Chapter 165: Nascent Soul-Grade Exchange Meeting

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Translated by Frog in the Well

Read more at Nineheavens.org
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Jin So-myeong, who had been in a state of selflessness, lifted his heavy eyelids.

“Urrrgh…”

At the same time his blurry focus sharpened like a person who had just awakened from a deep sleep,

*Rumble!*

a bolt of lightning plunging from the sky pierced the crown of his head and spread to his limbs and bones.

In an instant, the immense spiritual power sleeping in his dantian turned into lightning. Slipping from control, it transformed into blue threads and scorched the surroundings black.

Thanks to the loud roar, Jin So-myeong, who had completely regained his reasoning, perceived the situation.

‘This is… the world inside the Myriad Thunders Chaos Sky Scroll.’

Because he was so absorbed in training, he had even forgotten the flow of time.

Watching the lightning Qi stirring in all directions, he focused his mind. He gathered all the lightning that was running wild out of control and stacked it step by step inside his dantian.

‘How much time has passed? It can’t be that the exchange meeting has already started.’

He cast a simple spell to check the time, and there were still a few days left before the exchange meeting was to start.

‘Fortunately.’

A bitter smile naturally escaped him. To think he was so engrossed in the Heavenly Thunder Dao Body Art that he could not even feel the passage of time…

But thanks to that, there was a result.

[Jin So-myeong]

[Lifespan] : 91 / 1963

[Realm] : 2nd layer of the Nascent Soul stage

[Supreme Great Abilities] : 7,700,000 / 15,000,000

[Divine Abilities] : ,

The 2nd layer of the Nascent Soul stage! He had succeeded in raising his realm before the exchange meeting started.

Based on the point when he began focusing on training in earnest, he had raised his realm in approximately five years.

Focusing his senses on his dantian, he measured the amount of spiritual power. Compared to when he was at the 1st layer, his spiritual power had increased by about fifty percent.

‘At this level… is it similar to an average mid Nascent Soul?’

Jin So-myeong originally had more spiritual power than others. This was because, as he mastered the Five Viscera Hundred Tempering Art, his five organs—liver, heart, spleen, lungs, and kidneys—had transformed like dantians.

The Light-Accumulating Destructive Vibration divine ability that utilized the five viscera as reserve dantians, the Heavenly Thunder Dao Body Art which was outstanding enough to be called a divine method, and so on.

Thanks to the combination of various elements, he was not lacking even when compared to mid Nascent Soul cultivators.

‘It will take about ten years to reach the 3rd layer of the Nascent Soul stage.’

Although it was an extremely fast speed… it was regrettable.

‘It would be great if there was some suitable secret realm somewhere.’

In fact, as soon as he arrived in the Middle Province, he had looked for secret realms that Nascent Soul cultivators could visit. However, unlike what he had vaguely expected, there was not much information about secret realms.

When he asked about Nascent Soul-grade secret realms, everyone made uncomfortable expressions and only gave the answer that they did not know.

‘I hope there will be achievements in this exchange meeting.’

Closing his eyes again, Jin So-myeong consumed his Supreme Great Abilities to perfectly manage his unstable spiritual power.

He gathered his leaking energy and lowered it to the level of an ordinary 1st layer Nascent Soul.

Since he had gained many enemies recently, there was a need to cloud the judgment of his foes.

‘It’s done.’

After completing his training, he paused as he emerged from the Myriad Thunders Chaos Sky Scroll painting.

It was because of Geum-cheong, who was slumped on the ground near the Jade Light Spring.

Although five years had passed since Geum-cheong was born, she was still in the shape of a yellow chick. It was not that she had not grown; if she was the size of a mandarin orange in the past, now she was about the size of an apple or a pear.

She had grown to about the size of an adult’s fist.

“Dol-soe. Don’t tell me you starved yourself again?”

A lifeless voice flowed from the chick, which was slumped like a deflated balloon.

“Did this lady not tell you that she is not Dol-soe…”

“I don’t know why a fellow who is only at the Qi Condensation stage keeps calling herself ‘this lady.'”

Because Geum-cheong referred to herself as ‘this lady,’ he initially thought that some tremendous high-level demonic beast had reincarnated.

However, she had not.

Without even having any memories of a past life, she simply called herself by a high title, filled with groundless confidence.

To put it nicely, she was full of self-esteem; to put it harshly, she had a naturally arrogant personality.

Anyway…

“I packed plenty of food for you. Why do you keep starving yourself?”

Inspecting the surroundings, he saw a bowl filled with yellow powder.

This powder was made by grinding various Rank 1 lightning-attribute spiritual herbs, which was a prey so precious that ordinary Qi Condensation cultivators would not even dare dream of it.

When he pushed the bowl closer, she tightly closed her beak and snapped her head away.

“Those are tasteless. I do not wish to eat them.”

