A Downpour of Rewards
Jin Somyeong looked back and forth between the two storage pouches, then reached out.
He decided to open Hyeok Cheon-ung’s first—the storage pouch that had belonged to a False Golden Core cultivator.
You may preserve the contents by consuming 1,000 Boundless Great Ability beads.
He accepted the notification at once. During the half month it had taken him to return to Sky Island, the Boundless Great Ability had recovered, leaving him with more than enough golden beads.
Crack.
The third-tier storage pouch vanished in an instant, and at the same time, new items appeared in the subspace—now nearly ten times larger than before, as broad as a schoolyard.
Just like that, he had obtained a Golden Core-grade storage pouch sealed by restrictions with almost absurd ease.
The Simsangbigyeong divine ability was satisfying every single time he used it.
Let’s see...
He swept his gaze over the haul. There was a staggering assortment of things, from jade slips to various seeds and miscellaneous magic artifacts. After wondering where to begin, he chose the jade slips first.
Illustrated Compendium of Flora.
It was an encyclopedia that catalogued more than several thousand spirit herbs and trees with mysterious effects. If he properly committed this to memory, he would be able to recognize most spiritual plants unless they were exceptionally rare.
Not bad.
It seemed useful, and he liked it. Jin Somyeong nodded in satisfaction and moved on to the next jade slip.
Azure Wood Animating Art.
It was a third-tier spiritual planting art that contained everything from methods for growing and transplanting spirit herbs to various secret arts that accelerated plant growth. He skimmed through it, and there was a great deal that could help him.
It can awaken an incarnation body by granting spirituality to a plant?
In simple terms, it meant turning a spirit herb into an intelligent being, much like a person.
Of course, it was not easy. It required numerous treasures of heaven and earth suited to each spirit herb, as well as a great deal of time and care.
It would be convenient to have something like a steward managing my Mental Secret Realm.
Stroking his chin, Jin Somyeong examined the Azure Wood Animating Art carefully to see if there were any drawbacks.
As expected, the secret art had a fatal flaw.
If it remains apart from its master for too long, the spiritual plant may flee or rebel.
It was a fairly serious defect, but for Jin Somyeong, it did not particularly matter. He simply had to raise the spiritual plant inside the Mental Secret Realm.
Since they would never be separated for long in the first place, there was nothing to worry about.
A spiritual planting art, huh...
He was torn over whether to learn it. The more spirit herbs he planted inside the Mental Secret Realm, the clearer it became that there were limits to raising them by rough guesswork.
Learning a spiritual planting art would certainly prove useful, but it would require at least several decades of devoted effort, and that burden was not light.
I’ll decide after I form my Golden Core.
Once he reached the Golden Core realm, his lifespan would increase dramatically to five hundred years. At that point, the burden of learning crafts and arts would lessen.
He set down the jade slip of the third-tier spiritual planting art, the Azure Wood Animating Art, and moved on to the next.
This one is also an explanation of spirit herbs.
Perhaps because Hyeok Cheon-ung had been a spiritual planter, there were many jade slips with similar contents. Vines that grew by feeding on lava, lotus flowers of seven colors, and so on.
As Jin Somyeong read through jade slips filled with all kinds of legends whose truth was uncertain, he suddenly paused.
He had discovered an unusual secret art in the final jade slip.
Core-Shattering Method?
To summarize this secret art in one sentence: it was the only method by which a False Golden Core cultivator could become a true Golden Core master.
Shatter one’s own core, return to Foundation Establishment, and challenge the Golden Core again...
He could tell from imagination alone that it was an extremely dangerous secret art. The moment one’s Golden Core shattered, nine out of ten would likely die.
It’s useless to me... no, wait.
A possibility flashed through his mind.
Why would Hyeok Cheon-ung, a False Golden Core cultivator, possess this secret art?
Naturally, it was because he had intended to use the Core-Shattering Method to become a true Golden Core.
Then... wouldn’t he have prepared a Golden Core treasure too?
The possibility was very high.
Jin Somyeong hurriedly set down the jade slip and rummaged through the subspace. He first pushed aside anything that was clearly not a Golden Core treasure, then began checking each box sealed with talismans one by one.
Not this.
His heart was pounding by the time he opened the seventh wooden case.
At last, he found it.
The Golden Core treasure he had longed for.
The Hundred Spirit Grass.
“Ah.”
From petal to stem to root, it was white as snow. It looked so delicate that he was afraid to touch it, as if a mere tap might make it melt away and vanish.
With the treasure known as a Golden Core spirit object before his eyes, he went blank for a moment.
This easily?
He had hoped for it inwardly, but now that he had actually obtained the Hundred Spirit Grass, he had no idea how to react.
After standing frozen for a long while, Jin Somyeong jolted as if startled awake.
Easily?
What nonsense. He had nearly died so many times to obtain this that he could not even count them.
Shaking his head to cast off the absurd thought, Jin Somyeong used the Boundless Great Ability. He spent more than a thousand golden beads on the Hundred Spirit Grass alone.
