“I see. But even if it is basically a shovel, if it was custom-made to plow fields with the Azure Steel Sword Art, shouldn’t it still be useful as a weapon? Did it fail to sell because it was too expensive?”
When Lee Hyun asked, Zhao Fan shook his head.
“That’s because... the Earth Shovel Sword falls into an awkward middle ground. They engraved a Soil-Softening Art restriction inside it, so they left out the restriction that assists with the Sword Control Art entirely.”
“Then you can’t use the Sword Control Art with it?”
“That’s right. Normally, even a low-grade magic tool shaped like a sword will have an auxiliary restriction engraved into it so that it can be controlled easily with spiritual power and divine sense. But pour spiritual power into this one, and all it does is activate the Soil-Softening Art. So if you want to use the Sword Control Art with this Earth Shovel Sword at a level viable in actual combat, you have to lift this heavy lump of iron into the air and control it using nothing but your own divine sense and spiritual power, without the help of an auxiliary restriction.”
Zhao Fan tapped the Earth Shovel Sword’s thick blade with his finger.
“In the end, it’s extremely difficult for a Qi Refining cultivator’s divine sense to lift this sword into the air and control it. You’d need spiritual power and divine sense at least as powerful as those of Foundation Establishment Seniors before you could properly control it through the air. But if you were already a Foundation Establishment cultivator, why would you bother buying such a broad-bladed, low-grade magic tool? You’d simply use a high-grade magic tool instead. In the end, it’s useless to everyone.”
“Can I just wield it by hand in a fight?”
“That you can do. It’s forged from black iron mixed with earth-bone stone, so if you infuse it with spiritual power, the edge shouldn’t chip even if it clashes with most mid-grade magic tools.”
After finishing his explanation, Zhao Fan looked Lee Hyun up and down.
“Don’t tell me you’re thinking of buying it.”
“Yes.”
“Didn’t you hear what I just said? A Qi Refining cultivator can’t use the Sword Control Art with this thing. Why not buy another low-grade magic tool instead?”
“You can’t dig soil with another sword, can you?”
“Why do you need to dig soil?”
“Because I’m a spirit-plant cultivator.”
Zhao Fan stared at Lee Hyun’s face for a while. His complexion was so pale it had turned dull and sallow, shadows hung beneath his eyes, and a beard had grown across a face that did not even look twenty yet.
‘Tsk... Looks like the toxic qi from the Withering Yin Field has already muddled his judgment at such a young age. Well, at least the materials and durability are decent.’
Perhaps out of pity, Zhao Fan’s expression softened.
“...The price is sixty low-grade spirit stones. It should normally cost a hundred, but... this fellow has been gathering dust in the corner of a shelf for nine years, so I’ll give you a special discount. This is the lowest price the Artifact Hall’s regulations allow.”
Lee Hyun counted the spirit stones inside his storage pouch.
‘Low-grade spirit stones... I saved thirty-one while working with Senior Brother Lu, and received fifty-four from the Withering Yin Field. That makes eighty-five altogether...’
“I’ll buy it.”
“Are you sure you won’t regret it?”
“Yes. It’s quite close to what I was looking for.”
“All right.”
“I’d like to use my contribution points toward the payment as well.”
Zhao Fan took Lee Hyun’s identity token and pressed it against the Artifact Hall’s spirit tablet. The characters engraved on the identity token blurred, and his contribution-point balance changed to zero.
Lee Hyun had already spent most of his contribution points at the Scripture Pavilion, so there had not been many left. He still had to pay fifty-five low-grade spirit stones.
After counting and putting away the spirit stones, Zhao Fan took a leather sheath and a strap from beneath the shelf and slid them over as well.
“Take these for free. No other sword would fit in this sheath anyway. You’ll have to carry it on your back or wear it at your waist, so take the strap too.”
“Thank you.”
“More importantly.”
Zhao Fan pointed at the Earth Shovel Sword with a finger.
“A magic tool isn’t something you can buy and use immediately. You need to bond with it first.”
“Bond with it?”
“That’s right. First, bite your finger and drip a drop of blood onto the blade. Then send your divine sense into it and imprint your mark on the restriction. After that, carefully envelop the core restriction at the center of the magic tool with your spiritual power. Once the magic tool accepts your spiritual power and the patterns respond, it has recognized you as its master. After that, spiritual power will flow smoothly in and out of the Earth Shovel Sword, and you’ll also be able to activate the Soil-Softening Art restriction engraved inside it. This magic tool’s restrictions are simple, so even if it’s your first time, you should be able to finish within two days. Have you ever read Introductory Guide on Telekinesis and Sword Control?”
