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I grabbed the obsidian I mined and stuffed it into my wooden armor first. The mine workers were freaking out, seeing a giant obsidian drop from thin air along with Cheon Woo-jin and me walking out.

Ignoring their shock, I activated my technique again and moved toward the Fire Spirit’s barrier.

“Whoa…”

Cheon Woo-jin looked amazed as he scanned the Fire Spirit’s barrier.

“This is the Fire Spirit’s barrier. We’re thousands of miles away from the Central Plains, in the southern continent.”

The reason I brought him here was that we had to wait until King Mi-hu took down the Mount Tai area anyway, and I needed to convince Cheon Woo-jin of the importance of the Offering Ceremony. If I showed him that I was well aware of the Fire Spirit’s location, he might cooperate more diligently.

Cheon Woo-jin examined the barrier and said, “This barrier is impressive. Is it true that it guards the Seven Luminaries?”

“Cheon Woo-jin, I’m curious about something.”

He turned to me, and I asked, “I’ve heard you’ve mastered techniques strong enough that you don’t need to ascend to the Celestial Realm anymore. So, what’s your life goal moving forward?”

Cheon Woo-jin frowned.

“Why are you asking that? Are we that close?”

I smoothly kept the conversation going. “We may not be close, but this Offering Ceremony is incredibly important in my life. Isn’t it natural to want to know about the one presiding over it? I’ve given you quite a bit of stuff in exchange for your help, so can’t I ask this much?”

Since I still didn’t fully trust Cheon Woo-jin, I couldn’t share the obsidian with him just yet. In order to make room for him as a companion in the future, I needed to find out what kind of person he was first.

“…”

“Is it really that hard to answer?”

With a sense of pressure, he scratched his head as if recalling what he had received from me so far. Apparently, he had some decency left, and he replied bluntly, “… I could tell you, but first, you share your goal with me. I want to know what someone as extraordinary as you is thinking.”

“My goal is to collect the Seven Luminaries.”

“There must be a reason you want to collect them?”

“If I gather the Seven Luminaries, I can gain divine power. With that power, I plan to fight against the Old Ruler. Ultimately, I want to drive them out of the human world.”

“……”

Cheon Woo-jin looked dumbfounded. After a moment of jaw-dropping, he finally spoke, his voice weak. “You… you’re crazy. Are you serious?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Haha… how about saying you want to be Emperor or rule the world instead? That would be more realistic…”

He chuckled but then said, “You seem insane, but fine, I’ll fulfill my promise. My goal is to reach the state of my Master.”

“You mean Master Mangnyang?”

“Yes.”

Thinking it over, I replied, “He’s a divine being, right? Are you saying you want to become a divine being too?”

“Hmm… I do want to become a divine being, but that’s not the whole story, so let me elaborate.”

Waving his hand, he continued, “Before that, I want to find out the true identity of my Master. Becoming a divine being is merely a means to that end.”

“True identity…?”

Cheon Woo-jin said, “My Master once spoke with me and my older brother. He mentioned he was suffering from amnesia.”

“……!!”

Amnesia?! What does that mean?!

I widened my eyes in surprise at his unexpected revelation. I had only intended to learn about Cheon Woo-jin’s thoughts and aspirations, but this shocking news popped up. As I stared at him, he reached out towards the Fire Spirit’s barrier and examined it, saying, “My Master said he cannot remember his origin. The first memory he has is talking with the Jade Emperor. But even the Jade Emperor knows nothing about my Master’s identity or where he came from.”

“……”

“The three Purities all deemed my Master to be an unfathomable existence. All the knowledge and common sense of the Celestial Realm since ancient times couldn’t define him. All the Great Immortals failed to discover his name. I believe no one in the Celestial Realm knows what he is.”

“Hmm…”

“The reason I haven’t ascended despite having sufficient qualifications lies there. It’s obvious I won’t discover anything if I go, and on top of that, I’ll just have more things to do and lose my freedom.”

This is unbelievable. To think that even the Jade Emperor and the three Purities couldn’t identify a being like Master Mangnyang!

