Digesting the Rewards
Clang!
Jin Somyeong appeared in a crackle of lightning and drew his sword.
From left to right.
The blade swept sideways, tracing a single line through the air, and in that instant the upper and lower halves of a dozen demon beasts slid apart. A crescent-shaped slash had spread from the sword and cut clean through them.
None of them could stop it. Even a mid-Foundation Establishment-level demon beast was cleaved in two with a single stroke.
"Kiiiiik!?"
The monkey that seemed to be their commander widened its eyes and yanked out another stark-white shinbone.
Thud, thud, thud!
Using all four of its arms, it began beating the drum like a thing possessed.
Invisible sound waves condensed in the air, sharpening into blades as they flew toward him, but they were far too slow to strike Jin Somyeong while he was using the Thunder Escape Art.
Craaaack!
He plunged into the swarm of nearly a hundred demon beasts and swung his sword. Narrowly avoiding the claws of one beast as it counterattacked, he took its head off in a single cut.
Whoosh!
The monkey's spell came belatedly, but it meant nothing. Jin Somyeong lightly blocked it by using the demon beasts filling every side of him as shields.
He ran wild without restraint, smashing apart the encirclement that had already half-collapsed. There were crustacean demon beasts with hard shells among them, but even they could not withstand Sword Qi wrapped in lightning.
"Kyaak! Human! I remember you!"
Perhaps realizing the tide had turned against it, the late-Foundation Establishment-level monkey kicked off the ground. Abandoning the demon beasts that still lunged stubbornly even as they died, it fled alone.
Jin Somyeong narrowed his eyes and was about to give chase at once when—
Boom!
A house-sized seal plunged down from the sky and slammed into the monkey. Ha Yulhui had finally found enough breathing room amid the broken encirclement to wield her magical artifact.
"Kek!?"
The fleeing monkey was hurled to the ground, and in the brief instant that the energy flowing from the seal suppressed it—
Slash!
Jin Somyeong did not miss the opening. He cut off its head in one stroke.
The head drifted through the air, then dropped with a thud. At the same time, the demon beasts that had been fighting without regard for their own lives froze.
Grrr...?
Every last one of them looked around in confusion, and the moment their eyes met Jin Somyeong's—
Kiiiiik!
They scattered in a panic, as if they had come face-to-face with a reaper.
"..."
It was somewhat unexpected, but if he let them go, they would only devour people elsewhere. He was about to chase them down and finish them off, but soon realized there was no need.
Thud!
The demon beasts fleeing in every direction collapsed one after another.
As if every last shred of strength had been wrung from them, they withered into desiccated corpses and crumbled where they fell.
"...Hah! W-we're alive!"
"The Thunderous Swordsman came for us!"
Only then did the Qi Refining cultivators come back to their senses and burst into delayed cheers.
Among them, Ha Yulhui bit her lip and muttered under her breath.
"You... you were definitely weaker than me not long ago. How in the world..."
Weaker?
Did she think she would have won if their fight in the tournament had continued?
It was absurd, but Jin Somyeong merely sighed. What was the point of arguing over every word with a spoiled princess?
He was about to ignore her and let it pass when her voice, now clear, reached him again.
"How did you become that strong?"
At that simple question, the countless life-and-death battles he had survived flashed through his mind in an instant.
How was he supposed to explain all of it?
He could have spoken for an entire day and night and still not run out of things to say. And yet, for some reason, it all condensed into a single sentence.
"Because I staked my life on the edge of my blade."
Leaving her frozen in place, Jin Somyeong selected only the second-tier demon beasts from among those he had just killed and stored them in his subspace. Unfortunately, the late-Foundation Establishment-level monkey had no inner core.
He glanced at Ha Yulhui, but she did not seem interested in such materials. Whatever she was thinking, she stood motionless, as if something in her had broken.
Just then, the other Qi Refining cultivators came rushing over as if competing with one another and bowed their heads.
"Senior! Thank you for saving us!"
"What happened here? Why did so many demon beasts suddenly appear?"
He asked the question that had been bothering him for a while, but the Qi Refining cultivators merely smiled bitterly.
"We don't know either. We came out to gather spirit herbs, and then this disaster fell on us..."
As he was trying to guess what might have caused it, a sharp, prickly voice cut in.
"Demon beasts are always attacking. What's so strange about it? Things had been quiet for a while, so it was about time they came. Stop wasting breath and let's return to Hyowol Castle already."
Ha Yulhui, having somehow regained her usual arrogant bearing, took out a platter-sized disc and tossed it into the air.
The disc expanded in an instant and hovered overhead. At a glance, it was clearly a vehicle.
