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I had spent an entire day distributing slaves and treasures according to the rewards system. Meanwhile, the figures from the Wind Spirit Sect that had been imprisoned in wooden armors were brought out, and I glimpsed them kneeling in the plaza with bewildered eyes. The experts from the Su Shin Sect were overwhelming their bloodlines while keeping an eye on them.

While this process was underway, I returned the wooden armor to Dokgo Jun and said, “What does it mean to demote those people to the lowest rank? Please explain in detail.”

Dokgo Jun, who accepted the wooden armor from me, glanced over at the Wind Spirit Sect disciples and replied, “It’s simple. They will have their internal power sealed away and will be forced to step down from all important positions in the White Lotus Sect. From now on, they will only be able to engage in menial labor and farming among the White Lotus Sect.”

“……”

“I will enact this immediately, so just wait.”

I gazed at the scene before me with a complex expression.

Among the figures of the Wind Spirit Sect kneeling in front of me were renowned masters and experts who had spent half their lives devoted to martial arts. Having their internal power sealed away, preventing them from ever using martial arts again, would bring a loss that felt akin to suicide. Additionally, with the sealing of their internal power, the flow of Qi would be severely distorted, putting their lifespans in jeopardy.

However, it was not an appropriate time to feel sympathy. The Wind Spirit Sect, including its leaders and upper echelon experts, had been collaborating with the Imperial Palace in acts of treachery, even considering betrayal. Under normal circumstances, it wouldn’t be strange to execute them all. Ending it with just sealing their internal power might actually be seen as merciful.

“Merciful, my foot… How could you understand the despair of those who have fallen to the bottom overnight?”

“Zhuge Sa, stop nitpicking. Just know that it’s not my role to intervene.”

Shortly after, the mass sealing of internal powers began. It wasn’t done in a rough manner, shattering the dantian unnecessarily, but rather, the Su Shin Sect inserted their unique Qi into the dantian like a wedge, making the operation of internal power impossible. This method was sophisticated as it reduced the burden on the body while nullifying their internal power.

Thud!

“Gah!”

“Kugh.”

One by one, the experts of the Wind Spirit Sect collapsed forward. Still, even though they were sealed, the pain was severe enough to make them faint. I felt a chill as I witnessed this.

The number and power of the kneeling Wind Spirit Sect experts indicated that a couple of the Nine Great Sects could easily be overturned. Yet such beings were forced to accept the sealing of their internal powers at the hands of the Heavenly Spirit Pill’s immense power. It was a clear display of the ridiculous might possessed by the Heavenly Spirit Pill.

After the process concluded, Dokgo Jun addressed me.

“The Master expects much from you. You may do with them as you please.”

I smirked in disbelief. “But without their martial arts, aren’t they just ordinary humans now? What use are they to me?”

“That’s exactly the Dharma Guardian’s responsibility.”

“What…”

“Well then, I’ll take my leave.”

Dokgo Jun spun around and left with the Su Shin Sect warriors.

‘That guy is quite infuriating.’

I looked at the hall. In front of me was a group of Wind Spirit Sect disciples who had just lost their martial arts, some fainted and others gritted their teeth in defiance as they glared at me. Now that they had lost their martial arts, it would be no trouble for me to control them alone.

I cleared my throat and spoke, “It seems like we have much to discuss. I won’t press for anything today, so rest in your temporary lodgings, and we’ll talk tomorrow.”

There was no answer for a long while. As I turned to leave, one of the elders of the Wind Spirit Sect, who had been kneeling at the front, spoke up.

“Dharma Guardian of the Thunder God Lineage!”

“Speak.”

“We will do anything; just please spare the women and children. They have done no wrong!”

“……”

Women and children.

Hearing those words, I understood what he was thinking. If I wished, I could wipe out the women and children of the Wind Spirit Sect, or dispose of them as I saw fit. Of course, such horrific acts would be inconceivable for a human, but there was a significant difference between what one does and what one cannot do.

Zhuge Sa chippered in.

“That’s good. Why not choose a beautiful woman from the Wind Spirit Sect and use her for your pleasure? Preferably a stunning beauty to humiliate in front of her husband…”

I grimaced. “Damn it, shut up. What filthy talk is this?”

“Huh? You could easily do that if you wanted. Just do as you please. Kill the men and have your fun with the women. The Master of the White Lotus Sect won’t care what you do with the remnants of the Wind Spirit Sect.”

Is this guy insane?!

I strongly rejected the notion. “No! There’s no reason to do such things.”

“… You’re getting on my nerves.”

Zhuge Sa complained.

