One hundred lowest-grade spirit stones were worth one low-grade spirit stone. And a thousand of those low-grade spirit stones were worth one medium-grade spirit stone. This is because medium-grade spirit stones have a distinctly different concentration and amount of spiritual energy compared to the previous two types.
There are also high-grade spirit stones above medium-grade ones, but from that point on, they are not something you can obtain just by wanting them. Such items are treated more like spiritual objects than currency, so unless the owner decides to part with them, they are nearly impossible to acquire.
However, the prices of the spiritual objects that came to Jaekyung's mind were listed in those very high-grade spirit stones. At this point, it was more of an exchange than a sale. It was clear that those who wanted high-grade spirit stones had listed their spiritual objects for trade through the Prosperous Treasure Guild.
'It might as well be a pie in the sky.' He had heard many times that obtaining a useful spiritual object in the human territories was like plucking a star from the sky, but seeing the prices with his own eyes, he was astonished anew.
'With an overflowing population and scarce resources, the prices of cultivation resources like spiritual objects must be skyrocketing without a limit.' He felt like he now understood why the humans were so desperate to expand their territories. The human territories are vast, but the resources within them must have already dried up.
Even if not completely depleted to the point of being barren, they would surely be ridiculously insufficient to satisfy the countless human cultivators. 'If the humans continue to grow stronger like this, the day may come when all the cultivation resources in this world are exhausted.' Humans have short lifespans and large numbers.
These characteristics instilled a sense of urgency and desperation in human cultivators. They would stop at nothing to quickly raise their cultivation level before their lifespan ran out, so naturally, wherever they flourished, the seeds of heavenly treasures dried up.
'When the day comes that the humans seize hegemony over the entire Azure Abyss Realm, that will be the day the dark age of the cultivation world begins.' How high a realm could human cultivators reach if they could no longer receive help in their Cultivation through external resources?
Their level would surely not be the same as it is now.
'Humans…'
Jaekyung held somewhat complicated feelings about the humans of this world. As a human in his past life, he felt a slight sense of kinship; as a member of the demon races in his current life, he felt both wariness and fear. 'I must always be cautious in my dealings with them.'
Jaekyung narrowed his eyes when he confirmed that among the spiritual objects sold by the Prosperous Treasure Guild were Demon Cores. Each Demon Core on the sales list signified the death of one Core Formation realm demon race member. A Core Formation realm demon race member.
The leader of the Western Twin Lake demon races, the Shattered Waters Whale King, was presumed to be at the mid-Core Formation realm. This meant that a demon race member comparable to, or perhaps even stronger than, the Shattered Waters Whale King had been killed and was now on the sales list. Jaekyung once again solidified his sense of caution.
In a world where even a Demon King of the Core Formation realm could lose its head at any moment, a lowly creature like him had to cultivate the prudence of tapping a stone bridge before crossing it in all matters. * Until the Full Wing Day arrived, Jaekyung was engrossed in treasure hunting.
The turtle, having had a good taste of the rewards, guided him with a much more proactive attitude than before, and with the turtle's help, Jaekyung easily explored the nearby deep places. Even places so treacherous that aquatic spirit beasts couldn't approach them weren't very difficult for Jaekyung.
No matter how strong the currents were, they couldn't harm his scales, and any creatures loitering nearby would tuck their tails and flee the moment Jaekyung revealed himself.
“Those creatures are losing their minds before the Dragon Lord's majesty!”
The turtle, seemingly having gotten a real taste for borrowing authority, held its not-so-long-for-a-turtle neck stiffly and sneered at the fleeing aquatic spirit beasts. The creature, who was at first afraid of entering Jaekyung's mouth, now seemed to believe that Jaekyung would not eat him, and casually climbed onto his tongue.
“Dragon Lord. This is the last place.”
Heading to the place the turtle pointed, Jaekyung discovered aquatic plants growing as thick as a jungle. Other than looking peculiar, he couldn't feel any spiritual energy, so in the past, he would have turned back without a second thought. But it was different now.
In the list of spiritual objects engraved in his mind, Jaekyung could find something that matched those aquatic plants.
