Jaekyung opened his closed eyes. The feeling of his spirit—or to be precise, a part of it—returning to his body after flowing into another world was a strange sensation one couldn't understand without experiencing it firsthand. If he had to make an analogy, would it be like suddenly becoming wide awake from a drowsy, half-asleep state?
‘This time, the harvest was great.’
This gathering in the Garden of Remembrance was very satisfactory. The Senior cultivators of the Twilight Gathering were all friendly toward him and weren't stingy about sharing their knowledge.
Of course, it might have been because that knowledge wasn't of great importance to them, but it’s never easy to give something to a complete stranger for free, no matter how insignificant it is to oneself. In that regard, the Senior cultivators of the Twilight Gathering were sufficiently generous, and Jaekyung felt grateful to them.
He thought that if the opportunity ever arose, he would repay the grace he had received from them.
‘Even if that ‘someday’ really comes, it will be a matter of the distant future.’
Jaekyung tried to operate the Aura Concealment Art that he had only understood in his head. Calming one's energy was, in some ways, similar to quieting one's breath. The only difference was that he had to control his energy, not his breathing.
‘Did it work?’
He had gathered his energy according to the principles of the Aura Concealment Art, but he couldn't tell if he had done it correctly. Jaekyung decided he would have to test it again when Cheong-o arrived, and he wiggled his coiled body here and there.
It was a small exercise meant to promote digestion, but even he thought it didn't seem very effective.
‘Spirit beast meat is indeed different from regular meat. It’s digesting much slower than I thought.’
No matter how much he ate, the meat of ordinary beasts would almost completely digest after a single nap. But the meat of the monkey spirit beast he ate this time still left his stomach feeling heavy, even though several days had passed.
This was true even though the amount of meat from the three monkeys he ate at once was far from enough to fill his stomach. Therefore, Jaekyung couldn't help but think that the meat of a spirit beast was different from the meat of an ordinary beast.
‘Still… it’s not all bad.’
What does slow digestion mean? It means it takes a long time for the stomach to feel empty. In other words, he could maintain a feeling of fullness for a long time.
At least while the digestion was in progress, he wouldn't have to go hunting, so this was a clear advantage.
‘It seems the tree fellow also needs time to bear fruit, so it works out well.’
The tree demon, despite being a tree, was a creature that grew by consuming blood and flesh, just like any other beast. The creature bore fruit after its main body had absorbed enough blood and meat, and this fruit was a kind of naturally produced byproduct, like hair or fingernails for a human.
The tree demon could intentionally and artificially speed up the creation of these byproducts. However, it was said that this would put some strain on its main body, but there was no way to know if this was true or just something it made up out of fear that he would constantly demand fruit.
If it was made up out of worry, it was a needless one. Jaekyung had no intention of pestering the tree demon to constantly produce fruit. He didn't think the creature would meekly obey just because he pushed it, and in the first place, he had little desire for the tree demon's fruit.
What interested him was not the tree demon's fruit, but the spirit beasts he could lure with it—more precisely, the meat of those spirit beasts. Once he finishes digesting this time……….?
As Jaekyung felt the changes in his body with the slow progress of digestion and gauged his still-heavy stomach, he thought that perhaps by the time this heaviness subsided, he might be able to go through another molting.
He didn't know the exact conditions for molting, nor if he could still molt after becoming a spirit beast, but he had a hunch that a big change was coming once he finished digesting this time.
‘If I do end up molting, I need to think about that part in advance.’
Once he starts molting, he becomes almost defenseless. Fortunately, when he had experienced molting before, one time was when he was patting his belly after a hunt, and the other was when he was relaxing comfortably at the bottom of the pond, so he had never been in a difficult situation. Looking back, he had been really lucky.
But he couldn't just blindly expect his luck to continue. What if he suddenly started molting in the middle of a frantic fight? He would have to consider himself as good as dead.
The opponents he would be fighting from now on wouldn't be ordinary beasts, but formidable spirit beasts.
‘It would be great if I could sense the signs of molting beforehand.’
Thinking about it, it didn't seem impossible. Even now, wasn't he sensing that a big change would occur once the monkey spirit beast meat in his stomach was fully digested? If he could hone this sense and become able to fully contemplate himself, he would be able to handle molting to some extent.
Of course, this was assuming he would still molt even now that he was a spirit beast, but even if not, the ability of contemplation was necessary. Cultivation was, in a way, a continuous process of refining oneself, so understanding oneself was both basic and essential.
Simple-minded spirit beasts lived according to instinct and intuition without much thought, but Jaekyung, who considered himself a proper person, could not do so. In his opinion, spirit beasts had no real system of cultivation to speak of.
Perhaps high-level spirit beasts, like Great Spirit Beasts, were different, but at least from what he had seen so far, that was how it was. In a way, this was only natural. Spirit beasts could grow stronger just by eating consistently, so in a sense, the path was already open for them.
