Nascent Soul Sixth Layer, Back to Jungju
Five years had passed since Jin Somyeong arrived in that land of blizzards and killing cold.
He had reached the sixth layer of the Nascent Soul realm.
How many years did that take?
He searched his memory. Counting from the day he had reached the fifth layer, it had taken him roughly eleven years to step into the sixth. Looking at the translucent hologram of his status window, Jin Somyeong felt a strange emotion stir in him.
Somehow, I’m already over a hundred.
It felt like only yesterday that he had awakened to the memories of his previous life and headed blindly to Jeokyang Market to begin cultivating. Yet nearly a century had already slipped by.
Not that he disliked the feeling. Of course he was proud. Of course he was pleased. He had always done his utmost, and so he had no regrets. It was merely that the sheer weight of time filled him with a faint, wistful nostalgia.
Faces from his Qi Refining days drifted through his mind. Of the people he had met back then, how many were still alive? If fortune had favored them and they had managed to reach Foundation Establishment, perhaps some remained. But most, no doubt, had exhausted their lifespans and returned to dust.
To mortals, a hundred years was that vast a span.
It certainly isn’t easy.
Lately, he had been feeling it in his bones: the higher his realm rose, the more drastically the time required for cultivation increased. Even with all the countless fortuitous encounters that made his progress absurdly fast, each step upward still demanded years.
Still, one more step and I’ll be in the late Nascent Soul stage.
How long would it take to break through the minor boundary and reach the seventh layer of Nascent Soul? Judging by the rate at which his magical power accumulated, it would likely take fifteen to twenty years.
And if he wanted to shorten that time? There were plenty of methods. He could obtain Immortal Stones and upgrade the Mental Pocket Realm to the fifth grade, or raise his proficiency in the Elixir-Swallowing Art, the secret technique that allowed him to consume more medicinal pills.
Or else...
He could divert the Boundless Great Ability he was currently pouring into the Five Viscera Hundred Refinements Art back into cultivation.
Of course, he had no intention of doing that.
Its proficiency was already nearly full.
His plan was to raise the Five Viscera Hundred Refinements Art to the stage beyond minor completion, observe what changed, and then decide on his future course.
In truth, given that roughly seven hundred million points of Boundless Great Ability recovered each year, he should already have exceeded 3.5 billion proficiency. But during cultivation, there had been many places where he needed to spend that power, leaving him at only 3.1 billion.
Still, I’m almost there. Not much longer now.
Two years at the latest. Before long, the Five Viscera Hundred Refinements Art would reach the stage beyond minor completion.
What sort of change would it bring?
While he was lost in idle speculation, Jin Somyeong rummaged through his subspace.
Hmm... I suppose it’s about time I returned to Jungju.
The mountain of cultivation pills he had stockpiled was now showing its bottom. In exchange—if one could call it that—he had accumulated over three hundred and fifty thousand supreme-grade Spirit Stones. It meant the time had come to return to civilization and purchase more cultivation resources.
He began gathering the various implements he had set out over the past five years. Just as he was preparing to leave—
A person?
At the edge of his Divine Sense, he felt someone approaching. They were flying toward him while trembling from head to toe, their complexion pale and their lips turning purple. Judging by the look of them, they were on the verge of freezing solid.
"Ugh... It’s so cold!"
Jin Somyeong carefully observed the woman as her teeth chattered and she resisted the cold. She was at the Great Circle of Golden Core.
A few minutes passed. After struggling through the blizzard, she finally reached the cave residence and broke into a broad smile—only to freeze in place.
"W-what is this?"
She had been stopped by the formation Jin Somyeong had installed and looked utterly flustered. From the look of things, she had indeed been flying here for the spirit vein.
She stood there blankly, as if at a loss for what to do, while her face grew bluer by the moment. Jin Somyeong watched her carefully. It did not seem to be an act. Deciding she was truly a Golden Core cultivator, he opened his mouth.
"Don’t stand outside shivering. Come in."
"...Ah."
When he opened the formation, the hesitant woman flew into the cave residence and bowed at the waist.
"Greetings, Senior. My name is Jang Yeonju."
"Mm."
Using the fourth-grade flame, Fire Extremity Divine Light, he warmed the room for her. Her bow deepened even further.
"I am truly sorry. I did not know you were staying here, Senior, and I have caused you trouble by coming uninvited."
"Trouble? Hardly. I’m glad to see another person in such a remote place."
He treated her with what he considered kindness, but when he saw that she could not hide her tension, he decided to ask outright. When one had strength, there was no need to circle around matters.
"I apologize for asking this as soon as we meet, but do you happen to have a map of this place?"
"Ah, of course. Fortunately, this junior can be of help."
She respectfully offered him a jade slip. After inspecting it, Jin Somyeong confirmed that this place was indeed the Absolute Cold Ice Prison, one of the Ten Great Forbidden Areas.
