He had to be careful with his skull. Even a stray bone fragment could fatally injure his brain. He had to break it cleanly.

Yise exhaled as shallowly as possible, minutely controlling the movement of his internal reserves. His skull slowly shattered.

Keeping himself in that state, he gently dispersed his internal reserves. The swirling energy spread gradually through his body like dye in water, seeping between the shattered fragments. Spiritual energy began repairing his bones. Where broken bone knitted back together, a new structure called spirit bone formed, different in grain from what had been there before.

Yise opened his eyes a sliver, then closed them again. Once more. He began pulverizing another untouched section of bone beside the area that had healed.

Sweat repeatedly dried on his face and beaded anew. Shattering and healing continued without end. Little by little, the unbreakable spirit bone spread.

At last, even sending shocks through his entire skeleton with his internal reserves no longer damaged his bones. Replacing Bones, Spirit Forging was complete.

Yise drew a long breath. His body felt light—and not merely light, but sturdy. Even the simple act of shifting his posture sent him the sensation of his joints working seamlessly with his internal reserves.

He had broken through to the ninth star. But he would not stop here.

The tenth star. Shedding the Mortal Frame, Remaking the Body.

Yise set his internal reserves swirling again. This time, his organs were the target. He would thoroughly imbue the five viscera—liver, heart, spleen, lungs, and kidneys—as well as his digestive organs with spirituality.

The instant his internal reserves struck his liver, Yise's back bent like a bow. The pain was on an entirely different level from forging spirit bones. He vomited a mouthful of clotted blood.

As his cracked liver began to heal, the agony of the first organ's reconstruction swept through his body. Without even time to wipe the blood from his mouth, he moved on to the next organ.

He slowly straightened. Beads of sweat streamed down his forehead, neck, back, and arms. Blood was drying around his mouth, and his breathing grew ragged.

It was a process of indescribable, horrific pain. He had thought himself accustomed to suffering, yet he could not help wanting to give up. The trouble was that he had no idea how many times he would have to repeat this grueling, agonizing process.

The sensation of knives slashing his body had continued for hours. After reconstructing a single organ, he had to lie collapsed for days, vomiting blood. Though he could not distinguish day from night inside the cave, he had already lost consciousness and come to again several times.

If he stopped here, he could leave having reached the ninth star. Shouldn't he go out and obtain a ritual implement or elixir pills to manage the pain?

'... No.'

He opened his eyes again.

One mistake in controlling his internal reserves could burst his organs beyond repair. A delicate process like this could hardly be solved with something like a Pain-Relief Pill. Now, while his spiritual energy and Demonic Energy were in perfect balance, he had to see it through.

He took the Mind-Calming Mirror from inside his robes and looked into it. His reflection stared back, blood dried around his mouth, his face drenched in sweat, his eyes half-unfocused.

'... Focus.'

The ritual implement certainly did help rein in inner demons. Yise set the mirror down and moved his internal reserves once more.

One by one, his organs absorbed spiritual energy and were reconstructed. Each time, blood poured from his body, and he lay collapsed for days. Unconscious, Yise's body gave one long shudder.

* * *

The stone door of the seclusion cave opened. Sunlight spilled through the gap, and the stale air trapped inside dispersed.

Yise stepped outside. His robes were worn, and his hair had grown long and shaggy. His footsteps were quiet, yet each left a weight that seemed to send a faint tremor through the ground.

Paradoxically, his body felt light. It moved in perfect harmony with his spiritual energy, as though he had shed a layer of steel he had worn his entire life.

His bones had become unbreakable spirit bones, and his five viscera had been reconstructed as spirit organs. Damage to any part of his body except his brain would no longer kill him instantly. Eating was now a choice, not a necessity for survival.

Superhuman. The word came naturally to mind. He had long since surpassed human limits, but now he truly felt removed from the species Heaven had defined as human.

Great Attainment of Qi Refining.

He lifted his gaze to the sky. The weather was clear, offering little hint of the season. At last, he was qualified to challenge the major threshold of Foundation Establishment.

Yise headed straight to the Mission Pavilion in the administrative district. He needed to report the end of his secluded cultivation.

His eyebrows rose slightly as he entered the Mission Pavilion. Ordinarily, the place would have been orderly despite the crowds, but today the atmosphere was far more excited. Staff members hurried back and forth carrying bundles of bamboo slips and calling to one another, while people milled about in front of the counters.

Strange. If they had business here, all they needed to do was queue. Had something worth watching happened?

As Yise approached a counter, one of the staff looked up. It was a familiar face: the youngest Cultivator, forever harried by paperwork and complaints.

"It's been a while."

"Oh, Senior. It certainly has. Are you here to register the end of your seclusion?"

"Yes."

The staff member reflexively lowered his head, then glanced up at Yise's face. His gaze froze. His eyes swept over Yise's entire body, growing wider and wider until his mouth fell slightly open.