‘Swimming Grass. Used as an ingredient in various vitality-boosting pills that enhance yang energy.’
Although it was a spiritual object, it was only used as a supplementary ingredient for medicinal pills, so its price wasn't very high. But even a small amount of spirit stones was still spirit stones. Besides, with such a large quantity, if he sold all of it, he could surely make a decent profit.
“Pluck them all.”
"Pardon?"
The turtle's eyes went wide. The creature looked at Jaekyung once, then at the Swimming Grass, then stared blankly back at Jaekyung.
“Be careful not to damage the plants when you pluck them.”
It couldn't be helped. It wasn't that he was intentionally trying to tease or boss the turtle around; Jaekyung's body structure simply made it impossible for him to harvest the Swimming Grass. Of course, if he forced it, he could easily tear them out, but that would damage the grass.
The turtle, on the other hand, had webbed feet, making it a much more suitable candidate than Jaekyung. After confirming he hadn't misheard, the turtle had no choice but to start harvesting the Swimming Grass, swinging its small webbed feet like scythes.
Its body was small and its strength was weak, but it was still a spirit beast, so the turtle's harvesting speed was very fast. Watching the turtle cut down the Swimming Grass like a skilled farmer, Jaekyung went ahead and tossed it a storage pouch.
"Don't miss any. Put them all in."
"Yes, sir!"
Without a hint of displeasure, the turtle harvested the Swimming Grass and put it in the storage pouch. It wasn't just pretending; it truly had no complaints. It was just puzzled.
'What does the Dragon Lord intend to use this grass for? Is he perhaps going to eat it?' The turtle ate meat, but it also enjoyed eating grass.
Thus, it had a decent eye for grass, and in its view, these disgustingly long grasses didn't look very appetizing.
‘Still, maybe?’
The turtle, on the off chance, cut off a bit of an underdeveloped stalk and took a bite.
'Blech!'
It immediately scrunched up its face in regret. * Garden of Remembrance. After the Twilight Gathering meeting, Jaekyung stayed behind with Woo Do-baek to discuss the transaction for the Transformation Secret Art.
“Senior. Did you manage to get the item?" "I did. Shall we trade right away? I'll tell you in advance, the price is quite high." "The owner of the item is an acquaintance of mine, and it seems he's trying to make a tidy sum from this opportunity, as he's not willing to lower the price at all.”
"How much is it?"
“One medium-grade spirit stone and two hundred low-grade spirit stones. Or one thousand two hundred and twenty low-grade spirit stones." It was certainly expensive.
If it had been the Jaekyung from before his pockets were heavy from selling the spiritual soil, he would have been aghast upon hearing this price. But it was different now. For the current Jaekyung, the price was not a big issue.
So instead of being aghast, Jaekyung asked one thing.
“Senior. I heard from someone at the Prosperous Treasure Guild a while ago that the effects of the Transformation Secret Art can manifest differently depending on the cultivator.”
He had phrased it mildly, but the point was clear.
"Oh?"
Woo Do-baek showed a hint of surprise at Jaekyung's mention of speaking with someone from the Prosperous Treasure Guild.
“What that person from the Prosperous Treasure Guild you met said is correct. Most Transformation Secret Arts may or may not be effective depending on the cultivator.”
“In that case.......”
“But you don't need to worry about that part. I just said that most Transformation Secret Arts are like that, right? That means, conversely, that a few secret arts don't have such restrictions.”
“No restrictions?”
Jaekyung was half-in-doubt. If the person who said this hadn't been Woo Do-baek, he would have immediately dismissed it as the nonsense of a swindler. But because it was Woo Do-baek who spoke, Jaekyung waited patiently for what he would say next.
“Of course, nothing in the world is perfect. This secret art allows anyone who cultivates it to achieve transformation, but the cultivation conditions are not easy. You have to burn three sticks of Soul-Calming Incense every time you cultivate.”
Woo Do-baek also explained about the Soul-Calming Incense. Soul-Calming Incense is a type of spiritual incense. It has the effect of helping a cultivator maintain a stable spirit and soul, so it is helpful for Cultivation that requires a high degree of concentration.
