She successfully infiltrated the Palace thanks to her identity as a member of the Cartel. A quick meeting with the King and a few promises of resources was enough for her to be allowed to do as she pleased, within limits obviously.

She made him appoint her in an advantageous position that should have let her come into contact with her target and his surroundings many times...Yet, it remained difficult. The man rarely appeared at the Palace. The members of his team were clearly only picked to reach the required head count and as for the Captain...She seemed to dislike her.

Had her identity as a cultivator been exposed?

Honestly, she thought that it had.

There was nothing much she could do about it though.

She messaged her superiors about it but they insisted that she remained in her position and kept observing. Due to her cultivation stage, even if she openly watched over him, he could not do anything about it. So, yes, she could understand why they made such a decision that usually went against their principles.

After thinking about it some more, she began to believe that there was more to it. Maybe her spy identity being revealed was used to hide other spies? Considering the target's value, it was not too far-fetched.

She sighed.

In any case, she would have to continue her act of spying even though everyone knew she was a spy... It was taxing.

She continued on her way. Even though she did not give a fuck about this kingdom, she had to put in the work required from one in her position. She could not deliberately show her true colors. It was already a grave mistake that she was likely discovered in the first place... The fact that they did not 'remove' her was already all she could ask for.

As for the new task given to her to observe the kids at that man's orphanage... She would have to take it step by step. It was definite that there was something fishy about it though.

...

Around twelve days later, a prostitute gave birth to a young baby boy and sold that newborn to a masked man.

A few moments later, Jin watched the baby sleeping soundly in the middle of the bed within his manor. Once again, he would commit a sin.

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He activated the seal and the portal appeared. From within it, a ghost of a man exited. It was clearly excited. Even though he was in an ethereal form, the flush on his cheeks was impossible to hide.

It was Cheng.

He bowed while trembling in excitement towards Jin: "We finally meet, Sir Jin. My name is Cheng"

Jin nodded silently.

Cheng turned to the young baby on the bed and grinned. While his sight remained on it, he stated: "I did not expect it to work to be honest. My surprise when Sarina's statue shattered was...Aaah...And to think that she would keep her words and you would follow them too..."

Jin stated: "She did not seem to be overjoyed about it"

Cheng chuckled as he admitted shamelessly: "We weren't the best of friends back in the days"

He moved towards Jin and asked him: "What about you? Why did you follow her instructions?"

Jin stated: "She said we needed you to survive"

Cheng chuckled and agreed: "True. In any case, I will need you to make sure that this new body of mine survives. Since you need me to survive, I believe I can entrust my life to you"

He looked at the room and whistled. Then, he proceeded to ask about the situation. Once Jin finished, Cheng spoke: "The orphanage idea is good indeed. However, it might irk the King since it could be seen as you amassing your own forces. Make sure to send the first few orphans to work for the Palace. There are only two ways to move someone, fear and benefits. Since you can't use fear, then make sure that you give them enough benefits that they won't poke around too much"

Jin nodded. He planned to do just that himself. This advice was on-point.

Cheng nodded once before he turned back to the child and stated to Jin: "I will see you in eight years, Jin"

Then, he proceeded to take over the newborn's body.

The usual blue light shone and Jin witnessed a second takeover.

...

Days went by peacefully. Jin trained the orphans and enjoyed his wealth, making sure to gather as many cultivation resources as he could from his numerous shops.

And finally, after four months of persevering, it happened.

The seal over Jin's core broke completely.

His joy and excitement could not be hidden and for the first time, he went to celebrate. With Ame and the other ten, an entire establishment was reserved for them.

He went home wasted in the early morning.

It had been so long since such a thing happened... And for a cultivator to reach such a state was not easy either...

But he could not help it as he was finally going to be able to grow again.

This was a game changer.

...

Far away, on a different continent, a man's teacup broke in his hand as he spat a mouthful of red blood.

Hae-Hyuk felt the damage to his soul directly. However, compared to the many servants who were scared out of their wits and Isla who frowned. She asked him what happened and he chuckled as he told her: "Jin is alive. He broke the seal over his core"

She frowned coldly and asked: "Do you plan to chase him?"

He laughed as he stated: "Why should I? There are already so many people after him"

She added: "He knows your secret technique"

He retorted: "So? I am already on my way to Sainthood. It does not matter anymore to me"

She frowned. Hae-Hyuk knew why. While the technique's spread was no longer something he had to care about, she had to. After all, she had Hae-Hyuk teach it to her daughter so that she would have one more trump card. If that skill became mainstream or such...