Chapter 42 - Act 6. Heavenly-Demonic Dual-Meridian Constitution (5)

Yise mulled over Hae Il’s final assignment, only to let out another witless response.

“Ah, um... pardon?”

At that reaction, Hae Il counted up how old the boy before him must be, realized his mistake, and smiled sheepishly.

“I was getting ahead of myself. That must be rather bewildering for someone so young.”

His smile faded as he added seriously,

“Just keep it in mind for now. No amount of prodding will matter if you don’t want to, but it is a rare constitution, after all. We should keep it alive. Do you have any desire to ascend?”

“I’ve never thought about it.”

“I suppose not. Even if you do ascend, leaving descendants behind would allow Daemudo to prosper in safety. If you grow attached to this place and come to feel you belong, consider the people you’ll leave behind.”

Ascension to the heavenly realm. There was very little information about it. All Yise knew was that a world of Immortals existed in the cosmos above the human realm, and that one had to ascend there to reach higher realms.

For now, though, he felt no need. He had heard that even Spirit Transformation granted an unfathomably long life. And frankly, he had yet to cross his first minor threshold, let alone reach Foundation Establishment. It all sounded like talk of another world.

Yise answered with a simple nod. Hae Il gave him an indulgent look, as if he understood, then gazed at the sky for a moment before rising.

“That should have made this the meeting you hoped for, yes? As I said, I know no more than what I’ve told you. Explore the rest yourself, and once you assemble the Twin Principles Reversion Art, we can delve into it together.”

His tone suggested their business was finished.

Before Hae Il could leave, Yise hurriedly spoke up one last time. He knew he had already received more than enough kindness. Of course, he had been promised an entire day of instruction, but he was not so imprudent as to point that out. Merely detaining a departing great Cultivator was disrespectful and presumptuous. Yet he could not bear to let this precious opportunity slip away.

“If you can spare the time, might you offer this junior one last word of advice? My cultivation has... stalled at the first minor threshold.”

Hae Il stopped and turned back. His eyes swept over Yise’s spiritual meridians once more.

“Let’s see. Judging by your reserves of spiritual energy, you passed the level of the fifth star some time ago.”

Yise silently met his gaze in agreement. Accumulate spiritual energy, then attain enlightenment. Of those two requirements, he had already accumulated more than enough energy.

“How long did it take you to reach the fourth star?”

“About a month.”

“From the third star to the fourth? That’s absurdly fast.”

“... No, a month after I entered the cultivation world.”

“...”

Hae Il fell silent, looking as though he had encountered some bizarre creature, then gave an incredulous chuckle.

‘U Yuhee wouldn’t even be in the running. He might be faster than the Lord.’

He kept that thought to himself.

Constitution alone could not account for such rapid advancement. It must mean that the boy possessed exceptional comprehension and pursued cultivation with equal tenacity and desperation. Compared with the Lord, who had spent more time beating up other Cultivators than cultivating, he was a great blessing for Daemudo.

“Considering the average speed of a single-attribute spiritual root bearer and your comprehension, you should already have advanced. I’m certain the gu parasite in your head was blocking you. It’s remarkable you made it this far with the path to your Hundred Convergences point obstructed. Try again now, and you’ll soon get a feel for it.”

Hae Il took a step closer to the still-kneeling Yise and added,

“Until now, you’ve effectively been shooting a bow with one eye missing.”

That meant his failure to cross the minor threshold was due not to a lack of talent, but to the gu parasite’s interference. The wall he had spent three months battering his head against without finding so much as a hint of a crack had, in fact, been erected by someone else.

His relief outweighed his sense of injustice. If he had never met Hall Master Hae Il... the mere thought was horrifying. Yise straightened his back and waited for Hae Il to continue.

“Close your eyes and recall your most vivid experience of an elemental attribute.”

Yise immediately closed his eyes.

“For instance, the memory of your body burning when you fought that independent Cultivator. Recall it and picture your spiritual energy catching fire. Keep doing so.”

The memory of Kim Siwon’s fire-attribute spell burning his body. It was among the most painful experiences of Yise’s life. The searing agony of his flesh and bones melting throughout his body remained vivid even now.

“Envelop your entire body in spiritual energy.”

Yise calmly followed his instructions.

“Do more than simply recall it. Believe that your spiritual energy is truly burning your body.”

Yise was seized by the illusion that his entire body truly was ablaze. He could not tell whether it was because the insect in his head was gone or because of the power in the great Cultivator’s words. His body grew so still that he seemed to have stopped breathing, while the spiritual energy within him blazed brilliantly like fire.

“Do you think you’re getting a feel for it?”

Hae Il asked, watching the motionless Yise.

He had not offered the advice with any particular expectation of results. He had merely passed down the method he himself had used.

“Would you look at this brat.”

Yet this green little fledgling had promptly fallen into a trance with a senior of such standing right in front of him. Hae Il did not know whether to marvel or chastise him for his insolence.

He was plainly an early-stage Qi Refining fledgling, but his comprehension and concentration were extraordinary to an almost frightening degree. Soon, a heat haze rose from his body, followed by flames. The spiritual energy enveloping his shoulders and arms flickered and burned like fire.

“Still, how long are you going to stay like that?”

A Daemudo disciple attaining enlightenment was a joyous thing, but someone of his standing had no business guarding a Qi Refining fledgling’s cultivation.

“Oh, damn it. You get exactly one watch.”

