Chapter 56 – Talisman That Finds Opportunities

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Translated by Frog in the Well

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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***

One day.

An interesting rumor circulated on Sky Island.

“Thunder Swordsman? A sword cultivator who practiced a thunder art has appeared?”

“Haha. If it is true, it would be amazing just to imagine. He would beat down demonic beasts astoundingly well.”

Naturally, at first, nobody believed it.

The sword and the thunder art.

It was because both were famous for being difficult to practice as much as they boasted overwhelming combat power.

Yet, to walk those two paths simultaneously?

It was hard to believe common-sensically. Unless one intended to grow old and die while only practicing, it was something that must absolutely not be done.

Around the time it was dismissed as a false rumor,

the corpses of demonic beasts burnt by lightning were released into the market. It was evidence backing up that the rumor was true!

“…Could it be true?”

“I do not know. The Qi Condensation cultivators who sold the demonic beast corpses said it was true, but… well.”

“I hope it is real. If by any chance that person achieves Core Formation… it would be of great help to us humans.”

“However, he might not be a sword cultivator. I heard he only carries an empty scabbard around?”

An empty scabbard.

Thanks to that unique characteristic, the title of Thunder Swordsman was engraved in people’s minds.

To the extent that some cultivators who liked to show off carried empty scabbards at their waists…

***

An inn on Sky Island.

Jin So-myeong, who rested thoroughly for nearly a fortnight, stretched.

“Whew. Now I feel like living.”

The mental fatigue accumulated from sleeping in the open on the uninhabited island was completely relieved.

Nodding his head in satisfaction as he looked around Sky Island as if taking a stroll,

‘It is decent. Far larger than Azure Elixir City.’

On Sky Island, which was as large as a typical continent, there were five Golden Core-grade cities alone.

The place Jin So-myeong currently stayed was Filial Moon City, and according to what he investigated, a Rank 2 spiritual vein could also be rented.

It was perfectly suited for Foundation Establishment to practice.

Jin So-myeong, who caressed his waist out of habit, paused. It was because only the empty scabbard was gripped instead of the Limitless Divine Sword.

‘…Shall I buy a decent sword first.’

For a sword cultivator in name to not even have a sword. That would not do.

He needed at least a sword usable temporarily for the time being.

Jin So-myeong, who inspected specialized dharma treasure shops in the market, chose one.

It was a shop with the name Thousand Refinements Chamber, and the criteria he chose was only one.

It was neither the scale of the shop nor the outward luxury.

It was simply sharp energy.

He selected the place that emitted the sharpest energy.

“Welcome.”

Indeed. A muscular old man with a generous build greeted him with a grin.

Because his confident posture with shoulders squared and stubborn eyes exuded an artisan-like feeling, his trust shot up.

The old man, who scanned Jin So-myeong up and down, paused and suddenly burst into a loud laugh.

“Good grief. Are you also imitating the Thunder Swordsman? What, should I make an energy similar to Sword Qi come out from the empty scabbard?”

“The Thunder Swordsman? What is that?”

“Heh. You act quite well. I will play along.”

The old man, who perched on a chair in the corner of the shop, spoke in a husky voice.

“A while ago, they say a sword cultivator who handles lightning appeared. People call him the Thunder Swordsman…”

Listening with a mind wondering what on earth he was talking about, Jin So-myeong’s mouth fell wider and wider open.

‘It seems to be my story?’

He was momentarily startled, but there was nothing particularly problematic.

In the first place, changing his appearance had become a habit, so his identity was not exposed. It was finished if he just ignored it.

“…Haha. It is embarrassing. I tried imitating him once, but it did not suit my taste. I just came to buy a decent sword.”

The chuckling old man gestured with his chin. Pointing to the swords arranged neatly on the display shelf, he spoke.

“Choose from there. They are all items made with devotion, so they will be worth their price.”

Jin So-myeong’s gaze, which carefully inspected all the swords, naturally turned away.

Right next to the display shelf.

It was because of a five-colored precious sword that occupied the entire wall by itself.

Earth, Gold, Water, Wood, Fire . Feeling all of the five elements energy, he felt this was exactly it.

‘Is it a Rank 2 mid-grade flying sword.’

Staring closely at it, he was satisfied. It was because it was the most outstanding among all the swords in this shop.

“Is this by any chance a sword made of five elements stones?”

“Haha. You have quite the eye. But that is not for sale. Originally, a dharma treasure smithy must have at least one handsome dharma treasure so customers will trust…”

“How about five hundred mid-grade spirit stones.”

“…”

The refiner old man, who paused, distorted his face aggressively.