"What are you doing? Get on."
The Qi Refining cultivators, after exchanging cautious glances, climbed onto the disc in a crowd. Jin Somyeong, his curiosity piqued, followed them.
Whoosh!
The disc cut through the wind at a respectable speed. It was slower than his Thunder Escape Art at full power, but far faster than simply flying with spiritual energy.
Is it powered by spirit stones? It would be convenient for long-distance flight. I wonder how much one of these costs.
As he observed the flying disc, Hyowol Castle soon came into view.
But the castle that greeted them was different from before.
...Corpses?
The once-clean walls were stained so thoroughly with blood that they seemed dyed red, and the surrounding area was packed with demon beast corpses piled like mountains. It seemed a large-scale assault had just ended.
Fortunately, nothing appears to have collapsed.
As Jin Somyeong's group approached the gate, someone shouted from atop the wall.
"Halt! Come no closer and state your identities! ...Wait. The Thunderous Swordsman?"
The armored cultivator who had been shouting from the wall flinched, then his face lit up.
"Oh! Lady Ha Yulhui is with you as well. I heard you had gone to the Cleansing Spirit Pond. I'm glad you returned safely. What are you all standing around for? Open the formation at once!"
"Captain! What if they're demon beasts in disguise? We should use the Demon-Detection Disc first!"
"Ah... right. Lady Ha Yulhui, Fellow Daoist Jin, my apologies, but we'll have to confirm first. There have been an abnormal number of second-tier demon beasts capable of speech lately."
Jin Somyeong cast a sidelong glance at Ha Yulhui. He wondered if the spoiled girl, as he privately thought of her, would get prickly about it.
Contrary to his expectations, however, she was obedient.
"Fine, just hurry up. I'm exhausted."
She even stepped forward first to undergo the inspection.
"Thank you for your cooperation. Please remain still and do not evade it."
The late-Foundation Establishment cultivator who seemed to be in charge took out a round magical artifact the size of a tray.
Wuuung!
A strange wave of spiritual energy swept over Jin Somyeong's group, repeating more than a dozen times in a short span. It felt as if something were forcibly stirring through his insides, and to be honest, it was not particularly pleasant.
Does it stimulate spiritual energy to determine whether someone is a demon beast?
As he guessed at the principle behind the Demon-Detection Disc, the armored cultivator spoke in a noticeably brighter tone.
"Inspection complete. Please come in."
Jin Somyeong passed through the gate into Hyowol Castle, then paused.
The atmosphere was unexpectedly peaceful.
Some younger cultivators wandered the streets with anxious expressions, but the older Foundation Establishment cultivators seemed completely unbothered. There was even someone basking in the sunlight with a leisurely face.
Seeing that, Jin Somyeong felt oddly relieved.
Is this just daily life here?
He had worried they might be on the verge of going to war with the demon beasts, but it did not seem to have reached that point yet.
That's a relief. I've gained far too much recently, and I need time to digest it all.
When he looked up at the sky, the shockwaves that had been endlessly rumbling overhead had subsided as well. The battle between third-tier beings had also entered a lull.
Just then, Ha Yulhui, who had followed behind him, muttered in a drained voice.
"Haa. I was already tired after visiting the Cleansing Spirit Pond, and now the demon beasts have given me internal injuries too."
"We're sorry. Because of us... We will repay the grace you showed us today someday, no matter what."
The Qi Refining cultivators, thoroughly cowed, spoke as if swearing an oath, but Ha Yulhui only snorted.
"Hmph. As if you'd be any help. Forget it. I'm going to rest, so do whatever you want now."
After shooting one final glare at Jin Somyeong, she turned on her heel and left.
An awkward silence hung there for a moment. Then the Qi Refining cultivators standing stiffly in place bowed to Jin Somyeong this time.
"Senior Jin, thank you very much for helping us as well. What we said just now wasn't a lie. No matter when it may be, we will repay this debt."
"Mm. I'll look forward to it. If possible, make it a good gift."
"Haha! Understood."
To be honest, Jin Somyeong felt much the same as Ha Yulhui. Would the day ever come when Qi Refining cultivators could be of help to him?
The odds seemed slim, but he did not bother pointing that out. He simply smiled and parted ways with them.
I'll stop by the market, then return to the eastern district.
The tournament was over, so it was time to return to his routine.
He needed a safe place to sort through the treasures he had recently obtained. In that regard, the eastern district was the best.
He headed toward the market without thinking much of it, but he felt gazes on him from every street.
"The Thunderous Swordsman?"
"Come on, the winners of the Immortal Ascension Tournament should be at the Cleansing Spirit Pond right now."
"Isn't today the one-month mark?"
