A Rabbit-Weasel Named Mu-yong

The rabbit-weasel, now named Mu-yong, had spent several hours with him, and they had grown somewhat closer. At the very least, their relationship had progressed to the point where the little creature no longer trembled in blind terror.

The help from the spiritual wine had been enormous. During that time, the other rabbit-weasels had been sneaking curious glances from the surroundings, but Han Yujin naturally paid them no attention whatsoever.

In fact, he went beyond simply ignoring them—he refused to let them feast on the corpses of the monkey monsters. Instead, he immediately took out the Bloodwood seeds and created three Bloodwood Fruits.

While swiftly recovering the seeds from the Bloodwood remnants that bloomed rapidly only to crumble into dust like dirt and sand, he cradled Mu-yong in his arms and spoke.

“Let’s go.”

Where they were going was obvious. It was far better to seize the wolves’ den than to continue living in that burrow beneath the tree.

Among the places he knew, it was the safest and most comfortable. He had lived there for a while before, so he was already familiar with the surrounding environment. Although it held some rather unpleasant memories, there was also a lake overflowing with incredibly useful cultivation resources.

It was a location perfectly suitable for living until he reached the Dharma Soul Stage. Of course, there were likely better spots somewhere in this Primordial Forest, but those could be searched for slowly.

‘I wonder how long I’ll stay here this time.’

Before diving into serious training, he might need to organize the situation in reality and write it down separately. That way, he wouldn’t get confused when he returned.

With that thought, he retraced his memories and moved. The journey to the wolves’ den was quick.

Perhaps sensing the dangerous scent, Mu-yong kept glancing around nervously, clearly uneasy.

“This big brother will show you just how strong he is.”

As he spoke, he suddenly remembered that the creature was female, but since it was just a beast, what did it matter? The only alternatives that came to mind for addressing a female were “oppa” or “orabeoni,” but the thought of calling himself that to a pet made his expression sour involuntarily.

While entertaining such idle thoughts, Han Yujin deliberately adjusted his Concealment Art from a distance away from their den, deliberately radiating his aura.

What followed was extremely simple.

As expected, the wolves that detected an unfamiliar presence near their territory—one that didn’t seem particularly strong—swarmed out like bees. Without even testing the waters, they charged straight at him.

What greeted them were streams of golden energy fired from the Five Elements Sword.

No matter the reason, if they tried to kill him first, they should have been prepared for retaliation.

‘Especially now, when it’s pure self-defense with nothing to feel guilty about.’

With that mindset, he slaughtered every last one of the tailed wolves. Then he entered the den and, unlike last time, sent the few remaining guards and pups who hadn’t managed to flee to the afterlife as well.

After the battle—which hadn’t been particularly fierce but would have looked quite impressive to an outsider—ended,

“What do you think, huh? Don’t you feel any awe or reverence toward this big brother? Or are you still too stupid for that?”

Jjik-!

“You think it’s awesome? Yeah, I know, you little punk.”

He lifted the still-cradled Mu-yong with both hands, teased her for a moment, then began cleaning up.

Most of them he simply turned into Bloodwood Fruits. It was convenient, and he had high expectations for the Bloodwood Fruit Spirit Lord that would be born from these fruits.

He didn’t convert everything into fruit because, even if it was somewhat inefficient, he wanted dietary variety. Not for nutritional reasons, but for taste and emotional satisfaction.

‘Cultivation is a marathon.’

Sprinting with all your might isn’t the answer. Small inefficiencies and occasional rest can ultimately allow you to go farther and last longer.

This was such a simple truth that anyone would inevitably realize it.

He meticulously butchered even the meat he had deliberately left behind, storing it in his spatial pouch. Then he used Flame Bullet Art to burn away all traces of the wolves inside the hidden realm. After one final check to ensure no dangerous elements remained,

he settled into his spot just like before.

Han Yujin brought over the same rock he had used last time to serve as a chair. He set Mu-yong down in front of him, closed his eyes, and focused, drawing out spiritual energy.

