Divination Block
Before looking into the secret realm, Jin Somyeong wandered through Gwangya Immortal City and began by gathering the smallest scraps of information.
He wanted to learn the common sense of this place before making some needless mistake.
There are many differences from Sky Island.
First of all, unlike Sky Island, high-grade Spirit Stones were not treated as quite so precious here. Enough of them circulated through the market that they functioned as actual currency.
There was one simple reason for the difference.
A stable spirit vein environment.
The mere fact that spirit veins did not vanish without warning changed a great many things.
Well, when I think about it, the only reason high-grade Spirit Stones are treated as strategic resources on Sky Island is because of the spirit veins.
Why was Sky Island short on high-grade Spirit Stones?
For one thing, its spirit veins were unstable, which meant large-scale mining facilities could not be built over spirit stone mines. The supply of Spirit Stones itself was limited.
Another reason was the ongoing war against demon beasts.
Sky Island had to keep operating the Reverse Polarity Stronghold Formation that protected it, and powerful as that formation was, it consumed an enormous amount of spiritual energy.
If that were all, it might still be manageable...
The real problem came when a spirit vein suddenly disappeared.
Once that happened, Sky Island had to endure by burning through the stockpiled high-grade Spirit Stones until another spirit vein could be found. No matter how many high-grade Spirit Stones they had, most of them were consumed merely to maintain the formation.
They couldn’t hoard Spirit Stones even if they wanted to.
But when the spirit vein was stable, as it was in Gwangya Immortal City, everything changed.
Gwangya Immortal City surely had a protective formation as well, but the spirit vein covered most of its consumption. With maintenance costs reduced to an extreme degree, the surplus Spirit Stones could naturally be accumulated.
Ten years, a hundred years, a thousand years...
In other words, the more time passed, the more Spirit Stones circulated through the market.
Of course, everything had its advantages and disadvantages.
The surface had abundant resources, and therefore abundant cultivators. There were dozens upon dozens of Golden Core cultivators in Gwangya Immortal City alone.
Why would people who could become city lords and receive the respect of others come all the way here and suffer hardship?
For the same reason I did.
To reach a higher realm. To challenge the Nascent Soul stage.
Resources, cultivation methods, fortuitous encounters.
To raise one’s realm within a limited lifespan required many things. One could not reach it through leisurely cultivation alone.
And in truth, becoming a city lord on the surface was not easy either.
That, in turn, was precisely because spirit veins were fixed.
Could a place where spiritual energy had surged since ancient times possibly be ownerless?
Of course it had an owner. To seize a spirit vein and become a city lord, one had to defeat someone else.
Instead of fighting demon beasts, you fight people.
The barren Sky Island and the abundant surface. It was difficult to say rashly which was better to live in.
Jin Somyeong, who had been quietly lost in thought, gave a faint laugh.
Enough. Let’s do what needs to be done.
The world had always been harsh; there was no reason to sink into pointless sentiment now.
Besides, his circumstances were different from others’.
With the Boundless Great Ability and the Mental Secret Realm, he could step out of the endless competition and observe it from half a pace aside.
First, I’ll buy a Dharma treasure that blocks divination, then look into the secret realm.
He headed for the Treasure Pavilion, a shop specializing in third-realm Dharma treasures that he had chosen while learning about Gwangya Immortal City.
“I heard your pavilion has many unusual Dharma treasures. I’d like to see a list.”
“...You mean third-realm Dharma treasures, correct?”
“Yes.”
At the moment, Jin Somyeong was disguised as an ordinary wandering Foundation Establishment cultivator.
It was a Foundation Establishment cultivator trying to buy a third-realm Dharma treasure, but the clerk did not behave rudely. If anything, he bowed even more politely. In this world, there were countless people who concealed their realms and identities while walking around.
“Senior, please wait a moment. I will bring the proprietor.”
Had about ten minutes passed?
A neatly dressed Golden Core merchant approached with a smile.
“Honored customer, I apologize for keeping you waiting. Every Dharma treasure our Treasure Pavilion can sell is recorded here.”
Jin Somyeong scanned the jade slip the proprietor offered with his Divine Sense.
...As I heard, they have quite a lot.
The number and variety of Dharma treasures were astonishing. Even at a rough count, there were several thousand. It was hard to believe they all belonged to a seven-story Treasure Pavilion.
He narrowed his eyes as he examined the jade slip, then paused.
He had noticed something unusual on the list.
“What does the character ‘Ten Thousand’ beside a Dharma treasure’s name mean?”