When a path is already open, would they go through the trouble of finding a better one? Especially spirit beasts who were originally just animals, even if they had become smarter? The heavens are fair.
Just as they bound humans with great wisdom and weak bodies, they bound spirit beasts with strong bodies and lacking wisdom. It wasn't just these two races; every race in the world has its own flaws. Therefore, cultivators of all races seek to fill their innate flaws through Cultivation and advance towards transcendence by achieving perfection.
In that respect, Jaekyung had a huge advantage. He possessed the powerful body of a spirit beast while also having the wisdom of a human. Perhaps the reason the Seniors at the Garden of Remembrance showed interest in him was because they rated his potential highly for this reason.
‘But potential is just potential.’
Even after becoming a spirit beast, Jaekyung did not abandon his cautious attitude. In the Garden of Remembrance, he could feel good about himself being treated as a promising prospect, but outside the Garden of Remembrance, he was just a single spirit beast who had to continue the struggle for survival.
So, until someday, at least until he no longer had to fear climbing to high places and could roar to his heart's content without worry, he must always be careful and vigilant. Jaekyung pictured that day that might never come in his mind, then began to formulate his future plans.
The plan to lure spirit beasts using the tree demon's fruit was quite good, even on second thought. However, this was not a hunting method that could be used for a long time. No matter how simple-minded spirit beasts were, they would sense something was off if he just sat in one place and kept shaking the bait.
Therefore, Jaekyung saw the limit of this type of hunting to be three or four times at most. After that, he would have to leave this place and search for a spiritual land as originally planned. 'A spiritual land.......'
Finding a spiritual land and hunting the other spirit beasts settled there was his original plan, but meeting the tree demon gave him other ideas. This fellow was very special and useful. Demons, unlike spirit beasts, were said to have all sorts of rare and special abilities, but this tree demon was likely a special kind even among such demons.
What kind of demon could produce spiritual objects so readily? Although it might be lacking compared to 'naturally grown, real spiritual objects,' it was a fact that the tree demon's fruit was valuable.
‘As long as I have the tree fellow, I can start the hunt anywhere.’
After hunting here a couple of times, he would take the tree demon fellow and go somewhere far away. And there, he would use the fruit as bait to hunt again, and then move somewhere else...
'Wonderful.'
Wasn't it a truly beautiful picture? Of course, the world isn't so easy, and various unexpected accidents could happen, but in any case, with the tree demon and its fruit, hunting spirit beasts would become much easier. The problem was how to coax the fellow...
‘I just need to produce some plausible results once or twice. Then the tree fellow will realize that joining me is more beneficial than just staying put here.’
To do that, he would have to give up a considerable amount of his prey, but considering the tree demon's value, it was a worthy investment. After all, unlike Cheong-o, that fellow was a true demon race.
‘Speaking of which, when is this guy going to come.’
Cheong-o had taken the tree demon's fruit and one of the monkey spirit beast's hands and had not shown himself since. He was probably still busy digesting it. Although the fellow was quite smart, he was ultimately just an ordinary beast, so it would likely take a long time to digest the meat of a spirit beast.
‘If he digests everything he got this time… could that fellow become a spirit beast?’
Remembering the motivation and anticipation Cheong-o had shown before leaving with his share, Jaekyung unconsciously licked his lips. * Jaekyung discovered that he had an amazing ability he hadn't known before. That ability was sleeping.
When he decided to sleep without a second thought, he slept for several days straight. When he opened his eyes to Cheong-o's call, Jaekyung was greatly surprised to realize that he had slept for a full three days.
‘I thought I knew all there was to know about my body.’
It wasn't hibernation, so could he just sleep like the dead if he put his mind to it? If Cheong-o hadn't come, how much longer would he have slept? Lifting his head and feeling his refreshed body, Jaekyung suddenly noticed that the heaviness in his stomach had eased considerably.
It felt as if more than half of the spirit beast meat that had been sitting in his stomach had been digested.
‘What is this?’
Jaekyung, who was briefly bewildered, soon guessed what had happened. Perhaps, while he slept for three days, all of his body's functions had been focused on digestion?
‘If that's really the case... do I have to worry less about overeating from now on?’
It was a happy worry that was getting ahead of itself, but Jaekyung's mood improved.
‘I don't have to worry about being attacked while I sleep either.’
He had slept soundly for three days, but even so, a sliver of his consciousness had always remained awake. That was why he could wake up immediately at Cheong-o's call and realize that three days had passed as soon as he opened his eyes.
If someone had entered the cave while he was sleeping, Jaekyung would have immediately sensed the intruder's presence and opened his eyes.
"Cheong-o." "Jaekyung! Look at this! Look at this! Isn't it cool?"
As Jaekyung came out to the cave entrance, Cheong-o, who had grown much larger, flapped his wings as if to show off. With each flap of the wings, which had a faint blue glow, light danced. The sight was like watching a well-made special effect.
