Turns Out I Had Talent?
Thousand Treasures Pavilion.
It was the largest shop in Jeokyang Market, and Jin Somyeong entered it wearing the face of a middle-aged man in his fifties.
He had come to dispose of the gifts Baekgui had left behind.
"Welcome, honored guest. Is there anything in particular you are looking for?"
"I've come to sell. I heard Thousand Treasures Pavilion buys goods as well. Was I told correctly?"
"You were. We purchase anything, without asking after its origin, at sixty percent of the market price."
"Sixty percent? That's far too cheap... Well, I'll show you the goods first."
Jin Somyeong tossed the storage pouch from his waist onto the counter.
"I'll sell the pouch along with everything in it. Tell me what you'll pay. If I like the number, I'll sell."
"Mm! Please wait a moment. I will appraise them personally."
The manager of Thousand Treasures Pavilion drew a glasses-shaped magical artifact from inside his robe. With a careful expression, he examined each item inside the storage pouch one by one.
"...This golden flying artifact has suffered some damage to its spirituality. It seems it was poorly maintained. Oh? This blue magical robe appears entirely unused, practically new. Are you truly selling it?"
"I am."
Jin Somyeong answered offhandedly and folded his arms. He had no intention of caring what the man said along the way; he would listen to the final price and judge from there. Before long, the appraisal was complete.
"As I mentioned earlier, Thousand Treasures Pavilion normally purchases at sixty percent of the market price, but..."
The manager looked between Jin Somyeong and the storage pouch, then cleared his throat.
"The items you have shown me are all in high demand and easy to resell. As a special exception, I can offer seventy percent. Three hundred ninety-two Spirit Stones."
"Three hundred ninety-two?"
Jin Somyeong sank into thought. It was roughly what he had expected, but he did not accept immediately.
"Too low. I should get five hundred."
"Ha ha, honored guest, that is quite the opening demand. Artifacts with damaged spirituality must be repaired before resale, and the labor alone is not cheap. Let us make it a clean number. Four hundred Spirit Stones."
"I don't need a clean number. I just need a bigger one. Four hundred ninety-five."
"Honored guest, four hundred is already a very generous price. You are welcome to ask elsewhere and confirm it yourself."
After haggling with the manager for a good while, Jin Somyeong finally raised his voice.
"Four hundred sixty! That's my last offer."
"...Haa. Very well. I will take the loss today."
A loss, his ass. A merchant's word was never to be trusted. If there truly were no profit in it, the man would never have entertained the bargain in the first place.
"Honored guest, if you ever acquire such goods again, please come to Thousand Treasures Pavilion. We do not ask after their origins."
"..."
Their eyes met for an instant. Jin Somyeong turned and left without a word. With that meaningful remark lingering behind him, he exited the shop and slipped into an alley.
After confirming there was no one around, he stroked the Faceless Mask and changed his face. In the blink of an eye, he had become a thin man in his twenties, and he returned to his cave dwelling.
Whew... Even disposing of stolen goods is a chore.
Killing someone and taking their wealth brought enormous gains, but the danger was no laughing matter. He had to be especially careful when disposing of the goods. If his identity were exposed, he had no telling what karmic consequences might latch onto him. What if some old Foundation Establishment monster came demanding that Jin Somyeong revive his disciple?
If not for the Faceless Mask, he would never have been able to move so freely.
It's fine. I just need to be cautious for a while. With this many Spirit Stones, I should have enough to cultivate for some time.
With a clatter, blue crystals spilled out of his subspace. As hundreds of Spirit Stones piled up, even the spiritual energy in the air seemed to thicken.
"Including the Spirit Stones I already had, that's over five hundred."
It was a tremendous sum. Once he included the Spirit Stones produced over the past few days in his Mental Spiritual Land, he had already gathered half of one thousand. The heap of Spirit Stones looked to him like a mountain.
He was deeply moved. How much hardship would he have needed to accumulate such wealth back when he had been a mortal? At least a thousand years, probably. The thought was so absurd it almost made him laugh.
With these Spirit Stones, he could do a great many things. He could buy dozens of spells he liked from the library, and he might even be able to acquire a fairly decent magical artifact.
"...Still, let's invest it all."
Suppressing the impulse, he swept all the Spirit Stones into his subspace and moved to the Simsangbigyeong.
As always, gray mist greeted Jin Somyeong. So did the modest hill that radiated a soft, cozy feeling. While admiring his small but precious Simsangbigyeong, he suddenly paused.
"It feels a little bigger."
A cultivator's keen senses could accurately measure all manner of distances simply by focusing. The hill, which had definitely been about twenty pyeong, seemed to have grown by roughly ten percent.
Is it because the mine grew?
After thinking for a moment, he realized the reason. When he searched through the information that had awakened in his mind upon comprehending his divine ability, it seemed he was right.
That's a relief.
A cramped space had its own cozy charm, but the larger a territory was, the better. If it continued to expand like this, he might one day be able to grow spiritual crops inside this Simsangbigyeong.
Jin Somyeong rubbed his palms together as he stared at the management window. Anticipation surged in him. It was time to pour in all five hundred Spirit Stones.
