Testing the Hardness of the Shells
A cloudless, brilliant afternoon. For the first time since the construction of the Black Cult Palace on Heukgyo Island, a large crowd of outsiders set foot on the island.
Jekyeong looked down at the dozens of humans who were bowing so low their heads practically touched the ground. These were the humans living within the Heukgyo Water Territory who had trained in the art of refining. Of course, there were likely others who knew the craft, but they had been excluded because their skills were too crude, their cultivation realms too low, or their ages too advanced.
"I assume you have all mastered Muju's Smithing Secrets."
"Yes, Lord Dragon."
Their tension was palpable. Yet, though their voices trembled, none of them stammered—a sign that Han Cheongyu and his subordinates had trained them well beforehand.
"Has anyone among you attempted that forging method?"
This time, they only exchanged cautious glances; no one spoke. Realizing that not a single soul was stepping forward to answer, they began to tremble, fearing they might be punished.
It was true that the Lord Dragon had allowed them to live in his waters and had occasionally shown them mercy, but their primal fear could not be helped. They had heard rumors that the Lord Dragon's true form was a colossal Gyoryong, and that his temperament was far from gentle.
Above all, this was their very first time seeing the Lord Dragon, whom they had only heard of in stories. Even though he stood before them in human form, the subtle, oppressive aura radiating from him was more than enough to leave them utterly cowed.
"It is fine. I expected as much."
At his indifferent remark, they somehow managed to bow their heads even lower, though it seemed physically impossible to do so.
"As you have likely guessed, I have gathered you here today to have you perform that forging method."
Jekyeong felt absolutely no hesitation in demanding a portion of their lifespans and cultivation bases. These people had lived in his territory under his tacit approval, enjoying the safety and benefits he provided. Was it too much to ask for a small price in return now? Jekyeong certainly did not think so.
"Since you claim to have mastered the rest of Muju's Smithing Secrets, you should be capable of using that forging method as well, correct?"
"Yes, Lord Dragon."
The bowing humans instinctively knew that a positive affirmation was the only acceptable answer they could give. Having already anticipated this before coming, they did not hesitate.
"Very well."
Jekyeong floated dozens of jade bottles, sending one to each of them. Inside were several cultivation pills and Chunghyeol Pills made from ground Fleshy-Scaled Fish. It was a measure he had prepared to replenish the cultivation and lifespan they would lose while employing the forging method.
"This is what you will be forging. If you require anything else, speak to this fellow."
Jekyeong pointed to Hyeongu, who was standing politely by his side. At the same time, he sent the materials the human artisans were to forge floating toward each of them. They were dark, iron-plate-like objects about the size of a human torso. However, upon closer inspection, one could tell they were incredibly tough yet possessed a strange suppleness.
"This is..."
The humans who received the objects widened their eyes in surprise. They looked as though they had never seen such a material in their entire lives.
Of course they haven't.
They were Jekyeong's own scales. If they had claimed to have seen such a thing before, he would have been the one shocked.
After his previous molting, Jekyeong had gathered his relatively intact scales. At the time, he had collected them thinking he might sell them as refining materials. However, an artisan from the Yeongbu Merchant Group had shaken his head, claiming that scales shed naturally from a beast's body held little value. Thus, Jekyeong had abandoned the idea of selling them for spirit stones. Still, thinking they might come in handy later, he had tossed them into his storage bag and forgotten about them—until now.
Jekyeong's plan was simple. He wanted to test whether Muju's nameless forging method could be applied to his scales. If this experiment succeeded, he intended to try it on his actual body—not on shed scales, but on the scales currently attached to his flesh.
I hope this works.
Consuming spirit stones to supply spiritual energy to his flesh and soul could be considered filling himself from the inside out. If so, wouldn't hammering spiritual energy directly into his body through a forging method be a way of filling himself from the outside in?
Though it was an idea born of a sudden spark of inspiration, if it worked as intended, it might help accelerate his molting process to some degree.
In truth, whenever Jekyeong heard about the training methods of human body cultivators—such as medicinal baths—he had wondered if he could employ similar techniques. However, the difference between a human body and his own was greater than that between an adult and a newborn. For him to gain any noticeable effect from a medicinal bath like a human body cultivator, he would have to dissolve mountains of peerless spiritual herbs into his bathwater. Thus, the thought had remained nothing more than a passing fancy.
"I leave them in your hands. Watch them closely, and report to me if anything happens."
"Yes, Lord Dragon."
As Jekyeong withdrew into the Black Cult Palace, Hyeongu barked at the hesitating humans.
"What are you dawdling for?! The Lord Dragon has already given his command, so hurry up and perform that forging method or whatever it is!"
As Hyeongu glared with his wrinkled eyes, the humans finally began to move in a flurry. They had already foreseen this future the moment they received Muju's Smithing Secrets and read its contents. There was no such thing as a free lunch in this world; if something felt free, it only meant the time to pay the price had not yet come.
Before being summoned to Heukgyo Island, they had steeled themselves. Thus, as they laid out their personal refining tools, barely any hesitation or fear could be seen on their faces.
"Excuse me... Turtle Elder!"
"Call me Elder Hyeongu!"
"Yes, Elder Hyeongu! We need a stronger fire."
"Fire? Very well!"
"Elder Hyeongu! We need cold water!"
"Understood!"
"Elder Hyeongu!"
The only time Hyeongu could display his dignity as a demon beast was when he first barked at them. Soon, he was being summoned left and right, plagued by the endless demands of the humans.
"I know! Just wait a moment!"
After a certain point, just hearing the words "Elder Hyeongu" made his blood boil, but he suppressed his anger by reminding himself that this was all the Lord Dragon's command.
