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◈ Ophidian of the Immortal World ◈

Chapter 90: The Stone Hyeongu Brought

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After reassessing Jang Yeong, Jegyeong praised Hyeon-gwi, who was still trembling.

If Hyeon-gwi had not shown the initiative to leave the waters and investigate, Jegyeong would only have noticed Dae-yeong's absence at the next exchange gathering and been left baffled.

“By the way, why did you go outside the waters?”

Jegyeong had composed himself and withdrawn his Aura. Having also received praise, Hyeon-gwi was in much better shape, with even a faint smile on his face.

At Jegyeong's question, Hyeon-gwi immediately began recounting his humble tale of heroism.

“I wanted to do as much work as possible before the power of the grace bestowed by the Dragon Lord ran out. With the Dragon Lord's grace, the riffraff outside the waters do not dare approach me. As long as I have the Dragon Lord's grace, I can work outside the waters as much as I wish.”

Hyeon-gwi had phrased it indirectly, but the meaning was clear.

Was he not asking for more blood?

‘This fellow.’

Jegyeong inwardly laughed as he watched Hyeon-gwi anxiously gauge his reaction. If he was going to be this anxious, he should not have brought it up at all.

“I understand what you mean.”

Asking for blood was a little bold, but Hyeon-gwi was ultimately asking because he wanted to work harder. Jegyeong had no intention of blaming him.

“What do you intend to do outside the waters?”

“I plan to search for the creatures you mentioned before.”

“Good. But be careful. Some creatures may not retreat even after sensing my blood.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

Jegyeong gave Hyeon-gwi several more drops of blood.

His blood contained his Aura. If Hyeon-gwi were coated in too much of it, he might be unable to bear it, so this amount was appropriate.

“Go. You must return before all the blood dissipates.”

“Yes.”

He would not have nagged if it had been anyone else.

But Hyeon-gwi was special.

Jegyeong did not completely trust even Han Cheongyu, yet he trusted this clever turtle. Hyeon-gwi's loyalty to him was devoted enough to be called dedication.

Jegyeong did not know where that devoted loyalty came from. He could only vaguely guess that it had something to do with the strange expectation he sometimes sensed in Hyeon-gwi's gaze.

At first, he had been suspicious. Later, he had found it burdensome. Now, he had decided to accept it as it was.

Expectation was expectation, and loyalty was loyalty. There was no reason to reject a capable subordinate who served him with devotion.

‘If Hyeon-gwi brings back something this time, it would be fine to give him a Spirit Fruit.’

Hyeon-gwi had long coveted Muk-su's Spirit Fruits.

Of course, he had never said it openly. Still, he would casually mention how his son, Fat Turtle, was foolish and had a muddled foundation.

Each time, Jegyeong pretended not to hear.

It was partly because Spirit Fruits were precious, but also because the father and son had yet to render service worthy of receiving one.

The Spirit Fruits Muk-su bore from time to time could be considered precious or not. In the end, an item's value depended on what its owner decided.

If Jegyeong scattered Spirit Fruits about whenever he pleased and played the role of a kind superior, those beneath him might praise his generosity, but they would not consider the fruits especially valuable. Naturally, the joy of receiving one would also be smaller.

A reward only had meaning when the recipient was happy, so Jegyeong's reluctance to give away Spirit Fruits was also for Hyeon-gwi and Fat Turtle's happiness.

‘...Hmm.’

Those who cultivated had to be honest with their True Heart.

Jegyeong believed that perhaps one-tenth of his feelings truly came from that thought.

The other nine-tenths came from the fact that he did not have an abundant supply of Spirit Fruits.

That had always been true, but now there was no telling when Muk-su would be able to bear Spirit Fruits again. How could he casually decide to give one away?

Still, Hyeon-gwi's enthusiasm for work had been quite impressive this time. Jegyeong could afford to be generous once.

Hyeon-gwi likely had calculations like that in mind as well. If he rendered service, Jegyeong intended to oblige him.

* * *

The Bloodline Restriction Art arrived.

As expected, the seal on the Jade Slip showed no trace of damage or alteration.

Jegyeong happily removed the seal from the Jade Slip and examined the Bloodline Restriction Art within.

He had heard Choe Jutang explain it before, so he was familiar with its overall contents.

‘Senior Choe did not deceive me.’

The Bloodline Restriction Art was exactly as Choe Jutang had described it. He had hidden nothing, nor had he exaggerated or downplayed anything.

‘This secret art really is quite good.’

The principle behind the Bloodline Restriction Art was simple.

It was a kind of transaction. Jegyeong paid a drop of his blood as the price and bought another's life.

Naturally, one drop of blood could not be equal in value to a life. Such an outrageously unfair transaction should not have been possible, but the Bloodline Restriction Art could forcibly conclude that absurd bargain.

There was a condition, though. It was the difference in realm.

The one paying the blood had to be at a higher realm than the one paying with their life.

A difference of one minor realm was somewhat risky. A difference of one major realm was stable.

‘It really is absurd.’

Jegyeong sighed after examining the contents of the Bloodline Restriction Art again and again.

Was the difference of one minor realm significant? It certainly was.

Yet whether one considered the size of one's Aura or actual combat strength, it was never as overwhelmingly great as the Bloodline Restriction Art made it sound.

The Demon Race alone proved that. A mid-stage Great Demon Beast with an exceptional Bloodline could often surpass a late-stage Great Demon Beast with a mediocre Bloodline in both Aura and strength.

The Bloodline Restriction Art was a secret art of the Human Race, but the Human Race would not be much different in that respect.

‘That must be why it says a difference of one minor realm is unstable. There are occasional monsters in this world who overcome gaps in realm through innate talent and cultivation.’

