Expanding the Mental Secret Realm
The moment Jin Somyeong invested a thousand mid-grade Spirit Stones—
Rumble!
With a welcome tremor, the Mental Secret Realm began to expand.
The secret realm, which had first been no more than a small hill, now stretched well beyond six thousand square meters. It had grown so vast that he could no longer take it all in at a glance.
And more importantly, the density of spiritual energy had increased as well. It had grown nearly twice as rich, seeping into his lungs with every breath.
Inhale...
Jin Somyeong savored the sensation of being filled to the brim, then nodded.
My meridians are still fine. I should be able to keep strengthening it for a while.
It seemed safe to raise it past second-rank high-grade. Thanks to his elevated realm and the meridians reinforced by the Water-Fire Fusion Scripture of the Ojangbaekryeongyeol, he felt no strain whatsoever.
After taking his time enjoying the expanded secret realm and its thickened spiritual energy, he turned his mind to the next task.
Next... I should make my own Blue Radiance Spring.
He took a fist-sized blue stone from his subspace.
Crackle! Snap!
According to what he had learned in the market, the object that emitted lightning on its own was called a Blue Thunder Pearl. It was a rare mineral found in special environments where lightning struck all year round.
They said all I have to do is soak it in spirit-infused water.
He flicked his finger. Spiritual energy condensed in midair, forming a massive shovel that dug into the Mental Secret Realm.
Ten meters by ten meters. After excavating a pit suitable for use as a bath, he took out Thunderpool Stone, a second-rank mineral resistant to lightning.
Shhk!
With Sword Qi, he neatly sliced apart a boulder the size of a house. He carved it into the shape of a bathtub and placed it inside the pit.
Not bad.
Then he took out a gourd he had purchased at the market and poured its contents in.
Gush!
Spirit water poured out without end. The water was condensed dew saturated with spiritual energy, gathered by the Qi Refining cultivators of Sky Island after climbing the mountains in the early dawn.
In the blink of an eye, an open-air bath was complete. Jin Somyeong tossed all twelve Blue Thunder Pearls into it.
Is that enough?
Ordinarily, the most difficult and important part of creating a spirit spring like this was defending it from intruders. One had to set up formations to keep out thieves and demon beasts drawn by the scent, but Jin Somyeong had no need for such measures. The Mental Secret Realm itself was one of the safest places in the world.
Having my own land is convenient.
He watched the still surface of the water for some time.
Rumble...
A faint peal of thunder began to sound. Lightning energy had seeped out of the Blue Thunder Pearls and filled the water.
Pleased, Jin Somyeong dipped his fingertips into it and felt the power of lightning strengthening by the slightest degree. After estimating the rate at which the small Blue Radiance Spring would grow stronger, he nodded.
If I absorb it once a month, the proficiency of my Cheonroedochegyeol should rise by about two thousand.
Of course, he could also convert it into spiritual energy and raise his realm. For the time being, that seemed more efficient.
I need to get more spiritual objects like the Blue Thunder Pearl.
Lightning-attributed treasures were extremely rare, so it would not be easy, but he decided to keep an eye out for any chance.
Next came the Sword Seed.
Depending on how one looked at it, this seed might be the most important thing he had obtained from the Ascension Tournament. He turned the golden seed over in his fingers, pondering. It might one day become his lifebound artifact.
Where should I plant it?
If possible, he wanted to choose the best location. He wandered through the Mental Secret Realm, searching for the place where spiritual energy was densest. It turned out to be the top of the hill.
Thud.
He dug a small hole and planted the seed. He spared no expense, sprinkling it with second-rank peak-grade spirit soil, earth naturally infused with spiritual energy.
After staring at the little mound of raised earth, he flicked his finger.
Whish!
The instant he shot Sword Qi toward the Sword Seed, the shimmer burrowing through the soil was absorbed into it. He had worried the seed might split apart, but no such thing happened.
Despite being no bigger than a fingernail, the seed swallowed every bit of Sword Qi Jin Somyeong sent at it.
...How strange.
It did not look particularly sturdy, yet its resistance to Sword Qi was astonishingly high. It was enough to make him curious about the abilities of the ancient cultivators who had developed this seed.
Whish, whish, whish!
He continued pouring Sword Qi into it until fatigue set in, but there was no visible change.
Hmm... Is it because it's a third-rank spiritual plant? This won't be easy.
After thinking for a moment, he even mobilized his Boundless Great Ability. He consumed five hundred golden beads, which had recovered over the past few days of rest, and made a wish.
Become a good sword.
The moment the mysterious ripple born from the Boundless Great Ability touched the seed—
Wooooong!
The Sword Seed shuddered. It almost looked as if it were rejoicing after eating something delicious. Its originally golden color also deepened by the faintest shade.
It had worked. At this rate, it seemed likely to sprout before long.
Good.
He clapped the dirt from his hands and rose. All that remained now was to nurture it steadily over time.