“Our Treasure Pavilion is a store affiliated with the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower. Dharma treasures marked with ‘Ten Thousand’ are not in our shop, but they are in the possession of the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower.”
“...If I choose one of those, will you bring it to me?”
“Yes. However, depending on the item, you will need to pay an additional transport fee.”
“Hmm.”
“As you know, the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower is a merchant association operated by Nascent Soul seniors. Thanks to that, our shop can provide almost anything.”
Listening to the proprietor’s voice, full of pride, Jin Somyeong sank into thought.
The proprietor had not said so, but the delivery would likely take a considerable amount of time.
Surely it won’t take years?
There was a good chance it would. This world was simply that vast.
“If I were to purchase the Star-Reversing Disc, how long would transport take?”
“Hmm... That Dharma treasure is within Dongju. If you can wait five years, it can be delivered.”
He had asked about a random Dharma treasure just in case, and the answer was exactly as expected.
With a sigh, Jin Somyeong simply chose from among the items actually present in the shop.
“The Silverlight Thunder Robe, the Flowing Water Demon-Reflecting Mirror, and the Heavenly Heavy Inkstone Sword. I like these three. Is it possible to see the actual items?”
“...Please wait a moment. I will have my disciples bring them at once.”
The moment Jin Somyeong said he would buy three Dharma treasures at once, the proprietor’s attitude changed subtly. His shoulders narrowed, and both his head and waist lowered.
It did not take long for the confident Golden Core merchant to become a kindly shopkeeper.
Quantity, in and of itself, exerted a powerful force. Naturally, Spirit Stones were no exception.
How long had he waited?
Soon, five Foundation Establishment cultivators came in, straining as they carried a single box.
It was about a meter long and only as wide as a palm. It seemed perfectly suited to hold a single sword, yet it was so heavy that even with Strength Talismans pasted to their arms to enhance their physical power, they could barely carry it properly.
Beads of sweat ran down the foreheads of the Foundation Establishment clerks.
Frankly, it was hard to call the sight dignified, and an awkward smile appeared on the proprietor’s lips.
“Ahem... My disciples have shown you an unsightly display.”
“It’s fine. That appears to be one of the items I requested. May I take a look?”
“Of course.”
Thump.
The instant Jin Somyeong picked up the box the Foundation Establishment cultivators had struggled to move as though it were nothing, the proprietor’s eyebrows twitched faintly.
“Well now. The Heavenly Heavy Inkstone Sword weighs ten thousand geun in the blade alone, so it cannot even be placed in an ordinary storage bag, yet you lift it as though it were a twig.”
Jin Somyeong merely smiled and did not answer in detail.
There was no need to reveal how deep his mastery of body refinement was.
Click.
When he opened the box, he saw a sword as black as charcoal. Rather than sharp, it felt like a heavy iron club.
“The Heavenly Heavy Inkstone Sword grows heavier the more magical power is infused into it. They say it can increase up to one hundred thousand geun, so if one can wield it properly, it will display tremendous power.”
A maximum of one hundred thousand geun.
To wield a sword this heavy properly, magical power alone would not suffice. One had to practice body refinement as well.
Though it was a high-grade third-realm treasure, its demanding conditions meant it could exert power beyond its nominal grade.
Wuuung!
When he infused magical power into it as a test, the sword’s weight began increasing without end.
It’s hefty.
At roughly forty to fifty thousand geun—around thirty tons—he swung the heavy sword several times, then manipulated it in reverse.
The ten-thousand-geun sword became as light as a switch, drawing a murmur of admiration from him. It was also possible to reduce its weight.
“Excellent.”
He liked it. If Mugeuk, his Birth Dharma Treasure, could absorb the Heavenly Heavy Inkstone Sword’s properties, it would grow stronger.
Jin Somyeong nodded, then set the sword beside him without returning it.
As if understanding that this meant he would buy it, the proprietor’s expression brightened at once.
“Honored customer, next is the Silverlight Thunder Robe. It is a Dharma robe capable of storing a certain amount of lightning energy and controlling it freely, and it has excellent effects in preventing tracking and aiding concealment.”
It was a gorgeous Dharma robe that glittered like the Milky Way.
It seemed far too eye-catching, but that did not matter. Once an object reached the level of a Dharma treasure, its appearance could be changed easily.
Function mattered more than form.
Clothing specialized in preventing tracking.
Naturally, that tracking included divination. Simply wearing the Dharma robe in everyday life would allow him to block divination.
Its grade was high-grade third-realm.
