Chapter 206: Heavenly Thunder Dao Body Art Great Success
===================
Translated by Frog in the Well
Read it only at Nineheavens.org
===================
Cultivation in the True Realm of Illusory Dreams was smooth.
First, Limitless, who absorbed numerous spiritual treasures, rose in grade to Rank 4 high-grade.
Judging by the growth rate, it seemed he would reach Rank 4 highest-grade by the time he left the secret realm.
“Good job.”
He gave a generous amount of Sword Gang to Limitless, who was buzzing happily.
【Resource Production】 : 85 supreme-grade spirit stones / 1 day
He did not forget to duplicate Immortal Stones to upgrade the Secret Realm of the Mind every time 120,000 supreme-grade spirit stones were gathered.
*
As he focused on cultivation, time flowed truly quickly.
Exactly twelve years from the day he entered the True Realm of Illusory Dreams.
【Cultivation Methods】
Heavenly Thunder Dao Body Art (Minor Success 19.99 billion / 20 billion)
The Heavenly Thunder Dao Body Art, which he had devoted himself to for a long time, reached just before Great Success.
Actually, since the maximum limit of his Supreme Great Abilities had increased when he reached the 8th layer of the Nascent Soul stage, he should have achieved Great Success long ago, but it was delayed because there were many places to use Supreme Great Abilities in the middle.
In any case,
The 20 billion proficiency, which had been so remote at first that he did not even dare to lay a hand on it, was just about to be filled.
All that remained was to take the final step.
Along with a deep breath, he invested his Supreme Great Abilities. The moment the lacking proficiency was filled.
Along with a sensation as if his mind was expanding infinitely, millions of spell formulas raged in his head.
Numerous characters floating like clouds pointed to a single target.
Heavenly Thunder Dao Body Art.
At the same time that he realized what the spell formulas settled in his head meant.
*Boom!*
The spell formulas that had been aligned in an orderly fashion shattered into pieces. They completely turned into dust so that not even a trace could be found, and scattered in all directions.
‘Ah…’
In the moment he became blank at the sense of exhaustion of his head becoming completely empty.
The disassembled spell formulas emitted golden light and were instantly rearranged.
His heart. No, his soul throbbed.
A wave echoing from deep within his soul shook his entire body.
*Crackle…!*
The spiritual power sleeping in his dantian turned into lightning Qi and swept through his limbs and bones.
It felt as if his flesh and bones, as well as blood and muscle…even the spiritual power flowing along his meridians…were all replaced by lightning.
There was no pain.
He just stared as if possessed at the lightning Qi shining as if flickering.
Then suddenly.
In the moment he realized that since he was lightning itself, there was no need to distinguish between the two.
The Five Elements Divine Thunder floating quietly in his mind split into five…no, into countless lines of light.
Some were hot, and others were cold.
Numerous phenomena originating from the Five Elements, a multi-colored halo of light, converged into a single point and were reborn as a thick bolt of lightning.
The ends of the newly born Five Elements Divine Thunder locked together, forming a ring shape.
The circulation of the Five Elements.
The lightning ring created by the gathering of countless lines of light began to rotate on its own.
What had changed?
He was able to realize that immediately.
The surrounding spiritual Qi was sucked into his dantian on its own, refined by the ring, and turned into spiritual power.
‘To think spiritual power accumulates even though I didn’t cultivate?’
It was a surprising event enough to open his eyes wide. Like this, it was no different from cultivation happening automatically.
Of course, the speed was slower than cultivating directly, but the fact itself that spiritual power was steadily accumulating without him paying attention was important.
‘The Lightning Insight Spell-Breaking Eye has changed too.’
There was one drawback to this divine ability that pierced through the possibilities of all creation, which was that the sight of lightning flashing in his pupils was too conspicuous.
However, as the Heavenly Thunder Dao Body Art reached Great Success, this drawback disappeared.
A portion of the lightning Qi became one with his pupils, allowing him to cast it covertly.
And also.
Was it thanks to obtaining a Spirit Body by achieving Great Success in the Heavenly Thunder Dao Body Art?
The Purple Divine Thunder changed.
*Rumble!*
The purple lightning streaks pouring from his fingertips swam in the empty air and drew complex shapes.
The fellow that rebelled and refused to obey control whenever it had a chance became obedient like a lie.
It was to the extent that it followed as he wished, allowing him to draw elaborate pictures.
‘Is it because a Spirit Body was formed? My control over lightning Qi has become incredibly strong.’
Jin So-myeong, who traced back the various changes, including the effect of spiritual power accumulating automatically, nodded his head.
He liked it.
Should he say it felt like his aptitude, which could be called the foundation of a cultivator, had improved?
Efficiency shot up in all areas related to spiritual Qi.
‘Cultivation speed has naturally become faster… and I should try absorbing lightning Qi as well.’
Accumulating spiritual power with lightning Qi was something possible originally, but he was curious about how much the efficiency had increased.
