Making the Decision
As Jin Somyeong worked through a plan to lure Beom Chang into a trap, he opened his mouth.
"Steward, I understand that the secret realm is valuable, but how dangerous is it, specifically?"
"Ahem. I won't deceive you. At minimum, one must be at the fourth layer of Qi Refining, the mid stage, before one can explore the outskirts of the secret realm. Truthfully, even that is quite dangerous. Four out of ten will die."
"...Four in ten die in the outskirts alone? It's a more dangerous place than I thought."
"Isn't cultivation, by its nature, a competition fought with one's life on the line? The greater the opportunity, the greater the danger. And the outskirts are among the safer areas."
"You call a place safe when four in ten die there?"
"The Foundation Establishment spiritual objects are in the central region, and that is where the competition becomes truly brutal. If ten enter, perhaps one or two will come out alive."
Jin Somyeong gathered the increasingly concrete pieces of information and thought to himself.
If it's that dangerous... no one will care if one Beom Chang dies in there.
He would first try the plan to make the man his slave. If that failed, he could simply deal with him inside the secret realm.
Good.
At that moment, Jin Somyeong made his decision.
He would enter the Red Cloud Secret Realm and try his hand at adventure.
Of course, the secret realm was dangerous even for him. Death spared no one.
But he had already resolved himself long ago. Three years earlier, from the moment he had awakened in the body of a serf for whom the lash was part of daily life, or perhaps from the instant he had recklessly come to the market town and climbed Jeokyang Mountain for the first time, he had sworn that he would not spend his life blindly fleeing danger.
He would face danger head-on and seize the opportunities hidden within it. For a man with such insignificant talent, that thread-thin path running alongside death was the only road by which he could ever achieve greatness in cultivation.
His circumstances had improved now that he possessed the divine power called the Boundless Great Ability, but that mindset had not changed. Jin Somyeong did not fear risking his life in a challenge. If he had, he would still be somewhere getting whipped and exploited.
If I use Beom Chang properly... I may be able to obtain a Foundation Establishment spiritual object.
Foundation Establishment spiritual objects were strategic resources. Since ancient monsters monopolized them, they were not something one could buy simply by offering a great many Spirit Stones. To obtain one, one had to accept risk. If one disliked that, then one had to entrust body and soul to someone else.
Taking an entrance test and joining a massive sect larger than the Red Sun Sect was one option. Unless the situation became desperate, however, Jin Somyeong did not want to do that. The moment one relied on another, things might become comfortable for the time being, but comfort was never free. Someday, that decision would end up controlling the whole of one's life.
I can't hand my fate over to someone else.
Once his objective was fixed, countless plans rose chaotically through his mind. They formed and collapsed again and again, growing more concrete each time.
It would be too much of a waste to simply kill Beom Chang and be done with it.
Since the man was already his enemy, Jin Somyeong ought to wring him dry down to the marrow. All sorts of benefits came to mind, things he could gain if he made Beom Chang his slave.
I should be able to get my hands on things like the internal map of the Red Cloud Secret Realm that the Red Sun Sect worked so hard to produce.
He weighed the benefits against the risks for a long while. After forming several viable plans, he nodded.
He's the nephew of an old Foundation Establishment monster. I need to be careful. But if I succeed, my cultivation speed will increase tremendously.
Having made his silent decision, Jin Somyeong turned his attention back to his conversation with Ju Hong. Something had suddenly struck him as odd, and it bothered him.
"Steward, aren't Foundation Establishment spiritual objects all incredibly precious?"
"Of course! To a Qi Refining cultivator, they're treasures worth staking one's life on!"
"Then are you saying the Red Cloud Secret Realm, which opens periodically, still has Foundation Establishment spiritual objects left inside? If such treasures existed, Foundation Establishment experts would have swept them clean long ago."
Even to great cultivators who had already achieved Foundation Establishment, Foundation Establishment spiritual objects were precious. After all, it was not as though they had no descendants or disciples.
"Haha! You're only worried because you don't know the Red Cloud Secret Realm. There are special restrictions in that place, so Foundation Establishment great cultivators absolutely do not enter."
"Foundation Establishment cultivators don't enter the secret realm?"
"That's right. Since it cannot be conquered at the Qi Refining level, unexplored regions naturally remain everywhere. You needn't worry about that."
Ju Hong spoke with perfect confidence, but Jin Somyeong found it difficult to accept so easily. Foundation Establishment spiritual objects were treasures precisely that precious.
"What sort of restriction could make even those as powerful as Foundation Establishment great cultivators avoid it?"
"Mm. Once you enter the Red Cloud Secret Realm, no matter what realm you possess, you can only exert power at the Qi Refining level inside."
"...Meaning?"
"Khehehe. Meaning that inside the secret realm, Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining are the same!"
Ju Hong shouted as if the thought gave him a certain savage satisfaction, then continued.
