Chapter 119: Seven-Colored Treasure Pagoda (19)

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Translated by Frog in the Well

Read it only at Nineheavens.org
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[The Nascent Soul stage is a realm of leaping to a spiritual lifeform. Upon reaching the Nascent Soul stage, the ability to refrain from grains arises, allowing one to live without eating or drinking as long as there is sufficient spiritual Qi.]

Was that all?

[Since one can shed a layer of the material world’s constraints and perform miracles, a basic sense to perceive and manipulate space arises, allowing one to perform spatial leaps as well.]

Jin So-myeong, who was reading the jade slip, let out a sigh of admiration.

As he read the Nascent Soul insights given by Perfected Wuyang as payment for the wine, some of the doubts he had accumulated in the meantime were naturally resolved.

He recalled the memories of sparring or receiving instruction.

Perfected Wuyang used to suddenly vanish when he approached, only to appear in some unexpected location.

‘As expected, he was not simply fast.’

He had not moved at a speed invisible to the eye, but had truly teleported.

‘He also created a wine cup out of empty air. Was that also an application of teleportation?’

Did he draw in a wine cup located elsewhere?

If so, it meant he could also space-transfer other people or objects…

“Hah.”

Imagining what could be done with space-transfer gave him goosebumps.

What if one launched a fatal attack like a spell or Sword Qi and then space-transferred it?

It could neither be dodged nor blocked.

One’s vital spot would be pierced without even time to resist.

‘…Perfected Wuyang was truly just playing around when he fought me.’

The more details he came to know about the Nascent Soul stage, the more he realized the vast difference between Core Formation and Nascent Soul.

To defeat a Nascent Soul stage cultivator, it seemed he had to prepare a countermeasure against space-transfer at the minimum.

‘Would I be able to win if I poured in my Supreme Great Ability?’

Jin So-myeong, who was calculating his chances of victory, turned his gaze back to the Nascent Soul insights.

[What one must be most careful of when challenging the Nascent Soul stage is the calamity sent by heaven, the Heavenly Tribulation.]

[The types of Heavenly Tribulations are too numerous to count. Lightning Tribulation, Wind Tribulation, Heart Demon Tribulation, Killing Tribulation…]

[They are too diverse to be collectively called by the single word ‘tribulation,’ but they share exactly one commonality: if you do not overcome them, you will either die or suffer a plight worse than death.]

The calamity sent by heaven, the Heavenly Tribulation.

Jin So-myeong, who repeatedly muttered those words, furrowed his brows.

‘When a cultivator tries to break through Core Formation and reach the Nascent Soul stage, heaven interferes?’

The calamities that arrived at this time were diverse.

A foe with whom one had forged bad karma might launch a surprise attack, or one whom one trusted and followed might betray them.

‘When I broke through Core Formation on Sky Island, the demonic beasts invaded. Could that have also been a Heavenly Tribulation?’

During the Qi Condensation stage, he had fought life-or-death against the Foundation Establishment old monster who entered the Red Cloud Secret Realm.

Although it could merely be a coincidence, he felt strange after learning about the Heavenly Tribulation.

However, according to the Nascent Soul insights, the Heavenly Tribulation only occurred at cultivation realms of Rank 4 or higher.

‘It must be a coincidence. There must many people who reached Core Formation without any trouble.’

The reason the Heavenly Tribulation occurred had not been clearly revealed.

There was only the speculation that going toward eternal life without accepting a limited lifespan was itself defying heaven, an act against nature, and thus one was punished.

Having read the Nascent Soul insights meticulously, Jin So-myeong stroked his chin.

‘To sum it up roughly, one just needs to prepare various spiritual objects including the Nascent Condensation Pill, and temper the Essence, Qi, and Spirit to the point of approaching Rank 4.’

To this, one more thing.

It seemed he just needed to add the process of preparing for the various tribulations that would arrive when challenging the Nascent Soul stage.

Although there were a few points to be careful of, summarizing it as simply as possible resulted in this.

‘Good. In the secret realm, I can just do as I planned.’

It seemed he just needed to obtain the Void Shadow True Blossom Herb first and then focus on training.

Nodding his head, he brushed himself off and stood up.

Since he had recovered his physical condition while resting for a week, it was time to search for treasures again.

***

Kwaaaaang!!

As Jin So-myeong’s clone swung its sword toward the restriction, a deafening explosion resounded.

Listening to the roar that sounded as if a war had broken out, a sigh naturally escaped him.

“I simply cannot get used to this sound.”

“Sigh, indeed. It is so noisy it makes my head ache.”

Madame Ryeo beside him pressed her brow firmly.

Unable to endure it, she had tried setting up a formation to suppress the noise, but failed.

The explosive sound generated when breaking the restriction was no ordinary sound.

Farther, and noisier.

It was to the extent that it felt like a special divine ability developed solely for those two purposes.

Why?

In order to make people who gathered after hearing the commotion fight each other.

