Whispers of the Core Formation Realm
This was especially true on the path of cultivation, where one had to navigate blinding darkness at every turn, and even more so for someone who had to forge a path where none existed. Without self-belief, one could not take even a single step. Conversely, with sufficient confidence, one could bravely march through any path of thorns.
When he had achieved Core Formation in the past, Jekyeong had felt a sense of accomplishment, but at the same time, a vague sense of limitation. Having reached Core Formation, he realized anew how incredible the seniors in the Core Formation realm he had seen in Bulmangwon truly were. And he could faintly guess just how supreme the Nascent Soul realm, which they desperately clung to, actually was. On the path of cultivation, which felt more distant the further one advanced, maintaining belief in oneself was a grueling task in itself.
"I am different. I have already forged my own destiny, so only I can decide where I will stop."
Jekyeong, who had received a few spiritual fruits from Muk-su, closed his eyes and opened the gates to Bulmangwon.
"The more I know, the more mysterious it is."
Previously, he had simply separated his consciousness without much thought, never wondering how he was able to enter and exit Bulmangwon. He knew that even if he wondered, he wouldn't get an answer. However, after achieving Core Formation, Jekyeong realized that traveling to Bulmangwon was somewhat similar to opening the entrance of a grotto-heaven. The moment the brand, or key, engraved on his soul confirmed his will, Bulmangwon—existing somewhere out there—would open an entrance for him and pull his spirit in. He had only faintly grasped the process, however; he still could not comprehend how such a thing was possible.
"Hmm."
His contemplation was brief. Before he even realized it, his spirit had already arrived in Bulmangwon. After achieving Core Formation, moving around in Bulmangwon had also become much easier. Previously, the teleportation pillars had kept distance from being too much of a constraint, but since they could only transport him to areas where other pillars were erected, he had to waste days traveling to meet someone specific. But after achieving Core Formation, it was different. What used to waste days now took only a few hours.
"Jekyeong. You've arrived."
Jekyeong still periodically attended the meetings of the Mansi Assembly, but that was only following the advice of Seongsu Jinin. It was merely a way to force himself to hold onto the threads of connection so he wouldn't lose his original mind; practically speaking, there was nothing a Core Formation Demon King like him could gain from a gathering of Foundation Establishment cultivators. But this meeting was different. The average number of attendees was three, or at most four, making it barely a proper gathering, but it was still strictly a meeting of Core Formation cultivators. This gathering was organized with Seongsu Jinin at its center, and the attendees were all his close acquaintances who got along well with one another. Jekyeong was able to join this meeting thanks to Seongsu Jinin's invitation, and perhaps to ease any of Jekyeong's worries, Seongsu Jinin had added that the attendees of this meeting had little to no prejudice against the Beast Race.
"Am I late?"
"No. You arrived just on time."
Seongsu Jinin, who had arrived first, welcomed Jekyeong. There was another who had arrived before him: Yu Jeonggyeom. The Guide who had welcomed Jekyeong when he first came to Bulmangwon. When they met again here, Jekyeong was surprised, but Yu Jeonggyeom was also deeply astonished. Having witnessed Jekyeong's very beginning, his surprise was greater than anyone's. He instinctively knew Jekyeong harbored some secret, but he did not try to pry. Once one reached the Core Formation stage, everyone was bound to have secrets, big or small, so it was best to leave curiosity as just curiosity.
"How are you holding up?"
"Not bad. Senior Yu Gon's advice has definitely been effective."
"Mmh. That is a relief."
They all knew of Jekyeong's situation. Since it was quite common for various issues to arise during the process of breaking through to a major realm, Jekyeong's problem was only slightly severe, not particularly extraordinary.
"Are the other seniors not coming?"
"Well, I am not sure about Fellow Daoist Jeolhon, but Fellow Daoist Hyeolsu will surely come. I gave her a heads-up beforehand that you would be here."
At Seongsu Jinin's amused tone, Jekyeong fell into an awkward silence.
"Oh? Am I late by any chance?"
A moment later, a spiritual body exuding a powerful presence appeared silently. It was Hyeolsu-jinin, Jeong Yu-yeong, whom they had just been discussing. She was the sole female member of this nameless little gathering, and also a heretical cultivator who walked the unorthodox path of the Blood Dao.
"You are not late."
