Ten Years of Quiet Accumulation
"Splendid," U Do-baek praised Yeo Janggyeong, his voice laced with admiration.
Jekyeong felt the same way, though he kept his expression neutral. Yeo Janggyeong's insights into cultivation were remarkably structured and easy to comprehend. Yet, they were far from shallow; in every word he spoke, one could sense the profound depth of a systematic sect inheritance.
Choi Ju-tang, on the other hand, was the exact opposite. He, too, had recently broken through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage as if in competition with Yeo Janggyeong, but unlike the latter's well-ordered insights, Choi's were wildly free-spirited.
Well, "free-spirited" was the polite way to put it; put bluntly, they were crude.
However, no matter how unpolished the path, a road that led to the destination was still a road. No one—not even U Do-baek, who had been knocking on the door of the late Foundation Establishment stage for quite some time—took Choi Ju-tang's insights lightly.
Once Choi Ju-tang finished sharing his insights, the two new members also did their best to offer what they had. While there was little of practical value to be gleaned from them, Jekyeong still found it reasonably interesting to listen to.
"One of my great-grandsons is quite promising. His talent is one thing, but his character is truly impeccable."
Once the talk of cultivation wound down, the conversation naturally drifted into casual chatter.
"I recall you saying something similar before. Is this a different child?"
"Yes. That other fellow had a flawed character. I didn't realize it back then, but the moment he got slightly ahead, he showed his true colors. He's already like this now; if he ever manages to reach Foundation Establishment in the future, he'll undoubtedly treat the clan like a trinket in his pocket."
The atmosphere of the Mansi Assembly had changed considerably compared to the past. Before, it had been no different from any typical gathering of cultivators. A meeting of cultivation, by cultivation, and for cultivation. Smiles were worn like masks, while internally, everyone constantly calculated how to extract just a bit more from the other.
But at some point, U Do-baek had changed, almost as if he were a different person. Had it been anyone else, it would have had little impact, but since the leader of the gathering had changed, the atmosphere of the Mansi Assembly naturally began to shift as well.
Whenever U Do-baek started chatting casually like this, the others would chime in or share small stories of their own. The first to respond was always Yeo Janggyeong, followed by Jekyeong. While Choi Ju-tang rarely spoke of himself, he would lightly chime in on others' stories. Even Choi, who was the very definition of a rogue cultivator, participated in this idle, unproductive chatter.
To an outsider unfamiliar with the Mansi Assembly, this gathering might have easily been mistaken for a social club rather than a serious discussion on cultivation.
This change was unfamiliar and strange, but experiencing it firsthand wasn't bad at all. Jekyeong wasn't the only one who felt this way; everyone else did too. After all, a cultivator's heart is not made of cast iron, and a cultivator is not a mere training machine. When the burdens of the mind felt too heavy, what could be better than taking a brief breath while mingling with peers who were also friends?
"Such a temperament is indeed dangerous. Senior U, you have a keen eye," Choi Ju-tang agreed with U Do-baek. "As the saying goes, a leaky pot at home leaks abroad as well."
"My thoughts exactly."
Once U Do-baek's boasting and lamentations concluded, and after they had heard all about Yeo Janggyeong's rather mundane daily life, it was Jekyeong's turn.
"Nothing particularly special has happened lately."
Jekyeong's stories were highly popular among the cultivators of the Mansi Assembly. Though his storytelling skills could hardly be called great even with a generous amount of exaggeration, the subject matter itself was uniquely fascinating. To the cultivators of the Mansi Assembly, who had spent their entire lives in Human Territory rubbing shoulders with human cultivators, any tale of the Beast Race and their territories—no matter how trivial—sounded incredibly intriguing.
"If I had to name one event, it would be getting ambushed on my way out of an auction."
At those words, Choi Ju-tang reacted. "Does it have to do with the formation inheritance you acquired?"
"Yes."
Jekyeong recounted everything, from competing over an item with a mid-Foundation Establishment elder to intentionally showing a weakness to lure him in. However, he hid the fact that the auction house itself was half his. He had no desire to add yet another layer of peculiarity to his already unique reputation.
"Clever. But it was dangerous," U Do-baek remarked with admiration.
"I saw that his Vital Energy had already severely declined. I judged that even if there was a risk, it wouldn't be significant."
"Whether a risk is small or large, it is always best to avoid it if you can."
"You speak the truth. My pockets were a bit light at the time, so I acted somewhat rashly."
Everyone knew Jekyeong's words were merely polite modesty. They were well aware that while this unique beast companion appeared more cautious and gentle than most humans on the outside, he hid the ferocious nature of the Beast Race deep within.
"Lord Dragon. Here is the information from my investigation." Han Cheongyu, who had returned from Human Territory, handed over a jade slip.
Jekyeong checked the contents of the jade slip and frowned slightly. It was just as he had suspected. There were several rare flames in Yangseo Lake, but they were all in the hands of major powers.
'The Geumyang Sect and the Myeongseomun Sect.' These two major human Golden Core sects possessed rare flames called the Cheongram Fire and the Myeongji Fire, respectively, which they reportedly kept and managed within their Earth Fire Chambers.
'There's no way for an outsider to gain access.'
An ordinary force might have attempted to sneak in through the back door, but against a grand Golden Core sect, one wouldn't dare harbor such thoughts.
'But... if an outsider can't do it, what about using an insider?'
What Jekyeong needed was a tiny spark, so small it could hardly even be called a fraction of the whole. For something of that scale, couldn't he find a way?
'I could probably make it happen through Gwak Jeong-sin, but...'
