Chapter 120 - Act 17. Abyssal Labyrinth (5)

'What is it?'

There were no other clues inside. The only thing bothering him was the enormous bust looking down on him with its haughty expression. After pondering for a long while, Yise finally concluded that the old monster who had built this labyrinth had a thoroughly eccentric disposition.

'Does he want me to show the proper attitude of a disciple before learning his cultivation method?'

He had nothing to lose. Yise performed the rite of nine bows before the bust. Someone who passed a cultivation method on to him was indeed his master. Even someone who taught him for a single day deserved to be honored as such.

The flowing spiritual energy vanished, and the bust shone. Then the chest on which the objects had been resting opened its lid. Apparently, the objects on display had been fakes as well.

What a truly eccentric old man.

Yise grumbled at his third master.

Of course, his hand was already reaching reflexively for the cultivation manual. When he unfolded the jade slip, the first entry was the name of the method's creator. It was covered with cloth, however, as though warning him not to look at it lightly. The man had apparently allowed for the possibility of his own ascension to the Upper Realm. Just to be safe, Yise left his master's name unread.

Next came an explanation of the cultivation manual, its formula, and annotations, all scrawled in a somewhat difficult hand. A quick look through the overview told him that, in short, this was a method for rapidly growing spiritual herbs. It was an advanced cultivation method whose profound workings did more than simply accelerate growth: they allowed spiritual herbs to absorb the power of time. With this peculiar method, a Full-Moon Ten-Year Herb could become a Full-Moon Hundred-Year Herb, or even a Full-Moon Thousand-Year Herb, in just a few years.

'So that's why he built such a strange testing ground.'

Ultimately, the five trials had been five questions.

The first trial: Have you properly mastered the spells of the five elements? Do you truly possess a five-attribute spiritual root?

The second trial: Have you truly reached Foundation Establishment?

The third trial: Do you possess an upright Dao heart that follows the orthodox path?

The fourth trial: Do you have the aptitude to learn this method and grow spiritual herbs?

The fifth trial: Do you possess the temperament and attitude of a disciple who shows due respect to the one passing on this cultivation method?

The great Cultivator who had built this place had apparently been an orthodox Cultivator who followed the true Great Dao of Cultivation. Still, Yise could not help feeling a little disappointed. It was a fine cultivation method, of course... but what he actually needed was strength. An advanced cultivation method that would keep him safe from great Cultivators of Core Formation or Nascent Soul who might threaten him.

After all the trouble of passing those trials, a method for growing spiritual herbs was a somewhat anticlimactic reward. Was it worth twenty thousand spirit stones...? Honestly, he still wasn't sure. A craft was only a craft, after all.

Deciding to examine the cultivation method more carefully later, Yise turned his attention to his other prize: the door-handle-shaped ritual implement. It was most likely a Foundation Establishment supernatural treasure. Judging from its shape, this was probably not meant for combat either. He tried infusing it with spiritual energy, but nothing happened.

He unfolded the jade slip again and searched for anything about the implement. Fortunately, he found an explanation at the very end.

「The enclosed object is a Nascent Soul talisman treasure named the Secret Realm Key, which embodies the mysteries of a personal secret realm.」

「Infuse it with attributeless spell power and affix it to a door. Upon opening that door, you may enter the secret realm at any time, from any place.」

「The secret realm is ideally suited for use as a secluded abode, a spiritual field, or a storage space.」

"... A talisman treasure!"

Yise cried out before he could stop himself. He nearly fainted from the shock.

A talisman treasure.

That was the term for a ritual implement into which a great Cultivator had placed a portion of their own abilities, allowing even lower-realm Cultivators to wield their power. In other words, this talisman treasure held the abilities of a great Nascent Soul Cultivator.

He had heard that making one reduced its creator's cultivation, so they were rarely made. Generally, great Cultivators used that power only just before their death, or for the sake of their families.

The true prize of these trials had not been the cultivation method. It was this talisman treasure.

