Chapter 13 – Secret Realm of the Mind

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Translated by Frog in the Well

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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【15 Supreme Great Ability beads and half of lifespan】

Jin So-myeong, who had been dazed by the shock, narrowed his eyes.

The important thing in this sentence was lifespan.

Honestly, the power possessed by the fifteen Supreme Great Ability beads was minuscule. It was still insufficient to truly exert omnipotence.

Simply, the meaning of having poured in all of the possessed power was important.

“Half of my lifespan is consumed?”

Leaving behind the instinctive aversion felt as a living being.

With a hardened expression, he thought to himself.

‘The limit of my lifespan was 118 years old. Since I am 15 years old now, approximately 100 years remain.’

Suddenly, a question came to mind.

He was curious about the exact meaning of the words ‘half of lifespan’.

Whether it meant cutting half from the remaining lifespan, or reducing the limit of lifespan by half.

“…Fortunately, it is a consumption of 51 years.”

He checked the information that floated into his mind in more detail.

It meant consuming half from the roughly 100 years of remaining life, not the limit of lifespan of 118 years.

“Roughly 50 years. It is certainly not small.”

However, if it was to achieve such an absurd miracle, it was worth considering.

Thinking really calmly, to a cultivator whose goal was eternal life, time was merely one of the precious resources.

This was because if one broke through a realm, the lifespan itself increased.

There were also not a few who used powerful secret techniques at the cost of lifespan.

It was safe to say that all cultivators were people who endeavored to break through realms within a limited time.

“If 51 years are reduced, my limit of lifespan is 67 years old…”

If one reached Foundation Establishment, the next realm after Qi Condensation, one could generally live for 250 years.

When that time came, the consumed lifespan would not be felt as solely painful.

However, there was a problem.

This was something he had realized naturally just now, but the lifespan consumption amount was a relative value, not an absolute value.

No matter how much lifespan one had, half was consumed.

If one became Foundation Establishment and lifespan doubled, it would consume over 100 years instead of 50 years to fulfill the same wish.

This was because the consumption amount was proportional to the difficulty of the wish.

Creating a sub-space in empty air was equally impossible for either Qi Condensation or Foundation Establishment.

As the realm became higher and lifespan became greater, the price grew. It meant it was a loss the later one made a wish.

“Mmm. Wouldn’t it be better to improve my spiritual root aptitude instead?”

Improving spiritual root aptitude, and generating a sub-space to summon a spirit stone mine.

No matter how much he thought about it, the latter was more difficult.

Improving aptitude was relatively easier. It seemed possible even while consuming less lifespan.

However…

In the end, it amounted to the same thing in the end.

This was because improving aptitude was a thing that must be done someday, but earning spirit stones was the same.

No, rather, it was more urgent.

“Right now, most of my Supreme Great Ability is being consumed to earn spirit stones.”

This was a problem that must be carried for a lifetime. Even if he resolved it temporarily by playing tricks, it would soon visit again.

This was because as the cultivation realm became higher, the consumption of spirit stones also became greater.

Spirit stones were not simple currency but a cultivation resource. No matter how outstanding the talent was, one could not escape from this proposition.

This phenomenon would not be resolved easily and would follow persistently.

However, if he obtained a mine so that he did not have to invest time in earning spirit stones, he could pour all of his spare time into cultivation.

‘With the remaining Supreme Great Ability, I would also be able to improve my disastrous spiritual root aptitude little by little. I might also be able to use it in spell cultivation.’

It meant that he could start the things he had internally wished for but postponed because circumstances were not favorable.

Suddenly, the contents of the Travelogue of the Southern Province, the travelogue obtained from Wang Shin that he read in his spare time, came to mind.

It was said that in some cultivation sacred land, there were also divine pills and miraculous medicines that improved spiritual roots.

Improving aptitude was a realm resolvable by effort.

Jin So-myeong’s heart was attracted more to the sub-space and the spirit stone mine.

“51 years…”

What he was losing was clear.

How precious would half a century of time be? Everyone knew. There was no need to explain to the point of hurting his mouth.

Simply, the temptation of being able to become the owner of a spirit stone mine was difficult to endure.

Also.

Anyway, if he could not achieve Foundation Establishment before sixty years of age, the result was the same.

This was because, with sixty years of age as the starting point, the probability of breaking through the Foundation Establishment pass dropped astronomically.

Whether the remaining life after one’s sixtieth birthday was ten years or fifty years, that the path of cultivation would be cut off was the same.

“…”

Amidst the silence, quite a long time passed.

Closing both eyes, Jin So-myeong, who was calculating the pros and cons of the wish, made a decision.

“Let’s do it. If it is a sub-space and my own spirit stone mine, it is worth consuming 51 years of lifespan.”

To him, who had no proper technique, inheritance, or master, spirit stones were too desperate.

Anyway, if he achieved Foundation Establishment, his lifespan would also increase.

Beyond Foundation Establishment, to Core Formation, Nascent Soul… as the realm became higher, the time of fifty years would become nothing but an instant.

