Plan Successful
Jin Somyeong moved briskly through the wasteland, now reduced to chaos by the battle.
He recovered the flying sword that had been sent hurtling into the distance, and did not forget to collect So Yo-gwang's storage pouch as well.
...Poor bastard.
He spared a brief moment of silence for the man who had died without even getting to make a single excuse to Beom Chang.
After that, Jin Somyeong was about to erase as many traces of his presence as he could and leave, but he stopped short. Without meaning to, he glanced back, and his eyes were drawn to the enormous fissure carved into the ground.
It was wide and deep enough to bury a person in.
The terrain itself had changed. It was proof enough of how terrifyingly powerful a top-grade first-tier artifact could be.
"..."
If this was what a Qi Refining cultivator could do, then how devastating would a blow from those Foundation Establishment monsters be?
Jin Somyeong pushed the thought aside and turned his gaze away.
With a heave, he slung the completely subdued and unconscious Beom Chang over his shoulder, then moved toward a secluded place while sinking into thought.
One thing is certain... I understand now why mortal martial arts are looked down on.
The fight had taught him a great deal.
Most of all, he had gained a bone-deep understanding of just how powerful artifacts could be, and why cultivators focused so heavily on fighting from a distance. Their attacks were simply too fierce. Without proper defenses, one would not even leave bones behind.
Beom Chang had failed to react to Jin Somyeong's swift sword from beginning to end.
And yet, through his defensive artifact, he had still managed to wound Jin Somyeong and drive him to the brink of death.
If Jin Somyeong had made even a single mistake, the outcome would have been reversed.
Well, of course. If guns exist, why bother training martial arts?
Muttering inwardly, Jin Somyeong looked down at his palm.
The skin there had split from the backlash of colliding against the qi barrier, leaving it a gruesome sight. His battered condition seemed almost like a visible display of martial arts' limitations...
As he stared at his hand, his steps gradually slowed. Before he knew it, he had stopped completely, standing there in a daze as he looked down at his palm.
He had won today because luck was on his side, but would that happen next time?
Would it not be wiser to abandon martial arts before it was too late and simply practice handling artifacts instead?
In this world of immortals, martial arts were ultimately third-rate. They were not immortal arts, merely tricks used by mortals.
A creeping unease rose within him, whispering that he must not waste his time.
But I don't want to give up martial arts...
The reason was simple.
It was not rational, either. Martial arts were simply the first talent he had discovered in this world.
One tangled thought led to another.
How much time had passed?
"Huh?"
Jin Somyeong, who had been standing there blankly, flinched. As his unfocused vision sharpened, he saw what he had not noticed before.
The wound had changed.
The skin that had been torn to rags had started itching, and before he knew it, it had recovered enough to be obvious at a glance.
The regenerative ability strengthened by the Boundless Great Ability was making its presence known.
"Ah..."
All at once, his heart felt lighter.
It was true that martial arts had weaknesses. But those weaknesses were not impossible to overcome.
If the risk of damaging the body was extremely high, then all he had to do was temper his flesh until it was stronger.
And besides.
Results proved everything.
Beom Chang, armed with all kinds of high-grade artifacts, was unconscious and being carried like baggage. The man would soon become his slave, and Jin Somyeong had won.
Could someone of Jin Somyeong's status obtain an artifact stronger than Beom Chang's?
Not a chance.
No matter how many Spirit Stones he offered, acquiring a top-grade first-tier artifact like the Shadow-Breaking Bell would be difficult.
And even if he did somehow manage to get one, what then?
An artifact of the second tier or higher, possessing power on the level of Foundation Establishment, would be absolutely impossible. Even if he met an honest seller, the result would be the same.
The moment Jin Somyeong revealed his wealth, every robber in sight would come looking for him with a knife.
"If martial arts have flaws, I just have to improve them. I'll keep practicing. One day, they will become a weapon that belongs to me alone."
Of course, he would not disregard the usefulness of artifacts. If he had a powerful artifact, there was no reason not to use it.
What mattered was simply where he placed the center of his heart.
"Hm?"
Jin Somyeong, about to set off again with his heart unburdened, stopped short.
For some reason, the world suddenly looked brighter.
It might have been his imagination, but his senses themselves seemed sharper. Even with his eyes closed, he could faintly perceive what was around him.
After thinking it over for a while, he came up with a possible reason.
They say that when a cultivator's mental state grows firm, their soul also strengthens. Could this be that?
