Chapter 3 – Awakening of the Supreme Great Ability

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Translated by Frog in the Well

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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“Kid. If you succeed in becoming a Qi Condensation cultivator, come find me!”

“…Yes.”

Halted by Bang Il’s words, Jin So-myeong answered with a nod, and hurriedly left the Spirit Elixir Pavilion to head home.

Although he walked the main street with a calm expression, he groped his chest several times along the way to check if the Spirit Stone was safe.

‘Finally!’

The reward obtained by risking his life to climb the mountain for three years.

If only he could absorb the spiritual Qi contained in this Spirit Stone, it was possible to enter the first layer of the Qi Condensation Stage.

‘The first step is always the hardest for anything.’

Three years to reach the first layer of Qi Condensation. Although it was an excruciatingly slow speed, he did not lose heart.

As soon as he arrived home, he immediately locked the door.

Only after closing all the windows did he take out the Spirit Stone and examine it.

He stared at the mysterious crystal, which glowed with a brilliant blue light, as if possessed.

“Indeed!”

He could not suppress his admiration. Just by holding the Spirit Stone in his hand, a warm energy seeped in.

The pure spiritual Qi condensed at a high density within the crystal aroused an instinctive craving.

It was a high-dimensional power that stimulated the essence of life.

The intuition engraved in his soul whispered that if only he could absorb this spiritual Qi, he could take another step forward and become a superior, high-class being.

Although it was merely currency to the Immortals, to a mortal, it was no different from a treasure.

Just making it into a necklace and carrying it around would naturally make one healthy, allowing for a long life without disease.

‘…Let’s take a nap first.’

Since he had woken up at dawn and gone to the mountain, his entire body was fatigued. He could not attempt to enter the Qi Condensation Stage in this state.

Since it was a precious Spirit Stone obtained after suffering for three years, he had to use it in his best condition.

If he failed to enter the stage due to his physical condition, he would not even be able to die in peace out of unfairness.

He hid the Spirit Stone in a secret crack in a corner of the bed, beneath his bedside, and tried to sleep.

Although it was difficult to fall asleep because of his beating heart, he forced his eyes shut.

How much time had passed?

Rustle.

He woke up naturally only when it became midnight.

Only after eating a light meal and meticulously checking his entire body did he make up his mind.

“Alright. Let’s begin.”

Thanks to taking a nap, his condition was at its peak. Since there was no reason to delay any longer, he sat cross-legged right away.

Calming his mind through meditation, he became one with the darkness on the shabby bed and concentrated.

Woong.

Even though the windows were closed, a subtle wind blew. The weak flow began to grow larger and larger.

Spiritual Qi, which existed everywhere under heaven and earth, drew a spiral and was absorbed in accordance with his breathing.

How much effort had he put in over the past three years?

Circulating Qi according to the Five Elements Qi Condensation Method was a task engraved in his instincts.

He focused his mind. Setting up a pillar centered on his dantian, he guided the absorbed spiritual Qi.

Hwiiii!

The peaceful wind grew rougher and rougher. The whirlpool formed around the pillar kept increasing in size.

After a while.

Along with a throbbing headache, the limit of his mental strength arrived.

Just as the spiritual Qi whirlpool inside his dantian began to shake unstably, he quickly gripped the Spirit Stone in his hand and circulated the Five Elements Qi Condensation Art with all his might.

Woong!

Pure spiritual Qi was explosively injected into the whirlpool that was shaking as if it would collapse.

The flow grew stronger and stronger, reaching an uncontrollable state in an instant.

Now, even if he tried to stop, it was impossible.

Several times more spiritual Qi than usual was absorbed. His dantian throbbed as if it would break, and his meridian pathways felt as though they would tear.

Wing-wing-wing!

The pain did not cease. Along with the violently raging wind, dense spiritual Qi flocked in.

“Keuk!”

His mind grew hazy, making him want to lose consciousness right this moment.

However, how could he give up? If he gave up now, three years of effort would return to nothing; the Spirit Stone obtained at the end of his suffering would shatter, turn into dust, and disappear.

Just as he was gritting his teeth and desperately holding on.

Bang!

Along with the illusion of a solid wall blocking his front breaking apart.

The rotation of the whirlpool reached its peak and broke through the threshold!

Hwiiiiing…

Even the rough wind gradually subsided.

The ferocious spiritual Qi became obedient like a lie. No noise could be heard in the quiet room; only a weak breeze showed that what happened a moment ago was not an illusion.

He succeeded!

Finally, at the end of three years of suffering!

The pain that had persistently tormented him disappeared as if washed away; instead, joy welled up along with a cool pleasure.

“Ah!”

Dense and pure spiritual Qi caressed the wounds in his dantian and meridian pathways. It restored his ruined body to its best condition.

Strength boiled throughout his body. He wanted to run outside right away and run until his heart burst.

“Ahahaha!”

Laughing with joy, he savored the flow of spiritual Qi felt in his dantian.

A whirlpool rotating loftily in his dantian. He felt a structure resembling a spiral galaxy.

Even though he had already stopped the Five Elements Qi Condensation Art, this whirlpool never stopped.

