Chapter 38: Cultivator (2)
Byeokra is a nation located to the southeast of Yanguo, bordering Yanguo and situated on the Silk Road that lies across the Heaven-Treading Desert. Due to its strategic location on the Silk Road connecting distant countries beyond the desert, the wealth of Byeokra was unimaginably immense.
Silk and glassware were commonplace throughout the area.
Merchants riding camels and horses sold tobacco brought from countries across the desert.
Herbs and fruits I had never seen before roamed the markets.
'It's still a bustling place.'
I thought to myself, looking at the surroundings that had not changed at all since my last visit.
This is the place I had come to with Young-hoon Hyung-nim, who had fallen into listlessness before establishing the Palace of Martial Extremity, during the second regression.
I had learned some of the Byeokra language back then, but since it had been so long, the words weren't familiar.
'I should relearn Byeokra language for a few months first.'
Whether I go to Cheongmun Clan or not, I need to be able to speak the language to inquire around.
Fortunately, there were many merchants near the border of Byeokra who spoke Yanguo.
Seventh months later.
I spent seven months working at a pharmacy that mainly dealt with medicine, improving my fluency.
I left the pharmacy owner, who was pleading with me to continue working, and ventured deeper into Byeokra.
Though I hadn't visited often, there were places I was familiar with since the time after forming the Palace of Marital Extremity.
Similar to Yanguo where cultivators did not come forward openly, finding the Cheongmun Clan in Byeokra was difficult.
However, I traveled around the country, seeking out strange landscapes and areas with peculiar rumors.
After such searching, I finally found a territory that seemed to be that of a cultivator clan.
Phew-
"Is this it?"
With my eyes, having reached the realm of Five Energies Converging to the Origin and seeing the energy of heaven and earth, I saw a barrier made of spiritual energy encircling an entire valley.
'I've found it, the territory of a cultivator clan!'
But I couldn't yet tell if this territory was that of the Cheongmun Clan.
Even in Yanguo, the Jin and Makli clan had roots spread everywhere.
Byeokra likely has more than two cultivator clans, so I had to keep that in mind.
I spent several days and nights in front of the barrier, waiting for someone to come out from inside.
It was about ten days into the wait.
'Finally, someone's coming out.'
A man in blue robes walked out of the barrier.
'Blue robes...'
Makli Clan cultivators usually wore blue long robes.
I was a bit wary of the man due to that memory, but I approached him without showing it.
"Brother, how are you?"
"Uh, how are you?"
He received my greeting without showing any reaction upon seeing me.
"It's quite a surprise to see a fellow brother appear out of nowhere. Ha-ha-ha, if you were a mortal, I would have immediately eliminated you for discovering the territory of a cultivator clan,, but fortunately, you are also a cultivator."
"Ha-ha..."
Perhaps due to the consciousness I had obtained after ascending to Five Energies, or maybe because of the Five Element Spiritual Roots I had acquired, the man in blue robes approached me without hesitation and laughed heartily.
"By the way, are you also heading in the direction of the border, Brother? I'm planning to attend the Spiritual Path Conference held this month. It seems you are also going that way, aren't you?"
"Spiritual Path Conference...Uh, Brother. I'm sorry, but I'm not well-informed; could you tell me what that is?"
"Hmm? You don't know about the Spiritual Path Conference ?"
The man in blue robes looked at me as if I were a country bumpkin.
"You came from some remote place to train, fellow Daoist. You don't know about the greatest exchange meeting held at the border between Yanguo and Byeokra, occurring every two years? It's a meeting where Qi Refining cultivators like us exchange numerous cultivation items, spiritual medicine, magic tools, techniques, and talismans..."
"Ah, I have been so focused on training in the mountains that I am ignorant of worldly matters. I would appreciate it if you, Brother, who are well-versed in such matters, could enlighten me a bit."
"Hmm hmm. You really do not know even the basic knowledge, fellow Daoist. If you have any questions, feel free to ask."
I buoyed his mood and gradually extracted information from him.
The man's name was Byeok Mun.
He said he was from the Byeok Clan of Byeokra, of one of the three great immortal clans: Cheongmun Clan (淸汶勢家), Byeok Clan (碧氏勢家), and Gongmyo Clan (孔昴勢家).