To think a fellow who hadn’t been born long was already complaining about side dishes…

Or rather, because she was young, was it normal to complain about food?

Perhaps because she had not eaten properly, there was no strength in her voice. Seeing the tiny creature slumped, his heart softened.

The moment he raised his spiritual power and condensed the Five Elements Divine Thunder at his fingertips,

*Chirp?*

her eyes that resembled black beans flashed open.

She sprang up like a roly-poly toy and pattered over to peck at the lightning Qi gathered at his fingertips. The chick, who greedily devoured the lightning Qi like a person who had starved for days, fluttered her wings in joy.

“*Chirp, chirp!* Wonderful! Indeed, this is the most delicious!”

After eating lightning Qi until her belly was plump, Geum-cheong, who had completely recovered her energy, chirped as if singing, and then dove into the Jade Light Spring as if taking a plunge.

Lightning flowed in the Jade Light Spring.

It was a pond so dangerous that an ordinary person could not even approach, but mysteriously, the ferocious lightning Qi did not attack Geum-cheong. Rather, it gently wrapped around her as if protecting her.

‘What kind of bloodline was she born with that the lightning acts so gently?’

Geum-cheong floated on the water like a toy duck floating in a bathtub and enjoyed a nap, and watching her, he could only let out a dry laugh.

‘What an easy life.’

According to what he had found out so far, Geum-cheong grew rapidly as long as she had enough lightning Qi. It was to the point that she came to possess a late Qi Condensation-level aura in just five years since birth.

‘Although her growth is fast…’

he did not know if there would be any matter where he could receive help from this cheeky fellow.

Of course, she had one use. The fact that her appearance was so cute that looking at her was pleasant?

It felt like the mental fatigue accumulated from arduous training was melting away.

Furthermore, seeing her handle lightning Qi, he would very occasionally obtain something like enlightenment.

When he imitated her freely using lightning bolts like hands and feet, his efficiency in handling lightning Qi would increase, albeit minutely.

After watching the chick fall asleep after eating her fill of lightning Qi, he stepped outside his cave dwelling.

Dozens of Voice Transmission Talismans poured in, and one of them contained very welcome news.

‘They obtained body tempering spiritual medicines?’

With a joyful heart, he immediately visited Du Geum-bo, the chief administrator of Myriad Treasures Tower.

“Fellow Daoist Jin! It has been a long time. You have finally completed your secluded meditation.”

Du Geum-bo, whom he met after about five years, smiled in welcome. Exchanging greetings with him, who still boasted a robust build, he brought up the main topic.

“I heard that the body tempering spiritual medicines I requested are ready. Is it true?”

“Of course. I was waiting for when Fellow Daoist Jin’s secluded meditation would end.”

Du Geum-bo, grinning, confidently held out a storage pouch.

Asking for permission and inspecting the inside of the storage pouch, he was satisfied to see well over a hundred spiritual herbs and pills. Every single one of them was a spiritual medicine of great help to body tempering training.

“Good. How much should I give you?”

“To be honest, getting close to an expert like Fellow Daoist Jin is a huge gain from our Myriad Treasures Tower’s perspective. So, if it were up to my heart, I would like to just give them to you as a gift…”

Du Geum-bo, who dragged out the introduction, licked his lips and continued speaking.

“Unfortunately, Myriad Treasures Tower does not belong to me alone, so I cannot give them to you for free. Therefore, I will only take twenty thousand supreme-grade spirit stones, which is the cost price.”

Calculating roughly in his head, it was indeed a cheap price.

A little lower than the market price? It was unbelievably cheap for a price offered by Myriad Treasures Tower, which tended to sell goods expensively.

“It is good for me.”

Was it because he had shown outstanding skill while facing the Dark-Thunder Azure-Heaven Beast? Various benefits followed without his realizing it.

Finishing the pleasant transaction, he asked about something he had been curious about since before.

“Since I reached the Nascent Soul stage, training has become so difficult that I am worried. Is there any way to speed up the cultivation pace? For example, a secret realm?”

“…A secret realm? Mmm.”

Du Geum-bo, hesitating for a moment for some reason, only spoke after casting a quick glance around.

“I am saying this only because it is you, Fellow Daoist Jin… Actually, there are almost no secret realms that Nascent Soul cultivators can visit. The Sacred City monopolizes all of them.”

“Monopolizes?”

It was absurd. Setting aside the good or evil of their actions, just how powerful a force were they that the act of monopoly was possible?

How did they suppress the backlash of the people?

“Everyone is dissatisfied inwardly, but because they do not want to be targeted by the Sacred City, they have no choice but to keep quiet.”

As he frowned, a voice that had become a notch lower followed.

“Of course, no matter how great the Sacred City is, it is impossible to monopolize all secret realms. The dangerous secret realms in the ten great forbidden areas remain as they are, and occasionally, secret realms that slip from control open up.”

