The night passed and the awaited dawn came but not in a way he could have predicted.
Ji Seorong had finally achieved Rank 2 Talisman Master, a goal that had driven him relentlessly since his arrival in this world. But now, standing at the threshold of this accomplishment, he felt an unsettling emptiness.
The burning determination that had pushed him forward, the hunger to grow stronger—it had always felt natural. Yet now, as the flames settled, a troubling question rose in his mind.
"Was that truly my desire? Or was it the lingering will of the original Ji Seorong, the one who lived and died in this world?"
The thought struck deep.
Since waking up in this body, he had been carried forward by an invisible momentum, as if following a path that had already been set before him. But now, as he stood at this checkpoint of progress, he realized—that momentum was gone.
"The emotions, the instincts, the purpose that had been driving me… Were they truly my own? Or were they just echoes of a soul that no longer existed?"
Seorong sat in silence, his fingers lightly tapping against the worn wooden table of his shop, trying to identify the emptiness in his heart.
" If it was the echo before, what now that his influence has faded… What do I truly want?"
"Everything I know about this world, everything I had pursued up until now, had been shaped by the memories of another Ji Seorong—one who had grown up here, lived here, and ultimately perished here." Their views could differ.
He was someone who had come from a world of laws, structure, and reason.
The most fundamental change was that he had no deep ties to the clans, no ancestral grudges, no grand ambitions of power, now that he truly thought about it power was required here but how would he approach it.
… what was his purpose in this world?
A slow exhale left his lips. He had no answer. Not yet.
"The path to walk on… can be decided later, what truly is important right now is to clear my mind "
He could sit here, lost in questions, or he could go out and find the answers himself.
For too long, he had been relying on borrowed knowledge—on the perspective of the Ji Seorong who came before him. But if he was to carve out a place in this world, he needed to see it with his own eyes, think with his own mind, and decide with his own will.
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"Before anything else, I need to experience this world for myself."
No longer as the old Ji Seorong.
But as himself.
So with a new found claritt, he stood up and stepped forward—toward the unknown, toward the real world beyond the walls of his shop.
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For the first time since his arrival, Ji Seorong took a proper tour of Rain City. He had spent too long confined to his shop, caught between survival and his pursuit of Rank 2 talismans. But if he was to truly understand the world he lived in, he had to start with his own surroundings.
The streets were alive with the usual bustle of merchants shouting their wares, customers bargaining fiercely, and wandering cultivators moving with an air of quiet arrogance.
He also came to know of some new information, His shop was situated on Silver Market Street, one of the many streets branching out from the Azure Moon Pavilion, the largest commercial hub in Rain City.
The Azure Moon Pavilion was a branch of the Golden Sun Pavilion, the dominant trading organization of the Holy Empire. Unlike ordinary merchants, they had deep connections, making them an untouchable force within the city.
A single recommendation from the Azure Moon Pavilion could elevate a business overnight. Similarly, offending them could mean financial ruin—or worse.
Ji Seorong glanced at the towering building of the pavilion, its golden sigil glistening under the sun in his view.
" It seems quite grand," He was still fascinated by the architecture of this world, it was traditional Chinese architecture and seeing it on such a huge scale was also quite an experience.
As he continued his walk talking to some shopkeepers here and there and finally he was complete on the situation of Rain city.
The Li Family and the Zhao family were the two prominent families here, Though these two families were the dominant forces, several other well families existed , forming an intricate web of alliances and rivalries.
But above all of them were two absolute authorities:
The Alchemists Association(Rain City Branch) – Alchemists were revered across the empire, and even the most powerful families treated them with caution and respect. Their potions, pills, and elixirs were vital to both cultivators and merchants.
And, The Governor’s Mansion – The official ruling body of Rain City, representing the Holy Empire. Though the noble families controlled the city’s economy, the Governor ensured that none of them gained absolute control.
Ji Seorong finally came back to his shop where he lived on the second floor.
" True enough, history changes with the perspective and so does the view " He was feeling it first hand, although some things were normal in the memories of his predecessor after seeing them himself he found them hard to digest.
Ji Seorong had always believed in the power of rules, of order— as no matter the exceptions still large part of Earth had law governed society, ensuring some buffer between the strong and weak.
" With such actual disparity in personal strength here those things cannot work at all " After all there were experts who could decimate cities in anger single handedly.
In this world, there were no human rights, no true justice—only strength. The strong did as they pleased, and the weak either served or suffered.
" Such a terrifying environment to live in".Seorong struggled to accept this.
It was a fundamental clash of perspectives—he thought with the logic of a modern man, but he was in a land where actions were dictated by primal dominance.
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