"Well, I am a descendant of the Byeok Clan, but I'm more like a distant relative. That's why I hardly receive any support for cultivation, and I haven't had proper teachings. I've remained at only the early 4th Star of Qi Refining. I've understood the Bing (丙) true formula, but to advance further..."
"Hahaha, but you're still better off than cultivators like me without a proper clan."
"I might be better off than loose cultivators without a clan like you. But I still have my troubles. Some elders treat me like a pest that only consumes training resources..."
I played along with Byeok Mun's conversation, and when he started talking about true formulas and detailed cultivation knowledge, I quickly changed the subject to extract various information.
Apparently, cultivators like me who train alone without being part of a clan are called loose cultivators.
Such loose cultivators hide behind noble clans or powerful families of mortals, receiving support from them and getting supplies of spiritual herbs and elixirs needed for their cultivation.
Or they would subcontract work from cultivator clans and help them in exchange for compensation.
'It seems that the Qi Refining 1st Star cultivators I saw operating in secret in Yanguo belong to this category.'
I also learned about the basic structure of cultivator clans.
The direct lineage of the clan, the main family.
Then the branches that extended from the main family.
And the external members who work together with these branches.
Up to here, they are basically treated as 'cultivator clans'.
Below this are subcontracted loose cultivators, who take subcontracting work from the branches or external members and lead mortals.
And then the imperial ancestors of a country, who operate the state along with these subcontracted loose cultivators.
They are treated almost like mortals.
Royalty receives a lot of cultivation resources and generally has superior skills, but they are treated as such because they are heavily involved with mortals.
Then there are the loose cultivators who have no relation to cultivator clans.
They are not greatly recognized by cultivator clans and are practically treated like mortals.
They don't receive systematic teachings and often don't go beyond Qi Refining 1st Star, so most cultivator clans typically ignore them.
"Of course, a Daoist like you, judging by the size of your consciousness, seems to be around Qi Refining 3rd or 4th Star. Loose cultivators like you are an exception. With your level, you could easily join any cultivator clan as a subcontractor."
"Haha, thank you for the compliment."
"Hmm, hmm. I should also talk about the cultivation sects. In fact, until a few decades ago, there was a concept called 'cultivation sects' in the world. Several cultivator clans came together to form cultivation sects, gathering disciples with good qualities from the entire continent and enjoying their prominence.
But for some reason, one day they stopped accepting disciples and disappeared like the wind. The elders of the clan seem to know the reason, but they don't tell distant relatives like me. Haha..."
"..."
It seems that the cultivation sects, a faction larger than cultivator clans, disappeared suddenly because more than 99% of them ascended through the Ascension Path (Dangseonhyang) to the Ascension Gate.
Byeok Mun just wouldn't stop talking, and my ears were almost hurting.
But since every piece of information he spouted was necessary for me, I just listened without saying a word.
Being unable to speak freely within the clan due to the atmosphere that one must cultivate, Byeok Mun, having found someone like me who listened well, chattered endlessly like a fish in water.
'I'll have to part ways once we get to the Spiritual Path Conference .'
As grateful as I was for Byeok Mun's incessant talking, it was also a bit headache-inducing.
"By the way, regarding the realm of cultivators. Is the realm of cultivators limited to the Qi Building stage? Most clan heads of cultivator clans are known to be at the Qi Building stage..."
Of course, I knew there were higher realms.
But pretending to be an ignorant loose cultivator, I probed, and Byeok Mun, seizing the chance to show off his knowledge, started talking with shining eyes.
"Oh dear, oh dear. It seems that there are too many things fellow Daoist is ignorant of. Cultivators essentially practice to ascend to the heavens and become immortals (神仙) and achieve eternal life. These cultivators are primarily divided into three major realms.
Known as the Three Boundaries of Cultivation (修仙三界),
The Great Boundary (大境界) is where one reaches the state of an immortal. The Middle Boundary (中境界) is close to becoming an immortal. And the Minor Boundary (小境界) is the beginning of transcending the mortal path.
The six stages of the Minor Boundary.
Qi Gathering (丹修), Qi Refining (練氣), Qi Building (築氣), Core Formation (結丹), Nascent Soul (元靈), and Heavenly Being (天人).
The five stages of the Middle Boundary.
Four-Axis (四軸), Integration (合體), Star Shattering (碎星), Sacred Vessel (聖盤), and Entering Nirvana (開涅).
