Chapter 351: Absurd Probability
Since he had established a plan to complete the Golden Body Dharma Image, it was now time to execute it.
Looking alternately at the inner cores of the Three-Eyed Giant Cat and the True Dragon, Jin So-myeong stroked his chin.
‘Which of the two should I absorb first?’
The probability of obtaining a demonic beast’s divine ability in the process of absorbing its inner core decreased the later it went.
Thus, it was right to absorb the more important divine ability first.
The foresight ability and the special Lightning Escape Art that traveled by riding the heat.
Both were coveted divine abilities, but…
After much deliberation, he decided to absorb the inner core of the Three-Eyed Giant Cat first.
The behavior the creature had shown.
It was because the sight of it coming on its own and offering its inner core when he had done nothing was impressive.
‘Let us start right away.’
He extracted the energy contained in the inner core of the Three-Eyed Giant Cat and guided it to the Golden Body Dharma Image.
This process was originally a considerably tricky task, but not now that he had reached the Unity stage.
Woo-oong!
Unfolding his dharmic domain to completely seize control of the surrounding space, he held onto the energy trying to scatter in all directions and injected it into the Golden Body Dharma Image.
At the same time,
He consumed all ten trillion points of his Supreme Great Ability, as well as the Supreme Great Ability stored in Limitless, and made a wish.
To obtain the divine ability possessed by the Three-Eyed Giant Cat.
‘…Did it work?’
When absorbing the second inner core, the probability of obtaining a demonic beast’s divine ability was one in a thousand.
It was a slim probability of less than 1%, but had he succeeded?
He hastily examined the changes that had occurred in his mind and body…
‘It worked!’
In addition to the energy harbored by the Golden Body Dharma Image becoming twice as strong, he intuitively felt that a new divine ability had been generated.
Was it because he had poured in the massive Supreme Great Ability of ten trillion points?
Even the slim probability of one in a thousand was easily pierced.
‘Fortunately.’
Wearing a naturally formed smile, he unleashed the Lightning-Awakened Clear-Sight Law-Shattering Eye.
He examined closely what exact changes had occurred.
‘First of all, my insight has grown stronger. This is for certain.’
Originally, the Lightning-Awakened Clear-Sight Law-Shattering Eye possessed the power to read the future.
To be more precise, it was the ability to pierce through the possibilities harbored by the myriad things and predict what would happen in the future.
The possibilities that would unfold in the future. The most reasonable one among them.
That was to say, it could be called the ability to foresee the future that would be realized with a high probability.
For example, doesn’t a stone thrown into the sky fall back to the ground?
That was originally the principle of the world.
A result according to a cause.
If one developed the insight to read that to the limit, one could even foresee the results of the offenses and defenses exchanged during combat.
Depending on how it was used, it was a divine ability powerful enough to overturn victory and defeat…
Regrettably, as his realm grew higher, it became a chicken ribs-like existence.
Because to the monsters who twisted laws with their will alone, principles were nothing but a futile illusion.
Of course, the Lightning-Awakened Clear-Sight Law-Shattering Eye also worked against existences that twisted laws.
‘If my capability is sufficient, there is no reason I cannot see it.’
However, that was not easy.
To be frank, against an enemy whom he could completely pierce through with the Lightning-Awakened Clear-Sight Law-Shattering Eye, there was no need to read the future. Because he could overwhelm them anyway.
Ultimately, the insight to read the future was a power that only had meaning when it was valid even when facing a formidable enemy who could not be completely seen through.
The Lightning-Awakened Clear-Sight Law-Shattering Eye originally had a weakness in this part, but had it been improved?
‘It seems to have been… but I will have to test it to be sure.’
According to what was vaguely felt, his insight had grown at least twice as strong.
That was certain, but even so, it seemed he would only know how much this growth would actually work after fighting a formidable enemy.
‘I can verify this later.’
The changes that occurred while absorbing the inner core of the Three-Eyed Giant Cat did not end here.
Apart from the Lightning-Awakened Clear-Sight Law-Shattering Eye, a change also occurred in his senses.
However, since it was literally about his senses, it was difficult to explain in words.
‘Should I say they have become sensitive?’
He conducted various tests to know what exact changes had occurred, but it was just out of reach of his understanding.
Thus, ten days and half a day passed.
When his Supreme Great Ability became full and he was about to absorb the next inner core, he realized what the change caused by the Three-Eyed Giant Cat’s inner core was.
‘My intuition has grown stronger.’
