Chapter 122: Seven-Colored Treasure Pagoda (22)
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Translated by Frog in the Well
Read it only at Nineheavens.org
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Jin So-myeong, who was carefully examining the giant palm print made by the Yin-Yang Great Hand Seal, narrowed his eyes.
Crackle…!
In the pit deeply carved in the shape of a palm, the sound of sparks flying rang out ceaselessly.
The red and pure white thread-shaped lightning crawled on the ground like snakes, seeming to still have power left even after turning the mountain into flatland.
‘Shall I test it?’
With his curiosity piqued, he took out a Rank 3 spiritual metal from his sub-space. Since spiritual metal was a hard lump of iron used to make Magic Treasures, it was perfect for testing the power of lightning.
The moment he threw the fist-sized lump of iron into the palm print.
Rumble!
The two-colored lightning crawling on the ground surged up and swallowed the lump of iron.
Crackle!
An intense light, to the point it was hard to open one’s eyes, made a chilling sound.
The Rank 3 spiritual metal, which boasted a smooth surface, repeatedly turned red-hot and then dyed pure white, before bursting with a bang!
It split and split again, turning completely into powder without leaving a trace…
Since intense heat and extreme cold were injected simultaneously, even the highly durable Rank 3 spiritual metal could not endure it.
‘Indeed. If hit properly, the entire body would be paralyzed.’
Even if one unfolded a defensive spell to block it, they would freeze and burn at the same time due to the two raging energies, making it hard to move.
‘If used well, it will even work against late Golden Core cultivators.’
If a follow-up strike was launched the moment their movements slowed down due to the lightning energy, an average person would be struck without even being able to respond.
Although it was a spell specialized in striking a wide area, it was also a good technique for surprise attacks or keeping enemies in check.
He ran simulations in his head on how to utilize the Yin-Yang Great Hand Seal, and it was quite satisfying.
‘Not bad. It is a spell with excellent versatility.’
It seemed like it would be usefully applied in most situations of attack and defense.
If he had to point out a drawback,
it was that the concentration of power was lower compared to Sword Qi, making it highly likely that it would not work against strong experts.
‘Well, all power depends on how it is used.’
Jin So-myeong, nodding his head, opened the status window.
【Spells】
…
Yin-Yang Great Hand Seal (Initiate 1 / 300,000)
The maximum proficiency was higher than that of the Wind Transformation Body Force, which required 200,000 at the Initiate stage.
‘Does that mean it’s a superior spell?’
He was satisfied that he seemed to have chosen well.
After practicing the Yin-Yang Great Hand Seal for about half a day and becoming familiar with it, he returned to the restriction.
Half a year had already passed since he entered the Seven-Colored Treasure Pagoda.
Since he could stay for a total of one year, the remaining period was half a year. The end was not far away, so he had to do his best until the very last moment.
‘Since the 6th layer of Golden Core isn’t far off, I think I can make it somehow… but the 7th layer is the problem.’
At first, he thought it would be fully possible, but he was held back by a bottleneck.
The speed of accumulating spiritual power kept slowing down, making it seem difficult to reach the late Golden Core stage.
‘A bottleneck… how do I resolve this?’
Actually, it was a common thing for a cultivator to encounter a bottleneck. Rather, it was stranger for someone to reach the Golden Core stage without a bottleneck like Jin So-myeong.
There were various reasons for a bottleneck to occur.
Limitation of talent, lack of resources, flaws in the cultivation method, and so on.
Many reasons existed, but in fact, these were not the reasons that applied to Jin So-myeong.
To him, who had obtained all kinds of fortuitous opportunities, neither resources nor cultivation methods were lacking.
In his opinion, the reason a bottleneck had occurred now was literally because the cultivation speed was too fast.
An increase in cultivation realm was soon the growth of the soul. His soul was complaining of fatigue from the rapid growth.
‘Is resting just the answer?’
He pondered for a moment, but as expected, resting in the secret realm was too much of a waste.
‘For now, let’s do everything I can.’
Even if he could not become a late Golden Core cultivator due to a lack of time, it did not matter. The important thing was the mindset of doing one’s best.
As he pondered a solution, an idea came to mind.
If the problem was that the speed of accumulating spiritual power had slowed down, couldn’t he use other methods to quicken the cultivation speed?
Turning on the status window, he searched for something related to cultivation speed in the 【Spells】 category.
Immortal-Severing Earth Art (Mastery 50,000 / 500,000)
A spell he could not pay attention to because he had no leeway in his Supreme Great Ability. He could raise it now.
The moment he consumed 450,000 of the Supreme Great Ability accumulated over a month.
Hundreds of thousands of talisman characters swirled in his head. The spell text of the Immortal-Severing Earth Art he previously knew was completely dismantled and then reconstructed in an instant.
Immortal-Severing Earth Art (Minor Success 1 / 500,000,000)
“Mmm…!”
