***
'What, the Sect Leader?'
Startled, Lee An-jeong hurriedly prostrated himself as well and subtly looked up at the old man.
Astonishingly, it seemed that the old man was none other than the Sect Leader (Jong-ju) of this Bu-yeon Sect.
- Hmph! He is a guy at the middle stage of Core Formation! He is quite capable, but he is not even a handful for this Jin Wi-dong. Just say the word! I will strike that guy down in a single breath...!
'Ah, please be quiet for a bit! Why do you say you'll kill everyone the moment you see them! Let's just wait and see for now!'
Lee An-jeong once again ignored Jin Wi-dong's cruel words and kept his eyes on the old man.
Then, the old man glared at Gun Ga-rim and shouted.
"What is the meaning of this? Why did you make them attack a single disciple as a group?"
"Ye, yes? Th, that is..."
When the Sect Leader asked as if he had watched the situation from a moment ago, Gun Ga-rim momentarily could not answer properly.
As someone who knew the terror of the man in black clothes who had given the instructions, as well as the family he belonged to, he could not bring himself to state that person's name.
After pondering for a moment, Gun Ga-rim had no choice but to make an excuse.
"Th-that guy used bizarre body cultivation arts and cowardly evil arts, so it was to punish him for it."
"What did you say?"
At those words, the Sect Leader flashed a terrifying gaze and glared at Lee An-jeong.
However, the next moment, he shouted as if doubting his own eyes.
"The lowest grade Miscellaneous Spiritual Root? He overwhelms over a thousand other disciples with a talent of merely that level? Furthermore, not a single trace of spiritual qi can be felt inside his body... These characteristics are undoubtedly..."
Then, as if he remembered something, he suddenly burst into loud laughter.
"Hahaha- I see! That day has finally arrived! That day which *that person* spoke of...! Hahaha-"
Following that, he stopped laughing and beckoned with his hand.
"You bastards, follow me for a moment!"
Then, the bodies of Gun Ga-rim and Beom Gon floated up and were dragged below the cloud.
"Uh-oh... S-Sect Leader..."
"S-Sect Leader..."
Their faces had already turned pale with terror.
The Sect Leader looked down at the arena and shouted loudly once again.
"I will end this regular assembly with this. The champion is Lee An-jeong! Take this, it is the two Qi Condensation Pills!"
*Whish-*
Lee An-jeong hurriedly opened his hands and caught the two Qi Condensation Pills that flew in from above the cloud.
The Sect Leader showed a benevolent smile toward such Lee An-jeong, then changed his expression and continued his words.
"The remaining four are, in original order, Cheon Mong-han, Sin Haeng-do, Ga-hwa, and U-gyeong. You all shall receive your rewards from the fourth-generation disciples, and along with Lee An-jeong, descend the mountain from this moment on and return after a fortnight."
With those words as his last, the Sect Leader, while riding the cloud, dangled Gun Ga-rim and Beom Gon and instantly disappeared deep into the main mountain.
'What on earth is this...?'
When Lee An-jeong turned his gaze with a bewildered expression, the man in black clothes who had been descending from the main mountain had already disappeared.
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"Here! Take it! This is a spirit plaque that symbolizes you are a disciple of the Bu-yeon Sect. If you carry this spirit plaque around, there will not be many who will treat you recklessly. Because even if you are a chore disciple, if you are a disciple of the Bu-yeon Sect, you are treated quite well in this vicinity. You must absolutely return within a fortnight. If you are even a single day late, you will receive a severe reprimand!"
"Yes, Senior."
The five chore disciples who received the spirit plaques from the fourth-generation disciple guarding the mountain gate hurriedly descended the mountain without anyone telling them to do so first.
Exactly like rabbits chased by a tiger, they descended as if fleeing without even looking back.
"Hey there! Senior Cheon! Let's go together! Let me take a look at that thing called the Flying Qilin Talisman from earlier too! It looked quite good! When did you even hide something like that? Anyway, you really roll that petty brain of yours so damn hard."
When Lee An-jeong shouted like that toward Cheon Mong-han among them, Cheon Mong-han was terribly startled and trembled violently.
Then, as if afraid someone would steal it, he quickly tightly grasped the Flying Qilin Talisman inside his clothes, attached one Hundred-Li Talisman to his leg, and urgently shouted.
"S-sorry, but I have a very urgent matter to attend to..."
That was the same for the other three chore disciples as well.
"I-I also have to see my family urgently..."
As the four people who had attached the Hundred-Li Talismans vanished in a flash without anyone telling them to go first, only Lee An-jeong and the fourth-generation disciple remained at the gate.