After greeting Seongsu Jinin and Yu Jeonggyeom in turn, Jeong Yu-yeong warmly greeted Jekyeong as well.
"Fellow Daoist Jekyeong. Have you been well?"
"Thanks to your concern, I have been well."
"That is good to hear. What about the demonic obsession?"
"Senior Yu Gon's advice was effective."
"Oh? Splendid. Why don't you take this opportunity to walk the Path of Slaughter? The ignorant masses disparage the Path of Slaughter as a heretical path, but in truth, it is an orthodox path that perfectly aligns with the flow of the Heavenly Dao."
"Ahem! Fellow Daoist Hyeolsu. Let us discuss the Dao later..."
Yu Jeonggyeom timely cut off Hyeolsu-jinin.
"I shall defer to Museon's words."
Venerable Museon was Yu Jeonggyeom's Daoist name. The reason Hyeolsu-jinin readily followed Yu Jeonggyeom's advice was that his cultivation was higher than hers; Yu Jeonggyeom had recently reached the late Golden Elixir stage, whereas Hyeolsu-jinin was in the mid-Core Formation stage. The reason it was referred to as Core Formation rather than Golden Elixir was because the core she had condensed was not a Golden Core. Though no one spoke of it, Jekyeong surmised that the core she had formed was a Blood Core. There was no other reason than the fact that she practiced the Blood Dao. She was considered a heretical cultivator in the human cultivation world, and there was a good reason for that. Even putting aside her bizarre cultivation system of the Blood Dao, her personality was excessively eccentric. While the members of this gathering were broad-minded enough to tolerate her quirks, others would certainly not be so accommodating.
"By the way, Fellow Daoist Jekyeong, have you thought about what I mentioned last time? I believe it is quite a fair trade."
During the last meeting, Hyeolsu-jinin had asked Jekyeong to sell her a certain amount of his blood, saying she wanted to study the blood of a Flood Dragon. She promised to pay a handsome price, and even offered to provide a Rank Three spiritual item if he wished. Jekyeong had wanted to refuse the moment he heard the proposal. If the other party had not been a cultivator practicing the Blood Dao, he would have flatly refused even at the risk of making their relationship awkward. There were all sorts of bizarre methods in this cultivation world. Techniques that used blood as a medium to play tricks, such as blood curses, were representative underhanded tricks. Even if what Hyeolsu-jinin requested was ordinary blood and not essence blood, Jekyeong could not help but find it unsettling. However, since a blood cultivator studying rare blood was related to her cultivation, he could understand her desire. Of course, understanding was one thing, and feeling uneasy was another, so Jekyeong had only said he would think about it at the time. He had intended it as a polite refusal, so he had not expected Hyeolsu-jinin to bring it up again now.
"Fellow Daoist Hyeolsu, do not put Jekyeong in such a difficult position."
"Ugh. Fine, I understand."
When Seongsu Jinin stepped in and spoke firmly, Hyeolsu-jinin backed down obediently, though she still showed lingering regret.
"I won't force you if you don't want to. But if you ever change your mind, please let me know anytime."
"I will."
Jekyeong did his best to ignore the intense gaze he occasionally felt afterward as he joined the conversation. Even though it was a conversation among Core Formation cultivators, there was nothing particularly extraordinary about it. Just like Foundation Establishment cultivators, they shared minor daily occurrences and deepened their friendship. Then, once the atmosphere had warmed up sufficiently, more serious topics finally began to be discussed. They were about the major and minor events that had occurred in Bulmangwon.
Though no one spoke of it, Jekyeong surmised that the core she had formed was a Blood Core. There was no other reason than the fact that she practiced the Blood Dao. She was considered a heretical cultivator in the human cultivation world, and there was a good reason for that. Even putting aside her bizarre cultivation system of the Blood Dao, her personality was excessively eccentric. While the members of this gathering were broad-minded enough to tolerate her quirks, others would certainly not be so accommodating.
"By the way, Fellow Daoist Jekyeong, have you thought about what I mentioned last time? I believe it is quite a fair trade."