Goosebumps ran down Yise's spine. He clenched his fist and cheered in silence. It felt as though all his hardships had been washed away in an instant.

He did not know just how towering a figure the great Cultivator who had left this method—his master—had been. But judging by his ability to create an implement like this, he must have possessed prodigious talent and comprehension. Creating cultivation methods, mechanical formations, spiritual-herb cultivation, and even Ritual Implement Crafting. There was truly nothing the man could not do. He surely deserved to be called a grandmaster.

Yise bowed once more to his nameless master, this time with genuine respect, then entered the secret realm. Heart pounding, he attached the Secret Realm Key to what appeared to be the exit, gripped it, and pulled the door open. Beyond lay a space suffused with a soft green light.

"Ah..."

A gasp of wonder escaped him, and his mouth fell slightly open. It was a mysterious place. Fine, rustling soil covered the floor, and the walls were made of stone thick with green moss. Despite the absence of any light source, the space was softly lit. And though it was enclosed, a fresh scent tickled his nose.

It was roughly the same size as his quarters in Daemudo. Not particularly spacious, but not cramped either. Just right for cultivation.

Yise's gaze swept around the secret realm before settling on its center. There stood a ritual implement resembling a miniature volcanic crater, with a platform for cultivation beside it.

'But there's no spiritual energy here?'

The end of the secret manual had clearly said this was a good place to cultivate. Recalling the explanation, he approached the miniature crater. A hollow in its center seemed intended to hold something. It was not hard to guess what. Most ritual implements used spirit stones as their power source.

Yise dropped in one mid-grade spirit stone.

The spirit stone within the crater began to glow, filling the space with ambient energy—a mixture of spiritual energy and Demonic Energy. It was an astonishingly abundant amount to come from a single mid-grade spirit stone. This device amplified the spirituality within spirit stones and converted it into the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, creating a kind of grotto-heaven.

The implement's primary purpose appeared to be creating an environment where spiritual herbs could grow safely. In addition, the spiritual energy produced as a by-product would allow its owner to cultivate anytime, anywhere. It was, quite literally, a portable secluded abode and spiritual-herb garden. The by-product felt more valuable than its intended purpose, but a good thing was a good thing.

Yise threw both arms into the air and cheered like a wild-ginseng hunter who had struck a find. Of all the fortuitous encounters he had ever had, this one pleased him most. It was something he had desperately needed.

If, while obtaining the secret map, Jang Yeonggeol had found a clue about the talisman treasure accompanying the cultivation method... then this had truly been worth gambling his entire life of Cultivation on.

While he was at it, Yise decided to transplant the spiritual herbs he had been keeping, roots and all, in his spiritual-herb pouch. The best herb for taking advantage of this secret realm was the Full-Moon Ten-Year Herb. Known simply as a ten-year herb, it was exceedingly common. Only after its spiritual energy matured for roughly ten years and it bore fruit did it begin to display its medicinal effects as a spiritual herb.

As with wild ginseng in the mortal world, the age a Full-Moon Ten-Year Herb had accumulated was particularly important. A hundred-year herb was worth dozens of times more, while a thousand-year herb could command any price its seller named.

Yise promptly brought out Emer.

"Krrroo!"

Emer glanced around the unfamiliar surroundings for a moment. Then, seemingly taking a liking to the secret realm, the bird flapped its wings and flew low around the space. Yise beckoned it over. There was something more important to do right now than sightseeing. A hunting hawk ought to do its job.

He stroked Emer's feathers while taking a snowfish out of the Sealing Album and offering it to the bird. Emer immediately began pecking at the fish, looking delighted by this unexpected windfall. Until now, Yise had mostly tossed it the parts he did not eat, so this must have felt like a stroke of luck.

"There's something I need you to do. Something very important."

Having devoured the entire fish, Emer let out a fiery belch. As the bird bobbed its beak in contentment, Yise spoke.

"Full now?"

"Krrroo!"

"Then let's get to work. Shit. As much as you can."