It was also a decent piece of defensive equipment.
“I like this as well.”
When he placed the Dharma robe beside him too, the corners of the proprietor’s mouth rose without limit.
Now almost as deferential as an attendant, the proprietor offered him a mirror whose surface flowed with clear water.
Jin Somyeong examined its strange appearance, as though springwater had been captured and carved into shape, then asked, “This mirror was listed as an installation-type Dharma treasure. How exactly does it work?”
“The Flowing Water Demon-Reflecting Mirror only operates while a certain amount of magical power is being supplied to it. To use it properly, it must be installed over at least a low-grade third-realm spirit vein.”
“So if I simply install it in my cave residence, it will block curses and divination aimed at me?”
“Yes. However, if you move more than ten li away from the mirror, it will no longer be effective.”
“Can it block curses cast by a Nascent Soul expert?”
“...A Nascent Soul-level curse? Hmm.”
Curses and divination were similar in difficulty. By asking about curses, he could determine its ability to block divination.
The proprietor hummed in thought for a long while before speaking.
“It should be able to block it once or twice. If the water flowing across the surface turns black, that means the mirror has reached its limit.”
“...So even if it cannot block it continuously, I can tell from the mirror turning black that I’ve been targeted by a Nascent Soul-level expert.”
“Correct.”
At first glance, blocking Nascent Soul-level divination with a third-realm Dharma treasure seemed absurd, but on closer inspection, it was not so strange.
Divination was a technique for reading the future without proper basis, an act as delicate as building an intricate structure out of matchsticks.
By contrast, blocking divination was like kicking down a painstakingly constructed building.
Building and smashing.
There was no need to explain which was easier. Of course, there was no absolute truth in the world, but for the moment, that was how it worked.
“I like all three Dharma treasures. I’ll buy them all.”
“Ah! Thank you very much. The price is ten thousand two hundred high-grade Spirit Stones, but I will accept only ten thousand.”
He had already known the price, but it was truly expensive.
Now he had only thirty thousand high-grade Spirit Stones left. That, too, would diminish quickly once he began purchasing cultivation resources.
Well... they’re all necessary.
On Sky Island, he had possessed Spirit Stones but had nothing worth buying even if he wanted to spend them. Now that he had come to a wider world, he would not be stingy.
“Please come again!”
Leaving behind the proprietor, who had evidently thrown the dignity of a Golden Core expert somewhere far away and was bowing as though seeing off his own master, Jin Somyeong returned to his cave residence.
First, he wore the Heavenly Heavy Inkstone Sword at his waist in place of the Five Elements Sword.
Since it was so heavy, it threw his body’s balance off. He moved around this way and that, then infused magical power into the sword to lower its weight and adjust it.
This will train my magical power control too.
Having to pay constant attention to it was inconvenient, but as a training sword, it felt perfect.
After carrying it around for a month or two and becoming accustomed to it, he could give it to Mugeuk to absorb.
Next came the Silverlight Thunder Robe.
He put on the Dharma robe that blocked tracking and divination, then changed its appearance into an ordinary gray Daoist robe.
Finally...
The Flowing Water Demon-Reflecting Mirror. This Dharma treasure was originally meant to be installed in a cave residence, but that was not why he had bought it in the first place.
After using his Divine Sense to examine the surroundings, he summoned Mugeuk and entrusted his body’s safety to them.
Then he installed the Flowing Water Demon-Reflecting Mirror inside the Mental Secret Realm and returned to his cave residence.
...It works.
He could feel the mirror operating within the secret realm. From now on, no matter where he went, this Dharma treasure would protect him from divination and curses.
Because he carried a spirit vein within his body, such an absurd thing was possible.
Good.
Once he had taken precautions against transcendent methods like divination, he felt relieved. Much of the sensation of being chased by some unknown organization faded away.
This should be enough.
Their abilities and limits were clear.
They were a powerful organization, strong enough to command Golden Core cultivators as subordinates, yet they had failed to uncover Jin Somyeong’s true name.
Whether their will to track him was weak or their abilities were simply lacking, he could not tell, but the result was the same either way.
There was no need to let fear shrink his actions.
Now I can properly investigate the secret realm and revise my cultivation plan.
From what he had heard in passing while traveling through Gwangya Immortal City, a secret realm would open in the nearby desert three years from now.
He had not decided for certain yet, but if he entered that secret realm, he would need to raise his combat strength within a short period of time.
He would have to use the Boundless Great Ability, which was currently increasing his proficiency in the Cheonroedochegyeol, elsewhere.