‘Hmm… it was said that the Seven-Colored Treasure Pagoda was an object created to imprison the Dead One.’

Of course, it was merely the Dead One’s one-sided claim. Thus, he was not certain, but there was room to consider it.

If the Seven-Colored Treasure Pagoda was a prison…

he could not help but harbor several questions.

‘The pagoda is incredibly ancient.’

It was a unit of at least several thousand to ten thousand years. Even so, it was still operating well.

For anything to operate properly, a power source was required.

What was the power source of the pagoda?

A spiritual vein?

Or… could it be that it used people who died inside as its energy source?

‘Perhaps it is both.’

It felt like the Seven-Colored Treasure Pagoda was designed to maintain its function even after a distantly long span of time.

Setting aside good and evil, he had no choice but to admire the ability itself.

‘Who had it been said created the pagoda… the Time Gate?’

Though it was a sect he had never heard of, he memorized it for now.

‘Hmm?’

Jin So-myeong, who was lost in thought, paused.

This was because, while the clone was breaking the restriction, someone was observing this place.

It was a distance far enough that a person appeared as a dot, but once he amplified his vision using spiritual power, he could confirm that it was a man with a snake-like face.

When their eyes met, the snake-faced man spread his palms. He retreated while smiling gently as if he had no intention of being hostile.

‘…An unpleasant fellow.’

Although he withdrew in an impeccably neat manner, his look was not to his liking.

Isn’t there someone you are reluctant to interact with from the very first encounter? The snake-faced man just now was exactly like that.

“Shall we pursue him?”

Madame Ryeo, who discovered the snake-faced man by following Jin So-myeong’s gaze, whispered quietly, but he shook his head.

“Since he did not do anything in particular, let us leave him be. Soon, there will be many people ascending to the third floor, and if we pursue them one by one, we won’t even have time to break restrictions.”

“Ah, yes.”

He manipulated the clone again to break the restriction, and thereafter, nothing in particular happened.

He broke the restriction smoothly, and discovered a colony of colorful spiritual herbs along with dense spiritual Qi.

‘I do not know the name, but at a single glance, they are Rank 4 spiritual herbs.’

The spiritual Qi contained in the spiritual herbs was extremely, extremely abundant.

Just as he was nodding his head with satisfaction,

Madame Ryeo, who was carefully inspecting the spiritual herbs possessing five colors…red, blue, yellow, green, and white…exclaimed:

“Ah! I have seen this before. It is the Five Hearts Nine Spirits Herb.”

Doubt arose at her words full of certainty.

It was something he had felt since the past; Madame Ryeo possessed quite a lot of knowledge regarding Rank 4 spiritual objects.

‘The Ten Thousand Souls Tree was one, and she also knew about the Void Shadow True Blossom Herb.’

It was wondrous yet query-inducing at the same time.

This world had severe monopolization of knowledge.

In particular, information regarding the upper classes was difficult to know even if it was minor. This was because social status was clearly divided according to cultivation realms.

“The Five Hearts Nine Spirits Herb… do you know what kind of spiritual herb it is?”

“I do not know in detail either. I only know it is a main ingredient for making Rank 4 cultivation-use medicinal pills.”

“Mmm.”

He suddenly grew curious about Madame Ryeo’s background, but hesitated whether it was alright to ask.

Would a person who lived as a rogue cultivator while hiding their identity not have circumstances? Naturally, they would.

After agonizing over it, he ended up merely nodding his head,

but Madame Ryeo, who hesitated for a very brief moment as if noticing his query, spoke with a bitter smile:

“There was a grandfather with whom I was close in my childhood…or rather, who looked upon me fondly. I came to know it while watching when he refined elixirs.”

“…I see.”

For some reason, he felt that the person called grandfather must have already died. He could tell just by the bitterness and longing contained in her voice.

Suddenly. Recalling her image when she answered that she also had many enemies at the mention of him having many foes.

‘She seems to be from a Nascent Soul-grade sect at the minimum… could it be that the entire sect was ruined?’

Jin So-myeong, who fell silent for a moment, changed the topic. It was clearly not a pleasant matter, so there was no reason to pry.

“Since it is an ingredient for a Rank 4 cultivation-use medicinal pill, is it possible to consume it raw?”

“Yes?”

Her eyes flew wide. She asked back like a person who had heard an absurd remark:

“You are saying you will eat what raw?”

“Didn’t you say it is an ingredient for a cultivation-use medicinal pill? It is no different from a lump of spiritual Qi, so wouldn’t eating it just like that help with training?”

“Th-that, wouldn’t the medicinal efficacy be too strong? If you consume a Rank 4 spiritual herb recklessly, your meridians might burst.”

“What if I can endure it?”

“Uh… then it seems it would be alright to eat. No! In the first place, I am not an elixir refiner. It is troublesome for you to ask me that.”

“I understand for now.”

“For now? You are surely not planning to eat it, right?”

For some reason, it was a look as if watching a troublemaker, but he did not bother to answer.