"What kind of realm is Foundation Establishment? Those are beings powerful enough to rule the entire market town. So what happens if they become equal to the Qi Refining cultivators they usually treat like insects?"
The ruler and the ruled becoming equal in strength. It was not hard to imagine what would follow.
"A Foundation Establishment great cultivator could be killed by a lowly Qi Refining cultivator. For them, the secret realm would become an extremely dangerous place."
"Exactly! That is something they could never tolerate. Imagine how humiliating and unfair it would feel to be struck down by a Qi Refining cultivator they normally looked down on and tormented."
Jin Somyeong was about to agree, his doubts more or less resolved, when he paused.
"You said this secret realm appears every thirty years. Do you know how long it has been appearing?"
"Who knows? As far as I know, at least several hundred years."
"Then how are there still Foundation Establishment spiritual objects left? Is the secret realm that vast?"
It seemed to be an unexpected question. Ju Hong looked flustered for a moment, then hesitated before answering.
"The secret realm is vast, yes, but... ahem. I don't know that much. No, no one in this market town would know. It is absolutely not because my knowledge is lacking!"
Jin Somyeong understood why Ju Hong was uncomfortable. Given the man's fondness for boasting, he probably hated admitting that he did not know.
A long explanation followed, sounding very much like an excuse.
"All you need to know is that the spiritual energy inside the secret realm is dense, and that a special ecosystem has formed there, making it suitable for Foundation Establishment spiritual objects to grow."
"...I see."
"In any case! If you have the chance, you should go there at least once. Of course, with your realm, it would be a little danger... hm?"
Ju Hong's eyes flew wide open, and he spoke as though genuinely astonished.
"Don't tell me you've already risen to the third layer? Only a few months ago, you were certainly at the second layer."
"I was lucky enough to break through recently."
"Huh! Truly impressive."
At first Ju Hong merely sounded admiring, but then his eyes suddenly shifted. Whatever scheme had occurred to him, he began probing in a subtle tone.
"You. Seeing how quickly you cultivate, it seems you have some room to spare when it comes to Spirit Stones."
"Pardon?"
"Wait! I know what you're thinking, but don't misunderstand. It's simply that you're a wandering cultivator who couldn't enter a major sect, so it's obvious your aptitude can't be very good. If you're cultivating quickly despite that, it means you've been receiving help from Spirit Stones."
Clap!
Ju Hong clapped his hands as if this suited him perfectly and spoke quickly.
"I said earlier that I had a troublesome matter, didn't I? I manage several cave residences, and one malicious tenant has been giving me no end of headaches."
"...A malicious tenant?"
"That's right! A truly damnable fellow! He keeps delaying his monthly rent with every excuse under the sun, and it's driving me mad. It's interfering with my cultivation!"
Jin Somyeong narrowed his eyes by the slightest degree. He was beginning to guess what Ju Hong wanted.
"Ahem. I won't drag this out. How would you like to move into the cave residence he is using? I like diligent people like you."
"If a malicious tenant is the problem, couldn't you simply drive him out and take someone else?"
"That is exactly the problem! The cave residence he lives in is a first-grade mid-quality one, and the monthly rental fee is thirty Spirit Stones. If it sits empty for even a single month, wouldn't that be a tremendous loss?"
"That is true."
"It's difficult to evict him until I find a successor. He knows that, which is why he's acting so brazenly. Truly, he uses his head for the most useless things!"
Jin Somyeong gave a vague response and shook his head in a way that would not be noticeable. In truth, if first-grade mid-quality spiritual veins were so popular, this situation would never have arisen in the first place.
First-grade mid-quality spiritual veins were awkward in many ways. They did increase cultivation speed, but not by a dramatic amount. If one considered only cost efficiency, they fell short compared with Qi Condensing Pills.
Of course, it's not as if they have no advantages.
Cultivating atop an expensive spiritual vein produced spiritual energy far purer than the energy accumulated in a burst through taking pills. That was a much greater advantage than it first appeared, because it helped considerably when breaking through realms in the future.
If you take too many pills, pill toxin accumulates and interferes with breakthroughs. At least with a spiritual vein, there's no need to worry about that.
However, none of this resonated with wandering cultivators who lived from hand to mouth. If they might die tomorrow unless they raised their realm today, what did some distant future matter? It was meaningful only to those like Jin Somyeong, who dreamed of the Great Dao of longevity.
"Haa. I should have thrown that damned fellow out the moment his overdue rent started eating into his deposit, but it's already too late."
"..."
"If I evict him now, I'll lose at least one or two months of rent until I find the next person! What a waste that would be!"
Jin Somyeong forcibly swallowed the words, That's your problem. The sudden proposal awakened a contrary impulse in him, but he soon changed his mind. After considering it calmly, he realized it was not a bad opportunity.
A good spiritual vein was a great help to cultivation. Time was more precious than anything.
"How dense is the spiritual energy in a first-grade mid-quality spiritual vein?"