“Aren’t you overly influenced by Mangnyang? If it were the old Baek Woong of your previous life, you’d have jumped at my suggestion without hesitation. Your refusal now is simply a habit.”

“What…”

“Fine then. Do as you wish. Acting like a gentleman.”

I ignored Zhuge Sa’s complaints and responded to the Wind Spirit Sect elder.

“Very well, I will do as you wish.”

The Wind Spirit Sect elder bowed his head and pleaded, “Please… protect us from the acts of the Fire Spirit and Su Shin sects. We beg of you…”

As he was the first, more disciples from the Wind Spirit Sect began to kneel before me, one by one, pressing their foreheads to the ground. It felt strange to witness this; it was evident they were truly setting aside all their pride to survive.

“Of course. Without their martial arts, being a part of the White Lotus Sect is tantamount to hell. It’s clear that just a casual brush from a passing member of the White Lotus Sect would end them.”

“Hmm.”

I hummed in thought. Even so, experiencing this sight was not something I was accustomed to. After a moment of consideration, I directed my attention to the kneeling Wind Spirit Sect elder.

“What is your name and title?”

“Blood Wind Fist Demon, Yong Mun-soo.”

“Elder Yong Mun-soo. Gather the key figures who originally managed the Wind Spirit Sect and bring them here.”

“……”

Yong Mun-soo hesitated but then looked around the hall. A few middle-aged men, seemingly anxious, stepped forward. They had all lost their vitality, possibly due to having their dantian sealed, and their faces had grown instantly haggard. I surveyed them and declared, “Move immediately. Bring the Wind Spirit sect members to this building site.”

“A-Are you truly going to protect us?”

“Indeed.”

Yong Mun-soo bowed his head in gratitude. “Thank you!”

At that moment, I felt a murderous intent from some of the Wind Spirit Sect disciples kneeling before me. Although forced into submission due to the disparity in power, they clearly did not view this situation favorably. Considering that I was complicit in the decline of the Wind Spirit Sect, it was hard to expect goodwill from them.

Somehow, it made me feel guilty. At that moment, Zhuge Sa spoke up.

“What do you have to feel sorry about? You’re becoming soft in the strangest places.”

“Well… It could be sad that they fell overnight.”

“Hmph. You can think whatever you like, but don’t say it out loud. Especially not in front of the Su Shin Sect.”

Upon hearing the term ‘Su Shin Sect,’ I flinched. Zhuge Sa continued with a sneer.

“When the Wind Spirit Sect took the lead in purging the Su Shin Sect, do you think they would have just sealed their powers peacefully? They probably killed the Su Shin warriors mercilessly or raped their women to make them slaves.”

“……”

“It’s only because they are weak that they are kneeling. The shameless lot you see before you are fundamentally wolves. Don’t show any weakness.”

“Understood.”

I frowned. Zhuge Sa’s words continually struck a nerve, making it difficult to argue.

After wrapping up the management of the Wind Spirit Sect, I began examining the slaves brought from the slave market.

There were about sixty in total. The slaves were men, women, and children, and they all looked as if they had been gathered from various places, including foreigners and even ancient beings. I was puzzled by why the number of slaves, which was initially over a thousand, had dwindled so much, but soon came to understand.

‘Most of the slaves were likely taken to the Su Shin Sect.’

The claim that only thirty percent of the slaves were given to me was probably just a lie. In reality, it was likely less than ten percent. It seemed the Master was subtly a stingy person.

This raised the question of why the Su Shin Sect needed so many slaves—at least six or seven hundred, judging by how many were placed in the wooden armors.

I pondered this when Zhuge Sa chimed in.

“While it’s an important question, it can wait. For now, focus on sorting the slaves.”

“What do I need the slaves for?”

“Stop being foolish. Just treat them like the slaves they are.”

Zhuge Sa continued.

“Don’t even think about teaching them Thunder God martial arts. Right now, you can only use them as manual laborers. It would be utterly stupid to interpret the Master’s request to build a forces literally.”

“Why is that stupid? If there’s an expert among them who knows martial arts…”

“They’d be useless. Didn’t you see how the Wind Spirit Sect fell apart when faced with the might of the Heavenly Spirit Pill’s three bearers?”

“Hmm…”

That made sense.

“Don’t concern yourself with their fate. You’ve got training to focus on. They’re not people; they’re just objects, so let them be.”

With that, the slaves watched me muttering and grimacing for a while, appearing frightened. I sighed and addressed them.