He wondered if the old man was angry because he offered too low a price…

the old man, who leaped up, stomped over and tightly gripped the Five Elements Sword.

Before he could even say anything, the old man shoved it forward and spoke.

“From now on, this Five Elements Sword belongs to the customer.”

“…”

Jin So-myeong, who twitched his mouth, received the sword and inspected it closely.

It was because he worried if there might be some problem.

‘It is perfectly fine? Even better.’

Honestly, it was not to the degree of the Limitless Divine Sword, but it was a famous sword. Spiritual power flowed well through it, and the sharpness and hardness were also sufficient.

Swish!

Just in case, when he swung it lightly, there was absolutely nothing wrong. It was also well-balanced.

“Customer? As you said, that sword is made of five elements stones, so its versatility is very good. I do not know which attribute you mainly deal with, but as long as it belongs to the five elements—”

“…Understood. I will buy it.”

“Hahaha! Thank you very much! Please come again! We will serve you as a VIP!”

Leaving his uneasy mind behind, he paid the spirit stones.

Although the old man’s expression turned goofy, he had no intention of backing out now.

Jin So-myeong trusted his own eyes. This sword was fully worth five hundred.

Also, since his daily income had increased to five mid-grade spirit stones, it was not much of a burden.

In any case, since he bought a sword, next was medicinal pills.

Scanning the market thoroughly, he chose the largest shop.

As credit was the most important for medicinal pills, the larger the scale, the more reliable it was.

The moment he entered a luxurious shop with the name Magnificent Brocade Pavilion.

“Welcome! What are you looking for?”

“Do you have cultivation medicinal pills suitable for the early Foundation Establishment stage?”

“…Yes?”

The Qi Condensation clerk who approached with a bright smile was flustered.

It was because looking for Rank 2 medicinal pills meant he was a Foundation Establishment Grand Cultivator.

“S-Senior. Please wait for a moment. I will fetch the shopkeeper right away.”

“Mmm.”

Did he wait for barely a minute?

The branch steward, who ran in panting, bowed politely.

“We are sorry for the poor reception. I heard you are looking for Rank 2 cultivation medicinal pills; is that correct?”

“That is correct.”

“Here is the list of medicinal pills held by our Magnificent Brocade Pavilion. If the customer chooses, we will prepare it right away.”

He scanned the jade slip handed over by the shopkeeper with his Divine Sense.

While inspecting dozens of medicinal pills that came to mind, he chose only one.

“True Qi Pill. This would be good. Give me five pills.”

“Yes! Please wait for a moment.”

The criteria for selection was simple.

The most expensive and best one.

He selected the highest-grade one with the strongest efficacy among the cultivation medicinal pills suitable for the early Foundation Establishment stage, but…

‘Thirty mid-grade spirit stones per pill. Why is it so cheap?’

It was not only the True Qi Pill that was cheap. The medicinal pills sold at the Magnificent Brocade Pavilion were all like that.

At that moment, the shopkeeper politely offered a bottle containing five True Qi Pills.

“May I check it?”

“Of course.”

He inspected the medicinal pills in detail using his Divine Sense. Seeing the condensed spiritual energy, the medicinal properties were sufficient.

It was similar to or even better than the Yellow Essence Pill he mainly consumed in Azure Elixir City.

‘Strange… I had to give fifty spirit stones per pill for the Yellow Essence Pill.’

Click.

Closing the lid to prevent the efficacy from dispersing, he asked.

“Is there by any chance anything to watch out for when taking the True Qi Pill?”

“Since the medicinal properties are strong, taking it too frequently is not good. The recommended intake cycle is once every two months.”

“Other than that?”

“Naturally there is none. The True Qi Pill belongs to the high grade among Rank 2 medicinal pills, so could there be something like side effects.”

“…Understood. Please also give me medicinal pills suitable for a Rank 2 body cultivator. I will buy that as well.”

He ordered thinking it would naturally be there, but an unexpected answer returned.

“Customer. I am sorry, but the spiritual herbs where blood energy is condensed have dried up due to the demonic beasts. Even if you go elsewhere, it will be hard to obtain.”

“There are no medicinal pills for body tempering at all?”

“Yes. We cannot make it because there are no ingredients. We have demonic beast meat good for replenishing blood energy, shall I give you that instead?”

Frowning, Jin So-myeong nodded his head.

He left the Magnificent Brocade Pavilion and inspected other shops, but the situation was similar.

After diligently roaming around for half a day and obtaining various information, he fell into deep thought.

First. He found out why the blacksmith old man had been so pleased.

The market prices on Sky Island were far cheaper compared to Azure Elixir City.

It was because spirit stones themselves were rare in this sea, which was called the Source Light Sea.

