A Deep Dive for Capital
Lost in thought, Jekyeong noticed the quiet, meaningful glances Yeo Janggyeong and Choi Ju-tang were casting his way. It was clear they were also interested in trading. Because he had initiated the discussion with U Do-baek first, they didn't dare interrupt out of respect for the elder's face. However, they were subtly signaling their readiness to step in should the deal fall through.
They expect too much of me, Jekyeong thought, guessing their intentions. They hoped to acquire rare cultivation resources through him—things that were hard to come by in the Human Territory. Unfortunately, Jekyeong lacked the ability to fulfill their desires. For starters, he wasn't in some mythical beast territory flowing with milk and honey; he was in a lake of unknown continental location, with humans sitting right on his doorstep.
If there were truly valuable treasures in Yangseo Lake, wouldn't the humans—who were practically a swarm of locusts in the cultivation world—have swept them clean long ago? Perhaps some things remained in places the humans couldn't reach, but even if that were the case, it had nothing to do with Jekyeong. If a place was too dangerous even for human greed to penetrate, there was no way he could safely access it either.
Regardless, I still need some capital, Jekyeong mused. Being able to trade with relatively trustworthy individuals through Bulmangwon was a definite advantage, but to exploit this advantage, he needed resources suitable for trade. He didn't know what U Do-baek would demand in exchange for the Transformation Secret Art, but currently, the only resource Jekyeong could offer was the carcasses of Demon Beasts. He had to find something else—something that could at least pique the interest of Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Jekyeong spent his time planning his future moves. Occasionally, he conversed with U Do-baek and the others, or simply contemplated his own spiritual body. It was a largely meaningless exercise, but with nothing else to do, he focused on it as a form of mental cultivation. Once he focused, time began to flow at a terrifyingly rapid pace.
Once or twice, he felt Cheongo approach his physical body in the Changram Realm, which was currently in a semi-dormant state, and say something. He could have listened if he tried, but Jekyeong ignored it. Judging by Cheongo's aura, the bird was almost certainly just grumbling out of boredom. If it were an emergency, the creature would have pecked him awake.
He had no idea how much time had passed when a voice boomed.
"My thanks to Senior Hyendo for his teachings! But as I thought, the Dao of the Human Race does not suit me. The Dao I must achieve lies in the high heavens above!"
The first to awaken from his sudden enlightenment was So-byeok-ik-wang. Leaving behind words that were hard to believe someone would utter to a Nascent Soul Perfected Lord, he departed as flamboyantly as he had arrived, whipping up a fierce gale.
The other Core Formation cultivators only began to awaken one by one after a long while. Watching them, Jekyeong surmised that So-byeok-ik-wang had intentionally cut his enlightenment short. Just as he had said, So-byeok-ik-wang must have decided that True Lord Hyendo's teachings did not align with his path and walked away mid-sermon.
Incredible. The man truly lived exactly as he pleased. To just get up and leave because the teachings didn't suit him—what did that make of the face of the Nascent Soul Perfected Lord who had graciously bestowed them? Jekyeong couldn't decide whether to call it bold or sheer madness. But one thing was certain: So-byeok-ik-wang was no ordinary figure.
"Our deepest gratitude for Senior Hyendo's teachings!"
A short while later, the Core Formation cultivators who had finished organizing their insights offered their thanks to True Lord Hyendo. However, no response came from the Perfected Lord. The Core Formation cultivators seemed to expect this, showing no sign of fluster as they began to converse among themselves.
"Then, I shall begin first."
Soon, the spiritual body of a cultivator floated into the center of the Great Assembly Plaza. As tens of thousands of cultivators watched him, Jekyeong found the voice that spoke strangely familiar.
Senior Yu Jeonggyeom?
Yu Jeonggyeom, the guide. The one who had welcomed Jekyeong when he first received the invitation to Bulmangwon. The voice he had long forgotten now overlapped perfectly with the voice of this Core Formation master.
Is it him? Or not? It certainly sounded similar, but he couldn't be sure. It wasn't as if he could abruptly blurt out, "Are you Senior Yu Jeonggyeom?" here. And whether it's him or not, that's not what's important right now. This was the sermon he had been waiting for. Although he had gained nothing from True Lord Hyendo's sermon, he absolutely had to glean something from the Core Formation masters.
