Seven days had passed.
For some outer disciples, that simply meant another week of cultivation.
For Lee Hyun...
It had been seven days of work.
Every morning, before the market even began to bustle, he was already setting up his small stall in the Third Commercial Circle.
A modest stall, yet remarkably well organized.
Weed understood that appearances determined first impressions.
Just as clothing and etiquette distinguished a noble from a commoner, the appearance of a shop could determine whether a customer stopped to look—or simply walked away.
Yet despite the little time he spent arranging everything neatly, it wasn't where he devoted most of his attention.
Most of the time he remained seated behind the stall, either carving sculptures or cultivating.
If he wasn't sculpting, he was cultivating.
And if he wasn't cultivating, he was sculpting.
Both served the same purpose.
To strengthen himself.
To improve both his aperture and his understanding of the strange Sculpting Path.
On the very first day, he learned something interesting.
Even in this miserable world...
The right product belonged to the right customer.
Statues of great warriors...
Children preferred small, adorable animals.
Young women were naturally drawn to beauty—whether sculptures of nature, people, or elegant decorative pieces.
Young masters from wealthy families often bought sculptures as gifts for girls they admired.
Even some merchants purchased small carvings to decorate their shops.
Lee Hyun already understood this.
He had been a sculptor once.
But it wasn't merely a matter of personal taste.
The sculptures created through the Sculpting Skill Gu seemed to possess a subtle, almost supernatural attraction, depending on how compatible they were with the viewer.
"Interesting; it seems to have a charm or attraction effect based on the compatibility between the person and the product."
Weed was intrigued; it resembled a game mechanic where characters with high charm stats influenced NPCs.
He found his own sculptures beautiful, but not *that* beautiful.
It affected people in an unnatural way.
'This has potential, but I don't have time for it right now.'
'If it's making me money, who cares about a little thing like that?'
Weed would have loved to use this to extort more Primal Stones, but he already had his own plans; getting sidetracked now would be counterproductive.
---
[After seven days...]
His income had become relatively stable.
Five sculptures...
Sometimes six...
On particularly good days, seven.
Even after paying the clan's stall fee and covering the cost of wood and other materials, he still earned more profit than many outer disciples would see for quite some time.
Yet that money never remained in his pocket.
Every night...
After closing the stall...
After cultivating...
After the day was over...
There was still more work waiting.
Inside his small residence, Lee Hyun quietly finished another two or three sculptures.
None of them would ever be sold.
The moment they were completed...
They were consumed.
The small Sculpting Skill Gu slowly floated toward them.
Its golden glow became brighter.
As the Artistic Value faded from the sculpture.
The wood gradually crumbled into dust.
"..."
Lee Hyun watched the process almost every night.
"At least you don't eat Primeval Stones."
The little Gu remained silent.
["..."]
"...You only eat time."
"My time."
...
On the fourth day...
A small golden light appeared inside his aperture.
Another Sculpting Skill Gu.
A copy.
On the sixth day...
Another one.
Now there were three.
The Original Fragment...
And two copies.
Lee Hyun stared at them for several seconds.
"..."
"Congratulations."
"Is it a girl? Or a boy?"
"Now I have two more mouths to feed."
His expression remained completely emotionless.
Time and energy were becoming increasingly scarce resources.
Fortunately...
Or perhaps unfortunately...
The copies possessed none of the Original Fragment's authority.
They were merely ordinary versions.
Even if they were destroyed during Gu refinement...
It wouldn't matter.
That made them excellent research materials.
Almost disposable.
...
His cultivation also progressed steadily outside the shop.
Every single night, after finishing work...
He sat down in the lotus position.
Primeval Essence continuously circulated throughout his aperture.
Its walls were already covered in countless cracks.
He was still some distance away from Rank 1 Middle Stage.
But not by much.
At this pace...
Another seven...
Perhaps nine days.
Even without the Liquor Worm...
He would break through.
...
His first investment had been simple.
After spending several days visiting nearly every shop in the Third Commercial Circle...
Comparing prices.
Negotiating.
Waiting.
He finally found the lowest offer.
The Red Blade Grass Gu.
The very Vital Gu he had originally hoped to obtain.
The merchant agreed to sell it for eighty Primeval Stones.
It was an excellent deal.
The Gu fed only on water and sunlight.
Its maintenance cost was practically nonexistent.
An inexpensive weapon.
Reliable.
And extremely effective for a Rank 1 Gu Master.
He also purchased three ordinary sabers.
And a suit of armor.
They were inexpensive because they were essentially mortal equipment.
"I still don't understand why even the weakest Gu Masters refuse to wear armor."
"Nothing but empty pride."
---
After that...
Lee Hyun didn't buy anything else.
Not because he didn't want to.
Because he was waiting.
Patience was a virtue.
Fortunately, it was one he possessed in abundance.
He was waiting for the market to make a mistake.
The law of commerce.
The starving and the greedy.
Supply and demand.
Caravans crossed the Western Desert every single day.
