A Desire to Transcend
Jang Hu-am tried his best to drive the price down, pointing out the abnormal medicinal spirit and the potential mutations. Jekyeong strongly countered, arguing that the mere fact that this spiritual herb had survived perfectly intact in such an extreme environment was proof of its extraordinary nature. Furthermore, regarding the issue of mutation...
"Let us not debate that point. If you truly viewed the herb's mutation in a negative light, you wouldn't have even tried to make a deal in the first place, would you?"
Jekyeong believed that if a mutation had indeed occurred within the spiritual herb, it would be a double-edged sword. It could be a positive mutation, or it could be a negative one. Until a grandmaster of the medicinal path examined it or they tested it themselves, there was no way to know for sure. If so, any worries about mutation would simply be buried beneath anticipation, making further discussion on the matter entirely pointless.
"Fellow Daoist, you would have achieved great success even if you had become a merchant." Jang Hu-am did not argue. His posturing about the mutation was merely a bargaining tactic—a bit of wordplay that would have been nice if it worked, but was no great loss if it didn't.
"A Grotto-heaven sealed for thousands of years... How much of that Grotto-heaven have you restored by now, Fellow Daoist?"
"About thirty percent."
"I see. Thirty percent."
This was a subtle hint. If exploring a mere thirty percent had yielded an item of this caliber, there was no telling what treasures might be hidden in the remaining seventy percent. If they could conclude a satisfactory transaction now, wouldn't it pave the way for future deals involving whatever else was found? Jang Hu-am dropped the hint, and Jekyeong silently agreed.
"Shall the payment be made in spirit stones?"
"That would be best."
Jang Hu-am offered a price he deemed most reasonable, adding a little extra as a gesture of goodwill, and Jekyeong was satisfied.
"It has been a pleasure doing business with you."
Jekyeong felt he had made a good profit, but he did not think Jang Hu-am had lost out either. Ultimately, the price of an item was up to the seller, and the buyer could only offer as much as their desperation dictated.
While Jekyeong only had Jang Hu-am to sell to if he wanted to get a fair price, the same did not apply to the merchant. Jang Hu-am could easily pick the highest bidder among his vast network of acquaintances and clients, and the final price he would fetch... would undoubtedly be enough to make Jekyeong's stomach churn if he ever found out.
Two months after concluding the deal with Jang Hu-am in Bul-mang-won, Jekyeong received a visitor sent by the merchant. The messenger was an elderly late Foundation Establishment cultivator, and he did not belong to the cultivation world of Yangseo Lake.
"I pay my respects to the Dragon Lord."
Though it was Jekyeong's first time seeing him, the man seemed to know a fair deal about Jekyeong, as his attitude was exceedingly respectful. After politely asking for permission, he immediately began retrieving spirit stones from his storage ring.
A sizable pile of high-grade spirit stones, glowing as brilliantly as stars embedded in the night sky, accumulated on the ground. At some point, Cheongo had perched atop Jekyeong's head, staring blankly with its beak wide open, utterly captivated by the dazzling radiance. Fortunately, it retained a shred of self-control and didn't drool.
"Here are four hundred and fifty high-grade spirit stones. As for the merchandise..."
"It is here."
The Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Yeongbu Merchant Alliance took the storage bag and quickly inspected its contents. Once he confirmed everything was in order, he bowed respectfully once more.
"Everything is correct. With this, I shall take my leave."
"Go on."
Neither Jekyeong nor the cultivator from the Yeongbu Merchant Alliance wasted a single word on idle chatter. Having verified the goods and completed the transaction, the messenger immediately departed from the Seongya Archipelago. Jekyeong faintly sensed the cultivator's aura heading northeast before turning his gaze back.
He saw Cheongo sitting in front of the pile of high-grade spirit stones, gently caressing them.
"Jekyeong! Jekyeong! Can't you give these to me?"
"Do you really think I would?"
"Yes!"
Shooing away the half-delirious bird, Jekyeong swept the spirit stones into his storage.
"Here."
He tossed a single high-grade spirit stone to the sulking Cheongo, and only then did the bird's expression brighten. Ignoring the creature as it cast lingering, regretful glances at his storage ring, Jekyeong fell into deep thought.
This should be more than enough.
