A New World, A New Identity
Having refined the Five Elements Heavenly Spirit Stone and communed sufficiently with the spirit within it, he took out the fragments he had stored away in his low dimensional pedestal and examined them. After all, these were materials that had once composed a Heaven-Piercing Spirit Treasure — he had assumed they would be anything but ordinary.
As expected.
His instincts hadn't been wrong. Materials that had formed part of a Heaven-Piercing Spirit Treasure could hardly be commonplace.
The fragments were stone and metal at once, imbued with the attributes of the Five Elements. That was truly the only way to describe them — and surprisingly enough, Earth possessed substances with similar traits.
Magnetite, for instance. Or pyrite.
In any case, this was a tremendous gift he had never even dared hope for. It felt more suitable as material for a Dharma Treasure than anything he had originally considered. After all, these were the very components of a Heaven-Piercing Spirit Treasure aligned with the Five Elements.
If only I could add a material carrying the properties of the Dream Illusion to this...
For that, he would probably have to search the world he was about to travel to.
Next, naturally, came the Mountain Sea Pearl.
This too was something he would need to refine through the Three Realms Harmony Art, but for now it had no master whatsoever, so he was able to activate it with ease.
The Mountain Sea Pearl glowed, stretched long into an ellipse, and transformed into a single entrance.
The scenery revealed within was astonishing — a remarkably clear sky, lush mountain peaks brimming with vitality spread beneath it, and on the opposite side, a lake of modest size, neither small nor large.
And this is its initial state.
In its prime, there would likely have been not mountain peaks but entire mountain ranges, and in place of the lake, an ocean stretching to a distant horizon.
Even now, the boundary of this spatial realm hung there like a wisp of bluish-white cloud — dreamlike, yet unmistakably present, as though a thick fog had settled around a hidden paradise.
"Let's go in."
With Mu-yong-i tucked in his arms and the Five Elements Heavenly Spirit Stone floating beside him, Han Yujin stepped through the Mountain Sea Pearl.
The first thing that struck him, deeply and pleasantly, was the fresh scent of the mountains. The temperature was perfect — warm and cool at once, like a day in spring or autumn — and the concentration of spiritual energy was nearly double Earth's, higher than he had anticipated.
Beginning a slow tour of the peaks, he found that the varied terrain was distributed with such balance that virtually any kind of structure could be built without trouble.
He also confirmed that every visible plant, however humble its grade, was a form of spirit vegetation. A few of the tree species were ones he had heard about through the Thousand Origins Sect's lectures.
Those were the trees whose leaves can be processed into talisman paper, if I recall.
They were among the most common of the low-grade varieties, but spirit vegetation all the same.
Spreading his Divine Sense across a wide area, he detected no life forms beyond the plants. He wasn't sure whether an ecosystem of vegetation alone could sustain itself, but perhaps that was something he could gradually sort out as he refined the realm.
Mu-yong-i clearly took a liking to the place, no doubt because of the spiritual energy far denser than Earth's. The natural environment would feel far more familiar to the little beast, too.
Once the exploration of the peaks was roughly complete, he moved on to the lake.
Though he called it a lake, he had sensed through his Divine Sense that the water contained salt — a small sea would be the more fitting name.
Between the peaks and that small sea lay a pond of reasonable size holding fresh water; someday, that would probably become the true lake.
Within the small sea there were no fish or the like, only gracefully shaped seaweeds taking root. Naturally, all of them were spirit vegetation as well.
The Mountain Sea Pearl was unquestionably a Spirit Treasure-grade grotto-heaven.
Among the ranks of treasures — Dharma Instrument, Dharma Treasure, Spirit Treasure, Heaven-Piercing Spirit Treasure — Spirit Treasure grade was extraordinary enough on its own. Considering that this one was a grotto-heaven type treasure, it was difficult to find any point of comparison for how remarkable it was.
One need only think of how useful his low dimensional pedestal, a mere Dharma Instrument, had proven to be.
This is a thing that wouldn't be out of place as the sect treasure of a thriving power.
Judging by the circumstances, it had surely served that role within the Five Elements Sect. It had been the last refuge of the sect's leadership amid the calamity of the Dharma Decline, after all.
Regrettably, that refuge plan had failed — but the fact that it had been seriously attempted in the first place proved the treasure's worth.