“I have... not.”
Lee Hyun nearly answered that he had, but then remembered that Wang Shao had been the one who borrowed Introductory Guide on Telekinesis and Sword Control, while he himself had merely copied and memorized it, so he changed his answer.
The possibility was slim, but if Senior Brother Zhao somehow learned that Introductory Guide on Telekinesis and Sword Control was absent from Lee Hyun’s Scripture Pavilion reading records, it could cause trouble.
“You can read it at the Scripture Pavilion. Ordinary magic tools generally don’t require a dedicated ritual formula when you bond with them. What I just explained is the standard method, so Introductory Guide on Telekinesis and Sword Control at the Scripture Pavilion should explain it in detail as well.”
Zhao Fan lifted the Earth Shovel Sword once before handing it to Lee Hyun. Its hefty weight bore down through both of his arms.
The Earth Shovel Sword weighed a full ten jin (around 5 kg), more than three times as much as an ordinary long sword from the mundane world.
Fortunately, after reaching Qi Refining Stage 2, Lee Hyun possessed superhuman physical abilities and could lift it easily. Still, if he wanted to use it in combat, he would need dedicated practice and training.
...
After returning to his quarters at the Withering Yin Field, Lee Hyun immediately took the Earth Shovel Sword out of his storage pouch.
First, he reviewed the bonding method from Introductory Guide on Telekinesis and Sword Control that he had memorized.
Simply becoming a Qi Refining cultivator made one’s memory incomparably better than that of a mortal. This was because successfully Drawing Qi into the Body gave birth to the primordial spirit.
Cultivators were generally understood to consist of three aspects, essence, qi and spirit, corresponding to the physical body, spiritual power, and the primordial spirit.
When a mortal succeeded in Drawing Qi into the Body and broke through to the Qi Refining stage, the nerves throughout the entire body, including the brain and spinal cord, underwent a baptism of spiritual power, giving birth to the primordial spirit. This primordial spirit encompassed what people commonly referred to as the soul, the mind, and the divine soul.
Once a primordial spirit was born, one’s mental faculties as a whole became incomparably stronger than those of a mortal, and things seen once were not easily forgotten.
Lee Hyun laid the Earth Shovel Sword across his knees and began bonding with it, following Senior Brother Zhao’s advice and the contents of Introductory Guide on Telekinesis and Sword Control.
...
Two nights later.
Even while carrying out his duties in the spirit field, Lee Hyun finally succeeded in bonding with the Earth Shovel Sword!
Hummm–
The tiny formation patterns engraved on the blade emitted a faint yellow glow before fully connecting with Lee Hyun’s divine sense.
“Finally...!”
After completing the bonding process, Lee Hyun was itching to try it out. He left his hut at the Withering Yin Field and headed toward a nearby forest.
After making sure there was no one around, he swung the Earth Shovel Sword at a withered tree.
Slice!
The tree, which was as thick as a man’s thigh, was severed diagonally.
He had yet to properly learn the Azure Steel Sword Art and had merely infused the Earth Shovel Sword with spiritual power before swinging it with both hands, yet the cut was remarkably smooth.
“Oh...”
This time, he brought it down on a boulder.
Crack!
Perhaps because his form was still poor, the boulder only split halfway, but not a single mark appeared on the Earth Shovel Sword.
Lee Hyun activated the Soil-Softening Art restriction.
As yellow light spread along the sword, the surface of the solid boulder softened like wet clay.
Thunk!
The Earth Shovel Sword’s broad tip sank deep into the rock.
Lee Hyun twisted the hilt and applied force, causing a chunk of stone the size of a human head to fall to the ground.
‘Fascinating...!’
***
Two months later, an opportunity to leave the sect naturally presented itself to Lee Hyun.
The Yin Sand Soil used by the Withering Yin Field was almost depleted.
Yin Sand Soil was black earth dug from deep caves saturated with yin qi. When periodically scattered around the roots of Bone-Rot Flowers and Purple Poison Orchids, it stabilized their medicinal potency and prevented their toxic qi from dispersing.
There was nowhere inside Qinghe Valley where Yin Sand Soil could be gathered, so it had to be dug directly from an abandoned mine at Heiya Ridge, more than a hundred li (about forty kilometers) from the Mountain Gate.
By custom, the field caretaker of the Withering Yin Field personally went to gather Yin Sand Soil once every few years. Lee Hyun knew this from reading the ledgers and had long regarded it as an opportunity to escape the sect.
Strictly speaking, it was not completely impossible to leave the sect even without such an opportunity. However, using a routine mission as an excuse was the most natural way to avoid suspicion, and the later his escape was discovered, the less likely he was to be caught.