"Ah, those people are truly cold-hearted... Then I will be on my way as well. Senior."
After Lee An-jeong took a fist-and-palm salute toward the fourth-generation disciple, he began to descend the mountain as if taking a leisurely stroll.
"To think that guy would become that strong... At that level, he hasn't already surpassed the 3rd Star of Qi Condensation, has he? Truly a bizarre occurrence... A bizarre occurrence..."
It was the next moment when someone suddenly appeared behind the fourth-generation disciple, who was staring intently at Lee An-jeong's back.
It was a middle-aged man wearing a black training uniform, which signified a third-generation disciple.
Upon discovering that man, the fourth-generation disciple was terribly startled and quickly bowed his waist to greet him.
"Uh-oh! Senior, have you arrived?"
Without even replying, the middle-aged man glared at the back of Lee An-jeong, who was walking far away, and opened his mouth.
"Where did he say he was going?"
"Wh-where, you ask? I-I did not hear at all where he was going."
"Is that so? Lee An-jeong... To dare commit such an act against our Hyang-i..."
Hearing those words, the fourth-generation disciple recalled that the third-generation disciple in front of his eyes, Mak Cheol-gun, was the biological older brother of Mak So-hyang, who had been defeated by Lee An-jeong.
Recalling how terrifying and cruel he and his family, the Mak family, were, the fourth-generation disciple was certain that Lee An-jeong, who had incurred such anger from Mak Cheol-gun, would not live out his natural lifespan.
Because the man named Mak Cheol-gun in front of his eyes was a Dual Spiritual Root possessor with a True Spiritual Root, and he was truly a genius among geniuses of the Bu-yeon Sect who had reached the Foundation Establishment stage before even reaching the age of forty.
"The place you'd be going anyway is probably around On-ju City! Lee An-jeong... You will not be able to return to this place alive again."
Mak Cheol-gun muttered like that with eyes filled with murderous intent, and soon disappeared along with smoke.
At this, the fourth-generation disciple felt a chill run down his spine for no reason and continuously rubbed his shoulders with his hands.
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- Hmph! Where does a pathetic bastard think he is glaring?
At the voice of Jin Wi-dong that suddenly popped out the moment he was passing a slope, Lee An-jeong felt doubtful and asked.
"Who are you talking about?"
- Who else would it be? That bastard who was pulling tricks on you earlier and ran away with his tail between his legs the moment the Sect Leader appeared. He appeared over there again just a moment ago, showed murderous intent toward you, and disappeared. Arrogant bastard! A mere Foundation Establishment cultivator at that!
At those words, Lee An-jeong could not help but be terribly startled.
He had already been concerned about the whereabouts of that person who had vanished along with the Sect Leader's appearance.
To think he had actually followed him as he descended the mountain and even came out to the mountain gate.
He absolutely could not understand when or what kind of grudge he had incurred for him to go this far.
"Fuck! Seriously, who on earth is it? What kind of mortal enemy did I make for him to go this far?"
- Hmph! What does it matter who it is. A mere Foundation Establishment cultivator. Forget it. If he appears in front of you again, I will turn him into a Life Qi Pill (Saeng-gi-dan) in a single breath!
'Ah, damn it... It's not like you're some psychopath. You always say you'll turn them into Life Qi Pills...'
- What? Psychopath? What on earth does that mean?
"Ah, there's such a thing!"
When Jin Wi-dong read the thoughts he was thinking to himself and asked, Lee An-jeong quickly feigned ignorance and turned his gaze away.
It was because the feeling of having his thoughts read by Jin Wi-dong was not very pleasant.
"Forget it. Since you say he went back to the main mountain for now, he probably won't chase after me. By the way, you said it's over a thousand li to On-ju City, right? I should hurry up. Let's go quickly! Ahem!"
Lee An-jeong quickly changed the subject, attached a Hundred-Li Talisman to his leg, and descended the mountain slope like an arrow.
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"This is really amazing, isn't it? How can I run this fast?"
Watching the surrounding scenery brush past rapidly, Lee An-jeong marveled.
It felt exactly like looking out the window while riding a KTX or an airplane in the modern world.
Even though with his legs, he was merely taking steps a few jang wide from afar.
The ground was being pushed back smoothly, and the bushes and old trees on the left and right were brushing past like afterimages.
- To marvel after using a mere Hundred-Li Talisman! If you end up flying on a flying sword later on, you'll be absolutely shocked out of your wits, won't you?
"Eyy~ By that time, my realm would have become much higher, so would I really? Anyway, Jin Dae-hyung, your exaggeration is..."
