"Hah!"
Jaekyung hurriedly pulled his tongue back. To him, it felt like only a second or two had passed since he stuck his tongue out, but the translucent jelly had shrunk to almost half its size. Before he could even feel regret, Jaekyung carefully opened his tingling eyes.
His eyelids, which wouldn't budge no matter how hard he tried, as if held shut by a heavy lock, now moved with incredible ease. He had worried what he would do if he still couldn't see after opening his eyes, but thankfully, his restored eyes were perfectly fine. For a while, Jaekyung blinked and looked around.
Was seeing with both eyes such a joyous thing? To think he only realized this joy after becoming one-eyed. This must be what they mean when they say you only know what you have when it's gone.
It was certainly a memorable experience, but... 'Once is more than enough for an experience like that.' After fully enjoying the happiness of regaining his sight, Jaekyung turned his gaze to the elixir water that had shrunk by half.
Until a moment ago, he had been half in doubt, but now he was certain that this was elixir water. If it wasn't elixir water, how could it display such a miraculous healing effect? 'Is there only half left?'
Once the urgent fire was put out, a sly thought reared its head. At first, he had thought that as long as his eye could be healed, nothing else mattered. But now that his eye was healed, he grew greedy for this mysterious spiritual object.
It was good that his eye was fixed, but was it really necessary to use half of the elixir water? If only he had come to his senses a little sooner and pulled his tongue back. 'A futile thought.'
He found himself so ridiculous that he let out a laugh. This kind of shallow thought arose not because his heart was particularly sly, but because the elixir water was just that astonishing a treasure. Don't valuable treasures often cloud a person's heart and eyes?
'It's definitely a rare spiritual object.' Yoo Gye-yoon had said that elixir water was used as an ingredient for various demon beast pills. Does that mean the demon beast pills of the humans are more effective than the elixir water?
'No, that can't be it.' Jaekyung thought this because he was experiencing the effects of the elixir water even at this very moment. From what he could feel, the efficacy of the elixir water wasn't simple wound healing.
It felt like it had a more fundamental effect, a kind of constitutional improvement. After the elixir water entered his body and coolly washed through his entire being, Jaekyung felt that his body had improved in every aspect. Wondering what had happened, he observed the inside of his body.
The first change that caught his eye was the smoother flow of his vital energy. Jaekyung hadn't thought there was any problem with his vital energy before, but after feeling this change, he realized that wasn't the case.
If the previous flow felt like advancing on an unpaved road, shaking this way and that, now it was like speeding down a wide-open paved road without a care. It was faster and more powerful than before, and at the same time, more stable. Such a change could not occur just by healing a wound.
Jaekyung thought of it as a kind of improvement. Healing the microscopic wounds that had formed without his knowledge and resolving imbalances to make the body whole. In some ways, it was similar to molting, but the elixir water's effect was more focused on recovery.
'Having a treasure like this is like having an extra life.' Did that catfish fellow know about the existence of this elixir water? Since it was a fellow that held the entire river in its palm, it probably knew, but had no reason to use it.
This treasure is like a spare life, but for that very reason, it shouldn't be used unless one's life is hanging by a thread. 'Perhaps it remembered this place right before its last breath was cut off.' If that was true, the fellow must have felt quite wronged.
To die without being able to use a treasure that could save its life. 'The problem is, this isn't just someone else's story.' The elixir water, reduced by half, remained condensed in its original spot, as if held in an invisible container.
Jaekyung pondered how he might move the elixir water, but couldn't think of a suitable method. 'If it were that easy, the catfish fellow would have moved it long ago.' He might find a way later, but for now, he could only feel relieved that the elixir water was in a place like this.
If it was in a place so difficult to find and even more difficult to approach, he wouldn't have to worry about it being spotted by other beasts or spirit beasts. 'Even so, I don't feel at ease just leaving it here.
The first thought that came to mind was to build a nest in this cave, in front of the elixir water. He couldn't reside here permanently, but just by building a nest and leaving his scent, most beasts wouldn't dare to come near, so he could ensure the elixir water's safety to some extent.
However, the problem with this method was that this place was located too deep. He wouldn't be able to hear Cheong-o's calls from outside the water, so if something happened in an emergency, he wouldn't be able to respond properly. 'I can't stay here.'
Jaekyung felt a lingering regret. The elixir water was one thing, but thanks to it drawing in the surrounding spiritual energy, the concentration of spiritual energy near the elixir water was denser than anywhere else in the river. Even without doing anything special, he could gain considerable benefits just by staying here... ...
'What can't be helped, can't be helped. Let's not linger on it.' He decided to think positively.
It might not be as good as being in front of the elixir water, but this entire river was a spiritual land. He was now enjoying the advantage of a blessed land, something he couldn't have before, so this alone was a great gain. 'I should at least take some temporary measures.'