I’m fairly deep inside it. Flying all the way to Jungju will be a pain.
But how had a Golden Core cultivator come to a place dangerous even for a Nascent Soul cultivator?
He was curious, but there was no particular need to ask. As he studied the map in detail, he soon understood on his own.
There are teleportation formations installed here.
Several areas on the map were marked with teleportation formation symbols, along with a note saying they were managed by a sect called the Snowglow Sect.
Which meant...
"Did this spirit vein belong to the Snowglow Sect?"
"W-well, yes. Technically, it does, but..."
Jang Yeonju trailed off. It was obvious she was distressed, unable to accuse a senior of wrongdoing.
Without meaning to, he had looted an empty house.
Watching her fret as though she herself had done something wrong, Jin Somyeong gave her a brief explanation.
"Don’t worry too much. I was planning to leave soon anyway."
"N-no, Senior. Please stay as long as you need. In any case, the Snowglow Sect has all but given up managing this spirit vein."
"Given up?"
"I do not belong to the Snowglow Sect, so I cannot know the precise reason. Still, if you are curious, I can tell you what I have heard."
"It doesn’t matter if you’re wrong. Speak."
"Recently, hasn’t a great deal of empty land appeared in Jungju? I believe they judged there was no need to cling to a spirit vein that was difficult to manage."
Empty land in Jungju.
Those words alone were enough for him to roughly guess what had happened. It seemed many Nascent Soul cultivators who had entered the secret realm had died.
Jang Yeonju, who still had her waist bowed despite his telling her it was all right, was at the Great Circle of Golden Core. From the look of things, she had come all the way here to challenge the Nascent Soul realm.
"I see. In any case, I’ll be leaving, so whether you cultivate here or not is up to you. And this is the price of the map."
"Ah... I shall gratefully accept it."
When he handed her a heap of supreme-grade Spirit Stones, her back finally straightened a little. It seemed she had realized Jin Somyeong bore her no ill will and had relaxed.
Just as he was about to leave, he felt something like a cold blade scrape across the nape of his neck.
"...Is something troubling you, Senior?"
"Nothing serious."
Frowning, Jin Somyeong left the cave residence.
As he flew toward the teleportation formation, he took out the Flowing Water Demon-Revealing Mirror, the magical treasure he had installed in his Mental Pocket Realm back when he was still at Golden Core. It was a mirror that blocked divination and curses.
The surface of the mirror, which should have been as clear as transparent water, had turned pitch-black. Its meaning was obvious.
"Hmm."
Someone had performed divination on him.
A majestic mountain range rose like a gathering of swords thrust into the sky.
Anyone who saw it would have been shocked. Every one of the thousands of mountains that formed the range was a spirit vein from which dense spiritual energy welled up.
Even the smallest mountain was at least a second-grade spirit vein, and if one counted only the fourth-grade veins, there were easily more than a hundred.
Nor was that all. The vegetation was exceedingly rich. One could pick almost any mountain at random and find a naturally formed colony of spiritual herbs.
It was, in every sense, a blessed place for cultivation.
What was strange, however, was that most of these precious spirit veins stood empty. Had the countless cultivators who risked their lives fighting for such veins seen this, they would have wept tears of blood at the waste.
Whether fortunately or unfortunately, that would never happen. This mountain range belonged to Seongdo, the ruler of Jungju.
In that place, where no disturbance had occurred for decades, Yeomurin frowned as he quietly focused on his cultivation.
"A meeting has been called?"
"Yes. An order has come down that everyone at commander rank or above must attend."
"How unusual."
It had already been three hundred years since Yeomurin became the commander of the Myeolhwadan, one of Seongdo’s armed organizations. One could call that a fairly long time, yet this was the first time something like this had happened.
What in the world was going on? Frowning in thought, he left the mountain range.
When he arrived at a great hall, familiar faces came into view. The Myeoljeongdan, the Seolyeongdan, the Pajindan, the Yeonhondan... The heads of the various organizations in charge of intelligence and military force had gathered quietly.
He exchanged light nods with a few people he was on friendly terms with, then took his seat.
He closed his eyes as if meditating and waited for some time.
"It seems everyone is here."
Myoseol appeared—the woman who served at the side of Cheonzon, the supreme figure of Seongdo, also known as Shinmokjiju.
For Myoseol, Seongdo’s chief manager, to convene a meeting herself... Had an order come down from Cheonzon?
"I am sure you all know that a cultivator who has learned a forbidden art has recently appeared. Over the past fifteen years, we investigated every suspicious individual and have now confirmed the most likely suspect."
The questions in everyone’s eyes vanished. They could guess why the meeting had been called.
The world contained many forbidden arts that carried all manner of disastrous side effects. For example, arts that drove one mad and caused massacres, or arts that stole the lifespan of those nearby.
