Chapter 7: Day 7

“These are the basic cultivation methods for the five attributes.”

The next day, Baek Ah visited the girl’s room, handed her five books, and said.

Each of the books had its own title.

The book at the very top was a fire attribute basic cultivation method with the letters “Flower Blossoming” written on it.

The girl looked at Baek Ah, who told her to practice the cultivation method from the beginning, with a puzzled look.

No, don’t you usually start with how to feel the spiritual energy?

As the girl looked at him with such eyes, Baek Ah said.

Baek Ah spoke at length, using difficult words here and there.

If we were to summarize it briefly, it was like this.

‘Your body is already at the level of the Foundation Establishment stage.
Besides, since you are a one spiritual root user, you will be able to do well enough without my help.’

In other words, it was as if he was telling her to figure it out on her own.

No, no matter how much of a one spiritual root user she was, was it okay to neglect her like this?

But the other person was a real cultivator who was more versed in cultivation than she was.

If Baek Ah said so, then so be it.

“Read it slowly and try to practice.”

With those words, Baek Ah left the room.

She found out later, but Baek Ah’s cultivation level was at the Golden Core stage, and he was an outer elder of the White Snake Gate.

As an outer elder, Baek Ah had many things to do, so he couldn’t look after the girl all day.

Still, considering that the girl was a one spiritual root user, it was okay for Baek Ah not to stick to her all day and take care of her.

Of course, this was the thought of the White Snake Gate, not the girl’s.

Still, she was a one spiritual root user, so they provided her with spiritual stones containing the spiritual energy of fire, water, wood, metal, and earth.
And various elixirs and pills.

And they also provided her with various conveniences.

“Hmm.”

After Baek Ah left and she was alone, the girl opened Flower Blossoming , the book at the top of the pile on the desk.

If this were a game, a window that simply said [Would you like to learn the skill [Flower Blossoming] would pop up in front of her.

Then she would have learned Flower Blossoming with just a click.

But this was not a game, but reality.

She couldn’t learn and practice cultivation methods in such a simple and convenient way.

But still.

“It’s not like I can’t understand it at all.”

She had been worried that she wouldn’t be able to read or understand the language used in this world, even if she could only communicate.

It seemed that it wasn’t just about being able to communicate.

No, from the fact that she could read and understand the title of Flower Blossoming in the first place, she should have known that such a worry was a useless worry.

“Let’s see, it’s a cultivation method that moves the fire spiritual energy to bloom dozens of flowers of flames, just like a flower in full bloom.”

Perhaps because Flower Blossoming itself was a basic cultivation method for the fire attribute.

The contents written in the book were so simple that even a 3-year-old child could understand them.

Besides that, the girl also newly realized that this body she had newly acquired certainly had talent.

Just once.

Even though she just skimmed through it, she could perfectly remember and recall the contents written in Flower Blossoming.

But.

“This is driving me crazy.”

She tried to unfold Flower Blossoming according to the contents written in the book, but it was useless.

When she sat in the lotus position and recited the incantation written in the cultivation method book, she could feel the abundant spiritual energy filling the White Gate with her skin.

But that was it.

The Qi Condensation stage usually takes in spiritual energy to cleanse the impurities accumulated inside the body.

However, there wasn’t a single speck of impurities in the girl’s body.

No, not only was there no impurities, but the spiritual energy that flowed in was changed into magical power and moved towards the lower abdomen without any blockage.

It moved towards the place commonly referred to as the danjeon.

In fact, the girl was no different from the Foundation Establishment stage, beyond the Qi Condensation stage.

Just like Baek Ah said.

The problem was.

‘Was it not fire energy?’

The spiritual energy that had become magical power did not accumulate in the danjeon.

It could be.

If the spiritual root she possessed was not a fire spiritual root, it was quite possible.

Eventually, the girl neatly gave up on Flower Blossoming and moved her gaze to the rest of the books.

They were the water attribute cultivation method, Nakdutan.
The earth attribute cultivation method, Daejigapgap.
The metal attribute cultivation method, Cheolobisang.
And finally, the wood attribute cultivation method, Heukmokgeomgye.

Nakdutan was a cultivation method that literally fired bullets like falling water droplets.

Daejigapgap was a cultivation method that covered the whole body with something like armor.
Cheolobisang was a cultivation method that allowed one to move as if an iron crow was flying.

And finally, Heukmokgeomgye was a cultivation method that literally created a kind of barrier lined with swords made of black wood.

They were all basic cultivation methods, so their power was poor, but even that was no different from magic to ordinary people… commonly called mortals.

The problem was.

“Why isn’t it working?”

Even when she recited the incantations of the other four attribute cultivation methods, it was the same as Hwahwamangae.

Water spiritual energy.
Earth spiritual energy.

Metal spiritual energy.
Wood spiritual energy.

Just like fire spiritual energy, the spiritual energy of the other attributes also turned into magical power.

But there was no reaction such as accumulating in the danjeon.

The moment she realized that fact, the girl’s expression gradually hardened.

