The Dense Jungle (1)

At first glance, Seo Seol-ryeong's shop looked like nothing more than an ordinary street stall.

In truth, however, it was protected by an extraordinarily high level of spellcraft.

The old canvas tent seemed as if it would tear apart at the lightest touch, yet it possessed enough strength to withstand a full assault from a Core Formation cultivator without so much as a wrinkle.

Moreover, not a single conversation held inside could ever leak out—the anti-eavesdropping security spells were active at all times.

It even deployed a recognition-disruption spell that prevented passersby from identifying who came and went through the shop.

There had been a time when Cheon Woo-jin couldn't even sense the existence of these spells.

But as he had grown as a cultivator, he came to understand that this space surpassed even his own eastern quarters in sophistication.

And so, every time he pushed aside the tent flap and stepped inside, he was reminded that Seo Seol-ryeong stood several moves above him.

That was no longer the case, however.

"Here for a fortune reading?"

"……"

The one who greeted Cheon Woo-jin as he entered the tent was not Seo Seol-ryeong.

A middle-aged woman with a kindly, comfortable face sat looking back at him.

Frankly speaking, she looked more trustworthy as a fortune-teller than Seo Seol-ryeong ever had.

"My apologies. I must have found the wrong shop."

Cheon Woo-jin offered his apology and stepped back outside.

Then he examined the tent once more.

This is the right place.

He hadn't mistaken the location.

But Seo Seol-ryeong was no longer here.

Not a trace of spellcraft remained in the tent, either.

This place was now nothing more than a common fortune-teller's stall.

This is awkward.

Cheon Woo-jin stood before the suddenly unfamiliar tent, lost in thought.

Come to think of it, this feels like an event from the game.

In Yeongro Suseonjeon, Seo Seol-ryeong ran her shop in the marketplace of Guisu Castle's 2nd Layer.

But once a player reached the Core Formation Realm, she relocated her shop to the 6th Layer.

By the time a player hit Core Formation, they rarely had any reason to visit the 2nd Layer at all.

The developers must have moved her to the 6th Layer for the sake of player convenience.

At that point, Seo Seol-ryeong would make some cryptic remark about how she had special circumstances compelling her to ascend to the 6th Layer.

What those circumstances were was never explained anywhere.

There were rumors that a future DLC would reveal the truth, but in the end, nothing ever came of it.

In the game, that event triggered after reaching Core Formation—but right now I'm only in the middle stage of Foundation Establishment.

The last time he'd seen her, she hadn't said a word about moving the shop.

Which meant it might have something to do with the fact that he'd been dragged off by Sama Mun, his fate left unknown.

Perhaps that had influenced her circumstances in some way, pulling forward an event that should have happened much later in the game.

In any case, if Seo Seol-ryeong really has moved up to the 6th Layer, this gets complicated.

Collecting information and negotiating in person, trudging from place to place himself, was hopelessly inefficient.

Far better to make use of a broker who had already built connections throughout Guisu Castle.

But it was far too late to start working with a different broker now.

There was no broker in Guisu Castle as capable as Seo Seol-ryeong.

So in the end, I'll have to climb to the 6th Layer myself and go see her.

The 6th Layer was still part of Guisu Castle's middle tiers.

It was a place that could be reached even with a Foundation Establishment body.

The problem is that the route there is treacherous as hell.

The path from the 5th Layer up to the 6th was one of the most troublesome stretches in all of Guisu Castle.

He had visited Mount Jagnyang on the 5th Layer before, but that spot was close to the passage connecting to the 4th Layer, and he'd been traveling with the Jinshi Sect, so it hadn't been particularly difficult.

To reach the 6th Layer, however, he would have to cross the single most grueling section of the entire 5th Layer.

I'd better prepare properly.

He had always intended to climb to the 6th Layer eventually.

It seemed this was the opportunity to do it—thoroughly prepared, all at once.

So: break through the 5th Layer, climb to the 6th, then go find Seo Seol-ryeong.

He remembered the unguarded emotion Seo Seol-ryeong had shown when contact between them had been cut off for a month while he attempted his breakthrough into Foundation Establishment.

If he climbed to the 6th Layer this time and showed her that he was alive and well, how would she react?

Cheon Woo-jin found himself genuinely ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠curious about that.

The next day, Cheon Woo-jin visited the Jinshi Sect's main hall once more.

Gwak Gyeong-in had been unaware that Seo Seol-ryeong had left the 2nd Layer.

All he knew was that a letter had arrived requesting that mission rewards be paid directly to each individual.

"The letter came yesterday, after you had already departed, Cheon Do-u."

"……"

Cheon Woo-jin suppressed the urge to sigh.

Who could have imagined their paths would cross so badly?

"I'll collect my reward now, then."

"Mm. I've already prepared everything. Take it with you."

After receiving an agricultural storage chest packed tight with rare seeds and saplings, Cheon Woo-jin left the Jinshi Sect behind.

Then, using the key Sama Mun had given him, he entered the Great Emptiness Cave Heaven Mirror.