Gwak Jeong-sin was one of the three Vice Chairmen of the Yeongbu Merchant Alliance in Yangseo Lake. If he stepped in, procuring a rare flame would not be difficult. Even if they couldn't get it from the two Golden Core sects, he would be able to source it from elsewhere.
However, obtaining a rare flame was neither a simple nor a light matter. Asking Gwak Jeong-sin would mean preparing to entangle himself even deeper with the man, which was not what Jekyeong wanted. Their relationship was best kept exactly as it was now—neither too close nor too distant.
'Cheongram Fire. Myeongji Fire.' Both flames were recorded in the Register of Rare Flames.
'They aren't bad, but they aren't exceptionally good either.'
Jekyeong decided to take his time and look into it further. Since these two rare flames were safely stored in the Earth Fire Chambers of the two grand Golden Core sects, he didn't need to worry about them disappearing even if he sought them ten years from now.
'Would the Beast Race have them? Or perhaps other non-human races?'
At first glance, it seemed obvious they would, but one could never be sure. Humans required rare flames because they possessed inheritances that relied on utilizing special fires, but the Beast Race and other races did not. Furthermore, most of the non-human races living in Yangseo Lake belonged to the aquatic tribes, so they had absolutely no reason to require such special flames.
'No, I need to broaden my perspective. Even if it's not Yangseo Lake, there are plenty of other places to look.'
Yangseo Lake was merely a tiny, remote corner when compared to the cultivation world as a whole, but everything was relative. The Jugye Mountain Range where Jekyeong had previously resided was nothing more than a small hill compared to Yangseo Lake. Yet, even on that small hill, didn't a beast power like the Sangyo Forest and a human sect like the Jeyeon Sect exist?
There were quite a few such places around Yangseo Lake. Countless forces held sway over the smaller regions surrounding the lake. Right now, Jekyeong was thinking of precisely those forces.
While there was nothing to expect from the Beast Race or other non-human factions, the human factions were different. Wouldn't they possess their own inheritances and hidden foundations? If so, perhaps they too had constructed Earth Fire Chambers, just like the two Golden Core sects of Yangseo Lake.
'I should look into it.' After dismissing Han Cheongyu, Jekyeong's eyes gleamed quietly.
Ascending to a higher realm of the immortal path meant sublimating into a higher dimension of life. As one's realm rose and one was reborn anew, many things changed, but the most significant shift Jekyeong felt was his perception of time. More precisely, it was a change in how he viewed the world.
After reaching the Great Yao realm and then advancing to the mid-Great Yao stage, he could use a single day as if it were a year, or conversely, let a year pass like a single day, depending on his state of mind.
In particular, once he focused on his cultivation, a month or two would slip by in the blink of an eye. Repeating this process just a few times meant an entire year had passed.
At first, the discrepancy between his perception and reality was surprising and slightly disorienting. However, Jekyeong soon accepted it as the natural order of things.
Crunch!
He diligently earned Spirit Stones and diligently devoured them. With the Spirit Stones he earned, he purchased spiritual items and consumed them. Feeling a sense of pride in his steadily growing Monster Power, he devoted himself entirely to his cultivation, training harder and harder. He kept an eye on the affairs of the outside world, but never paid them more attention than necessary.
He did not know how many times he had entered deep meditation, nor how many years had slipped by. He simply shut himself inside the Black Cult Palace, pouring his entire body and soul into his training. Even his subordinates residing on Heukgyodo rarely caught a glimpse of his face. They could only guess that their Lord Dragon's cultivation was deepening day by day from the steadily rising temperature of Heukgyodo.
Just like that, a full ten years passed.
"Grrr." Jekyeong roughly tossed aside the charred corpse of a Vicious Beast.
"That was an easy hunt."
"It wasn't bad," Jekyeong replied indifferently to Jang Yeong's flattering praise. He wasn't boasting; it was simply the truth. The Vicious Beast, which had been exuding a rather menacing aura, met a miserable end without putting up any meaningful resistance against Jekyeong's overwhelming power. Jang Yeong had assisted in the process, but his help was ultimately negligible.
"This one was the last."
"Is that so?" As Jekyeong smacked his lips in disappointment, Jang Yeong let out a dry chuckle.
"Do you have any idea how many Vicious Beasts you have hunted, Fellow Daoist? Thanks to you, the Vicious Beasts in this area have been completely wiped out."
Whenever mental fatigue accumulated during his cultivation, Jekyeong would move his body to relieve it. Even he did not know how many Vicious Beasts and Great Demons had died just to ease his weariness. Perhaps only Jang Yeong kept count.
"What a pity."
"Is that so?" Jang Yeong extended a tentacle to poke the charred corpse of the Vicious Beast, checking its condition. "If you find it a pity, why not look elsewhere?"
"Hmm?"
"While you have wiped out the Vicious Beasts in this area, there are still plenty left in other regions."
Jekyeong and Jang Yeong's eyes met.
"Are you suggesting I trespass into someone else's home just to amuse myself? What kind of welcome do you think I would receive for doing such a thing?"
"They won't say a word. In fact, they will be grateful. After all, you would be clearing out troublesome neighbors for them." Jang Yeong did not hide his intentions. "Your reputation has already spread far and wide, Fellow Daoist. Even my father is well aware of your achievements."
Jekyeong did not reply. He simply uncoiled his half-hunched body, stretching it out. A massive shadow loomed over Jang Yeong.
Over the past ten years of hunting together, Jang Yeong had subtly dropped various pieces of information to Jekyeong. Stories about his father, the inner workings of Gyeongwang Palace, and so on. Though they were mere fragments, they were clearly subtle hints.
Yet, even though Jekyeong understood everything, he feigned ignorance. It was his own subtle way of signaling that he had no desire to get entangled in complicated affairs.