The Vastness of the World
In truth, a true human transformation was an ability that could only be obtained after surviving the Transformation Tribulation. Therefore, unless it was a perfect transformation, any beast who relied on even the most exceptional Hwa-hyeong-bi-sul (Transformation Secret Art) was bound to have some sort of flaw, whether that flaw was visible on the surface or hidden deep within. Yet, Yeon Jung-hyeok could not sense even a single defect in the man before him. Perhaps the flaw was simply hidden so deeply that he couldn't perceive it, but if that were the case, it was an equally astonishing feat.
I can't even sense a shred of malice...
Trading with human merchant guilds was one thing; how a beast truly felt about humans was another. A select few Great Yao who possessed exceptional Spiritual Intelligence and a keen eye for profit could suppress their primal instincts for the sake of business. However, that was merely suppressing smaller impulses for the sake of a greater greed; the underlying hostility still existed. The Beast Race instinctively viewed the Human Race as rivals and prey. When they interacted with humans, unpleasant reactions naturally slipped out, even if unintentional. At best, they might look down on humans or lick their lips in hunger; at worst, their tempers would flare over the slightest provocation, baring their murderous intent. They were, in essence, walking powder kegs waiting for a spark.
Yet, this man showed none of those traits. In fact, his demeanor was far more refined than that of many coarse human cultivators.
If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed such a being existed.
Once again, Yeon Jung-hyeok realized just how vast the world was. As a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he had prided himself on having seen and heard much, but in the face of this boundless world, he felt like nothing more than a frog at the bottom of a well.
"The medicinal cuisine here at Jangyeo Tower is famous as one of the best on all of Seongam Island," Yeon Jung-hyeok said, eagerly singing the restaurant's praises to Jekyeong, who was examining the spiritual herbs on his plate with curiosity. "Not only is the flavor exquisite, but the dishes are prepared with rare ingredients sourced directly from the mainland. You won't find anything like this anywhere else."
Internally, Yeon Jung-hyeok was slightly anxious, fearing that Jekyeong might suddenly demand meat instead of these greens. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, the meat served in such establishments came from Demon Beasts. While he knew that the Beast Race had a very faint concept of kinship and rarely hesitated to devour their own kind, that was strictly an affair among themselves. Many beasts, especially proud Demon Beasts, took offense when humans served up the flesh of other beasts as a culinary delicacy.
"The taste is quite good," Jekyeong remarked.
Phew.
Yeon Jung-hyeok let out a silent sigh of relief as Jekyeong took a bite of the medicinal food and offered his praise. Observing the dragon's expression, the compliment didn't seem hollow. In truth, whether one was a human at the Foundation Establishment stage or a beast at the Great Yao stage, reaching this level of cultivation meant there was no longer any physical need to eat to stave off hunger. Unless eating had remained a stubborn habit or one was a dedicated gourmet, consuming food was primarily a form of cultivation.
This medicinal cuisine was a prime example. While it shared similarities with Alchemical Pills in that it aided one's cultivation, medicinal cuisine offered milder effects but carried far fewer side effects, such as Pill Poison. Although it was less cost-effective, those with sufficient wealth could achieve results far exceeding the consumption of pills by regularly dining on such cuisine. This was precisely why wealthy cultivation sects always made sure to employ professional medicinal chefs.
I hope he doesn't ask to try something else later...
Medicinal cuisine could not be consumed indefinitely. While not as potent as pills, a single meal typically required several days of quiet digestion to fully absorb. Yet, the being sitting before him was merely wearing a human guise; his true form was a massive Great Yao larger than most merchant ships. No one knew the true scale of his appetite or the capacity of his stomach. He might finish this single portion of medicinal food and then casually ask when the main course was coming.
Gulp, gulp.
"It seems you are quite fond of Spirit Wine, Fellow Daoist Jekyeong," Yeon Jung-hyeok observed.
"I am indeed."
Another peculiar trait was added to the list: the man was a heavy drinker.
