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“Paat!”

I headed straight for the Black Horse’s secret lair. This place housed the Black Night Gate’s vision techniques and secret arts, so I needed to grab the books first. I also snagged the Black Horse’s seal, land deed, and all sorts of property documents that were tucked away here.

‘With all this, I can hit up the Great Battlefield and make a small fortune. If that’s just the Great Battlefield, combining it with other battlefields will net me a ridiculous amount…’

But I had to do it quietly, without attracting anyone’s attention. No chance of being pursued by the Black Horse afterwards. Holding onto this thought, I returned to Jangryeong Valley and immediately pulled out my needles to start some cosmetic work.

‘Since I learned it from Hwa Seong-myeong before, if this is just basic work, I should be good…’

If it were a full-body cosmetic procedure, it would take a Divine Healer two months of relentless effort, but that wasn’t necessary right now. I only needed to change my face a little, so I calmly inserted the needles, channeling energy along my meridians. I could slowly feel my skeletal frame relaxing as I envisioned the new face I wanted.

‘Something a bit more manly… and completely different from my original looks.’

Crack, crack.

As roughly an hour passed with the needles inserted and energy flowing, I felt my bones and flesh start to shift. This was the crucial moment, so I stabilized my energy with the Wheel Arm Method. Once the energy control was in place, I changed the positions of the needles, fine-tuning the appearance I was transforming into.

About three hours passed.

My face had completely changed! I also bulked up my upper body a bit, transforming into a young man with piercing eyes. When I stood up, Gyeok-ho, who was guarding me, snickered.

“Hehe, looks like you’re ready to be the leader of a bandit gang.”

“Anyway, this look won’t last more than three days. The more distinctive the appearance, the better it hides the original one.”

“Still better than your original face.”

“Shut up, damn it!”

I muttered grumpily. Unlike the full-body procedure, this temporary fix wouldn’t last beyond three days. Since everything was forcibly pulled together by energy and acupuncture, I’d revert back once it faded. Gyeok-ho asked curiously.

“Hey. But what if you transform into a drop-dead gorgeous dude and then marry a woman and have kids? Will the kids be handsome too?”

“Huh?! Uh…um…”

I was taken aback by the unexpected question. What would really happen in that case? Hwa Seong-myeong never covered that scenario! As I stammered for an answer, Gyeok-ho burst into laughter.

“If you don’t know, just do me a favor and perform full-body cosmetic surgery on me later~ I’ll test it out with a pretty lady.”

“……”

Paat!

I ignored Gyeok-ho’s nonsense and headed to the Great Battlefield. Showing the Black Horse’s seal, I claimed all the wealth he had left behind in the Great Battlefield. I hit various battlefields to loot the Black Horse’s property, and finally, I decided to deal with the King Yaa’s garden. Mangnyang grinned and said.

“I’ll leverage the intelligence network of the Bancheon Alliance to find a buyer. Just wait a bit.”

“Don’t take too long. Before the Black Horse catches on…”

“It’ll be fine. It’ll take just a day.”

True to Mangnyang’s confident claim, I got a call about a buyer less than half a day later.

“Hehehe, are you really selling the garden to me?”

The merchant standing before us was claimed to be one of the wealthiest in Honam Province, and he was practically jumping for joy at the mention of me selling the garden. He clearly recognized the value of the King Yaa’s garden. I nodded eagerly.

“Of course. You suggest the price.”

The merchant’s expression turned curious.

“A hundred gold bars.”

“What a joke?”

“Well… how about twenty?”

I shouted in anger.

“Last chance! Think carefully. There are plenty of buyers besides you.”

The merchant’s plump cheeks glistened with sweat. Realizing he was more flustered than expected, he wiped his brow with a handkerchief and struggled to reply.

“… Fifty gold bars! How about that? It can’t go any higher.”

“Hmm…”

“With fifty gold bars, you can own a small castle. This is all I can afford, so please…”

I reluctantly nodded.

“Fine.”

I handed over the deed to the garden. Then, I asked the elated merchant.