Such arts were called forbidden techniques, and hunting down those who practiced them had long been one of Seongdo’s duties.
Strange. To summon every commander merely for this?
Yeomurin’s doubt lasted only a moment.
"To dare practice a forbidden art... Who is it?"
"The wandering cultivator Jin Somyeong. Through divination, we discovered that he is still alive."
"Jin Somyeong?"
Materials were soon distributed, and the Nascent Soul cultivators who read the exhaustive investigation on Jin Somyeong let out low murmurs.
"To reach the middle Nascent Soul stage at a hundred... Absurd."
"With talent like this, one can hardly dismiss him as a mere wandering cultivator. He seems even more gifted than you, Commander of the Myeolhwadan."
At the Pajindan commander’s sneering remark—someone with whom he had always been on poor terms—Yeomurin furrowed his brow, but he did not bother to respond. It was far more important to grasp exactly who Jin Somyeong was.
"If he came out of Paeseongdojang alive, are you saying he escaped from a Deity Transformation-level Insectoid?"
"Yes. That is why we suspect he learned a forbidden art."
"Hah. Even if it was a forbidden art, how could he possibly escape from a Deity Transformation cultivator...?"
It was not a story that fit common sense.
Those affiliated with Seongdo understood better than anyone just how monstrous a Deity Transformation cultivator was. Naturally so—their own leader was one.
Everyone frowned as if they found it difficult to believe. Even so, they did not force themselves to deny it. Seongdo’s investigations were that accurate.
All except Yeomurin, whose face hardened as if he could not accept it at all.
He was one of the few who had personally experienced the unfathomable power of a Deity Transformation cultivator, which made it all the harder to believe.
His jaw tightened. Just as he forced down the words he wanted to say—
"To defeat a Nascent Soul cultivator while still at Golden Core. His skill is astonishing, but his heavenly fortune is just as remarkable."
"Are we to locate and kill him?"
Receiving everyone’s gaze, Myoseol shook her head.
"No. Determine only his location and report it. Cheonzon has said he will move personally."
"...Cheonzon himself?"
Everyone was startled. They could not believe that Cheonzon would personally deal with a single Nascent Soul cultivator.
What exactly was so special about this man named Jin Somyeong?
It was far too excessive a treatment.
Of course, his talent—reaching the middle Nascent Soul stage in a mere hundred years—was brilliant enough to be called dazzling. But that was all.
It was not enough reason for the ruler of Seongdo to take action personally.
"You have already been given all the information you need. Do not try to learn more. Simply keep this in mind: if this matter goes wrong, hundreds of millions of living beings may die."
"Mm. It seems the forbidden art he practices has quite severe consequences."
"Mobilize all of your disciples in the regions assigned to each of you. Even if you must search the entire world, he must be found as quickly as possible."
The silent Nascent Soul cultivators nodded. To be honest, it was difficult to understand, but that was not especially important. If Cheonzon had set his will upon something, then as subordinates, they would obey.
However, not everyone was convinced.
Yeomurin, whose expression had remained stiff throughout the meeting, glared at the jade slip containing information on Jin Somyeong.
The master of the divine tree.
How could Cheonzon, who reigns above all people, deign to move in person to deal with a mere wandering Nascent Soul cultivator?
It was an outrageously irreverent thing.
Born and raised in Seongdo, Yeomurin had spent his entire life striving to become the next Shinmokjiju. To him, this was something he could not accept.
No.
An ominous thought crossed his mind.
Could it be that Cheonzon does not intend to kill him, but to bring him to Seongdo?
There was only one condition to become Shinmokjiju: one had to be overwhelmingly stronger than everyone else. All other requirements were trivial by comparison.
If Jin Somyeong submitted to Cheonzon...
It meant he might become the next Shinmokjiju.
"..."
Yeomurin’s complexion darkened visibly.
Jin Somyeong flicked the completely ruined Flowing Water Demon-Revealing Mirror and gave a faint laugh.
The sudden development had stirred all sorts of thoughts in him, but he shook off the petty worries.
Divination? It doesn’t matter.
He was no longer the Golden Core cultivator he had been.
Tracking a Nascent Soul cultivator through divination was so difficult as to be nearly impossible.
At most, they probably found out whether I’m alive.
Anything beyond that was too much. To determine even an imprecise location, a Deity Transformation cultivator skilled in divination would have to sacrifice lifespan. Who in the world would do such a thing?
There was no need to worry too much.
And if, by some chance, someone came after him? He would simply fight them.
Jin Somyeong placed the broken Flowing Water Demon-Revealing Mirror into his subspace and cut across the sky.
I’ll use the Spirit Stones I’ve saved up to buy some medicinal pills, then find a suitable place and finish cultivating the Five Viscera Hundred Refinements Art.
His plan remained unchanged. He intended to use the teleportation formation marked on the map and cross over to Jungju.