Yes. This isn't running errands for these human bastards; it is the Lord Dragon's work. Ah, my aching bones.
Though he was a demon beast who could walk on two legs and even run, he was still a turtle at heart. For someone who preferred slowness and leisure, this frantic, grueling labor was highly detrimental to his mental health.
Ever since Jekyeong had taken over Heukgyo Island and shut himself inside the Black Cult Palace, the island's climate had undergone a permanent shift. Heukgyo Island, which had once been as cool and pleasant as any other island in Yangseo Lake, had now become so sweltering that it wouldn't have felt out of place in the middle of Jimagwon.
Clang! Clang!
And now, the already muggy Heukgyo Island was enveloped in a heatwave far more intense than usual. Coupled with the rhythmic, metallic clanging echoing across the land, it felt as though the entire island had been transformed into one massive blacksmith's forge.
"..."
Jekyeong opened his eyes as he finished practicing his Thought-Burning Cultivation. As the focus he had poured into circulating his technique dispersed, the ceaseless clanging of metal from the outside finally reached his ears.
"How many days has it been?"
"Three days."
At Jekyeong's low murmur, Cheongo, who was rolling around in its nest, replied in a lazy voice.
Three days, is it?
The fact that they could continue forging for three days—did it mean the backlash of the forging method wasn't as severe as he had thought? Of course, there was a chance the humans had been slacking off, but with Hyeongu watching over them, they wouldn't have dared to do so openly.
I will see for myself.
Jekyeong took a sip of spirit wine and stepped out of the Black Cult Palace. Cheongo raised its head briefly but soon flopped back down. While Jekyeong had been absorbed in his cultivation, the bird had occasionally gone out to watch the newly arrived humans. However, seeing them do nothing but sweat profusely and hammer repeatedly, it had quickly grown bored and lost interest.
"Lord Dragon."
Without sparing a glance for Hyeongu, who prostrated himself flat on the ground, Jekyeong scanned the humans absorbed in their forging. They were hammering away so frantically that they didn't even realize Jekyeong had appeared.
There is indeed a backlash.
It was obvious at a single glance. In just three days, the cheeks of these mid-stage Qi Condensation cultivators had hollowed out, and dark circles had formed beneath their eyes. They looked like withered, dying trees. Though a faint trace of vitality could still be felt deep within them, it seemed that if this continued any longer, even that last spark of life would vanish, leaving them to rot to their very roots.
Five or six days is likely their limit.
If he didn't care about their lives and squeezed every last drop out of them at once, they might last a bit longer, but that would be highly inefficient. Rather than draining them completely in one go, it was better to give them intervals of rest to maximize their efficiency.
That aside...
Jekyeong's gaze drifted from the emaciated humans to the scales they were hammering.
"Oh?"
Jekyeong approached the nearest human and snatched up the scale he was diligently hammering. The mechanically moving hammer struck the empty anvil, and the dazed, hollow-eyed cultivator finally snapped back to reality.
"Ah! I-I greet the Lord Dragon."
The moment he saw Jekyeong, he clumsily fell to his knees and bowed his head, but Jekyeong paid him no mind, focusing entirely on the scale in his hand.
Indeed.
The scale, which had previously been nothing more than a hard iron plate with a preserved shape, had become noticeably lustrous. It wasn't just a superficial change; he could feel a faint trace of spiritual energy within it. If he had looked at this scale without knowing about Muju's forging method, Jekyeong would have mistaken it for a scale that had just freshly fallen from his body.
Excellent.
Just to be sure, Jekyeong inspected the other scales one by one. Soon, the rhythmic clanging of hammers ceased entirely, and only the ragged, anxious breathing of the humans dissolved into the silence.
"That is enough for now. Consume your pills and rest well until I summon you again."
The state of the retrieved scales was mostly consistent. Infused with a faint spiritual energy, the difference from three days ago was stark.
"Dispose of those two as you see fit."
"Yes, Lord Dragon."
However, two of the scales were in noticeably poorer condition than the rest. Though they were better than they had been three days ago, compared to the others, the spiritual energy seemed to have only half-penetrated them. It could have been a coincidence, or perhaps the skill of the two artisans assigned to them was lacking. Yet, seeing that the vitality radiating from those two was conspicuously more robust than the others, it was easy to discern the truth.
They had simply held back to save themselves. Of course, it was understandable. They didn't want to sacrifice their lifespans and cultivation bases just to hammer a single scale. But understanding and forgiveness were two entirely different matters. If the livestock he had fed and raised refused to obey, there was no choice but to dispose of them before they could corrupt the rest of the herd.
"L-Lord Dragon! We were wrong!"
"Please forgive us, Lord Dragon! Just give us one more chance...!"
As Hyeongu lightly raised his webbed hand, water bubbles welled up inside their mouths, cutting off their desperate cries.
"Take them away."
The moment Hyeongu's words fell, several thick, tentacle-like appendages burst from the water's edge. Striking like whips, the tentacles wrapped around the two pale-faced artisans and dragged them down into the depths.
"It is easy to commit a transgression, but difficult to obtain forgiveness. Did you not know even this simple truth?"
Hyeongu snorted and turned around.
"What are you all standing around for? Find a place to sit and rest! Recover your bodies as much as possible before the Lord Dragon summons you again!"
At his words, which sounded like both a warning and advice, the human artisans, who had been frozen like stone statues, hurriedly pulled out their jade bottles and scattered in all directions.
Only then did Hyeongu relax his stiff expression and scurry toward the water's edge. He couldn't help but worry that those ignorant, greedy beasts in the water might have already taken a bite out of the discarded humans before he could get there.