Chapter 75: 9th Cycles First Day

Chapter 75: 9th Cycles First Day/translatingnovice

Flash!

I open my eyes again to the sensation Im feeling.

A new cycle.

At the same time, I feel an enormous pain!

"Grrrr!"

Without even a moment to properly reflect on my past life, my head began to swell.

First, I form a water spell and use a sleeping spell to put the people around me back to sleep.

"Urghh!"

"Damn, this is dangerous."

I try to use the Hidden Consciousness Technique to suppress the size of my consciousness.

But the pain only intensifies.

The technique isn't for eliminating consciousness, but rather for 'compressing' it within the upper dantian, making the upper dantian endure even more stress.

Qi Refining 14th Star.

I even reached the pinnacle of Qi Refining by mastering four elemental methods.

Although not much, my consciousness is certainly larger than in my past life, and it feels like my head is going to explode at any moment.

'I need to get to spiritual plants quickly...'

Foam forms in my mouth.

Trembling, I almost crawl to where the yellow bamboo roots are.

Drip, drip...

Blood begins to flow from my eyes, nose, and mouth.

My upper dantian is swelling

'I must do something!'

Gritting my teeth, I perform acupoint sealing all over my body.

The acupoints I learned to amplify the body's internal energy during my medical studies.

Boom!

The internal energy inside my body surges suddenly.

I start to infuse my consciousness into the internal energy, pushing it outward.

Whoosh!

As my consciousness splits, a Gang Sphere is formed.

This slightly reduces the mental strain.

'Even though I've amplified the internal energy in my body to create a Gang Sphere, it won't last long because there's too little internal energy. My consciousness will return soon, so I must find yellow bamboo roots quickly!'

I hurriedly run to where a yellow bamboo root is, suppressing my throbbing head.

I dig up the earth and put the herb directly into my mouth.

Crunch, crunch...

The yellow bamboo root, soil and all, enter my mouth.

But I quickly chew and swallow, guiding its energy to my dantian.

Boom, boom!

The internal energy in my body makes a complete cycle.

I try to undergo rejuvenation right away.

Boom, boom!

Crack, crack, crack!

My entire body starts evolving according to the Five Energies Converging to the Origin, achieving perfect harmony in the upper, middle, and lower dantians.

The swelling in the upper dantian is soon relieved by harmonizing with the middle and lower dantians.

"Phew..."

I finally let out a sigh of relief.

'I almost died from my head exploding.'

I absorb the Gang Sphere I had previously created back into my body and reform my Inner Core.

The Inner Core takes its place and helps regulate the flow of internal energy throughout my body.

I feel completely relaxed.

I continue to eat more yellow bamboo roots around me to fill my Inner Core completely and stabilize the overflowing internal energy.

... I really need to find a way to handle this consciousness.'

Even at the level of Qi Refining, such incidents are happening. If I advance to Qi Building, each cycle might start with my head exploding.

It would be an endless cycle of explosions.

Shivering, I shake my head.

'I really need to find a solution.'

I became deeply aware of the consciousness issue and finally have time to think about what I gained from my past life.

'At the end, I realized the essence of Ultimate Pinnacle.'

Whoosh!

A Gang Sphere emerges from the Inner Core.

"One becomes three."

The Gang Sphere splits into three.

"If the three influence each other and circulate, focusing on that circulation..."

Everything in the world influences each other.

Each of the three Gang Spheres project onto the others.

Flash!

The three Gang Spheres split into three again.

'Ah...'

I smile faintly.

Seven of the nine are stable, but the two newly acquired ones are still a bit unstable.

Stabilization is a matter of familiarity, and it's a problem that can be solved in a few years of training.

In other words, I have truly reached the extreme of Ultimate Pinnacle.

Flash!

I open and close my eyes, entering the world of intent.

Around me stands nine versions of myself.

"Come in."

Flash!

The nine versions of me overlap with me again.

I feel the speed of my thoughts accelerate tremendously.

"10 times acceleration."

Instantly, the world slows down.

