A Regressor’s Tale of Cultivation

Chapter 816

Side Story - Maki Clan (2)

After exchanging introductions with Makli Hweol, Makli Hyun-ah then learns various things about the Makli Clan from him.

"This is the main hall of the main family. Here, the family head, the Grand Elders, and the Elders hold meetings."

"This is the talisman workshop. Numerous talisman masters make talismans here and take charge of the Makli Clan's finances."

"This is the Beast Stable where demon beasts are trained. Demon beasts are trained here and used in various events of the Makli Clan. For example, that monkey demon beast called Amwon is of the Immortal Beast bloodline of the Mountain-Destroying Demon Ape. That monkey is very good at massages, so when you receive a massage empowered by the strength of the Mountain-Destroying Demon Ape, you feel extremely refreshed. Many customers come to the Makli Clan and..."

"The Makli Clan is an old and prestigious family here in Yanguo, and is currently divided into the main house and the branch house. We are the branch house."

Thanks to Makli Hweol, Makli Hyun-ah is able to learn a fair amount of information about the Makli Clan as well as about the country called 'Yanguo'.

'First of all, this place...is obviously not Earth.'

It is said this world is a planet called 'Penglai Island', or 'Penglai Star'.

To his surprise, the people whom he had thought to be at roughly a medieval Chinese level of civilization actually have their own knowledge about planets, stars, and other celestial bodies, and even possess an incredibly detailed world map.

"In distant ancient times, the ancients thought that the world was flat. They thought the edge of the flat world is blocked by a force called the World Shield Force, and that this world is trapped in a narrow place like a fishbowl. According to the legends, the ancients thought this world was inside someone's head, and called Penglai Star the Head Realm.

As Makli Hyun-ah listens to the ancient history that Makli Hweol shows him together with the world map, he chuckles.

"Puhaha, that really is an imagination fitting for the ancients."

"Exactly. It really is an amusing idea. In those days, proper cultivation methods probably had not yet been developed, so it would have been difficult to fly around the world with the Flying Escape Technique and carefully record the world."

"Cultivation methods... Flying Escape Technique..."

Makli Hyun-ah finds it hard to understand the terms that Makli Hweol explains.

In the end, he has to swallow his embarrassment and ask Makli Hweol about these various terms.

Fortunately, Makli Hweol kindly answers all of Makli Hyun-ah's questions without any sign of mocking him.

'I feel like I've become a baby.'

This world really is full of things he does not know.

"There is no need to be so embarrassed. From the look of it, you seem to be from a mortal country... Among the ignorant mortals, there are quite a lot of people who do not know these common facts."

Having all of a sudden become an ignorant mortal who does not even know basic common sense, Makli Hyun-ah can only clear his throat, but he cannot really refute it.

This is because it is thanks to Makli Hweol's words just now that he learned cultivators discriminate between cultivators and mortals.

Thus, that day, following Makli Hweol around, Makli Hyun-ah is able to learn about various places and precautions of the Makli Clan.

And he is able to learn various common facts about this world itself.

***

"So...the Makli Clan where I am is the branch family, and..."

Makli Hyun-ah returns to the room assigned to him and organizes what he has heard from Makli Hweol.

Starting tomorrow, Makli Hweol will introduce him to the elders of the family, and after he performs the proper formal bows, Makli Hyun-ah will also begin in earnest to learn cultivation methods.

From what he heard from Makli Hweol, the 'Extreme Ghost Path Body' that Makli Hyun-ah possesses seems to be a fairly important aptitude to the high-ranking people of the Makli Clan.

"So the main family of the Makli Clan is called the Seogyeong Makli Line, after Seogyeong City, the former capital of Yanguo where the main family is located...and the branch family where we are is called the Lianshan Makli Line, after Lianshan City of Yanguo, huh? And the Seogyeong Makli Line is a Devilish Path family that sucks the lifeblood of humans, while the branch family, the Lianshan Makli Line, separated from the generation of Makli Cheon-sa and changed its constitution into a clan in the middle ground between righteous and devilish factions that mainly cultivates beast taming and talismans...is it?"