First, the saplings.

Cheon Woo-jin planted the saplings from the storage chest in various corners of the eastern quarters.

Beside the Immortal Hall he planted tea trees, and in the garden, all manner of fruit trees.

As for the seeds… let's start with the easiest ones to grow.

In the fields of the Immortal Hall, he sowed seeds of Purple Aura Artemisia.

Purple Aura Artemisia was a wormwood herb from which a faint violet radiance bloomed—one of the spirit herbs traded at considerable expense.

Sown and supplied with plenty of pure, refined spirit qi, its young leaves could be harvested and used within a week.

The problem was that maintaining a suitable growing environment at all times was no easy feat.

Unless it was cultivated in a place like the Jinshi Sect's cave heaven, where ideal conditions were preserved without interruption, the plant would wither and die almost immediately.

But this place is a space where the environment stays just as good.

Pure, refined spirit qi-laden water welled up ceaselessly from the spring, so there was no shortage of supply, either.

Cultivated here, he would be able to harvest Purple Aura Artemisia on a steady basis.

And now that I can enter the Great Emptiness Cave Heaven Mirror whenever I like, I can tend to it even on the way up to the 6th Layer.

After planting several other varieties of seed as well, Cheon Woo-jin drew water from the spring and fed it to the fields.

From here on, it was simply a matter of diligent care until harvest.

Once he grew accustomed to it, automation would be possible too.

I've stocked up plenty of consumables like medicinal pellets… time to head up to the 5th Layer.

The hermitage was by now piled high with goods taken from Sama Mun's eastern quarters.

With so many consumables—pellets, talismans, and the like—he wouldn't need to buy or craft anything for quite some time.

There had even been some serviceable Dharma Treasures among them.

Nothing useful for offense or defense, but the auxiliary treasures included quite a few fine pieces.

The seal on the Tamryeong Yeonhonggeom is holding well, too.

Cheon Woo-jin checked over the Tamryeong Yeonhonggeom, bound tightly in white cloth.

Because the Tamryeong Yeonhonggeom was not a mere Dharma Treasure but a true Dharma Artifact, simply leaving it exposed released a ferocious pressure.

Even sealed inside a storage pouch, its presence could not be hidden.

But when wrapped in the Light-Shadow Shroud Cloth he had found in Sama Mun's hermitage, its presence was suppressed down to the level of an ordinary Dharma Treasure.

Kept that way and tucked into his storage pouch, no one could ever know he carried a true Dharma Artifact on his person.

Of course, to draw out its real power, the shroud would have to come off.

Next, Cheon Woo-jin changed his clothes as well.

Sama Mun's belongings had included some serviceable Taoist robes, after all.

He donned the Crimson Twilight Robe, black in base with red woven throughout, which improved the efficiency of spirit qi circulation whenever it was worn.

Beyond that, he replaced his storage pouches with top-grade ones entirely, and upgraded the smaller pieces of equipment as well—his shoes, his belt, and so on.

With every preparation complete, Cheon Woo-jin left the Great Emptiness Cave Heaven Mirror and set out for the 5th Layer.

The 5th Layer of Guisu Castle was a place where the power of Fire ran strong.

Among the Six Evils, two corresponded to fire.

Fire Evil and Summer Heat Evil—and while Fire Evil ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was raging flame itself, Summer Heat Evil was closer to the oppressive swelter of midsummer.

By default, it was Fire Evil that pervaded the 5th Layer.

But the approach leading up to the 6th Layer was dominated by Summer Heat Evil at its most extreme.

It wasn't merely hot—it was an environment like the heat of summer itself, one that drained stamina and bodily fluids alike.

Simply put, it's a sweltering jungle.

The moment Cheon Woo-jin arrived on the 5th Layer, he headed west.

The farther west he went, the thicker the foliage grew and the higher the humidity climbed.

Before long, a jungle of the kind found only in the tropics unfolded before him.

This was, unmistakably, interior space within the fortress—and yet after the volcano came a tropical rainforest.

It defied all reason, but the Yin Soul Ghost Bone Palace had poured a vast quantity of resources into shaping it this way, so there was nothing to be done about it.

To reach the 6th Layer, I have to enter the tower hidden somewhere in this jungle.

At the heart of the jungle stood a tower that stretched all the way up to the ceiling of the 5th Layer.

It looked like the ruins of some ancient civilization, and to ascend to the 6th Layer, one had to climb it.

The tower's entrance, however, was hidden somewhere within a jungle so dense that it could never be mapped.

That was why anyone bound for the 6th Layer had no choice but to explore the jungle on foot.

In the game I never gave it a second thought, but walking in here with my own two feet is exhausting in every possible way.

Dryness and heat could be blocked by shielding his body with spiritual power.

But this humid, stifling heat was far harder to counter.

Even if he could shut out the heat, there was no way to shut out the moisture.

Still, there is a way to deal with this.

Cheon Woo-jin channeled his water spirit qi to form a spherical barrier of water around himself.