"Compared to the low-quality one where you're currently living, exactly twice as dense."
"The price increases tenfold, but the density is only twice as high?"
"Now, now. You mustn't calculate it so simply! Spiritual energy is a spiritual substance whose very grade rises as its concentration becomes denser."
"...Mm."
"Judging by your reaction, it seems you don't know this, but the purer spiritual energy is, the more of it one's spiritual root can absorb before becoming overloaded."
"Cultivating in a high-grade spiritual vein increases the amount of spiritual energy one can absorb as well?"
"Would I lie to you? What you save by cultivating there is time. If you intend to attempt Foundation Establishment before turning sixty, a good spiritual vein is not optional. It is essential!"
Jin Somyeong already understood the principle Ju Hong was explaining. That was precisely why he had become interested in a mid-quality spiritual vein.
Foundation Establishment was a battle against time. If a man with poor aptitude like him cultivated leisurely in a cheap spiritual vein, it would take more than a hundred years just to reach the ninth layer of Qi Refining.
A mid-quality spiritual vein... Yes, I do need to move soon.
He was tempted, but he also felt that it was still too early. If he invested all thirty Spirit Stones each month into the mine, they would soon return dozens of times over. In his view, now was the time to go all-in on investment. Spending Spirit Stones when the mine's production was not yet sufficient felt somewhat wasteful.
Of course, blindly hoarding Spirit Stones was foolish.
That would be putting the cart before the horse. The reason I need Spirit Stones in the first place is ultimately cultivation.
No matter how many Spirit Stones he had, there was a limit to how much they could increase his cultivation speed. Thinking about it coldly, that was the truth. Wealth far beyond one's strength inevitably invited disaster. He could not obsess only over increasing his income.
The ideal was for strength and income to grow together. He needed an appropriate balance between investment and purchasing cultivation resources. When necessary, he had to use Spirit Stones aggressively.
But at this point, thirty Spirit Stones is burdensome.
He could afford to put off moving to a better spiritual vein for a little while. Besides, the deposit was the biggest problem.
If the deposit is a year's rent, I have to pay three hundred and sixty Spirit Stones all at once. That's too expensive.
After agonizing over it, Jin Somyeong was about to refuse when his thoughts began turning again. It felt regrettable to let this opportunity pass by so easily.
The Red Cloud Secret Realm would open soon. That land of opportunity was attractive even to Jin Somyeong. He needed to increase his strength even a single day sooner.
To subdue Beom Chang, I need to be at least at the mid stage of Qi Refining.
If his plan succeeded, a temporary loss of Spirit Stones could be more than recovered. To make it seem as if he were conflicted, Jin Somyeong remained silent for about a minute before shaking his head.
"I'm sorry. The truth is, a senior who views me favorably supports me with Spirit Stones each month, so I can manage the rent. However, arranging a year's worth of deposit all at once would be burdensome. I have no choice but to decline."
"...A senior supports you?"
"I was fortunate enough to form a connection. When that person was injured, I happened to offer a healing pill I had obtained."
This lie was insurance for later. It provided both an explanation and a basis for his income, for how he could keep spending Spirit Stones despite not doing any proper work. It was also not a bad thing to let others know he had someone backing him. At the very least, it would reduce the chance that someone would casually try something against him.
Sure enough, the effect appeared immediately. The subtle sense that Ju Hong had been looking down on him as a wandering cultivator vanished cleanly. Even the man's previously casual tone became a little more cautious.
"Huh, to be acquainted with such a generous senior... I truly envy you. Daoist Yeo did a good deed, and fortune followed. Mm."
Ju Hong opened and closed his mouth several times before giving an awkward smile.
"In any case, how about challenging the Red Cloud Secret Realm yourself? If luck is with you, you may reap a tremendous harvest."
"I'm not sure..."
"Ahem. If you cultivate in a mid-quality spiritual vein from now on, reaching the mid stage of Qi Refining within three years isn't impossible, is it? Hm?"
Ju Hong laughed, embarrassed. In the end, after circling around, he had returned to his true objective: renting out the cave residence.
Still, there was no particular sign that he intended to force the matter. He was merely recommending it carefully.
"A mid-quality spiritual vein..."
Jin Somyeong murmured softly and deliberately fell silent for a long while. Only after making the other man anxious did he slowly shake his head.
"Haa. I've thought about it, but I still can't. As I said earlier, I don't have enough leeway to pay the deposit."
"...If the deposit is the issue, I will solve that for you. You are a diligent person, so I will trust you and let you move in without a deposit. If you ever intend to leave, just tell me a few months in advance."
Trusting him after seeing him only a few times was absurd, but Jin Somyeong kept a serious expression.
"Admittedly, without a deposit, it is somewhat tempting. But thirty Spirit Stones is a little..."
Jin Somyeong let the end of his sentence trail off and studied Ju Hong's expression. He intended to decide after seeing just how much he could reduce the monthly rent.