The Land of Opportunity, the Red Cloud Secret Realm
After pounding the streets to gather information about Beom Chang, Jin Somyeong stroked his chin.
That bastard was the nephew of a Foundation Establishment senior?
His original plan had been simple.
Use stealth, ambush Beom Chang, shatter his dantian, then dump him near another hostile faction.
If the man’s life ended at the hands of Jeokyang Sect’s enemies, that would have been ideal.
So long as it succeeded, it would have been a two-for-one strike — a blow to both Jeokyang Sect and Beom Chang at the same time.
But the man’s background was bigger than he had expected.
He was blood-related to a Foundation Establishment monster who could live for more than two hundred years.
No wonder. He had the arrogance of a gatekeeper, but it wasn’t just arrogance.
It had seemed odd that a nephew of a Foundation Establishment elder was working as a gatekeeper, so he had looked into it. It turned out to be nothing more than punishment.
Beom Chang’s notoriety was known throughout the entire market.
Before he had ever crossed paths with Jin Somyeong, he had already committed every kind of vile misconduct imaginable.
He had repeatedly used the name of Jeokyang Sect to trick ignorant wanderers and swindle them out of their money. Countless people had had their lives ruined because of him.
A piece of trash that deserves death.
Beom Chang’s bullying had never ended, yet no one had been able to reprimand him. The reason was simple: the Foundation Establishment elder kept covering for him.
If he had been an ordinary Jeokyang Sect disciple, he would have been harshly punished long ago and reduced to a cripple. Instead, all that had happened to him was that he had been made a gatekeeper.
Tsk. Power really does make life easy.
People did not change so easily.
Even after becoming a gatekeeper, Beom Chang had still refused to straighten up. That much had been obvious from the fact that he had tried to trick Jin Somyeong into a slave contract.
It probably wasn’t a proper entry contract. No wonder the terms felt like garbage.
Jeokyang Sect wasn’t stupid. They would never recruit people under conditions like that.
Of course, Beom Chang wasn’t tormenting wanderers because he had nothing better to do.
The man’s goal was clear.
Foundation Establishment.
Every one of his actions ultimately came down to gathering cultivation resources.
To achieve Foundation Establishment, one needed at least one of three things: natural talent, an opportunity, or the kind of monstrous resource expenditure that could make even a pig into an immortal.
Beom Chang had chosen the road of resources, and he had no qualms about sucking the lifeblood out of others to get them.
Should I just kill him quietly and be done with it?
He was confident he could succeed.
The stealth technique powered by Boundless Great Ability had already been proven.
He only had to recall what had happened on Jeokyang Mountain.
Not even Wang Shin, nor the terrifying swarms of venomous insects, had sensed his presence at all.
A mere Beom Chang, a middle-stage Qi Refining cultivator, would be no different.
Killing him wouldn’t be hard. The aftermath would be the real problem.
Anyone connected to a Foundation Establishment monster could not be touched carelessly.
Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment were entirely different levels of existence — in power, and in status.
If Beom Chang were to die suddenly, every person related to him would be investigated.
A senior at the Foundation Establishment stage could even use Soul Search to forcibly pry into a person’s memories.
Soul Search was a merciless act that inflicted severe damage on the target’s mind, but the Foundation Establishment elder wouldn’t hesitate.
No evidence would be required.
For the strong, evidence meant nothing. A little suspicion, a reason to act — that was enough.
To a Foundation Establishment cultivator, a Qi Refining practitioner was nothing more than a mayfly that lived and died in a single day.
...I’ll have to kill him slowly, then. If he suddenly dies after he’s found Yeo Dongbin, it’ll drag my false identity into it as well.
It looked like he would have to extend Beom Chang’s miserable life a little longer.
He didn’t want to abandon the eastern dwelling he had already paid a deposit on just because he killed the man.
Clicking his tongue, Jin Somyeong shook his head.
He folded his desire for revenge into a corner of his mind. It wasn’t worth wasting more time or emotion on it.
Sooner or later, he was sure he’d find a good chance.
Since I’m already out, I might as well buy some pills.
His next goal was the fourth layer of Qi Refining.
Breaking through from the third layer to the fourth was difficult enough to be called a minor bottleneck.
That was only natural; it was the point where one crossed from the early stage into the middle stage.
At times like that, taking cultivation pills made a tremendous difference.
Of course, because pills were things you put into your mouth, he couldn’t just buy them from anyone. He had to purchase them from a proper store.