A spirit vein that had reached second-rank mid-grade. A small Blue Radiance Spring. The Sword Seed.
As Jin Somyeong looked over the changes that had taken place in the Mental Secret Realm, he felt a swell of pride somewhere deep inside him. If he continued filling it piece by piece like this, then one day the Mental Secret Realm would become a cultivation sanctuary even greater than the Cleansing Spirit Pond.
Flash!
After finishing everything, he returned to the eastern district and fell into thought. He needed to form a rough plan for how he would cultivate from here on.
If he had to choose the three things that most affected his current combat power, these were the ones. After scanning the state of his proficiencies, the next appropriate goal became obvious.
I should raise the Ojangbaekryeongyeol to Orthodox first.
The method was not difficult. He could invest his Boundless Great Ability, or he could absorb the energy contained in the third-rank inner core Sky Island's lord had given him.
However, the advice the lord of Sky Island had offered weighed on his mind.
Do not be tempted by shortcuts... What exactly counts as a shortcut?
He felt the need to investigate in detail. He went to Fire Gold Pavilion, the largest shop in Hyowol City, bought cultivation resources, and asked a question.
"Shopkeeper. What exactly are demon beast inner cores used for, for them to be so expensive?"
"They are used to cultivate special spiritual plants or refine artifacts as well, but most commonly, they are made into spiritual medicines."
"Are there any other special ways to use them? For example... directly absorbing the energy inside the inner core?"
"Ah! Certain powerful demon beasts can also be used for body-tempering cultivation. As it happens, we acquired a few thanks to the recent attacks. Are you interested?"
"Hmm. Do you happen to have any third-rank inner cores? If I am going to buy one, I would prefer something good."
"Third-rank? Ha ha. You speak as if describing a dream. How could anyone hunt down such a mighty being? It would not be easy even for a Golden Core merchant."
"...That is unfortunate."
"Even if you did obtain a third-rank inner core, absorbing it would be a waste."
"Why is that? If I absorbed a third-rank inner core, my cultivation should advance considerably."
"Cultivation is something that will be resolved in the end if you spend enough time, is it not? What was it called... the External Core Method? I do not know the details myself, but I have heard that if one has a third-rank inner core, one can become a Golden Core cultivator."
"The External Core Method...?"
"They say it is the easiest of the methods for reaching Golden Core. Well, obtaining a third-rank inner core is impossible, so it is meaningless talk."
The news was welcome enough that Jin Somyeong's eyes widened, but his rising curiosity soon cooled.
He finally understood what the lord of Sky Island had meant when giving him the third-rank inner core.
A shortcut. Could there be some problem with this External Core Method?
It felt likely. If reaching Golden Core were that easy, Sky Island would be overflowing with Golden Core cultivators. In this world, things that were purely beneficial were rare.
He left the shop and sank into thought.
The External Core Method... Still, I am curious.
His current cultivation was at the fifth layer of Foundation Establishment. He would soon reach the late stage, so it was about time he began learning about the Golden Core realm.
But information regarding the third rank was precious. He visited several shops and probed around indirectly, yet not a single person knew anything useful.
Baek Yu-geon seemed fairly kind. Should I go find him and ask?
That was how frustrated he had become. While he spent the next few days cultivating and pondering how to investigate further, a demon beast subjugation order was issued across Sky Island.
It was a mission to clean up Sky Island, which had been thrown into chaos by the recent attack.
Oh?
At this welcome news that arrived just as he was feeling troubled, Jin Somyeong clenched his fist.
If one told cultivators already busy with training to risk their lives fighting demon beasts, who would put in real effort? Naturally, there were rewards.
And very large ones at that.
Demon Beast Subjugation Reward Exchange
📍 Objective: Submit demon beast inner cores and exchange them for listed rewards.
🎁 Top Reward: Golden Core Insights
⚔ Exchange Cost: Five second-rank high-grade demon beast inner cores
They'll give Golden Core insights if I bring in second-rank high-grade demon beast inner cores?
The subjugation order was structured so that one could exchange demon beast inner cores for the reward of one's choice, and Golden Core insights were listed at the very top. Hoping he was right, Jin Somyeong read the description and confirmed that it was indeed a jade slip summarizing the methods for becoming a Golden Core cultivator.
The exchange cost was five second-rank high-grade demon beast inner cores.
In other words, he would need to hunt ten to twenty demon beasts at the late Foundation Establishment level. For an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator, it was all but impossible. They would likely need to gather companions and hunt as a group.
But Jin Somyeong was more than enough on his own. He had the combat power he had relentlessly honed.
With my current skill, and the Boundless Great Ability on top of that... I wonder how far I can reach.
Tapping the hilt of his sword, he hurried away.
Three months later.
Jin Somyeong focused on cultivation, and whenever he heard news that a second-rank high-grade demon beast had appeared, he immediately went after it. Most of the time, he came up empty-handed, but he never gave up and continued trying.