During the last meeting, Hyeolsu-jinin had asked Jekyeong to sell her a certain amount of his blood, saying she wanted to study the blood of a Flood Dragon. She promised to pay a handsome price, and even offered to provide a Rank Three spiritual item if he wished. Jekyeong had wanted to refuse the moment he heard the proposal. If the other party had not been a cultivator practicing the Blood Dao, he would have flatly refused even at the risk of making their relationship awkward. There were all sorts of bizarre methods in this cultivation world. Techniques that used blood as a medium to play tricks, such as blood curses, were representative underhanded tricks. Even if what Hyeolsu-jinin requested was ordinary blood and not essence blood, Jekyeong could not help but find it unsettling. However, since a blood cultivator studying rare blood was related to her cultivation, he could understand her desire. Of course, understanding was one thing, and feeling uneasy was another, so Jekyeong had only said he would think about it at the time. He had intended it as a polite refusal, so he had not expected Hyeolsu-jinin to bring it up again now.
"Fellow Daoist Hyeolsu, do not put Jekyeong in such a difficult position."
"Ugh. Fine, I understand."
When Seongsu Jinin stepped in and spoke firmly, Hyeolsu-jinin backed down obediently, though she still showed lingering regret.
"I won't force you if you don't want to. But if you ever change your mind, please let me know anytime."
"I will."
Jekyeong did his best to ignore the intense gaze he occasionally felt afterward as he joined the conversation. Even though it was a conversation among Core Formation cultivators, there was nothing particularly extraordinary about it. Just like Foundation Establishment cultivators, they shared minor daily occurrences and deepened their friendship. Then, once the atmosphere had warmed up sufficiently, more serious topics finally began to be discussed. They were about the major and minor events that had occurred in Bulmangwon.
"I heard that Fellow Daoist Myeongyu has passed away."
"Did he fail his breakthrough?"
"Indeed. According to the fellow Daoists who stood guard for him, he could not even achieve Core Shattering before his soul was scattered."
"My goodness..."
Everyone fell silent. The people gathered here were all Core Formation cultivators who dreamed of achieving the Nascent Soul stage in the future. Thus, hearing that a fellow Daoist who had been ahead of them had failed so miserably and had his soul scattered left them with a profound sense of melancholy.
"I heard that the Hyeonhae Immortal Dynasty and the Nokseong Palace have reached an agreement."
"Yes. I heard that the Hyeoncheon Emperor of the Hyeonhae Immortal Dynasty and True Lord Yangheo met in person to negotiate, though I do not know if it is true."
"Then has the matter of the Mancheon Palace been settled for now?"
"For now, we must assume so. Since both sides shed a significant amount of blood without securing a victory, they likely realized that continuing to fight would only benefit a third party."
Cultivators who have not achieved Core Formation are bound to harbor illusions about those in the Core Formation realm. Jekyeong himself had been no exception. Even though he had interacted several times with Core Formation cultivators, especially Demon Kings like Yu Gon, before his breakthrough, he had still held a certain degree of illusion. It couldn't be helped. It is only human nature for mountain climbers to expect that the view from the distant peak will be something extraordinary. But once you actually climb it, you realize: the joy is fleeting, and the extraordinary eventually fades into the mundane. Every cultivator here was someone whose name was known by all in the outside world, yet here they gossiped like ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators. Except for the heavier weight of the topics they discussed, it wasn't much different from the meetings of the Mansi Assembly. It was because they themselves desired this. Here, they laid down their status, power, and fame. They could cool their minds by interacting—sometimes seriously, sometimes lightheartedly—with their true peers who shared the identity of reincarnators. Jekyeong could not fully empathize with that sentiment, but he could understand it. Climbing to a high place meant having walked a long road, and knowing that there were still ninety thousand miles left to go would inevitably exhaust both body and mind. Jekyeong became a quiet listener, attentively hearing the conversations of his seniors.
"But don't you think these kinds of events have been happening more frequently lately?"
"What kinds of events do you mean?"
"The disturbances, I mean. Though the cultivation world has never had a quiet day, it feels particularly chaotic lately."
Secret realms appearing, peerless spiritual items emerging to draw the world's attention, and descendants of fallen immortal clans proudly showing themselves to avenge their ancestors... Individually, these were ordinary occurrences in the cultivation world, but it was certainly rare for them to happen simultaneously.
"Indeed, the seniors have said the same. They say the Changram Realm has been growing increasingly noisy over the past few hundred years. I heard that a civil war broke out in one of the Immortal Dynasties not long ago."
"A civil war in an Immortal Dynasty? How could such a thing happen?"