Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Cultivation Through Copulation.

Episode 38: Cho Ryoo-ha

After chatting for a while with Yuk-gyeong and Ju-hee, Ryoo-ha finished organizing the herbs and descended Grass Dragon Peak.

It’s really fun to talk with Junior Brother Lee and Senior Sister Kang.

Junior Brother Lee and Senior Sister Kang are good at listening to his boasting without scolding or mocking him. Unlike the other seniors and juniors who laugh or shout at him to stop talking nonsense.

Although the work at the Medicine Hall is tedious, he enjoys going there thanks to Junior Brother Lee and Senior Sister Kang.

With a content heart, Ryoo-ha descended Grass Dragon Peak. The gentle slope of the peak’s path was wide and not steep, allowing Ryoo-ha’s cheerful, rhythmic steps to continue unhindered.

Just then, someone called out to Ryoo-ha as he was coming down the mountain.

“Hey, Cho Ryoo-ha!”

A group with a cocky attitude and sly smiles was looking at Ryoo-ha. Their gazes, full of disdain, clearly showed they were not friendly towards him.

The one who called out to Ryoo-ha seemed to be the leader of the group, a young man.

The young man, who looked just under twenty, stood with one leg bent and his arms on his waist, glaring at Ryoo-ha.

“…Lee Han.”

It was Lee Han, who joined at the same time as Ryoo-ha.

Lee Han had a bit of a delinquent streak from the start. He was slightly older than Ryoo-ha and had nearly failed to cross the Single-Hearted Bridge, but Ryoo-ha had helped him out of that crisis.

But perhaps that was the root of the problem?

Ungratefully, Lee Han began to bully Ryoo-ha since then.

Maybe he felt inferior to Ryoo-ha out of embarrassment for his disgraceful behavior at the Single-Hearted Bridge.

Anyway, Lee Han, who frequently bullied Ryoo-ha, was unfortunately more talented than Ryoo-ha. Moreover, since Ryoo-ha often boasted, no one bothered to help him when he was bullied.

That’s why Lee Han, having reached Qi Condensation 5-Star today, came to bully Ryoo-ha even more.

“Where do you think you’re going! You should call me senior brother! I’m already at Qi Condensation 5-Star .You’re not someone who can just glare at me like that!”

Whack!

Lee Han, who was Ryoo-ha’s peer, shouted as he kicked Ryoo-ha.

“Go fetch some water! You’re just a useless braggart.”

Ryoo-ha was knocked down by Lee Han’s kick.

The kick, imbued with the Qi of a Qi Condensation 5-Star, caused internal injuries to Ryoo-ha. Tasting blood in his mouth, Ryoo-ha swallowed it with his saliva and struggled to get up, trembling.

“Braggart Cho Ryoo-ha, hurry up and call Senior Brother Lee Han senior brother.”

“You’re still stuck at Qi Condensation 4-Star, like a useless waste.”

“Heh, look at him writhing on the ground.”

Lee Han’s group mocked Ryoo-ha, pointing fingers at him.

That’s how the cultivation world is.

When your cultivation rises, you become a senior, and those with lower cultivation become juniors.

That’s why Yuk-gyeong is unique and why Ryoo-ha liked him.

Even though he was at Qi Condensation Great Perfection, he still called him senior.

Clenching his teeth and fists tightly, Ryoo-ha tried to go fetch water.

At that moment,

“Isn’t it your turn to fetch the water?”

A deep voice sounded from behind.

When Lee Han turned around, he saw a man standing behind him at some point.

He had a handsome face, tall stature, and a refreshing smile.

Lee Yuk-gyeong!

Ryoo-ha’s expression brightened, then darkened again.

With the appearance of someone to help, he brightened up, but then darkened again, feeling shame for showing his pathetic side to Yuk-gyeong.

Lee Han didn’t recognize Yuk-gyeong even when he saw him.

No matter how famous a Single Spiritual Root holder was within the Sect, it’s not like he was on a wanted poster being passed around, so it was hard to guess who Yuk-gyeong was just by his face.

If he had heard that the Single Spiritual Root holder was incredibly handsome, he might have been able to associate Yuk-gyeong with the Single Spiritual Root holder.

Failing to do so was Lee Han’s mistake.

“Who are you?”

Yuk-gyeong was angered by the predicament Ryoo-ha, whom he had grown close to, was in.

So he decided to display a level of authority he usually didn’t.

Yuk-gyeong unleashed his aura, revealing the overwhelming pressure unique to the Qi Condensation Great Perfection. The Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth resonated with it, causing the surrounding Spiritual Qi to tremble.

Whoosh-!

“Me? I’m your senior brother, you punk.”

Qi Condensation cultivators are sensitive to the surrounding Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth. To them, the Spiritual Qi is like air.

What would happen if the surrounding air trembled and buzzed?

The noise and vibration would make it impossible to stay composed.

Lee Han felt the same.

By the degree of the Heaven and Earth’s Spiritual Qi’s vibration and the weight of the intimidation, Lee Han roughly gauged Yuk-gyeong’s cultivation. And then he realized.

“Q, Qi Condensation Great Perfection? You, you’re…that Single Spiritual Root owner?”

“That’s right. Seems you’ve heard my name? But it’s senior brother, not you.”

Thud!

Yuk-gyeong kicked Lee Han, who dared to be disrespectful to a Qi Condensation Great Perfection senior brother.

Of course, the kick was filled with the full force unique to the Qi Condensation Great Perfection, wrecking Lee Han’s insides.

“Gah!”

Lee Han spewed a fountain of blood from his mouth and collapsed, losing consciousness. His vision spun and his mind was dazed.