It was a limitation and restriction in its own right, but the Bloodline Restriction Art was still undoubtedly remarkable.

After studying it repeatedly, though, Jegyeong noticed three points.

First, the Bloodline Restriction Art could only control targets up to the Foundation Establishment Stage. Even then, early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators could be controlled with ease, mid-stage cultivators were difficult, and late-stage cultivators were practically impossible.

Second, it could control a target, but it could not control them completely. He could hold their life in his hand and threaten them at any time, but he could not treat them like puppets.

Third, due to its blood-bound nature, it could not control many people at once.

It was like the limited number of characters that could be written on a single sheet of paper. If one mastered the secret art, it might be possible to increase the number of controlled people to some extent, like writing smaller to fit more words on the page. Even that had its limits.

Jegyeong guessed that even if he became highly proficient in the Bloodline Restriction Art, he would not be able to control more than a hundred people at once.

These three weaknesses made its limitations clear.

Even setting aside the limit on the number of people it could control, this secret art oppressed others by holding their lives hostage. It was bound to breed resentment, whether great or small. If the target broke through in realm, the restriction might weaken or even break entirely.

Jegyeong did not care about any of that.

‘It has nothing to do with me.’

Other than Han Cheongyu, all the Human Race cultivators under him were at the mid-stage of Qi Refining. Even if they all reached late-stage Qi Refining, they would not escape the Bloodline Restriction Art's control.

He did not even consider the possibility that Han Cheongyu might break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Whether Han Cheongyu could reach the Foundation Establishment Realm was another matter. Even if he somehow did reach that realm someday, Jegyeong would have long since broken through to the mid-stage Great Demon Realm.

What was regrettable was the limit on the number of people he could control.

It meant the number of workers he could use without worry could not increase greatly.

‘It's fine. This is more than enough.’

For now, the people on Black Shark Island alone were enough to command. He did not know what the future held, but he could think about it when it came.

After setting his thoughts straight, Jegyeong began cultivating the Bloodline Restriction Art in earnest.

The Bloodline Restriction Art was a secret art, and Jegyeong had cultivated secret arts before.

The Transformation Technique was one. The Qi Concealment Technique could also be considered a type of secret art.

Because of those experiences, Jegyeong had some confidence in the Bloodline Restriction Art. He did not expect to master it at a glance, but he thought that with time, he would learn it without much difficulty.

It was a tremendous miscalculation.

Only after cultivating the Bloodline Restriction Art did Jegyeong realize that not all secret arts were alike. It was not only difficult. Aptitude and talent also mattered.

When he had learned the Transformation Technique and Qi Concealment Technique, he had been like a fish in water.

Now, it felt as though he was swimming through a swamp.

He could move and make progress, but it took far more effort. Even when he strained to advance, his speed was frustratingly slow.

After suffering through that frustration for some time, Jegyeong had no choice but to admit that he lacked talent and aptitude for contracts and restrictions.

‘Still, it is fortunate that I am making progress.’

There was no telling when he would master it, but learning enough to use it properly would not be a problem.

He only needed to invest enough time.

‘Perhaps this is for the best. It is better to focus on cultivation than to spend time on a side path.’

He knew it was childish self-consolation, but he had no choice. He needed to think that way to ease his discomfort.

‘It is not just blood. I must place will and power within it. Looking at it this way, it seems somewhat similar to Essence Blood...’

Having acknowledged his own shortcomings, Jegyeong worked even harder.

He cultivated the Bloodline Restriction Art with such focus that he forgot the passage of time.

“Dragon Lord!”

He had been so absorbed that he did not even notice Hyeon-gwi had returned until Hyeon-gwi called for him from outside Black Jiao Palace.

“Come in.”

Once Jegyeong gave permission, Hyeon-gwi entered the grand hall with surprising agility. His breathing was as quick as his steps, and his excitement was obvious.

“Fortunately, I have not disappointed the Dragon Lord's expectations.”

“Oh? It seems you had some success.”

When Jegyeong showed interest, Hyeon-gwi became even more animated.

Still, Hyeon-gwi was wise and understood the one he served to some extent, so he did not embellish his report with useless details.

“I found the school of Thunder-Egg Fish you mentioned before. However, they fled in an instant whenever I approached, so I could not catch any. Still, I have memorized their habitat. If I return, catching a few will be easy.”

“I see. Well done.”

The Thunder-Egg Fish were among the Water Demons Jegyeong had noticed at the Stonewall Island auction.

Now that Hyeon-gwi had found a school of them, Jegyeong wanted to rush to their habitat at once.

But that was only a desire.

He could use the Qi Concealment Technique and move quietly, but if he encountered one of the nearby Great Demon Beasts, it would become troublesome in many ways. It was not impossible, but there was no need to go through such trouble over a few Thunder-Egg Fish.

“Dragon Lord, finding the school of Thunder-Egg Fish was a small matter. This is the true harvest. Please look.”

Hyeon-gwi took an object from the Storage bag wrapped around his neck like a scarf.

It was a reddish stone as large as Hyeon-gwi's body. Even from its appearance alone, it was clear that it was no ordinary stone.

Jegyeong had been looking down at it in a relaxed posture, but his expression changed as though he had sensed something.

Then, without realizing it, he straightened himself and extended his neck forward to inspect the stone-like object more closely.

“...”

When the Dragon Lord's eyes, each larger than Hyeon-gwi's body, descended directly above his head, Hyeon-gwi's excitement vanished. He turned pale and began trembling again.

Unfortunately, Jegyeong had already become absorbed in the object and failed to notice that Hyeon-gwi's condition was worsening.

Footnotes:

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