The Price of Ambition
"Yes. I am far too late."
"Late? The Beast Race, especially turtles like you, are naturally cautious by nature, are they not?"
Having lived in the Human Territory for a long time, Han Cheongyu had naturally acquired the conversational skills of humans. Although his innate disposition was simple and he rarely spoke empty words, it was not difficult to show a little consideration for this important colleague.
"That is true."
Han Cheongyu's consideration pleased Hyeongu. Naturally cautious? Indeed. That is the strength of a turtle. They were not fast, but that was precisely why they could travel their path more safely.
"I have come to deliver the Lord Dragon's command."
"Understood. Please, speak."
"The Lord Dragon wishes to gather information on the Golden Core cultivators who were active in the past around Yangseo Lake and the neighboring cultivation worlds."
"Past Golden Core cultivators... Very well, I shall look into it."
Han Cheongyu was puzzled, but he did not dwell on it. Not questioning the orders given to him was both his habit and his ironclad rule.
"Not long ago, the Lord Dragon passed his Transformation Tribulation."
Having completed his task, Hyeongu began to chat casually with Han Cheongyu. First, they asked about each other's recent situations, and then they talked about various things without any particular topic.
"The Transformation Tribulation..."
At Han Cheongyu's low exclamation, Hyeongu stiffened his slightly bent neck and stood tall. "Since he has passed the Transformation Tribulation, perhaps the Lord Dragon will travel the Human Territory in the future. When that time comes, you will have a role to play."
"Perhaps so. Thank you for letting me know."
"Indeed. By the way, did the Lord Dragon tell you to establish a family clan?"
"Yes."
Han Cheongyu's expression, which had been calm throughout, darkened slightly, and Hyeongu sharply noticed the subtle change.
"Yes. That did happen."
"You don't seem very pleased."
"Why should I be pleased?"
"Humans naturally like to gather in groups. Isn't establishing a clan and leaving descendants the ultimate goal of you humans? The Lord Dragon even said he would take in the clan you establish under his wing, so shouldn't you be delighted by such favor?"
"Haha. I suppose one could look at it that way."
Han Cheongyu smiled faintly and nodded, but he didn't seem particularly convinced. Hyeongu did not press further. He had no desire to, nor did he see the need.
"In any case, you must carry out the task entrusted by the Lord Dragon without any shortcomings."
"Yes. Of course I will. I will do my best."
Having finished his contact with Han Cheongyu, Hyeongu immediately moved to meet Ju-hyeong. Unlike Han Cheongyu, who always stayed on Jaseong Island when he was not hunting demon beasts, Ju-hyeong spent most of his time on a boat, making it difficult to meet him. Although there was a designated meeting place and time, if luck was not on his side, he might have to wait for a month.
Fortunately, this time he did not have to wait long. Hyeongu spotted a Foundation Establishment cultivator riding a large fish monster in the distance and curled his lips.
"Lord Hyeongu."
Unlike Han Cheongyu, who treated him almost like a friend, Ju-hyeong still treated him as a superior.
"Ju-hyeong. You seem to be doing well."
Hyeongu's gaze turned to the water beast Ju-hyeong was riding. It was definitely a blue shark demon beast last time, but this time it was a different one. It was larger and looked stronger than the previous one, a rare type even among water beasts.
"I am doing my best in my own way to meet the Lord Dragon's expectations. But Lord Hyeongu... by any chance, has your cultivation...?"
Compared to Han Cheongyu, who recognized it at a glance, Ju-hyeong seemed uncertain. Since his cultivation was lower than Han Cheongyu's and his experience was narrower, he felt something was different but couldn't be sure.
"Yes, I have barely crossed a wall."
"Congratulations!"
"Enough. No need for congratulations."
Suppressing his twitching lips, Hyeongu delivered Jekyeong's command in the exact same way he had to Han Cheongyu.
"Information on past Golden Core cultivators. Understood."