The Great Boundary is the stage of True Immortals (眞仙). I don't know much about it myself.
Anyway, these are the higher cultivation stages."
Qi Gathering?'
Isn't Qi Refining the lowest realm?
But asking about this could reveal my identity, so I just nodded along in agreement.
"Also, it is said that when a cultivator of the Minor Boundary reaches the Middle Boundary, they ascend to a higher world, different from the world we live in. Whether it's true or not, I don't know. It's just a legend.
To me, everything from the Middle Boundary seems like a legend or myth, and I believe the state of Heavenly Being in the Minor Boundary is the end of cultivation. It's just that myths get distorted over time, leading to exaggerated realms like the Middle Boundary and such."
"Hahaha..."
An exaggerated realm, indeed.
But, I had no choice but to believe that the boundaries beyond the Heavenly Being stage actually exist.
'The cultivators who took my colleagues must have been at the level of Heavenly Being or higher.'
Their desperation to ascend to the higher realm must be because there are stages beyond the Heavenly Being.
"Hmm, by the way, we're almost at Lingxu Mountain, where the Spirit Path Conference is held. What are you planning to buy at the conference?"
"Ah, to buy..."
"I've brought about a hundred and twenty spirit stones to purchase good elixirs at the conference. Hehe, for a Qi Refining cultivator like me, it's a huge expense."
"Spirit stones..."
I wanted to ask about spirit stones.
But I heard that spirit stones are treated as currency among cultivators, and not knowing this might make me suspicious, so I kept quiet.
The next day.
We arrived at the foot of Lingxu Mountain, located at the border between Yanguo and Byeokra.
'This is...'
I felt a strange aura enveloping the entire mountain.
Unlike the barriers I've seen around the cultivator clans' territories, the aura enveloping this mountain was invisible even to my enhanced vision.
When I asked about it, Byeok Mun laughed heartily.
"You really are a rustic mountain hermit. Usually, big exchanges like this, or the main house of cultivator clans, are covered with formations far more profound than those protecting the minor territories of branch families or outsiders.
They use the Dragon Vein itself as a power source, so it's completely integrated with the surrounding aura, making it hard to find even for cultivators with keen consciousness."
"Huh..."
'So that's why I've never seen the main houses of the Jin Clan and Makli Clan, despite my extensive search.'
Cultivators' magical techniques are indeed remarkable.
"Let's go to the Spirit Path Conference together. Oh, wait. Since you didn't know about the conference, I suppose you don't have an invitation?"
"An, an invitation?"
"Yes. The Spirit Path Conference only issues invitations to cultivators, to prevent mortals from mingling in the cultivators' exchange meetings. But it's not a closed event, so if you pay 10 spirit stones, you can get an entrance ticket. You do have the spirit stones you brought, don't you?"
"Spirit stones..."
I quickly thought about it, smiled slightly, and then spoke.
"Brother Byeok. Actually, I planned to meet a friend outside the Spirit Path Conference. He lives near Lingxu Mountain. I'll meet him first and then we can enter the conference together."
"Haha, is that so? See you later then."
Byeok Mun, looking forward to entering the conference, walked towards a direction at the mountain's base.
Shortly after, a voice echoed from the void.
[Show your invitation or buy a ticket.]
"Here it is!"
Byeok Mun took out a small charm with a pattern from his pocket. The charm floated into the air, burned away, and left only the pattern which settled on the back of Byeok Mun's hand.
[Welcome to the Spirit Path Conference.]
Flash!
A little while later, the scenery around seemed to distort, and then Byeok Mun's figure disappeared.
"Tch, I thought I could follow him in."
I clicked my tongue, giving up on the plan to follow him inside. The owner of the voice seemed to have a consciousness similar to that of a late-stage Qi Building cultivator, similar to Makli Wangshin.
Fortunately, traveling with Byeok Mun over the past month, I had built a decent foundation of knowledge about the cultivation world, so it wasn't a total loss.
'After all, the exchange meeting will end eventually. I can find a cultivator from the Cheongmun Clan coming out of the formation inside and show them the recommendation letter.'
If it was a famous exchange meeting, cultivators from the Cheongmun Clan would surely be there in numbers, so I decided to wait nearby.
That's when it happened.
Flash!