"It is commonly referred to as the Great Dao of Core Formation," the calm voice resonated pleasantly. Spoken softly, as if in a monologue, the sound carried clearly across dozens of kilometers. "The reason it is called a 'Great Dao' is because forming a core holds immense significance on the path of immortality. The true essence of Core Formation lies in the creation of the Dharma Seed, which in turn..."
Through the sermon of this Core Formation master—who may or may not have been Yu Jeonggyeom—Jekyeong grasped the fundamental concepts of Core Formation. Although Jekyeong was already forging his own unique path, these concepts were vital to him. Whether it was a Golden Core, a Demon Core, or something else entirely, the moment would eventually come when he, too, would have to attempt Core Formation.
"Well, that is all from me. I shall take my leave now."
The first Core Formation cultivator let out a hearty laugh and vanished in an instant. Immediately, another Core Formation cultivator floated high into the sky.
"I shall take over from here."
As if they had discussed it beforehand, the Core Formation masters took turns delivering their sermons on the Great Dao of Core Formation. Their explanations were long but not tedious, and there was nothing vague about them. At least while listening, Jekyeong could fully comprehend their words without a shred of confusion. A total of four Core Formation cultivators spoke, and the last one vanished like a mirage upon finishing. Since none of the tens of thousands of listening cultivators—including Jekyeong—had heard the names of these four masters, they could only shout in unison, "Our deepest gratitude for the seniors' teachings!"
A few cultivators, Jekyeong included, found this puzzling. Weren't they delivering these sermons to accumulate good karma? Even if they didn't want to openly boast about it, to vanish like ghosts without even leaving their names...
"It is likely because this grand assembly was held in the name of True Lord Hyendo," U Do-baek speculated quietly, having composed himself after his enlightenment. "Since the Perfected Lord arranged this gathering, perhaps they felt it presumptuous to leave their own names. Besides, those seniors must have gained plenty from the Perfected Lord's sermon themselves, so they probably saw no need to cling to a small amount of karmic affinity."
Yeo Janggyeong and Choi Ju-tang nodded in agreement. Watching them, Jekyeong clicked his tongue inwardly. Even with their high cultivation, they are still humans. They certainly love to overanalyze and calculate every little thing.
A whole month passed in the blink of an eye. When he finally came to his senses, a month had already slipped away. He had heard that high-level cultivators forgot the passage of time once they entered meditation, and after experiencing it firsthand, he realized the truth of those words.
Is it time to go back? Jekyeong thought, looking at the Teleportation Pillars that still glowed with a faint light. In truth, there was no pressing need to return. All he did in Bulmangwon was converse with others, and as long as there were people to talk to, what did it matter where they spoke? Especially since he existed here only as a spiritual body, not a physical one.
Yet, Bulmangwon was excessively vast. It was said to be expanding even now as time passed. Why was that? Jekyeong knew the answer. Because Bulmangwon is not wide enough. One might wonder what that meant when there were only tens of thousands of members, but one had to remember that every single one of those tens of thousands was a cultivator possessing Divine Sense. Their Divine Sense represented the distance of their minds; even if they were of the same race and shared the same path, they had no choice but to keep their distance from one another unless sufficient intimacy and trust had been established.
When it comes down to it, I am no different. Among the tens of thousands of cultivators gathered here, there might very well be someone residing in Yangseo Lake. But even if such a person existed, Jekyeong had absolutely no intention of seeking them out. Because he couldn't trust them.
That must be why the cultivators of Bulmangwon utilize the Yeongbu Merchant Alliance. At first, he had found it a bit strange that a Nascent Soul Perfected Lord would run a merchant group. But thinking about it now, perhaps the Yeongbu Merchant Alliance itself was a form of consideration for the junior cultivators of Bulmangwon. Knowing they couldn't trust one another, the Perfected Lord had likely established this system to allow them to interact and trade more safely.
Come to think of it, I will also have to use the Yeongbu Merchant Alliance to obtain the Transformation Secret Art...
As Jekyeong was lost in thought, the light of all the Teleportation Pillars suddenly flared with explosive intensity, and a familiar, low voice echoed.
"I leave this place and these Teleportation Pillars for my juniors, so that the vastness of Bulmangwon shall no longer cause you distress."
The light enveloping the Teleportation Pillars faded. In its place stood tall pillars that appeared to be cast from bronze. Engraved with strange, incomprehensible patterns, the pillars looked even more mystical than when they had been shrouded in light.