He headed to the Jade Light Spring in the Secret Realm of the Mind, and perhaps because it had been a long time since he came, quite a lot had changed.
‘When did it widen like this.’
The Jade Light Spring, which had been at the level of a large bathtub, grew into a lake before long, and thick lightning bundles like pythons shot up incessantly.
Without him seeing, the Jade Light Spring’s grade rose to Rank 4.
It was thanks to Geum-cheong, who was assumed to have inherited the lineage of the thunderbird, diligently cultivating it for decades.
The moment he approached while admiring inwardly.
The spiritual spring, which had been rumbling and spitting out thunder, became gentle. It became quiet as if welcoming its master.
Leaving his satisfaction behind, he dipped his fingertips into the Jade Light Spring. As he absorbed the lightning Qi, the ring of Five Elements Divine Thunder in his mind rotated fiercely, converting it into spiritual power.
‘Indeed…’
A method of absorbing a large amount of lightning Qi and letting the Five Elements Divine Thunder refine it on its own was also possible.
Just as he was nodding his head at the efficiency that had become twice as good as before.
Geum-cheong, who was floating like a duck in the center of the Jade Light Spring, whipped her head around and shouted joyfully.
“You came!”
“Oh, you grew a lot. Have you been well?”
Geum-cheong, whom he saw after a long time, had grown quite a bit.
It felt like only yesterday when she transformed from a chick into a sparrow, but her body had grown like an eagle before long, and her grade had also risen, reaching Rank 3.
Her appearance looked similar to a goshawk, but her tail feathers were long like a phoenix and her wings were unique.
Each feather was made of translucent blue gemstones, and upon looking closely, one could see that they were crystals formed by the condensation of lightning.
Geum-cheong, who flew over while flapping her fairly dignified wings, sat on his shoulder and cocked her beak, and perhaps because she had a mysterious appearance, she looked quite decent.
‘This fellow will also be treated as an incredible expert if she goes to a small town like Red Yang Market.’
Seeing the kid grow well, he felt proud for some reason.
When he scratched her beak, the fellow, who squeaked as if telling him not to do it, tilted her head.
“Master. Something seems to have changed.”
Did she feel that a Spirit Body had been formed? Being an entity born with lightning, she reacted sensitively.
Looking at Geum-cheong, who poked here and there on his body with her beak out of curiosity, he spoke as something came to mind.
“Geum-cheong. Don’t you want to go outside?”
“Squeak?”
“You are also at Rank 3 now, and I thought it would be boring if you were locked up only here.”
Geum-cheong, who blinked her eyes that resembled black beans, shook her head.
“I don’t know. Since I have never been outside.”
“Hmm…”
Indeed, good and bad were things one could know only after trying. Since Geum-cheong had lived only in the Secret Realm of the Mind ever since she was born, she probably did not even know what the outside was.
Actually, he had been pondering how to treat Geum-cheong since long ago.
As he hatched and raised the egg obtained by chance, he had come this far, and he had to make a decision soon.
‘Should I form a spiritual beast contract?’
Usually, when cultivators employ spiritual beasts, they place all kinds of restrictions.
Making the spiritual beast also die if the master died was basic, and they mobilized all kinds of means so that the beast could not betray them.
However, he wondered if he had to do that to Geum-cheong as well.
Strictly speaking, the fellow had merely connected by chance and had done nothing wrong in particular. He was reluctant to place a vicious restriction.
Moreover, Geum-cheong regarded Jin So-myeong like a parent.
One could tell just by seeing her fly over and hide at his feet whenever she was startled or terrified.
“What are you looking at like that?”
Looking intently at the fellow who flapped her wings and cocked her head loftily, he chuckled.
“If you want, I will let you go outside. Instead, let’s make one promise.”
“A promise?”
“You must not talk to anyone about this place.”
“Are you talking about our nest? Of course that is natural. A nest is originally meant to be hidden tightly.”
“It is fortunate if you think so.”
In fact, there was not much Geum-cheong knew about the Secret Realm of the Mind. At most, that there was a mysterious subspace where a spirit stone mine existed?
At Jin So-myeong’s current strength, he could handle it even if a secret of that level was revealed.
‘So I don’t have to force a contract.’
Although treasures similar to the Secret Realm of the Mind were not common, they did not not exist at all.
A flying vessel with a spiritual vein could also be said to be a treasure possessing abilities similar to the Secret Realm of the Mind, in a way.
Of course, if looking closely, the reality was entirely different.
The Secret Realm of the Mind grew endlessly, and there were no difficult conditions to maintain the spiritual vein. It even provided spiritual Qi suitable for him, allowing him to use it like spiritual power immediately.
In many ways, it was an absurd divine ability, but anyway, looking only at the parts revealed on the outside, it was similar to other subspace treasures.
‘…Well, actually, it is all an excuse.’
The most important reason lay elsewhere.
If he could not trust a kid he had raised ever since she was a newborn chick, who on earth could he trust?
