A Dragon's Sanctuary
However, discussions were needed regarding the exact value of the fruits and how the payment would be made.
"Although this is my first time seeing this particular Spiritual Fruit, I know quite a bit about spiritual items of this nature. In other words, I have a rough idea of its price range," Gwak Jeong-sin began, breaking the ice.
Jekyeong simply listened in silence.
"However, with spiritual treasures like this, the issue is availability rather than the price itself, so they are never sold at a fixed rate. If they are sold, it is usually through an auction, or otherwise through bartering. Therefore, I would like to put this Spiritual Fruit up for auction."
If one was confident in the quality of their goods, an auction was one of the best ways to maximize profit. Seeing Gwak Jeong-sin's confident demeanor, he seemed to have a fair amount of certainty.
Jekyeong had no reason to oppose putting the Spiritual Fruit up for auction. The higher the revenue, the better. Why would he object?
However, there was a minor catch to this method: if the fruit was sold at auction, the proceeds could only be received after the auction concluded. Furthermore, unless Jekyeong personally attended the auction house to watch the bidding process, he would have no way of verifying the final selling price.
Naturally, Jekyeong had no intention of venturing into a place teeming with dangerous human cultivators, nor did he want to sit idly on Heukgyodo, blindly hoping that Gwak Jeong-sin wouldn't cheat him.
Gwak Jeong-sin seemed to have anticipated this concern, offering Jekyeong two options.
"I won't beat around the bush. I can pay you a set amount of Spirit Stones upfront, or I can deliver the proceeds to you after the auction, minus our commission. You may decide whichever is more convenient, Fellow Daoist."
There was no need to ask what a "set amount" meant. The "Spiritual Item Price List" that Jang Hu-am had previously gifted Jekyeong contained information and approximate prices for all kinds of spiritual items, allowing him to roughly estimate the value of the Spiritual Fruit.
"I will take the Spirit Stones upfront."
"As you wish." As if he had expected Jekyeong's choice, Gwak Jeong-sin nodded with a smile. "How many Spiritual Fruits do you wish to sell?"
"Three."
"Fifteen mid-grade Spirit Stones per piece, making a total of forty-five. How does that sound?"
"That is acceptable."
Jekyeong smiled with satisfaction. Previously, the price he received for selling the Spiritual Soil was six mid-grade Spirit Stones—and even then, the original price was five, with Gwak Jeong-sin throwing in an extra one as a gesture of goodwill. Yet now, a single one of Muk-su's Spiritual Fruits was worth three times the price of that soil. How could he not be pleased? The cushion of wealth he had been slowly burning through suddenly felt several times thicker.
"Here you go." Gwak Jeong-sin paid the amount on the spot without hesitation. However, when Jekyeong checked his Storage Bag, the number of mid-grade Spirit Stones inside was sixty, not forty-five.
"It tastes quite exquisite." Seeing Jekyeong's puzzled look, Gwak Jeong-sin simply smiled and took another bite of the Spiritual Fruit without offering any further explanation. Seeing this heartwarming gesture, Jekyeong felt a warm glow in his own chest as well.
Wealth was a lovely thing in its own right, but its meaning faded if one merely sat on it. Moreover, the cultivation world was a place where might made right, to put it bluntly. If an opportunity arose, one must not be stingy about converting wealth into raw strength.
Jekyeong understood this law of the cultivation world all too well. He had no intention of hoarding his newly acquired Spirit Stones like sacred relics. At the same time, he didn't plan on squandering them recklessly either.
In fact, Jekyeong had long since established a priority list for how he would spend his wealth once he had enough Spirit Stones in hand. First was safety; second was cultivation. As a cultivator, one naturally had to focus on accumulating cultivation, but securing one's safety was far more critical. Ultimately, cultivation was like a marathon with an invisible finish line—no matter how fast you ran, it meant nothing if you tripped and fell along the way.
"I wish to acquire a defensive formation." At Jekyeong's words, Gwak Jeong-sin nodded, once again looking as though he had expected this.