Thanks to that, not only dharma treasures but also cultivation medicinal pills were cheap.

‘No wonder.’

In Azure Elixir City, the Five Elements Sword would have cost around seven hundred mid-grade spirit stones.

But here, five hundred was enough.

‘It is a good thing for me.’

Since he could purchase more items with the same spirit stones.

However, when he investigated because he was curious why, a bizarre story was heard.

“Spiritual veins repeat disappearing and appearing?”

“Why are you so surprised? That is originally how spiritual veins are.”

Since spirit stones usually formed in places with dense spiritual Qi, a mine was bound to be near a spiritual vein.

However, this sea was somewhat strange.

The spiritual veins were not fixed and were unstable. The position constantly changed, and sometimes even the rank altered.

Since it meant it was hard to construct large-scale mining facilities at the mines, spirit stones naturally had to become rare.

‘Could the reason that jungle uninhabited island was abandoned be because the spiritual vein disappeared?’

The reason Sky Island drifted through the sea without rest was also naturally realized.

It moved constantly, searching for places with dense spiritual Qi.

Also.

Due to this unique phenomenon, wars did not cease in the Source Light Sea.

It was not a war between humans. It was a survival competition between species.

Every time a spiritual vein disappeared and newly appeared, a fierce battle broke out between demonic beasts and humans to occupy the place.

It meant one never knew when Sky Island, which seemed peaceful, would become a warship and traverse the battlefield.

If there was a saving grace, humans were on relatively good terms with one another.

Was it because of the foreign enemies of a different species? High-ranking cultivators tended not to harass their juniors and rather protect them.

‘…Let’s just practice for now.’

Caring about what could not be controlled was meaningless. The important thing was to raise his realm and develop his skills.

Most problems were naturally resolved just by growing stronger.

‘I should rent a proper cave dwelling.’

Jin So-myeong, who was crossing the market to go to the Deacon’s Office, paused.

It was because a peculiar conversation was heard at a street stall.

“Spiritual Seeking Talisman? You are saying one can find opportunities as long as they have this talisman?”

“Indeed.”

“Hmm… Was there such a talisman? Why haven’t I heard of it?”

“It is an ancient talisman whose production method has already been lost. There is nothing strange about not knowing it.”

At the moment when the questioning cultivator tilted his head with a doubtful expression,

“Is it real?”

Jin So-myeong approached the stall, revealing his Foundation Establishment spiritual power.

“Ah! We greet you, Senior!”

For some reason, the stall owner looked happy. He even chased away other Qi Condensation cultivators who were originally watching.

At the moment when only the stall owner and Jin So-myeong remained,

the stall owner, who blocked surrounding sounds using a Soundproofing Talisman, spoke confidently.

“Senior. You asked earlier if it was real. I can even swear to it! As long as you have this talisman, you can find the opportunity suitable for yourself!”

“May I inspect it?”

“Yes. Although I am a Qi Condensation cultivator, I was originally a descendant of a Golden Core family. This is a treasure left by my great-great-grandfather!”

Leaving the confident voice behind, he picked up the Spiritual Seeking Talisman.

Judging by the energy felt at a glance, it was a Rank 1 highest-grade talisman.

‘You are saying this is a talisman left by a Golden Core Sage?’

Just in case, he confirmed that it was not a lie through a simple vow.

However, even inspecting it closely, it looked like a Rank 1 talisman.

It was one of two.

Either Jin So-myeong’s level was insufficient to recognize it, or that Qi Condensation cultivator was mistaken.

“…Good. I will buy it. For how many spirit stones will you sell it?”

“Ah!”

The stall owner, who smiled brightly, took a deep breath.

Hesitating as if making a major decision, he spoke while gritting his teeth.

“This is the last hope remaining for me whose family has collapsed. I pray Senior will pity me and obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill.”

“A Foundation Establishment Pill? You are too greedy.”

“Th-Then, anything that helps in Foundation Establishment is fine!”

Glancing at the cultivator who spoke urgently, he inspected the Spiritual Seeking Talisman again.

Judging by the talisman characters that moved as if alive, it was clear that it was a precious item.

Although it seemed to be at the Rank 1 level…

it also felt like there was something hidden.

‘Even if it is truly at the Rank 1 level, it does not matter. If I amplify the effect with the Supreme Great Ability to make it valid even for a Foundation Establishment, it might find opportunities valid even for a Foundation Establishment.’

Jin So-myeong, who was contemplating back and forth, made a decision.

He spoke to the Qi Condensation youth who looked with an earnest expression.

“I have a decent Foundation Establishment spiritual object. If you are willing to exchange it for that, I will buy it.”