"Invest everything!"
The moment he murmured and exerted his will, the five hundred Spirit Stones in his subspace vanished without a trace.
And then—
A wind blew. The spiritual energy in the air thickened so dramatically that he could feel it against his skin. It had not yet reached the level of a Tier 1 Mid-Grade Spirit Vein, but it seemed to have arrived at the very limit of low-grade. With just a little more investment, it felt as if it would grow into mid-grade.
"Khh! Now that's what I'm talking about!"
It felt as if he had doubled his profit. The fact that merely growing the mine also strengthened the spirit vein delighted him. Now his cultivation speed had increased yet again.
Foundation Establishment, once hazy and distant, seemed to grow clearer by the day. It was no longer just a dream.
Next, he checked the mine's production.
From three to eight.
The output had nearly tripled, and the sight welcomed him with a pleasure so intense he had no words for it.
"Eight Spirit Stones a day."
Even if he did not work—even if he merely slept—Spirit Stones would accumulate day after day. It was an incredible income.
Until now, he had been too frugal to take Qi Condensing Pills except when attempting a breakthrough, but this was enough for him to take one every three or four days. If the countless cultivators who spent most of every day earning Spirit Stones knew of it, they would cough blood from envy.
"Ha ha ha!"
For a moment, the whole world looked brighter. Perhaps it was his imagination, but even his soul felt full.
After returning to the cave dwelling, Jin Somyeong headed straight to the field in the back yard. He planted two Dragonform Grass seeds, their husks covered in scale-like patterns, in the spirit field.
With a splash, he cast the Cloud-Gathering Rain Art, whose principles he had only roughly grasped, and condensed moisture. Rain fell over the spot where the Dragonform Grass was planted.
"Done."
He stored the White Jade Rice seeds separately with care. He planned to plant them later, after the Dragonform Grass sprouted and he could confirm that nothing was wrong with the spirit field.
The miscellaneous tasks were over. All that remained now was to devote himself to cultivation.
If I want to obtain a Foundation Establishment spiritual treasure in the Red Cloud Secret Realm, I need to raise my realm as high as possible. Once I reach mid-stage Qi Refining... I'll have to lure Beom Chang out.
If he subdued Beom Chang and made him a slave, the benefits he could obtain would be limitless. He might even use the man's authority to enter the Red Sun Sect.
Without signing any contract, of course.
He had no interest in becoming a sucker and ending up someone else's slave. He had not the slightest intention of working himself to the bone for a complete stranger until he died.
The Red Sun Sect was merely a tool to sharply increase his cultivation speed, one option among many.
As long as I don't let them get a weakness on me... there isn't much downside.
After all, receiving help from a sect was better than going it alone. He could learn from the experiences of seniors and reduce trial and error. His cultivation speed would rise tremendously as well.
Jin Somyeong nodded as various plans passed through his mind. If he wanted to raise his realm before the secret realm opened, he needed to take some risks.
Cultivate.
In the end, it came down to ability. To make his plans proceed smoothly, he needed to increase his combat strength by leaps and bounds.
He sat cross-legged and operated the Five Elements Qi Refining Art with his full concentration.
"Mmm...!"
The dense spiritual energy rushing in from every direction was enough to make his meridians tingle. The Tier 1 Mid-Grade Spirit Vein, combined with the assistance of his rapidly grown Simsangbigyeong, produced an astonishing effect.
With a low hum, the spiritual energy swirled toward him, and he absorbed it with all his might. He devoted every part of his mind to the process until he forgot even the passage of time.
How long had it been?
The raging spiritual energy calmed, and the cave dwelling regained its peace.
"...Did that take three hours?"
The time it took for his spirit root to overload had shortened yet again. On top of that, the total amount of spiritual energy gathered in his dantian had increased. The effect of the high-grade spirit vein Ju Gwang had spoken of was real.
Because he absorbed purer spiritual energy, the efficiency had improved tremendously.
At this speed... I could reach the fourth layer of Qi Refining in half a year, couldn't I? If I take Qi Condensing Pills often, it will be even shorter.
The fourth layer of Qi Refining was a kind of threshold. It was the minor realm where one shifted from early stage to mid-stage, and it was also the realm where a clueless chick transformed into a proper Qi Refining cultivator.
They said casting spells becomes easier too.
Once one reached mid-stage Qi Refining, one became strong enough to be treated like an immortal in the mortal world. The fourth layer was usually a difficult wall, worthy of being called a minor realm, but thanks to his abundant resources, he felt he might break through it with ease.
When I reach mid-stage... the Boundless Great Ability should grow stronger too, right?
Imagining what might happen in the future, Jin Somyeong took a suitable rest, then began training in the Wind-Riding Art.
He went out to the wasteland, wielding the wind as he leapt through the sky. The thrill of becoming a little faster every time he grew more accustomed to the Wind-Riding Art made it impossible to stop.
"Hoo-ah."
Once he had consumed about half his spiritual energy, he returned to the safety of the cave dwelling.
Instead of simply training to run faster, he focused on changing directions abruptly. The interior of the cave dwelling was far more cramped than the outdoors, but that was precisely what made it better.
