Victory!
Jin Somyeong spat out the blood surging up his throat and glared at his opponent.
As he circulated the Ojangbaekryeongyeol to mend his wounds, he gathered the Sword Qi that was on the verge of scattering.
Across from him, Ha Yul-hui glared back and was just about to swing her fan once more when—
"W-wait!"
The judge's voice, packed with spiritual power, cut into the match and stopped it cold.
"What the hell? Who said you could interfere?"
Her eyes snapped up savagely at the interruption, but the judge remained firm.
"Lady Ha Yul-hui. No matter how I look at it, that 3rd Realm magical treasure, the Wind Fang Fan, does not appear to have been activated with your own spiritual power."
"...Huh?"
"Did you perhaps use an item the Lord of Sky Island gave you for self-defense? Using another person's spiritual power is a violation of the tournament rules."
Ha Yul-hui, who had been huffing in outrage, froze.
Her expression turned bewildered as she stared at the feathered fan in her hand. Only now did she seem to realize what she had done.
"S-sorry."
After working her lips for a long while, she managed to force out that single word. Then, perhaps unable to bear the shame, she fled with her face flushed crimson.
Meanwhile, the Golden Core cultivators who had been watching the tournament frowned.
"Lord of Sky Island. What is the meaning of this? I sensed your spiritual power from the magical treasure your daughter used."
Under their questioning gazes, the Lord of Sky Island gave a bitter smile.
"My apologies. I had infused it with my power so she could use it for self-defense. I never imagined she would use it during the tournament."
"...Mm. Raising children is no easy task."
One of the Golden Core cultivators, In Hu-yeon, cleared his throat and glanced aside.
He spoke to the Golden Core sword cultivator standing there with his arms folded, looking somehow displeased.
"By the way, Gwang Myeong. Why did you stop me? Even if it wasn't a full Golden Core-level strike, it would still have been difficult for a Foundation Establishment cultivator to endure. I was going to intervene in advance."
"He could block it."
"He could block it...?"
"He did block it."
At that tone, as if asking what the problem was, the expressions of the Golden Core cultivators, including In Hu-yeon, turned strange.
Granted, thanks to the formation, his life would not truly have been in danger. But no one knew what kind of internal injuries he might have suffered if he were struck by a 3rd Realm magical treasure.
And yet Gwang Myeong had left him be for no other reason than that he saw the possibility.
"A shame. It would have been more interesting if they had fought to the end."
The others stole sidelong glances at Gwang Myeong and clicked their tongues inwardly. As expected of a sword cultivator, he was not entirely sane.
"...I have a feeling becoming your disciple would not necessarily be a blessing."
The Golden Core sword cultivator closed his eyes as though uninterested, and In Hu-yeon changed the subject.
"In any case, the winner has been decided."
"Jin Somyeong."
"To think I would live long enough to see an early Foundation Establishment cultivator win the Boarding Tournament... Truly, longevity brings all manner of sights."
"Whose turn is it to present the winner's gift this time?"
"Mine."
At that voice, cold as a blade, everyone nodded as if to say the timing could not have been better.
After the finals ended in a somewhat anticlimactic fashion, Jin Somyeong's first thought was simple.
What a shame.
He had wanted to fight Ha Yul-hui, armed with a 3rd Realm magical treasure, to the very end. He was curious what the result would have been.
He stripped away as much emotion as he could and calculated the outcome. One thing, at least, was certain.
If I use the Boundless Great Ability, victory is guaranteed.
If he poured in all the nearly two thousand golden beads he had accumulated, even a late Foundation Establishment cultivator could not withstand him. That much was clear beyond dispute.
And if he did not use it?
That was ambiguous. He could not predict who would win or lose.
The outcome would likely depend on which broke first: the Golden Core cultivator's power stored within the 3rd Realm magical treasure, or the body he had tempered through body-refinement arts.
I feel like I could win...
Because he had mainly fought with swift sword techniques throughout the tournament, the others might not have realized it, but Jin Somyeong's true strength lay in his endurance in battle.
With the spiritual power flowing in from the Mental Secret Realm and a body-refinement art specialized in regeneration, he could genuinely fight for three days and three nights.
As he pondered how he might deal with a 3rd Realm magical treasure, a thought suddenly struck him.
Ah.
He realized something important. The once-distant 3rd Realm had begun to come faintly into view.
The fact that he could clash head-on with a magical treasure like the Wind Fang Fan was proof enough.