To think I'd fulfill my dream of owning a home like this.
A quiet but swelling sense of satisfaction filling him, he strolled leisurely through the interior, mulling over where and in what style he should build his house, whether he would need other buildings or storehouses, and a dozen such considerations.
With this, every preparation for his long visit to another world was complete.
Had he not acquired an enormous amount of Karma by dealing with the Eternal Goddess Church, he would probably have had to wait until his knowledge distribution and the awakening herbs began bearing fruit.
In truth, the results were already close enough at hand that he could have afforded to wait even now.
But considering the possibility that some unforeseen snag might appear in the works, he thought it better to deal with matters with a settled, orderly mind upon returning from the other world, rather than leaving everything hanging.
Since there was no telling how much subjective time would have passed by the time he came back, he had placed one comma after another — meeting Lee Won-hee, talking with Park Seryong.
During the Great Rift, he had also swept away another wave of monsters in advance, securing himself some breathing room.
And so, after going over every last detail down to the smallest matters, he sat in the safe house where his awakening device was installed, closed his eyes, and activated his awakening ability.
Having finished every preparation, including packing up Mu-yong-i, at the place where he would awaken, he gathered his final thoughts before the ever-shifting door.
This awakening ability had almost never disappointed him. So long as a world with that feeling existed, he believed he would be able to visit it.
There's no way that, in this vast universe, not a single such world exists.
With that faith, his outstretched hand fixed the shape of the door.
It was an arch of graceful curves. Metal with a soft, flowing luster formed the frame, inlaid here and there with transparent crystal, and Dharma inscriptions carved across its surface like geometric patterns caught the eye and held it.
Though no handle was visible, a panel at the door's center projected a three-dimensional image of light, as though it would open the instant a hand touched it.
Star Domain.
An unfamiliar term, but one he had heard once before. It had come up from that humanoid entity he met while subjugating the Dark Shadow Demon Cult in the martial world — the one who had asked him which heaven of which star domain he hailed from.
So then, the universe is divided into star domains, and beneath those are classifications called heavens.
Thinking this, he placed his hand on the holographic panel. The instant he did, the door slid smoothly open, revealing the view beyond.
Carrying a surge of expectation he couldn't suppress, he passed through the gate. By the time it vanished like an illusion, Mu-yong-i, dangling in his arms, woke from her nap with a yawn and looked around.
Hm.
His expectation that he would arrive somewhere in a full-blown science-fiction city proved wrong.
He could indeed see the silhouette of such a city in the far distance — but the spot where he stood was remarkably nature-friendly. Untouched wild forest, lakes, and plains unfolded exactly as they had grown, entirely without human management.
First, he concealed his presence with the Dream Illusion Only Mind and raced around the surroundings with the Five Elements Heavenly Escape Art, searching for people — naturally intending to read their memories with the Dream Illusion Mind Snatching Art.
Within mere minutes he had found a group of them, and observing their appearance and their tent-dotted settlement, his expression turned faintly odd.
They looked like nomads — utterly incongruous with the magnificent, sophisticated city visible in the distance.
A short while later.
Having successfully read the memory of one adult at the periphery of the group, he grasped the general situation.
Actual nomads, then.
They were natives who had rejected civilization and clung to this traditional way of life — a lineage that had endured unbroken even though decades had passed since this planet was conquered by the Luminous Galactic Empire.
Rather than oppressing them, the Empire had provided a land where they could live as they always had, protecting them as a kind of cultural heritage.
Now I understand why the door opened here.
In a highly civilized city, clear identification is essential. But these people lived in such a traditional manner that even the Empire had not fully catalogued their identities.
In other words, Han Yujin could disguise his roots as those of a nomad from one of these native tribes. He had even gained the necessary background knowledge from reading the adult's memory.
Perfect.
Not every nomad wholeheartedly embraced this way of life. Every year, people left in admiration of the Empire's civilization, and their numbers were steadily growing.
So he, too, could disguise himself as one of those nomads yearning for the Empire's civilization.
A perfectly legitimate, clearly documented identity, at that.
Since he expected to spend quite a long time here, it felt like a genuinely sound approach.