I should stock up on Spirit Wine.
If he bought a wide variety of wines and filled the guest quarters with them, perhaps this difficult guest would remain happily drowned in alcohol for the next few days.
Jekyeong had never been fond of traveling in his past life, and this life was not much different. Yet, even for him, exploring Seongam Island proved to be incredibly fascinating. It was likely because this was his first real encounter with Human Territory. First experiences always held a special charm.
Furthermore, Yeon Jung-hyeok was an excellent guide. As if reading Jekyeong's mind, he led him only to places that would pique his interest.
"This bazaar is ancient," Yeon Jung-hyeok said with a smile. "Some even say its history is synonymous with the history of Seongam Island itself. I don't know if that's entirely true, but it is certainly older than most of the factions currently ruling the island."
Seongam Island was divided into residential and commercial districts, and more than a quarter of the commercial district was occupied by this sprawling bazaar.
"It is a bit different from what I expected," Jekyeong remarked.
"Oh? In what way?"
"I expected it to be a bit more chaotic."
Jekyeong had imagined a cultivator's bazaar in this world to be similar to the bustling, chaotic markets of his past life. However, upon seeing it in person, it wasn't chaotic at all. In fact, it was so orderly that it felt almost empty. This impression was largely due to the vendors keeping a significant distance from one another.
"Haha, it can't be helped," Yeon Jung-hyeok chuckled. "Even though we have patrols to maintain order, when Spirit Stones are involved, minor incidents are bound to happen constantly."
Ultimately, it was a consequence of having too many people. Pickpocketing, robbery, scams—with so many people gathered, countless incidents of all sizes occurred daily. Since there were never enough guards to handle every dispute, the cultivators visiting the bazaar had to look out for themselves.
"Some call this place a muddy pool," Yeon Jung-hyeok continued. "They say the waters are deep and murky, and if you take a wrong step, you'll easily find yourself in deep trouble."
Listening to Yeon Jung-hyeok's explanation, Jekyeong scanned the items displayed on the stalls with keen interest. The vendors stole glances at them, their eyes filled with a mixture of fear and wariness.
"Who knows? One might just fish a treasure out of that muddy pool," Jekyeong said.
"Haha, indeed! That very hope is one of the two pillars that sustain the Seongam Island bazaar."
"And what is the other pillar?"
"Naturally, it is those who exploit that hope."
The bazaar truly had everything. From Alchemical Pills, spiritual herbs, and spiritual energy to occasional Dharma Treasures, there was no shortage of variety.
"What is this?" Jekyeong stopped in front of an egg the size of a human head and asked the vendor.
The vendor adopted a solemn, profound expression and whispered cautiously, "It is the egg of a Star-crested Crocodile."
"Star-crested Crocodile, my foot," Yeon Jung-hyeok snorted. "You'd be lucky if that's even the egg of some nameless demon fish."
The vendor's face flushed red. He began to stand up, preparing to raise his voice, but a single sharp glare from Yeon Jung-hyeok drained all the color from his face.
"And this Dharma Treasure?"
"It is called the Mountain-Cleaving Seal," the vendor replied proudly. "Its power is so immense that even a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator wouldn't dare face it head-on. As you can see, it is forged from Red Yang Gold-Iron..."
"Red Yang Gold-Iron? You mean Red Copper Ore?"
The vendor turned red at the blunt mockery, but when Yeon Jung-hyeok casually flashed the identity token hanging from his waist, the man shut his mouth and looked away.
After a few more encounters like this, Jekyeong got a general grasp of the bazaar. It seemed that half of the vendors displaying their wares were merchants, and the other half were swindlers. There were plenty of items, but genuine goods were rare—genuine meaning they possessed both fair quality and a reasonable price.
After spending a whole day browsing the bazaar, Jekyeong managed to purchase two Qi Refining pill recipes and several varieties of spiritual plant seeds at a decent price.