Ju-hyeong showed confidence. For an Early Foundation Establishment cultivator like him, digging up information on active Golden Core cultivators would be like jumping into a fire with dry wood on his back, but if the targets were already dead, it wouldn't be that difficult. After all, no matter how lofty a name was in life, it was bound to gather dust once they died.
"Ah, this is nothing much, but..."
As Ju-hyeong subtly handed over a storage ring, Hyeongu's eyes sparkled.
"Ahem! You shouldn't have."
"It really is nothing. Please just accept it as a small token of respect from a junior."
Hyeongu knew Ju-hyeong's business well. Ju-hyeong, who was faithful to his main job, occasionally obtained good items, and he would set aside some of them like this.
"Mmh. I cannot refuse a sincere gesture."
Hyeongu did not think deeply about it. A gesture was a gesture, and a good thing was a good thing. Besides, practicing formations required quite a few spirit stones, so there was no reason to refuse such a lucrative side income.
"Then, I shall leave."
"Yes, please travel safely."
The turtle and the human parted ways with smiles.
Obtaining information on Golden Core cultivators who had been active in Yangseo Lake and its vicinity in the past was not very difficult. However, taking it a step further to collect their inheritances, especially their cultivation methods, was no easy task. Cultivation methods were, with only slight exaggeration, like the very lives of human cultivators, so obtaining them required many conditions to be met.
What Jekyeong had initially targeted were the fallen descendants. Those who had been Golden Core-level sects or clans in the past, but had now declined because they could no longer produce Golden Core cultivators. He thought that if they were such people, he easily could obtain the cultivation methods by paying a reasonable price or by taking direct action.
Did I think too simply?
Gathering information on past Golden Core cultivators was not difficult. Within less than three months, both Han Cheongyu and Ju-hyeong sent a significant amount of information. However, when he filtered them using the aforementioned conditions, only a few names remained out of more than a hundred.
Whether human or beast, the thoughts of cultivators are all similar.
A Golden Core cultivator is a high-level force of the human race and an object of admiration for all, but that is only when they are alive. Once they die, they become prey coveted by ten thousand wild dogs drooling with greed. Their remains, inheritances, and even the minor items they casually carried around all become 'fortuitous encounters' that cultivators dream of.
Among the more than a hundred past Golden Core cultivators, some left descendants, while others disappeared without a trace. And among the former, while some maintained their influence to this day, not a few had fallen so miserably that their past glory was put to shame.
Was it because their descendants were incompetent? That might be true, but the fundamental reason was that they possessed treasures beyond their station. Lacking the ability to protect the legacy left by their ancestors, they were constantly torn apart by ten thousand wild dogs. Bandit cultivators hiding their identities, and sect families who legally plundered them using ridiculous excuses as pretexts. All these enemies coveted their flesh and blood, and those that had once been proud Golden Core-level forces fell so far within just a few decades that their past could no longer be recalled.
Seeing things like this, humans are even more cruel than the Beast Race.
Descendants of Golden Core cultivators who practiced fire-attribute cultivation methods. Among them, only three had maintained their lineage to this day. However, among them, only one place properly preserved its inheritance. There was no other reason; they had simply acted quickly and established blood ties with a Golden Core family early on. Though called blood ties, they were practically subordinates, but by moving so quickly, they managed to preserve their ancestral incense, so their choice was certainly wise.
It can't be helped.
Jekyeong half-abandoned the idea of easily obtaining a cultivation method. If he planned for decades and approached cautiously, he was confident he could extract a cultivation method whether the opponent was a vassal of a Golden Core family or the Golden Core family itself... but Jekyeong did not want to take such a long detour. When he was suffering from demonic obsession, he could convince himself that he needed time to control it, but wasn't that no longer the case now? Having resolved his demonic obsession to some extent, he now wanted to increase his cultivation, and for that, he needed a Golden Core-stage cultivation method.