The void distorted, and a group of cultivators wearing blue robes emerged from a spot at the mountain's base.
About seven of them.
"Hahaha, Hyung. We acquired a lot of spirit stones at this Spirit Path Conference."
"Yes, yes. Surely, other clans' people also tried to disguise and buy our elixirs."
"They must acknowledge internally. Our Makli Clan's elixir-making technique is the best."
There was a smell of blood.
The familiar clan's insignia was engraved on their clothes.
Makli Clan.
The Imperial family of Yanguo and the worst devilish clan.
"Especially this time, we brought Blessing Pills. It's bound to be popular. Hahaha, it's the great elixir that extends the life of Qi Refining cultivators by 8 years..."
"Huhuhu, when we return to our domain, we need to produce more elixirs. We have to press those who capture live mortals to bring more ingredients."
"The capturers have become picky lately. A branch member of Makli Clan was killed by some freak, and the Jin Clan is aggressively trying to usurp the Imperial throne of Yanguo, making capturing difficult."
"Tch tch, I don't know who it is but..."
I erased my presence using Record of Transcending Cultivation and Exhausting Martial Arts and inserted my consciousness stealthily to follow them using stealth techniques.
When the cultivators of Makli Clan had moved a certain distance from Lingxu Mountain, I released my stealth and approached one of the cultivators.
"Haha, you should have seen how much the ingredients assigned to me struggled last time. It's getting hard to procure fresh blood. So, I had to..."
Buzz-
"Wha..."
My sword cut off the head of the Makli Clan cultivator who had been spouting disgusting words.
"...What?"
The Makli Clan cultivators, unable to grasp the situation, looked at me in panic.
"I don't know what's around Lingxu Mountain so I've been holding back."
I gritted my teeth, glaring at these filthy devils.
"It's hard to listen to such disgusting nonsense anymore. Worse than beasts."
Thinking about it, even using a sword on these disgusting beings seemed like a waste.
I sheathed my sword and spoke.
"Die, all of you."
Boom!
The gathered Gang Qi in the air shattered the body of another Makli Clan cultivator who was hastily casting a spell.
Bones and blood splattered everywhere.
"What, what! How dare you do this to people of the great Makli Clan.."
Severing Vein Saber Method, Mountain Wind!
Swoosh!
Gang Qi flew towards the head of a cultivator who was quickly speaking, faster than the wind.
Boom!
The cultivator seemed to have cast a defensive spell, but my Gang Qi completely shattered it, crushing the cultivator's head like a watermelon.
In an instant, three out of seven were dead.
"Damn! A cultivator who looks no more than a 4th Star Qi Refining is attacking us alone! Let's show the power of the Makli Clan!"
A cultivator with a 5th Star Qi Refining level of consciousness formed a spell.
A strong yin energy emanated from the leader-like figure of this group of cultivators, forming a ring of yin energy that flew towards me.
"Hahaha, anyone hit by Makli Clan's yin ring spell will see their flesh rot and eventually turn into a puddle of blood..."
Severing Vein Saber Method, Mountain Presence.
As I swung my hand upwards in a slicing motion, the yin ring was split in half, flying to both sides.
Boom, boom!
The yin rings that flew behind me hit several trees, which immediately rotted.
"Oh, oh..."
Severing Mountain Swordsmanship, Landscape Painting!
I spread my hands, infusing Gang Qi into my fingertips.
Then, I danced wildly in all directions.
Boom, boom, boom!
Sword marks were engraved everywhere, and the three cultivators, including the one who had thrown the yin rings at me, were torn apart.
I slowly walked towards the last remaining cultivator of the Makli Clan.
"Pl-please, spare me! I'll give you everything I have."
"Do your companions' corpses have any elixirs left?"
"Yes! Yes! They do! You must know how famous our Makli Clan is for our elixirs. Here, take them, all of it."
His face pale and hands trembling, he took out a few elixirs from the corpses and his own pocket.
"Hmm, what are the ingredients of these elixirs?"
"This, this is the Qingahwan, a skin beauty elixir made with a woman's arm... and it also has Sanyo Grass and Dog Ginseng Extract. Also... and this is..."
After listening to the ingredients of the elixirs, I asked the last remaining person.
"Explain the stage of Qi Gathering."
"Qi Gathering, you say? A cultivator who doesn't know... oh, my mistake. I will explain."