"Do you know how to perform alchemy, Fellow Daoist Jekyeong?"
"Not me, but the humans I have taken under my wing do."
Seeing Yeon Jung-hyeok's puzzled expression, Jekyeong added a few more words. "If their skills improve, the tribute I can extract from them will increase as well. Think of it as an investment."
"...Your wisdom is profound."
A look of shock flashed in Yeon Jung-hyeok's eyes. His mind whirled with complex thoughts over the casually tossed remark. Regardless of what the guide was thinking, Jekyeong browsed a few more stalls before turning around.
"Is the auction in four days?"
"Yes, that is correct."
Four days. Jekyeong frowned.
Everything he saw and heard began to waver slightly. The humans chattering around him suddenly looked less like people and more like mosquitoes, and he felt a sudden, violent urge to swat them away.
Gulp, gulp.
The rising inner fire was suppressed by a few gulps of Spirit Wine. However, the heat had only subsided temporarily; the embers remained unextinguished.
It's fine. I can manage.
Still, just to be safe, it seemed best to avoid going outside until the day of the auction.
"Let us return."
After draining an entire bottle of Spirit Wine, Jekyeong returned to his lodgings accompanied by a visibly relieved Yeon Jung-hyeok.
And four days later.
The flying carriage of the Yeongbu Merchant Guild soared toward the auction house.
The interior of the carriage was spacious, easily accommodating dozens of people with room to spare. Inside this vast space sat Jekyeong, Yeon Jung-hyeok, and Yang Yo-hyeon, who had been busy handling various affairs over the past few days.
"There are quite a lot of people," Jekyeong noted.
"Cultivators from dozens of neighboring islands are gathering here," Yang Yo-hyeon replied.
As they drew closer to the auction house, the number of dots floating in the sky multiplied.
But wasn't flight prohibited within Seongam Island?
When Jekyeong cast a questioning glance, Yeon Jung-hyeok nodded as if anticipating his thoughts.
"As I mentioned before, unauthorized flight is strictly forbidden within Seongam Island."
Does that mean all of them have permits?
There were dozens of dots visible just at a glance. If so many people were allowed to fly, what was the point of the restriction? Well, since he was also traveling comfortably in a flying carriage, he wasn't one to talk.
"Is there any particular item you have your eye on?" Yang Yo-hyeon asked.
"Hmm. There are a few, but I am not sure if I will be able to obtain them."
As an honored guest of the Yeongbu Merchant Guild, Jekyeong had received the auction catalog in advance. This was a privilege granted because the guild was one of the main organizers of the event. Thanks to this, Jekyeong could review the items and their bidding order beforehand to plan his strategy, though his planning was still far from complete.
The issue was that while there were many things he wanted to buy, his pockets had their limits. Before arriving here, Jekyeong had considered himself quite wealthy. However, once he looked at the auction catalog, he realized how wrong he had been.
It was a miscalculation—a massive one.
There were simply too many extraordinary items in the world, and almost all of them were exorbitantly expensive. As a Great Yao from a rural backwater, he could only look at these treasures and smack his lips in longing.
No matter how many Spirit Stones I have, it will never be enough.
How many of the items he wanted could he actually secure?
I should just set a rough priority list and adapt to the situation as it unfolds.
Both Yeon Jung-hyeok and Yang Yo-hyeon were highly experienced in auctions. They had advised Jekyeong that unexpected variables occurred constantly during bidding, so overthinking beforehand could actually work against him. They had also shared a few useful strategies, which boiled down to simple psychological warfare—tactics Jekyeong had heard of even in his past life.
Even immortals are human in the end.
Though they built up their cultivation and walked the path of the Dao, the cultivators Jekyeong saw were ultimately just aspiring immortals. No matter how miraculous their powers, they were still humans ruled by their emotions.
"We have arrived," Yeon Jung-hyeok said.
"Let us go inside."
The flying carriage came to a halt, and Jekyeong's group stepped into the auction house.