A Poison Sweetly Swallowed
"..." A deep shadow fell over the face of the wise turtle.
"Do you know what this is?"
Hyeongu, who had arrived at the island of the spirit blacksmiths clinging to his son's back, gathered the human **spirit blacksmiths** together, flanked by his son Bigu and several **water beasts**. He looked around at the humans, who could not hide their fear and wariness, and gradually raised his voice.
"These are **alchemical pills**! Precious treasures that trash like you wouldn't lay eyes on in a lifetime!"
The spirit blacksmiths were cultivators too. And cultivators were creatures who would sell their own souls for elixirs and miraculous pills. The moment Hyeongu uttered the word "pill," the thoroughly hostile atmosphere shifted. Of course, there were still many who cast distrustful glances, but Hyeongu did not care. Instead, he shouted even more grandly.
"Give thanks to the Dragon Lord's mercy! Knowing that your cultivation has been delayed because you have been focusing on your smithing, His Eminence has graciously bestowed these pills upon you! These pills are a reward for your loyalty, and an expectation of your future devotion!"
Hyeongu sharply caught the lingering looks of disbelief.
"I know you are suspicious! And naturally so! Even I could hardly believe it! I cannot fathom, nor do I believe, why the Dragon Lord would bestow such precious pills on things like you! But His Eminence's will is not for a lowly creature like me to question. We have no choice but to obey!"
Having finished speaking, Hyeongu raised a webbed foot and pointed at a middle-aged cultivator who was still failing to hide his terror.
"You! I shall grant you the first opportunity!"
"Ah? I-I..."
The middle-aged cultivator took a panicked step backward, but Hyeongu paid him no mind. Hyeongu had not chosen him at random. That middle-aged cultivator was a loner with no family. This meant that even if he met an unfortunate end, there would be no one to make a fuss.
"Ugh..."
The middle-aged cultivator looked left and right, pleading for help with his eyes. But everyone quickly lowered their heads, refusing to meet his gaze. Realizing that no one would help him, he resigned himself to his fate and accepted the three alchemical pills.
"Swallow them all at once. And immediately circulate your... what do you call it, your cultivation technique."
"...Understood."
Squeezing his eyes shut, he swallowed the pills. Just as Hyeongu ordered, he immediately sat cross-legged and began to circulate his technique.
Thump!
At that moment, a heavy impact that only the middle-aged cultivator could hear echoed deep within his body.
"Gasp!"
Startled, he hurriedly tried to rein in the overflowing spiritual energy. However, flustered by the unexpected breakthrough, some of the spiritual energy leaked out of his body.
"Ah?!"
And every human nearby witnessed it. Since they were all cultivators, they knew exactly what the middle-aged cultivator's state signified.
C-Could it be?
Did Old Choi just break through? Are those really genuine alchemical pills?
Everyone's eyes went wide. They swallowed hard, waiting with bated breath for the middle-aged cultivator to open his eyes.
"Phew!"
Soon, having fully gathered his spiritual energy, the middle-aged cultivator slowly opened his eyes. Neither fear nor hesitation remained on his face. The moment his eyes opened, he sprang to his feet, looked at Hyeongu, and bowed politely.
"I thank the Dragon Lord for his immense grace."
"His Eminence prefers deeds over words! Repay his grace with your skills and loyalty!"
"I shall do so. Though my abilities are lacking, I will do my utmost to repay the Dragon Lord's favor."
At that moment, the rampant distrust and resentment vanished entirely, replaced by burning desire. The humans all stared at Hyeongu—or more precisely, at the **storage bag** in his hand—with eyes full of desperate longing.
"Do not rush! Wait calmly!"
Putting on grand airs, Hyeongu pulled out another three pills. "Line up! Line up!"
The gathered humans scrambled to get in line. Those who, just moments ago, had wanted nothing more than to flee this place as quickly as possible were now anxious that the pills might run out before their turn.
While everyone was swept up in this bizarre, feverish excitement, a young boy watched the scene from a distance, hidden from view.
"..."
The boy stared with conflicted eyes at the middle-aged man, who was now acting like Hyeongu's spokesperson. With a heavy sigh, the boy turned away.
Jekyeong received the report from the returned Hyeongu.
"As you commanded, I have administered the pills to all the humans, excluding those under the age of twenty."
"Well done."
Excluding the young humans under twenty—those still in the midst of learning their craft—was a calculated move to avoid suspicion. It was not unusual for older cultivators to experience a prolonged stagnation after breaking through a minor realm. They had likely already realized the limits of their own talent.
Even if they reached the late **Qi Condensation** stage with the help of the pills, they would not dare attempt the hurdle of **Foundation Establishment**. Even if they did, they wouldn't find it strange when they failed.
But the young ones were different. What if kids who hadn't even reached twenty suddenly attained the middle or late stages of Qi Condensation? They would fall into delusion and harbor grand expectations. They would think they were geniuses, that with so much time ahead of them, their path to immortality was bright.
