Chapter 39: The Two-Headed Monster Bear
Flying north toward the Unkak Sect, he periodically spread out his divine sense to check for any nearby third-grade spirit beasts. His White Tiger Armor was now too damaged to use, so he needed a new suit. Even though his Iron Skin Art had reached the ninth star, forming a golden body, armor provided reliable protection against spirit beasts of higher realms. Besides, he needed to make injections from the third-grade beast's blood and craft talismans as well. A fourth-grade beast would be even better, but finding one in the vast expanse of the Gaun Mountains was no easy task. Moreover, detecting a spirit beast of a higher realm that was concealing its energy was even harder. Venturing to a high peak rich in spiritual energy might lead to an unexpected encounter with a Nascent Soul spirit beast or even a sixth-grade one. So, he flew at a moderate altitude on his flight artifact, searching for a third-grade beast while keeping the Unkak Sect in range to the south.
Five days into flying through the Gaun Mountains, he spotted a third-grade spirit beast—a Two-Headed Monster Bear—resting in front of a cave. True to its name, the bear had two heads. It opened its maw upon seeing him atop the flight artifact. A black beam of light shot toward him. He stowed the flight artifact in his spatial ring and activated the Iron Skin Art. A faint golden glow enveloped his entire body.
Boom!
Trusting in his golden body, he took the attack head-on and was merely pushed back a little, unscathed. He charged forward with the Earth Movement Technique, aiming a punch at one of the bear's heads.
Thud!
Bursting through the bear's massive, man-sized forepaw, he smashed one head clean off.
Grraaawr!
The Two-Headed Monster Bear bellowed in agony as its remaining head opened wide and fired another black beam. Without checking the result, it spun around and fled. He blocked the beam with his body and pursued with the Earth Movement Technique, kicking off the last head.
Thump!
The enormous Two-Headed Monster Bear collapsed, headless. Overjoyed, he approached and harvested its hide, blood, claws, and more. He extracted its soul too, storing it in the Yin Soul Bottle.
Having dispatched the third-grade spirit beast with ease, he entered the cave where the Two-Headed Monster Bear had dwelled. The deep, spacious cavern was littered with the bones of spirit beasts and humans alike. As he ventured deeper, the spiritual energy grew denser, hinting at some spirit herb or treasure within. Racing to the end with the Earth Movement Technique, he found a blue mushroom emanating spiritual energy in the corner.
This was Blue Spirit Mushroom! To think he'd find the auxiliary ingredient for the Soul Nurturing Pill here. Now he understood why the Two-Headed Monster Bear guarded this place. The mushroom hadn't reached a hundred years yet, so he decided to cultivate it a bit longer in his spirit herb field before refining the pill. With the Soul Nurturing Herb, Crimson Threaded Ginseng, and now Blue Spirit Mushroom secured, all he needed was century-old White Phoenix Flower.
Thrilled, he carefully harvested the Blue Spirit Mushroom and stored it in a jade box. He scoured the cave for any other spirit herbs or mushrooms, but found none to his regret. Exiting, he mounted his flight artifact and headed back toward the Unkak Sect.
A week later, he arrived safely and first checked his spirit herb field. The Crimson Water Fruit, Radiant Emperor Wood, Azure Heart Yin Herb, Yellow Sea Mountain Herb, and Soul Nurturing Herb were all thriving without issue. He took out the jade box and planted the Blue Spirit Mushroom in the field. It had started with just Crimson Water Fruit, looking lonely, but now with so many friends, it no longer seemed so.
He stroked Crimson Water Fruit and Radiant Emperor Wood before leaving the field. With the Golden Turtle Formation guarding the field and cave, he could roam outside the sect with peace of mind. Leaving the field, he flew to the Library Pavilion to meet Yeop Inyeong. He couldn't wait to boast about how hard he'd worked to obtain the Self-Strengthening Crystal.
He hadn't expected a reward for fulfilling her request, but he yearned to hear even a single word of praise for his efforts. Arriving at the Library Pavilion, he went straight to the monkey puppet and said he wished to see Pavilion Lord Yeop. Now familiar with him, the monkey puppet gestured for him to follow without hesitation and ascended the stairs. As a Core Formation initial-stage puppet, it could make basic judgments on its own.
Reaching the third floor, massive bookshelves shifted aside to clear a path. At the end sat Yeop Inyeong, sipping tea.
"You're a bit late. Was there trouble obtaining the Self-Strengthening Crystal?"
"I nearly died to a Tak Clan spirit beast."
"Nearly died to a Tak Clan spirit beast? Explain in detail."
He recounted everything to Yeop Inyeong—how he'd faced mortal peril to get the crystal and been threatened by a Nascent Soul cultivator. He described his fight with Tak Hopyeong in gripping detail, enough to make one's palms sweat. After hearing it all, Yeop Inyeong approached and patted his shoulder.
"Yuseong, well done! To cultivate both spells and body techniques at such a rapid pace... Have you learned some special technique?"
He froze for a moment. Should he tell Yeop Inyeong he was practicing the Yin-Yang Art? Could he trust her? Better not reveal everything—just a little. Hiding it entirely might arouse suspicion in the sect about his cultivation speed, so sharing a hint proactively could be wiser.
"By chance, I obtained a fortuitous encounter and am practicing a somewhat special technique."
"I see. Always be cautious when facing Tak Clan cultivators. Their artifacts and techniques surpass those of ordinary cultivators."