Only after examining it thoroughly for any possible problem did he relax.
It’s real... a top-grade Golden Core treasure with absolutely nothing wrong with it.
How had Hyeok Cheon-ung obtained this Hundred Spirit Grass? He had probably gone through hell for it.
But the reward for all that hardship had gone to Jin Somyeong.
Click.
He closed the wooden case and wrapped it tightly in talismans.
I’ll take it when I challenge the Golden Core.
Unlike Foundation Establishment treasures, the Hundred Spirit Grass did not need to be refined into a pill. It was best consumed raw.
“Heh.”
Once the shock settled, he could not stop laughing.
The Hundred Spirit Grass purified the soul and reduced the agony of the Golden Core breakthrough process. It was an essential preparation for using the True Core Condensation Method, and he had obtained it thanks to the Spirit-Seeking Talisman.
What a relief. I had no idea how I was going to find this.
The final piece needed for him to challenge the Golden Core had fallen into place. Now all he needed was the time required to reach the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment.
He stroked the wooden case containing the Hundred Spirit Grass, then carefully stored it in the subspace.
After that, with a considerably lighter heart, he checked the remaining spoils.
Oh, there are Strengthening Body Pills too?
Preparations for becoming a Golden Core cultivator kept appearing one after another.
Every treasure that Hyeok Cheon-ung must have struggled bitterly to gather had fallen into Jin Somyeong’s hands wholesale. He almost wanted to thank the man, wherever he was in the afterlife.
“Hahaha.”
Since Jin Somyeong had already achieved third-tier body refinement, the Strengthening Body Pills were not strictly necessary. Still, having them certainly did no harm.
Next came the magic treasures, but he lacked the spiritual power to examine them properly for now.
I’ll take another look after I form my Golden Core.
He inspected a millstone-like treasure and a bracelet artifact set with tricolored gems from various angles, then placed them into the subspace.
Finally, after sorting the various spirit herb seeds as best he could, he picked up the bone-necklace storage pouch he had obtained from the third-tier Demon Beast King.
You may preserve the contents by consuming 1,000 Boundless Great Ability beads.
Naturally, he agreed. The Mental Secret Realm absorbed the storage pouch whole.
I wonder what’s in this one.
He swept his gaze across the newly appeared objects in the subspace, which had once again doubled in size.
Truthfully, since it had been a storage pouch carried by a demon beast, he had not expected much. But his expectations were betrayed in the best possible way.
Yellow Current Grass, Wind-Blood Vine, Blue Jade Flower, and more.
It was packed full of third-tier spirit herbs useful for body-refinement training.
As befitted a martial-type Demon Beast King that had fought by swinging its claws, there were many body-refinement treasures. Some of the spirit herbs even had living roots, meaning he might be able to propagate them inside the Mental Secret Realm.
Nice. The Wind-Blood Vine is a third-tier spirit object that increases the speed of blood-energy circulation.
Faster blood-energy circulation carried many advantages. His reflexes would improve, and the time needed to activate Condensing Light to Extinguish Dust would become even shorter. It was useful in all kinds of ways.
Excellent.
At this point, he felt like showering praise on the talisman called the Spirit-Seeking Talisman.
It fully deserved to be called a fortuitous encounter. Every single thing he obtained through it was of great help.
As he marveled, Jin Somyeong picked up a large stone disc. Its rough appearance called to mind a stele, but after examining it closely, he realized it was similar to a jade slip.
Shall I read it?
The moment he infused it with Divine Sense, four words rose into his mind.
Wind-Transmuting Body Force.
It was an art that wrapped the body in wind to increase movement speed and could devastate the surroundings with cutting gales.
That’s the divine ability it used when it fought me.
Perhaps because it was a secret art developed by demon beasts innately capable of controlling wind, many parts of the explanation were vague. Basic matters—such as how to gather and manipulate wind—were described as if they were naturally possible, so an ordinary person would find it difficult to learn.
Hmm...
But Jin Somyeong had the proficiency system. Even an unfriendly demon beast art was something he could learn.
As long as he had enough Boundless Great Ability.
When he checked the registration cost, it demanded an enormous amount: thirty thousand beads.
Judging by that massive cost, if he entered the threshold of this art, he would likely gain an innate ability to control wind.
Wind-Transmuting Body Force... Its power was certainly impressive.
He recalled the destructive force that had sunk an island with a few gestures.
After some thought, he made his decision. He would learn this art after forming his Golden Core.
I gained a lot.
There was only one regrettable point. He did not know the exact reason, but there were only seven high-grade Spirit Stones.
Even so, there were too many miscellaneous items to count, including the meat of unknown demon beasts and a large quantity of low- and mid-grade Spirit Stones.
Now all that’s left is cultivation.
The only thing remaining before the Golden Core was reaching the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment.
Three years later.
Compared to before, two major things had changed.
First, he had reached the eighth layer of Foundation Establishment.
Normally, cultivation was not easy once one entered the late stage of Foundation Establishment. It would not be strange for one’s realm to remain unchanged even after more than ten years of closed-door cultivation.
