Chapter 7 – Qi Condensation 2nd Layer!

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Translated by Frog in the Well

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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Three spirit stones a month.

“Ha!”

It was truly a tremendous income. His chest felt light, as if he had just drunk a refreshing drink.

In fact, three stones was in the case of bad luck, and it was clear that his average income would exceed four spirit stones!

Jin So-myeong, who was rejoicing like a child, contemplated where to spend these spirit stones.

‘I heard that the abodes in the inner city, unlike the outer city, have abundant spiritual Qi and increase the cultivation speed. I wonder if it is true.’

To a cultivator, a good house was not a simple luxury.

This was because the higher the spiritual Qi concentration, the faster the speed of accumulating spiritual Qi. A high-grade abode was one of the essential elements for cultivation.

Jin So-myeong, who was happy at the thought of spending money, paused.

‘Where should I sell the dew?’

Normally, he would have visited Bang Il of the Spirit Elixir Pavilion without a second thought.

This was because he had considered him a relatively conscientious merchant in Red Yang Market, which had the worst public security.

However.

His thoughts were different now. This was because the actual state of the Red Yang Sect that he had introduced was the worst.

As his trust had been chipped away, it was difficult to believe in him as before.

‘Should I go to another shop?’

While contemplating, Jin So-myeong shook his head.

It was true that the ‘slave contract’ arranged by Bang Il was disappointing, but he still did not know what the truth was.

Furthermore.

If he was an enemy, he had to keep him closer.

If Bang Il had really introduced the Red Yang Sect with malice, corresponding actions would follow.

Therefore, he had to talk with Bang Il and find out his thoughts and the truth of the situation.

Keeping his distance blindly did not mean he would be safe.

‘Let’s go.’

Overcoming his instinctive reluctance, he headed to the Spirit Elixir Pavilion. If Bang Il possessed malice, he had to notice it in advance.

The moment he entered the Spirit Elixir Pavilion along the familiar path.

His gaze met with a man in his thirties, and he greeted him politely.

“Senior Bang. I luckily obtained some dew and have come to sell it.”

“Hmm? Dew?”

Instantly, Bang Il, who had been staring blankly like someone who could not understand, opened his mouth wide.

“K-Kid, did you actually go to Mount Red Yang? How on earth?”

“Of course, I used a Breath Concealing Talisman. I have a senior I get along well with, and he lent me the Breath Concealing Talisman.”

“…Lent you a Breath Concealing Talisman? I am curious which senior is so generous.”

“Haha. I know, right. I was lucky. I guess I am very blessed.”

Bang Il asked in a subtle tone, but he just laughed it off.

Just as the atmosphere was about to turn awkward.

“Ahem! To use a Breath Concealing Talisman and only gather dew. Isn’t that too much of a waste? Let’s see how much you gathered.”

Without a word, he handed over the heavy gourd flask.

Bang Il’s expression turned bizarre. The corners of his mouth could not stay still and twitched.

“…That is quite a lot of dew. I did not know you were this capable, kid.”

“It was just good luck. I ran around diligently before the effect of the Breath Concealing Talisman wore off and barely gathered it.”

A brief silence flowed.

Looking back and forth between the gourd flask and Jin So-myeong several times, Bang Il opened his lips belatedly.

“…Whether it is luck or something else does not matter. The capable must be respected. I should truly call you Daoist Friend now. At any rate, I will buy all of this dew for two spirit stones. There won’t be any merchant in Red Yang Market who pays as high as me. What do you think?”

“Very well.”

It was a satisfactory price for both. The transaction ended cleanly without a single bargain.

Just as Jin So-myeong, wearing a childlike innocent smile, was about to leave the Spirit Elixir Pavilion.

“Daoist Friend. But did you not visit the Red Yang Sect that I recommended? If you had entered that place, you wouldn’t have needed to climb the dangerous Mount Red Yang.”

“…”

Turning around slowly, Jin So-myeong closely observed Bang Il’s expression.

Perhaps because he was a merchant, his mask was good. It was filled only with pure wonder, so he could not detect any oddities.

“I did visit the Red Yang Sect… but it was a bit different from my expectations. They said I had to work for at least thirty years, so I had no choice but to give up.”

“Thirty years? What does that mean?”

Looking at Bang Il, who frowned as if hearing it for the first time, he spoke about what had happened.

“They said I had to sign a contract when entering. It was written there that the minimum work period was thirty years.”

“Huh. Isn’t something wrong? From what I know, one should be able to leave freely in about five years?”

“Pardon?”

Just as a subtle silence enveloped the room, Bang Il let out a sigh and spoke.

“Anyway, I am sorry. You must have suffered a bit because of me. I think I know roughly what happened.”

“It is fine. It is already in the past. Furthermore, thanks to meeting a kind senior, I can now go to Mount Red Yang, so I do not worry about my income.”

“I see. Congratulations. If you gather dew again, come to me anytime. I will pay you well.”

Jin So-myeong, who bowed and left, suddenly felt a gaze and looked back, and his eyes met Bang Il’s.

As if they had planned it, they parted with the same smile.

