It might be described later, but the road to Ten Lakes that Yuk-gyeong traveled after being defeated by the female martial artist and left alone was perilous.
Bandits wielding sickles or iron pitchforks, along with wolf-like ferocious beasts, often ambushed him.
Yuk-gyeong had a foreboding premonition that if he had walked this path as before, regardless of his Single Spiritual Root or whatever, he was now just an ordinary mortal and would have died and rotted somewhere.
No matter how promising the path of a Single Spiritual Root might be, if you died, that was the end of it.
If he hadn't met that female martial artist from the jianghu and obtained the Foresight Fist, he would have died long ago.
The Foresight Fist was quite useful, an excellent fist and foot technique for subduing enemies.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Yuk-gyeong's hands and feet slicing through the air.
Until recently, Yuk-gyeong had been someone who didn't know the first thing about swinging a fist or throwing a kick, but now, when it came to the Foresight Fist, he could wield it like an expert.
Now, he no longer feared anyone who wasn't a formidable full-time bandit.
There had been professional bandits like the ones Yuk-gyeong encountered before, but they were few and far between. Most were part-time bandits who farmed during the day and robbed on the side when they had time.
Those part-timers threatened people with farming tools like pitchforks or sickles to extort money, but since they didn't know any proper martial arts, they fled in panic before Yuk-gyeong's fist and foot techniques.
A whoosh-whoosh of hands and feet to knock away their sickles or pitchforks, and they assumed he was some master and tucked tail and ran.
.
.
.
Finishing his brief recollection, Yuk-gyeong could finally take in the sights of Ten Lakes.
Ten Lakes was a city built around a small central lake, surrounded by rugged mountains like a natural screen. Inns and various shop districts lined the lake's edges, with people bustling through them.
Unlike the villages he'd seen before, it truly felt like a city.
Of course, this was only because Yuk-gyeong remembered his previous life.
A typical country bumpkin visiting Ten Lakes for the first time would marvel, "What is this otherworldly place? A city bigger than a city!"
Yuk-gyeong strolled a bit through Ten Lakes.
By the lakeside, there was the scent of water. It felt nostalgic. In his previous life, the Han River always smelled like this.
It was a bit murkier than the Han River, mixed with more earthy smells, and occasionally a faint fishy odor, but nostalgia was nostalgia.
There was a sense of stability from the vast expanse of water.
Fishermen working the lake mingled with pleasure boaters, making the lake look like a giant bathtub dotted with bobbing boats.
Turning his gaze from the lake to the shop district, the smell of people hit him.
Body odor, perfume, food aromas... all sorts of scents mingled together.
Instead of gawking like some country hick from the outside, he needed to blend into the crowd. Otherwise, he might get caught up in some crime targeting naive villagers.
Villagers could be prime targets sometimes. Strangers with no connections in the city had nowhere to complain if something happened to them.
Yuk-gyeong quickly dove into the throng of people.
To Yuk-gyeong, Ten Lakes felt... kind of like a cram school district.
A place full of lodging houses, with hollow-eyed people wandering around, the whole city immersed in an atmosphere of exam obsession.
Overhearing the conversations around him only reinforced it.
"Did you hear? This year, the Literary Origin Sect isn't accepting disciples."
"What? The Literary Origin Sect was the one I was aiming for!"
"But the Radiant Moon Sect is opening its gates this time. They're recruiting disciples."
"Are the Radiant Moon Sect's entry requirements strict?"
"Of course! The elder overseeing the Radiant Moon Sect's initiations this time is Geum Seung-won. The iron-faced Geum Seung-won, who wouldn't bleed even if stabbed! What do you think his entrance exam will be like? A bloodbath..."
"The Radiant Moon Sect... is it okay to join there? Should I get my fortune told or something?"
"Hey, come on. You have to get into somewhere to start cultivating, right?"
The men passed by, chatting like that.
Hearing talk of the Literary Origin Sect this and that, or who was overseeing which sect's entrance exam, it really felt like a city close to the cultivation sects.
Mortals weren't far from the cultivation world here; they were quite close, in fact.
Mortals dreamed of becoming cultivators and flocked to this city, where the cultivation sects of various mountains gathered, hoping for a stroke of luck when they opened their gates to recruit disciples.
All to catch the eye of some inscrutable cultivation sect.
The cultivation sects here didn't post explicit announcements like "We're accepting disciples."
Basic requirements like having a Spiritual Root, a foundation in Dao Heart, perseverance... and so on. Only those in the know understood them; most people didn't.
To Yuk-gyeong, this system seemed inefficient.
