Snow Falls Endlessly Upon the Plateau
The sight of the weasel, its entire body wrapped in crackling lightning, was truly awe-inspiring.
'I miscalculated.'
The weasel's full power far exceeded Dang Sobaek's expectations.
Even the monkeys, who had clearly lost all reason, were paralyzed with fear.
An overwhelming difference in status.
In a desperate struggle, the monkeys unleashed spheres of spiritual energy like gale-force punches, but—
Crackllllle!
They were instantly swallowed and shattered by the lightning enveloping the weasel's body.
As if not even recognizing them as enemies, the weasel lightly took another step forward.
"Spells!"
The weasel continued his explanation in a low, resonant voice.
"They are cast based on the Five Elements—Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water—which form the foundation of all creation and the universe. Consequently, the vast majority of spiritual roots are also composed of these Five Elements."
Vegetation sprouted, piercing through the solid stone floor.
"As a dual-root cultivator possessing both Wood and Metal attributes, this master is capable of performing such spells."
A lush thicket grew rapidly.
The sight was utterly bizarre, yet strangely mystical.
"Now, you must be wondering."
At that moment, a fierce gale swept through the cave. Jim-il and Jim-i did not seem to perceive it, but Dang Sobaek could see it clearly.
Every single strand of the wind was a razor-sharp wind blade.
"The beast cultivation technique this master has mastered is the Wind-Lightning Resonance Scripture. Since lightning and wind do not belong to the Five Elements, how can I manipulate them?"
The monkeys' flesh tore, and chunks of meat splattered through the air. Screams echoed inside the cave. Yet, having barely avoided vital spots, they remained alive.
Dang Sobaek quietly watched the battle, pondering the weasel's words.
It was a logical point.
From what he had read in the books:
It was written that one could only learn a cultivation technique that matched the attribute of their spiritual root.
Although mutated spiritual roots were said to exist, the fact that the weasel explained it this way meant there had to be another reason.
His doubt was quickly resolved.
"There is a concept known as the Eight Trigrams. These represent eight distinct trigrams, among which Zhen (Thunder) and Xun (Wind) correspond to the Wood element of the Five Elements—"
Cr-cr-crackllllle!
"And thus, such a feat is possible."
At the weasel's explanation, Jim-i and Jim-il could only blink in confusion.
Only Dang Sobaek listened with profound, discerning eyes. Since the Eight Trigrams were also the foundation of the Qimen Array formations, it was knowledge he already possessed.
The weasel cast a fleeting glance at Dang Sobaek, then formed a hand seal.
"From now on, keep your eyes wide open and watch. See what kind of existence your master truly is."
A murky gray wind surged from the weasel's fingertips,
"This master's current realm is—!"
It enveloped the infected monkeys, slicing their entire bodies to ribbons.
"The Fourth Star of the Qi Condensation Realm!"
The monkey's body is torn to shreds, exposing its bones as they rapidly decay. Before long, even the bones crumble entirely into dust, scattering in the wind.
Even its screams were buried and extinguished by the wind.
Soon, where the weasel's spell had passed, only blood remained, dripping heavily onto the ground.
“…….”
Even though he had witnessed it with his own eyes, it was difficult to accept.
How did this compare to Namgung Danwu, the former number one under heaven, or to himself?
'I would have to fight him to know for sure, but...'
He could not be absolutely certain of victory. After all, this was an unknown power with a completely different system and method.
Even putting that aside.
It was utterly unbelievable that this was merely the Qi Condensation Realm, the very entry level of the cultivation world.
The weasel approached Dang Sobaek with a slightly smug expression.
"Well? Do you feel a bit of respect now?"
"……It is impressive, but that is all. You seem rather defenseless while forming the hand seals. There are too many openings."
"Hmph, look at you clinging to your pride. Well, you are not wrong. However, that is also a problem that will be resolved as my realm rises. Everyone else acknowledges my greatness, yet you are the only one nitpicking."
Dang Sobaek turned his head to look at Jim-il and Jim-i. They were rubbing their eyes with their wings, their beaks hanging wide open.
"So, sorry?! Sorry? Sorry!"
Jim-i was genuinely thrilled, letting out pure exclamations of admiration.
Jim-il was not much different. He tried his best not to show it, but what escaped him was a genuine gasp of admiration.