Jaekyung went back the way he came, moving several large boulders to block the path leading to the cave with the elixir water. It was nothing more than a trick of the eye, but this was enough to prevent lost beasts from entering.
* If obtaining the elixir water and fixing his eye was the first happy event, then obtaining the spiritual land river, the spiritual spring, was the second. Ever since birth, he had always been steeped in anxiety, wandering from place to place. Only now had he escaped the life of a homeless drifter and obtained a proper base.
It was something to be happy about, but Jaekyung didn't feel particularly joyous. Of course, if asked whether he was happy or not, he would naturally say he was, but the joy wasn't that great. This was because he was well aware of reality.
'I can't become like that catfish fellow.' The catfish spirit beast, the previous master of this spiritual spring, had an innate sensory ability, so it could manage the spiritual spring alone without any shortcomings. That was not an ability a mere spirit beast that had not even become a Great Spirit Beast could possess.
It was literally an inborn talent, an ability that the current Jaekyung couldn't even imitate. ‘The catfish fellow would not have allowed any other spirit beasts to enter the spiritual spring. That guy could do that.
He could immediately sense if any punk even stuck its head in and rush over. Its combat ability in the water was also so powerful that ordinary spirit beasts were no match for it.' That fellow had ability, but it also had prestige.
This spiritual spring was recognized as its territory by the other nearby spirit beasts and demons. That was probably the result of it going around for a long time shouting, 'This spiritual spring is mine.' In that case, could Jaekyung, who inherited its position, also inherit that result?
'Of course not.' If spirit beasts, demons, and other various riffraff were such a flexible bunch, the humans' perception of the demon races wouldn't be so disastrous. Jaekyung guessed that he would soon face many challenges.
As long as he had inherited the catfish spirit beast's position, this was unavoidable. 'If it were up to me, I'd want to tell them to bring it on... but realistically, it's tough.' He had killed the catfish, the master of the spiritual land, and consumed its flesh and blood.
On top of that, he had found the elixir water and even healed his eye, so Jaekyung's confidence was higher than ever before. But he didn't get drunk on that confidence and become a fool. Confidence is confidence, and reality is reality.
The reality is that he cannot be like the catfish. Because he had neither the catfish's ability nor its prestige. Of course, that didn't mean he needed to shrink back too much.
Whatever means he used, he had defeated the catfish anyway, and the challengers who would soon flock here were guys who had either lost to the catfish or had gotten scared and tucked their tails. There's no need to be arrogant, and no need to be scared. He just needs to be prudent.
'A huge mess is about to unfold from now on.' Not to mention the masters of spiritual lands, even the shabby-looking drifters were, without exception, not to be underestimated. The very fact that they survived in the endless competition for survival signified their strength.
Now that he had left the remote swamp that no one cared about and claimed to be the master of a spiritual land, Jaekyung had to present himself to all those formidable competitors. If he appeared weak, he would be torn apart. If he appeared strong, he would be respected.
'I'm looking forward to it.' Jaekyung's eyes, foreseeing the coming chaos, shone brighter than ever. He had previously adapted to life as a beast, and now, he had perfectly adapted to life as a spirit beast.
Killing and devouring enemies to make them his own nourishment. Some might look down on this method as barbaric, but this was the Dao of wild nature. At the same time, it was a legitimate path of Cultivation.
An ancient path that had existed from a time so long ago it was unimaginable, even before the human legacy was established. Perhaps it might even be the primordial Dao. A method of Cultivation that has continued without a single interruption since life and competition came into existence.
Jaekyung had walked that path ever since he was born into this world, and only now did he finally understand it. Cultivation is the act of building oneself up. There is no disagreement on this point, but how does one build oneself up?
Will you repeatedly seek enlightenment for a hundred, a thousand years, and one day ascend to the heavens in a single moment? It is very idealistic, but an ideal is an ideal because it is detached from reality. Therefore, those who live in reality have no choice but to follow the ways of reality.
To acknowledge one's own deficiencies and fill them with something else. Human cultivators say that the demon races are unpredictable and ferocious, but in Jaekyung's view, that wasn't necessarily the case. In the end, wasn't everything just a part of the struggle to seize limited opportunities?
Humans fight over all sorts of fortuitous encounters like heavenly treasures and spiritual objects, but the demon races simply add themselves to that fight. It is to risk my own flesh and blood to covet the flesh and blood of another.
In the world where Jaekyung lived in his past life, there was a saying: 'succeed and you are a king, fail and you are a bandit.' That saying could be used similarly in this world as well. Win, and you climb one more step; lose, and you fall to your death.
If there was a problem, would it be that one doesn't know how high the stairs they must climb extend?
"How is it?"
Jaekyung, who had surfaced from the water, asked the tree demon that was facing the calmed current. It was a fellow that had lived without issue even in a swamp where it was hard to find anything living, so it would probably be fine.