At a speed that carried him dozens of meters in a single breath, he kicked off walls and ceilings.
"Ugh!"
What happened when one ran inside a small room?
Naturally, one slammed into everything. He hit hard enough that the log cabin, built from spirit wood tougher than steel, shook from the impacts. Bruises bloomed all over his body, centered around his shoulders, but he did not give up.
At least when it came to the Wind-Riding Art, he wanted to reach great accomplishment and handle it like an instinct engraved into his blood.
A blade one could not wield properly only injured its owner. Movement arts were no different.
Speed alone was not everything. If he could not change directions at will, the technique would be useful only when fleeing. To make it show its power in combat, he had to go one step further.
He practiced the Wind-Riding Art with the goal of moving freely through an interior packed with obstacles.
Bang!
It was difficult enough that he collided with something dozens of times a day, but he gradually grew accustomed to it.
A month passed before he knew it.
The results of training with even the Boundless Great Ability fully mobilized began to show. The assorted furniture he had deliberately arranged like obstacles could no longer impede him.
Whoosh!
Jin Somyeong slipped between the furniture as if merely brushing past it, sweeping freely through the room in every direction. Wrapped in the wind and bouncing lightly in place, he smiled brightly.
With this level of Wind-Riding Art, I can call it the proficient stage.
He had moved from entry level to proficiency, reaching a level where it could display proper power in actual combat.
Should I start practicing other spells soon?
A Tier 1 low-grade spell usually cost between ten and thirty Spirit Stones. Unlike before, that was no longer an especially burdensome sum. A few days of saving would be enough.
"Hm?"
While rummaging through his subspace, he paused.
Two manuals he had obtained long ago, then tossed aside and forgotten, caught his eye.
"Rising Dragon Step. Flying Swallow Demon-Slaying Saber Art."
They were martial arts used by mortals without spirit roots. For a Qi Refining cultivator, they were lacking in many ways, but he read them out of idle curiosity.
Rising Dragon Step is both a footwork and movement art. Upon great accomplishment, one may roam freely through the sky like a dragon ascending to the heavens. It is a supreme martial art through which a mortal body may reach the realm of Void Treading. Void Treading?
The phrase about walking through the sky stirred his curiosity. When he focused a little and read further, he understood what Rising Dragon Step had been created to pursue.
It seems they wanted to fly through the sky like immortals... With the Wind-Riding Art, you can fly for a short time even at entry level, but Rising Dragon Step only lets you step into the void upon great accomplishment. As expected of mortal martial arts, the level is low.
The greatest difference between martial arts and the immortal arts of cultivators was the presence or absence of spiritual energy.
Spiritual energy, which ordinary people could not even sense, possessed spirituality in and of itself. It was different from ordinary qi from the moment of its birth.
They say it is the energy that descended when the heavens opened in the distant past.
It would not be wrong to think of spiritual energy as a kind of energy embedded with ultra-high-performance artificial intelligence. The spirituality contained within it greatly assisted the operation of cultivation arts and the casting of spells.
By contrast, ordinary qi required one to manipulate everything directly, and its energy efficiency was atrocious. Even if someone suffered greatly to wield it properly, it was far too weak.
No matter how exquisitely one burned wood, wood was still wood. Compared to nuclear fusion, it was nothing but dust.
Ordinary qi had no spirituality and even its potential for development was low, so in every respect, it fell short of spiritual energy.
"Ehew."
He was about to close the book in disappointment when he stopped. Some inexplicable feeling kept whispering at him to read it.
After hesitating, he ultimately did not take his hand away. It would not take long anyway, so he decided to finish it.
"Mmm..."
Propping his chin in one hand, Jin Somyeong casually turned the pages, but his fingers gradually slowed. Before he realized it, he had straightened his posture.
He concentrated so deeply he made no sound even as he breathed. How long had he remained immersed, forgetting the passage of time?
"Haa."
As he reached the final page, a sigh escaped him. It was because the complete immersion he had felt for the first time left a lingering aftertaste.
Dozens of mnemonic verses drifting through his mind wove together into one. Every meaning pointed toward a single technique.
Flying Dragon Ascends to Heaven.
The beginning and end of Rising Dragon Step. This sole technique was the method for stepping upon the void and walking the sky.
"Shall I try it?"
He found it difficult to resist the inexplicable curiosity. There was no reason to resist in the first place, so he immediately drew up spiritual energy.
He intended to unfold a martial art using spiritual energy instead of ordinary qi.
His thigh muscles swelled. The energy condensed beneath the soles of his feet reached its limit.
Bang!
A heavy impact shoved him forward. His rapidly accelerating body shot out like an arrow.
There was nothing left in the spot where the explosive sound had burst forth. He had already moved more than three meters away.
"Ah."
At the same time, Jin Somyeong was certain.
With a single attempt, he had fully entered the threshold of Rising Dragon Step. He had succeeded so easily that he felt dazed.
He stood there blankly for a long while, then murmured without realizing it.
"Turns out I had talent?"
A strange feeling stirred in his heart, leaving him speechless. The first talent he had ever discovered in himself was for martial arts. He had no idea whether he ought to be happy or sad.