Chapter 215: Changes to the Status Window
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Translated by Frog in the Well
Read it only at Nineheavens.org
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Looking down at the place where the Star-Shattering True Monarch had vanished, Jin So-myeong started.
Crumble!
This was because the sword held in his hand suddenly crumbled like dust, unable to endure the aftermath of unleashing the Burning Moon Crossing the Realm and turning into powder.
For the Starlight Afterimage Sword, which had been with him for a long time, to be ruined…
‘Wait, what about Limitless?’
There was no time to even feel sorry.
Just as he was about to check urgently, worried if the fellow dwelling in the Starlight Afterimage Sword was alright.
From between the sword shards scattering like dust, a clump of light resembling cotton candy popped out.
“Ah!”
Although he felt relieved, it was not that there were no problems.
Limitless, whose size had grown larger than a person’s upper body as its grade rose, had shrunk to the size of a baby’s fist.
Humm…
Even so, it could not fly, hanging limply as if it had exhausted all its strength, seeming to have consumed all the sharp energy it had diligently accumulated until now.
“Are you okay?”
He closely examined the fellow, which vibrated weakly as if mumbling, and although it was just a bit too exhausted, there seemed to be no major problem immediately.
“Rest for now.”
Buzz…
Sending the fellow, which was limp like a glutinous rice cake, to the spiritual herb field of the Secret Realm of the Mind, he caught his exhausted breath.
In truth, he was not in a normal state now either.
“Whew…”
Should he say it felt like the part that could be called his soul or the source of his power had been emptied out? Even when he breathed, it was stuffy, and even when he clenched his fist tightly, no strength entered.
He did not know if it was due to the Blood Wings entering the fourth circulation or because he unleashed the Burning Moon Crossing the Realm, but recovery did not go well.
While using his Supreme Great Ability to collect his mind and body as soon as it recovered, just as he was looking around to find a place to catch his breath for a moment.
‘Hmm?’
An octagonal jade token lying alone in the spot where the Star-Shattering True Monarch had turned to ash caught his eye.
To think it did not disappear even under the strike launched while unleashing the Burning Moon Crossing the Realm…
The fact that it was not detected by Divine Sense showed it was clearly no ordinary object; although he lacked the eye to be certain, he estimated it might have been made from a Rank 6 spiritual object.
Brushing away the dust, he closely examined the octagonal jade token with a bluish-green tint, and exactly two characters were written on it.
Star Capital.
It was a handwriting so plain that it was hard to find any distinct features. The moment he injected his Divine Sense into the jade token after a brief silence.
-If you go to the Star Capital, there will be treasures gathered for you, so do as you wish.
He could hear the brief last words left by the Star-Shattering True Monarch.
Subsequently, various pieces of information surfaced in his head, thanks to which he could understand the usage and purpose of the jade token.
‘It was a jade token symbolizing the Lord of the Divine Wood.’
It was said to be the key that opened all the formations of the Star Capital.
With this jade token, he could also open the treasury where the treasures gathered by the Star Capital over vast years were stored.
How many treasures would have been accumulated by the Star Capital, which had existed since at least tens of thousands of years ago?
‘I wonder if the ingredients for the Mystical Heaven Spirit-Transforming Pill are also there?’
A mysterious pill that raised one’s aptitude to the Heavenly Spiritual Root.
He had inwardly coveted it, but could not make it because the ingredients were so rare they were hard to find in the Human Realm, yet if it was the Star Capital’s treasury, the ingredients for the Mystical Heaven Spirit-Transforming Pill might be there.
This alone was good, but the jade token also possessed a function to absorb and store the surrounding spiritual Qi of heaven and earth to aid cultivation.
‘It was thanks to this jade token that he could cultivate to the late Soul Formation stage in the Human Realm where the spiritual Qi of heaven and earth was scarce.’
Examining the jade token with a bluish-green tint here and there, he put it in his sub-space for now.
Treasures were good, but checking his body condition was more urgent now.
【Jin So-myeong】
【Lifespan】 : 131 / 3,210
【Realm】 : Soul Formation Stage 1st Layer
【Supreme Great Ability】 : 50,000 / 1,000,000,000
【Divine Abilities】 : <Secret Realm of the Mind>, <Myriad Flows Restoration>
Seeing the Supreme Great Ability that had reached one billion, admiration emerged of its own accord, but what he had to pay attention to now was his lifespan.
According to the Soul Formation insights given by Hong Seol, when a human ascends to the Soul Formation stage, they generally have a lifespan of 3,000 years.
This meant that when one’s realm rose from the Nascent Soul stage to the Soul Formation stage, roughly 1,500 years of lifespan were added.
‘However, thanks to the Five Viscera Hundred Tempering Art, I have more lifespan than others.’
He had already possessed a lifespan close to two thousand years during his Nascent Soul stage days.