"...Could it really be him?"
Those who recognized him as the winner of the Immortal Ascension Tournament whispered among themselves. They spoke as softly as if murmuring into one another's ears, but thanks to his sharpened senses, he heard all of it.
Jin Somyeong paused, then changed his appearance with the Cheonbyeonmanhwagong. It was not so much that he intended to hide his identity. It was simply inconvenient.
As soon as he arrived at the market, he sold off all the demon beast materials he had obtained that day and spent every spirit stone he earned.
He bought all sorts of cultivation resources, including spirit rice, and spirit soil for planting the Sword Seed, among other things.
Hm?
Then he saw a strange sight down one side alley. There was an unusually large crowd gathered in front of a shop specializing in magical artifacts.
Cheonryeon Workshop? That's where I bought the Five Elements Sword.
The sword had been useful, but because the shop was tucked away in a remote spot, it had barely ever had customers. Yet now it was so crowded there was no room to set foot. Curious about what was going on, he drew closer.
"They say the sword you made rivals a third-tier magical treasure. Is that true?"
"Bullshit! What kind of talent would a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator like me have to make a magical treasure-grade sword? Absolutely not, so stop spouting nonsense and leave."
"Hmm."
The Foundation Establishment cultivators gathered in front of the shop glanced at one another and murmured, then nodded.
"Understood for now. Please give me one of those Five Elements Swords as well."
"There aren't any... I said there aren't any. Every sword I made has already been sold."
The old man who owned Cheonryeon Workshop looked strangely exhausted. Even the rugged muscles he had once possessed had noticeably withered compared to before.
"They're all sold? Then can't you simply make new ones?"
"You damned fool! Do you think a second-tier mid-grade magical artifact pops out the moment I swing a hammer?"
The old man waved them away as if telling them to get lost, but the customers did not budge.
"Tsk. You have a bit of skill, and now you're playing hard to get. I'll pay seven hundred mid-grade spirit stones, so make one quickly."
"S-seven hundred... Ahem! That won't be enough."
"...Eight hundred. In exchange, you must make it exactly like the one the Thunderous Swordsman used."
"Haha! My dear customer, do not worry. I will make you one identical down to the very last ornament."
Having seen that much, Jin Somyeong shook his head. That old man who loved spirit stones was still exactly the same.
As he quietly left, his gaze dropped, and he saw the Five Elements Sword hanging at his waist.
It felt strange to know the thing's price had risen.
In the distant future, perhaps this sword would be treated as a divine blade on Sky Island.
The absurd thought made him laugh under his breath.
The eastern district was unchanged after a month away.
Quiet and saturated with dense spiritual energy, it soothed his mind.
I should strengthen the mine first.
He had many things to do, such as planting the Sword Seed and creating the Jade Radiance Spring, but he decided to take them one step at a time.
Flash!
Using the divine ability engraved into his soul, he moved into the Mental Secret Realm and ran toward the mine.
There, he saw three hundred mid-grade spirit stones that had accumulated during the month he had spent at the Cleansing Spirit Pond.
If he added the eight hundred spirit stones he already possessed, that made eleven hundred. It was enough to grow the spirit vein of the Mental Secret Realm to second-tier mid-grade.
Clang! Clang!
He swung the pickaxe with practiced ease. After mining around thirty mid-grade spirit stones, a throb began pulsing between his brows.
His exhausted divine soul cried out in pain. Mining spirit stones in a half-soul state was no different from heavy labor.
Endure it.
This, too, was training. The more pain he endured, the stronger his divine soul would become.
He continued mining with his body swaying unsteadily. The moment he mined fifty spirit stones in a row, his head spun.
"Ah."
He instinctively knew he had reached his limit, but he did not stop. Forcing his body to move when it felt ready to collapse, he mined three more spirit stones.
Then, with his mind hazy, he left the Mental Secret Realm and fell onto his bed.
How long had he slept? His eyes opened naturally.
For the first time in a long while, he felt as if he had slept truly and deeply. At the same time, the world seemed a shade brighter.
...My Divine Sense has grown stronger.
The range remained at two hundred meters, but it felt sturdier than before. If it continued to grow stronger like this, he would not be easily swayed by another person's Divine Sense attacks.
It wouldn't be bad to save up spirit stones and mine them all at once from time to time.
Nodding to himself, he entered the Mental Secret Realm again. He repeated the cycle of mining spirit stones to his absolute limit, then sleeping deeply.
And the moment he had gathered one thousand mid-grade spirit stones, the time he had been waiting for arrived.
He did not hesitate.
He consumed every last spirit stone and raised the Mental Secret Realm to second-tier mid-grade.