Although it was not a serious injury, the pain was intense, as if something had been kicked in the wrong place.

Yuk-gyeong shouted at Lee Han, who was still in a daze.

“Go get the water, you punk.”

Lee Han’s gang had already half-fled, and the remaining half were supporting Lee Han with expressions of terror.

The crowd that had been pointing fingers and mocking Ryoo-ha fell silent when they saw Yuk-gyeong.

Yuk-gyeong shouted at them.

“Still not getting lost are you?”

Like cockroaches scattering when the kitchen light turns on, they all disappeared, taking the fallen Lee Han with them.

After driving them all away, Yuk-gyeong helped Ryoo-ha, who was still on the ground.

He didn’t ask if he was okay or if he was in pain.

Goodness, how embarrassing must it be? To show such a sight to a fellow junior you were close with.

Ryoo-ha tried to walk on his own without Yuk-gyeong’s help but had to rely on him due to his internal injuries.

As Ryoo-ha limped along, Yuk-gyeong supported him.

Thinking about climbing back up to Grass Dragon Peak to find some herbs good for internal injuries.

As they climbed the mountain with Yuk-gyeong supporting Ryoo-ha,

Ryoo-ha spoke up.

“Junior Brother, no, Senior Brother. You must think I’m pathetic too, right? Always bragging about what I’ll do when I reach Core Formation, what I’ll achieve when I reach Nascent Soul. Just spouting nonsense.”

“……”

Yuk-gyeong didn’t bother to respond. He thought it wasn’t polite to add words to the boy’s honest confession.

Ryoo-ha continued speaking without waiting for Yuk-gyeong’s answer.

“I’m not like Senior Brother with outstanding talent, nor am I a hard worker like Ah-yeong. I’m just, just ordinary. I’m stuck at Qi Condensation 4-Star. Moreover, my terrible flaw is that I settle for this ordinariness. I think, ‘This is enough’, and just boast with my mouth. I’m truly pathetic.”

Ryoo-ha’s confession grew heavier. It sometimes led to self-deprecation. That’s what confessions are like. Already feeling down after being bullied, reflecting on his shortcomings probably made him feel even more depressed.

In that context, Yuk-gyeong cautiously intervened.

“Senior Brother.”

“Yes?”

It was a strange situation with no juniors but two senior brothers. However, the atmosphere was not one that was laughable.

Yuk-gyeong spoke realistically to Ryoo-ha, who was so gloomy that tears were visible.

“Do you know how many people in the world have no Spiritual Roots? They don’t even have the opportunity to cultivate. They spend their lives plowing fields and tending rice paddies. Unlike them, Senior Brother was born with a lot. You have the opportunity to cultivate and achieve longevity.”

Without waiting for Ryoo-ha’s response, Yuk-gyeong continued speaking.

“I don’t really know what shape Senior Brother’s heart takes. Nevertheless, it must have formed. I don’t think declaring the dreams you call boasting is a bad thing. I truly feel that you will achieve your dream one day.”

“Dream?”

“Yes. Dreams aren’t just what you have while sleeping. The dreams you have while awake become the driving force to achieve them. When you speak about the Foundation Establishment stage and the Core Formation stage, you seem truly hopeful. I believe that hope will surely take you to great heights.”

Yuk-gyeong’s sincere encouragement brightened Ryoo-ha’s expression. It wasn’t just because he heard good words. It was because Yuk-gyeong’s words seemed more genuine than ever.

How could Ryoo-ha not have known that Yuk-gyeong used to give half-hearted answers out of annoyance? But today was different.

“Me? Really?”

“Of course.”

Yuk-gyeong grinned.

Being handsome is a crime.

He attracted not only the opposite sex but even the same sex. Of course, it was not physical attraction but a mental attraction called friendship.

Anyway, Ryoo-ha felt a strong friendship with Yuk-gyeong.

It was the first time someone spoke to him like this.

To Ryoo-ha, who was always told not to boast, these words held great meaning.

For Ryoo-ha, who had no one cheering for him, not even himself, having someone to cheer for him was a miraculous inner change, like something coming from nothing.

Ryoo-ha declared it. His dream.

“I will definitely become an immortal who carries on the name ‘Dark Moon’ of our Sect!”

Yuk-gyeong had a flash of realization at Ryoo-ha’s declaration.

Dark Moon Grandmaster Cho Ryoo-ha!

Could he really be the Dark Moon Grandmaster, Cho Ryoo-ha?

The description of the Dark Moon Grandmaster even appears in novels.

When the protagonist brought upon the downfall of the Dark Moon Sect, the then head of the Dark Moon Sect briefly appeared with the line, “If only the Dark Moon Grandmaster hadn’t ascended, you wouldn’t have even dared to set foot in the Dark Moon Sect!”

Later, the protagonist Yong-heon heard again about the Dark Moon Grandmaster’s exploits.

‘Have you heard the story of the immortal Cho Ryoo-ha? It’s said that he faced a True Immortal without even completing the Dao Tribulation and killed him.’

‘Someone who hasn’t even finished their Dao Tribulation facing off against a True Immortal? Don’t be ridiculous. The gap between the Dao Tribulation stage and True Immortal is enormous!’

“Isn’t it because that gap is so huge that the story is spreading? If it were an ordinary fight, would it even become a rumor in the cultivation world?”

“Who was it that defeated a True Immortal? Cho, who?”

“Cho Ryoo-ha. Cho Ryoo-ha, the Dark Moon Grandmaster.”

Cho Ryoo-ha, the Dark Moon Grandmaster.

His name would one day become legendary.