After repeating this several times, he finally encountered a demon beast at the late Foundation Establishment level.
"Human!"
It was a blue wyrm-fish, somewhere between a serpent and an imugi. The moment it met Jin Somyeong, it kicked up a spray of seawater and fled.
...?
That was not like a ferocious demon beast at all.
Jin Somyeong was taken aback when it fled without even looking back, but he immediately gave chase.
Boom!
He even used lightning movement to pursue it. Then, at some point, the demon beast that had been fleeing desperately came to a halt and looked around.
"You. Don't tell me you came looking for this body by yourself? A mere human with a lower realm than mine?"
It twitched the scales that seemed to serve as its eyebrows and glared at him. As though it had been scammed. Watching the second-rank high-grade wyrm-fish growl as if furious that it had run away at all, Jin Somyeong let out a faint laugh.
"If I am enough by myself, why would I need anyone else?"
"Kehah! It seems seawater flooded your brain while you were cultivating! From the look of you, you've learned some lightning arts and become arrogant, but..."
Demonic energy rippled from the horn growing on the creature's forehead.
"I shall show you why the sea dragon race is called the strongest in the ocean!"
Dark clouds gathered in the once-clear sky.
Rumble...
Within the thick cumulonimbus cloud that formed in an instant, crackling discharges erupted. Judging by the endless thunder, the cloud had been created by fusing lightning energy and water energy.
"Since ancient times, lightning has been the authority of our dragon race!"
Kraaaaaack!
A blinding flash painted the entire sea white.
Faced with the merciless baptism of lightning, Jin Somyeong narrowed his eyes.
He did not respond. For reasons known only to him, he simply stood still. He allowed the lightning surging toward him from every direction to strike him head-on.
Boom, boom, boom!
How long did the savage lightning storm, comparable to a natural disaster, continue?
Jin Somyeong, still wrapped in flashes of light, let out a sigh.
"All noise and no substance. Worse than the Blue Radiance Spring."
"...!"
The wyrm-fish seemed to realize something and tried to dive into the sea to escape, but its body was split diagonally apart.
A golden sword-flash had passed over the demon beast at that exact instant.
"What in the..."
Shock filled the arrogant wyrm-fish's eyes. It seemed unable to believe that its body had been sliced through like tofu.
"What spell was that?! Do you have any idea how hard my scales are?!"
"A dying thing has many questions."
The wyrm-fish, its life fading, stared at him with stubborn intensity. Its eyes seemed to beg for an explanation before death, but Jin Somyeong merely sheathed his sword in silence.
As if I would tell you.
In truth, the slash just now had consumed a full thousand beads of the Boundless Great Ability. He had used it to test his combat power when mobilizing the Boundless Great Ability, but unfortunately, his opponent had been too weak.
Splash!
The wyrm-fish fell into the sea as a corpse, never having satisfied its curiosity. Jin Somyeong fished it out and cut open its belly.
I wonder if it has an inner core...
He swung the Sword Qi gathered at his fingertips. For a long while, he butchered the creature, focusing on the areas where demonic energy felt strongest.
Found it!
He discovered a yellow bead that looked like an enlarged pearl.
Rumble...
Judging by the faint thunder he could hear from it, this was undoubtedly an extremely rare lightning-attributed demon core.
He gauged the energy inside it. It was on the level of a single Blue Thunder Pearl in the Mental Secret Realm. It would not recharge continuously like the Blue Thunder Pearl, but it was still an exceedingly useful treasure.
Hmm... Should I just use this myself?
If he absorbed the lightning energy inside and converted it into spiritual energy, the time it took him to reach the sixth layer of Foundation Establishment would be greatly reduced. However, if he did that, the Golden Core insights would move farther away.
Finding second-rank high-grade demon beasts is too difficult.
Winning the fight was not a problem, but discovering a demon beast at the late Foundation Establishment level was not easy in itself. Even this wyrm-fish had taken three months to find. He was lucky it had an inner core; if it had been a demon beast without one, the whole trip would have been wasted.
How many years would it take to gather five?
After thinking for a while, he postponed the decision for now. He would judge based on the rate at which inner cores accumulated from here on.
After collecting the other materials floating on the sea, he returned to Sky Island.
He resumed focusing on cultivation. At the same time, he even put out a bounty to gather information on demon beasts at the late Foundation Establishment level.
It was then that Baek Yu-geon, the beloved disciple of a third-rank formation master, came to the eastern district.
"Fellow Daoist Jin. I heard you have been looking for second-rank high-grade demon beasts lately. Is it perhaps to exchange for the Golden Core insights?"
"Yes."
Since he had publicly issued the request, it was hardly a secret. When Jin Somyeong nodded, Baek Yu-geon clapped his hands as if this was perfect timing.
"With your skill, Fellow Daoist, wandering around in search of second-rank high-grade demon beasts is a waste of time. Instead, I will give you the Golden Core insights I received from my master. In exchange..."