The Seven-Colored Treasure Pagoda

Gathering information about the secret realm was not especially difficult.

One high-grade Spirit Stone was enough to make anyone obliging.

"A secret realm? Ah, you must mean the Seven-Colored Treasure Pagoda that descended in the Sahon Wilderness."

The Seven-Colored Treasure Pagoda.

It was an unusual name for a secret realm, but fitting enough, since it truly did take the form of a stone pagoda.

Of course, only its exterior resembled a stone pagoda. It was unquestionably a secret realm.

The closer one drew to the pagoda, the more endlessly vast it seemed to become, until at some point the approaching cultivator would be transported elsewhere. A bizarre object indeed.

"I heard the restriction sealing the Seven-Colored Treasure Pagoda will open in three years. Is that correct?"

"Yes. Formation masters examined the restriction and reached that conclusion, so it is certain."

"Then..."

After asking every question that had occurred to him, Jin Somyeong returned to the eastern district and sorted through what he had learned.

If he had to sum up the Seven-Colored Treasure Pagoda in a single sentence, it would be this:

A dangerous place, but one overflowing with treasures.

From Fourth-Realm spiritual objects needed to challenge the Nascent Soul realm to all manner of cultivation arts and techniques, it contained such a variety of treasures that it would be faster to list what could not be found there.

No wonder Golden Core cultivators are flocking in from every direction.

Strange phenomena were said to occur frequently within the secret realm as well. With enough luck, a person might even raise their realm overnight.

For any Golden Core cultivator training toward the Nascent Soul realm, it was a place impossible not to covet.

Of course, the most important question was how dangerous it was.

The survival rate of the Seven-Colored Treasure Pagoda hovered around thirty to forty percent, which was surprisingly high considering that it offered the chance to obtain Fourth-Realm spiritual objects.

Not bad.

This secret realm was quite famous in the cultivation world, and the more he investigated it, the more peculiar details emerged.

The Seven-Colored Treasure Pagoda did not exist only here in Dongju.

It was said to exist on other continents as well, unimaginably distant and unknown by name. A single secret realm was connected to multiple regions at once.

Perhaps because of that, once inside the realm, there was a high chance of clashing with powerful cultivators from other regions.

Even if someone attempted an ambush and failed, the other party was often a cultivator from an entirely different continent, which meant there was little need to fear consequences afterward. Most deaths occurred for precisely that reason.

So the most dangerous thing in the Seven-Colored Treasure Pagoda is people... What level is my combat strength at right now?

After thinking it over carefully, he formed a rough estimate.

Measured against ordinary cultivators, early Golden Core cultivators were easy, and mid Golden Core cultivators did not frighten him either.

From late Golden Core onward, however, he could not guarantee the result.

Victory or defeat would likely depend on whether he could land Condensing Light to Extinguish Dust.

As long as I’m careful around late Golden Core cultivators, it shouldn’t be too dangerous.

There was no need to worry about Nascent Soul experts, as they were notably reluctant to enter this secret realm.

Apparently, the foundation that allowed the Seven-Colored Treasure Pagoda to exist in several regions at once contained a trace of the great Dao.

At the Golden Core level, one could look at it without understanding anything, so there was no risk. Nascent Soul cultivators were another matter.

They say one wrong step, and the tower can enthrall you until you turn into an idiot.

Jin Somyeong stroked his chin as he organized what he had learned about the secret realm.

Should he go? Or not?

To be honest, he was drawn to the idea.

Back when he had still been in Qi Refining, he had profited tremendously from the Red Cloud Secret Realm. If he let this opportunity pass, he felt certain he would regret it later.

There was only one unfortunate point: he had just three years left to prepare.

If I had ten more years to cultivate, even late Golden Core cultivators would be manageable.

Still, he did not lament the lack of time. Becoming a first-layer Golden Core cultivator at his current age was already a miracle in itself.

He had always done his utmost, and so he had no regrets.

Which meant...

If he did not want to regret this day someday, then he had to give his all now as well.

Three years.

What could he accomplish in that time?

After pondering for a while, Jin Somyeong opened his status window for the first time in some time.

After scanning through his proficiencies, he had a clearer picture.

Having visible indicators really did make it easier to assess his situation.

First, there’s no need to rush back to Namju.

Judging coldly, the Young Master of the Cheonsi Sect was not worth taking a risk for at all.