The world of Core Formation cultivators was entirely different from the world of those below them. This was true not only of their power but also of their wealth. The items used by Core Formation experts—especially spiritual treasures that aided in cultivation—commanded prices that would make one's eyes pop and jaw drop. This was evident from the fact that Jekyeong had earned well over four hundred high-grade spirit stones from this single transaction.
But what came easily went easily. Jekyeong had previously heard from Byeokpa about the items traded at the exchange meets of the Manryongjeong, including how much they sold for and what they were bartered with.
What a pity.
Though the storage ring was tightly sealed, he felt as if he could almost sense the highly pure spiritual energy leaking from it. With this many spirit stones, he could easily upgrade the spiritual vein of the Seongya Archipelago to the second rank, or at least something close to it. Looking at the long term, prioritizing the improvement of the spiritual vein over an immediate boost in his own cultivation stage was technically the correct choice, but Jekyeong's mind remained unchanged.
Upgrading the spiritual vein to the second rank right now would only draw unnecessary attention.
A second-rank spiritual vein was a blessed land possessed only by the Jansu Whale King and the Gakchung Clan in all of Yangseo Lake. It was more than enough to tempt even Core Formation cultivators. The reason the greedy humans had not bared their fangs sooner was likely because one of the two second-rank veins was located deep underwater, making it inaccessible to them, while the other was held by the Gakchung Clan, whom they dared not provoke.
Jekyeong, however, was a different story. If he upgraded the spiritual vein of the Seongya Archipelago to the second rank, the humans would undoubtedly react. Even if they were weaker than ever before and Jekyeong possessed the formidable backing of the Sacred Heaven Dragon Palace, it would be difficult to completely suppress their greed. Even if they didn't act directly, they could easily hatch insidious plots in other ways. Jekyeong wanted to avoid troublesome matters as much as possible—at least until his own strength grew enough to handle any nuisance that came his way.
Han Cheongyu had taken a Dao companion. She was a female cultivator at the early Foundation Establishment stage. Rumor had it that she had visited Jaseong Island to hunt demon beasts and had crossed paths with Han Cheongyu by chance, leading to their romance.
"That is good news."
"Would you like to summon them, my lord?"
At Hyeongu's question, Jekyeong pondered for a moment.
"...No. There is no need to do so immediately. Though they have become Dao companions for now, one never knows what the future holds."
The relationship of Dao companions was somewhat ambiguous. It was more than lovers, yet less than a married couple. While it was a promise between two like-minded individuals to walk the path of cultivation together, such promises could be broken or fade away at any time depending on the circumstances.
Jekyeong believed that Han Cheongyu had not forgotten his orders, but he also did not think the man would start a clan with just anyone. Han Cheongyu was not one to make such a decision without deep affection or absolute certainty, so summoning them now would serve no purpose.
"When the time is right, he will come to find me on his own, even if I do not ask."
After hearing about Han Cheongyu's new companion, Jekyeong received a report on the situation in the Human Territory.
"The prestige of the two Golden Core sects remains as formidable as ever, but unrest still plagues various parts of the Human Territory," Hyeongu reported.
"Is it because of the previous war?"
"Yes, my lord. Many places have lost their masters, and even where the masters still hold on, their strength is not what it once was. Consequently, ambitious fools are constantly swarming in."
With the number of cultivators endlessly increasing while the resources available to them remained limited, such conflicts were inevitable. In the past, when order was maintained, those with ambition had no choice but to bow their heads and suppress their greed if they wished to live. But now, after the war had swept everything away, things were different.
"Though he did not state it outright, it seemed Ju-hyeong wished to secure a piece of the pie as well."
"His ambition far outstrips his ability."
As Jekyeong clicked his tongue, Hyeongu unconsciously lowered his head.
"If he wants to try, let him."
"Understood. But if he requests assistance..."
While Jekyeong appreciated Ju-hyeong's drive, the man's strength could not keep pace with his desires. With a mere early Foundation Establishment cultivation, harboring greed beyond his station meant he could die at any moment, in any manner. Ju-hyeong likely knew this, which was why he had dropped hints beforehand, hoping to borrow their strength if things went south.
"Help him if you can, but I will not concern myself with it."
By saying he would not concern himself, Jekyeong meant he would not personally intervene. It was an admonition to Hyeongu: help him only if it was within his own capacity to handle, and stay out of it otherwise.