The Sacred City seemed to be a force several times more powerful than he had vaguely thought.

‘Is it natural in a way?’

According to what he had investigated, the Sacred City had secretly ruled the Middle Province since at least tens of thousands of years ago.

During that vast amount of time, how many resources had they monopolized, and how much growth had they achieved with them? It was hard to even imagine.

‘But why on earth are they going this far?’

Is it simply to maintain their status, which is no different from the ruler of the Middle Province, by obstructing others from raising their realms?

With that much effort, would it not be better to ascend to the Upper Realm and pursue a higher realm?

For Jin So-myeong, who had started from a backwater village where a few Foundation Establishment cultivators ruled as sovereigns and had moved to wider worlds every time his realm rose, it was difficult to understand.

‘If a force as powerful as the Sacred City seriously challenges ascension, they would likely succeed… Strangely, no such rumors are heard.’

Suddenly, a certain intuition flashed through his head.

That in the current situation where the Soul Formation stage was treated as a legend, the influence of the Sacred City must be absolute.

Jin So-myeong, who was silently lost in thought, shook off his idle thoughts with a single short breath.

He decided to leave the complicated situation as it was and focus on what he had to do.

How could the path to ascend the Great Dao of Longevity be easy? Under any circumstances, if he took one step at a time, a path would eventually be visible.

“Then… would it be possible to know the information on secret realms in the ten great forbidden areas?”

“That is not difficult. I will give you the information we have grasped.”

***

A week later.

Before heading to the location where the Nascent Soul-grade exchange meeting was held, Jin So-myeong cast the Thousand Transformations Art for the first time in a while to change his appearance.

He nodded, having transformed like a noble young master clad in white robes. Even with his Divine Sense, which was more powerful than a mid Nascent Soul, no strange points could be found.

In fact, the Thousand Transformations Art was the most powerful defensive means he possessed.

Although he had no particular intention to do so, if he resolved to hide and live, there were not many who would be able to find him.

When he went to the place where the exchange meeting was held, a familiar Golden Core merchant bowed politely.

“Greetings to Senior! I am Jang Cheon-woo, the branch steward of Myriad Treasures Tower in Cloud Dragon Immortal City.”

At the greeting that brought a sense of déjà vu, he remembered who it was. He was the Golden Core cultivator belonging to Myriad Treasures Tower whom he had met to rent a spiritual vein when he had just arrived in Cloud Dragon Immortal City in the past.

“Was it the Myriad Treasures Tower that hosted this exchange meeting?”

“Yes, but we did not host it solely with the strength of our Myriad Treasures Tower; we cooperated with other merchant guilds.”

“I see.”

“Senior. If you wish to hide your identity, you may use a dharma treasure like a mask.”

Putting a mask that was rolling around in the sub-space on his face, he followed the guidance.

Passing through the short-distance teleportation array and walking along a long hallway, they soon arrived at a splendid main hall.

Meeting the gazes that suddenly gathered on him, he inspected the surroundings, and well over twenty diverse Nascent Soul cultivators were visible.

A woman with her legs crossed and chin resting on her hand, a bulky man with crossed arms, a person with bizarrely long limbs, and so on. Most of them were in a state of concealing their true features with masks and the like.

Jin So-myeong, smiling slightly, found a suitable seat and sat down, and soon after, the proper exchange meeting began.

“This is a skein of Underworld-Summoning Silkworm Silk. Since this thread has the characteristic of resisting five elements spiritual power, if you tailor and wear dharma robes with it, it will become a powerful defensive Spiritual Treasure. I will exchange it for a fire-attribute spiritual object.”

“I…”

While they took turns exchanging what they needed one by one,

a woman wearing a monster mask took out and opened a jade box engraved with high-class patterns.

“Light-Transmitting Deep Thunder Vine. It is a Rank 4 medium-grade lightning-attribute spiritual object. There is no need to explain further, is there?”

At the voice, which was calm enough to feel cold, the eyes of most Nascent Soul cultivators attending the exchange meeting shone.

A lightning-attribute spiritual object had many uses.

Even if it was simply made into a Spiritual Treasure, it exerted powerful power, and if one trained in a lightning-attribute cultivation method, one could also absorb lightning Qi to accumulate spiritual power.

“What do you wish for?”

“Well. Since there are too many things I need, it is hard to choose just one. I will simply sell it to whoever proposes the most precious object.”

Jin So-myeong, staring intently at the vine emitting pure white light, the Light-Transmitting Deep Thunder Vine, widened his eyes.

‘Wait, its roots seem to be alive?’

Although he had only been silently watching until now, he truly coveted this spiritual object.

A spiritual herb having live roots meant…

that he could copy it using the Myriad Flows Restoration divine ability.

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