His entire body trembled at the thrilling joy surging up his spine. It felt as if he had taken a step closer toward something more perfect, the ultimate realm of the ideal.
The effect produced as the Immortal-Severing Earth Art reached Minor Success was simple and clear. The amount of medicinal pills he could consume expanded drastically from the existing four times to eight times.
‘Although the Seven-Colored Treasure Pagoda has such a high concentration of spiritual Qi that the portion occupied by medicinal pills is low… it is better than nothing.’
While enjoying the aftertaste given by the Minor Success grade spell text, he snapped his fingers.
Snap!
A darkish needle shot out from his fingertip and embedded itself in the ground.
This needle was a hidden weapon refined by gathering pill toxins, the impurities in medicinal pills. It was an atrocious poison that made it hard to break through realms if it hit an enemy.
‘Should I call it the Pill Toxin Dagger?’
As the Immortal-Severing Earth Art reached Minor Success, this hidden weapon also became stealthier and faster.
However, since it was a hidden weapon made by clumping pill toxins together in the first place, its power was miserable. To the point that it could not even pierce a thin energy barrier.
‘Honestly, it doesn’t help in battle. It would only be useful for threats or screwing someone over.’
Suddenly, the enemy who was hit by the Pill Toxin Dagger came to mind.
The Young Master of the Thousand Corpses Sect whom Jin So-myeong met when he had just reached Foundation Establishment. He had hit that guy, who ordered Jiangshi around, with this hidden weapon.
‘Would he have reached Golden Core by now?’
At that time, the young master was right before reaching the 7th layer of Foundation Establishment.
Since he was the successor of a sect in his own right, cultivation resources would not be lacking. If he had cultivated normally, he would have reached Golden Core by now…
Since he was hit by the Immortal-Severing Earth Art, he was curious about his current state.
‘I should pay him a visit sooner or later.’
I hope he is living well. That way, it will be even more satisfying when I take revenge.
Jin So-myeong, who recalled his hometown for a moment, scattered his stray thoughts.
Before entering cultivation again, he entered the Secret Realm of the Mind and sat in front of the Void Shadow True Blossom Herb.
‘They said that if one observes this flower often, the possibility of reaching the Nascent Soul stage increases.’
He stared at the Void Shadow True Blossom Herb while sitting cross-legged.
A deep dark blue like the night sea, a gold that seemed to have melted the sun, a turbid ash gray like half-burnt charcoal…
Looking at the petals whose colors constantly changed made him feel ticklish somewhere inside his body.
If he tried to pinpoint exactly where it was ticklish, strangely he could not tell, but there was definitely something.
Should he say it felt as if the boundary between reality and fantasy was blurring.
‘Is this a sense of space…?’
There were many times when he zoned out while looking at the Void Shadow True Blossom Herb. A distant sense of distance was also felt from the flower that was clearly right in front of his nose.
After observing the flower for over several hours, he stood up with a sigh.
After this day.
Even while busy with cultivation, Jin So-myeong steadily made time to sit in front of the Void Shadow True Blossom Herb and contemplate.
Sometimes looking with focus by putting strength in his eyes, sometimes looking blankly as if enjoying the scenery…
He advanced step by step toward the vaguely visible Nascent Soul stage.
*
One month.
The Yin-Yang Great Hand Seal reached the Mastery stage.
The time taken to cast the spell shortened, and its power became stronger. It reached a level fully usable in actual combat.
Two months.
Despite the tiresome bottleneck, his cultivation realm rose.
Absorbing the high-concentration spiritual Qi to his heart’s content, generously eating the Rank 4 spiritual herbs obtained by breaking restrictions, and consuming hundreds of cultivation medicinal pills bought from Vast Wilderness Immortal City like drinking water.
After persistent efforts while pouring in all kinds of resources.
He reached the 6th layer of Golden Core.
What changed?
As much as his cultivation realm became higher, his speed, amount of spiritual power, lightning inside his mind, Sword Qi, and so on. All abilities became stronger.
The Supreme Great Ability divine ability also naturally became stronger, and its maximum capacity increased from 600,000 to 800,000.
Around this point, the speed of accumulating spiritual power slowed down greatly, but he did not stop cultivation.
Because no matter how much it slowed down, it was a speed dozens of times faster compared to outside the secret realm.
As soon as his Supreme Great Ability recovered, he used it to suppress the bottleneck and accumulate spiritual power.
‘The next goal is… the late Golden Core stage.’
He also wanted to raise the River and Cloud Sword Art and the Heavenly Thunder Dao Body Art to the Minor Success stage. Of course, since this required a bit of time, it seemed he would have to challenge it after leaving the Seven-Colored Treasure Pagoda.
In any case,
while accumulating spiritual power again and again with the late Golden Core stage as his goal,
if cultivation progress did not advance at all, he occasionally focused on spells, sword arts, or body tempering.