"That is entirely possible. However, the price of formations varies wildly depending on their type and the area they protect. What is it that you wish to protect with this formation, Fellow Daoist? A body of water? Or an island?"
"A body of water? Can a formation actually encompass an entire water region?" Jekyeong asked in surprise. Knowing how vast his territory was, he couldn't even fathom a formation grand enough to cover such an immense expanse.
"Of course. However, deploying such a wide-area formation requires various conditions to be met, and the resources consumed are astronomical. Because of this, simple detection arrays are primarily used for these vast regions rather than formations with direct defensive capabilities."
"I see." It was indeed impressive, but that was all. He had neither the ability nor the desire for such extravagant spending.
"How much would it cost to acquire a formation to protect this island?"
"That, of course, depends on its performance. However, generally speaking, the protective formations established by Foundation Establishment forces are not terribly expensive. After all, a formation is still just a formation—while it is easy to temporarily stall an opponent, defeating the enemy entirely is a different matter."
"That is exactly what I am looking for."
"Hmm. Please wait a moment." Gwak Jeong-sin rummaged through a few of his Storage Bags before handing over a Jade Slip that gave Jekyeong a sense of déjà vu. "I shall give you this Jade Slip as a gift. Please, take a look."
"Then, I shall not refuse." Jekyeong immediately scanned the contents of the Jade Slip. As expected, the names, effects, and prices of various formations flashed through his mind.
Out of the countless formations, Jekyeong focused primarily on those bearing the name Island Protecting Grand Array. He had no other reason than the simple assumption that, given the name, they would be the most suitable for an island.
Mmm. The grandiose names of the formations made Jekyeong's heart race, and the descriptions of their effects tempted him, but the prices listed at the very end coldly extinguished his excitement as if nothing had happened.
Earning is so difficult, yet spending is so incredibly easy. The price unit for every single formation was mid-grade Spirit Stones. While the cheaper ones cost around five or six, the expensive ones soared to one or two hundred. After glancing at a few unattainable options, Jekyeong quickly began to look at more realistic choices.
"The Box-Gathering Island Protecting Grand Formation. I will go with this one."
"An excellent choice." A formation costing twenty-five mid-grade Spirit Stones. He was spitting back nearly half of the wealth he had just earned, but he didn't feel it was a waste. The more one possessed, the more effort one had to put into defending it. This level of investment was not excessive; if anything, it felt slightly lacking.
"As far as I know, we have the formation flags for the Box-Gathering Island Protecting Grand Formation in stock at our branch. I will verify this upon my return and bring them to you immediately."
"I shall be in your debt, Fellow Daoist Gwak."
"Think nothing of it. Fellow Daoist Jekyeong is my valued client, so it is only natural that I do my utmost to serve you." Not a client of the merchant group, but my client. Jekyeong caught the underlying meaning in Gwak Jeong-sin's words and simply offered a silent, knowing smile.
True to his word, Gwak Jeong-sin returned within a few days with the formation flags required to deploy the Box-Gathering Island Protecting Grand Formation. Jekyeong set up the flags according to the enclosed instructions. The moment the final flag was driven into a spot on the outer edge of Heukgyodo, an invisible barrier rose, enveloping the entire island.
So this is a formation. Even though it was invisible to the naked eye, he could clearly feel its presence through his Spiritual Awareness. In that instant, any lingering regret over the twenty-five mid-grade Spirit Stones vanished without a trace.
Until now, Heukgyodo had been his territory, but it had not been his home. For a place to be called a home, it needed walls to block the wind and a roof to keep out the rain. In that sense, only now, with the Box-Gathering Island Protecting Grand Formation active, did Heukgyodo truly become his home. A safe, cozy home.
"There." After taking a lap around Heukgyodo, Jekyeong used the formation plate to imprint a mark on Cheongo and Muk-su. Since the Island Protecting Grand Array now enveloped the entire island, they would need this mark to pass through freely from now on.