"……He is quite strong."
The weasel had said he was a dual-root cultivator with Wood and Metal attributes. In terms of pure talent, Jim-il and Jim-i, who possessed single attributes, could be considered superior.
'If only they can cultivate properly...'
They would eventually surpass and outstrip him.
Dang Sobaek briefly imagined the future and shook his head. Being held protectively in Jim-i's embrace, or being looked down upon by Jim-il...
Both scenarios were truly horrific.
He could not allow such a thing to happen.
"I have a question."
"What is it?"
"Did you not say before that there is a way to acquire a spiritual root postnatally?"
"Oh? It seems you have finally developed some interest."
"So, is it possible?"
"It is. Consuming spiritual medicines like the Wood Spirit Fruit that grows from demon trees, or the White Jade Ginseng that only grows in spiritual springs overflowing with spiritual energy, can easily awaken a spiritual root postnatally."
"In short, one must encounter a miraculous opportunity."
"Indeed. This cave can also be considered a spiritual spring, so why not harbor some hope?"
Although the weasel said so, even he did not seem entirely convinced. After all, if there were such precious treasures here, the harvesters would have swept them away long ago.
"Well, never mind. The greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment. More importantly, I heard that once a spiritual beast reaches a certain realm, they can take on a human form. Do you know much about this?"
At Dang Sobaek's question, the weasel's expression turned peculiar.
"You... do you wish to become a human?"
"It is not that. It is just..."
"Just?"
"According to the book you gave me, among the countless races, those who most deeply investigate and comprehend martial arts are humans—specifically, ordinary mortals. Thus, I merely wished to mingle among them someday to observe."
Only when Dang Sobaek calmly explained his reasoning did the weasel finally withdraw his tense aura. Since the harvesters were also humans, he seemed to harbor a deep-seated grudge against them.
The weasel wiped his face with one hand and continued.
"……Do you know why mortals, who lack even a spiritual root, cling so desperately to martial arts?"
"Because that is the only path available to them."
"Correct. Those born with spiritual roots can walk the path of cultivation, raising their realm to dream of eternal youth and immortality. Thus, they are called existences that defy heaven. However..."
“…….”
"I believe those who walk the path of the Martial Immortal are the ones truly defying heaven. Those who were not granted even the barest minimum of choice, desperately tempering themselves to go against the natural order."
Dang Sobaek smiled bitterly.
'Defying heaven, is it...'
It was not entirely wrong.
To Dang Sobaek, there was not much of a difference. It merely sounded like ugly jealousy. After all, it was said that at the same realm, a Martial Immortal was overwhelmingly stronger.
"I have no desire to listen to your sermon. I am merely curious. So, what is the answer?"
"It is possible. Upon entering the Foundation Establishment Realm, which is the realm after Qi Condensation, one can transform into a half-demon. Upon reaching the Golden Core Realm, one can completely transform into a human. Though, it is nothing more than an outward appearance."
"I see. Is it impossible to revert once you change your form, or..."
"It is not like that. Did I not tell you? It is merely temporarily altering your shape."
That was more than enough.
Dang Sobaek's reason for wanting to change into a human body was clear.
Simply because he had been human in his past life?
That was certainly part of it.
To deny it would be a lie.
But the fundamental reason was that executing martial arts forms with a bird's body was far too difficult. There were too many constraints in one way or another.
However,
even putting aside his lack of a spiritual root,
'I do not know if this is the right path.'
When focusing on a single path was already difficult enough, he questioned whether this was the correct choice.
Just then, the weasel took a step forward and spoke.
"Well, though I make it sound easy, even ascending to the Foundation Establishment Realm is extremely difficult. Before that, you must first find a way to awaken a spiritual root."
It was true.
It was not a problem to be pondered right this moment.
Resolving the issues regarding the monkey beast and the human-faced spider took priority.
Even as they ventured deeper into the cave, they were ambushed several times.
Monkeys, and occasionally pythons or bats, appeared. Without exception, their forms were collapsed, resembling mere lumps of flesh.
There were no particularly dangerous situations.
With a single wave of the weasel's hand, they were all ground to pieces.
Then, at some point,
a burning heat accompanied by sticky humidity washed over them.
"Hmm, it seems we are almost there."
Just as the weasel said, a massive cavern soon revealed itself.