‘…I don’t know.’

He was not sure whether Bang Il had sold him out or not.

Letting out a sigh, Jin So-myeong shook his head.

At any rate, since it was true that Bang Il had helped him, he decided not to take revenge.

‘Let’s ignore it for now.’

If he had a grudge, he could repay the gatekeeper who forced the slave contract on him.

He was about to return straight home and practice when he paused.

‘Should I check out the market in the inner city?’

Perhaps because his pockets had suddenly grown heavy, he became curious about the inner city’s market, which he normally could not even dare to dream of.

Walking along the well-maintained main street, he headed to the commercial district.

Admiring the scenery as if taking a stroll, he gasped.

‘It is clean.’

It was different from the dirty and shabby outer city. The inner city was orderly and clean.

The ground was also solid bluestone rather than dirt. It was as smooth as asphalt, so it seemed a carriage would not rattle even if it ran.

Suddenly, a wave of deep emotion welled up.

‘The day I live here is not far off.’

He was different from the past. Since he had spirit stones, he was confident in all his actions.

Clink!

Unconsciously, he fumbled the pouch in his chest.

He felt proud as he felt the two spirit stones he had obtained by selling the dew. How hard had he worked to obtain these spirit stones back in his mortal days…

The past.

He recalled three years ago when he had recklessly come to Red Yang Market to become an immortal.

‘It took about half a year just to resolve food, clothing, and shelter, and to obtain the Five Elements Qi Condensation Art.’

Thinking about it now, he was lucky in many ways.

It was also fortunate that the town of immortals he had arrived at after recklessly risking his life upon awakening his past life was Red Yang Market.

This was because the most common cultivation method here was the Five Elements Qi Condensation Art.

To exaggerate, half of the books rolling around in the garbage dumps were the Five Elements Qi Condensation Art.

Otherwise, he would not have even dared to access a cultivation method with a mortal status.

Of course!

Just because it was common did not mean it was a bad cultivation method. Rather, it was far superior to the majority of methods.

‘It is said to be the basic method distributed by the peerless powerhouse, the Star-Shattering True Monarch .’

Two hundred thousand years ago.

Breaking the veil of heaven, the first immortal descended.

He called himself the Star-Shattering True Monarch and bestowed countless teachings as if enlightening a primitive civilization.

One of them was the ‘Five Elements Qi Condensation Art’, which was a beacon of hope for countless rogue cultivators.

Anyone could easily learn the Five Elements Qi Condensation Art.

Initiation was possible with just one of the five attribute spiritual roots: Water , Wood , Metal , Fire , or Earth .

There was also a unique advantage, which was its powerful compatibility.

The spiritual Qi accumulated through the Five Elements Qi Condensation Art did not reject other energies.

True to a pure Five Elements method, it was balanced and peaceful. It possessed the characteristic of embracing all things without being biased toward one side.

This meant that transitioning to higher-grade cultivation methods in the future was free.

‘It is not regarded as the scripture of rogue cultivators for nothing.’

If there was a single drawback, it was that because it embraced all things, the speed of accumulating spiritual Qi was extremely slow.

Because of this, the majority of rogue cultivators initiated into cultivation with the Five Elements Qi Condensation Art and, once they had leeway, found a suitable method to forge their own path.

It was the same for Jin So-myeong.

He intended to find a proper, high-grade method someday and make it his natal cultivation method.

As he was viewing the market while imagining the future.

“Huh?”

In the street that had darkened as the sun set, a particularly peculiar light caught his eye.

There was a place on one side of the street where people were particularly gathered, and despite it being night, it was as bright as day.

‘What is that?’

He was puzzled because there were no streetlights in Red Yang Market.

‘They aren’t needed in the first place anyway.’

Cultivators were all superhuman.

By using spiritual Qi, it was possible to see as if it were day even in pitch darkness. Cases of using light-emitting objects were rare in themselves.

The moment he approached the light out of curiosity.

Jin So-myeong’s mouth fell wide open.

“A light bulb…?”

He unconsciously muttered in a daze. He could not help it because of the familiar object displayed on the stall.

He stared at the object emitting light by itself as if possessed.

The symbol of modern electrical civilization.

A filament light bulb.

Inside a transparent, round glass bead, a glowing object could be seen. Along with the brilliant beam of light pushing back the darkness, memories of his past life returned.

Facing the trace of his hometown for the first time in three years.

He could not gather his senses at all. Standing blankly, he could not move like someone possessed by a ghost.

‘…No. It’s a bit different.’

Only after a long time had passed did Jin So-myeong, who calmed his pounding heart, let out a sigh.

Having regained his reason, he saw it was different.

The light-emitting object inside the glass bead was not a filament. It was a stone engraved with strange characters.

His disappointment was brief. His curiosity grew even larger.

The stall selling the light bulb-like object was somehow different from others.

‘Potions and… golems?’

Besides light bulbs, there were many unusual items.

The glass bottle containing red liquid looked just like the recovery potions seen in games, and the doll made of clay reminded him of a golem.

It felt as if the genre itself had changed from what he usually saw.