A single drop of blood suddenly rose from the tip of his raised right index finger. From it, faint multicolored light flowed, faintly revealing dharma patterns.

After concentrating for a long while, he successfully created the Tongmyeong Eosu-gyeol’s binding blood seal. Only then did he open his eyes and look down at the useless creature before him.

“This is like a contract. It will also become the seed of your future growth.”

Using the Fish-Taming Art, he sent the unusually sparkling drop of blood flying. True to her gluttonous nature, Mu-yong immediately swallowed it as if she had sensed something delicious.

“You really are a pig.”

Han Yujin chuckled and stroked her head.

It would probably take a few hours for the effect to manifest. In the meantime, it would be perfect to start building a proper shelter.

Cultivation training for the Dharma Soul Stage—refining both body and soul—didn’t necessarily require sitting still and circulating the Hoe-won Gong.

Just as simply moving ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the body counts as exercise, exhausting one’s strength through spell training was also quite helpful. This was precisely why Earth’s hunters could grow without an excellent cultivation method like the Hoe-won Gong.

Han Yujin now stood at a location quite far from his hiding place.

He intended to test out the spells from the Five Elements Spellbook, which he had successfully begun learning over the past month.

‘First, Flame Spirit Bird Art.’

The moment he extended his hand, flames swirled forth. They transformed into two rather agile birds, flapping their wings as if truly alive and flying around the area.

The name of the spell didn’t contain “Spirit Bird” for nothing. These flame birds possessed a slight spiritual nature, not just in appearance but in reality.

Once a target was designated, they would attack on their own without further input. They could even show cunning behavior—circling defenses or using feints—and in the final moment, they could explode to inflict even greater damage.

For now there were only two, but once he reached the Dharma Soul Stage and grew proficient, he would be able to create more than ten.

“Go.”

Since he was still inexperienced, verbally conveying his will was more efficient. At his command, the two flame birds shot forward like arrows and struck the designated tree head-on.

BOOM—! BOOM—!!

After two explosions, the massive tree couldn’t hold for even a second. Its base shattered into ash as it toppled rapidly, crashing into other trees and causing a huge commotion in the once-quiet forest.

At that exact moment, Han Yujin was already casting his second spell.

With his eyes closed in deep concentration, he suddenly opened them wide and pointed at the falling tree.

CRACKLE—!!

Thick blue-white lightning descended from the clear sky with terrifying accuracy.

The burst of light momentarily turned the world black and white. The trunk of the still-intact tree charred pitch-black and crumbled like sand. A terrible burning stench mixed with thick smoke swirled violently, overwhelming the surroundings.

“Hoo…”

The Lightning Fall Art clearly had the drawback of taking a long time to cast, but once successfully deployed, it was incredibly fast and powerful. For surprise attacks or against slow enemies, there was no better spell.

With only two spells, a tree that must have lived for over a century ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was left with almost no shape. He changed targets and cast his third spell.

He lightly pursed his lips and exhaled. Spiritual energy and dharma patterns sparkled for an instant before transforming into a gale that struck another target tree.

CRACK-CRACK-CRACK—!

Sharp noises rang out as dozens of axe-strike-like marks appeared. The important thing was that the attack wasn’t over yet.

CRACK-CRACK-CRACK—! CRACK—!

The Wind Blade Art, cast through his exhaled breath, persistently carved away at the tree until its power was exhausted. Even after completely felling it, the wind continued, devouring more than half of the neighboring tree before finally dissipating.

An attack that was invisible, formless, fast, and highly persistent was naturally difficult for enemies to counter. It would clearly be useful against multiple opponents as well.

When he cast the fourth spell, spiritual energy gathered like water at his outstretched hand, forming a clear wheel shape before flying forward rapidly. The sound of it slicing through the air was unusually heavy.

BOOM—!!

Upon colliding with the tree that had already been more than half carved away, a thunderous roar like an exploding bomb erupted. The tree couldn’t withstand it for even a moment, scattering fragments in all directions as it fell with the most violent momentum yet.

The Water Wheel Art was specialized in heavy impact rather than sharpness. If compared to a weapon, it was not a sword but a blunt instrument—more like a battle axe or war hammer.