But even so, it wasn't originally a creature that lived with its roots in the water, so while a short time was one thing, staying like this continuously could be a burden.
Ooooh~!
It was roughly an affirmation. As if pleased with the spiritual energy of the spiritual spring, its cry was somewhat more relaxed and pleasant than usual. “Let me know right away if anyone comes in.
I'm going to look around the area." He had felt it when he went to find the elixir water and came back just now, but there were only ordinary fish in the water. It was likely thanks to the catfish fellow diligently managing its territory.
So for now, he didn't have to worry about some tough guy popping out. For now, that is. Therefore, what Jaekyung intended to do was not patrolling, but exploring—to be precise, a treasure hunt.
Since a treasure like the elixir water was hidden in a crack on the riverbed, who's to say there wasn't some other good item hidden somewhere else? 'The possibility is low, though.' Don't they say two tigers cannot live on one mountain?
Spiritual objects are similar. Of course, it's not because spiritual objects have a sense of territory or competitiveness, but because the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is limited, there is naturally a constraint on the number of spiritual objects that can be born from it.
This spiritual spring was quite large in scale, but even so, with a spiritual object like the elixir water already present, the chance of another spiritual object existing was, frankly, slim. However, the possibility was slim, not nonexistent, so he intended to take a look around to also grasp the underwater ecology and geography.
"I'll be back. Keep watch."
Jaekyung glanced at Cheong-o sleeping on the tree demon's branch and entered the water again. * In the end, Jaekyung found nothing. But it wasn't that he had no gains at all.
He was able to roughly grasp the boundaries of the spiritual spring, in other words, where the catfish's territory began and ended. There was a section where the spiritual spring's spiritual energy noticeably thinned, and right beyond that boundary, he could feel the auras of a few aquatic spirit beasts.
As if blocked by an invisible wall, they didn't cross the boundary, but they didn't move far away either. Feeling their presence dripping with lingering attachment, Jaekyung had a hunch that he would face them in some way before long. 'But not now.'
Jaekyung suppressed the urge to cross the boundary right away and hunt a few of them. From some point on, the fighting spirit that had taken root in his heart was gradually growing larger. It was probably a change prompted by his spirit beast nature.
He thought it was a change that was neither particularly good nor bad, but proper control was necessary. Otherwise, what would be the difference between him and a foolish beast? 'My digestion has gotten faster.'
He could feel the flesh and blood of the catfish spirit beast in his stomach melting away rapidly even now. It was the flesh and blood of a spirit beast that, although not a Great Spirit Beast, was close to it and acted as the master of a spiritual land.
Originally, Jaekyung thought it would take quite some time to finish digesting it, and if need be, he had even considered trusting Cheong-o and the tree demon and going to sleep. This was because he thought he needed to finish digestion before the invaders started to pick a fight in earnest. But now there was no need for that.
After the elixir water improved his constitution, his digestive ability took another great leap forward. At this rate, it seemed he could digest all of the catfish's flesh and blood within two or three days. 'If that happens, will I be able to reach the threshold of a Great Spirit Beast?'
It would probably be a little insufficient. Just because he had swallowed the catfish spirit beast's flesh and blood didn't mean he could swallow its realm as well.
'It's fine.
It's already fast enough.' Jaekyung was satisfied with his Cultivation speed. When he thought about it, how long had it been since he hatched from his egg?
Had it been just a year? No matter how much the cultivation speed of the demon races varied by species and situation, Jaekyung's cultivation, if converted to human cultivation, was already at the middle Qi Refining Stage. It was already a shockingly fast speed, and as if that weren't enough, he was now aiming for the late stage.
If others knew this fact, more than one or two would be appalled. Of course, this amazing cultivation speed was largely due to the characteristics of a spirit beast. Unlike humans, who had to consider various factors evenly, for a spirit beast at this stage, they only had to consider vital energy, and that was it.
Constantly growing and strengthening vital energy to pursue the might of the physical body was the entirety of their Cultivation. 'It won't be so simple after that, though.'
Just as a human Qi Refining cultivator undergoes a qualitative improvement where the spiritual energy in their body transforms into spiritual power upon reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, a spirit beast must also undergo such a change to become a Great Spirit Beast. 'The problem is, I don't know what that is.'
Even the senior cultivators of the Twilight Gathering knew almost nothing about this part. There were rough guesses, but they were only at a level that could be referenced, not trusted. In the end, regarding how to become a Great Spirit Beast, Jaekyung had no choice but to find out for himself.
'It's a worry that's too premature.' This is all because of his excessively fast growth. Having grown accustomed to such abnormal growth, he had come to see the distant future as right before his nose.
'I don't have to be fast. As long as I don't stop, it's fine.' Calming his racing heart, Jaekyung leisurely swam against the current.
And time flowed on.