While his subordinates ran around diligently for over two months to gather information, Jekyeong was not idle either. He contacted several seniors in Bul-mang-won and subtly dropped hints. He shared vague ideas, mainly that his cultivation progress was slow and frustrating, and that perhaps he could find possibilities in other directions.
The seniors who heard his ideas shook their heads, but they did not mock Jekyeong or break his will. They were not his flesh and blood or his master, so why would they give such advice? Besides, cultivation was originally something done alone. One could receive help, but in the end, choosing and moving forward depended on the cultivator himself.
"Give it a try. On the path of the Dao, any attempt has its own value."
Seongsu Jinin, who always showed a friendly attitude toward Jekyeong, encouraged him with these words. Although he spoke indirectly, he was pointing out that Jekyeong was wandering down the wrong path. However, Jekyeong acted as if he were blinded by the desire to increase his cultivation, showing a bit of impatience and still pretending to look for a way.
"I wish to obtain a fire-attribute cultivation method of the Golden Core realm."
As time passed and he judged the atmosphere was ripe enough, Jekyeong finally brought up the main point.
"A cultivation method?"
"Yes. Do humans not gather spiritual energy by practicing cultivation methods? Although dharma power and monster power are different, are humans and beasts not both cultivators? If it works for humans, why should it not work for the Beast Race?"
Seongsu Jinin burst into a hearty laugh. One could tell what he was thinking just by his reaction. Nevertheless, Jekyeong remained confident. He passionately preached his 'theory', repeatedly asserting that whether it was dharma power or monster power, their source was ultimately the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. However, while his argument was plausible in its broad strokes, there were many loopholes if one dug deeper—loopholes that Jekyeong had intentionally left. It was to make his listeners think his argument was nothing more than enthusiastic sophistry.
"Sigh." Seongsu Jinin let out a sigh. "Why are you in such a hurry? You are of the Beast Race, a Gyoryong. Your lifespan must be longer than all of ours combined, so why are you so anxious to move quickly?"
"No matter how long a lifespan is, the moment of its end will eventually come. If I can move forward faster, I must do so. Is the path not for those who walk it, rather than those who merely look at it?"
Unlike Seongsu Jinin, who tried to persuade him as much as possible, Hyeolsu-jinin laughed as if amused. "Yes. That is true. Fellow Daoist Jekyeong is truly enterprising. Senior Seongsu, since Fellow Daoist Jekyeong has already made up his mind, why do you only try to stop him? As you said earlier, does not any attempt on the path of the Dao have its own value?"
Her smile was directed at Jekyeong, but also at Seongsu Jinin. It was no exaggeration to say that Hyeolsu-jinin was the most adept among those present when it came to reading human nature and worldly affairs. She immediately realized whether Seongsu Jinin was sincerely stopping him or just elaborately putting on a show.
Hmph. Cunning old man.
This ambitious Black Flood Dragon's challenge would fail. Had there been only one or two beasts who made similar attempts before him? Among them were those with extraordinary bloodlines and those with talent no less than humans, but in the end, without exception, they all failed. Seongsu Jinin's current pretense of stopping him was to make the Black Flood Dragon, after his disastrous failure in the future, look back on him. He wanted to project the image of a wise senior who truly cared for him.
Then, I shall play along.
Hyeolsu-jinin stopped laughing and spoke in a serious tone. "However, Fellow Daoist, please know that there have been many who thought like you in the past. It is not a recent thing for the Beast Race to covet human inheritances, but what they could obtain was extremely limited. If you think about why that is... you will understand with just a little thought."
"Thank you for your advice, Senior. However, is it not true that a single success is built upon countless failures?"
That is true. But why do you not think that you, too, will be one of those countless failures? How can you be so sure that the single success will be you?
Hyeolsu-jinin said no more. She merely offered some lip service, harvested some goodwill by saying she would look into obtaining a cultivation method, and left it at that.
"I shall look into it. However, the importance of cultivation methods to us humans goes without saying..."
"I shall pay a sufficient price."