The Makli Clan cultivator quickly explained the Qi Gathering stage.
"Those with spiritual nature must form a Law-Transforming Dantian (法化丹田) to receive the spiritual energy of heaven and earth before they can officially enter the Qi Refining stage. This period of forming the Law Transforming Dantian is called the Qi Gathering stage.
In fact, this stage is so insignificant that it was not even called a stage. A few decades ago, Qi Refining was not 14 stars but included up to 15th Star with the Qi Gathering stage. It's only recently that they've been separated."
'Hmm, it feels like the martial world's Cheonji Heart Method.'
Just as martial arts also have a stage of activating the dantian with the Cheonji Heart Method before accumulating internal energy, it seems cultivators also have a stage of creating a cultivation dantian before learning official cultivation methods.
"It's so insignificant that it barely even qualifies as a stage..."
"Yes, yes. That's right. A person with a Heavenly Spiritual Roots can completely form the Law Transforminh Dantian in a day or two, those who have the True Spiritual Roots take a month, and those with Mixed Spiritual Roots who understand the cultivation methods well can do it in a year.
But those with extremely poor talent can take three to five years. And since such dullards make up more than 80% of the cultivator population, it's a stage distinguished for such people."
"I see. Then..."
I asked the Makli Clan cultivator several questions I couldn't ask Byeok Mun to supplement my foundational knowledge of the cultivation world.
After the interrogation, I pointed to the elixir boxes he had laid out on the ground.
"Do you have any elixirs that you concocted yourself?"
"Yes! I do! Despite my appearance, I am a skilled alchemist, and I know over 80% of the formulas and elixir-making methods. If you spare me..."
"Which types of these elixirs have you personally consumed?"
"I, I've tried them all. If you spare my life, I can tell you which elixir is suitable for you..."
I glared at the Makli Clan cultivator and asked one last question.
"Have you ever thought of anything while making elixirs?"
"Yes, of course. I felt proud every time my skills improved while making elixirs..."
"I see."
I looked at the cultivator with a look of disgust and raised my hand.
"What, why...I answered all your question..."
Pop!
I couldn't stand to touch this brazen and filthy thing with my hand.
I shot out Gang Qi and burst the cultivator's head open.
"Not even aware of what they have done. Is their thinking completely distorted...?"
Even if one grows up as a member of a cultivator clan, living in a world different from that of mortals.
How can one act like this towards fellow humans when they themselves have human flesh?
After leaving the bodies of the Makli Clan on the road, I gathered up the elixirs they had collected.
Then, I found a sunny place, dug into the ground, and buried the elixirs one by one.
Shortly after, several small mounds appeared in the sunny place.
"...I buried you all like this because I couldn't find your bodies. May you find peace wherever you go."
I recited a brief rite for the repose of their souls, then returned to where the bodies of the Makli Clan cultivators lay.
"I'll take these spirit stones of yours. Speak up if you have any complaints."
As I rummaged through the cultivators' belongings, I found a pile of spirit stones.
Having heard a rough estimate of the value of spirit stones from the last Makli Clan cultivator, I neatly stored the spirit stones in my possession.
About 1600 spirit stones entered my possession at once.
'It seems they made some money with elixirs made from grinding people.'
It was a valuable resource that helped in the training of cultivation methods and in the recovery of spiritual power.
"Then, shall I go to the Spirit Path Conference?"
I headed back towards Lingxu Mountain.
Originally, I planned to wait for the cultivators of the Cheongmun Clan, but now I could just go inside and find them.
I followed the direction Byeok Mun had gone, feeling the space around me distort.
In the midst of losing my sense of direction, a voice echoed from all around.
[Show your invitation or buy a ticket.]
I handed over 10 spirit stones, and then a burst of light flew through the distorted scenery and landed on the back of my hand.
[A 10-day ticket. You must leave after ten days.]
"How many days does the Spirit Path Conference last?"
[It lasts for a total of 40 days, and it has been 20 days since it started.]
"Please give me one more 10-day ticket."
[10 spirit stones.]
I paid 10 more spirit stones and received a ticket allowing me to stay for a total of 20 days.
[Welcome to the Spirit Path Conference.]
Flash!
The scenery became even more distorted, and I found myself inside the formation.
"Is this... the Spirit Path Conference?"
I stepped inside.