"It's cool."
"Right? Right?"
Cheong-o held his head high and boasted. Jaekyung played along appropriately while observing the fellow's condition. He had certainly changed a lot compared to a few days ago.
His appearance, his aura—he was at a level where he could no longer be considered a mere beast. But despite changing so much, he still couldn't be called a spirit beast. Still a little, just a little bit lacking.
If he had given Cheong-o one more hand of the monkey spirit beast, or even just a few more fingers, Cheong-o might have been able to become a spirit beast.
‘Should I have given him a bit more.’
Jaekyung smacked his lips as he looked at Cheong-o, who was still boasting. Seeing how happy he was, he felt that he should have been a bit more generous. After all, a single hand was not a significant amount to him.
‘No. That's not right.’
Jaekyung steeled his softening heart. In his opinion, Cheong-o was perfect just as he was now. A full dog doesn't run, so to keep using Cheong-o, he had to keep the fellow feeling a sense of want.
Of course, Cheong-o was smart and had a decent desire for self-improvement, so it wasn't like he would immediately harbor other thoughts upon becoming a spirit beast, but who knew what could happen. Therefore, while Jaekyung had no intention of deliberately hindering Cheong-o's growth, he had no intention of actively helping either.
"It's really not much longer now."
"Yeah! Not much longer! One more hunt should do it!"
Cheong-o showed more motivation than ever before. The target of the hunt he was talking about was, of course, a spirit beast, not an ordinary animal. Cheong-o already knew about Jaekyung's new plan.
When Jaekyung told him about his idea of cooperating with the tree demon, the fellow had marveled at what a great idea it was.
"How's the tree fellow?"
"Six have grown. But he said they're still small, so we have to wait a little longer!"
"How long?"
"About five days? I asked, but he said he can't make it any faster."
"Five days."
Cheong-o seemed dissatisfied, but Jaekyung thought it was just right. 'Five days is enough.' It was enough time to finish digesting what he hadn't yet digested.
The variable was the change that would occur after he finished digesting, and while Jaekyung predicted it would be molting, it might not be. Or, even if it was molting, there was a high possibility that it would be vastly different from what he had experienced before becoming a spirit beast.
"Once the tree fellow is ready, and I'm ready, we'll start right away. The tree fellow and I will do the hunting, but you have a job to do too."
"Yeah! Just say the word!"
Cheong-o was in a state where he would do anything he was told.
"First, for the next few days, scout the surroundings well. And..."
After giving instructions to Cheong-o, Jaekyung went back inside the cave and coiled up. He had already slept like the dead for three days, so he felt no fatigue and his mind was wide awake, but he could still fall asleep at any time if he just decided to.
"Hiss—" As soon as he closed his eyes and decided to sleep, Jaekyung's consciousness sank.
His heartbeat faded, and his breathing all but disappeared. And three days later.
"Grrrr."
The giant snake, which had been frozen like an exquisite sculpture, snapped its eyes open. Its closed mouth opened, and a single breath escaped. At that, the entire cave, which had been submerged in silence, trembled minutely.
'Digestion is complete.' Despite just waking from a deep sleep, Jaekyung immediately examined his condition with a clear mind. Thanks to his spiritual awareness, which had developed significantly since he first obtained it, Jaekyung could instantly and accurately grasp the inside of his body.
This could be considered a basic level of internal contemplation.
'It's coming.'
As his heartbeat returned to normal and strength began to circulate through his body, the signal came right away. It was the change he had foreseen. Jaekyung tried to feel that change as much as possible by contemplating himself through his spiritual awareness.
Thump!
The starting point was his heart. Blood, imbued with explosive energy, raced through the blood vessels all over his body like a racing car on a circuit. Soon, his entire body was engulfed by the energy originating from his blood and began to undergo a mysterious transformation.
'It's molting.'
Jaekyung knew it instinctively. He didn't know if the previous moltings had been like this, but he could finally understand the process of molting. The vital energy, which had been calmly contained within the vessel of his physical body, had become extremely strong, making the once-stable vessel precarious.
However, since the physical body and vital energy are inherently inseparable, it made the vessel precarious but did not break it; rather, it stimulated the physical body, helping it return to a stable state. 'The accumulation of vital energy and the strengthening of the physical body.'
He had heard that among the cultivation techniques of humans, there was something called body tempering cultivation techniques that trained the physical body. Such body tempering techniques basically trained the physical body to increase vital energy, which could be likened to first making a water bowl larger and then letting rainwater naturally fill it.
But this molting that Jaekyung was experiencing now was the exact opposite of that. It was not about expanding the vessel to increase the contents, but about the swollen contents forcibly expanding the vessel. The process was perilous and painful, but in return, it was explosive.
"Grrrr."
Jaekyung endured the pain and let out a low growl. The pain brought on by the rapid change was considerable, but compared to the previous two times, it was somewhat bearable.