The soul, existing somewhere between willpower and spirit, had a deep connection to the senses.
When it grew strong enough, it could even transform into a practical sensory organ.
In any case, it was a good thing, so there was no reason to reject it. He had only been briefly uneasy because he could not identify the cause.
Just as he smiled at the unexpected gain—
"Ugh..."
Beom Chang, who had been draped over his shoulder, twitched.
The unconscious man had awakened, so there was no need to keep carrying him.
Without even a second of hesitation, Jin Somyeong flung him away.
Thud!
"Argh! What the—what is this! What bastard dares—!"
Beom Chang, sprawled on the ground without even managing a proper breakfall, scowled.
Like someone not yet fully awake, he did not seem to have grasped his situation.
Smack!
Jin Somyeong slapped the dazed man across the cheek and crouched in front of him.
Then, without a word, he stared straight into Beom Chang's eyes.
"Y-you're...?"
How long passed like that?
Beom Chang's pupils shook violently, and his mouth fell open.
"I lost...? Impossible!"
His eyes were bloodshot with outrage.
He screamed as though he could not believe it, but that did nothing to change reality.
"Damn it... damn it! How could I lose to a lowborn bastard like you!"
Unable—or unwilling—to accept the reality before him, Beom Chang raved, and Jin Somyeong lightly patted his cheek.
"Hey. Get a grip. Stop acting like a child and look at this."
With a flick, he shoved the soul contract in front of Beom Chang's face. It was a contract filled with all manner of atrocious conditions.
"...Insane."
"Sign it. I don't need to tell you what happens if you don't, do I?"
The conditions written into the Soul Contract were varied.
Obeying orders was only natural, and there were meticulous clauses preventing betrayal as well.
Just harboring malice toward me will give him a headache. If he tries to act despite the pain, he'll die on the spot.
It was far harsher than the contract he had handed to So Yo-gwang.
Naturally so. Beom Chang was the nephew of a Foundation Establishment grand cultivator, so he had to be thoroughly restrained.
Of course, there was no reason to pity him.
"Think back to what you tried to do to me. No, what you've already done. If I hadn't dealt with it properly, I would be the one being exploited by you right now."
"Th-that..."
Watching Beom Chang fall silent like a mute who had swallowed honey was rather enjoyable.
As though teasing him, Jin Somyeong fluttered the contract in front of his eyes.
"At the very least, you can't say it's unfair, can you?"
"Grr! Screw you! If you're going to kill me, then just kill me! Do you think I would become the slave of a lowly wandering cultivator?"
"Oh."
"I'd rather die than sign a contract like that!"
Beom Chang clenched his teeth as if steeling his resolve. At a glance, he looked dignified.
There was even a madness to him, as though he had thrown away his life, but Jin Somyeong did not believe it. The more one possessed, the more one feared losing it.
"Good, good. You should at least have that much bravado. Let's see how long you last."
Thwack!
He flicked Beom Chang's smooth, plump forehead.
How strong was the physical power of a Qi Refining cultivator? At the very least, strong enough to smash a tree simply by clenching a fist.
Jin Somyeong released that strength fully through his finger.
Thwack!
He struck the forehead that had reddened in an instant, then struck it again and again. With sounds like a skull cracking apart, Beom Chang's expression twisted.
"Y-you damn bastard!"
Of course, the pain was one thing, but the wound to his pride was likely even greater.
Born as the nephew of a Foundation Establishment grand cultivator who ruled Jeokyang Market, had he ever been treated like this in his life?
Thwack!
Beom Chang's eyes bulged. As if trying to preserve his pride, he did not even dodge.
To begin with, his dantian had been restrained, so dodging would not have meant much anyway.
Clenching his teeth hard enough to make them creak, he glared murderously. That was the extent of his resistance.
"I swear it! One day, I will kill you in the most wretched way imaginable! Your entire family too!"
"Well... I doubt that will be easy."
Jin Somyeong's real parents were on Earth.
As for this world? He neither knew nor cared.
Ever since he had awakened the memories of his past life, he had been living the life of a serf sold for a few coins.
He chuckled and continued flicking Beom Chang's forehead.
Thwack! Thwack...! Thwack!
How long did it continue?
Just as Beom Chang's forehead had swollen like a lump, a scream-like shout filled with sticky killing intent rang out.
"You son of a bitch! If you're going to kill me, then kill me! How long are you planning to toy with me!"
"If you want to die, then go ahead and die on your own. I haven't tied your hands and feet, so why are you only talking?"