“What do you plan to use the garden for? I need to know that…”

The merchant seemed to read the room and replied.

“Heh. I plan to sell it back to King Yaa.”

“What?”

“I’ll modify the inner structure a little and include a special gift… Hehe.”

“What kind of special gift?”

“Well… let’s just say it’s some ladies suited for King Yaa’s taste… while also tying some connections to the imperial family.”

“……”

I was dumbfounded by the merchant’s line of thought. This guy was planning to offer women to King Yaa!

‘He’s probably coaxing the ladies from poor families with debt relief as bait to turn them into concubines… Then, offering them to King Yaa.’

Having worked as an escort in the past, I could roughly guess the situation. Despite this being the scheming mind of a corrupt person, I didn’t need to intervene. So I replied nonchalantly.

“Ah… so that was your plan.”

Anyway, that guy was doomed to die without my interference. I gathered my earnings and decided to leave, but this guy, who bought the Black Horse’s asset, was bound to be tortured by assassins from the Black Night Gate. And the outcome would be nothing short of death. It was a case of trash judging trash, so there was no need for me to meddle.

I presented the results of my looting the Black Horse’s wealth before Mangnyang. He seemed pleased as he spoke.

“Indeed! With this, we can negotiate.”

“I’ll join you for the negotiations.”

“Of course. I’m just worried whether the temporary form can hold up without burdening your body too much.”

“It’s a forced body modification, so yeah, it’ll be taxing. But it shouldn’t be too much trouble with my internal power and strength.”

“Then let’s meet Matteo Ricci in a few days.”

I stepped back to resume my training. However, on my way to Lee Cheong-un, I noticed Zhuge Sa leaning against the wall, arms crossed, waiting for me.

“Hey, Baek Woong.”

“Zhuge Sa.”

“How’s the training coming along?”

I scratched my head.

“Still in the polishing phase.”

“You think you can reach the Absolute Realm within fifty years?”

“… I’m not sure. It might take over a hundred.”

“As I thought…”

Zhuge Sa sighed briefly before speaking.

“I’ve already talked to Lee Cheong-un. Starting today, you’ll train martial arts during the day and learn demon paths from me at night.”

“Huh?!”

“I’ve been observing you for years. No matter how I look at it, solely focusing on martial arts will yield no results. Now that you’ve hit a wall, it’d be wise to learn about the demon path in your spare time.”

I caught on to Zhuge Sa’s meaning. Since it would clearly take ages to get from Peak Expert to Absolute Realm, it made sense to pass on knowledge about the demon path to make use of in the next life. Understanding the demon path would surely help.

“Are we also training the Soul Exchange Technique?”

“Of course. Split the day in two—martial arts during the day, and demon arts from me at night.”

“Got it.”

Night fell quickly. I sat in Zhuge Sa’s dark and eerie study, illuminated by a dim light, listening to his explanations. Zhuge Sa spoke with a hint of arrogance as he lounged in his chair.

“Baek Woong, what do you think demon path is?”

“Hmm… it’s a technique that borrows the powers of the Old Ruler and contains knowledge about them.”

“Exactly. At its core, it’s about some puny human trying to lick the rear end of the Old Ruler to gain power.”

“……”

“But unlike the techniques that require a long time of training and self-discipline, demon arts allow for gaining strength quite rapidly. Do you know why?”

I thought for a moment before answering Zhuge Sa’s question.

“Because as long as the Old Ruler bestows power, that’s all there is to it.”

“That’s right! Baek Woong, you’ve dealt with the demon path long enough to understand its essence, hehe.”

Zhuge Sa chuckled lightly.

“As you know, the powers of the Old Ruler exceed imagination. No matter how hard a human practices, even reaching the level of Cheon Woo-jin or Great Immortal is the limit. But someone who properly borrows the power of the demon path can easily surpass that level. Just look at becoming an Apostle or even a Demon King.”

“Exactly…”

I sighed. It’s no wonder handling the Imperial Palace is so tough. Even if the three great powers are weaker, they can always make offerings to the gods and gain immense strength at any time. Zhuge Sa continued.