However, due to the nature of spiritual incense, its effects don't last long, and it's gone after one use, so cultivators with less affluent pockets wouldn't cultivate while burning spiritual incense.
“What is the price of Soul-Calming Incense?”
“One low-grade spirit stone per stick. That's the standard price.”
One low-grade spirit stone for one stick of incense? Does that mean I have to use three low-grade spirit stones every time I cultivate?
“There's a famous saying that has been passed down in the human territories for a long time. What is needed for Cultivation is not talent, but wealth.”
At Woo Do-baek's words, tinged with laughter, Jaekyung wanted to snap back and ask if he was boasting, but he held it in and ran the numbers in his head. 'It's certainly expensive. A sheer waste of money.
But... it's not something I can't afford.' It wasn't faith in his own enlightenment, but faith in the deep pockets he had after selling the spiritual soil. Three low-grade spirit stones every time he cultivated?
He had six medium-grade spirit stones in his pouch, and over fifty low-grade ones. At this rate, even after subtracting the price of the secret art, there should be no problem finishing the Cultivation.
“As long as the cultivation conditions are met, are the effects guaranteed?" “Of course. All the other races who cultivated that secret art to the end succeeded in their transformation. If you wish, you can request an appraisal from the Prosperous Treasure Guild.” “Very well. I will trade with spirit stones.” "With spirit stones, you say?”
For a moment, Woo Do-baek's spirit wavered slightly. When Jaekyung mentioned meeting someone from the Prosperous Treasure Guild earlier, it was just a little surprising, but this time, he looked truly astonished. “It seems you had a fortunate encounter.
Congratulations!"
"Thank you."
Jaekyung didn't deny it, and Woo Do-baek didn't press for details. They then agreed to conduct the transaction through the Prosperous Treasure Guild. It was a satisfactory deal for everyone.
Jaekyung paid no mind to whether it was truly Woo Do-baek's acquaintance who had set the price of the secret art, or if the art even belonged to this acquaintance in the first place.
The only thing he cared about was whether the secret art was truly as effective as Woo Do-baek claimed, and since the Prosperous Treasure Guild would verify that part, there was no need to worry.
‘Now, I just have to wait.’
Having returned from the Garden of Remembrance, Jaekyung closed his eyes peacefully in his nest. * Before Jaekyung now lay an antique jade slip and a bundle of Soul-Calming Incense.
The jade slip on which the Transformation Secret Art was recorded had been verified by the Prosperous Treasure Guild, and the Soul-Calming Incense was a high-grade product that, believe it or not, Gwak Jeong-shin had personally selected.
‘Alright, then.’
Once he was mentally prepared, the information of the Transformation Secret Art from the jade slip was engraved into Jaekyung's mind.
‘So this is why it's a secret art.’
Jaekyung immediately understood the core of the Transformation Secret Art. As well as why he had to burn three sticks of Soul-Calming Incense for each cultivation session. Pulse-Stimulating Transformation Art.
A secret art that stimulates the meridians of one's spiritual nature to engrave a human form onto the soul and spirit. Cultivating this secret art placed a great burden on both the soul and spirit, so Soul-Calming Incense was essential to reduce that burden.
‘Shall I begin.’
Three sticks of Soul-Calming Incense were lit. Without delay, Jaekyung stimulated the meridians of his spiritual nature as described in the jade slip, and then engraved the human form onto his spirit. The entire process went smoothly.
So smoothly that he wondered if it was supposed to be this easy. 'Did I do it right?’ The entire cultivation process was finished before the incense had even burned halfway.
For a moment, Jaekyung felt uneasy and slowly reviewed the cultivation process, but he couldn't find anything out of the ordinary. 'What's going on?’ Jaekyung fell into thought once more.
This time, he reviewed not the cultivation process, but the fundamental concepts of the Pulse-Stimulating Transformation Art. How much time had passed? How many times had he reviewed it?
Jaekyung could finally guess the reason why his Cultivation had been abnormally smooth. 'My spiritual nature is something I cultivated myself. Therefore, I have a perfect grasp of it, and stimulating the meridians was as simple as flipping my hand.'