"Wh-what...?"
Beom Chang flinched and gaped at him.
His pupils shook fiercely. It seemed he had realized the truth of his own heart.
"I... I..."
"Who in this world truly wants to die? Wanting to live isn't shameful."
Beom Chang opened and closed his mouth, unable to answer.
That indecisive hesitation told Jin Somyeong they were nearly there.
Thwack!
At the same time as the final flick landed, Beom Chang shouted through clenched teeth.
"Stop! I'll sign it, so stop!"
"Tsk, tsk. You still haven't come to your senses. When it's just the two of us, you will always address me politely."
Jin Somyeong slowly raised his hand as though about to flick him again.
Beom Chang flinched, squeezed his eyes shut, and lowered his head.
"...Yes, sir."
Once he had yielded the first time, the rest was easy.
Just as he had done when contracting So Yo-gwang, Jin Somyeong spent all of his Boundless Great Ability to strengthen the contract.
"Ahh..."
Beom Chang, sitting there unable to rise like a man who had gambled away everything he owned, murmured weakly.
"...What should I call you? Surely you don't expect me to call you Master, do you?"
"Hm. I don't particularly want to hear you call me Master, and you might slip up in front of others, so 'junior brother' will do."
"Understood. But there is something I was curious about even before we fought... How exactly did you reach the fourth layer of Qi Refining? With your aptitude, even reaching the third layer this quickly was already a miracle."
"Does that matter?"
"..."
Beom Chang shook his head with the look of a man who had understood something, and Jin Somyeong gave him an order.
"Enough useless talk. I want to enter the Red Sun Sect through you. Can you make that happen?"
"The Red Sun Sect...? Damn it! If you wanted to join, you could have just joined normally! You made me your slave for something that trivial?"
Thwack!
After punishing the already insolent man with another forehead flick, Jin Somyeong clicked his tongue and spoke.
"Of course, if I enter through someone other than you, the contract terms might not be the worst. But in the end, it would amount to the same thing. I wouldn't be able to escape being treated like a laborer."
"...That is true."
"I'm entering the Red Sun Sect to devote myself to cultivation. I have no intention whatsoever of working there."
More precisely, it was so he could raise his strength even by the tiniest margin before the Red Cloud Secret Realm opened.
"Ugh! What do you think the Red Sun Sect is, some enormous immortal sect? There are only a tiny number of disciples who do nothing but cultivate without handling miscellaneous duties!"
"Oh? So they do exist."
"...If you want to focus only on cultivation, you need to become an inner disciple. To do that, you must offer part of your soul to the sect to prove your loyalty. Inner disciples cannot be allowed to disobey orders."
After hesitating briefly, Beom Chang continued.
"But there is no way you would accept such a condition, junior brother."
"Of course not... Which means you need to solve that problem. Do I really have to spell out something that obvious?"
When Jin Somyeong said it brazenly, Beom Chang's face flushed crimson.
He trembled for a long while, wearing the expression of a man who wanted nothing more than to pour out a string of curses.
But could he?
With veins standing out along his jaw, Beom Chang barely managed to answer.
"Understood. I can handle that much. It will damage my reputation, but it is possible."
After discussing the detailed plan with Beom Chang, who had gradually regained his composure, Jin Somyeong released the seal on his dantian and parted ways with him.
"Go ahead and prepare things in advance. I'll come find you in a month."
He set the date for joining the Red Sun Sect one month later.
That was to allow the Boundless Great Ability to recover completely, and also because there were things he needed to prepare before entering the sect.
I need an escape route.
Entering the Red Sun Sect, where a Foundation Establishment old monster reigned, was undoubtedly dangerous.
Depending on how he acted, the gains could be enormous, but he could not forget that he would be walking a tightrope.
There was nothing wrong with preparing for the possibility that things might go awry.
After all, danger and opportunity were always one and the same.
Of course, so far, everything had gone according to plan.
I'm almost there now... Once I enter the Red Sun Sect, my chances of achieving Foundation Establishment will at least double.
There was no need to worry about the various cultivation resources he would naturally be able to obtain, including access to a spiritual vein.
What truly mattered was the immense accumulation of experience left behind by his seniors.
All the intangible wealth that a sect had built up through countless efforts would fall into his hands.
I'll also be able to learn exactly what I need in order to challenge Foundation Establishment.
Thinking of the countless benefits too numerous to list one by one, Jin Somyeong felt anticipation bloom in his chest.