"Our deepest gratitude for True Lord Hyendo's grace!"
It didn't matter who shouted first. Before they could even finish their sentence, everyone joined in, shouting the exact same words in unison.
After returning to their usual gathering spot with the senior cultivators of the Mansi Assembly, Jekyeong left Bulmangwon.
"Hmm."
It was his first time remaining completely still for such a long period, but his body felt perfectly fine, without any discomfort. It wasn't stiff, nor did it creak. He wasn't even hungry. Though he already knew it, Jekyeong was reminded once again that his body had transcended the boundaries of ordinary mortal creatures.
Did Cheongo go out?
He recalled Cheongo calling out to him and pecking at him while he was in Bulmangwon. When Jekyeong had failed to respond, the bird had seemed quite sulky. Glancing over at the creature's 'nest,' he saw a massive pile of shiny objects. He had thought it was quite a lot a month ago, but now there was several times that amount.
At this rate, the cave is going to get cramped.
There was still plenty of room for now, but Cheongo's obsession with collecting shiny things was growing worse by the day. If this continued, who knew what would happen? Well, by the time the cave became too small due to Cheongo's hoard, they would have long since moved to a new home anyway.
Muk-su hasn't changed either.
Perhaps because Jekyeong had been in Bulmangwon for a month, leaving Muk-su to eat only ordinary fish caught by Cheongo instead of Demon Beasts, there was no noticeable change.
"When are you going to wake up?"
Jekyeong muttered. He suspected that Muk-su had already regained consciousness but was simply playing lazy after getting a taste of free meals. The image of the 'smiling pig' overlapping with the plump fruit from before had been that shocking. Of course, he knew that image was merely an illusion born of his own suspicion, but still...
If only I had one of this fellow's fruits, I'd feel much more at ease.
He missed Muk-su, but he also missed Muk-su's fruits. Even if they were slightly lacking, they were still spiritual items in their own right. If he had one, it might have come in handy when trading with U Do-baek.
"Enjoy it while you can, but I will make sure to collect the price for these free meals later, with interest."
Flinch!
Was it his imagination? The fruit, half-buried in the dirt, seemed to tremble ever so slightly. Jekyeong narrowed his eyes, then shook his head.
I must have misseen it. Just like the 'smiling pig' from before, it was probably just his mounting frustration with this freeloading fruit playing tricks on his eyes.
To be swayed by such trivial emotions. Pathetic.
Jekyeong closed his eyes and meditated. Once his mind calmed, he began to ponder how to acquire resources for trade.
The price Senior U demands will likely be cultivation resources.
Cultivation resources. The first thing that came to mind was spiritual items, but those weren't exactly easy to find just because one wanted them. Moreover, if U Do-baek wanted a spiritual item, it would undoubtedly have to be one suitable for human cultivation, making it even harder to obtain.
I don't think Senior U would rip me off, but one can never be too sure.
Jekyeong had chosen to trade with him because of the rapport they had built and the character the elder had shown. If the price didn't seem right, he could simply call off the deal. He didn't have to cling solely to U Do-baek. If the deal with U Do-baek fell through, there were still Yeo Janggyeong and Choi Ju-tang. And if things went south with them as well... he would just have to come up with another plan.
But that is all for later. For now, securing capital was the top priority.
If there are any usable resources, they would be in places untouched by the Human Race. Such places would either be in the deep waters or deep within the territories of other races.
The latter was out of the question for now. Needless to say, the territory of the Gakchung Clan was off-limits, and wandering into the Beast Race's territory relying solely on his Presence-Concealing Technique was a recipe for disaster. Unless absolutely necessary, he wanted to avoid it.
Therefore, the only viable option was the former: exploring the deep waters. After all, he was an aquatic beast himself, so he was relatively free from the pressures of the deep. This was a unique advantage and strength of being a Water Beast. Jekyeong intended to leverage this advantage to go on a treasure hunt.
"Gasp!"
The Turtle Yo-su shrieked in terror as a massive shadow suddenly loomed over him. Reflexively, he tucked himself into his shell, but soon, as if remembering something, he cautiously poked his head out.
"D-Dragon Lord. We meet again."
"Indeed. Quite a coincidence."
"Yes. Haha... indeed. What an extraordinary—no, what a delightful coincidence..."