If only he succeeded, everything would go smoothly. What he lost was extremely small and what he would gain was very large!

*

One month later.

Jin So-myeong took a deep breath with a tense expression.

“Finally.”

The consumed Supreme Great Ability was completely recovered.

The past month was the most boring time in his life. It felt like waiting for a month-long wait.

Because time passed so slowly, he did all sorts of things.

He even disguised himself with the Faceless Mask and sold Wang Shin’s miscellaneous items. He earned 200 spirit stones, but it was quite a dangerous task.

Anyway, it was now time to make a wish.

Sitting cross-legged, he exerted the Supreme Great Ability with all his might.

“First, I wish to generate a special sub-space that only I can access, and create a spirit stone mine there. Also, it would be good if a spiritual vein were also in the sub-space to help with cultivation.”

The moment he made a wish filled to the brim with greed.

The fifteen Supreme Great Ability beads disappeared without a trace.

And…

Jin So-myeong, who was waiting for his lifespan to disappear, flinched.

“The end?”

Nothing was felt. It was just that a slightly empty feeling arose, perhaps due to his mood.

He moved his body cautiously. Stretching or running here and there, he measured his physical abilities.

“…I am fine?”

There were no side effects like the decline in physical strength that he had worried about. Although five-tenths of his lifespan had disappeared, he was still full of vitality and healthy.

It was the same as before making the wish. It seemed as if there was no change whatsoever.

However.

The status window was accurate.

【Jin So-myeong】

【Lifespan】 : 15 / 67

【Realm】 : Qi Condensation 2nd layer

【Supreme Great Ability】 : 0 / 15

【Divine Ability】 :

It clearly indicated that there was something lost.

He realized faintly.

That if he could not break through the realm to increase his lifespan, he would die no matter what in the year he turned 67 years old.

It was different from simply dying of old age. No matter how healthy his body was, it was of no use.

The day his lifespan ended.

All kinds of disasters would descend, surely cutting off his breath. That was the price of his lifespan having disappeared.

“…It does not matter. Rather, it is a good thing.”

The healthier the physical body was, the more advantageous it was to break through the Foundation Establishment pass.

That his body condition did not deteriorate while his lifespan was carved away was clearly a benefit.

Jin So-myeong, who was scanning the status window, turned his gaze.

Even if he thought about what was already lost, it was meaningless. Now was the time to check what he had obtained.

“Oh!”

A divine ability category was newly created in the status window.

The ability named Secret Realm of the Mind settled deep in his soul.

As naturally as moving his limbs, he realized the method to handle the Secret Realm of the Mind.

‘…Is the Supreme Great Ability not a divine ability? It is displayed separately.’

Indeed. The Supreme Great Ability was an omnipotent power that even created divine abilities. Even if it was not a divine ability, it was understandable.

Jin So-myeong, who was thinking of other things for a moment, came to his senses.

He focused on the Secret Realm of the Mind again. The moment he activated the divine ability with a unique sensation.

Flash!

A dazzling flash of light pierced his soul.

“Ah?”

An instant he did not even feel. The surrounding scenery had changed.

Once he came to his senses, it was already another space.

He had only blinked once, but he arrived at a bizarre place where a gray sky was visible.

“Hmm…”

Standing on a small hill covered with green grass, Jin So-myeong slowly looked around.

The temperature was just right. Being neither hot nor cold, it was cozy like spring weather.

However, it was not particularly wide. A small-scale hill of about twenty pyeong was the end.

A small peak that was embarrassing to even call a mountain.

This place was indeed his Secret Realm of the Mind.

The surroundings of the hill were surrounded by gray fog, so the outside was not visible.

‘It is hard.’

The gray fog was soft like cotton candy, but if pushed beyond a certain limit, it rapidly hardened and blocked him.

Was it because he was the master of this space?

Countless pieces of information continuously floated in his head.

The fog was a kind of barrier and land.

It played the role of supporting the Secret Realm of the Mind situated in empty air and preventing the intrusion of external enemies.

‘Right now I am… in a half-soul state.’

Looking down at his palm, it was translucent. With his strength, he could not come to the Secret Realm of the Mind in a physical state.

It was similar to the feeling of having a lucid dream.

The physical body was still sitting in the cave dwelling, and only the divine soul had crossed the empty air to come to the secret realm.

‘I should only come to the Secret Realm of the Mind from a safe place.’

Jin So-myeong, who was parsing the information that had floated up, inhaled.

Inhale.

The spiritual Qi filled in all directions filled his lungs.

‘…The concentration of spiritual Qi is not dense.’

It was worse than the Rank 1 low-grade of his home.

It was a Rank 0 spiritual vein that had not yet entered the ranks. Frowning at the disappointment, he turned his gaze.

“Where is my spirit stone mine?”

The question did not last long. Because the hill was narrow, there was nothing to search for.

Discovering the grid-shaped underground entrance was extremely easy. Without hesitation, he immediately entered the mine.

“…What is this.”

There was nothing particular to sightsee either. The underground cave was extremely short and narrow. It was safe to see it as just an ordinary earth cave.