Lee Hyun went to the Outer Gate Affairs Hall and applied for the mission to gather Yin Sand Soil.
Permission to leave was inscribed onto his identity token, and he was instructed to return within seven days.
...
The day before his departure, Lee Hyun visited Spirit Field No. 73.
Lu Baishan was inspecting the leaves of the Green Dew Grass at the edge of the field.
“What is it?”
“I’m going to Heiya Ridge to gather Yin Sand Soil. I thought I’d stop by to pay my respects before I left.”
“You’re only going away for seven days. What’s with the farewell?”
Lu Baishan examined Lee Hyun’s face.
“You look surprisingly well for someone who’s been staying in the Withering Yin Field.”
“It’s thanks to the techniques and rules you taught me.”
“I didn’t teach you much. Don’t get greedy for Yin Sand Soil and venture too deep. Digging up soil from the outer areas will be enough.”
“Yes.”
Lee Hyun bowed at the waist.
“Senior Brother Lu, thank you very much for everything.”
Lu Baishan narrowed his eyes.
“You’re acting strange today.”
“Living in the Withering Yin Field has made me think that you never know when you might die.”
“Stop talking nonsense. Be careful and come back safe.”
“I’ll remember that.”
Lu Baishan was his Senior Brother, but to Lee Hyun, he felt something like a master.
Newly admitted outer disciples had no opportunity to formally take a master, so in practice, Senior Brother Lu had indeed filled half that role for him. His advanced age made Lee Hyun feel that way all the more.
Just as he had given Wang Shao an Essence-Nourishing Pill, Lee Hyun wanted to repay Senior Brother Lu as well. However, if Lu Baishan discovered that Lee Hyun had kept his Essence-Nourishing Pills untouched instead of taking them, he might begin to suspect the secret behind how Lee Hyun had endured the Withering Yin Field.
Giving him another gift was awkward as well. Lee Hyun was hardly flush with spirit stones, and there was no chance he possessed anything that would catch Senior Brother Lu’s eye.
‘Even if it’s far in the future, if I ever meet one of Senior Brother Lu’s descendants, I should repay him in some small way. Though I have no idea when I’ll ever be able to come near Qinghe Valley again....’
...
At dawn the next day.
Lee Hyun pulled out a cart that had been left abandoned in a corner of the Withering Yin Field.
He pointed the opening of his storage pouch toward the cart and poured spiritual power into it. Light streamed from the opening and enveloped the entire cart.
The cart’s image rippled like a reflection on water, then rapidly shrank and was sucked into the storage pouch.
Once the cart went inside, Lee Hyun sensed that it had taken up a considerable portion of the available space.
‘This storage pouch is a little cramped. Once I can afford it, I should buy myself a decent one.’
...
After passing through Qinghe Valley’s Mountain Gate, Lee Hyun glanced back without thinking. The peaks of Qinghe Valley rose amid the clouds and mist.
‘Goodbye! I hope everyone stays well.’
...
Even after leaving the Mountain Gate, Lee Hyun did not hurry.
He headed toward Heiya Ridge like an ordinary traveler. He greeted woodcutters and herb gatherers he met along the road and even spent a night at a small inn, registering under his own name.
That way, even if someone investigated his movements, they would have no reason to doubt that he had indeed been heading for Heiya Ridge.
...
On the second day after leaving the Mountain Gate, Lee Hyun arrived at the abandoned mine.
A cool, damp breeze flowed out from the mine.
Lee Hyun used the Faint Light Art to conjure a dim glow above his palm before entering.
The abandoned mine had been neglected for a long time. Rotten support beams leaned at angles throughout the tunnels, while stones fallen from the ceiling and black mud littered the ground.
After heading several hundred paces deeper inside, the walls and floor had turned completely black. When Lee Hyun scooped up a handful of soil, yin qi crept up through his palm.
Lee Hyun took the cart and Earth Shovel Sword out of his storage pouch.
When he dug into the ground with the Earth Shovel Sword while activating its Soil-Softening Art restriction, the damp, compacted Yin Sand Soil came loose with ease.
He filled the cart with Yin Sand Soil.
If he left no trace of having carried out the mission, it would be far too obvious that he had intended to flee from the very beginning.
After heaping the black soil high on the cart, Lee Hyun took a large wooden chest from his storage pouch.
He filled the wooden chest with Yin Sand Soil as well.
Unlike the cart, which he intended to leave behind as evidence of his mission, the Yin Sand Soil in the wooden chest was for growing spirit plants in his tunnel.
