Changed Combat Power Translator: Xzy ***
Crack…!
Over a crudely made campfire, some meat skewered on a branch was cooking.
Each time a drop of oil fell, the flames would briefly flare up, and soot would rise and stick to the meat, but Han Yu-jin paid it no mind.
Now that he had become a cultivator, there was no need to worry about such trivial matters.
No matter how pathetic a cultivator was, they wouldn't die from something like cancer.
'Looking at it that way, cultivators are definitely a cheat.'
Once you entered the path and cultivated an art, no matter how weak you were, you could live a long and healthy life for over 100 years.
This was because cultivation itself aimed for longevity, not strength, in the first place.
And Han Yu-jin really liked this Xianxia style.
The cultivation arts, Dharma spells, and Dharma artifacts didn't feel old-fashioned or childish at all.
Of course, if he had learned fantasy-style magic, he would have liked that very much too, but in any case, it meant that he didn't dislike this either.
Despite their hideous appearance, the meat of the monkey monsters gave off an incredibly fragrant smell.
Honestly, he had thought the smell would be strong since he was butchering and grilling the meat of a wild beast as best he could, but that was a truly ignorant thought.
There was no way that meat containing Spiritual Energy would be the same as ordinary meat. It would either be very fragrant, like the meat in front of him now, or have a stench so bad that it was unbearable; it had to be one of the two.
'It's a good thing the meat doesn't spoil quickly.'
The forest's temperature was on the cooler side, but also, thanks to it containing Spiritual Energy, it wouldn't spoil easily until all of it had dissipated.
Thanks to that, he could safely pile up the monkey monster corpses on one side.
The blood had already drained out completely, so it didn't even get very messy.
It was a bit of a chore when removing the organs, but it was somehow bearable.
A moment later.
When it finally seemed to be cooked, Han Yu-jin brought the branch to his mouth and took a large bite of the meat.
It seemed quite tough, but not to the point where he couldn't chew it. And the more he chewed, the softer it felt, and the taste and aroma were slightly unique yet incredibly good.
It seemed like if he cooked and ate it properly, a delicacy of the century would be born.
Of course, good meat can bring out more than half of its flavor just by grilling it.
He ate the entire amount of meat, which he thought he had grilled a bit too much, as if in a flash.
Then, he took a sip of the fragrant liquor from the Spirit Liquid Gourd to cleanse his palate and was satisfied, patting his stomach.
Not even a few minutes had passed when he felt a subtle heat rising from his stomach.
He didn't hesitate; he cleaned up the campfire and went into his shelter to sit comfortably.
As he began to circulate the Origin Reversion Art, the heat in his stomach moved in response to the Spiritual Energy he was inhaling through his breath.
It trained his body and, at the same time, trained and grew his soul.
It is often said that a healthy mind resides in a healthy body. From a cultivation perspective, the two are not separate things, so naturally, to grow the soul, one must also grow the body.
After completing the basic circulation a few times, Han Yu-jin boldly attempted to sublimate his soul into a Dharma Soul.
A more complex Dharma script surfaced in the flow of Spiritual Energy that had been moving along a fixed path, and it exerted a mysterious effect, causing some kind of change.
It was no longer just being trained efficiently in an ordinary way; the full-fledged touch of cultivation was beginning to reach him.
It was full of feelings that were hard to describe. It felt refreshing yet thrilling, sometimes painful, and that would soon be replaced by a feeling of refreshment as it progressed.
Not only the changes in his body but especially the changes in his soul were truly wondrous.
Although he had gained Spiritual Energy resonance upon entering the Entry Stage, it felt like the first time he had felt the existence of his soul so clearly.
For a cultivator to ascend to the Dharma Soul Stage, they had to sublimate at least 40% of their soul into a Dharma Soul.
If a soul could generate Spiritual Energy on its own, then naturally, a Dharma Soul could generate Dharma Power on its own.
And this Dharma Power was the true strength of a cultivator.
As for how outstanding that power was, a single Dharma Soul Stage cultivator could slaughter more than ten ordinary Entry Stage cultivators like a flock of sheep.
And a Dharma Soul Stage cultivator was not just strong in terms of martial power.
They basically had intelligence proportional to their Dharma Soul sublimation rate, and this intelligence referred to perception, calculation ability, judgment, and memory.
This meant that they could leisurely catch an arrow flying at them in a surprise attack using only their fingers, or solve several complex math problems simultaneously.
It wasn't for nothing that they called the Dharma Soul Stage and above the true cultivators.
The Entry Stage, as the expression suggests, was nothing more than the level of just having entered the path.
'The higher the Dharma Soul sublimation rate, the more advantageous it is in terms of ability and growth potential, but…'
Unfortunately, there was a corresponding risk. It was the fact that one could go crazy while experiencing all sorts of hallucinations in the process of Dharma Soul sublimation.