Jin So-myeong tried his best not to lie unless he was dealing with enemies.

“Since there are a total of twenty stalks of the Five Hearts Nine Spirits Herb, I will give seven stalks as your share, Madame Ryeo.”

“…Thank you.”

Although she glared at him when he turned the topic outright, she did not pry further.

Since neither of them was a child, matters regarding training were things each had to take care of on their own.

“Let us train for just a week and then go break the next restriction.”

“Yes.”

Originally, interfering with another’s training was taboo. Since the opportunities each had accumulated were so diverse, it could not be helped.

Despite that, Madame Ryeo appeared somewhat dissatisfied.

Muttering as if she wanted to say something, she departed with a sigh.

Jin So-myeong, who chuckled as laughter somehow arose, settled down in a suitable spot and sat cross-legged.

He swallowed a single Five Hearts Nine Spirits Herb in a single gulp.

There was no hesitation.

He had even endured his meridians snapping strand by strand after using the Light-Accumulating Destructive Vibration, so he did not think he would be endangered merely because of an ingredient for a cultivation-use medicinal pill.

‘Mmm… it is quite thrilling indeed.’

The energy that arose inside his stomach swept through his entire body. It felt like a river pouring into a valley where a spring had been trickling.

‘No, wait a moment.’

It was not merely at a thrilling level.

He focused, feeling that if he let his guard down, his meridians would burst and he would die.

Crackle…!

With all his heart and strength, he operated the Heavenly Thunder Dao Body Art to govern the energy rampaging along his meridians.

He did not forget to consume 20,000 points of the Supreme Great Ability to amplify the training effect.

How many days passed within his self-forgetful state?

Jin So-myeong, who gathered the lightning energy that had leaked out after losing control, measured his accumulated spiritual power.

‘At this speed… I will reach the 5th layer of Core Formation if I train for about a month.’

It was a joyful thing.

How long would he have to train outside the secret realm to reach the 5th layer of Core Formation?

Roughly calculated, thirty years?

‘Of course, it won’t truly take thirty years.’

Since he would shorten the training period by using various treasures along the way, wouldn’t he reach the 5th layer of Core Formation in about seven to ten years?

‘Hah, just how much time did I save after entering the Seven-Colored Treasure Pagoda?’

The thought suddenly came to him that the most valuable thing obtained here was not the Rank 4 spiritual herbs, but time.

Though roaming around to search for treasures was good, wouldn’t it also be good to focus on training in this manner…

Stroking the rosary worn on his left wrist, he closed his eyes again.

*

After finishing his week-long training,

Jin So-myeong emerged from the restriction with Madame Ryeo.

There were a total of three restrictions he had found in advance. He pondered which of the remaining two restrictions to go to first.

‘Should I go to the near one first, or the larger one first?’

Restrictions tended to contain more precious items the larger their scale was. It was information he naturally came to know while breaking a dozen restrictions.

‘If I only consider the travel route, it is better to stop by the near restriction first, but…’

The restriction that was exceptionally large in scale kept hovering before his eyes. He worried that someone else might occupy it first.

Just as he was contemplating the next destination,

Kwang!

the sound of breaking a restriction resounded from somewhere. Judging by the faintness of the sound, it was a considerable distance away.

Madame Ryeo, who furrowed her brows, muttered:

“Is it that person we encountered a week ago?”

“I do not know. Let us go this way.”

Once he perceived the fact that there was a competitor, making a decision became easier.

He went straight toward the large-scale restriction instead of the near one.

Was it because they moved in a hurry? Fortunately, it was still in an unbroken state.

“Wow… it is tremendous. It seems three or four times larger than the restriction where the Ten Thousand Souls Tree had been?”

“How long will it take to set up the Spirit Gathering Formation here?”

“Mmm. I think it will take about half a two-hour period. Shall I set it up?”

“Yes. Please.”

If it was a restriction this large, the spiritual Qi must also be abundant.

Since it was a waste to throw it away, he intended to trap the spiritual Qi with the Spirit Gathering Formation and use it for training.

After waiting for the Spirit Gathering Formation to be set up,

he broke the restriction, but to state the conclusion first, it was a useless act.

“Huh?”

The moment the restriction broke, Jin So-myeong and Madame Ryeo, who had prepared for the sweeping spiritual Qi, were flustered.

This was because inside the bizarrely colossal restriction, there was not even a handful of spiritual Qi.

It was merely silent.

Usually, breaking a restriction revealed a lush forest, but this restriction did not even have that.

Amidst the dry gray soil that could be mistaken for asphalt, dry air, and a desolate environment where no living creature could seem to survive…

exactly one thing.

A single flower stood loftily.

While staring as if possessed at the petals gradually changing from blue to a subtle purple, he suddenly realized:

this flower…

did not have a shadow.

“The Void Shadow True Blossom Herb.”

The Nascent Soul stage spiritual object he had searched for so much. The flower that blossomed alone by monopolizing all the energy inside the giant restriction appeared before his eyes.

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