Once he slipped into an alley, Jin Somyeong adjusted Faceless Transformation.
His features shifted into those of a sharp-faced man in his thirties as he walked on.
He entered the largest shop in the entire Jeokyang Market: Cheonbo Pavilion.
Passing the goods displayed on the shelves, he got straight to the point.
“Shopkeeper, I’d like one Energy Gathering Pill.”
“Certainly. That will be twenty-five spirit stones.”
Jin Somyeong’s hand, which had just been moving as though to retrieve spirit stones from his pouch, came to a halt.
“Twenty-five? I’m sure it was twenty not long ago.”
“Customer, I understand what you’re thinking, but please don’t misunderstand. We are absolutely not overcharging you. Cheonbo Pavilion places the greatest importance on trust.”
He ignored all the talk about trust and reliability. He couldn’t believe everything a merchant said.
He looked at the shopkeeper suspiciously.
“Then what is it? How did the price suddenly go up by five spirit stones? That’s a little much, isn’t it?”
“Demand for pills in Jeokyang Market has surged recently, so the prices have risen. If you’re doubtful, you may try another store. Not just pills — talismans, magical implements, and everything needed for cultivation has become more expensive.”
So cultivation resources across the board had all become more expensive.
That was deeply unsettling. It even made him wonder whether a war had broken out.
“...Why?”
“I’m sorry, but we can’t tell you for free. At Cheonbo Pavilion, we also treat information as merchandise. If you pay just five spirit stones, I’ll gladly tell you exactly why the prices have risen.”
After a short moment of thought, Jin Somyeong shook his head.
“Forget it. Just give me one Energy Gathering Pill.”
The reason he refused was that the information was too cheap.
What kind of secret could five spirit stones buy? It was obviously something even a dog or cow would know.
If it had been expensive, he might have forced himself to buy it. Survival mattered more than spirit stones.
I’m sure I can find out just by walking around the market a bit.
Of course, if he couldn’t get the information through asking around, he could always buy it later.
“It’s actually a rather useful piece of information... are you sure you don’t want it?”
When Jin Somyeong gave a firm nod, the shopkeeper, looking disappointed, handed over the Energy Gathering Pill.
After paying the spirit stones, he left Cheonbo Pavilion.
He carefully stored the pill in his mental pocket realm. He planned to take it when he challenged the fourth layer of Qi Refining.
...I earn a lot, but when it comes to what I can actually spend, there isn’t much.
If he had his way, he would buy dozens of Energy Gathering Pills and drink them like water.
But he didn’t have many spirit stones on hand.
Everything he earned was being reinvested into Mental Secret Realm.
Just bear with it a little longer. Soon, my daily spirit stone production will rise to five. That’ll give me a little breathing room.
As time went by, his spirit stone income would increase exponentially. That future was guaranteed beyond any doubt.
By then, spirit stones would pile up like mountains, and he would have to worry about how to use the excess.
“Ahem.”
Jin Somyeong, who had been savoring an increasingly bright future, cleared his throat.
More important than vague prospects was staying faithful to the present.
First, he needed to learn what rumors were circulating in Jeokyang Market. Conveniently, someone immediately came to mind.
Ho-jung the steward would be best.
Ho-jung, the steward who handled administrative matters, was the highest-ranking person Jin Somyeong knew.
Besides, Ho-jung loved to boast.
Getting information out of his mouth wouldn’t be difficult. A little praise in the right places would be enough.
Having made up his mind, Jin Somyeong soon arrived at the steward’s office and spotted a familiar face.
“Yeo Do-u? What brings you here? It’s not time to pay rent yet, is it?”
He bowed politely to the puzzled Ho-jung and said, “Steward, I’m planning to focus on cultivation for a while, so I thought I’d pay my rent in advance.”
“Pay your rent in advance?”
For a moment, Ho-jung blinked as if he had just heard something incomprehensible, then broke into admiration.
He even clapped his hands with delight.
“My word! I really do like you! If every wanderer paid rent as faithfully as you, we stewards wouldn’t have to suffer nearly so much.”
“Haha... I rented an eastern dwelling, so paying rent is only natural, isn’t it?”
“Absolutely! But there are plenty of troublesome fellows who can’t even manage that. There’s been someone lately who keeps making all kinds of excuses to delay rent, and it’s giving me a headache.”
It was hard to know what to say. Jin Somyeong scratched his head awkwardly, then reached into his robes.