And yet Jin Somyeong had advanced in only three years.
Perhaps because he had fought the Demon Beast King with his life on the line, his spiritual power accumulated at an oddly rapid pace.
Of course, the greatest help had come from the endless stream of Spirit Stones.
There was likely no Foundation Establishment cultivator on Sky Island who had consumed more spirit medicines than Jin Somyeong.
And... my lifespan increased too.
It had increased by exactly one hundred and five years.
He had been too frantic during his battle with the Demon Beast King to notice, but his body-refinement realm had risen to the third tier, increasing his lifespan considerably.
In truth, now that his physical body had reached Golden Core level, his total lifespan should normally have been around five hundred years. However, perhaps because he had drawn too heavily on his vitality during the battle, the increase in lifespan had been modest.
It was slightly regrettable, but he did not dwell on it too much.
Once I form my Golden Core, my lifespan will increase again anyway.
He knew this thanks to records left behind by cultivators who, like Jin Somyeong, had cultivated both body-refinement arts and ordinary cultivation methods at the same time.
He decided to think of these additional one hundred and five years as nothing more than a bonus.
Good.
He was about to ride the momentum and continue cultivating when he paused.
The cultivation pills that had once been piled like a mountain in his subspace had finally shown their bottom.
I suppose I’ll have to visit the market.
The moment he opened the formations around his cave abode, a transmission talisman that had been waiting at the entrance flew in.
Senior Jin, I have something to deliver to you. Please contact me once your closed-door cultivation ends.
It was a message from Baek Yu-geon, with whom he had become fairly close.
Being addressed so respectfully as “senior” the moment his body-refinement realm rose to the third tier felt a little burdensome, but Jin Somyeong accepted it. That was simply the culture of this world. If Baek Yu-geon reached the Golden Core realm, he would probably go back to calling him Daoist Friend.
Scratching his cheek, Jin Somyeong took out a transmission talisman.
How long had he waited after sending his reply? Soon, Baek Yu-geon came to his cave abode and greeted him.
“It is an honor to see you, Senior.”
“Daoist Baek. It’s been a while.”
“Daoist Friend? Please, just speak down to me. That way, when I later become a Golden Core cultivator, I can order Foundation Establishment juniors around without any discomfort.”
“Mm... very well.”
“Haha. As expected, you’re refreshingly decisive.”
They drank tea and chatted lightly for quite some time before Baek Yu-geon brought up the main matter.
“The investigation results are in regarding Hyeok Cheon-ung, the man you told me about before.”
“Hyeok Cheon-ung? Ah, the one who grew Tong-eo grass.”
“Yes. But something is strange. We investigated every island in the Gwangwon Sea Region, and not a single person knew Hyeok Cheon-ung.”
“No one knew him? Is it possible to cultivate all the way to False Golden Core while avoiding everyone’s eyes?”
“Of course not. It seems Hyeok Cheon-ung was a cultivator who came from beyond the sea.”
Beyond the sea?
Just as Jin Somyeong paused at the unexpected news, Baek Yu-geon smiled and said, “You’re surprised too, Senior. I also learned for the first time through this investigation that there is another world beyond this sea.”
“Mm...”
According to Jin Somyeong’s own investigations, this sea was vast beyond imagination. Moreover, it was blocked on all sides by dangerous regions, making it nearly impossible for even a Golden Core master to leave with nothing but their own body.
And yet someone had entered from outside.
In a way, it was good news. It meant there was a route by which one could come and go.
Could I return to Damun Kingdom?
Because he had enemies he needed to repay, he wanted to return at least once if possible.
“Did you perhaps learn how Hyeok Cheon-ung came to this sea?”
“We are continuing to investigate, but... we have yet to make any progress on that front.”
“I see. If you obtain any results, let me know as well.”
“Of course. Ah! And here are the twenty high-grade Spirit Stones you requested, Senior. They are extremely precious, so I came personally.”
High-grade Spirit Stones!
It was such welcome news that his eyes widened on their own.
High-grade Spirit Stones were essential for raising the Mental Secret Realm to the third tier.
“These Spirit Stones were mined recently after Sky Island seized control of an exceptional third-tier spirit vein.”
The moment Jin Somyeong opened the jade box Baek Yu-geon respectfully offered, he saw clean crystals wrapped in silk. They were only two or three finger joints in size, but the power contained within them was anything but ordinary.
The surrounding spiritual energy grew abruptly denser. The air itself felt heavy.
Looking at their luminous blue light, he almost felt bewitched.
“Thank you.”
“Haha. Then I’ll take my leave.”
Baek Yu-geon seemed curious about how the high-grade Spirit Stones would be used, but he was sensible enough not to ask.
After seeing him off in silence, Jin Somyeong stopped by the market.
He purchased an enormous quantity of cultivation resources—pills, medicinal bath ingredients for improving his spiritual root, and more—then returned to his cave abode.
After activating the formations at maximum strength so that no one could disturb him, he invested all twenty high-grade Spirit Stones.
It was time to grow the Mental Secret Realm to the third tier.