Bang!

I kick off the air and jump up.

Unlike the time of Five Energies Converging to the Origin, I don't need to sense the flow of air or energy to step on the optimal spot.

Anywhere I step feels slow, and I can hop around easily.

It feels like I am truly soaring through the sky.

'Good.'

I float in the slowed-down world, organizing my thoughts high up in the sky.

The Path Beyond the Heavens Martial Arts that Kim Young-hoon left behind.

I feel I am close to grasping the essence of that martial art.

'The realm beyond Ultimate Pinnacle involves integrating Gang Spheres with consciousness, materializing it.'

But the 'how' of this integration, even when I recall the Path Beyond the Heavens Martial Arts, remains elusive.

It isn't a matter of being a genius or a dullard, experienced or not.

It is simply that the martial art is too subjective to Kim Young-hoon.

'Too much of Kim Young-hoon's subjectivity. Perhaps I should ask him after pulling him up to the Ultimate Pinnacle...'

After all, in this life, I have to fully develop the Five Surpassing Paths to Cultivation, so I could wait for him to reach the Ultimate Pinnacle.

'Hmm, okay. Then for the Path Beyond the Heavens Martial Arts, I'll remove Kim Young-hoon's personal touch and pass it on to him again without making it too obvious...'

As I float in the air with these thoughts...

Zap!

"Huh?"

In the realm of intent.

A strand of hostile intent reaches out to me.

I follow the thread of intent.

Below in the forest.

A white massive figure is staring right at me.

Shiver!

'A fox!'

Almost instinctively, I cover myself with protective Gang Qi, and in the next moment...

The fox appears before me, spinning in the air and slamming its tail down.

Boom!

The sound of air breaking resounds, and I am slammed deep into the ground.

[You, who dares invade my territory! Don't you know I am the master of this forest? How dare you enter without my permission?]

"What are you talking about?"

I naturally reply in the language of the demon race, which I had learned from Seo Ran, and the fox's eyes narrow.

"...Speaking the demon race's language, you must be a demon as well. To enter my territory uninvited as a fellow demon beast, you must be ready to die!"

'Damn it.'

"Lord of the forest, this is all a misunderstanding. I was just caught in a spatial rift in the Ascension Path and fell here!"

"Oh, what a convenient excuse. But how do you explain that the space around here, except for the center of the Ascension Path, is stable? Are you saying you entered my territory uninvited despite detecting my presence?"

'Is it recognizing me as a demon?'

It seems different for a demon like me to invade its territory compared to a mere human snack.

"Please understand that as a fellow demon, I was not aware of the traces of the forest's owner."

"Carrying a spirit nature close to the peak of Qi Building in your demon core and you dare to mock me with such lies?"

The fox begins to shine brilliantly as it treads the air.

"This guy, suddenly making a scene..!"

Kwagwang!

Sir Chang-ho, not one to back down, punches back at Jin Byuk-ho, and White Bone Ghost Devil, trying to intervene, gets caught in the fight, making it a three-way battle.

Koogoo, koogoo!

The celestial energy twists wildly, seeming to bring a storm.

'Damn it..!'

Im caught in the storm of the fight and thrown into the air.

"Ah, wait a minute. There was that guy."

As if remembering me, Sir Chang-ho stretches his hand towards me, floating in the air.

Then, the celestial energy around me moves and naturally brings me before him.

"Let's stop the fight. What a disgrace in front of a young junior?"

Sir Chang-ho, with a calm face, grabs the back of my neck and laughs heartily. Soon after, White Bone Ghost Devil and Jin Byuk-ho stopped fighting with irritated looks.

"You're the one who started it...!"

"What are you talking about? You suddenly lost your mind and struck me with lightning!"

The three seemed to be fighting but didn't show any real animosity.

'Were they close from the start?'

[Anyway, what are you? Are you a human or a demon? How and why did you come to the Ascension Path?]

Sir Chang-ho asks me through consciousness, and I reply in Byeokra language.