However, Han Yu-jin had no worries.
'If I go crazy, I'll just die and cultivate again.'
When he recalled how cruelly his soul had been broken in the world of those demon followers, he figured he could nullify the side effects of cultivating an art as much as he wanted.
Truly, his awakened ability was a cheat. As long as he could use this ability properly, his future on the Path of Immortality would not be bleak.
Believing so, Han Yu-jin continued to focus on cultivating the Origin Reversion Art.
<><><>
It took about a fortnight to finish all the monkey monster meat. It was the result of hurrying a little because the amount of Spiritual Energy loss in the meat was increasing as time went on.
With the help of that Spirit Flesh, Han Yu-jin was able to steadily proceed with his Dharma Soul sublimation, even if he stumbled a bit.
However, he came to realize one unfortunate fact.
The reason he had been able to resonate with Spiritual Energy so quickly was not because his Spiritual Root talent was outstanding.
After verifying it a few times with a minor trick included in the Origin Reversion Art while proceeding with the Dharma Soul sublimation, it seemed that his Spiritual Root talent was, at best, only in the lower tier of a True Spiritual Root.
'At least it's not a False Spiritual Root.'
As he comforted himself like that, a sigh would automatically escape him whenever he thought of it again.
In fact, he had been secretly hoping for it ever since he succeeded in resonating with Spiritual Energy so incredibly fast.
No, perhaps he had been unconsciously hoping for it even before that.
A Heaven Spiritual Root was called that because it was a talent bestowed by the heavens, so even hoping for it was excessive greed.
But it was human nature to have such excessive greed.
When he thought about the difference between a Heaven Spiritual Root and a True Spiritual Root, that desire became even stronger. How could a ten-fold difference in cultivation speed be small? The more he calculated, the larger it was bound to feel.
'With my awakened ability, perhaps…'
Han Yu-jin, who was having such thoughts during a short break, soon shook his head.
The Path of Immortality was not something you waited for while sitting down but something you had to actively seize, but that was only when you had at least a minimum level of skill to back it up.
'Even if it's a bit inefficient, it's right to challenge it after I have the skills and insight of the Dharma Soul Stage.'
This was especially true since nothing immediately came to mind as to what and how he should attempt it.
If he just materialized the door while wishing for 'talent improvement', he might regret it later even if he achieved some kind of result there.
Above all, it seemed like he would lack Karma after obtaining such a talent. Renting a cultivation spot with abundant Spiritual Energy like now while eliminating dangers like Qi Deviation was also a sufficiently valuable expense.
In terms of leaving room for choice, this way would be wiser.
Only after reaching that conclusion did his mind feel a little more at ease. He decided it would be better to go out and look for other Spirit Flesh or Spirit Plants rather than continuing to cultivate like this, and so, according to his plan, he left his shelter.
It was the first time he had gone out in a long time. Thanks to the help of the Spirit Liquid Gourd and the Purification Spell, he had no reason to go outside at all, so he had been cooped up like a hibernating bear.
The fact that no other dangerous beasts had come to visit was also a big factor. It really felt as if this section of the forest had become Han Yu-jin's own.
But now it was time to explore the surroundings. It wasn't like he was going to stay here for just another day or two, and he also needed more Spirit Flesh and Spirit Plants for faster cultivation.
Even if it wasn't for that, he might be able to find a place with much more abundant Spiritual Energy.
He packed all his belongings, except for the Five Elements Sword, into the storage pouch at his waist.
The series of actions looked quite familiar, thanks to the fact that he hadn't just been focusing solely on the Origin Reversion Art but had also been practicing using the Dharma artifact and Dharma spells a little at a time.
'Where were those Apes staying?'
It was a question he had thought of a few times before. And since he had become the master of this area, it was only right that he should find out where the previous master had stayed, what kind of terrain it was, and what was there.
Activating the Wind Cloud Spell without any mistakes, he quickly crossed the forest while moderately controlling his speed.
He wasn't just running on the ground; he also moved a considerable distance by flying low and skimming through the air from time to time.
The speed was easily faster than any scooter. Considering that this was the middle of a primeval forest full of giant trees and dense bushes, it was very outstanding mobility.
Needless to say, he had already cast the Shadow Hiding Spell and the Spirit Eye Spell. And after a few failures, the Jade Skin Spell was also successfully cast.
'This one is really tricky.'
He grumbled inwardly. But it was a very impressive achievement to be able to cast four Dharma spells simultaneously in just a fortnight.
Naturally, it was thanks to his transcendent language comprehension. Since it took no time at all to grasp the Dharma scripts, he was completely breezing through the part that ordinary Entry Stage cultivators struggled with the most.