And, according to what he heard, the main family has not carelessly touched the branch family until now because of the influence of Makli Cheon-sa, but now that Makli Cheon-sa has ascended to a place called the Middle Realm...

They are frantic to absorb the branch family.

"Ugh... Damn, this is complicated..."

However, as expected, the branch family, the Lianshan Makli Line, dislikes the interference of the main family, is against becoming a Devilish Path family, and, above all, since the Seogyeong Makli Line has far too many enemies, it seems they do not want to rejoin the Seogyeong Makli Line.

In other words, the branch family, the Lianshan Makli Line, thinks that within a short time the main family is going to be attacked in a combined assault by the enemies that the main family has accumulated and be annihilated, and so they do not want to be entangled with the main family that is going to be destroyed and perish together.

The main family, the Seogyeong Makli Line, thinks that if they absorb the branch family, they would have the capacity to endure the all-out offensive of their enemies, and so they are glaring with desperate eyes, trying to absorb the branch family.

In such a situation, the appearance of Makli Hyun-ah is nothing different from a single clear ray of light to the branch family of the Makli Clan, the Lianshan Makli Line.

"Are they trying to enter the 'Righteous Dao Immortal Sect Alliance,' an alliance of cultivation sects or families of righteous-path factions, through the constitution called Extreme Ghost Path Body that I have...?"

From what he heard, with Makli Hyun-ah's constitution and the split soul of Makli Cheon-sa inside him, the Lianshan Makli Line can periodically communicate with Makli Cheon-sa, who has ascended to the world called the Middle Realm, and can even divine descent a portion of Makli Cheon-sa's power, giving the clan enormous support.

And with power on that level, even the Righteous Dao Immortal Sect Alliance would set its eyes on them, so it seems they intend to use him to escape from the old Makli Clan and seek an even more complete constitution change.

'Political fights between families...I'm so sick of them...'

He recalls the family he has on Earth.

The semi-chaebol family of the Lee clan.

In that family, there was the hell of a dog-eat-dog struggle where they traded marriage talks with the Jeon clan, a similar semi-chaebol family and rival company, and they fought for interests with the Oh clan of a rival company.

That is the kind of political struggle between families that Makli Hyun-ah experienced.

Of course, since Makli Hyun-ah was treated as an illegitimate child, he did not stand at the core of that political struggle.

He couldn't either way.

But even just indirectly feeling the influence that his older sister Lee Seo-ah received, he knows very well how fierce and underhanded the fights are.

'Another family...another damned family... If I had known it would be like this, I wouldn't have chosen the Makli Clan on that survey...'

With a sigh of regret, Makli Hyun-ah lies down in the room assigned to him in the Makli Clan and stares at the ceiling.

In this harsh Makli Clan, whether he can manage to survive well...

His worries already begin to pile up like a great mountain.

'Well...so what if it's hard to survive well?'

Makli Hyun-ah slips his body under the blanket, sets Jegal Mikhail's remains by his pillow, and closes his eyes.

'If I can't survive...I can just live like I did on Earth...'

Turning his eyes away from the fights of the family.

Just shutting himself away in some corner of the house, living a gloomy shut-in life, such days...

He only has to go back to that.

No, most likely...

With high probability, it will turn out that way.

For Makli Hyun-ah himself is nothing but trash with no ability and no potential.

Because he has always been that way...

***

"Wood attribute single spiritual root!? A Heavenly Spiritual Root holder! And on top of that, a Ghost Path Body!? And not just that, but an Extreme Ghost Path Body whose purity is of the very highest grade!? Damn it, Ancestor, just what is this!!??"

The next day,

In front of Makli Hyun-ah, old grandmothers and grandfathers fuss about as they grope all over his body.

Facing the Grand Elders and Elders of the Makli Clan, Makli Hyun-ah stammers, not knowing what to do.

'Wh-What on earth is going on?'

"The inside is filled to the brim with the Ancestor's split soul... Once Lord Makli Cheon-sa succeeds in ascension and reaches the Four-Axis stage, from then on we will effectively obtain Nascent Soul-level combat power in our hands... Hahaha, even if it seems the Ancestor is indifferent to the clan, she still takes care of us like this before leaving!"