"I understand your command, Dragon Lord."
Hyeongu, too, seemed filled with enthusiasm, though not quite to the same extent as Ju-hyeong. He had likely been promised a substantial reward by Ju-hyeong. Indeed, if that weren't the case, Hyeongu would not have brought up Ju-hyeong's affairs first.
It is not a bad thing. In fact, it is quite good.
Lately, Hyeongu behaved more like a human than a member of the beast race. He spent his days as busily as they did, devoting himself entirely to cultivation. His mastery over formations had already reached a level that Jekyeong found difficult to comprehend, and he seemed to understand every single array laid out across the Seongya Archipelago. Yet, Hyeongu did not stop studying formations, and he even directed his efforts toward other areas.
For instance, the Hwa-hyeong-bi-sul.
"Have you made any headway with the Hwayeongsul?"
Hyeongu shook his head with a bitter smile.
"It is difficult, my lord. Even visualizing the human form is overwhelming, so I cannot even begin to think of the steps that follow."
"It is naturally no easy task. Do not push yourself too hard."
"Yes, my lord."
Hyeongu's desire to master the Transformation Secret Art was partly for convenience when traveling to and from the Human Territory, but it was also because he had nothing else to occupy his efforts. The cultivation of the beast race relied heavily on their bloodline, and aside from that, only blood food could raise their cultivation stage. However, as high-quality nourishment was constantly delivered to him without him having to lift a finger, he had no need to go out and hunt, leaving him with an abundance of free time.
In the past, he had simply enjoyed this leisure. He had never considered it a waste of time. But after realizing his own shortcomings and developing a desire for self-improvement, everything changed. He seized the hours he used to let drift away aimlessly and sought to fill them with anything productive.
However, he had not been interested in the Transformation Secret Art from the very beginning. He knew that proficiency in the Transformation Art would make it easier to enter the Human Territory, but even without it, he had experienced no trouble carrying out the Dragon Lord's commands.
The turning point that sparked his interest in the Transformation Art was the visit of a guest from the Sacred Heaven Dragon Palace. More precisely, it was witnessing them in human form.
In the past, Hyeongu had occasionally seen the Dragon Lord assume a human guise, but he had merely dismissed it as his lord's unique eccentricity. Even when he later saw Lord Cheongo transform, he had simply assumed the bird had been influenced by the Dragon Lord and thought nothing more of it.
But when the reception envoy from the Sacred Heaven Dragon Palace arrived at the Seongya Archipelago in human form, Hyeongu began to wonder if human transformation was a basic requirement for high-ranking members of the beast race. It felt as though taking on a human shape was a symbol of their exceptional status and nobility.
Of course, this was likely an overthought. They probably assumed human form simply because their true bodies were too massive, making it inconvenient to move around casually. Yet... even as he tried to rationalize it that way, other thoughts kept creeping in.
Whenever he saw the Dragon Lord meditating in human form, or Lord Cheongo running around as a plump child, or his own son, Bigu, drifting leisurely along the outskirts of the Seongya Archipelago, those thoughts only grew stronger.
At first, he had tried to ignore it, but as the yearning in his heart intensified, Hyeongu ultimately had to admit the truth.
He wanted to be special. He, too, wanted to be extraordinary.
Whatever that specialness truly meant did not matter. He simply wanted to cast off the mediocrity that had become so utterly wearisome to him. In truth, that desire had existed for a very long time. In the past, he had been able to satisfy it by learning and mastering formations, but now, that alone was no longer enough. The Transformation Secret Art was said to be difficult, but that difficulty only fueled Hyeongu's resolve. An achievement earned through grueling effort would surely hold that much more value, would it not?
The Dragon Lord is not someone who will remain satisfied with this small Yangseo Lake. To follow even the very tip of his tail, I cannot afford to be idle for a single moment.
Hyeongu often felt a profound sense of awe whenever he thought of the Dragon Lord. He had been there since the very beginning of his lord's journey. He had witnessed how his lord raised his cultivation, broke through realms, and how his name spread from that tiny island to encompass the entirety of Yangseo Lake. Hyeongu did not have a single shred of doubt that the Dragon Lord possessed an extraordinary bloodline, and that his destiny was bound for the highest heavens.