Fortunately, Yeop Inyeong didn't press about the technique.
"Yes. After fighting overseas cultivators, I gained great confidence in my abilities, but Tak Hopyeong's purple shield and the prison it turned into were terrifying."
Yeop Inyeong praised him once more.
"Even an ordinary Core Formation initial cultivator might not have blocked it. From your description, Tak Hopyeong's purple shield seems made from an ordinary Self-Strengthening Crystal."
As Yeop Inyeong mentioned the crystal, he retrieved it from his spatial ring and handed it to her, asking,
"What do you use the Self-Strengthening Crystal for?"
Placing the crystal he gave her on her palm, she stared at it intently and replied,
"When used on an artifact, it not only boosts its power and durability but also allows reshaping—not just size, but like the purple prison you faced."
The despair of being trapped in those purple walls still sent chills down his spine. If an ordinary Self-Strengthening Crystal could do that, he couldn't imagine the power of the special one cultivated for ages inside Jafeng Lake Master's body.
"Do you use it for puppets, Pavilion Lord Yeop?"
"Indeed. If I succeed in strengthening a puppet with this, I can stop crafting them for a while and focus on my own cultivation. By the way, Tak Gunma is unpredictable, so be careful if you encounter him again."
Tak Gunma... In exchange for the crystal, he'd made enemies of Tak Gunma and his disciple Tak Hopyeong. At least he'd forged ties with Tak Gyeong and Tak Hwaryeon.
"The Gaun Mountains are so vast—will we really meet again?"
"You never know, so always train diligently. Regret comes too late after facing a strong foe."
"I'll keep that in mind. Oh, and I made a turtle puppet."
He took out the turtle puppet from his spatial ring and showed it to Yeop Inyeong.
"Ho, you have some talent for puppetry. But why make the turtle's face so ugly?"
"I don't think a puppet's appearance matters."
"There's a fool in this world right here. Neglecting a puppet's appearance means you didn't put your heart into it. When crafting a puppet, treat nothing as trivial."
Ah! The puppet's look revealed the craftsman's sincerity. Naturally, less sincerity meant inferior performance.
"Thank you for the enlightenment."
He stowed the turtle puppet back in his spatial ring.
"If you have no more questions, you may go."
Suddenly recalling how Yeop Inyeong had turned her traitorous disciples into puppets, he wanted to ask about primordial spirits. He also had three in his Yin Soul Bottle and needed to know how to handle them.
"Can you make puppets using a cultivator's primordial spirit instead of a spirit beast's soul?"
Yeop Inyeong's face hardened, and she fell silent. Oops—his curiosity had upset her. After a pause, she spoke.
"Puppets from primordial spirits are dangerous at your current realm. Come back after you've grown stronger."
Fortunately, she let it slide without further comment. As long as he didn't betray her, it was fine. Knowing the consequences of betrayal all too well, he had to watch his step around her.
He quickly changed the subject, sharing other Tak Clan stories. When he mentioned growing close to a beautiful female cultivator named Tak Hwaryeon on the way there, Yeop Inyeong's face turned to ice. A chill ran through his body, and her sharp eyes turned ghostly. The air temperature plummeted noticeably.
What had he done wrong? Was he about to become a puppet? With a wave of her hand, a fierce gust hurled him away.
"Hmph! Get out!"
Utterly bewildered, he was ejected from the Library Pavilion. Glancing at the monkey puppet beside him on the stairs, it seemed to mock him.
"Hey, if you know what I did wrong, tell me."
"……."
The monkey puppet said nothing.
"Of course a puppet can't speak."
Descending to the first floor of the Library Pavilion.
"Save… me."
A faint voice echoed behind him. Turning, he saw the monkey puppet climbing the stairs. Must have been his imagination. He left the Library Pavilion and flew toward Baek Gong's shop. He needed to commission armor from the Two-Headed Monster Bear's hide.
He only knew the basics of forging, enough to repair armor but not craft it from scratch. Attempting it with his limited skills might just waste materials.
"Junior Brother Yuseong, your bright expression suggests you've hunted a spirit beast?"
The muscular old man, Baek Gong, said.
"Yes. This time, a third-grade spirit beast—the Two-Headed Monster Bear."
He pulled out the bear's hide, teeth, and claws from his spatial ring to show them.
"Junior Brother Yuseong's skills improve by the day. Soon, you might surpass me."
"Haha, Senior Brother Baek is Core Formation mid-stage—how could I catch up?"
Of course, he was confident he could. With the Yin-Yang Art, his cultivation speed was unmatched.
"I'd like armor from the hide, and artifacts from the teeth and claws."
"The hide's no problem, but the teeth and claws are small and faint in spiritual energy—might be tough for artifacts. Still want to try?"
"Yes. Armor is the priority, so failed artifacts are fine."
"Then I'll take any leftover materials and add thirty low-grade spirit stones. Once done, my servant will deliver them to your cave."
He took thirty low-grade spirit stones from his spatial ring and handed them over.
"Thank you. One more thing I'm curious about…."
"What is it?"
"If a flight artifact has stealth and divine sense blocking functions, how much would it cost?"
"Prices vary wildly, and only Nascent Soul cultivators could afford one. Qi Refining or Core Formation folks would struggle."
"Thanks for the info."
Having commissioned the armor and artifacts from Baek Gong, he returned to his cave.