If so, just how much lifespan did he use for the Burning Moon Crossing the Realm?
He calculated it carefully.
Adding 1,500 years to his existing lifespan, plus the lifespan that would have been added as his body tempering realm rose to Rank 5, and so on.
Considering various factors, he judged that it would be normal to have a lifespan of about 4,200 years.
However, the remaining lifespan now was 3,210 years.
This meant the lifespan consumed while unleashing the Burning Moon Crossing the Realm was roughly a thousand years.
‘Huh… even if the time he maintained the Burning Moon Crossing the Realm did not amount to even a second, a thousand years was consumed.’
Although he paid a truly massive price, he had no regrets.
Either way, no matter how many years of lifespan were left, it was all over if he died; since he won by using some lifespan, it was a profitable trade.
Since what was already past could not be undone, he set it aside and concentrated on what he had to do now.
First, he reviewed the battle, trying to grasp what kind of divine ability the Burning Moon Crossing the Realm was by recalling that moment.
‘It is a secret technique that burns lifespan to temporarily raise one’s realm.’
Although it was for a truly brief moment, the moment he unleashed the Burning Moon Crossing the Realm, he became infinitely close to the unknown realm beyond the Soul Formation stage.
Should he call it higher than Rank 5 but lower than Rank 6?
The price he had to pay was extremely harsh, but looking solely at the power of the divine ability, it was indeed overwhelming.
Was it said that the Light-Moon Silent-Life Sword was the darling of human cultivation civilization? It was certainly worthy of being called that.
Closing his eyes gently, he felt it.
The unknown realm he had touched for a brief instant while unleashing the Burning Moon Crossing the Realm; the power originating from there still remained inside his body.
Although it was gradually becoming faint as time passed, a mysterious energy difficult to estimate at the Soul Formation stage level was definitely felt.
‘Looking at it this way, it is a bit of a waste.’
Was it not an energy obtained by dedicating a lifespan of a whopping thousand years? He did not want to let it slip away in vain like this.
‘Is there some way to make use of it?’
If he could preserve even a part of this energy obtained through the Burning Moon Crossing the Realm, it would be very nice.
Pondering as he watched the energy disappearing moment by moment, he made a decision.
‘Since it has come to this, let’s use some more lifespan.’
To transcend the limits of the Supreme Great Ability, which could be called a fragment of omnipotence, the moment he additionally consumed lifespan.
The energy of the Burning Moon Crossing the Realm, which had been naturally evaporating with the passage of time, gathered in his dantian.
As his empty dantian was suddenly filled, it was painful enough to make his brow furrow of its own accord, but fortunately, that state did not last long.
The moment the invisible wave arising from the Supreme Great Ability swept through his entire body, the energy of the Burning Moon Crossing the Realm disappeared without a trace.
No, saying it had disappeared was misleading.
Since it had been processed by the Supreme Great Ability and engraved somewhere in his soul.
‘It is already finished?’
He suddenly realized once again that the Supreme Great Ability was truly an absurdly powerful divine ability.
What would an ant know by looking up at Mount Tai? It would just consider it high and large dirt.
The change that had just occurred was exactly like that.
He knew that something had been accomplished, but could not perceive the intermediate process at all.
“Hmm…”
He groped for the split second in which the Supreme Great Ability granted the wish, but there was nothing he could find out.
He quietly shook his head. Since it seemed impossible to understand the Supreme Great Ability with his current realm, he focused on what had changed for now.
【Jin So-myeong】
【Lifespan】 : 131 / 2,210
【Realm】 : Soul Formation Stage 1st Layer
【Supreme Great Ability】 : 70,000 / 1,000,000,000
【Magic Power Amplification】 : +70%
【Divine Abilities】 : <Secret Realm of the Mind>, <Myriad Flows Restoration>
After a very long time, a category was added to the status window.
【Magic Power Amplification】 : +70%
What this meant was simple.
Assuming his existing total magic power was 100, it would increase it to 170.
‘The magic power increased by the Five Viscera Hundred Tempering Art is fifty percent, and if it is further amplified by seventy percent here…’
Multiplying 1.5 and 1.7 makes roughly 2.55 times.
Now, he came to possess more than twice the magic power compared to other people of the same realm.
Although he could cast spells using surrounding spiritual Qi upon becoming a Soul Formation cultivator, the more magic power inside his dantian, the better.
Because what decided victory or defeat at critical moments was ultimately the magic power accumulated in the dantian.
【Magic Power Amplification】 : +70%
The method to raise this value was also simple: just unleash the Burning Moon Crossing the Realm divine ability.
The energy of the Burning Moon Crossing the Realm, which normally would have just disappeared, would be refined by the system created by the Supreme Great Ability and turn into a magic power amplification effect.