"I doubt you actually need this, but I'll give you one anyway." Jekyeong acted as if he were granting a grand favor when imprinting the mark on Muk-su. He also encouraged it to work hard on producing more Spiritual Fruits, though there was no telling if Muk-su understood him.
Muk-su's Spiritual Fruits and the Fleshy-Scaled Fish. With these, I won't have to worry about Spirit Stones for a while. Jekyeong pondered where to spend his Spirit Stones next. The most urgent was, of course, cultivation methods, followed by cultivation arts. This was a vague idea Jekyeong had harbored for a long time, but acquiring the formation had made it much more concrete.
Although the Four Cultivation Conditions were collectively referred to as *jae-ryeo-beop-ji*, everyone knew which of them was the most crucial. Especially for a Rogue Cultivator with no backing, the importance of wealth was paramount. Therefore, Jekyeong intended to practice human cultivation arts. This was not merely to earn Spirit Stones. One must not view cultivation arts as mere breadwinning skills. Most cultivation arts were intimately linked to cultivation itself, so mastering them would greatly aid in raising one's cultivation realm. A prime example was alchemy. If one could personally refine the elixirs they needed, it would naturally provide a massive advantage in their cultivation journey.
Should I try to obtain them through the Yeongbu Merchant Alliance? It was said that basic knowledge of cultivation arts could be easily acquired at any market town, and through a highly reputable group like the Yeongbu Merchant Alliance, obtaining deeper knowledge wouldn't be difficult either. Of course, truly advanced knowledge and special secret techniques would require seeking out an illustrious master or hoping for a fortuitous encounter, but those were far too distant to worry about for now.
No, it is still better to avoid the Yeongbu Merchant Alliance. Even if it wasn't as sensitive as seeking a cultivation method, trying to acquire cultivation arts could still arouse suspicion. Jekyeong wanted to avoid even the slightest risk if possible—especially when other methods were available.
It is about time to begin. While patrolling his waters recently, Jekyeong had realized that the humans living in his territory were also resources he could utilize. He could command them to patrol the waters, throw them as feed to the water beasts under his command, or send them into Human Territory to procure the items he needed.
Indeed, Jekyeong planned to select a few useful humans and send them into Human Territory. If things went well, he would be able to obtain various necessary items through them.
But before that, I should do a search. There were dozens of islands inhabited by humans within his waters. He didn't expect those who had been helplessly exploited by the Heok-gyo-bang to possess any grand heritages, but he intended to search thoroughly just in case.
Having made up his mind, Jekyeong moved immediately. The first place he visited was Sam-wa-do, which was at least somewhat familiar to him.
"The Dragon Lord!" Jekyeong casually scanned the countless humans gathered to greet him. Amidst the humans who could not entirely hide their fear, one youth stood out, displaying a completely different emotion. Jekyeong recognized him.
Han Cheongyu. The emotions radiating from the boy were complex. There was fear, just like the others, but there was also a sense of awe—and the latter seemed to be the stronger of the two.
Not bad. The boy, whom he had paid no mind to before, now looked a bit different. An errand boy. There was no need to conduct a meticulous search. Once Jekyeong made his demands known, the residents of Sam-wa-do brought out everything they possessed. Most of it consisted of cultivation manuals, along with a fair number of miscellaneous books. However, nothing caught his eye. The cultivation methods were almost all low-grade, basic techniques, useless even as reference material. At least among the miscellaneous books, there were a few interesting ones worth keeping.
How utterly impoverished. In the end, all he managed to salvage from Sam-wa-do was a handful of miscellaneous books. What on earth had the Heok-gyo-bang bandits been squeezing out of an island as dry as a wrung-out rag? Since an island without a spiritual vein couldn't possibly produce Spirit Stones, they must have extorted fish, water beasts... or perhaps humans.
Well, I suppose I should thank the Heok-gyo-bang. The residents of Sam-wa-do were extremely cooperative. Among them, Han Cheongyu was particularly enthusiastic, even volunteering to act as his guide.