The current family head of the Lianshan Makli Line,

Makli Hong, praises Makli Hyun-ah to a degree that makes him feel bewildered.

"You are the hope of our Lianshan Makli Clan! Haha, now, hurry and take him so he can learn the methods. At the very least, he has to reach the Qi Building stage so the Ancestor has no difficulty descending!"

Having surpassed the Grand Perfection Core Formation stage and reached the half-step Nascent Soul stage, the family head gives Makli Hyun-ah tremendous praise and gifts and is immediately guided to the library of the Makli Clan.

Makli Hyun-ah cannot understand it.

What possibility could someone like him possibly have for them to welcome him like this?

If anything, he would have understood if they had shown little interest.

But eyes filled with this degree of interest and affection...

That is attention that Makli Hyun-ah has never once received in his life.

'Wh-What on earth...?'

And to Makli Hyun-ah, who has never received such attention in his life, that kind of attention is quite a burden.

'Ugh...I feel suffocated in a different way than when I was on Earth...'

Putting his personal belongings and the gifts given by the Elders and Grand Elders into a curious 'magic artifact' called a 'storage scroll' that the family head has given him as a present, Makli Hyun-ah heads toward the Makli Clan's library.

"Starting today, you will learn the Makli Clan's methods and grow. Come, let us go in."

Makli Hweol pulls along such a Makli Hyun-ah toward the Makli Clan library, going 'hoho'.

It even seems as if he is enjoying watching Makli Hyun-ah suffer from the excessive attention.

Soon after, deep inside the library, Makli Hyun-ah is able to meet the Elder who is the librarian there.

"I am Makli Hye-seo, the librarian and Cultivation Elder who helps family members when there is something they do not know regarding cultivation."

A beautiful woman wearing a blue palace robe glances at Makli Hyun-ah and speaks.

"I have heard your story. They say you are Lord Makli Cheon-sa's adopted daughter, right?"

"...I am...her son."

"Ah, my mistake. In any case, you may choose a total of three method manuals from the library. Hweol will help you so that you can pick good methods."

"Ahaha, I guess I'll have to receive Daoist Makli Hweol's...help."

At Hye-seo's words, Makli Hyun-ah tries to express his thanks to Makli Hweol in advance.

However, Makli Hye-seo then utters some meaningful words.

"The Makli Clan's library is quite wide. If, by chance, you are separated from Hweol for a bit and end up losing your way...you should choose the books whose covers are white. For the Extreme Ghost Path Body is made so that it draws in ancient force..."

He does not quite hear the last sentence because Makli Hye-seo lets her voice trail off.

Makli Hyun-ah only takes it as advice to stick close so as not to be separated from Makli Hweol, then starts walking around the library together with Makli Hweol.

"First, I believe I should know Daoist Makli Hyun-ah's preferences. Since you have a Wood Spiritual Root, you should choose a wood attribute method... Even among wood attribute methods there are quite a lot of different lineages. Daoist, what kinds do you think would suit you?"

Makli Hyun-ah flips through the booklet of method types that Makli Hweol hands over, and clears his throat.

'Mm...there are too many.'

For now, Makli Hyun-ah tries to get a grasp by going in the direction of the talents he wrote on the questionnaire before he fell here.

'First, I set my disposition as being in the Devilish Path among righteous and devil, so devilish arts are more suitable, and because I dislike fighting directly or being at the front in battle, I chose the Makli Clan, which supposedly commands demon beasts and fights through talismans...'

Makli Hyun-ah's gaze stops on a certain part of the method-type booklet.

'The Talisman Path Method that handles talismans. The Beast Taming Method that commands demon beasts. And since I don't have the personality to train through hardship, Invoking Spirit Method, which lets me freeload by borrowing the power of a high-ranked existence, is about the extent of my options.'

Among wood attribute methods, it would be best to choose methods such as Talisman Path, Beast Taming, or Invoking Spirit, and if possible, to choose ones that lean a little toward devilish arts.

In the first place, when he took the survey, he thought that this kind of system would be good, and answered the questionnaire that way.