Joining the Boarding Tournament was the right choice.
He had gained a great deal. As he stood alone on the devastated stage and nodded to himself—
Rumble!
The earth shook. With a tremor like an earthquake, the shattered pieces of the stage began to float into the air.
Defying gravity, they rose—and then—
Crunch! They compressed into a single massive mass.
It was as if an invisible giant had taken the stones in both hands and kneaded them together.
Thud!
The stone fragments that had once formed the arena had become a clean platform, replacing the ruined stage.
"Winner, Jin Somyeong! Come up!"
One of the five Golden Core cultivators who had appeared atop the platform called out.
Under the gaze of tens of thousands of spectators, only Jin Somyeong's footsteps could be heard.
Step. Step.
"I greet the seniors."
Until he ascended the towering platform and offered his respects, everyone held their breath.
"Mm."
"Haha. That was truly an excellent tournament. Congratulations on your victory."
The Golden Core cultivators wore various expressions: benevolent smiles, admiration, satisfaction, and more.
They were far more favorable toward him than he had expected.
"The demon beasts have been acting strangely of late, so seeing someone like you emerge puts my mind at ease. You did very well."
The kindly looking Golden Core cultivator was speaking with a smile when—
"In Hu-yeon. Enough needless talk. Give him the reward already. Otherwise, I'll handle my business first."
A man who was unmistakably a sword cultivator, judging by his sharp aura and the sword at his side, cut in coldly.
"Ahem. Always so impatient."
The grumbling Golden Core cultivator took out a storage pouch.
"This is the reward announced when the Boarding Tournament was held. It should be of great help to your cultivation."
Jin Somyeong swept his Divine Sense through the storage pouch and saw countless medicinal pills inside.
The storage pouch, which was the size of a small warehouse within, was packed full. For an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator, it would be enough to consume for twenty years.
Better yet, every pill was of high quality, the sort difficult to find in ordinary shops, which made him like it all the more.
"Thank you!"
The words came out naturally, filled with genuine feeling. The road to Golden Core suddenly felt much shorter.
"Haha. That is only the basic reward. The real gift will come from Fellow Daoist Gwang Myeong."
The kindly In Hu-yeon glanced aside. At that signal, the Golden Core sword cultivator strode forward as though he had been waiting.
"Jin Somyeong. Do you have a master?"
"...Ah."
The abrupt question came instead of the gift he had been expecting, leaving him flustered. Still, he thought it over carefully.
But it was a difficult question to answer. He himself was not entirely sure whether he had a master or not.
A master...
It was true that he had learned Sword Qi from Hong Seol. However, they had never formally established a master-disciple bond.
As he hesitated for several seconds, Gwang Myeong nodded.
"As I thought... Those with eyes all see the same thing. If you already have a master, I won't trouble you."
He was decisive, as befitted a sword cultivator. Having cleanly cut off the matter, Gwang Myeong moved to the point.
"By custom, the winner should be given whatever will aid him most. In my eyes, your sword is lacking compared to your skill."
At that calm statement, anticipation surged within Jin Somyeong.
Is he going to give me a sword?
Of course he would welcome it.
How fine would a sword given by a cultivator who had reached Golden Core be? It would be ideal if it was a sword that had reached the 3rd Realm.
Though he did not show it, he swallowed as Gwang Myeong flicked his finger.
Whoosh!
Something flew toward him. He caught the small object almost by reflex as it traced an arc through the air, only to find a seed gleaming with golden light in his palm.
Its rough surface and shape somehow reminded him of an almond seed.
"Uh, mm. Thank you."
He did not know what it was, but he thanked him first. At his side, one of the Golden Core cultivators watching let out a sigh.
"Gwang Myeong, you should at least tell the junior what that seed is. How else is he supposed to use it properly?"
"It is a Sword Seed. It is a good thing. Use it well."
A seed of the sword.
It was a name no sword cultivator could hear without feeling interest.
How do I use it?
As curiosity stirred, Jin Somyeong carefully examined the golden seed. The Golden Core cultivator, shaking his head, stepped in as if he had no other choice.
"A Sword Seed could be called the embryo of a magical treasure."
"If it is a magical treasure... does that mean this seed will grow into a 3rd Realm sword?"
"Yes. Of course, if that were all, Gwang Myeong would not call it a good item. You will learn this when you reach the 3rd Realm yourself, but I will tell you in advance."
At the mention of the Golden Core realm, something Jin Somyeong had always wondered about, his attention sharpened.