"I'm a human with a slightly unique constitution, not a hybrid. I got caught in a spatial rift while traveling with my companions and ended up in the Ascension Path."

"Oh, you speak the language of Byeokra. Indeed, you have a unique constitution. Upon closer inspection, your energy slightly differs from that of a Demon Core. Additionally, the spirit nature of a Qi Building level demon beast seems to be settled in you, but not to the extent of a real Qi Building level concentration."

"Yes, that's correct."

"A human possessing a Demon Core and not being a hybrid... what kind of constitution is this..."

As Sir Chang-ho is examining me:

Startled!

Sir Chang-ho, Jin Byuk-ho, and White Bone Ghost Devil simultaneously look in one direction.

"...This, this energy!"

"It's not a mistaken feeling, is it!?"

"Let's talk with you later. Let's go!"

Whooosh!

The three Heavenly Being cultivators take me and swiftly moves to one side.

In a flash, it seemed as if there was a burst of light, and I found myself where I first woke up.

There, my colleagues are being drained of blood and dying by a two-headed snake.

[Huh, huh..!]

The two-headed red snake shiveres and looks up, and at that moment, lightning strikes and erases the red snake from existence.

"Hmm, these guys. I felt that energy from them..!"

Sir Chang-ho grabs the back of my neck and descends.

Blue energy radiates from his body, seeping into my colleagues.

Then, my colleagues who were dying from the snake's blood draining are completely healed, their wounds disappearing.

Thus, the selection process began.

As before, Section Chief Jeon Myeong-hoon, Deputy Manager Kang Min-hee, and Chief Oh Hyun-seok were each seized by Jin Byuk-ho, White Bone Ghost Devil, and Sir Chang-ho.

Then, I seized the opportunity and knelt before them.

'I can't trust Mad Lord or Seo Hweol.'

Of course, they could be no different.

'But when I read the records of the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect, they cherished their disciples. The soul fragment of the Nascent Soul left in the Black Ghost Valley's Nether Crossing Ship also tried to protect its sect before becoming a remnant soul. Sir Chang-ho is a man of good character...'

I can't let Seo Hweol and Mad Lord take the others.

"Seniors, please listen to what this junior has to say. I have always admired the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect..."

I speak in the language of Shengzi to Jin Byuk-ho.

"And I have respected the Azure Ghost Valley for its reputation."

I say to White Bone Ghost Devil in the language of the islands of the Black Wind Sea.

I referred to the Black Ghost Valley as Azure Ghost Valley, remembering how the Heavenly Beings fragment had called it.

"Also, the Cheongmun Clan, the descendants of Sir Chang-ho, is one of the great clans that venerates the Dao of Combat, as far as I know.

The three Heavenly Being cultivators saw me and my colleagues possessing unique constitutions like the Heavenly Golden Thunder Body, Ghostly Yin Transformation Immortal Root, and Unique Holy Body.

They are my originally separated companions, and the rest here also have quite good qualities.

I lack the qualifications, and I do not expect to be chosen by the seniors, but please show mercy and consider the qualities of the other two!"

Upon hearing my words, the three cultivators look at each other and seem to ponder for a moment.

"Hmm, you're a polite one, so I'll forgive your forwardness. But qualifications or not, the others you call your companions have no spiritual qualities at all?"

Jin Byuk-ho scoffs.

"Rather than testing them, it would be better to test your qualifications, the one who fled from a Core Formation fox."

Woosh!

Celestial energy moves, pulling me in front of Jin Byuk-ho.

Shortly after, under Jin Byuk-ho's will, the celestial energy rummages through my body, and he clicks his tongue.

"What, you have Five Elements Spiritual Roots? While your unique ability seems useful, your training speed is too slow... Unfortunately, you're not needed."

Hearing the term Five Elements Spiritual Roots, White Bone Ghost Devil and Sir Chang-ho also look a bit less interested.

"Still, your escape from the Core Formation fox is impressive, so I'll give you a recommendation to join the Cheongmun Clan anytime. With your skills, you could even receive the position of an elder in one of my remaining branch families."