- Exaggeration? What does that mean?
"Ah, there's such a thing. By the way, this forest is really wide. How come I can't see the end even after coming for quite a while?"
Lee An-jeong clicked his tongue while looking at the deep forest spread out in all directions.
Indeed, the forest, which was densely packed with old trees so tall that even the sky could not be seen well.
It stretched out endlessly, making it difficult to confirm with the naked eye where its end was.
Looking at the overall dark interior of the forest, it somehow gave off a chilling feeling.
- That is why they call it the Great Heavenly Yin Forest (Cheon-eum-dae-su-rim) in the mortal realm, do they not? This place is densely inhabited by demonic beasts ranging from Grade 1 at the lowest to Grade 5.
"What? Demonic beasts from Grade 1 to Grade 5?"
Grade 1 demonic beasts were roughly at the level of the 1st to 2nd Star of Qi Condensation.
Grade 2 was the 3rd to 6th Star of Qi Condensation, and Grade 3 was the 7th to 12th Star.
Grade 4 was the 13th to 14th Star, and Grade 5 reached the level of the early to middle stage of Foundation Establishment.
Therefore, the fact that there were demonic beasts up to a maximum of the Grade 5 level would be terror itself to ordinary mortals or cultivators below the Qi Condensation stage.
*Grrrr-*
Right then, something like the growling sound of a beast was heard from afar.
*Rustle rustle-*
Furthermore, eerie sounds of something brushing past the surroundings—whether it was the sound of the wind or not—were also continuously heard.
Between the old trees and bushes he passed by, it also seemed as if blackish shadows could be seen.
'Those aren't those demonic beasts, are they?'
Even while rapidly passing through the forest, Lee An-jeong opened his divine sense with a slightly tense expression and kept his guard up against his surroundings.
It was at that moment.
*Rooooar-*
Something popped out from the bushes and lunged toward Lee An-jeong.
It was a wild dog demonic beast with blue spots on its skin, massive in size, about as large as a sturdy adult.
- That is a Grade 1 demonic beast, the Blue-Spotted Dog Demon (Cheong-jeom-gu-yo)! Those bastards usually travel in packs of three or four, so it is rare for one to be separated like that. It is a perfectly suitable practice opponent for you, so do not be terrified and try facing it! The bastard's weak point is right there, between its eyebrows!
Listening to Jin Wi-dong's explanation, Lee An-jeong quickly pulled out his ink-black flying sword from his storage pouch and shot it out.
"Hah! Flying Sword Art!"
*Swoooosh-*
The ink-black flying sword that left Lee An-jeong's hand flew like an arrow and pierced through the space between the Blue-Spotted Dog Demon's eyebrows.
*Yelp-*
The bastard let out a mournful cry and collapsed right then and there.
"What's this? It's dog weak?"
- Cut open the bastard's belly and take out its inner core! A demonic beast's inner core is even used as an ingredient for medicinal pills in places like the Western Heaven Continent across the sea!
"Oh! Really? Let's see then..."
Lee An-jeong detached the Hundred-Li Talisman, came to a halt, and then cut open the belly of the dead Blue-Spotted Dog Demon with his ink-black sword to take out the inner core.
The inner core was about the size of a fist and was shining with a blue light.
"What do I do with the rest?"
Lee An-jeong asked, recalling a story he had read in a xianxia novel once that said not a single part of a demonic beast's corpse could be thrown away and that everything turned into money.
However, the answer that returned from Jin Wi-dong was only cold.
- You must naturally throw the rest away. Where do you intend to use the corpse of a mere Grade 1 demonic beast?
"Tch... What do you mean throw it away! Such a waste!"
Recalling the memories of the original owner of this body, Lee An-jeong ripped out the claws, teeth, and hide of the Blue-Spotted Dog Demon.
Because even if they were trivial things to Jin Wi-dong, who was a great cultivator, they were things that would be sufficiently profitable for a Qi Condensation cultivator like himself.
Watching what Lee An-jeong was doing, Jin Wi-dong clicked his tongue.
- You brat... You have the dignity of a cultivator... To pick up things like that...
However, Lee An-jeong pretended not to hear him and packed them into his storage pouch.
"You don't know anything! Originally, the basics of item farming is to pack everything first, no matter how trivial the item is! Who knows? This might become money later on!"
- Item farming? Item? What on earth does all that mean?
Ignoring Jin Wi-dong, who had no idea what was going on, Lee An-jeong this time tore off a chunk of meat from the Blue-Spotted Dog Demon and smelled it.
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