‘Now all that’s left…’

Estimating his remaining spiritual energy, Han Yujin formed the Sword Finger Seal. It was the hand sign where he clenched a fist but extended only his index and middle fingers.

Golden light instantly gathered on the formed sword finger. With a light swing, the energy shot forward at high speed. It looked exactly like a master from a wuxia novel unleashing sword qi.

SWISH—!

To an ordinary person’s eyes, it would have looked like a mere flash of golden light. Yet the massive tree it struck was sliced diagonally and began to fall almost as if sliding.

Once the tree had completely fallen and all the commotion died down, he fired the Light Metal Sword Technique once more.

The spell’s energy split into two mid-flight, each slicing down a different massive tree. Those trees too seemed to slide smoothly before crashing down noisily.

Once proficient, it could split not into two but three or four streams. It was called Sword Light Division. And of course, he believed his Light Metal Sword Technique was far stronger than the sword qi that appeared in wuxia novels.

‘Obviously. It’s a proper spell, after all.’

It was also the true identity of the golden energy fired by manipulating the Five Elements Sword.

‘And now, to finish…’

His spiritual power felt nearly exhausted, but he forced himself to concentrate and cast the final spell.

In an instant, a mixed golden and purple glow burst from his body like a halo.

It looked like mere light without substance, but it was actually a protective barrier with durability far surpassing the basic Jade Skin Art. Moreover, it had none of the weakness where areas not covered by skin remained unprotected.

The only downside was its high spiritual energy consumption since it wasn’t a basic spell, but once he reached the Dharma Soul Stage, it would feel just right. As he grew more proficient, he would also be able to control the conspicuous brightness.

Han Yujin maintained the golden-purple radiance for a while longer before finally stopping the spell, feeling completely drained, and letting out a long breath.

“Hoo…”

As he rested, breathing in the forest’s fresh air and the dense spiritual energy, Mu-yong—who had been waiting alone behind him—approached and tugged at his pant leg with her mouth.

“What is it?”

Jjik-!

“Time to go ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠already?”

It seemed the commotion he had caused while practicing spells had made her anxious. Thanks to the Tongmyeong Eosu-gyeol, he could roughly sense those emotions.

“Alright, let’s go.”

He had already checked the surroundings for safety several times before beginning spell training, but Han Yujin didn’t insist. He picked her up and began making his way back to the shelter using the Wind Riding Art. Unfortunately, he didn’t have enough energy left to practice Earth Escape Art on the way back.

About twenty minutes later.

Having safely returned to the shelter, he released the creature who was cute but otherwise completely useless and headed to one side.

It was the same spot where he had built his shelter last time, using a hollow in the cliff face as the starting point. The difference was that this time he had created it using only the Earth Manipulation Art.

Earth Manipulation Art could harden simple dirt into rock-like solidity if enough power was invested. As a result, the shelter now looked far more solid and cozy than before.

Once inside, he examined the specially crafted jar made with Earth Manipulation Art according to the method written in the Bloodwood Fruit Fermentation Technique.

When he slightly lifted the lid, a fragrant aroma of alcohol lifted his spirits. It seemed to be fermenting successfully despite being his first attempt at brewing.

‘Good thing I took that pill refinement lecture. What would I have done otherwise?’

He closed the lid again, humming a tune as he stepped back outside. Besides the jar containing the spirit lord, he also needed to check how the fruits harvested from the monkey monsters’ nest were progressing as they dried and aged.

In truth, he was personally looking forward to those fruits even more than the spirit lord.

After investing time and thoroughly examining them with his transcendent comprehension, he had discovered that the efficacy within those fruits could not only refine the body but also enhance the five senses.

Enhancing the five senses meant that the foundation for handling Divine Sense upon reaching the Dharma Soul Stage would become much stronger. Considering the usefulness and importance of Divine Sense, this was something he had no choice but to welcome.

Without the Heavenly Origin Pill Refinement lecture, he wouldn’t have had the slightest idea how best to consume them.