Looking closely at the True Dragon’s inner core, he got a feeling.
Whether he would be able to obtain a divine ability or not if he absorbed this inner core.
‘It seems like it will succeed?’
Although the probability of obtaining a divine ability in this absorption was one in ten thousand, he came to know that if he poured in his Supreme Great Ability, he would succeed nine times out of ten.
‘What a strange feeling…’
It was literally foresight.
The Lightning-Awakened Clear-Sight Law-Shattering Eye could only deduce a result when there was at least a minimum of evidence, but the foresight ability of the Three-Eyed Giant Cat was of a different nature.
Should it be called the result of the action he would perform in the future?
It seems like it will work. It seems like it will not work.
It seems like it will be beneficial. It seems like it will be harmful.
A vague intuition lacking any evidence informed him of the goodness or badness of the result in advance.
Was this feeling truly real?
To satisfy his curiosity, he wanted to absorb the True Dragon’s inner core right away, but he postponed it for a moment.
Because he realized that there was something he had to do before absorbing the inner core.
【Cultivation Art】
Nine Successes Golden Body Art (Authentic 16 trillion / 100 trillion)
It seemed that if he raised the proficiency of his body tempering art, he would be able to obtain a greater benefit when absorbing the inner core.
‘It was said that to achieve great success in the Nine Successes Golden Body Art, one must hunt True Spirits and take their physical bodies.’
Somehow, he had fulfilled the condition.
After pondering for a moment, he made a decision. He would first raise the proficiency of the Nine Successes Golden Body Art and then absorb the inner core.
Since that day,
He poured all his time and devotion into body tempering cultivation.
The blood, flesh, scales, claws, and horns of the True Dragon.
He extracted and absorbed the essence contained in its physical body, and invested his Supreme Great Ability into the Nine Successes Golden Body Art whenever it recovered.
Thus, three months passed.
【Cultivation Art】
Nine Successes Golden Body Art
The piled-up proficiency crossed the wall, and the proficiency stage rose.
To summarize what was obtained as the Nine Successes Golden Body Art reached Minor Success,
It could be said that the power dwelling in his physical body surged explosively, and his resistance to external stimuli became extremely strong.
His soul and physical body became sturdy, so they were not easily destroyed.
To give an example,
He came to be able to unleash the Law-Shattering divine ability of the Lightning-Awakened Clear-Sight Law-Shattering Eye more easily.
Originally, there was a side effect of losing his sight if he used it even slightly excessively, but room for maneuver had been created in that part.
Besides this, there were many achievements, but he decided to review them later and first handled the matter he had endured yet wanted to do for three months.
While pouring in all the Supreme Great Ability he had gathered in advance, he absorbed the True Dragon’s inner core.
“Ah.”
Should it be called the shackle that had held his ankles?
Or should it be called the ceiling that had pressed down on his head?
His physical body, which had been stagnant for over ten years, took one step forward.
Thud!
With a single light step, the wall blocking his front was shattered clearly to his great gratification.
Rank 7 Body Tempering.
Solely with his physical body, he became able to contend with True Spirits.
From a single strand of muscle to a single terminal cell, he was transformed into an existence of a higher class.
He smiled while fully enjoying the ecstasy.
‘I would be able to defeat someone of Gwang Hyo-wol’s level just by using my fists, without any particular divine abilities.’
With this, it became clear.
The Nine Successes Golden Body Art was originally a cultivation art where one could obtain an Unity stage-class physical body only when achieving great success, but just by achieving Minor Success, he came to possess a True Spirit-class physical body.
It was because its potential had grown larger thanks to improving the cultivation art with his Supreme Great Ability.
‘If I achieve great success in the Nine Successes Golden Body Art and undergo the tempering befitting it… I might even come to possess a Great Vehicle stage-class physical body.’
And also,
There was one more piece of good news.
【Lifespan】 : 327 / 56510
As he achieved Rank 7 Body Tempering, he came to possess a lifespan of 56,500 years.
To put it a bit differently, his lifespan had increased by as much as 18,500 years.
“Huhuhu.”
To think that he had lived only slightly over three hundred years, yet his remaining lifespan was as much as fifty thousand years.
It was pleasing, and on the other hand, it was also absurd.
Of course, he did not think he would be able to fully enjoy this lifespan.
As long as he did not give up the goal of achieving the Silent Life, even this vast lifespan could not help but be used like a kind of resource.
Jin So-myeong, who had been pondering for a moment, shook his head.