'My Spiritual Root talent is average, but my comprehension is similar to a genius's.'
Perhaps that was why his desire for a better Spiritual Root talent was exploding even more.
Even though it was a forest he had stayed in for over a fortnight, as soon as he moved a little, it felt like he had entered a completely unfamiliar place.
And it felt like he could run forever and never see the end of this primeval forest.
'I'm lonely.'
While suddenly having such a thought, Han Yu-jin did not neglect to be wary of his surroundings.
Whenever he discovered something strange or saw an object with dense Spiritual Energy, he would immediately stop and investigate.
Even with just a short exploration like that, several types of mushrooms and small fruits had entered his storage pouch.
There were a few ways to test whether a Spirit Plant containing Spiritual Energy was poisonous, one of which was to apply parts of the Dharma scripts of the Healing Spell and the Purification Spell.
There was no need to look, touch, and taste each one like when he was an ordinary person.
In fact, he felt a little regretful about the ones he had just passed by after judging them to be poisonous. If he had known Alchemy, he would have been able to use even such toxins.
'Is Alchemy the only thing I'm missing?'
There was also Forging, Talisman Crafting, Spirit Plant Cultivation, Beast Taming, Restriction Arts, Puppet Arts, and so on.
There were an enormous number of skills and knowledge that could be useful while walking the Path of Immortality.
The problem was that his lifespan was not enough to learn them all.
He was already busy cultivating his art, so when would he learn all the other skills one by one? And those skills were not simple at all.
It wasn't for nothing that such experts were rare and were respected for it.
In the midst of his thoughts, he discovered a small canyon that felt quite safe.
The undergrowth was particularly dense, so if it hadn't been for the Spirit Eye Spell, he might have just passed by.
"Hmm."
As he got closer and examined it, he could faintly smell the scent of beasts. It felt familiar, and when he thought about it carefully, it seemed to be the smell of those monkey monsters.
'Was this their nest?'
He checked his Jade Skin Spell and Shadow Hiding Spell and then entered the canyon.
Before even a few minutes had passed, the narrow path disappeared, and a terrain that opened up like a clearing appeared inside.
A bare, dark black tree located in the center caught his eye, and it was especially so because the corpses of small monkey monsters were scattered around it, having been severely eaten.
"…"
It seemed like something had attacked this place and massacred the remaining young monkey monsters.
And the black tree in the center, it seemed like it hadn't been so bare from the beginning, but had had some kind of fruit hanging from it.
He could see a few things that looked like fruit seeds around it, and they contained an unusually dense amount of Spiritual Energy, so it was impossible not to notice them.
Grrrrr…!
Just then.
A growling sound was heard from above the canyon.
Han Yu-jin, who raised his head, witnessed a wolf-like beast looking down at him.
The reason he described it as 'like' was because the shape of its ears was a little unusual and it had a sharp stinger on its tail reminiscent of a scorpion.
While he was examining it, a few more of them poked their heads out and looked down at Han Yu-jin.
He was in a state where he had cast the Shadow Hiding Spell, but it seemed like he had been discovered by their sense of smell because he had gotten too close.
It was also because his proficiency with the Shadow Hiding Spell was not yet perfect.
The wolf beasts seemed to be sizing him up for a moment, then bared their teeth, ready to attack.
It seemed like they thought that prey had walked in on its own two feet when they were idle.
"Hoo-."
In response, Han Yu-jin, who let out a light breath, drew the Five Elements Sword from his waist, completely unafraid.
"If you're going to attack, then hurry up and do it, you bastards."
He was not the pathetic self he used to be.
Perhaps that was why Han Yu-jin could also regard his opponent as very delicious prey.
If he hunted down and consumed all of them, he believed—though he wasn't certain, that he could continue cultivating until his Dharma Soul's sublimation rate reached around ten percent.
The Path of Immortality was not something you waited for while sitting down, but something you had to actively seize.
As he thought that, a faint golden Dharma script restriction appeared on the Five Elements Sword he was holding. Then, the sword left his grasp on its own and floated in the air next to him.
It was a rather plausible combat stance for a cultivator.
A slight tension flowed like that.
- Woof! Grrrrr…!
Starting with one wolf that came down the slope of the canyon as if flying, all of them began their attack.
Making a mockery of his thought that there were only five or six of them, there were quite a lot.
In response, the Five Elements Sword resonated for a moment.
With a flash, a streak of sharp golden energy was shot out, splitting the wolf beast in the lead in half.
As if that wasn't enough, it additionally sliced through and slaughtered the two behind it.
There was no resistance at all, as if it had been cut by an infinitely sharp blade, so if it hadn't been for the gushing blood, he would have mistaken it for a hallucination.
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