Chapter 219: Connections of the Past

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Translated by Frog in the Well

Read it only at Nineheavens.org
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***

Would one feel like this upon hearing the news that the emperor had changed when waking up one day?

“Did you hear that story?”

“The news about Senior Jin? Of course I heard it.”

The entire world was in an uproar.

The Middle Province, which was the source of the rumors, was a given, and the outer regions were no exception either.

A mere rogue cultivator became a Soul Formation cultivator. It could be called a miracle.

If this alone were not enough to be surprising, that Soul Formation cultivator went to the Sacred City alone, subdued everyone, and reigned as the ruler.

It was unknown just how strong Jin So-myeong’s skills were, but it was said that the famous Sacred City followed submissively without even a minor resistance.

To the people who usually regarded the Sacred City as heaven, it was shocking enough to make their hair stand on end.

“There is one more thing. Senior Jin said that if anyone brings either the Heavenly Thunder Wood Core or the Mysterious Jade Crystal, he will lend them a Rank 5 spiritual vein.”

“Lend a Rank 5 spiritual vein? Is that true?”

“Because of that, the Master of Dowon, who is in the late Nascent Soul stage, is spending all his assets to obtain the spiritual objects. It is not just the Master of Dowon; it is an uproar everywhere.”

“Ah. This new Lord of the Divine Wood has truly great confidence. Does it mean he is not afraid even if other Soul Formation cultivators are born…?”

This astonishing rumor spread widely beyond the Middle Province in all directions, and even reached Black Mountain City of the Southern Province, which could be called the periphery of peripheries.

Black Mountain City, where similar days repeated endlessly, became boisterous after a long time.

“Jin So-myeong?”

“Ah! How can you casually call the Senior’s name? Be careful if you do not want to meet with trouble.”

A middle-aged man with a bushy beard on his chin admonished gently, but the man with dark skin did not listen.

“No, wait a minute. If it is Jin So-myeong, it is definitely a name I have heard somewhere.”

“Naturally so. Did Senior Jin not become famous upon ascending to the Nascent Soul stage as a rogue cultivator? He was also called the First Sword of the Golden Core.”

“The First Sword of the Golden Core…?”

“Well, now that he has become a Soul Formation cultivator, that is all in the past.”

“······.”

“Haha. Thinking of it again, it is absurd. I do not know how far ahead he has gone while we remained in the Foundation Establishment stage.”

The face of the dark-skinned man turned pale in an instant. His fingertips trembled violently as if he had received shocking news.

Just as the hairy man, who did not see it, was smirking.

“W-wait a minute. That bastard Beom Chang said his little brother was Jin So-myeong! Don’t you remember?”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden? Has Beom Chang’s boastful little brother not died already? He entered some secret realm and couldn’t get out…”

“He said he was the First Sword of the Golden Core! Then they are the same person!”

“…Huh?”

The hairy man blinked his eyes and gaped open his mouth as if only now realizing, while the dark-skinned man tore at his hair.

“It can’t be real, right? That bastard Beom Chang must have been bluffing, right?”

The more they thought about it in detail, the more spine-chilling it was.

In fact, they saw Beom Chang acting tenaciously to become a Golden Core Sage and subtly harassed him, because they felt displeased that he put on airs alone when they were all in similar plights.

“…Let us go to the mine first. I must see what Beom Chang has to say.”

Clang! Clang!

A pickaxe as large as a person flew and struck the mine wall.

Finding Beom Chang mining spirit stones as usual, the two men swallowed dry saliva.

Exchanging glances while taking deep breaths, they nodded as if having decided on something.

“Ahem! Look here, Beom Chang.”

Beom Chang, who was picking out spirit stones from a pile of dirt that collapsed with a crash, paused.

He narrowed his eyes as he looked at the hairy man and the dark-skinned man who approached with awkward smiles.

“What is the matter?”

“Mmm… nothing much. Did you happen to hear that news?”

“News?”

Perhaps feeling embarrassed to act friendly to Beom Chang, whom he usually treated awkwardly, he pushed aside the hairy man who could not continue speaking and stepped forward himself.

“Beom Chang, since you only stay in the mine, you do not seem to know yet, but we brought really good news.”

“Just what is it about?”

As he frowned as if frustrated, the man cleared his throat.

“Ahem. It is not something to say in this place… let us go to Hwaun Pavilion together. Since I also feel sorry to you, I will buy.”

