Chapter 226: The Sword Discovered in the Desert
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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 repeatedly reading the Chaos Sky Shattering Annihilation Palm jade slip, made a decision.
‘Let us learn it.’
Since it was a secret art combining the Yin-Yang Great Hand Seal and the Five Elements Shattering Annihilation Wheel, which he frequently used in battle, there was no reason not to learn it.
The moment he registered it in the proficiency system.
The spell texts settled in his mind shuffled confusingly, then organized clearly to point toward a single principle.
[Yin and Yang, and the Five Elements. As all things in heaven and earth boil down to one, it is called the Chaotic Origin .]
He, who had been intoxicated by the lingering aftertaste of the newly awakened spell text, paused.
【Spells】
Chaos Sky Shattering Annihilation Palm (Proficient 12.3 million / 10 billion)
‘I have only just registered it, yet the proficiency is at the Proficient stage?’
He wondered how it came to be, and the reason could soon be known.
It was because he had mastered both the Yin-Yang Great Hand Seal and the Five Elements Shattering Annihilation Wheel, which were spells dealing with similar principles, to the Minor Success stage.
This meant that since he had already learned the basics, he started from the Proficient stage, which was naturally good as it allowed him to save the Supreme Great Ability.
‘I must try using it.’
He flew to a quiet place and raised his magic power. The moment he thrust out his palm toward an empty plain.
Swish!
A dark red energy condensed in the shape of a palm flew, tearing through the air.
Just as he was surprised by the speed, which was twice as fast as the Yin-Yang Great Hand Seal.
Boom!
A booming sound resembling a bomb exploding echoed centered on the point of collision, and the ground existing within a radius of several hundred meters was annihilated without a trace.
To think it was this powerful while consuming only a tiny amount of magic power, not even a fraction of a percent.
Gazing at the cratered ground as if a meteor had fallen, an exclamation emerged of its own accord.
If he unfolded the Chaos Sky Shattering Annihilation Palm with all his strength, it seemed he could erase a small-to-medium city in one go.
Just as he was smiling at the satisfying power.
A dark red sphere rose from the point where the Chaos Sky Shattering Annihilation Palm had collided and began to suck in the surrounding spiritual Qi.
Crunch!
The chunks of rock sucked into the dark red sphere turned into dust in an instant.
It was similar to the Five Elements Shattering Annihilation Wheel in that it sucked in and ground up everything existing in the vicinity, but one thing was different.
Once cast, the Chaos Sky Shattering Annihilation Palm maintained itself without needing any particular attention. It absorbed the surrounding spiritual Qi on its own to replenish the required energy.
The weakness of the Five Elements Shattering Annihilation Wheel, which would grow unstable and disappear if magic power was not injected steadily, had been improved.
‘It is perfect for keeping enemies at bay.’
Since it inflicted continuous damage following the explosion, it was good to use when widening the distance from an enemy in an urgent situation.
After practicing the newly learned spell for about half a day, he opened his status window.
【Spells】
Thousand Transformations Art (Minor Success 5.1 million / 10 billion)
Lightning Escape Art (Minor Success 700 million / 10 billion)
…
Hundred Battles Mind-Splitting Art (Proficient 17.05 million / 10 billion)
Chaos Sky Shattering Annihilation Palm (Proficient 12.31 million / 10 billion)
This was in order to choose the target to invest the Supreme Great Ability in the future, and excluding the ones that had already achieved Great Success or whose required proficiency exceeded the hundred billion range and were thus burdensome, it was like this.
‘First, I should pull the Lightning Escape Art up to Great Success, and then raise the Chaos Sky Shattering Annihilation Palm by one stage too. I wonder if it will take about a year each.’
Thinking that it took only a single year to fill 10 billion proficiency, he was deeply moved.
As he became a Soul Formation stage cultivator, the maximum value of his Supreme Great Ability became 1 billion. Things that would have taken decades or centuries during his time as a low-level cultivator could now be handled simply.
‘After that…’
It was the turn of the remaining two spells.
Since the higher the proficiency of the Hundred Battles Mind-Splitting Art, the more the clones’ work-processing capacity and learning speed increased, he naturally had to raise it,
and the spell to change appearances, the Thousand Transformations Art, was of little use now but was highly likely to be used usefully once he ascended to the Upper Realm.
‘I should obtain a stealth spell and learn it as well.’
When he ascended, high-level powerhouses would overflow, and with his personality of paying back what he was given, many enemies would probably be made.
Although he did not know how many 6th Realm or higher entities there would be in the Upper Realm, to save his life while acting as he pleased, an outstanding stealth spell was absolutely necessary.
One might say wouldn’t it be safe if he lived moderately smoothly, but…
was that truly so?
If a cultivator wished to raise their realm, conflict could never be avoided.