The gravitational force generated by the rotation sucked in surrounding spiritual Qi, and the injected spiritual Qi gradually increased the scale of the whirlpool.

A continuous virtuous cycle supported the whirlpool on its own.

‘Finally!’

Excited, Jin So-myeong clenched his fists tightly and leaped to his feet. Now he was able to absorb and accumulate spiritual Qi merely by breathing.

This was the very proof of a Qi Condensation cultivator!

“I am also a cultivator who practices the Dao now!”

How long had he waited for this day?

Although he was the lowest class among the cultivators as numerous as the sand on a beach, a good start is half the battle.

Since he had achieved it at the end of his suffering, how could he not be happy?

“Hmm?”

Savouring the spiritual Qi pleasantly, Jin So-myeong paused.

“Supreme Great Ability ?”

Did they say good things come all at once? Blessings doubled.

At the same time as entering Qi Condensation and stepping onto the path of an Immortal,

He awakened the divine ability engraved in his soul, the .

‘An omnipotent power that can achieve anything?’

With his pupils widening, he covered his mouth.

Such a miracle-like power. Joy arrived along with astonishment.

How long did he run wild like crazy, swinging his fists in the air?

He soon calmed down and came to his senses.

He closely examined the Supreme Great Ability divine ability floating in his head.

“Hmm.”

Concentrating his mind, he felt a mysterious illusion in his head.

It was none other than the golden bead in which the divine ability was condensed, and minute characters floated on the bead’s surface, exuding a highly mysterious feeling.

Over tens of thousands of characters circled around the bead like guards.

Even though they were characters he was seeing for the first time in his life, for some reason, he felt like he knew the meaning; it was as if the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth had materialized and turned into writing.

“Ah…”

Although it felt like he could gain enlightenment just by looking, when he actually focused and examined it, he could not find out anything at all.

It was incredibly fascinating.

The characters moved continuously like living entities. Floating around the bead, they formed Dao clouds (道雲).

Having watched the golden bead for a long time like a possessed person, Jin So-myeong muttered.

“Is the total number of beads ten?”

He forced his excited mind to calm down. He organized what he had learned about the one by one.

First, the Supreme Great Ability is the ‘power to grant wishes’.

However, there is a constraint: the harder a wish is to achieve, the consumption of power increases exponentially.

Second, the consumed power naturally recovers over time, taking one month to be fully charged.

Third, the might of the Supreme Great Ability increases in proportion to his realm.

Jin So-myeong narrowed his eyes. As he learned more details about the divine ability, his excitement subsided.

[As long as the quantity is sufficient, the wish can be granted.] This condition itself was the problem.

The Supreme Great Ability he possessed was far too small to exert its true power.

It was like scooping out a single drop from the ocean.

‘It’s fine that the total amount of power is lacking. Because it will be resolved once my realm rises. By the way, the recovery period is one month?’

One month.

It was a period that was long if long, and short if short.

Although it was a pity to consume it recklessly without thought, it did not take so long that he had to hoard it preciously either.

‘Let’s experiment.’

The most important thing was how much power the Supreme Great Ability beads possessed.

He had to check the level at which wishes could be granted.

In any case, even if he consumed all of them, they would be fully charged in a month, so there was no need to save them like his life.

‘No, rather, I must not save them.’

He had to use them actively where needed.

He was a low-grade rogue cultivator without even a proper master. He had to mobilize all his resources to devote himself to cultivation.

Just as he was pondering what wish to make.

“Ah!”

A thought suddenly occurred to him.

None other than self-defense !

This world was completely different from the Earth of his past life where human rights existed.

If there was only one single rule, it was the survival of the strong.

It was a land of natural selection where only the strong survived. Naturally, the public security was terribly messed up.

It was a harsh place where he could get stabbed and die while walking on the street tomorrow. It was not for nothing that he, who was only fifteen years old, carried a broadsword around.

Living in such a dangerous place, he naturally had no choice but to think about self-defense.

‘Could I perhaps strengthen my physical power?’

Low-grade cultivators who had just entered Qi Condensation had difficulty handling proper spells.

The main means of fighting were punching or swordplay.

Although their combat power was far superior to ordinary humans, they did not deviate much from humans who were ‘just a bit stronger’.

‘Wait. How strong am I now?’

The moment he held a hard wooden staff in his hand due to a sudden curiosity.

Crack!

The hard wood was instantly shattered by his grip. The vast strength contained in his squirming muscles showed that he had stepped out of the human realm.

“Heh.”

Surprised even by his own action, Jin So-myeong’s mouth fell wide open.

Just the physical strength that naturally grew as he became a Qi Condensation cultivator was at this level. If it was now, he felt like he could win even in a bare-handed fight against a gorilla.

‘…No. Pull yourself together! I have only just become a Qi Condensation cultivator. Since I have no spells I know, I am the weakest among the cultivators.’

He hastily cast away the pride that had silently seeped in.

Shaking his head, he pondered self-defense measures again.

‘Anyway, public security here is the worst. Safety measures are urgent.’