Poking Geum-cheong’s plump belly, he gestured.
“Step aside for a moment. I will make a necklace for you.”
“Squeak?”
Lowering the fellow who sat on his shoulder to the ground, he squeezed Essence Blood from his fingertip.
The blood droplet floating in the air compressed and turned like a red-colored gemstone. Next, he split a portion of his consciousness with the Hundred Battles Mind-Splitting Art and injected it into the gemstone.
After threading it with a string that stretched well and did not break easily, he hung it around Geum-cheong’s neck.
“Using this necklace, you will be able to go in and out of the outside. And if a dangerous situation arises, talk to this necklace and ask for help.”
Geum-cheong, who poked the Essence Blood that had turned like a red gem with her beak, nodded as if she understood.
Although she hesitated for a moment as if afraid when actually about to go out, she soon shouted quietly.
“I want to go outside.”
The Essence Blood gem, which was no different from a clone, utilized the subspace and Secret Realm of the Mind divine abilities to send Geum-cheong outside, and Jin So-myeong, who watched that, followed right behind.
“Squeeek! Is this the outside? It is ugly!”
Geum-cheong murmured as if shocked. Looking at the ruins turned to ashes by the Lightning Tribulation, she froze and could not move.
“Other places besides here will be fine. Wander around.”
“Squeak…”
The fellow, who hung limp as if disappointed, returned after looking around within a 1 km radius and shook her head.
“It is the same. All black.”
“You have to go farther to make it different.”
Being a coward secretly, the fellow could not depart easily, so he eventually formed a simple spiritual beast contract to let her and Jin So-myeong know each other’s locations.
Because it was obvious she was anxious since she did not know where Jin So-myeong was.
Since that day.
Geum-cheong, who increased her flight distance a little every day, grew accustomed to it before long and roamed all over the Sacred City.
When Jin So-myeong was cultivating, she went around here and there and brought useful things like spiritual herbs.
“Master! Look at this. I found another.”
“It is a spiritual herb for body tempering cultivation. Where did you find it?”
“There are very many if you go over there.”
Not only various spiritual herbs, but there were also times she brought treasures related to lightning Qi, which was quite helpful.
The fellow, who explored the Sacred City diligently for nearly a year, holed herself up in the Secret Realm of the Mind and did not come out starting from some day.
When he checked what she was doing, she was piling up the lightning-attribute treasures she had obtained in a heap, extracting the lightning Qi essence, and moving it to the Jade Light Spring.
Ultimately, all of the fellow’s actions were to cultivate her nest.
‘Is it a thunderbird habit?’
Since it would be good for him too if the Jade Light Spring’s grade rose, there was no reason to stop her.
‘How admirable.’
Watching the fellow move diligently, he focused on cultivation again.
Finding a quiet place, he sat cross-legged and took out the Red Dust Heart Lotus.
Lately, he was practicing heart-governing cultivation while looking at this lotus, and the effect was quite decent.
‘What kind of situation is it outside the True Realm of Illusory Dreams…’
Leaving behind the distractions rising from deep within his heart, he closed his eyes tightly.
It was said that to reach the Soul Formation stage, one must solidify their Dao Heart, so what on earth was the Dao?
The laws of heaven, earth, and nature?
The absolute truth that is the foundation of the world?
Something most perfect and ideal, located in the high heavens?
Well…
Perhaps because it was too grandiose, it did not hit home.
He changed the question.
‘Why do I cultivate?’
In a split second, numerous thoughts flashed through his head.
Because it was fun to become strong, the absurdity and misery inevitably experienced without power, the instinct as a living creature to become a more superior entity…
Because too many reasons came to mind, choosing just one was rather not easy.
How many times had he repeated watching the sun rise and set.
Amidst the thoughts that rose like bubbles and disappeared, Jin So-myeong, who was constantly sinking, ended his meditation with a short breath.
Since it was not a problem to answer in a day or two, he promised for next time.
*
15th year in the True Realm of Illusory Dreams.
He reached the 9th layer of the Nascent Soul stage.
Although it was joyful news enough to form a smile naturally, he did not stop.
He cultivated with all his might until the 19th year, which was right before leaving the secret realm.
‘…Up to here, it seems.’
Jin So-myeong, who was immersed in meditation, shook off his regret and stood up from his seat.
Regrettably. Although he did his best, he could not reach the Nascent Soul stage Great Circle.
But what could he do.
Since he could not hold onto flowing time, it was now time to face the results.
He turned on his status window after a long time.
This was to compile what he had obtained in the meantime before leaving the True Realm of Illusory Dreams.
And one more thing.
There was also something he wanted to attempt by mobilizing all of his Supreme Great Abilities, which had exceeded 200 million as he reached the 9th layer of the Nascent Soul stage.
Enjoyed the chapter?
If you like our work, consider supporting us on Ko-fi. This site solely runs on donations. Every donation helps us keep translating!
Support on Ko-fi