“So, if you gather offerings and throw some human sacrifices on the altar, you’ll strengthen up quite easily, right? Or you could throw in some treasures as well? So why hasn’t ‘Zhuge Sa’ suggested that plan to you, Baek Woong?”

“Hmm!”

“You can just offer the treasures you have directly to the Old Ruler without having to bother with the Central Plains or the Three Sovereigns.”

I never thought of that. I pondered for a while but struggled to find an answer. So I cautiously asked.

“What do you mean…?”

“Well, it’s because this Central Plains is under the domain of the Three Sovereigns.”

“What do you mean?”

“The Seven Luminaries indicate the protection of the Three Sovereigns, and they suppress all manifestations of the demon path. Because of that, if you try to make a giant offering to the Old Ruler in one go, the Celestial Realm will spot it immediately, and that info will go straight to the Three Sovereigns. Then the Three Sovereigns can obliterate you without a second thought.”

“… But even if I were to die, gaining power would carry over to the next life, so it wouldn’t be a loss.”

When I challenged his reasoning, Zhuge Sa lost his temper.

“Damn thick-headed punk, are you not understanding anything? No matter how much you try to make offerings to the Old Ruler, they could easily detect it in advance, and the Three Sovereigns can block it! Do you really think a deity like the Three Sovereigns won’t be able to do that?”

“Ah!”

Zhuge Sa, now irritated, exclaimed.

“But there are a few methods you could try out. So I’ll tell you about those first.”

For the next hour, Zhuge Sa shared a few reckless plans for testing the waters. But every single one was absurdly reckless that I couldn’t help but shout in disbelief.

“Wait, you actually want me to try all this?”

“Yeah. If possible, do a rough job before gathering your companions.”

“Seriously—are you trying to get me killed?”

How painful is it to die!!

As I groaned in frustration, Zhuge Sa cackled.

“You fool. I wouldn’t pull any of the companion gathering nonsense if I were you. I’d pull every trick in the book, using whatever methods necessary to amass power. I’d wipe out anyone who gets in the way and relish in it repeatedly until I reach the level of a Demon King or higher. You’re too straightforward about it.”

Zhuge Sa let out a heavy sigh.

“Well… Maybe in the end, you might be right.”

“……?”

“Just a passing comment. Anyway, if you reach your limit while reincarnating, try out everything I just explained.”

“Understood.”

“And now, I’ll teach you the fundamental knowledge of the demon path, baseline techniques, and everything about the Old Ruler. I’ll also toss in basic alchemy.”

I spent the next seven nights, barely getting an hour of sleep, pouring all my energy into learning martial arts during the day and the demon path knowledge at night. However, I failed to memorize most of the knowledge that Zhuge Sa declared was ‘basic.’

‘There’s too much to take in!’

While he described it as basic, the sheer volume of information was overwhelming. There was not a single repetition or overlap in what Zhuge Sa had dumped on me over the seven nights. Furthermore, considering he claimed this was just a drop in the ocean, there was likely dozens of times more to learn ahead.

On the last day, Zhuge Sa looked at me with disappointment.

“What’s wrong? This is a piece of cake compared to martial arts or techniques.”

“What kind of nonsense is that… If we’re talking about the volume, it feels like a hundred books worth of info.”

“Techniques and martial arts can’t be mastered unless one possesses innate talent and insights. But with the demon path, as long as you remember it well, and prepare the offerings, you ride the coattails of the god, going through the motions. Frankly, if you spent ten years remembering, there’s no way you couldn’t do it. It only gets easier as you go along.”

“Oh? Is that so?”

“Hehe, you’ll experience it later.”

He clasped his hands as he continued.

“However, be cautious when you surpass the basic level and start dealing with significant ancient secrets. Because, as you know, even just knowing about the Old Ruler or the otherworldly beings drives most people mad.”

“I know.”

I nodded, but internally I felt a twinge of doubt.

‘I haven’t felt any madness…’

What’s actually scary? Why is it frightening?