‘Fortunately, body tempering cultivation is going well at least.’
Currently, his physical body was at the very end of Rank 3 mid-grade.
Various body tempering spiritual medicines obtained from the Dragon Elephant Demonic Palace and the Mount Tai Heavy Cushion, a Magic Treasure for physical training, were of great help.
Sitting on the Mount Tai Heavy Cushion, a cushion that applied a load to the body in proportion to the injected spiritual power, Jin So-myeong, who was refining his body, picked up a jade slip.
Five Viscera Hundred Tempering Art – Blood Armor Condensation Chapter.
Although he could recite it word for word without missing a single letter from reading it over dozens of times, he read it closely once more.
[The blood armor refined by condensing physical essence changes color depending on the cultivation realm, and they are respectively called Red Armor, Dark Armor, and Purple Eye Armor.]
‘The energy barrier on Wi Mun-seok’s skin was red. It must have been the realm of the Red Armor.’
If the Red Armor gradually deepened to become a complete black color, it became the Dark Armor. It was said to become an armor with Nascent Soul-class strength.
‘Then is the Purple Eye Armor at the Soul Formation stage?’
It seemed correct in order, but there was no detailed information in the jade slip.
Jin So-myeong, who pondered for a moment, closed his eyes tightly. This was to condense his physical essence to create the blood armor.
Actually, it was written in the jade slip to attempt it after the body tempering cultivation realm reached Rank 3 high-grade, but he ignored it.
‘Surely I won’t die.’
He believed he could condense the blood armor with his physical body that had reached the very end of Rank 3 mid-grade, combined with his Supreme Great Ability.
He concentrated while reciting the mnemonic of the Blood Armor Condensation Chapter. He sought to gather his physical essence and compress it to a single point.
“Ugh…!”
His entire body trembled. Should he describe it as a feeling of squeezing bones and flesh.
His firm muscles shrank. It was chilling as if his bones, which had firmly held his center, were crumbling.
A feeling of walking toward death by himself.
The feeling of his diligently refined body weakening in real-time was terrible. Furthermore, because the entire process proceeded so sluggishly, it was even more painful.
He wanted to give up right away, but he gritted his teeth and endured.
Whenever he felt like he was really going to die, he consumed his Supreme Great Ability to recover his damaged body.
How much time had passed.
“Ah!”
On top of his weakened body, which was frail enough to collapse even if a seven-year-old child came and lightly tapped him, a reddish energy barrier emerged.
He had succeeded in condensing the blood armor!
There was another piece of good news. As his body, which was damaged to its limit, recovered, his body tempering cultivation realm broke through the wall. He reached Rank 3 high-grade, which was equivalent to the late Golden Core stage.
‘Is my aptitude more suited for body tempering than Qi condensation?’
The Qi condensation, into which he poured almost all his time, was still at the 6th layer of Golden Core, but the body tempering he practiced on the side reached the late Golden Core level first.
Although it was absurd, what of it? It was naturally a good thing.
‘Let’s rest a bit first.’
After completely recovering his dying body, he tested the durability of the newly obtained Red Armor.
Hum!
As he concentrated his mind, a red barrier emerged on his forearm. He tried lightly tapping it with the Heavenly Heavy Darkrock Sword wrapped in Sword Qi, and indeed.
‘It’s perfectly fine? It won’t even get scratched by an average spell.’
The weight of the Heavenly Heavy Darkrock Sword was 100,000 jin. Even if he struck lightly, the power was absolutely not weak.
Its durability was beyond imagination.
The speed at which the armor emerged was also fast. It was almost simultaneous with his thought. As long as it wasn’t an attack he failed to perceive, it seemed he could fully respond.
It was not without drawbacks. Once the blood armor broke, it had to be made again.
‘Is it because it is a method of summoning an already made armor? Instead, the consumption of spiritual power is almost nonexistent.’
Jin So-myeong, who was examining the advantages and disadvantages of the Blood Armor Condensation Chapter, nodded his head.
***
Within the fruitful time of digesting what he had obtained in the Seven-Colored Treasure Pagoda.
Half a year passed before he knew it.
When there was exactly one week left of the time he could stay in the secret realm.
Jin So-myeong, who was immersed in meditation, slowly opened his eyes.
“They have come.”
Before any other sense.
His instinct felt it. That the flies who gathered, coveting the Rank 4 spiritual herbs, had arrived.
The number of those approaching while harboring killing intent exceeded dozens and broke through the hundreds. Even though it was a distance too far for his Divine Sense to reach, he felt it vaguely.
“Heh…”
An absurd number of Golden Core cultivators formed a siege, targeting his life.
It was a situation where it would not be strange if he fled immediately, yet…
for some reason he did not know, a laugh just came out.
He could not distinguish whether the emotion welling up in his heart was excitement or delight.
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