Not all of them arrived intact.
Animals died.
Gu Masters and guards were attacked.
Supplies disappeared.
Whenever that happened...
Merchants were forced to sell everything that wasn't essential as quickly as possible.
Those were the moments when real opportunities appeared.
That was why...
Every morning, before opening his stall...
Lee Hyun would slowly stroll through the marketplace.
He observed the caravans.
The beasts of burden.
The cargo.
The merchants' expressions.
He never asked questions.
He simply watched.
Until...
On the seventh day.
A new caravan entered through the oasis gates.
Silence spread naturally.
The camels were wounded.
Several wagons were broken.
Many guards walked covered in bandages.
Dried blood stained part of the merchandise.
There were fewer crates.
Fewer animals.
Fewer people.
Lee Hyun merely glanced at them.
"..."
Finally.
Later that day, he overheard several merchants talking.
"They were attacked by a herd of beasts."
"Probably Sand Sharks. It isn't the first attack in that area."
"They lost nearly a third of their cargo."
"They need to continue their journey before their supplies run out."
It was exactly what he had been waiting for.
That very day...
The liquidation sales began.
While countless disciples rushed to buy rare Gu...
Lee Hyun walked calmly through the market.
Without haste.
He knew desperation only grew stronger as the sun sank lower.
By late afternoon...
Prices began to plummet.
That was when he found them.
-Three Rank 1 Blade Gu.
Normally, each was worth over thirty Primeval Stones.
Now...
Ten.
Lee Hyun bought all three without hesitation.
They weren't meant for combat.
Nor for cultivation.
They were materials.
Each one represented another future refinement attempt using the copied Sculpting Skill Gu.
"By the way... do natural Sculpting Path Gu even exist? We've passed dozens of Gu, yet you never reacted to any of them."
[My apologies, Master.]
[I must be extremely close before I can sense one. Even now... I haven't detected anything.]
[The world contains every Path and every meaning, whether known or unknown.]
[However, because the Sculpting Path has yet to fully develop, the world has produced very few Gu belonging to it.]
[Those that do exist are likely impure, possessing another Path as their primary one.]
[My authority may expand as I advance in rank alongside you.]
Weed merely let out a disappointed sigh.
There was nothing he could do about it.
The only answer...
Was to keep walking.
A few steps later...
Another Gu caught his attention.
It resembled a tiny white turtle.
Its shell shone like polished porcelain.
-Porcelain Shell Gu.
The merchant immediately noticed his interest.
"An excellent defensive Gu."
"The shell it creates possesses extraordinary defensive power for a Rank 1 Gu."
Lee Hyun remained silent.
The merchant continued, clearly trying to close the sale.
"Of course... it does have one small drawback."
"It takes an entire day to regenerate if the shell is completely destroyed," Weed said before the merchant could finish.
"During that time, the user is left completely defenseless."
The merchant blinked in surprise.
"...You already know it."
Lee Hyun nodded.
It was a significant weakness.
But an understandable one.
No Gu was perfect.
Its food?
Obsidian glass powder.
Once per day.
Twice if it needed to regenerate its shell.
Simple.
The merchant sighed.
"Eighty Primeval Stones."
Lee Hyun turned around and walked away.
Five steps later...
"Seventy."
No response.
"Sixty-five."
Lee Hyun stopped.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Deal."
As he stored the Gu away...
Another sign caught his attention.
Clearance Sale.
Half Price.
Inside a small wooden box rested a sturdy brown Gu.
It resembled a hairy ladybug with two tiny humps.
Like a miniature camel.
Camel Strength Gu.
The very same Vital Gu chosen by one of his classmates with Grade A aptitude.
Normal price:
One hundred to one hundred and ten Primeval Stones.
Today's price:
Fifty.
Lee Hyun stared at it for several seconds.
He didn't need it.
Not yet.
But some opportunities...
Never came twice.
He picked up the wooden box.
"I'll take it."
That single day...
His priorities had changed completely.
✔ Attack Gu
✔ Defense Gu
✘ Recovery / Survival Gu
✘ Movement Gu
✘ Liquor Worm
✘ Hunt for additional Sculpting Path Fragments and Gu
Lower Priority
✘ Investigation Gu
✘ Storage Gu
Bonus Acquisitions
Camel Strength Gu Blade Gu ×3 Sabers ×3 One suit of armor
The last purchase hadn't been part of the plan.
But he was glad to have made it.
As he walked back home...
The original Sculpting Skill Gu appeared before him once again as a flickering blue window.
[Hungry.]
Lee Hyun looked toward the sky.
Then at his nearly empty money pouch.
Finally...
At the little Gu.
"..."
"You picked a terrible time to start a family."
The blue window flickered innocently.
As though it had no idea what he was complaining about.
Lee Hyun simply sighed.
Money could always be earned again.
Opportunities would come again.
But in this world...
Survival was the greatest investment of all.
Death strips everyone of everything.
When it comes, the greatest king is no different from the humblest beggar.