Even when I see the terrifying illustrations of the Old Ruler in the grimoire, I feel nothing.

I didn’t understand, but I decided to wrap up my training over the next seven days. As I approached Mangnyang afterward, he was ready to embark accompanied by Lee Cheong-un and Gyeok-ho. Jin So-cheong and the Sword Demon were deeper into their insights training and couldn’t join us.

“Baek Woong. Let’s go.”

For today, I had altered my appearance. Paat!

We headed to the port of Guangdong Province. After hearing from Mangnyang that we were to negotiate with Matteo Ricci from the Kingdom of Duke Du, I had already marked the place we were aiming for at the port, so we could come directly. Additionally, rather than heading straight to the Kingdom of Duke Du, we decided to meet inland here.

To our surprise, we entered the inner city of Guangdong Province. As we rode in a carriage escorted by the nobles, several officials guided us deeper inside. Upon reaching the second floor of an elegant pavilion, we saw several colorful-eyed individuals seated there.

‘Matteo Ricci!’

And sitting right in the middle of the table was the Western monk Matteo Ricci, someone I had previously met. Upon seeing us, he stood up with a broad smile and greeted us.

“Oh, hello! It’s a pleasure to see the leader of the Bancheon Alliance!”

His Mandarin was so fluent it didn’t feel strange at all. He could pass for a native speaker. Mangnyang returned the gesture with a bow.

“It is an honor to meet the renowned monk and the great lord of Guangdong.”

Next to him, a man stroked his beard with a pleased look.

“Hehe, delightful to meet you.”

Not only was Matteo Ricci present, but the great lord of Guangdong was also in attendance. The fact that there was a ruler present made this negotiation a considerable event. They exchanged some polite remarks before getting to the point.

Matteo Ricci spoke in a mellow tone.

“The value of the Silver Phoenix Fragment is very high. So I intend to bring it back to my homeland… I hope today’s deal will be beneficial for both parties.”

“Of course. We are quite aware of that fact.”

Mangnyang gestured to me. I nodded and began retrieving the gold bars I had brought in the wagon.

Kugung.

“……!!”

“Whoa!!”

As I stacked a hundred and fifty gold bars on the floor, everyone in the hall was astonished. This amount was truly beyond common sense. While a figure like the lord or a merchant might handle such sums, this was far too much for just a single fragment.

Mangnyang grinned.

“Surely this is a fair price, isn’t it?”

The lord of Guangdong was in complete awe.

“That’s… incredible! With this much, you could construct several fleets. This is a fair offer.”

“……”

Yet Matteo Ricci’s gaze was not on the gold bars. Instead, he seemed deep in thought, his eyes closed.

‘Huh?’

Finally, Matteo Ricci opened his mouth.

“Actually, there’s one more participant in today’s deal. Therefore, I shall give the Phoenix Fragment to the one who offers the higher price.”

“What?”

“Didn’t the lord explain?”

Matteo Ricci looked at us quizzically as we turned to the lord of Guangdong. He cleared his throat, looking a little embarrassed.

“Well, he has been a supporter of mine for a long time… He’s taken an interest in the Silver Phoenix Fragment, so… ahem! That’s why we get to see the item today.”

Mangnyang was mystified.

“Lord! What do you mean? We thought today was a one-on-one deal…”

Did the transaction information leak through the lord? What kind of chaotic situation is this?

“My apologies! But please grant him a chance to view the item. That’s my request.”

Just then, three figures entered the hall.

Upon seeing them, we wore puzzled expressions.

“You brought a tremendous amount of money. The Bancheon Alliance’s influence truly is impressive.”

The person standing in the center among the arrivals glanced at Mangnyang as he spoke.

“Leader of the Bancheon Alliance, beggars sometimes want to buy nice things too.”

“……”

Mangnyang stared at the lord with a frozen expression.

Then, the lord of Guangdong, looking rather embarrassed, briefly paused before introducing the unexpected figure.

“Allow me to introduce. This is the previous Ark of the Open, and one of the three great masters in the world, Geol-seon. He’s my longtime friend and patron.”

 

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