Grumbling, Hae Il went into his residence and fetched a few sweet potatoes grown in spirit soil—soil imbued with spiritual energy. When he held them near the flames pouring off Yise, their skins sizzled, releasing a savory aroma.

A Qi Refining fledgling’s flames were perfect for roasting sweet potatoes. Hae Il had trouble regulating his own strength and usually ended up burning them.

“Excellent.”

He smiled in satisfaction.

* * *

Yise’s trance did not end after one watch. The flames steadily intensified. At first they had been just strong enough to roast sweet potatoes; now their heat spread far enough to singe the hem of Hae Il’s robes.

“Seriously, does this green brat dare make a senior like me stand guard on purpose?”

Once he had gained a little enlightenment, he ought to leap up, offer a deep bow, and leave. Youngsters these days, honestly...

It was absurd. Hae Il was so busy that even two bodies would not have sufficed. The Chief Administrator kept whining for help with Daemudo’s internal affairs, and his business in the Archipelago was still unfinished.

Yet he could hardly leave a fledgling in a trance that might last who knew how long. They were safe inside his secluded abode, but nothing was beyond the realm of possibility in the cultivation world. More than a few people were watching hungrily for a chance to take his head, so he needed to make some arrangements.

Had it been Kang Itae, he would have stayed by the boy’s side, spouting something about how protecting a Daemudo disciple attaining enlightenment, even at the cost of one’s life, was one of their cardinal principles—but...

‘You should feel honored, brat.’

After some deliberation, Hae Il finally erected a barrier around Yise. It was a barrier personally cast by a Nascent Soul Cultivator. Nothing could pass through it. Not from outside, and not from within.

“I’ll be back shortly to release it. Keep cultivating hard.”

Hae Il brushed off the sweet potato peels and rose.

* * *

At Daemudo’s main mountain, space tore open in one corner of Sugyeom’s office. He served as both the sect’s Chief Administrator and its Yellow Dragon Hall Master.

“Senior Hae Il.”

Chief Administrator Sugyeom addressed his visitor without even checking who it was. A moment later, Hae Il appeared.

“Please use the door.”

The Chief Administrator set down his brush on his neatly arranged writing desk. Clearly accustomed to this, he showed no surprise.

Hae Il placed the sealed glass vial before him.

“This was implanted in a novice disciple. Analyze it and find out what purpose the gu parasite was meant to serve.”

The Chief Administrator lifted the vial. Upon seeing the pitch-black insect writhing inside the sealed glass, he furrowed his brow.

“Was there a spy among us?”

“The boy seems to have known nothing about it. Has anyone recently advanced from Middle Stage to Late Stage Core Formation?”

“Not that I know of. There have been no particular developments in the Jeong Empire, but each faction treats its high-ranking Cultivators’ advancements as closely guarded secrets.”

Hae Il gave a brief account of what Yise had told him. The Chief Administrator listened with interest to the end, then replied simply,

“I’ll bear that in mind.”

“Anyway, I’m going back to the Archipelago. Tell them I’ll deal with the backlog next time. Or do it yourself.”

It was less a backlog than a case of putting off most of his work, but the Chief Administrator did not quibble. The great Cultivator before him held a position that entitled him to blame others, look down on everyone, and behave utterly shamelessly.

“Leaving already? You’ve been back less than a fortnight.”

“I left something unfinished. I’ll be back soon this time.”

The Chief Administrator acknowledged this, then happened to look at Hae Il’s face. A trace of a smile lingered there.

“You must have taken quite a liking to that boy. You look positively cheerful.”

“It just brought back old memories.”

Hae Il said no more, and the Chief Administrator did not press him. Instead, he attended to his duties.

“If the boy shares his constitution, I would like to meet him myself... but we mustn’t give someone so young any needless vanity. I’ve already cautioned the other Hall Masters.”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll manage. Keep up the good work.”

Hae Il tore open space again, then briefly hesitated before stepping through. He felt a little uneasy about leaving Yise confined inside the barrier, but he would be back soon. This would only take a moment. With that thought, he disappeared.

“I told you to use the door.”

Only the Chief Administrator’s quiet voice echoed through the room.

* * *

Yise opened his eyes. As his awareness returned, he found his surroundings shrouded in darkness. Only the lamps illuminating the Azure Dragon Hall Master’s residence glimmered faintly in the gloom. Realizing that he had once again lost track of time while cultivating, he immediately looked for Hae Il, but he was alone.

‘He’s left.’

That was a relief, really. Reproaching himself for daring to keep the Azure Dragon Hall Master waiting, Yise was about to rise when he noticed the translucent barrier surrounding him.

‘Did the Hall Master put up a barrier for me?’

He must have been concerned that Yise might come to harm while lost in his trance.

Grateful for the senior great Cultivator’s boundless kindness, Yise offered a deep bow toward the residence, then walked slowly north. And ran straight into the barrier.

“...?”

He tried infusing it with spiritual energy, just in case, but it did not budge. It was a barrier created by a great Nascent Soul Cultivator. Of course he could not even scratch it.

A barrier in the truest sense. Space itself had been partitioned so that no living creature could cross in either direction.

“Hall Master Hae Il?”

Yise called softly, in case his senior was resting inside the residence, but no answer came.

After a long silence, he finally realized that he was trapped.

‘... He won’t forget me, will he?’

Rumor had it that whenever Hall Master Hae Il went traveling, he routinely stayed away for years, if not decades. If he happened to forget Yise and leave the main mountain...

In a space containing nothing but sweet potato peels strewn across the ground, Yise could only look dismayed.