“Don’t worry. From now on, you’ll be responsible for cleaning and meals in the Thunder God building…”

“Understood…”

The slaves bowed their heads repeatedly, and I called over Sibi, who had originally managed the Thunder God building, to discuss the division of tasks. Since there were too many people just for building management, I decided to repair and clean the old building while allocating the rest to manual labor and farming.

Once the distribution of tasks for the slaves was done, I turned again to Zhuge Sa.

“Hey.”

“What?”

“What should I do next? Offer me some suggestions.”

Zhuge Sa clicked his tongue and replied, “Fine. Here’s the plan.”

“Oh?”

“Train.”

“……”

“Approaching Yong Junil from the Wind Spirit Sect now is pushing your luck. It’s better to train in peace, practicing the Soul Exchange Technique and the Three Treasure Technique until an opportunity arises. The Master will certainly be keeping an eye on you, and if you move too much, he might take direct action.”

“That makes sense.”

I agreed with Zhuge Sa. Forcing a connection with Yong Junil for a mere variable would only lead to trouble. It was wiser to focus on strengthening my abilities and keeping a low profile. Zhuge Sa continued.

“Baek Woong. I need to ask you something: What do you intend to do about the Heavenly Spirit Pill?”

Startled, I realized he had hit a nerve. ‘Hmm…’ Until now, the events had unfolded so frenetically that I hadn’t had the chance to really consider it, but it was indeed a critical question. Initially, I had wanted the Heavenly Spirit Pill because I thought it could give me incredible power simply by acquiring it. I would have been willing to die at least five times to obtain it.

However, based on information I had gathered through the Master of the Twelve Joules and the Dharma Guardian Lee Cheong-un, I found that the Heavenly Spirit Pill was no different from a poisoned apple. Sure, it might be fine if I were content with fighting other humans, but should the time come when I needed to confront the Celestial Realm or the Old Ruler, a restriction preventing me from engaging in battle would be catastrophic. In the worst-case scenario, I might end up as just a puppet. For someone like me, who had been reborn, acquiring the Heavenly Spirit Pill had become a nearly worst-case situation.

As I worried, Zhuge Sa spoke again.

“You’re troubled. If the Heavenly Spirit Pill is limited to this life, then it’s no problem, but what if it continues into your next reincarnation? You’d be completely barred from the chance to fight a god.”

“Yeah. I’m thinking about what to do.”

“Then analyze the fundamental reason you want the Heavenly Spirit Pill.”

“The fundamental reason…”

The reason I sought the Heavenly Spirit Pill was primarily to become stronger. The moment I acquired it, my martial arts’ destructive power would surely amplify dramatically. Even though I had the highest internal power, excluding the Dharma Guardians, it still wouldn’t match true infinite internal power. While I was lost in thought, Zhuge Sa continued.

“I would find out exactly what the contract for the Heavenly Spirit Pill entails. The Grimoire of Su Shin must certainly elaborate on the Sea God and Evil God. And the Grimoire itself isn’t of lesser quality than the Nameless Ritual Book. If that’s the case, prioritize capturing the Grimoire of Su Shin, and have its interpretation assigned to the Prophet in Astana.”

“……!!”

“Moreover, find out if there is a way to annul the contract for the Heavenly Spirit Pill or replace it with something else.”

Zhuge Sa’s words were all too valid.

‘I see!’

Indeed, the Prophet was the one who could provide the most clarity regarding the Grimoire. It would be necessary to visit the Prophet and learn about the Grimoire of Su Shin. Determining whether or not to obtain the Heavenly Spirit Pill could come after that. I questioned Zhuge Sa on this matter.

“So, is acquiring the Master’s Grimoire now my top priority?”

“With your current capabilities, how would you even steal it from the Master? You just lost everything, including the Golden Seal and the treasures. You don’t even know where it is or how it’s currently being stored.”

“……”

“This issue, I cannot give you a clear answer on either. Therefore, it’s best to inform the Prophet in Astana about the existence of the Grimoire of Su Shin and get their insights on the Heavenly Spirit Pill. It’s better to learn rather than recklessly speculate.”

“Hmm… When would it be appropriate to go see the Prophet?”

“You should focus on managing the slaves for now, so perhaps in about a month.”

As Zhuge Sa chuckled, it seemed he found it amusing. “Maybe your pointless talents are dodging some traps.”

“What?”

“Both the Heavenly Spirit Pill and your life so far, if everything had been smooth sailing, you’d probably encounter many more complications. This is not luck; it’s a kind of bad luck.”

“……”

Bad luck upon bad luck.

In that case, perhaps the fact that I had obtained the Heavenly Secret itself was not a good omen either.

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