One of the two core concepts of the Pulse-Stimulating Transformation Art was as simple as breathing for Jaekyung. And the other concept, engraving a human form onto the soul, was even easier than stimulating the meridians. This was because Jaekyung had been human in his past life, and he clearly remembered his appearance from when he was human.
This memory was something his spirit and soul remembered, so in fact, the very act of engraving a human form onto his spirit and soul was an unnecessary process for him. 'I have already completed the secret art.' Even after reaching this conclusion himself, he couldn't believe it, so Jaekyung decided to go ahead and attempt the transformation as well.
If his conclusion was not wrong, he should be able to complete the transformation before the remaining incense burned out. Amidst the hazy smoke of the Soul-Calming Incense, Jaekyung calmed his heart.
'Stimulate meridians.' One breath.
The demonic power of his spiritual nature split into eight masses.
'Engrave form.'
No cumbersome process was needed. Simply recalling himself from his past life was enough.
Thump!
Something resounded within him. Whether it was a heartbeat or the throb of his spiritual nature, Jaekyung could not tell.
'Transformation.'
The memories and identity of his past life, which had been left neglected and covered in dust, seemed to revive clearly in an instant.
Thump!
His spirit shook and his flesh shook. The moment the giant snake and the small human approached and merged into one, Jaekyung's eyes flew open.
'I succeeded.'
He was sure before he opened his eyes, and confirmed it after opening them. A small, white hand with five fingers, something a snake could never possess. It was the hand that had existed only in his old memories.
Although it seemed paler and longer than the one in his memory… it was generally similar.
'How strange.'
Jaekyung bent and straightened his fingers a few times, getting used to the sensation of using a hand. Next, he slowly moved one foot at a time, trying to get used to standing and walking on two legs. Perhaps because he had memories of being a human, adapting was easier than he thought.
Jaekyung, who could soon move his body naturally, headed towards the pool of water behind him. It was his sleeping spot, which he always thought he wished was a little bigger, but now it looked so large that he couldn't tell if it was a puddle or a small lake.
Jaekyung carefully examined his own face reflected in the pool of water. A man who seemed to resemble his past self yet was also subtly different, with an overall cold appearance, met his gaze from within the water. But the moment he met the eyes of his reflection in the water, Jaekyung was seized by an inexplicable sense of suffocation.
His entire body felt extremely constricted, as if he had forcibly squeezed himself into a full-body tights that he couldn't wear. 'No.' Feeling it more closely, it wasn't his body that felt constricted, but his spirit.
His spirit, which had perfectly settled into the body of a demon race member, was screaming at him to cast off these suffocating and cumbersome clothes immediately. 'Calm down, calm down.’ Jaekyung tried to control his mind, which had become like boiling water.
If it was a problem of the spirit, then with the Cultivation he had consistently maintained until now, somehow... somehow...
“Ugh!"
Had it even been ten seconds since he closed his eyes and entered meditation? Jaekyung could bear it no longer and returned to his original form.
“Kraaa!"
A giant snake, as if drenched in ink, let out a ferocious roar and charged towards the cave wall.
Only after slamming its head against the cave wall several times as if venting its anger, and lashing its tail a few times, did the light of reason return to the snake's eyes, which had been filled only with ferocity. …Is it over?
"Cheong-o's cautious voice reached the ears of the barely-calmed Jaekyung. Turning his head, Jaekyung saw Cheong-o frozen in an awkward posture near the cave entrance. And near its feet, a plump fruit that he didn't know when it had rolled there. ... Yes."
Jaekyung's cold eyes turned to the hideously shattered cave wall. 'What in the world happened?' It was the first time he had been so swayed by emotion since gaining a new life.
Bewilderment and fear surged up at the same time. But Jaekyung soon got a hold of himself.
'It's alright.
If a problem arises, I just need to solve it.’ It wasn't the first time he'd faced something like this. There had always been problems, big and small, but he had always solved them.
This time would be no exception. Jaekyung calmly coiled up and began to contemplate his inner self.
“My nest!”
But just then, Cheong-o's mournful scream shattered Jaekyung's concentration. Sneaking a peek with one eye, he saw Cheong-o collapsed in front of its ruined nest. Jaekyung silently closed his eyes, as if he had seen and heard nothing.