And when those expectations and delusions eventually shattered, they would look at their peers, who likewise made no further progress in their cultivation, and begin to doubt. Sooner or later, those doubts would accumulate and spark a fire.
"Keep an eye on those who did not take the **Chugeun Pills** this time. If there are any whose cultivation progresses exceptionally fast... dispose of them appropriately."
"Yes, Master."
Jekyeong did not fear them. He simply wished to avoid annoying complications.
"We will forge my scales within two years. At that time, I will need at least thirty people."
"I will prepare everything to ensure there are no setbacks."
Hyeongu replied confidently, and he kept his word.
Two years later.
Jekyeong looked over the thirty-four human spirit blacksmiths and nodded in satisfaction.
About half of the thirty-four were in the late Qi Condensation stage, and the rest were in the middle Qi Condensation stage. Regardless of their actual smithing skills, their cultivation realms alone were far superior to the previous group he had gathered.
"Caw!"
Cheongo made his presence known, circling above the blacksmiths' heads. At the same time, Jekyeong transformed into his true form.
Before the human spirit blacksmiths could faint from sheer terror at the sight of him, Cheongo swiftly cast his hypnosis. The bird's hypnotic skills had developed significantly over the past few years; he could now hypnotize targets without even needing to make eye contact.
"Begin."
Confirming that the fear had vanished from the human blacksmiths' faces, Jekyeong stretched out his colossal body. At his command, the spirit blacksmiths approached as if they had been waiting, grasping his scales one by one and beginning to forge them.
Clang! Clang!
One day, two days, three days. Time flew by, and the human spirit blacksmiths gradually lost their vitality. Their eyes grew dull, and their bodies withered. Yet, even in that state, the hammering continued rhythmically—but only until the third day.
Once three days had passed, the blacksmiths in the middle Qi Condensation stage began to falter.
"Drag them out."
Hyeongu watched them closely, only ordering the water beasts to drag them away when their hammering had nearly ground to a halt.
Growl...
Though the hammering on his scales was suddenly cut in half, Jekyeong did not feel much of a difference. Compared to the spiritual energy flowing in from the late Qi Condensation blacksmiths, the energy from those in the middle stage was negligible.
The difference in efficiency is far greater than I expected.
The burning heat of the scales, hot as fire, transferred into his flesh and bones. Though only a fraction of that heat reached him, even that small amount was enough to stimulate Jekyeong's stone-stiffened spiritual body.
Two more times. No, just one more session should do it.
The limit for the late Qi Condensation blacksmiths was five days. Yet, those five days of forging were far more effective than fifteen days of labor from those in the middle stage.
"Do not spare the pills. Ensure they can resume the forging as quickly as possible."
Jekyeong displayed a rare trace of impatience. The sensation of fullness, seemingly within arm's reach, left him deeply parched.
Following Jekyeong's orders, Hyeongu distributed the pills generously. The human spirit blacksmiths, barely dragging their recovered bodies back, resumed the forging.
And five days later.
Clang! Clang!
When the hammer of an utterly exhausted human blacksmith struck a scale that had turned a dark, blackish-red once more, Jekyeong could no longer hold back and moved his body. He did it without much thought, merely stretching to relieve his stiffness.
"Aaaargh!"
However, Jekyeong's size was larger than several buildings combined, and the power dwelling within his body was immense enough to crumble mountains. Jekyeong had merely shifted lightly and unconsciously, but that slight movement was a catastrophe for the human blacksmiths nearby. Several who collided with him were instantly crushed to death.
"Roaaar!"
Jekyeong did not even register his mistake. Having partially vented his boiling power through that light movement and roar, he reared his massive body high toward the sky, enduring the force that had begun to surge in earnest.
Crack! Crackle!
A sensation he hadn't felt in a long time. But this time was different. Just like when he underwent his very first **shedding**, an unbearable agony washed over him.
Boom!
Unable to bear the pain, his tail slammed violently against the ground, tearing a massive fissure into the earth.
"F-Flee!"
Beast and human alike fled in sheer terror.
"Caw!"
Only Cheongo circled above Jekyeong's head, crying out incessantly, but Jekyeong's wide-open eyes only burned a deeper, bloodier red.
"Roaaar!"
Even without any deliberate intent to intimidate, Jekyeong's roar carried immense power. Beasts who had not reached the **Great Yao** stage trembled instinctively at the mere sound, while humans whose minds were not sufficiently tempered coughed up blood and collapsed in convulsions.
This was precisely why high-realm cultivators did not view those of lower realms as equals. How could one respect as peers those who collapsed like insects at a mere glance or a light breath?
It was the same for humans. Foundation Establishment cultivators called those below them ants, and Golden Core cultivators called those below them ants. It was not out of arrogance. From their perspective, they truly looked like ants.
"Caw! Wake up, you idiot!"
Amidst the horrific agony, Jekyeong had no room to spare a thought for the tiny creatures below. The only thing that managed to catch his attention was a single crow, crying out noisily without pause.