‘An alchemist? Wasn’t this a world of immortals? What this person is selling feels a bit different…’

Along with the shock, all kinds of questions poured out.

Indeed.

Jin So-myeong was not the only one who found this stall peculiar. Numerous onlookers drawn by the light buzzed with noise.

At that moment, someone could not contain their curiosity and shouted.

“Hey, shopkeeper. What on earth is this glowing bead?”

A young youth whose childishness had not disappeared winced and shook his shoulders.

Perhaps intimidated by the suddenly focused gazes, he could not lift his head. In a trembling voice like a timid person, he barely managed to explain.

“T-That is… this glowing bead is a light-emitting bead I made by enchanting it myself.”

“Enchanting? What is that?”

“I think I have heard of it somewhere.”

The onlookers, who wore bewildered expressions, buzzed.

How long had it been?

A middle-aged man who looked to be in his fifties stepped forward.

“Are you by any chance a mage, which is said to have gone extinct in ancient times?”

“…No! How could that be. I just happened to learn it from seeing an old ancient book.”

“True. Even if it is magic, it is merely an inferior technology that was conquered and destroyed by our cultivation civilization.”

“Hahaha! Exactly. Who would learn such a useless thing unless they are a fool.”

At the people’s ridicule, the youth’s face stiffened momentarily, but he soon laughed along.

Perhaps because his tension had eased, he spoke confidently without trembling.

“Ahem! At any rate! This light-emitting bead has no particular consumption of spiritual Qi. As long as it doesn’t break, it works semi-permanently.”

“Oh?”

“If you just place it under the sun, it absorbs light by itself. If you charge it for about half a day, it can shine brightly for a week.”

Covetous emotions swirled in the eyes of a few onlookers.

“It is fascinating that it has no spiritual Qi consumption, but what are we supposed to use this for?”

“Well, that depends on how you use it. With the light-emitting bead, you can see brightly even in dark places! It will be convenient when gathering herbs at dawn!”

“Pfft! Have you ever climbed Mount Red Yang?”

“Pardon…?”

“If you go to the mountain holding such a bead, you will only be spotted by demonic beasts and eaten! You want us to use such a conspicuous item in a place where we cannot even use torches at ease?”

Looking at the youth who could not answer properly, the people snickered.

Giggling as if they had watched a fun show, they left the spot.

Although most left, there were still those who remained. They asked with interested expressions.

“It would be useful when growing spiritual herbs that love the sun. So, how much is it?”

The youth, who had been looking sullen, hurriedly shouted.

“It is ten spirit stones!”

“…Ten spirit stones, not even spirit stone fragments?”

“T-Ten is almost cost price! Excluding the material costs, not much is left!”

The onlookers who had remained and shown interest were fed up.

“Ugh! That’s too expensive!”

“Tsk, tsk. No business mind at all. To sell such a toy for ten spirit stones. With that amount of spirit stones, one could learn the genuine Spirit Eye Art from the Library Pavilion and see like day even at night.”

“Indeed.”

Everyone shook their heads.

Watching up to that point, Jin So-myeong quietly left.

Unlike others, he did not ridicule the alchemist youth. He had no intention of doing so either. Rather, he felt grateful.

‘Immortals were not everything.’

At this moment. Jin So-myeong felt an intense thirst for knowledge.

He realized that his vision had been narrow, and his understanding of the world was extremely low.

He wanted to step out into the endlessly sprawling, vast world outside Red Yang Market.

“…Someday, definitely.”

Cherishing the impulse that shook his chest in a corner of his heart, he slowly looked up at the sky.

He stared at the night sky, which had darkened completely as the sun set.

“That place. I will ascend to the sky and gaze at the wide world.”

Underneath the countless stars that looked as if they would pour down at any moment. He swore to the things filling his vision.

*

Half a year passed in the blink of an eye.

Jin So-myeong’s life returned to a regular routine.

Once every fifteen days, he climbed Mount Red Yang to earn spirit stones, and he poured all his remaining time into cultivation.

He did not skip cultivation for a single day.

This was because he had resolved to become strong in order to see a wider world.

He was also careful when selling the dew. He disguised himself as much as possible and did not only visit the Spirit Elixir Pavilion.

Even if he took a loss in price, he sold the dew to various shops.

This was because he worried that selling too much dew in one place would make him a target of greed.

The moment twenty spirit stones were gathered like that.

Jin So-myeong immediately purchased cultivation pills.

It was a spiritual elixir called the Qi Condensing Pill , which was a pill that gave great help to the cultivation of Qi Condensation stage cultivators.

Naturally, this pill was not purchased at the Spirit Elixir Pavilion. He had absolutely no intention of consuming pills given by the suspicious Bang Il.

He purchased it at the Thousand Treasures Pavilion , which was the largest shop in Red Yang Market.

“Let us begin.”

Jin So-myeong, who sat cross-legged, swallowed the Qi Condensing Pill without hesitation. He closed his eyes and circulated the Five Elements Qi Condensation Art.

All preparations were finished. Now it was time to become Qi Condensation stage 2nd layer.