Shivering in shock at this incredible fact, I suddenly realized something. “But Master Mangnyang is currently known as Master Mangnyang. Doesn’t that imply a name does exist?”

Cheon Woo-jin shook his head. “The name ‘Mangnyang’ was temporarily given by Taishang Laojun. I don’t know why he was assigned the title Master of the Borderlands, but perhaps the Jade Emperor sensed it because he possesses the highest authority in the Celestial Realm. Thus, that name is merely a nickname, not a proper title.”

“Hmm…”

I pondered. ‘Why didn’t Mangnyang tell me these things?’ Then it suddenly hit me.

Unraveling the mysterious essence of Master Mangnyang, who no one could define – achieving that will undoubtedly come with more danger than gathering all the Seven Luminaries. If Master Mangnyang is at the same level as the Old Ruler or even higher, it makes perfect sense!

Up until now, I’ve acted impulsively and unpredictably so much that it would have been annoying for Mangnyang to kindle any curiosity towards him, further weighing the burdens of my already challenging quest to collect the Seven Luminaries.

Deciding to ask another question, I said, “You mentioned that the Blessing of Great Creation makes changes by observing a state where life and death don’t exist, allowing entry into a dualistic individual world. I’m a bit dense, so I don’t get what that means. Do you?”

Cheon Woo-jin bluntly replied, “I explained it before concerning Baek Woong’s future. If you grasp the principle, you should get a rough idea.”

“……?”

Cheon Woo-jin raised both hands, extending his index fingers.

“The essence of it is, the future of this world fluctuates based on observation. But this means that both ‘the observed world’ and ‘the world without an observer’ exist simultaneously. The Blessing of Great Creation grants the ability to choose between either side. The duality that even gods can’t handle becomes the possession of mortals, allowing one to negate all reality. Have you ever thought about this?”

What does that even mean? Observed worlds versus unobserved worlds? Duality and reality?

As I stared blankly at Cheon Woo-jin, he seemed annoyed.

“Forget it. You won’t understand even if I explain it now. Work on gathering some knowledge while learning techniques from your older brother later.”

“… Understood.”

“And you should know that the Blessing of Great Creation won’t be given to you no matter how many offerings you make to my Master. That blessing is exceedingly powerful compared to the likes of the Great Immortal’s favor.”

In the end, all I received was a harsh rebuttal, but I had a feeling I achieved something considerable. Though I didn’t understand the explanation I just heard, I tried to memorize it anyway. Just holding onto it means Mangnyang or other sorcerers could help explain it later on.

“Wait a minute. But isn’t it impossible for you to reach a divine state without ascending? You would need to ascend to gain that supreme spirit power and wield immense authority.”

As I asked this rather obvious question, Cheon Woo-jin chuckled.

“A Taoist’s ascension is like going into the past to pass an exam. Naturally, someone who becomes a higher official would possess better abilities than an ordinary person and gain more fame and wealth. But that doesn’t mean a non-official human can’t surpass them, does it?”

“Hmm, that makes sense…”

“The ultimate endpoint of ascension is, practically speaking, a Great Immortal. However, one cannot say that the Great Immortal is equal to a divine being in a fundamental sense. I’m searching for a way to reach the state of divinity without the assistance of the Celestial Realm.”

“……”

“That’s how I’ll discover my Master’s true identity.”

Now, that was a genius-level thought process and ambition.

Countless Taoists and Daoists living on this Ancient Middle Kingdom dream of at least becoming Earth Immortals through rigorous training throughout their lives. They’re struggling to pass through the portal to the Celestial Realm in a fierce competition. Those who finally make it up to the Celestial Realm become Great Immortals after hundreds, even thousands of years of effort. Cheon Woo-jin’s idea of becoming a being more powerful than a Great Immortal is no ordinary human’s thought.

But then again, in the future I saw, Cheon Woo-jin, you did end up ascending to the Celestial Realm.

I chuckled to myself. Well, I guess that future manifestation of Cheon Woo-jin ended up climbing to the Celestial Realm, realizing his failures late and not out of vanity, but rather because he recognized the overwhelming power of the Nine Lotus Sect and fled to survive. I felt a bit better having seen a vision of the arrogant Cheon Woo-jin being brought down a notch.