To put the core point simply, it meant that the magic power amplification rate would now increase permanently every time he unleashed the Burning Moon Crossing the Realm.
‘This way, I can lessen the burden of using the Burning Moon Crossing the Realm a little.’
Although he was reluctant to use the Burning Moon Crossing the Realm because the price was too harsh, he would be forced to use it if he met a formidable enemy and his life fell into danger.
Therefore, he established a structure that grew permanently stronger every time he unleashed the Burning Moon Crossing the Realm.
Though it was regrettable that another thousand years of lifespan was consumed…
since the remaining lifespan alone exceeded 2,000 years, and his lifespan would increase if he consumed pills like a Rank 5 Lifespan-Extending Pill, he judged he could handle it.
‘Alright. Let’s rest first.’
Jin So-myeong, who had been staring at the status window, turned his gaze.
Looking around, Lightning Strike Valley, which had been wrapped in dense lightning clouds, had vanished without a trace.
While he fought the Lord of the Divine Wood, it had literally been erased region by region, turning into a hollowed-out basin.
Staring at the acrid burnt smell and the cliff pieces broken finely like pebbles, he left the place.
It was to gather his ruined body in a quiet place.
***
Although it was unknown exactly when it started, a strange event occurred in the Middle Province.
The Sacred City cultivators, who secretly ruled the Middle Province, stopped all activities and returned to the Sacred City.
There was much talk about this highly suspicious matter.
“I heard a rebellion broke out in the Sacred City?”
“A rebellion? No. From what I heard, a second Soul Formation cultivator will soon be born in the Sacred City.”
“A second Soul Formation cultivator…? Ah. Then the rule of the Sacred City will become even firmer.”
All kinds of rumors, whose truth was hard to judge, boiled over.
One day, while confusing days continued,
a shocking piece of news, incomparable to the rumors that had circulated so far, struck the Middle Province.
“The Lord of the Divine Wood has passed away? Is that true?”
“Ah! It is information obtained with difficulty, so do not talk too loudly.”
“What on earth…”
For the absolute ruler who had long dominated the Middle Province to die, it was impossible to know what the reason was.
Should he say it was natural? At first, no one believed it.
However, when the Sacred City did not refute it even after a fair amount of time had passed, the situation changed.
“Could it really be true?”
The shocking news, which had been regarded as a bad joke, was gradually accepted as fact.
If so, there was only one thing they were curious about now.
Just who killed the Lord of the Divine Wood?
Everyone talked about this matter whenever they met.
This was because the fates of truly countless people would differ depending on who the mysterious expert that killed the Lord of the Divine Wood was.
“What? Jin So… Ahem. Senior Jin was the one who did it?”
“Was he not deceased in the Defeated Sage Dojo?”
Is it said that there are no eternal secrets in the world?
After thoroughly investigating what had happened in the entire cultivation world, the name of the one who killed the Lord of the Divine Wood was revealed.
“No way! Senior Jin is still only a hundred years old!”
Honestly, even just reaching the Golden Core stage at a hundred years old is praised as having great talent. But he became a Soul Formation cultivator, not even a Nascent Soul?
“Haha.”
A hollow laugh emerged from the absurdity, but setting that aside,
up to that point, they could accept it even by force under the pretext of him being a genius bestowed by heaven.
If he spent all his time only on accumulating magic power… well, honestly, it seemed hard, but anyway, they assumed it could be so.
But…
he defeated the Lord of the Divine Wood, who possessed overwhelming combat ability by mastering numerous secret techniques over vast years?
When he had only just ascended to the Soul Formation stage and probably had no time to hone his divine abilities?
“I cannot believe it.”
Seeing various circumstances, the probability of it being true was very high, but their hearts, not their reason, could not accept it.
Even those who did not know that the Lord of the Divine Wood was the Star-Shattering True Monarch found it hard to believe.
But what could they do?
They could not deny what had already happened, so in the end they had to believe it.
“What kind of person is Senior Jin?”
“I heard he is a rogue cultivator… I do not know. I must investigate what kind of disposition he has.”
Since he defeated the Lord of the Divine Wood, he was indeed the strongest expert in the Human Realm.
Since truly countless things would change depending on how Jin So-myeong acted, they had to keep their senses alert.
Around this time,
seeing the Sacred City remain silent even when the situation had reached this pass, everyone instinctively felt
that the rumors were true, and a great upheaval would visit before long…
***
One year later.
Jin So-myeong, who had been recovering his mind and body in a nameless hill, dusted himself off and stood up.
‘This is enough.’
Recovering from the injuries took longer than expected.
Of course, since he would have suffered for decades if not for the Undying Body, it could be seen as getting off cheaply.
Anyway.
Since he had also calmed the magic power that had become unstable while ascending to the Soul Formation stage during the past year, it was about time to leave.
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