To move forward, one had to compete with countless people. No matter how obediently one behaved, in the end, one was bound to offend someone.
If it was an unavoidable matter anyway, was it not better to live thrillingly while acting as one pleased?
‘…’
Closing his eyes tightly, he controlled his surging emotions. Thinking of the powerful enemies he would meet in the Upper Realm made his heart pound, but it was not the time yet.
In fact, he wished to ascend right away today and face the wider world, but he held back. There was still much work to do in the Human Realm.
‘Let us do it step by step. Without rushing.’
*
Nurturing the research for the Rank 5 Heavenly Spiritual Treasure, sourcing ingredients for the Mysterious Heaven Brilliance Pill, searching for Hong Seol’s whereabouts, and so forth.
As he devoted himself to cultivation while waiting for the matters he had set in motion to bear fruit, two years passed before he knew it.
【Spells】
Lightning Escape Art (Great Success 1 / ∞)
…
Chaos Sky Shattering Annihilation Palm (Minor Success 10,000 / 10 trillion)
As planned, the Lightning Escape Art and the Chaos Sky Shattering Annihilation Palm each grew by one stage.
There were various changes, but to summarize roughly, it could be said that their magic power efficiency improved and their power grew stronger, but a larger change occurred in the Lightning Escape Art that achieved Great Success.
Crackle…!
Unfolding the Lightning Escape Art and becoming one with lightning, the entire world slowed down.
Until ten minutes passed, and then thirty minutes passed. The Lightning Escape Art did not cease for a single moment.
‘There is almost no burden.’
Thanks to the magic power consumption decreasing extremely, he was able to maintain the Lightning Escape Art almost constantly.
To be able to continuously use the Lightning Escape Art, which he had only used when exerting his full power in an instant. This meant that the firepower he could display under ordinary circumstances had become tremendously strong.
Rumble!
Jin So-myeong, who was sweeping in all directions while one with lightning, stroked his chin.
‘Can I not become even faster than this?’
Although the Lightning Escape Art had already reached Great Success, this could not be the limit.
As he was contemplating various methods. Suddenly, the Purple Divine Thunder sleeping within his mind came to him.
If he utilized this special lightning energy born as the Five Elements Divine Thunder absorbed the Lightning Tribulation, would he not be able to unfold a far more powerful Lightning Escape Art?
‘It seems possible.’
And also.
If he studied the various lightning-attribute cultivation methods gathered in the Sacred City, the Lightning Escape Art might be able to go one step further.
‘Alright.’
Sitting cross-legged in the center of the cultivation room, he laid out hundreds of jade slips in a row. They were all secret transmissions dealing with lightning energy.
***
A certain desert where starlight poured down.
Two girls with their entire bodies wrapped tightly in cloth panted as they traversed the desert.
“Ugh… older sister, let us go a bit slower. I am tired.”
“Endure it. We must hurry if we want to return to the village before the sun rises.”
“Hmph.”
One of the girls paused briefly, then looked at her younger sister, who was a span shorter than herself.
“Do you want to walk under the hot sunlight?”
“…No.”
The younger sister, slumping her shoulders, began to walk silently. Sinking ankle-deep into the sand as she trudged forward laboriously for a long while.
A rock massive enough to be clearly visible even under the dark night sky appeared.
“We arrived!”
The girls, who burst into exclamations with faces that instantly brightened, increased their speed. They rushed over and stood beneath the mountain-sized rock.
“Mak-ran. You go to the rock crevice. I shall check if the birds laid eggs.”
“Okay.”
Had they come to this rock frequently? The girls split up as they divided their roles skillfully.
The older sister climbed toward the top by scaling the rock that was as massive as a cliff, and the younger sister, Mak-ran, ran along the outer wall of the rock to the left.
Soon discovering a rock crevice narrow enough that a ten-year-old child could barely pass through, Mak-ran squeezed through it and was able to enter a cave about ten pyeong in size.
The cave was not that dark because moonlight poured down through a fist-sized hole in the ceiling.
Checking the jar placed in the corner of the cave, Mak-ran smiled brightly.
“Wow! A huge amount has accumulated!”
She rejoiced upon seeing the clear water filling half of the jar that was as big as a torso, and finding out where this water came from was not very difficult.
Drip… drip…
For water droplets trickling down the cracks on the outer wall of the cave fell toward the jar.
Staring intently at the water as clear as dew, Mak-ran swallowed hard.
“I am thirsty, though…”
Although she wanted to drink it so very much, she held back.
The water produced in this cave was exceptionally clean and cool, and since it even gave vitality to the body when drunk, it was treated practically like medicine.
If they sold it in the village, they could get a very high price.
Since it was enough to eat six meals… no matter how much she wanted to drink it, she had to endure.