"Every proper Golden Core cultivator possesses a personal life-bound magical treasure."
A life-bound magical treasure was different from ordinary artifacts, which were external objects.
It was a companion more intimate than any other, bound to a cultivator's soul and accompanying them for life.
Because that bond ran so deep, it came with many advantages.
Handling it as naturally as one's own hands and feet was a given. Its spiritual power efficiency was overwhelmingly high as well, making it far more powerful than other magical treasures.
...So it is like a custom-made growth-type artifact?
In a way, it was similar to Sword Qi. When the owner grew stronger, the life-bound magical treasure grew stronger as well.
Conversely, the owner's cultivation could rise simply through the life-bound magical treasure becoming stronger.
It was an extremely important existence, one that aided cultivation greatly. For that very reason, not just any artifact could be made into a life-bound magical treasure.
"Balance is important. If you grow greedy and seek a treasure that is too powerful, you will spend so much time making it that you neglect the cultivation that truly matters."
"Ah."
"But if you make it carelessly, the magical treasure meant to become your lifelong companion will be weak. That is absolutely unacceptable."
Just thinking about it was troublesome enough to make him hum under his breath. In Hu-yeon continued.
"The best method is to give good materials to a trustworthy blacksmith and commission its creation, but even that is not easy."
"...I suppose not."
He understood what that meant. A life-bound magical treasure was so important that it could be considered a second life.
Who could one entrust with making equipment that would accompany them for their entire life?
If the blacksmith harbored ill intentions, who knew what tricks they might weave into the treasure? Unless they were a sibling bound by blood, trusting them would be difficult.
"Then should you make it yourself? An artifact, and one corresponding to the 3rd Realm at that. How could that possibly be easy? It absolutely is not."
The art of crafting artifacts, known as artifact refinement, was considered one of the most difficult fields among the Hundred Arts of Cultivation.
Learning artifact refinement merely to create one life-bound magical treasure would be...
A waste of time. Even with a prodigious talent for artifact refinement, it would take at least several decades.
The simplest method was to gather materials and entrust them to a specialist.
"The Sword Seed is a treasure born from such concerns. It is a seed developed by ancient cultivators who had mastered spiritual plant arts. It feeds on its owner's Sword Qi, grows, and eventually becomes a sword. A rare spiritual plant indeed."
"...Can the sword born that way be used as a life-bound magical treasure as it is?"
"Yes. Since it grew by feeding on your Sword Qi, it should fit your hand perfectly. Also, the greatest characteristic of a Sword Seed is that it is alive. Even after becoming a sword, it can continue to strengthen with time and grow by absorbing various nutrients."
Indeed.
It truly was a fine item. In particular, there was a high chance it would be even more useful to him.
If I plant this in the Mental Secret Realm and raise it with the Boundless Great Ability...
Jin Somyeong nodded as he toyed with the golden seed that resembled an almond.
"Thank you. I will use it well."
"Mm."
As the Golden Core sword cultivator, arms still crossed, gave a small nod, the late Golden Core cultivator known as the Lord of Sky Island, Hyo Wol-seong, approached with a benevolent smile.
"My daughter wronged you. Allow me to apologize in her stead."
"...It is all right. It was not a serious matter."
"No. You only endured it unscathed because you are who you are. If another Foundation Establishment cultivator had been struck by the 3rd Realm Wind Fang Fan, they would have coughed up blood. They would not have died thanks to the formation, but they would certainly have suffered."
Jin Somyeong wondered why he was speaking at such length, but then the Lord of Sky Island smiled awkwardly and held out a wooden box.
"An apology means nothing if it is made only in words. Open it when you are alone. If used well, it will aid your body-refinement training. It is a token of my sincerity, so there is no need to refuse."
"Then I will accept it with gratitude."
He swept the box with his Divine Sense. It was harder than most metals, and because it was tightly sealed, he could not discern what was inside.
After a moment of thought, Jin Somyeong placed the wooden box into his storage pouch. Just then—
Do not be bewitched by the shortcut before your eyes and lose your Dao Heart.
The Lord of Sky Island's voice echoed inside his mind.
He had sent the message through Divine Sense transmission, yet his face still held that same benevolent smile.
Jin Somyeong paused, then bowed politely before stepping down from the platform.
Ha Yul-hui, who looked as though she had been dragged out by force, followed. After the awards for second through tenth place had all concluded, the long-awaited time finally arrived.
It was time to enter the Cleansing Spirit Pond.