“You will buy?”

“Yes. I know well that you buy cultivation resources as soon as you gather spirit stones. You have not even set foot near pleasure houses, but if I buy, it does not matter, right?”

Beom Chang, who hesitated, shook his head.

“I am sorry, but my willpower is not that strong. If I get a taste of pleasure houses once, I will probably throw away my cultivation and fall into it. Go to the pleasure houses by yourselves.”

“No, how frustrating! I tell you, going to Hwaun Pavilion and drinking good spiritual wine will help your cultivation too!”

Beom Chang, who waved his hand as if he was done, picked up his pickaxe again, and the dark-skinned man bit his lip.

Normally, he would have teased Beom Chang for a while at this point and then headed to the pleasure house while giggling, but he must not do so today.

‘Dammit… what should I do.’

He tried to reconcile with Beom Chang on this occasion, but it was not as easy as he thought.

Of course, he did not believe that Beom Chang was sworn brothers with Senior Jin, the Soul Formation cultivator.

How could a worthless fellow like Beom Chang be sworn brothers with a legendary being who reached the Soul Formation stage in just a hundred years of cultivation?

It was something that would make a passing dog laugh.

Naturally, he did not believe it a single bit, but was merely preparing for a one-in-a-million chance.

‘Should I rather speak honestly and apologize?’

Although apologizing was somewhat embarrassing, looking at it, there was nothing to lose.

However, trying to apologize while completely sober, the words simply refused to come out. Just as he was groaning over what to do.

‘…Huh?’

Suddenly, all noise disappeared.

He, who blinked his eyes at a strange sense of incompatibility, reflexively turned his head and was startled.

Just since when was it?

Because a stranger, a young man wearing a neat greyish-white martial robe, was standing right beside him.

“I haven’t seen your face before…”

For a moment, he thought the man was a new miner and spoke without much thought, but then paused.

This was because his colleague, the hairy man, was desperately shaking his pupils left and right; his breaking out in a cold sweat was unusual.

The strange sense of incompatibility grew rapidly.

Suddenly, he realized that he could not feel the young man’s realm at all.

Looking only up to that point, one might think he was an uncultivated mortal, but while he was clearly visible to the eyes, he was not even detected by Divine Sense.

“···.”

Cold sweat trickling down his nape drenched his spine.

Unless he lacked wits, he had to realize at this point.

That this young man, who merely looked good-natured, was an immense expert whom it was not easy to meet even once in a lifetime.

“It has been a long time. Is it roughly a hundred years?”

Seeing him speak to Beom Chang with a light smile, he wanted to faint instead.

With just a single word, he felt he knew who this young man was…

Just as he was pondering how to respond while awkwardly bowing.

The young man lightly flicked his finger, and something like a black curtain emerged to cover the young man and Beom Chang.

‘Ah.’

He was curious about what conversation they were having inside, but no sound could be heard.

*

The moment Jin So-myeong created a simple barrier using his magic power.

Beom Chang, who had gaped open his mouth like a person who had seen a ghost, stammered:

“J-Jin So-myeong?”

“I am also quite glad to see you after a long time, Brother. Have you been well?”

“…Yes.”

He turned his gaze after looking at Beom Chang, who had become a complete middle-aged man after facing the hardships of time, answering with a look of someone who had not fully woken up.

The musty air and stuffy heat unique to underground mines were felt. It was an environment that was not good by anyone’s standards.

“How long have you worked here?”

“Uh, well… it is soon going to be sixty years.”

“You must have suffered quite a bit. However, was there a need to do so? Since you are also in the Foundation Establishment stage, Brother, you could enjoy a comfortable life if you went to a place like Red Yang Market.”

If a Foundation Establishment cultivator worked in such a mine for about ten years, they could gather enough wealth to establish a fairly grand family.

Provided they did not go to pleasure houses and waste spirit stones in the middle, that is.

At the question of why he worked in the mine, Beom Chang, who twitched his lips, mumbled weakly:

“It is the most stable method to obtain cultivation resources. There is almost no risk to my life either.”

Saying he bought cultivation resources meant he was seriously aiming for the Golden Core stage.

‘Is he at the mid Foundation Establishment stage at a hundred and fifty years old?’

Since the lifespan possessed by a Foundation Establishment cultivator was about 250 years, the time remaining for Beom Chang was roughly 100 years.