White Bone Ghost Devil loses interest in me, and Sir Chang-ho draws a blue mark on the back of my hand, making the same offer as before.

But I bite my lip and kneel before them again.

'No, I can't let my remaining colleagues fall into the hands of Seo Hweol and Mad Lord.'

"To the noble three Heavenly Being cultivators, I want to explain the qualities possessed by my colleagues."

"Stop talking nonsense. Didn't I say your colleagues have no spiritual qualities whatsoever?"

Jin Byuk-ho speaks with an irritated voice.

However, I explain with desperation in my voice the qualities of Manager Kim Yeon and Deputy Manager Oh Hye-seo to the three cultivator..

After hearing my explanation, the eyes of the three Heavenly Beings change again.

"Huh, is that really true? It's not some extravagant lie?"

"You, what a novel-like story..."

"It's too fanciful... but fine."

Sir Chang-ho laughs heartily.

"I've met a pure-blooded human with a Demon Core in his dantian, and now I've met three people with mythical qualities. Let's believe it for now. Hey, Heo Gwak"

Sir Chang-ho gestures to White Bone Ghost Devil to start with Oh Hye-seo and Kim Yeon.

"The most proficient in consciousness techniques among us is you, so you go check that woman first."

"Hmph, ridiculous. A consciousness that covers heaven and earth? If such a thing existed, that mortal's head would have exploded long ago."

White Bone Ghost Devil approaches Kim Yeon with skeptical eyes, and she tries to step back, but they flick their finger, and dark shadows grab and immobilize her.

Kim Yeon, not seeing the black shadows, thinks her body just wouldn't move and screams. White Bone Ghost Devil placed their hand on her head.

Then, suddenly, ghostly energy from their fingertips enters her head.

'That flow is...'

Its similar to the secret techniques of the Jin Clan.

It seems that the Jin Clan's secret techniques are influenced by the Black Ghost Valley.

The next moment.

"Aaaah!"

Blood drips from Kim Yeon's eyes, nose, and mouth.

At the same time.

Whooosh!

Boom!

Weak spiritual energy bursts from her upper dantian, and consciousness like threads extends in all four directions, covering the world.

Stunned by the sight, White Bone Ghost Devil, Jin Byuk-ho, and Sir Chang-ho suddenly rush to her side and shake her vigorously.

[If you join the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect, I'll give you the position of my previous disciple!]

[The same goes for my sect! Become my disciple, and you'll have the same share as the current sect leader!]

[Forget them! I'll feed you as much spirit-enhancing elixir as you want if you join the Heaven Creation Sect! I'll even hand over the position of sect leader to you!]

Whooosh!

As White Bone Ghost Devil manipulates the ghostly energy, Kim Yeongs swelling upper dantian begins to stabilize.

'Yes, this should do it.'

Now that Kim Yeon's qualities have been confirmed, they will definitely check Deputy Manager Ohs qualities.

If so, they will not fall into the hands of Seo Hweol and Mad Lord.

'The Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect, Black Ghost Valley, and Heaven Creation Sect...'

They are sects that at least take care of their own.

Not cunning and ruthless like Seoh Hweol, nor insane like Mad Lord.

'Since Seo Hweol and Mad Lord will appear tomorrow, if they take them...'

Suddenly,

Whisk, whisk, whisk!

The three Heavenly Beings, arguing over Kim Yeon, look in the direction of the Ascension Gate.

There, something small is flying towards us.

"What..."

I recognize the identity of the dot and lose my composure.

'Not appearing tomorrow?'

[Mad Lord!]

Jin Byuk-ho shouts as if screaming his name.

Koooung!

In an instant, a giant puppet arrives at our location. The hunchback old man with silver hair sitting on it looks down at us, smiling.

[Oh, I thought a cultivator from the Upper Realms had descended. Turns out its just a small mortal. What unbelievable talent. I must take her as my disciple.]

Translator Notes: Extra donated chapter by Elinis and idkM8

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