Deciding to think about how to use his lifespan later,
He first checked if he had obtained a divine ability while absorbing the True Dragon’s inner core.
According to his foresight ability, it was deemed that he would be able to obtain a divine ability if he absorbed the True Dragon’s inner core.
Was the foresight indeed correct?
“Ummm…”
He closely examined the changes that had occurred in his mind and body, and his head nodded on its own.
Surprisingly, he had truly succeeded.
A change had occurred in his Lightning Escape Art in the process of absorbing the inner core.
It seemed that the Three-Eyed Giant Cat’s divine ability possessed an exceptionally outstanding performance.
Leaving behind his satisfaction, he closely examined the change that occurred in his Lightning Escape Art.
‘I have become able to travel by riding not only lightning Qi but also heat.’
Snap!
As he snapped his fingers to pour down a thunderbolt, the lightning that collided with the ground scattered in all directions.
Chiiik…!
Due to the aftermath of the raging lightning Qi, the temperature of the nearby atmosphere surged rapidly.
The moment he concentrated on the heat warming the atmosphere,
Flash!
The scenery in sight changed ever so slightly. Because he had moved exactly one step to the side.
‘Not bad. It is perfect for counterattacking right before being pierced in a vital spot.’
In the split second when each other’s attacks crossed, it was suitable for creating a variable.
In fact, distorting space to teleport was something he could originally do, but traveling through the escape art was much faster and simpler.
Because there was no precursor such as space being distorted, it was suitable for combat.
‘Good. Now, is it time to obtain absorption or digestion-related divine abilities next?’
He unfolded the jade slip containing information on demonic beasts and True Spirits and pondered on whom to visit.
*
Three months later.
Jin So-myeong, who had absorbed two additional inner cores, was filled with admiration.
What kind of probability was one in a hundred?
It literally meant that if one attempted it a hundred times, one would succeed once.
It was to the extent that one could succeed if lucky.
What about one in a thousand?
It was slightly difficult, but this was also possible if lucky.
Then, what about one in ten thousand?
‘From here on, it is quite difficult.’
Unless one was truly, truly lucky, it was unreachable.
Then…
One in a hundred thousand. No, what about one in a million?
And what about the probability of that succeeding in succession?
Did he even need to explain it?
From here on, it was right to deem it impossible. It was literally the domain of miracles.
Yet surprisingly, the Supreme Great Ability pierced through even such extreme probabilities.
After absorbing the True Dragon’s inner core.
In the process of absorbing the fourth and fifth inner cores, he obtained demonic beast divine abilities.
Thanks to this, the speed at which the Primal Chaos Wheel digested energy accelerated by about 30%, and his cultivation speed also increased similarly.
He became able to finish in 38 years the cultivation that would originally take 50 years.
Since it was an amazing achievement, he was naturally delighted.
With a gratifying mood that made his head nod on its own, he went to find his next target.
If it was a fellow worth killing, he just killed it, and if not, he proposed a transaction like he did with the Three-Eyed Giant Cat to obtain its inner core.
Of course, there was no demonic beast that offered its inner core right away like the Three-Eyed Giant Cat. Most required a separate process of persuasion.
At any rate,
He obtained three additional inner cores, but his feeling was not very good.
As a result of examining them with the Lightning-Awakened Clear-Sight Law-Shattering Eye, it seemed he would not be able to obtain a divine ability if he absorbed these inner cores.
It was not a strange thing.
Since it was already the sixth inner core he was absorbing, the probability of obtaining a demonic beast divine ability was one in ten million.
In a way, it was natural to fail…
With a hopeful mind just in case, he traveled around looking for other demonic beasts and obtained additional inner cores.
One day as time flowed,
He obtained the inner core of a yellow-shelled tortoise demonic beast, and his eyes flew wide open.
‘This is it.’
Should it be called suitable for his constitution?
Or should it be called fitting well in harmony with the divine abilities he had accumulated so far?
Although it was not an exact expression, their natures aligned.
If he absorbed the inner core of this tortoise demonic beast, it seemed he would be able to pierce through the one-in-ten-million probability and obtain a divine ability.
Was this vague intuition indeed correct?
‘I will know if I test it.’
He poured in all of his Supreme Great Ability which had recovered to its maximum limit, and…
“Ah. To think this actually worked.”
He admired the foresight ability of the Three-Eyed Giant Cat once again.
If this went well… it seemed he would be able to obtain divine abilities in all of the remaining three opportunities as well.