It resembled the Water Shield Technique he had mastered long ago, but it was in fact a far more advanced spellcraft—the Water Heaven Encirclement Art.

He had newly mastered it after reading the secret manual obtained from Sama Mun's eastern quarters.

I spread this barrier of water like so, then draw in the moisture around me.

With the spherical barrier actively drinking in the surrounding water vapor, the air inside it became remarkably comfortable for Cheon Woo-jin.

In effect, it worked like a dehumidifier.

Better. This will do.

Thus maintaining the Water Heaven Encirclement Art, Cheon Woo-jin pushed forward into the jungle.

Sustaining such a barrier would ordinarily drain spiritual power continuously, but by absorbing the ambient water qi and putting that energy to use, he had minimized the drain to nearly nothing.

Before long, however, another obstacle appeared before his eyes.

"ShaaAAAAA!"

From up ahead, a dozen-odd insect monsters came charging at terrifying speed.

Their forms resembled ants, but they walked on two legs, and with mantis-like forelimbs they were built to specialize in pouncing upon prey.

Among them was one individual conspicuously larger than the rest, radiating considerable spiritual power.

These monsters were the army of a colony of insect fiends known as Bone-Eating Vile Insects.

Bone-Eating Vile Insects were fiends with an ant-like social structure, and they had a habit of breeding in sweltering jungles like this one, where they built vast empires.

The Yin Soul Ghost Bone Palace had created this environment inside Guisu Castle for any number of reasons, but cultivating species that could survive only in a sweltering jungle was surely one of them.

Bone-Eating Vile Insects were wired to submit to the psychic waves of their queen worm, and the Yin Soul Ghost Bone Palace had generated waves identical to the queen's, using the insects as soldiers.

Of course, now that the Yin Soul Ghost Bone Palace had abandoned Guisu Castle, the insects were nothing more than hostile vermin, attacking cultivators under no one's control.

"ShaaAAAAA!"

Emitting their strange cries, a dozen Bone-Eating Vile Insects came hurtling toward him.

They must have thought that a human wrapped in nothing but water would be easy prey.

Cheon Woo-jin fixed his attention on the Water Heaven Encirclement Art as he watched them come.

Having steadily absorbed moisture the whole way here, the art held a plentiful reserve of compressed water.

Shff.

A ripple ran through the protective sphere of water surrounding Cheon Woo-jin's body, and from it a sharply honed blade of water took form.

Slish!

The blade of water flew at the Bone-Eating Vile Insects charging toward Cheon Woo-jin and cut the lead monster cleanly in two.

The sudden strike made the insects falter.

Instinctively, they glanced around, trying to grasp what had happened.

But that was a foolish mistake.

Dozens of water blades were already stretching out from all around Cheon Woo-jin.

Rip-rip-RIP!

The insects' bodies were shredded to pieces in an instant.

The only one to withstand the assault was the Bone-Eating Vile Insect Squad Captain, the swarm's commander.

It deflected the water blades with its massive, mantis-like forelimbs.

Then, without another moment of hesitation, it launched its charge straight at Cheon Woo-jin.

It seemed to have judged that the battle would be decided in close quarters.

"ShaaAAAA!"

The grotesque insect fiend came sprinting in with a bizarre shriek.

Cheon Woo-jin watched it bear down on him and channeled his spiritual power.

FWOOSH!

A lance as massive as the towering trees of this jungle stretched toward the Bone-Eating Vile Insect Squad Captain's torso, and its sheer pressure punched a gaping hole clean through the creature's chest.

"Shaaa……"

With the chest—the seat of its densest clusters of muscle—all but obliterated, swinging its forelimbs with any force was now impossible.

It could not even tense its neck to strike with its jaws.

Toward the Squad Captain, left capable of nothing further, another water lance stretched out—and this time it pulverized the creature's body completely.

"Shaaa……!"

"ShaaAAAAA……!"

But that was not the end of it.

Insects kept pouring in from every direction.

Before he knew it, Cheon Woo-jin was completely surrounded by more than a hundred of them.

Even in that state, Cheon Woo-jin calmly worked his spiritual power.

The water composing the Water Heaven Encirclement Art transformed its shape entirely.

Becoming a disc like a ferociously spinning ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠saw blade, it churned the entire area.

SHREEEE!

The great disc spun clockwise around Cheon Woo-jin, slicing to pieces the insects that came swarming in from all sides.

Even after taking that punishment, some of them kept charging.

With an insect's characteristic vitality, they came hurtling onward even with their heads lopped off.

But in the end, their bodies were already soaked through.

Then let's finish this.

Cheon Woo-jin drew up his thunder qi through the great meridian channels of the Brain-Spirit Connection, just as the mantras prescribed.

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!

Thunder qi spread out from around Cheon Woo-jin like the spokes of a great wheel, ravaging the water-soaked insects.

A composite spellcraft that reflected all the growth he had undergone.

The swarm's hunger—its greed as it closed in to hunt its prey—was crumbling into nothing before the harmony of water and lightning.