He could deal with the bastard later, whenever the opportunity arose. For now, Jin Somyeong moved on to the most important matter: his cultivation plan.

First, his skills.

There was no urgent need to master alchemy or the Spiritual Plant Art.

After coming to a Fourth-Realm immortal city, the market available to him had expanded dramatically. Most of the resources he needed could be bought with Spirit Stones, so there was no need to refine pills personally.

I can keep learning them slowly, the way I have been.

For reference, his Third-Realm Alchemy had been learned by extracting only the alchemy portion from the Taiyi Medicine King Scripture he had obtained long ago in the Red Cloud Secret Realm.

In any case, I can set skills aside.

The next decision was where to invest his Boundless Great Ability.

Originally, he had intended to raise the Heavenly Thunder Dao Body Art to the stage beyond Orthodox first.

When the proficiency of one’s core cultivation art rose, training speed, combat power, and every other aspect evolved by an entire level.

But there isn’t enough time.

Three years remained until the secret realm opened.

He needed to increase his combat power sharply in the short term. That meant he would likely have to use the Boundless Great Ability elsewhere.

The remaining proficiency required was roughly two and a half million.

At his current rate, investing two years of Boundless Great Ability would be enough to push it beyond Orthodox.

Will it give me another powerful divine ability like Condensing Light to Extinguish Dust?

If he gained even a Nascent Soul-grade divine ability, that would be ideal. Of course, he would only know what actually happened when the time came.

Tap, tap.

Jin Somyeong tapped his scabbard out of habit as he deliberated, then made his decision.

For the time being, I’ll focus on the Five Viscera Hundred Refinements Art.

It felt as though he were getting something extra.

Almost as if the Boundless Great Ability were cultivating on his behalf while he sat still. Of course, he had no intention of growing lazy and relying on it alone.

He could not neglect his own cultivation either.

I’d like to reach the second layer of Golden Core before the secret realm opens.

Originally, he had estimated that it would take five years to reach the second layer of Golden Core. In other words, he had to shorten that by two years.

How could he increase his cultivation speed?

The simplest method was to move to a better cave estate.

Among the cave estates that can be rented with Spirit Stones, Third-Realm mid-grade was the best, if I remember right.

Since the thought had occurred to him, he did not delay. He moved at once.

He went to the administrative office of Gwangya Immortal City and rented a Third-Realm mid-grade cave estate.

"Senior, the rent is one thousand high-grade Spirit Stones per year. The security deposit must be paid as ten years’ rent in advance."

"I know."

It was exactly as he had learned over the past few days of investigation, so there was no need to ask again.

Following the guidance of the Foundation Establishment steward, Jin Somyeong flew into the sky.

It’s far.

Gwangya Immortal City was astonishingly vast. It would be difficult to reach the cave estate district by walking or running.

He matched the Foundation Establishment steward’s pace and flew for about an hour, taking the chance to familiarize himself with the city’s geography.

At last, a mountain range so enormous that its end was impossible to discern appeared before them.

"Senior, this is the cave estate district. I will give you a map, so please take care not to approach anyone else’s cave estate."

"Hm?"

"Each cave estate is protected by formations, so there is no danger of accidentally wandering in. However, some sensitive individuals become angry simply because someone came too close."

"Understood. I’ll be careful."

Before long, he was guided to a mountain two kilometers tall. The entire mountain was the cave ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠estate Jin Somyeong had rented.

After the Foundation Establishment steward bowed respectfully and left, Jin Somyeong savored the dense spiritual energy and nodded.

A small sect could settle here without issue.

It was so spacious that using it alone felt almost wasteful. In particular, there was even a lake halfway up the mountain where spiritual fish lived, which made him like it all the more.

The rent was somewhat expensive, but the spiritual energy was rich and the surroundings quiet, making it excellent for cultivation.

After touring the cave estate here and there, he entered the residence at the mountain peak, a three-story wooden house, and sat cross-legged.

Now then. Let’s see how much faster my cultivation speed has become.

He circulated the Heavenly Thunder Dao Body Art and accumulated magical power. He focused for a long while, losing even his sense of time.

When he exhaled turbid qi at last, he frowned.

Just a little short.

His magical power was accumulating faster, but not by enough.

If he wanted to guarantee reaching the second layer of Golden Core within three years, he needed to raise the speed further.

Hmm...

When he considered possible solutions, two came to mind.

