Over the next few days, Seo devoted herself to practicing formations, arrays, and law manifestation. The conclusion she reached was simple—her Cosmic Core was an outrageous cheat.
The Core allowed her to influence the spiritual energy in the environment and shape it into whatever she imagined. It functioned like an infinite spiritual generator. With it, she could freely mold objects entirely from spiritual energy itself.
After gaining insight into manifesting laws, they decided to advance even deeper into the forest. Seo was confident she could protect both of them.
Whenever they encountered demonic or spiritual beasts, she needed only a single move to flatten them. In just a month, they accumulated over forty-five demonic cores and twenty spirit cores.
And while Seo had begun her journey toward becoming overwhelmingly powerful, Choi had grown just as outrageous in her own way. Their diet—consisting mostly of rice balls and golden spirit apples—had pushed her physical strength to terrifying levels. She could pin down beasts twice her size without the slightest strain.
After walking for over a month, they stood at the edge of a cliff. On the other side radiated an overwhelming amount of spiritual energy.
The scenery was breathtaking—floating lands drifted between sky-piercing peaks, dense mist coiled through valleys, and radiant creatures soared through the air.
"Perfect. This is the place," Seo said loudly.
Choi stared at her, stunned.
"What do you mean by perfect?" she asked.
Seo's answer made her skin crawl.
"This is going to be our new home."
Choi gestured for her to repeat herself, certain she had misheard. A thousand questions flooded her mind—but remembering everything that had happened over the past month, she swallowed them. Without Seo, she would have died long ago.
Looking down the cliff, she wondered how they would descend. There was another route, but it would take days.
She was still thinking when suddenly Seo scooped her up.
Choi looked straight into Seo's eyes.
"Beautiful," slipped out subconsciously.
Seo laughed. This girl was far too easy to please.
Over the past month, they had grown close—close enough to wash each other's backs beneath forest fountains without awkwardness.
After stabilizing her spiritual energy output, Seo stepped forward—with Choi still in her arms.
They did not fall.
She condensed spiritual energy beneath her feet, hardening it into invisible platforms. It looked as though she were walking on air.
A month ago, I was drinking myself into oblivion. Now I'm walking through the sky.
Fate really is strange.
After several minutes, she found a perfect location—a flat stretch of land surrounded by bamboo and tall trees, with a clear water source nearby and several floating islands drifting above.
She descended and inhaled deeply. The air was thick with spiritual energy.
"What do you think?" she asked.
Choi examined the surroundings carefully before nodding.
Seo asked for help gathering wood. It took less than ten minutes. With Choi's monstrous strength, over a hundred trees were uprooted. The holes were filled and the ground leveled.
Seo then sat cross-legged and focused.
Spiritual energy surged.
Choi felt an enormous concentration of power gathering around Seo—and around the uprooted trees, which slowly rose into the air.
The wood began to compress, twist, and reshape.
In Seo's mind, a wireframe model formed—every detail of the structure mapped out from foundation to interior design.
When it finished, Choi was speechless.
A magnificent five-story pagoda stood before them, complete with a fully enclosed courtyard. Inside the courtyard rested a small garden pavilion.
Seo entered to inspect her work. The interior was spacious and elegant. The kitchen was properly structured. The walls were insulated.
How do I even know this architectural style?
Then she remembered—she was not the original owner of this body.
A familiar chime echoed in her mind.
[Ding! You have gained the skill: Spiritual Architecture.]
She opened the description and discovered the buildings she created possessed special effects. For example, the courtyard granted a defensive boost.
Naturally.
She proceeded to create furniture, completing the residence in full.
Afterward, she sat in the outer garden and opened her system panel. Over the past month, she had signed in every day. Her inventory was filled with extraordinary items.
After scrolling for a while, she found what she was looking for.
Heart of the Territory.
She opened its description:
[Heart of the Territory: Binds a designated area as the host's domain. Nothing within the domain escapes the host's perception.Current Size: 7000 sqmUpgradeable.]
She took it out.
The item immediately embedded itself into the ground.
Instantly, a wireframe projection of her entire territory appeared before her—every structure, every tree, every living being.
She smiled in satisfaction.
Then she noticed three red dots at the edge of the map.
Zooming in, she saw three women hiding behind trees, cautiously observing her domain.
There was also a green dot—Choi.
She tapped it and merged a communication array into the marker. As expected, it worked.
Choi startled when Seo's voice suddenly echoed in her mind, but she quickly composed herself.
"There are three people outside. Bring them in."
Choi moved immediately.
Seo observed the three women more closely through the domain interface. They were covered in injuries. Their clothes were little more than rags.
They definitely had a story.
Choi returned shortly with the three women, who looked ready to collapse at any moment.
One thing was undeniable.
They were stunning.
Why do I keep encountering gorgeous women in this desolate forest?
Seo lifted the apparent leader using spiritual energy and pulled her forward.
"Who are you?"
Desperation made the woman compliant.
They were courtesans who had escaped one of the largest brothels in the empire. After preserving themselves for years, a powerful official had taken an interest in them. When they refused to become his wives, he attempted to have them killed.
Because courtesans had no official registry, they were not allowed to leave the empire. Their only option was to flee into the Dark Forest.
"How did you survive?" Seo asked.
The woman explained that over time, they had coaxed drunken cultivators into sharing cultivation basics. They had learned fragments—just enough to survive.
Seo lowered her gently.
"What will you do now?"
The three women knelt instantly.
"Please allow us to follow you."
The scene felt strangely nostalgic. It reminded her of when she first met Choi.
Seo gave them one condition.
They would form a soul pact.
They agreed without hesitation.
After the pact was completed, Seo checked their loyalty through the system.
Over seventy.
Impressive.
She studied them once more, then retrieved three golden spirit apples and three sets of Moon-Weaving Flowing Robes.
When the women received them, disbelief filled their faces. Even the wealthiest patrons at the brothel had never possessed such treasures.
Choi stood nearby with a smug expression.
Seo, meanwhile, looked at her new home.
Her territory.
A place she had built with her own hands.
A place she would protect with her life.