If she couldn’t learn, train, or use any cultivation method like this, what would happen to her?

Even if she was a one spiritual root user, if she couldn’t use any cultivation method, she would be no different from a burden.

There was a high probability that she would be abandoned by the White Snake Gate.

Would she be abandoned like this?

Would she be thrown back into that terrible ‘outside’?

“That must never happen.”

The girl muttered in a desperate voice.

Although she had only lived outside for about a week, except for the three years in the hell beyond the hole, solitude.

And it had only been a day since she entered the White Snake Gate.

However, the girl could tell how much of a paradise this place, the White Snake Gate, was, just from the three years, a week, and just one day.

Therefore.

Absolutely.

In this paradise.

“I can’t be kicked out.”

With that determination of ‘I will never be kicked out’, the girl delved into the cultivation methods again.

Starting with the fire attribute Hwahwamangae(flower blooming), Nakdutan.
Daejigapgap.
Cheolobisang.
And finally, Heukmokgeomgye.

Just as the girl was delving into those five cultivation methods in turn.

“You should eat.”

Of….

Baek Ah’s voice came from not far away.

The girl looked at the place where the voice came from with blank eyes.

There stood Baek Ah, dressed in the same clothes as when she first saw him.

“You’re here?”

The girl said weakly.

The darkness had already fallen outside the window.

Was it already night?

Time flies.

Baek Ah had brought her the cultivation methods in the morning, but it was already night.

No, maybe it was dawn.

The girl realized that she had been concentrating on learning the cultivation methods for at least 12 hours.

“You were wrong.”

As if he had read the girl’s thoughts, Baek Ah slowly shook his head.

The girl looked up at Baek Ah with blank eyes.

Wrong?

What was wrong?

The girl’s eyes seemed to be asking for an answer.

Baek Ah didn’t avoid the girl’s gaze and said softly.

“Three days have passed.
No, should I say four days now?”

Three days.
Or four days.

She had been concentrating on the cultivation methods for that long without eating or drinking anything?

No, even if her concentration was good.

As a human, she couldn’t not eat or drink for at least three days, at most four days.

It was the moment she realized how much time had passed.

“Ah….”

Thud-

The girl, whose strength had left her whole body, collapsed to the floor.

At the same time, she felt that terrible hunger and thirst that she had only felt in solitude rise again.

No.

No no.

No no no no no no no no no no no no no no no!

She didn’t want to feel this terrible hunger and thirst anymore!

It was the moment when the girl screamed an almost desperate scream inwardly.

“It’s good to concentrate, but think about your body first.”

Hunger and thirst.

Just before those terrible things fully raised their heads, Baek Ah moved.

He put a small pill-like thing into the girl’s mouth and made her swallow it with water.

Gulp.

The girl swallowed the pill and water that came into her mouth according to Baek Ah’s guidance.

The clear water and the pill that flowed down her throat.

The moment it went down to her stomach.

“Ah-.”

The girl let out a low exclamation.

The hunger.
The thirst.

Those terrible things subsided in an instant.

The girl, who had relieved her terrible hunger and thirst, looked at Baek Ah with eyes stained with gratitude and wonder.

“What you just ate is called a Byeokgokdan.
Of course, it’s a special Byeokgokdan that can only be made in our White Snake Gate, incomparable to those circulating in the market.”

“Th-Thank you.”

The girl, who had regained some of her strength, thanked Baek Ah.

At the same time, the girl avoided Baek Ah’s gaze.

Three days.
Or four days.

During that long time, she couldn’t learn any cultivation method.

The fire attribute Hwahwamangae.

The earth attribute Daejigapgap.

The metal attribute Cheolobisang.

The water attribute Nakdutan.

The wood attribute Heukmokgeomgye.

How could she look at Baek Ah when she couldn’t learn any of the five basic cultivation methods?

But.

“It’s okay.”

As if he had expected this from the beginning, Baek Ah said to the girl with a calm expression.

No, rather, he said to the girl with a soft smile.

“If the spiritual root you possessed was one of the five spiritual roots of fire, water, wood, metal, and earth, our White Snake Gate.
No, I would have noticed it.”

“Is that so…?”

“Of course.”

“Then why did you give me those?”

“It was because I had a ‘just in case’ feeling.
Even though we couldn’t figure it out, if your spiritual root was one of those five attributes, it would be much easier to help your training.
But as expected.”

Baek Ah said that and clicked his tongue as if it was a pity.

“The spiritual root you possess is not one of those five attributes.”

“Then what will happen to me…?”

“It’s simple.
From tomorrow, we will use cultivation methods of other attributes to find out what kind of spiritual root you have.”

With those words, Baek Ah lifted the collapsed girl’s body and gently laid her on the bed.

“So, get some sleep for today.”

“Thank… you….”

Listening to Baek Ah’s softly echoing voice, the girl fell into a deep sleep with a comfortable heart for the first time in a long time.

Baek Ah looked down at the girl who had quickly fallen into a deep sleep.