The Yin Sand Soil was not strictly necessary, but since the opportunity had presented itself, he decided to take some.
After firmly closing the lid and placing the wooden chest into his storage pouch, Lee Hyun walked around inside and outside the abandoned mine, surveying the terrain.
...
Rain began to fall around sunset.
At first it was only a light drizzle, but by nightfall it had grown so fierce that the mountain paths could no longer be seen.
‘Perfect timing.’
He pulled the cart into one of the branching tunnels deeper inside the abandoned mine.
At the end of a dead-end tunnel, he tipped the cart onto its side and dumped the Yin Sand Soil across the ground.
He brought the Earth Shovel Sword down on one of the cart’s wheels and smashed it apart, then broke the side of the cart as though it had struck the wall.
There were already some old claw marks nearby that appeared to have been left by a wild mountain beast. After examining their shape, Lee Hyun used the Earth Shovel Sword’s broad blade to make several similar marks in the surrounding rock.
They were not perfectly identical, but once rainwater from the downpour flooded into the mine, it would be difficult to examine them closely.
Next, Lee Hyun tore up a robe he had brought with him and hung the pieces on the rocks. Finally, he half-buried his Outer Gate identity token in the mud.
He had made it appear as though he had been attacked by a demon beast or wild animal inside the abandoned mine and dragged into a deep crevice.
There were several vertical shafts of unknown depth beneath the abandoned mine, so searching them would be difficult in the rain.
Lee Hyun did not take his spare sect robe out of his storage pouch. If his storage pouch was nowhere to be found yet both robes had been left behind, it would instead seem unnatural.
He took out a set of ordinary brown clothes and changed into them. He tied his hair firmly with a strip of cloth, then smeared yellow earth across his face and neck.
Afterward, he went deep into the abandoned mine and stopped before the wall he had already identified as the direction of his escape. He formed the hand seals for the Earth Escape Art with both hands.
As his Primordial True Qi shifted to the Earth attribute and enveloped his entire body, the solid wall of earth before him softened like water.
Lee Hyun stepped forward, and his body slowly sank into the wall.
Earth closed in on him from every direction. Even with his eyes open, he could see nothing, and he could not breathe through his nose or mouth.
He circulated the Breath-Sealing Art and spread out his divine sense.
He could faintly sense the density of the surrounding earth and stone. Lee Hyun chose a direction with fewer rocks and slowly advanced.
The Earth Escape Art consumed far more spiritual power than he had expected. His low proficiency was partly to blame, but it was not a technique that a Qi Refining Stage 2 cultivator could afford to use freely in the first place.
After traveling more than a hundred zhang (about three hundred meters), Lee Hyun felt the Primordial True Qi in his dantian rapidly dwindling. The earth qi enveloping his body began to waver, and the pressure from all sides started pressing directly against his skin.
‘If I keep going like this, won’t I end up trapped underground and actually be in danger...?’
The pressure around him steadily intensified, and even though he was circulating the Breath-Sealing Art, the instinctive urge to breathe threw his thoughts into disarray. The terror brought on by the darkness and the crushing earth exceeded anything he had expected.
He decided not to rely solely on the Earth Escape Art and instead make use of the Soil-Turning Art and the Earth Shovel Sword as well.
Using his divine sense, he searched for softer layers of earth and churned them loose with the Soil-Turning Art, then pushed the loosened soil aside with the Earth Shovel Sword to open a gap and advance.
Whenever a long stretch of soft earth lay ahead, he passed through it with the Earth Escape Art. When the rock grew dense, he gradually opened a path with the Soil-Softening Art. Alternating between the three methods greatly reduced his spiritual-power consumption.
As he got the hang of it, his confidence gradually returned. He recalled the surrounding terrain and the map he had studied beforehand, doing his best to maintain the correct direction.
...
Half a shichen (about one hour) later, his divine sense finally detected empty space above him.
Pfft!
Wet earth split apart as Lee Hyun’s body burst out into a patch of bushes on the mountainside.
“Haaah!”
Lee Hyun collapsed facedown in the mud, breathing hard.
Cold air and refreshing rain swept over his entire body. Simply being able to breathe filled Lee Hyun with an overwhelming sense of liberation!
“Whew...”
After looking around, he was relieved to find that he seemed to have crossed to the opposite side of the mountain ridge, just as planned.
Shhhhh–
The heavy rain continuously washed the dirt from his body and clothes. If he moved now, his footprints would quickly disappear.
After catching his breath for a moment, Lee Hyun used the Lightness Art to make his body lighter and began heading south toward Yunze Kingdom.