"Wow... Senior. Weren't you at the eighth star of Qi Refining?"

"I was."

"Two stars in one go. I'm witnessing a line in Daemudo's history with my own eyes. Congratulations."

"Thanks. What year is it, by the way?"

"It's the 319th year since the founding."

The 319th year since the founding. He had roughly three years left before his nine-year deadline. It felt uncomfortably tight, but it was more or less within his expectations.

"It looks hectic here. Has something happened?"

Yise glanced around as he asked. The staff moving through the corridors were walking at least twice as fast as usual.

"You heard all those rumors a while back too, didn't you, Senior? About the secret realm."

"Oh. Don't tell me...?"

"Yes. It's opened."

"When?"

"About four days ago now?"

Yise's expression stiffened. Seeing it, the staff member belatedly understood.

"You were interested too, Senior? I suppose your current realm is ideal for entering. But you happened to be in seclusion... You know how it is. A sealed seclusion cave can't be opened from outside."

"..."

Yise could only stand in silence, looking as though his country had fallen. Could his luck possibly be any worse?

"Still, you're in luck. If you leave now, you might just make it in time."

"What? I can still get in?"

"I hear the entrance will stay open for about seven days and nights this time. If you hurry, you might be able to enter. Though I don't know what the people who went in first will have left behind."

Being late was a bitter blow, but at least he could still get in. Yise sighed in relief and pressed the mission worker in an eager voice.

"Could you tell me where it is?"

"That's not my responsibility. Go speak to Senior Guk."

Yise immediately greeted the Foundation Establishment senior seated in a corner and purchased information about the secret realm for twenty spirit stones. Shooting out like an arrow, he checked the contents of the wooden slip.

[Dark Heaven Secret Realm]

- Entry Requirement: Qi Refining

- Location: Bukaro Plain, upper reaches of the Goeun River, near Igyeong Bridge.

- Type: Remnants of a battlefield

The information was brief. Aside from the location, it was practically useless, but the entrance's location was what mattered. Running at full speed without stopping to catch his breath, Yise covered nine hundred li in a single day.

An unfamiliar sight greeted him at the secret realm's entrance. Cultivators from various sects stood waiting in small groups. Having seen little but Daemudo's white robes and the Iron Sun Thunder Sect's black ones until now, he found the gathering of so many colors novel.

Fortunately, the entrance was still open. It was a kind of rift, much like the tear in space through which Hall Master Hae Il had appeared. He caught glimpses of the scenery within and sensed spiritual energy leaking out.

"Yise?"

He turned at the familiar voice calling his name. Winged Dragon Hall Master U Yuhee was approaching with several disciples. He immediately offered a respectful greeting.

"Hall Master U Yuhee. Have you been well? I didn't realize you were here."

"Yes. In case those Jeong Empire vermin lay a hand on our disciples."

The bearing of the Jeong Empire Cultivators she had called vermin instantly turned menacing. Dangerous looks passed between the two sides, but fortunately, no blood was spilled.

"Going into the secret realm?"

"Yes."

"You're late. I thought you weren't coming."

"I was in seclusion, so I heard the news late."

"Were you? Ah, I see. You've worked hard."

After checking his cultivation realm, U Yuhee curved her lips beneath her half-mask in a satisfied smile. She stroked his hair a couple of times.

"Then you haven't prepared for the secret realm?"

"No. I ran here as soon as I heard."

"Irang."

At her call, a Cultivator stepped forward, wearing the same emblem as hers beside the Daemudo insignia on the chest of the robes.

"Yes, Hall Master."

"Here's someone with a death wish. Look after him."

"Yes."

Irang approached Yise without a change of expression, then formed hand seals and cast a spell. It was a sound-blocking spell that prevented voices from passing in or out.

"Entering a secret realm without prior information is suicide. Remember that."

"Yes, Senior. But shouldn't I get inside as quickly as possible?"

"It doesn't matter. What matters isn't when you enter, but whether you can get out. Two sorts of people enter a secret realm: those who enter as soon as it opens, and those who enter just before it closes."

Those who entered as soon as it opened either hoped to claim as many resources as possible, or intended to secure only what they needed and hide. Those who entered just before it closed either lacked confidence in their abilities and delayed as long as possible, or intended to plunder the resources of those who had gone in first.

"Then I should..."

"Kill and take. That's the kind of place it is."

"..."

"If that doesn't suit you, you can still turn back."

"No. I'll go."

"You'll land in a random location once you enter. First, find somewhere safe to hide and assess the terrain and the situation around you."

"Yes."

"Once inside, you'll have to survive for a month. When that month is over, the Cultivators who entered will be expelled. Where you end up is random too. You shouldn't be too far from where you entered, but if you're spat out in the Jeong Empire, leave immediately without being discovered and return home."