong Mihui will soon finish making your ritual implements.”

Yise's eyes lit up. Now that was welcome news.

“Really?”

“So you do know how to show emotion.”

“Oh, I'm sorry.”

“No. Don't apologize. And please, start dropping the formalities...”

Park Gangseo muttered the last words, his face full of self-reproach.

* * *

Three days later, Yise headed to the great hall, still without the slightest grasp of the minor threshold's barrier. Used as an examination hall during the entrance exams, it was the largest cavern in the training compound.

For the first time in a while, those who spent most of their lives cultivating gathered in one place. Fifty-nine of them. Unlike when they had first passed the entrance examination, they now radiated dense spiritual energy as a group. Not only had their spiritual energy grown denser, but the air each of them carried had changed a little. The fresh-faced boys and girls of barely a month ago now exuded the composed presence of Cultivators.

Yise met the eyes of Hae Unchan and Pi Garam, whom he had not seen in some time, and gave them a small nod of greeting. Every pair of eyes held its own achievements, barriers, and aspirations. A month ago, they had felt excitement. Now, they felt thirst. Roughly sixty pairs of thirsting eyes turned toward the senior Cultivator striding toward them.

'That man... '

Yise knew this Cultivator. He was the man who had gone about his work with a bored expression at the administrative office where Yise had accepted his mission. Now, he radiated an unmistakably different presence from his usual languid air. It fell short of a great Core Formation Cultivator like Kang Itae, but even a Foundation Establishment Cultivator's energy was distinctly imposing.

“I am U Jeol of Kirin Hall.”

After that brief introduction, U Jeol dispensed with unnecessary remarks and went straight into insights, examples, and practices useful in progressing from the first through fourth stars of Qi Refining. As might be expected of someone who had already walked the path, his advice was remarkably helpful.

Every novice disciple listened with shining eyes. In the question-and-answer session that followed, nearly all of them raised their hands, seeking a way past the points where they were stuck.

As the allotted time drew to a close, Yise, who had asked nothing until then, finally raised his hand. He had been wondering why Senior U Jeol had only explained up to the fourth star of Qi Refining.

“Yours will be the last question. What do you want to know?”

“Senior, I would also like to hear about the fifth star of Qi Refining, the so-called minor threshold. We are told to convert the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into spell power, but to be honest... I haven't the slightest grasp of it.”

“That should not be a level you need concern yourself with yet. Did I not tell you that even when you aim high, you must focus on the step before you?”

U Jeol's eyes narrowed. Yise answered cautiously, taking care to offend him as little as possible.

“I ask because I recently reached the fourth star... but if I sounded disrespectful, I apologize.”

Murmurs swept through the previously silent gathering. U Jeol stared at Yise with an expression that could have been surprise, bewilderment, or anger. Yise merely met his gaze calmly.