The first was to raise the proficiency of the Elixir-Swallowing Art and increase the number of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠pills he could consume.

It was not a bad solution, but several points bothered him.

It would require a considerable amount of Boundless Great Ability, and if his pill consumption increased beyond its current level, he would run short on Spirit Stones.

After paying the cave estate rent and deposit, he had roughly twenty thousand high-grade Spirit Stones left.

It was by no means a small amount, but neither was it so much that he could spend without thought.

If not the Elixir-Swallowing Art... I could also expand the Mental Pocket Realm.

If he strengthened the secret realm, every problem would be neatly solved.

His cultivation speed would naturally increase, and the Spirit Stones that had started to dwindle would regain a comfortable margin.

Of course, this solution had its own difficulties.

His meridians were the problem. Jin Somyeong’s current realm was the first layer of Golden Core.

There was no guarantee that he could withstand a Third-Realm high-grade spirit vein. His current meridian condition was already close to its limit.

So if I want to raise my cultivation speed any further in the current situation, I need to temper my meridians.

Fortunately, he knew how to solve that.

The Water-Fire Meridian Fusion chapter of the Five Viscera Hundred Refinements Art.

He needed to cultivate that secret method, which tempered the meridians by making opposing energies clash like fire and water.

After going in circles, it comes back to the Five Viscera Hundred Refinements Art again.

Stroking his chin, he headed for the central market of Gwangya Immortal City.

He was searching for spiritual objects suitable for tempering meridians.

After wandering the market all day, Jin Somyeong was once again impressed by Gwangya Immortal City.

It truly had every kind of item imaginable.

Anything needed for cultivation could be obtained with relative ease. It was not hard to understand why Golden Core beings gathered here.

They even have something like this?

The Cold Ice Blood-Freezing Pill.

It was a slightly unusual cultivation pill. Compared to its medicinal effect, it was cheap, but it had the side effect of freezing the meridians and blood.

Most rogue cultivators were not as well-off as Jin Somyeong, so they sometimes consumed such pills to aid cultivation despite the risks.

...Not bad?

Ordinarily, he would not have given such defective goods a second glance, but in his current situation, they seemed useful.

The Water-Fire Meridian Fusion chapter was a tempering method that damaged the meridians by clashing two opposing energies, then restored them.

The crucial point was balancing the two conflicting energies. Pills had relatively uniform effects from one pill to the next, making that balance easier to achieve.

The Cold Ice Blood-Freezing Pill is heavily biased toward the water attribute... so I’ll need to look for a fire-type pill as well.

From that moment on, his goal became clear.

He began selecting and purchasing pills with side effects, especially those that placed a burden on the meridians.

He bought small amounts of as many kinds as possible: the Heavenly Ice Blackwater Pill, the Meridian-Sinking Pill, the Yellow Spring Earth Dragon Pill, the True Fire Beard Pill, and more.

Half were water attribute. Half were fire attribute.

After purchasing a wide range of pills in small quantities, he returned to his cave estate.

Then he began testing each pill personally to determine whether it suited the Water-Fire Meridian Fusion chapter.

The Meridian-Sinking Pill only reduces meridian flexibility, so it’s no good... It doesn’t help.

Sometimes he consumed only one pill, and sometimes he took several at once.

He experimented with various combinations for two months.

At last, he discovered the optimal pairing for cultivating the Water-Fire Meridian Fusion chapter.

The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Cold Ice Blood-Freezing Pill and the Yellow Spring Earth Dragon Pill. The effect is good when I take those two at the same time.

Freezing and burning. Those two side effects were perfect for cultivating the Water-Fire Meridian Fusion chapter.

From that day onward, Jin Somyeong’s cultivation fell into a regular rhythm.

First, he consumed the Cold Ice Blood-Freezing Pill and the Yellow Spring Earth Dragon Pill at the same time.

Amid side effects that would have severed an ordinary person’s meridians strand by strand and killed them, he tempered his own.

Afterward, he circulated the Heavenly Thunder Dao Body Art and converted the medicinal power into magical power.

They might have side effects, but they were cultivation pills to begin with. Naturally, they aided cultivation as well.

It was quite painful, but still bearable in its own way.

Days like that passed, and half a year went by.

By the time his meridians no longer suffered damage even when he consumed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠both pills at once...

This should be enough.

The moment he felt certain that he could enhance the Mental Pocket Realm, he did not hesitate. He immediately poured in Spirit Stones.