"..."

Emer soon let out a piercing cry of protest, but there was no other way. What could be done? If you ate, you had to earn your keep. That was only natural.

Leaving the spirit beast straining to produce fertilizer off to one side, Yise transplanted a ten-year herb into the spirit soil he had already prepared. Spiritual-herb gardens made less efficient use of space than one might expect. Planting the herbs too close together caused them to adversely affect one another, so each herb needed at least four or five zhang of clearance in every direction.

The problem was that an avian spirit beast was ill-suited to fertilizer production. People compared tiny things to mouse or bird droppings for a reason. It looked as though he would have to procure spirit soil himself. One of the spells included in the cultivation method, the earth-attribute Fertile Soil Art, could apparently substitute for spirit soil, but he had not even begun learning the method yet.

Until he secured enough spirit soil, Yise decided to grow just one ten-year herb as a test.

As soon as he transplanted the ten-year herb, his divine sense detected it taking root in the spirit soil. A wondrous sight, befitting a spiritual plant. After a brief period of adjustment, it began absorbing the surrounding Demonic Energy.

Spiritual herbs were truly remarkable living things. They absorbed Demonic Energy from nature and purified it into spiritual energy, storing some within themselves and releasing the rest back into their surroundings. Thus, spiritual herbs readily grew in places rich in ambient energy, and as their numbers increased, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth grew more abundant in turn—a virtuous cycle.

'Use spirit stones to grow spiritual herbs, then earn more spirit stones with the herbs I grow. And if I absorb the spiritual energy produced along the way...'

He could create an ecosystem that would let him cultivate without a care. If he had the resources to spare, he could also grow ingredients for elixir pills or immortal cuisine.

The space itself, however, did not seem to accelerate the herbs' growth. It appeared to provide nothing more than a garden. His gaze turned to the Five Elements Life-Promoting Art. The secret technique for growing spiritual herbs lay within it.

Yise rose to his feet. He had gained more than enough from this fortuitous encounter and laid the groundwork for cultivating in a foreign land. All that remained was to wait for the seeds he had sown to sprout, and to build the strength needed to reap them when they did.

He wanted to begin cultivating immediately, but once he started, there was no telling how many more years might slip by. Naming the secret realm the Living Spirit Abode, Yise left the Abyssal Labyrinth.

* * *

When he returned to his lodgings, he found a note Ryu Seonghan had left for him.

-The Heavenly Ice Palace will apparently be holding its entrance examination soon. I intend to apply through the special admission process for externally recruited disciples.

He was diligently working toward his goal. He had evidently made short work of the immortal cuisine Yise had left him, too: the storage chest was completely empty.

Before settling down to cultivate in earnest, Yise listed the preparations he needed to make.

Buy a Meat Preservation Chest or cold stones to store immortal cuisine for long periods.

Fill it with as much immortal cuisine as possible.

Lay in a sufficient supply of spirit soil.

Find out which spiritual herbs were commonly traded on the Northern Continent and obtain their seeds.

And, if possible, it would be good to make a few acquaintances. Once Ryu Seonghan entered the Heavenly Ice Palace, they would meet less often. Having at least one source who could bring him news of developments on the Northern Continent seemed like a good idea.

The only problem was his somewhat limited sociability. In truth, he was rather shy around strangers. He would accept those who approached him first, but he had so rarely approached someone himself that he could scarcely recall doing it.

'I hear Tiandogyeong has plenty of Cultivation exchange gatherings and the like. Should I try joining one?'

For now, he merely filed it away as an option.

'There's a lot to prepare... but perhaps I could cultivate just a little before getting started? Even just for a few days.'

For the moment, his thirst for cultivation was stronger. Yise opened the Living Spirit Abode and stepped inside, filled the crater with mid-grade spirit stones, and began cultivating in earnest. He intended to first settle his muddled mental imagery through meditation, then learn at least the basics of the Five Elements Life-Promoting Art.

His mental imagery sank deep into an abyss.