The ceiling was wide open to the sky, and below it, water gushed out to form a small pond.
"It is a spiritual spring!"
Spiritual energy surged endlessly from it.
It was just like the hot spring where the monkeys had gathered previously.
The only difference was the density. The density of the spiritual energy was incomparably higher.
The weasel briefly inspected the hot spring, then unhesitatingly immersed himself in it.
"With spiritual energy this dense, cultivation efficiency will double. This alone is a massive harvest. Since the ceiling is open, we will have no trouble coming and going in the future. However, I do not see the monkey beast you mentioned. I wonder if we should consider this a stroke of good fortune."
"We have not fully explored the area yet."
"I can no longer sense anything else. There is no one but us in this cave."
"Still, I do not think this is the time to be leisurely enjoying a hot spring bath. Did you not say a massacre would occur if the human-faced spider revives?"
"Judging by the way you speak, you sound more like an old man than I do. Still, we have some time, so you all should get in as well."
However, Jim-i and Jim-il showed no reaction whatsoever, and only Dang Sobaek immersed himself in the hot spring.
As the dense spiritual energy flowed into his body, the pain radiating from his cracked poison core subsided slightly.
"How is it?"
"It is indeed beneficial. My core is healing, albeit very slowly."
"Originally, there were many such places on Gwisu Island. But because the harvesters swept everything clean, leaving not a single drop of water or blade of grass, they have become difficult to find."
"Is that so……."
They rested for about half a shichen in that manner.
Not only was much of their accumulated fatigue washed away, but manipulating demon qi also became far easier.
This was because his core was healing rapidly.
However, it did not heal beyond a certain point. It seemed this would require time.
"Let us get up now."
"You are so impatient. We could have rested a bit longer. Tsk."
The weasel clicked his tongue and stood up.
Water overflowed, wetting the surroundings.
Jim-il, who had been flying around the cavern, snatched something up and held it out to Dang Sobaek.
"What is this?"
"A wooden box?"
The hinges were completely worn and crumbled, and the wood was half-rotten.
The weasel tilted his head and approached.
"Let me examine it. There might be a spell cast upon it."
A green-colored spiritual energy briefly enveloped the wooden box before vanishing.
"There are no traps or spells on it. Shall we open it?"
The weasel carefully opened the lid of the box. A clear, refreshing fragrance instantly permeated the entire cave.
"Elixir pills?"
Inside were about five fingernail-sized pills. The weasel picked one up and examined it closely.
"They are not of an exceptionally high grade... but they will still be of help to you. I shall keep these for now."
He stored the pills inside his spatial treasure. This, too, was a stroke of luck.
Jim-il grumbled in dissatisfaction.
"I would have given them to you eventually. Every single one of you is so suspicious and impatient."
"Hmph."
"What an insolent fellow."
When the weasel raised a hand, Jim-il flinched and took a few steps back. Yet, the defiant glint in his eyes did not fade.
Just as Dang Sobaek sighed and was about to take flight toward the opening above,
"Sorry?"
Jim-i nudged him with her wing and pointed toward the sky. Because of the heavy storm clouds, no light was filtering through.
Yet, even considering that, it was far too dark.
"A shadow?"
Immediately after,
*Thump! Rumble!*
The cave began to vibrate violently.
Cracks began to spiderweb across the walls, and stone dust rained down in torrents. Something was terribly wrong.
The tremors grew increasingly violent.
*Creeeeak!*
Parts of the walls completely crumbled, sending massive boulders crashing to the floor.
*Boom!*
If they stayed here, they would be buried alive.
Quickly grasping the situation, the weasel barked an order.
"Escape quickly! Follow me immediately!"
He stepped on empty air and shot up toward the sky.
They pursued him without a moment's delay.
After performing acrobatic maneuvers to dodge the falling debris, they barely managed to escape the cave.
Had they been even a moment later, they would have been buried alive inside.
A shiver ran down Sobaek's spine at the narrow escape.
'We can no longer use the spiritual spring either.'
Just as Sobaek let out a sigh of regret, Jim-il's panicked voice rang out.
"W-what on earth is this……?"
Only then did Sobaek look around.
Perhaps due to the heavy blizzard, the surroundings were a pristine, white snowfield.
However,
“…….”
cocoons wrapped in pure white silk lay buried here and there amidst the snow.