However, at the same time, thinking about the Nine Lotus Sect’s power becoming so overwhelming that even Cheon Woo-jin would have to flee the mortal realm sent chills down my spine. It seemed that the Nine Lotus Sect would likely emerge as a significant obstacle and rival in my future life.

Cheon Woo-jin looked at me and asked, “By the way, why did you mine that obsidian?”

“There’s something I want to try using that obsidian. I can’t say more than that.”

“Fair enough. So, how long do you plan to stay here? You didn’t come all this way just to show me the barrier, did you?”

“Hmm…”

I felt a little awkward. Originally, I thought the job of extracting that giant obsidian with Cheon Woo-jin would take a long time, so I planned accordingly. But since Cheon Woo-jin did it in the blink of an eye, I found myself with extra time. So to kill time, I was showing him the barrier and listening to his stories. Yet it hadn’t really been long since King Mi-hu appeared.

What would be an efficient use of this time?

A sudden thought sparked, and I asked Cheon Woo-jin, “Do you happen to know anything about the Phoenix?”

“Huh? What nonsense are you talking about?”

“I heard that the legendary divine beast, the Phoenix, appeared recently in Goryeo’s Western Capital. With your superior technique, I thought you might uncover something from the Phoenix’s traces…”

What came to mind was the rumor about the Phoenix’s appearance at this very time in Goryeo’s Western Capital. I knew that the Master of the Twelve Joules summoned the Phoenix to prevent the Sea God forces from invading, but that nagged at me as well. Were those from the Twelve Joules really telling the truth after having deceived me before?

And what does it mean that the Master of the Twelve Joules summoned the Phoenix?

Additionally, I wanted to investigate the evil spirits in Western Capital as well.

‘Damn it… this guy is going to want a price as usual.’

As I grumbled to myself, unexpectedly, Cheon Woo-jin, curious enough, said, “Did the Phoenix really appear in Goryeo?”

“Yep, that’s true.”

“Hmm. Well, that sounds interesting. A Phoenix? As a diversion, let’s go check it out.”

He didn’t mention anything about paying a price! I felt like I hit the jackpot and couldn’t help but chuckle to myself.

‘His curiosity has overtaken his greed!’

Since traveling to Goryeo seemed annoying, Cheon Woo-jin appeared set on taking a quick trip there using my technique. Of course, for me, it was a win-win since I didn’t have to pay any price.

Pa-at.

Together with Cheon Woo-jin, I activated my technique and arrived at the Western Capital of Goryeo.

Western Capital.

This was where Dongning Prefecture was established when it was taken by the Yuan dynasty and later renamed Pyongyang Prefecture during King Gongmin’s reign. After the shifts between the Yuan and Ming dynasties, Goryeo successfully fortified and reformed, and later on, during the reigns of Kings U and Chang, it regained its name of Western Capital. I reminisced as I stared blankly at the remnants of the old Dongning Prefecture before me.

‘Miho should not be here now.’

Since this was shortly after my rebirth, Miho had yet to cross over to Goryeo. Currently, Miho must be meddling with politics in the Shogunate and charming the Heavenly Emperor. I glanced back at Cheon Woo-jin beside me and asked, “Do you sense anything?”

“I don’t sense the Phoenix, but there is a major evil spirit inside.”

“Hmm… that must be the evil spirit Myo Cheong.”

Previously, when Miho was in the ruined buildings of Dongning Prefecture, she mentioned she had come to Goryeo to absorb Myo Cheong, who was summoned by the Classic of Mountains and Seas. Of course, before that, we had agreed to negotiate to seek the Seven Luminaries, so Miho eating Myo Cheong was off the table. So it was certain that Myo Cheong was currently asleep in those ruins of Dongning Prefecture.

Cheon Woo-jin frowned and said, “Well, now that I know, I can’t just let it be. Let’s exterminate that thing.”

“Understood.”

From his words, I could sense Cheon Woo-jin’s nature. He might act indifferent towards matters that don’t directly concern him, filled with the arrogance typical of a genius, but he also had a sense of duty. This is why he is a disciple of Mangnyang.

 

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