As he examined with the Lightning Insight Spell-Breaking Eye, his aptitude was also on the average side, so it was unknown whether he could become a Golden Core or not.

Honestly speaking, the probability of him failing to achieve the Golden Core stage was greater, but he did not ridicule him.

“I see.”

He just nodded lightly and handed over one of the storage pouches hanging from his waist.

“This is…”

Beom Chang, who hesitated, accepted the storage pouch, and his eyes widened as if they would tear.

And for good reason, because inside that storage pouch contained minor cultivation resources, including the Hundred Spirits Herb, which was a Golden Core spiritual object.

“Wh-why are you giving this to me…?”

If not others, they knew each other well.

Beom Chang had tried to make him a slave in the past. It was only because he handled it well that nothing happened, and the two definitely had an ill relationship.

Saying sworn brothers was just a nice way to put it; it was a relief that he had not avenged the enmity, so there was absolutely no reason to help him.

“Hmm.”

Jin So-myeong, who tapped the sword he wore temporarily, said with a smirk:

“Back when we were in the Qi Condensation stage, you gave me a Foundation Establishment spiritual object in the Red Cloud Secret Realm. Do you remember?”

“Uh… I think I did.”

It was a bribe offered by Beom Chang, who had been dominated, asking to be looked upon favorably in the future. Although it carried no particular meaning because Jin So-myeong left as soon as he came out of the secret realm…

“It is the reward for that. Is it insufficient?”

The face of Beom Chang, who was clutching the storage pouch tightly with trembling hands, turned blank, and soon, startled, he bowed.

“N-no! Of course not! Thank you very much!”

“Good. Then, though I do not know what will happen in the future, I hope to see you again someday.”

“…Yes. Take care.”

With a light farewell as the end, Jin So-myeong vanished quietly just as he had come.

How much time had passed?

Toward Beom Chang, who remained alone and was bowing ninety degrees, the miners who had only been watching the atmosphere flocked over.

“I am asking just in case. It is that person who came from the Middle Province, right? The one who uses the surname Jin, I mean.”

“Geez, can’t you tell just by looking? He looked extremely young, so if not him, who on earth would it be?”

“Crazy. The bluff that they were sworn brothers was true…?”

“Ah! Everyone stop acting witless and be quiet. Ahem! In fact, I believed everything you said, Beom Chang. So…”

Amidst the miners making a fuss, Beom Chang, who let out a long sigh as if waking from a dream, picked up his pickaxe.

“An senior I knew in the past just stopped by briefly, so do not misunderstand.”

Clang!

As Beom Chang mined spirit stones as usual, the miners who had gathered looked at each other with half-believing and half-doubting expressions.

“It wasn’t that person?”

“Oh my. Do you believe those words? How many seniors would that bastard Beom Chang know… ahem. No, I am sorry. Everything you say is right, Beom Chang. I misspoke.”

A few quick-witted ones stared intently at Beom Chang’s newly acquired storage pouch, but soon swallowed their regret.

Who would dare to touch something given by a Soul Formation senior?

If they offended his eyes, they would not even be able to die peacefully.

Dying would rather be a relief; if they got on the Sacred City’s bad side, countless people associated with them might suffer hardships. They did not have the courage to dare play tricks.

***

Leaving Black Mountain City, a small city barely making a living off a single Rank 3 low-grade spirit stone mine, Jin So-myeong fell into reminiscence.

Long ago, around the time he had just begun cultivation, he had experienced conflict with Beom Chang, who was working as a gatekeeper of the Red Yang Sect.

The fellow had tried to use him as a slave, and he had returned that exactly as it was.

At the time, it was an event big enough to completely warp the direction of his life…

looking at it again now after a hundred years had passed, before he knew it, it had become a trivial matter.

The feeling was strange.

‘I do not know how many of the people I know will still be alive if another thousand years pass from here…’

Today of all days, the weight contained in the increased lifespan as his realm rose hit home particularly.

“···.”

He suddenly looked at the wide-open sky, and unlike in the past, the clouds were beneath his feet; he could not know when he had climbed this high.

How much time had passed?

Jin So-myeong, who had been standing stepping on the void, let out a smirk and took steps with a lighthearted expression.

Since he had come to the Southern Province anyway, he intended to stop by his hometown, Red Yang Market, where he had begun his cultivation. There was also something he wanted to do there.

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