Putting her regret behind her, she pulled out a leather water skin.
After drinking all the lukewarm water that was originally contained inside, she began to carefully scoop the water collected in the jar.
How much time had passed?
“Hehe.”
The leather water skin became as plump as a ball, making a smile emerge of its own accord.
Just as she put the jar that now showed its bottom back in its place and turned around thinking of her older sister who would be pleased.
“Huh…?”
Something hard caught her toes, and the ground approached at rapid speed.
Following a sensation of floating as if her body were lifted into the air, a stinging pain arose along with a splatting sound.
“Ugh. Just what is this.”
Mak-ran, who fell roughly enough to scrape her palms and rose staggeringly, was startled.
“My water!”
Before even assessing where and how much she was hurt, she checked the leather skin first, and tears welled up in her eyes upon seeing the water pouring out.
She hurriedly retrieved the skin, but in that brief moment, as much as a third of the water had spilled.
“Ah…”
Her knees and palms were scraped and bleeding, but she was sadder about the water vanishing than that.
Standing blankly, she gritted her teeth and glared at the floor. She intended to check what had caused her to fall.
“Huh?”
The floor of the cave was made of finely crumbled gravel, and something was poking out.
Staring closely at something shining as it reflected the moonlight, Mak-ran carefully set down the water skin and rummaged through the gravel field.
And…
she was able to discover a treasure buried within the gravel field.
“Wow! It is an extremely pretty sword!”
The jet-black blade as dark as a shadow reflected the moonlight, and it was more beautiful than any gem she had seen in the village.
Gazing at the sword as if entranced, Mak-ran knit her brow. Because the very beautiful sword was full of fine cracks.
Had someone fought a fierce battle holding this sword?
The sword full of fine cracks looked like it would break at a mere touch.
“What a waste. We will not be able to get a proper price this way.”
Letting out a sigh from regret, Mak-ran froze.
She had set the sword down on the ground for a moment because it was too heavy, but the gravel grazed by the blade had been cut like paper.
For a moment, wondering if she had seen wrongly, she brought a stone to the blade, and it was cut in two without the slightest noise.
“Huh?”
The surface split by the blade was so smooth that her face was reflected in it.
Startled out of her wits, Mak-ran examined the sword repeatedly, and soon realized a surprising fact.
“Wow! It is incredibly sharp!”
Not to mention stones, but even hard rocks. Anything was cut smoothly just by bringing it to the blade.
Just as Mak-ran, realizing it was an immense treasure, gaped her mouth open.
“Why are you still not coming out! Mak-ran, you are not secretly drinking water, are you?”
“Older sister! Older sister! Come here! I found an incredible treasure!”
“What is it! It is hard for me to enter there. Do not play around and come out quickly. We have to return to the village before the sun rises.”
“Oh, seriously. It is real! Come quickly!”
How long did she wait?
The older sister, whose skin was scraped due to having a larger frame than her younger sister, entered the cave with difficulty and snapped.
“Just what is it!”
She was on the verge of anger beyond annoyance, but Mak-ran was confident.
“Hehe. Look at this.”
“…What is that, where did you get that sword?”
There was no need for a lengthy explanation.
She set up a longish stone and swung the sword with all her might,
and the stone cut diagonally slid down and fell to the floor with a thud.
“…What?”
A stone was cut by a sword swung by a girl who did not even know swordsmanship.
Looking at her older sister whose eyes had widened, she spoke with a triumphant expression.
“How is it? Amazing, right?”
“H-Hold on, give it to me.”
The older sister, holding the sword with slightly trembling hands, pondered for a moment then swung the sword toward the entrance of the cave, and the rock was cut like paper.
The entrance that had been so narrow it was difficult to enter became a tiny bit wider.
“Ah.”
Finding it amusing to see her older sister frozen after witnessing the shocking sight, she giggled and spoke.
“Older sister. Let us sell this sword to the hunter uncles and buy meat to eat. Even though it has some cracks, it is extremely sharp, so it will sell for a high price.”
“…No.”
“Huh? Why? I want to eat meat, though.”
The older sister, who rummaged through the pebbles on the cave floor to bury the sword, spoke with a serious expression.
“Don’t you know how loose the tongues of the hunter uncles are? If rumors spread that such a sword is in the village, a band of horse bandits coveting the treasure might invade.”
“H-Horse bandits?”
“Furthermore, it is far too sharp. In my view, this is a sword dropped by a deity.”
For a sword that was full of cracks and would not be strange if it shattered at any moment to slice even through rocks smoothly.
The pitch-black longsword without any decoration was incomprehensibly sharp. No matter how she looked at it, it was not an ordinary object.
The frightened Mak-ran also agreed in the end to hide the sword tightly. Because it felt like a major problem would arise if they sold it rashly.
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