“Is it roughly 4 or 5 pyeong?”

It was an underground cave so small that a tiny room would be recalled.

The floor was flat and the ceiling was quite high at about 3 meters. At least it was not uncomfortable to control his body.

It was dark, but it was not to the extent of being unable to identify objects. This was because a faint blue light hovered in all directions.

“Is this really a mine? It is too narrow.”

A tension of unknown origin crept up.

From the scale of the hill, something was strange. The Secret Realm of the Mind was completely different from what he had expected.

He suspected whether he had been scammed.

Gulp.

His mouth was dry.

“No way.”

Swallowing dry saliva by force, he moved his steps. He approached the modest crystal growing on the cave wall.

This, which emitted a faint light, was indeed a spirit stone…

“A shard? A spirit stone shard?”

Jin So-myeong stared wide-eyed. Instantly, the back of his head felt numb.

Recognizing the true identity of the blue crystal, his fingertips trembled.

It was not a complete spirit stone, but barely a shard!

Exactly that, which had to be gathered in over 100 pieces to exchange for one spirit stone.

“Ack!”

Stagger! He realized thoroughly what the feeling of high blood pressure was.

He sacrificed 51 years of lifespan, and it is barely a shard?

“Ah.”

Like a person who had been hit hard once. He stood blankly for a long while.

For over a minute.

Jin So-myeong, who had been out of his mind, barely managed to collect his senses. He hurriedly searched through the information in his head, and only then could he calm down.

“It was a growth-type.”

Of course. The Supreme Great Ability could not possibly deceive him. Frankly, the wish he made was excessive.

It was to the extent of being difficult to accomplish fully even with 51 years of lifespan. The result of compromising this and that was that a growth-type secret realm was realized.

“Phew. Thank goodness. If it is a growth-type, it is rather better.”

Resources that were helpful during the Qi Condensation days would become insignificant someday. Rather than something useful only now, something useful in the future was much better.

Jin So-myeong concentrated his mind.

【Secret Realm of the Mind】

【Facilities】 : Rank 0 spiritual vein, Rank 0 spirit stone mine

【Resource Production】 : 1 spirit stone shard / 1 day

He arranged the information in his head to make it in the form of a status window. It was for the time when the scale of the Secret Realm of the Mind became larger in the future.

Anyway, this mine currently produced 1 spirit stone shard a day.

Raising this production volume was not difficult.

He just had to invest resources.

‘If 1 spirit stone is invested, the daily production increases by 1 spirit stone shard.’

Roughly 100 days later, the principal would be recovered, meaning it would be profit all the way from then on.

He was about to invest spirit stones immediately, but paused. Because he had come to the secret realm in his divine soul state, he was empty-handed.

While narrowing his eyes, he soon recalled a solution.

He realized only now because too much information suddenly filled his head.

Flash!

Coinciding with a dazzling flash of light, having returned to the Red Yang Market, he picked up the storage pouch.

【An absorbable space-attributed spiritual item has been discovered. Do you wish to absorb?】

After pouring out all the contents inside onto the floor. He immediately permitted it.

Crack!

The dharma treasure worth 300 spirit stones turned to powder.

He trembled his entire body at the mysterious sensation. It felt as if something deep in his soul had grown.

“Ah!”

Along with a strange euphoria, he realized the effect added to the Secret Realm of the Mind.

He absorbed the ability of the storage pouch intact.

He came to be able to contain objects with substance in a sub-space of one pyeong in size.

He packed all the objects strewn on the floor into the sub-space, and entered the Secret Realm of the Mind again.

“It works!”

Despite being in his divine soul state, he could take out the items in the sub-space. He immediately headed to the spirit stone mine.

He invested the 99 spirit stones obtained by selling Wang Shin’s items…

The resource production volume increased to 1 spirit stone a day!

“Good!”

Now, even if he did nothing, 1 spirit stone was generated every single day.

If others found out, they would vomit blood from envy!

He could not hold back at all.

The moment he invested 100 more spirit stones.

【Resource Production】 : 2 spirit stones / 1 day

The doubled income welcomed him! He felt full even without eating food.

“Hmm?”

Joyful news came again. Before he had noticed, the concentration of spiritual Qi in the Secret Realm of the Mind surged.

The spiritual vein had reached Rank 1 low-grade before long.

While growing the mine, the spiritual vein was also naturally strengthened!

“Great! Great!”

He was so glad that his heart pounded to that extent. Now, no matter where he was, he could enjoy the effect of the spiritual vein!

It was natural that the cultivation speed became faster, meaning that his usual spiritual Qi recovery speed had also increased.

And.

He was fine even if he did nothing to climb Mount Red Yang anymore.

In the future, the cultivation speed would become faster and faster. Since he came to be able to spend the omnipotent power of the Supreme Great Ability entirely on cultivation, it was natural.

Flash!

Jin So-myeong, who returned to the cave dwelling, sat cross-legged.

This was because he could not bear his desire to check how fast the cultivation speed had become.

The spiritual Qi flowing in from the Secret Realm of the Mind connected to his soul was clearly felt.