'It said Mount Sumeru World is a place where there will be many fights...so it's a build where demon beasts are in front, I throw talismans from behind, and if the enemy breaks through both the demon beasts and the talismans, I summon and get help from a high-ranked existence and freeload off them.'

Makli Hyun-ah's plan is but one.

To freeload.

Only to freeload.

"Daoist Makli Hweol, I think I will probably..."

He shows Makli Hweol the options he has decided on, such as the Talisman Path, Beast Taming, and Invoking Spirit methods.

"A good choice. The main house of the Makli Clan is just famous for devilish arts...but the branch, the Lianshan Makli line, is specialized in talismans and demon beast taming. They are methods that are exactly right to learn in our clan. On top of that, they are also just right for the nature of the Extreme Ghost Path Body."

Makli Hweol smiles faintly at Makli Hyun-ah's choice and starts taking the lead.

"Please follow me. We will move to the section where the methods you mentioned are gathered."

The two walk through the library for a while, and Makli Hyun-ah tags along after Makli Hweol and arrives at the section said to have many Talisman Path, Beast Taming, and Invoking Spirit methods.

"This entire section consists of the kinds of methods you mentioned. Among them, the wood attribute ones are in the place with books that have blue bands, so you can mainly look through those books."

"Yes, thank you, Daoist Makli Hweol!"

He gives his thanks to Makli Hweol, and looks around here and there in the large section.

"Let's see... Mm...somehow, there isn't anything whose name really grabs me... Should I go farther inside...?"

Makli Hyun-ah goes into a slightly deeper part of the section.

However, the books in the deeper part of the section have difficult names and complicated explanations.

"I should ask Daoist Makli Hweol. Um, Daoist...?"

And then, suddenly,

Makli Hyun-ah realizes that he cannot feel any sign of Makli Hweol.

"...Daoist...? Daoist Makli Hweol?"

Hyun-ah tries to go back to where he originally was to look for Makli Hweol, but strangely, it is hard to find the place he was at before.

'The library...was it always this wide...?'

Makli Hweol is nowhere to be seen, and the library seems strangely large.

Suddenly, Makli Hyun-ah becomes afraid, feeling as if he has lost his way in a desolate library.

'If I shout, will someone come looking...? But is it okay to shout in the library...? Ah, maybe Elder Makli Hye-seo will come to help? Oh, right, wait, now that I think about it, Elder Makli Hye-seo said something strange. If I lose my way in the library, the books whose covers are white... :

Then, the moment Makli Hyun-ah recalls Makli Hye-seo's advice,

He suddenly sees three books with white covers slotted into one of the bookshelves.

"Huh...?"

The white books catch Makli Hyun-ah's eyes.

He reads the category written at the edge of the bookshelf.

"Non-Immortal Family Methods category (非仙家功法流)...?"

'What are Immortal Family Methods, and what are the ones that aren't?'

He opens the booklet of method types that Makli Hweol gave him, but there is no content about Immortal Family Methods or Non-Immortal Family Methods.

"Is this whole bookshelf the Non-Immortal Family Methods category? I don't even know what that is..."

Roughly scratching his head, Makli Hyun-ah for now does as Makli Hye-seo said and pulls out the three white books.

Interestingly, the books are of different systems, but the realms they cover connect in sequence.

"This one is from the Qi Refining stage to the Core Formation stage. This one is from the Core Formation stage to the Four-Axis and Integration stage... Lastly, this one says it can be cultivated from the Four-Axis and Integration stage up to True Immortality?"

Because he heard common knowledge about the Immortal Cultivation world from Makli Hweol yesterday, he too has become somewhat familiar with the realms.

Makli Hyun-ah also knows about high-tier methods.

'No, what is this...I heard the branch family of the Makli Clan does not even have that much power, does it make sense for them to have such high-tier methods?'

Something feels strange, but before he knows it, Makli Hyun-ah has already opened the books.

The first book, which is said to be cultivable from the Qi Refining to the Core Formation, is called the [Naming Dao Conferring Gods Canon (名道封神傳)].

The second book, which is said to be cultivable from the Core Formation to the Four-Axis and Integration stages, is called the [Pacifying Myriad Demons Under the Heavens Survey (萬妖平天覽)].