As he took out the spirit stones and offered them over, he spoke as though something had just occurred to him. “Ah! Come to think of it, has something happened in the market recently? The price of pills suddenly went up.”
“Hm? Why, of course — it’s because of the Red Cloud Secret Realm.”
He pricked up his ears at Ho-jung’s casual answer, as if it were no big deal.
Soon a cheerful voice followed.
“Didn’t you know the Red Cloud Secret Realm opens in three years? Well, I suppose you haven’t been in Jeokyang Market for very long.”
Perhaps because he was in a good mood after receiving the spirit stones, he spoke with unusual ease.
Red Cloud Secret Realm.
At those words, Jin Somyeong remembered what Beom Chang, the Jeokyang Sect gatekeeper, had said.
The man had tried to force him into the secret realm and make him bring something back.
Jin Somyeong frowned.
It seemed he needed to learn a little more.
“Red Cloud Secret Realm... I think I’ve heard of it in passing, but I don’t know the details. Could you tell me more?”
“Haha. You’ve probably heard of secret realms or hidden heavens, haven’t you? Spaces or worlds that have been broken apart for one reason or another.”
When Jin Somyeong nodded, the image of Mental Secret Realm flashed through his mind, and Ho-jung continued his explanation.
“Those small worlds are usually hidden in the void, impossible to find, but they sometimes appear in the world due to a certain time or event. The Red Cloud Secret Realm is the same.”
Certain secret realms opened only at specific times...
Jin Somyeong murmured under his breath before asking, “So the Red Cloud Secret Realm opens three years from now? Is that why cultivation resources in Jeokyang Market are getting more expensive?”
“Exactly. You catch on quickly. The Red Cloud Secret Realm opens once every thirty years, and it overflows with all kinds of treasures. If someone has any ambition for cultivation, there’s no reason not to risk their life and go for it!”
“Risk their life... So the Red Cloud Secret Realm is a pretty dangerous place?”
“If I’m being honest, yes. The survival rate doesn’t even reach thirty percent. Even in the best case I’ve ever heard of, one out of two people came back dead. No — they didn’t even manage to recover the corpse!”
Jin Somyeong understood.
He now clearly understood why cultivation resources had become more expensive.
The secret realm that would open soon was overflowing with treasures, but it was just as dangerous. To increase his chances of survival, he would need to raise his strength as much as possible.
There was probably no one who would go to a place where they might die and still choose to save spirit stones.
“I would have gone for it too, if not for my steward duties... the secret realm is dangerous, but if luck is on your side, you can even obtain a Foundation Establishment spirit object!”
When Ho-jung said the words Foundation Establishment spirit object, his face went slack with longing.
Foundation Establishment was the dream of every Qi Refining cultivator.
Once one achieved Foundation Establishment, lifespan increased and one would truly become something beyond ordinary human limits. Who wouldn’t want that?
Of course, everyone wanted it.
There was a pill that helped tremendously when challenging that realm: the Foundation Establishment Pill.
Since the key ingredient used to make a Foundation Establishment Pill was called a Foundation Establishment spirit object, it was a heavenly treasure that could completely change someone’s life.
A treasure that could be weighed against life itself.
Foundation Establishment...
Jin Somyeong’s heart stirred as well.
He only had sixty-seven years of lifespan. Because he had spent lifespan to move forward, he had less left than other people.
Only by raising his cultivation could he defy heaven and step onto the path of longevity.
Jin Somyeong had no road to turn back to, nor did he have any intention of one.
He had a dream.
“That’s not all! Starting with cultivation methods, then pills, materials, spiritual herbs, magical implements — secret realms overflow with all kinds of opportunities!”
“...If there are so many benefits in a secret realm, then the competition must be fierce.”
“Of course! Half the deaths inside a secret realm are caused by people. Haven’t you seen what Jeokyang Market looks like now? Everyone is pouring out their entire fortune just to raise their cultivation level one day sooner.”
Savoring the word Foundation Establishment, Jin Somyeong narrowed his eyes.
As Ho-jung continued talking, he listened closely and fell deeper into thought.
Beom Chang definitely said he would throw me into the Red Cloud Secret Realm. That means he’s aiming for this secret realm too.
Countless plans swept through his mind.
If he handled it well, he might be able to do more than just get rid of Beom Chang — he might be able to carve out an enormous profit from the situation.
An eye for an eye. He tried to make me a slave, so I’ll do the same to him.