As someone from the modern world of his previous life, he thought it would be more efficient to systematize and quantify the entry process to select better talent.
"They should at least post the entry requirements first and only let those who meet them take the exam. Like adding a paper screening stage."
"Hey, young man."
A plump man leaning against the inn's threshold, looking every bit the innkeeper.
"Yes?"
"You're complaining that the cultivation sects gather people haphazardly without checking for Spiritual Roots and sorting them first, instead bothering with troublesome entrance exams, right?"
"It's not haphazard..."
"It's because of affinity. The Dao isn't something you force or scheme for; they don't issue proclamations like the government to invite everyone to take exams."
"Pardon?"
"It's about Immortal Affinity. Immortal Affinity. Those destined to become immortals will do so without forcing it, and those who aren't won't, no matter how hard they try."
The innkeeper explained to Yuk-gyeong, his ample jowls jiggling.
His slouched posture against the threshold looked shady, but his words were so profound they drew attention despite the mismatch.
His answer was quite subtle, making Yuk-gyeong wonder if this innkeeper was someone who had attained enlightenment. Was there more to him?
As Yuk-gyeong's expression turned puzzled, the innkeeper burst into loud laughter.
"Kehahaha! So come to our inn and have a meal. That's affinity for you. Kehahaha!"
Of course. What else could it be?
It was an inn tout. Fitting for Ten Lakes, where cultivation sects gathered—luring people with profound-sounding words.
Still, he wasn't wrong, so maybe he'd eat here...
The innkeeper waddled inside, his chubby jowls shaking contentedly, leading Yuk-gyeong in.
"Come on in, come on in. Our Ten Lakes House has the best cuisine around. Everything tastes great. You won't regret trying it."
Following the innkeeper's lead, Yuk-gyeong entered the inn called Ten Lakes House and ordered a simple meal.
Once ordered, the innkeeper disappeared into the kitchen—probably to cook.
Tch. He'd hoped for some more chat, but of course the innkeeper wasn't that idle.
While waiting for his food, Yuk-gyeong looked around.
Just then, a heated discussion was underway at the next table.
Four men were chattering away about the cultivation sects.
"Which one do you like? In Ten Lakes, there are the three great cultivation sects and four minor ones. Naturally, you'd prefer a major sect, and among the three great ones, there are two orthodox and one demonic, right?"
The discussion starter was a square-faced man with a flat nose. He spoke as if joining a cultivation sect was a given.
A lanky, sharp-featured man sighed thoughtfully and nodded.
"The orthodox sects have strict rules and slow cultivation. Demonic sects are survival of the fittest, wild, but cultivation is fast and free. Tough choice, really tough."
Then a strong-featured man with a hooked nose and bulging eyes spoke confidently.
"If you're confident in your skills, wouldn't it have to be a demonic sect? In a world of the strong devouring the weak, the strong get everything."
Another man at the table interjected in rebuttal.
"Heh, don't you know there's always someone stronger? Orthodox sects may have strict rules, but they cherish their members, offering protection and support for steady growth."
"No, demonic sects grow faster!"
"What if you die after joining a demonic sect? We're trying to become immortals for longevity..."
As Yuk-gyeong listened to the heated debate at the next table, his food arrived.
The innkeeper who'd seated him was gone; some waiter boy brought the food instead. Ten Lakes House was a big inn—odd for the owner to serve food himself?
The food came out almost fast-food quick, which satisfied the hungry Yuk-gyeong.
The thin noodles were bland, like noodles boiled in plain water.
This world's food was mostly like that.
No seasonings, salt was precious—everything was just bland and more bland.
For someone used to seasonings from his previous life, it was pure torture.
This food was truly the worst.
A big reason Yuk-gyeong wanted to return to his previous world was this food.
He didn't even crave spicy or stimulating flavors.
He just wanted food with even a spoonful of seasoning.
This was why he hated this Moon Kingdom land so much. The tasteless food.
Still, he'd grown accustomed enough now that he could savor the subtle sweetness as he chewed these thin noodles.
The slight umami unique to thin noodles, the faint sweetness and nuttiness. The texture dancing in his mouth was a delight. Perfectly chewy and well-cooked.
What a life. Finding flavors like this in a bland lump of noodles. Maybe he'd become a gourmet.
Sigh.
No matter how he rationalized it, the insipid noodles paled in comparison to spicy, stimulating ramen.
Meanwhile, as Yuk-gyeong ate his thin noodles, he pondered the debate from the next table.
Demonic sect or orthodox sect?
The free but dangerous demonic path, or the strict but safe orthodox one?
Hmm.
This was on a whole different level from picking a game character class. His future fate would depend on where he joined.