In the nomad's memories, those who wished to become citizens of the Empire simply set out toward the distant city. There were also memories of a few who returned here to show off how well they'd done for themselves, only to be treated as traitors and driven out.
That is — the method was proven to work, so all he had to do was follow it. His clothing had already been dressed in nearly the same style as these nomads', so there was no need to steal anything either.
And Mu-yong-i...
Jjik! Jjik!
As if sensing his dilemma, Mu-yong-i argued her case with great insistence.
"Fine, fine. Nomads can bring a pet along, can't they."
Granted, that pet happened to possess strength at the Dharma Soul stage, but he would disguise her with the Dream Illusion Only Mind for now, and if it truly became a problem, he could simply send her into the Mountain Sea Pearl then.
Having slapped together a profile for himself based on the adult nomad's memories, he set off quickly toward the city.
Ten-odd minutes later.
By the time he realized the city was far more distant than his eye had estimated, he had successfully reached the great barrier surrounding it.
He had, of course, slowed to a speed a mere Qi Condensation cultivator could plausibly manage, so as not to invite suspicion.
Is this some kind of formation, or a substance engineered by technology?
The barrier enclosing the city shimmered, strangely, in translucent waves. Near the ground it was relatively distinct, its presence easy to spot, but toward the sky it gradually faded to transparency, never obstructing the view.
At the same time, its faintly visible outline revealed that it was no smooth surface but a structure assembled from countless hexagonal panels — radiating an unmistakably science-fiction feel.
Hmmmmm—!
The moment he tried to analyze it with his Divine Sense, a soft resonant hum flowed out, and he was forced to withdraw it at once.
I should definitely obtain proper citizenship.
In a civilization capable of encasing an entire city in a defensive barrier of this caliber, any clumsy attempt at infiltration might well be discovered and undone in moments.
Amid such thoughts, he traveled along the barrier, hoping some sort of main gate would appear before long.
At last, a gate came into view — one that brought a military checkpoint to mind. Even for ordinary hours, the scene was remarkably idle, with not a single person in sight seeking entry.
Fortunately, it wasn't just machinery on duty; six people were manning the post, dressed in uniforms that suggested police, paired with metal boots and gauntlets of a distinctly sci-fi make, and body armor.
They had apparently detected Han Yujin's presence through surveillance equipment some time ago and were now chatting among themselves. Their conversation drifted naturally into the Divine Sense of Han Yujin, a Golden Core cultivator.
"First citizenship applicant in two months. Who wants to take this one?"
"Shall I?"
"You? What's gotten into you?"
"I'm just bored, that's all. I've got errands near the reception desk anyway."
It sounded like idle chatter that needed no particular attention.
As he approached within a suitable distance, Han Yujin quietly deployed the Dream Illusion Mind Snatching Art on the one whose gaze happened to meet his — naturally intending to gather information for a swift adaptation to this world.
And so, in an instant that lasted less than a tenth of a second in the outside world — yet stretched well past ten-odd minutes within the dream the target had fallen into —
Han Yujin nearly grimaced in the real world.
...So this is the mental defense of someone who's supposedly only Qi Condensation level.
Every member of the checkpoint staff had some strange chip embedded in their head. That chip was networked with all the surrounding facilities and equipment, defending against mental intrusion.
It appeared to be merely the ordinary, passive defensive state, and yet he still could not properly read the man's memories. Everything came through blurred, like footage crushed under a wash of noise.
He understood instinctively that any more aggressive mental intrusion here would trip an immediate red alert.
Breaking through itself would be easy — but there would be no avoiding detection in the process.
Two options naturally presented themselves.
One: forcibly breach the mental defense, sweep through the man's memories in one go, then cleanly abandon this visit and come again another time.
Two: like a genuine nomad tribesman, adapt to this world step by step, learning each procedure as he went.
The former would be far more convenient.
And yet.
Having freshly reminded himself that this was a world of remarkably advanced civilization, a stray thought occurred to him.
Perhaps only in a state of complete ignorance could he melt in naturally, without drawing even the slightest suspicion.
If it gets too frustrating, I can always aim for the first method then.
Besides, he might find some suitable target without such mental defenses deeper inside the city.
Having reached his conclusion, he deployed only the Dream Illusion Only Mind, concealing the aura of himself and Mu-yong-i, and arrived at the checkpoint.