The third book, which is said to be cultivable from the Four-Axis and Integration stages up to True Immortality, is called the [Canvas of Myriad Forms and Star Genesis (萬狀創星圖)].

At the beginning of each of the three methods, it is written, 'These methods do not belong to the Immortal Family Method within the Immortal Cultivation system, and are methods of a completely different system that only follow a similar framework'.

Naming Dao Conferring Gods Canon, Naming Family Method.

Pacifying Myriad Demons Under the Heavens Survey, Confucian Family Method.

Canvas of Myriad Forms and Star Genesis, Shaman Family Method.

'Naming Family Method? Confucian Family Method? Shaman Family Method?'

Without even knowing what the Immortal Family Method is, Makli Hyun-ah scratches his head roughly and sighs over these incomprehensible concepts.

And soon, as he opens the book and reads the beginning, Makli Hyun-ah lets out a hollow laugh.

—I, the Naming Supreme Deity Hyeon Rang, in wishing for the victory of the Owner of Myriad Stars who has overcome the constraints of the fate of this era...and in prophesying an existence who will someday inherit my will, leave behind this system... Since I have not placed meaning in the name, may even mortals be able to cultivate it, so that through this prophecy my resurrection will...

"Pffft, what? Naming Supreme Deity Hyeon Rang? A mere creator of a Core Formation method calling himself a Supreme Deity with his own mouth. Puhaha!"

For some reason, every time he says that name, it feels as if the library shakes, and the split soul of Makli Cheon-sa that is said to have entered his body seems to tremble slightly, but Makli Hyun-ah treats it as just his imagination.

According to the information Makli Hyun-ah heard from Makli Hweol, the Core Formation stage is a realm that exists about third from the bottom in the Immortal Cultivation world.

For a mere creator of a method on that level to write such a grandiose preface feels quite funny.

"Fine, I don't know what it is, but since it made me laugh, I will take it for now."

Makli Hyun-ah puts the Naming Dao Conferring Gods Canon into the storage scroll, and opens the second book.

—I, Hon Won, in order to erase the nightmares my wife has recently been having, and in order to deny strange powers and chaotic spirits, hereby create this Confucian Family Method.

"Oho, this is pure love."

The book called Pacifying Myriad Demons Under the Heavens Survey is a book written by someone called Hon Won, and the reason he came to create something called the Confucian Family Method is quite moving.

Makli Hyun-ah decides to take the second book as well for now and puts it into the storage scroll.

He opens the last book.

—This is a book that records the enlightenment I gained when I defeated my Senior Brother and purified his followers, sublimating them to Wuji. By cultivating this, you will be able to borrow the authority of those who used to be his followers but are now my followers...

"This is dull and pedantic. Can you really cultivate up to True Immortality with this? Is this not written by some con artist?"

Clicking his tongue, he glares sideways at the last book.

"The author is not even properly written...it's suspicious. Eh, I should at least see what kind of novel they have written here. It will probably be fun to read when I'm bored, right?"

In the end, in order to read it when he is bored, Makli Hyun-ah stuffs this last book full of boasts into the storage scroll.

"Daoist Makli Hyun-ah! Where have you gone?"

And, when he has just finished putting away the third book.

Only then can he hear Makli Hweol's voice.

"Ah, Daoist. In this section over here..."

Makli Hyun-ah turns his head, intending to ask what Non-Immortal Family Methods are, then flinches.

The section labeled [Non-Immortal Family Methods category] has disappeared.

"Uh...?"

And with presences faintly felt here and there, it no longer feels like the desolate library from just now.

'What is this? Is it just my imagination?'

Makli Hyun-ah checks the storage scroll, but the books are still there.

"It seems you have chosen your method manuals?"

"Ah, yes, my hand just sort of went to them..."

"Then let us go. We will tell Elder Makli Hye-seo and you can take them out."

"Uh, yes."

Because of the introduction phrases full of the authors' boasts, Makli Hyun-ah suddenly worries whether he has chosen the books too carelessly, and whether they might really be completely useless trash texts...

But in the end, for some reason, he feels reluctant to return them, so he simply decides to try cultivating these methods.