Having his Spirit Stones extorted by thugs was something he would decline now.

Although he wanted to master powerful spells in his heart, the problem was always money. Learning spells also cost Spirit Stones.

Right now, he was a beggar. Let alone a Spirit Stone, he did not even have a single shard.

Furthermore, with his trashy spiritual Qi at the level of the first layer of Qi Condensation, it was difficult to even use spells.

To freely command flames and fly through the sky riding a flying sword, he had to raise his realm.

‘I heard that one must be at least at the fourth layer of Qi Condensation to use proper spells.’

He recalled the common sense of the cultivation world that he had investigated from time to time over the past three years.

To become a true Immortal, an immortal absolute being, one had to go further from a Qi Condensation cultivator.

In the cultivation world, realms are divided into Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul, and Soul Formation, and each realm is divided from the first layer to the ninth layer.

In particular, the fourth and seventh layers were so difficult to break through that they were called minor realms.

To summarize.

Layers 1 to 3 are the early stage.

Layers 4 to 6 are the middle stage.

Layers 7 to 9 are the late stage.

It could be said.

Also, the realm just before breaking through a major boundary was sometimes called Great Perfection, but that was not important right now.

‘Simply put, my realm is the first layer of Qi Condensation. In other words, a bottom-tier cultivator of the early Qi Condensation stage.’

Reminded of his position, Jin So-myeong shook his head.

In any case, the important thing was that it was difficult to handle spells during the early Qi Condensation stage.

Ultimately, since physical combat was the main focus, having strong physical power was a huge advantage.

‘Alright. Let’s increase my physical strength with the Supreme Great Ability.’

Without dragging out time, he focused his mind. The moment he wished to make the muscles of his entire body strong.

One of the golden beads, which could be felt even with his eyes closed, turned into dust and disappeared.

Crack!

A thrilling energy surged from his spine. Along with a subtle heat, a cool feeling spread throughout his entire body.

Just as he was about to fall into the subtle sensation.

“…The end?”

The mysterious energy vanished without a trace.

Blinking his eyes, Jin So-myeong was flustered.

He felt like he had become stronger in some way, but it was too minute. It was to the extent that it was difficult to distinguish whether it was just his imagination or if he had actually been strengthened.

Frowning, he quietly went outside the house.

Ta-at!

Jumping from his spot with all his might, he recorded how high he could jump.

Then, he made the same wish once again.

‘…I still don’t know. One more time.’

He repeated it continuously. After a total of four golden beads were consumed.

“Ah!”

Only now was he certain.

His jumping power had increased compared to before he strengthened his physical strength. His elastic thighs emitted powerful force.

A height that he could never reach no matter how much he jumped now touched his fingertips. He felt about ten percent stronger.

‘…Could I perhaps absorb spiritual Qi with the Supreme Great Ability too?’

A cultivator’s fundamental skill stemmed from their realm. To truly become strong, one had to accumulate spiritual Qi and raise their realm.

Without hesitation, he made a wish immediately.

Woong!

A gentle breeze blew, and he felt as if the whirlpool in his dantian grew minutely larger.

He had succeeded in absorbing spiritual Qi and accumulating it in his dantian.

‘Alright. This works too.’

There was certainly an effect, but it was a pity. He had already consumed half of the Supreme Great Ability due to experimenting. To recover this much, he had to wait fifteen days.

Pondering deeply, Jin So-myeong stroked his chin.

‘It is possible to become stronger like this, but… it seems a bit inefficient.’

A good idea suddenly occurred to him.

Returning inside the house in a hurry, he sat cross-legged on the bed. The moment he concentrated his mind while circulating the Five Elements Qi Condensation Art at the same time.

Snap!

One of the golden beads turned to dust once again, and the spiritual Qi whirlpool grew visibly larger.

“It worked!”

This time, it was clearly felt.

To the extent that the spiritual Qi accumulating in his dantian could be felt by his skin. The efficiency was twice as high compared to simply making a wish.

Making a wish out of nothing, with bare grit, was like digging the ground with a smartphone.

If he wanted to accumulate spiritual Qi quickly, he had to increase the amount of spiritual Qi absorption while running the cultivation technique.

Wearing a satisfied smile, Jin So-myeong nodded.

He felt like he had realized how to use the divine ability called the .

*

A month passed.

Jin So-myeong managed his realm by circulating the Five Elements Qi Condensation Art every single day, and adapted to his strengthened body while swinging his broadsword.

Also, he explored the most important thing, the Supreme Great Ability.

He also tried to improve his Spiritual Root talent, but the effect was minimal compared to the effort put in.

It seemed like he would have to pour in at least several months’ worth of the Supreme Great Ability for any sign of improvement to show.

In the current situation where he had no room to spare, he had no choice but to postpone it to later.

There was something he had realized in the meantime…

The was most efficient when achieving something that was barely impossible.

It was most effective when accomplishing a subtly impossible task that went half a step further from the range of possible tasks.

For example.

【Jin So-myeong】

【Lifespan】 : 15 / 118

【Realm】 : Qi Condensation Stage 1st layer

【Supreme Great Ability】 : 9 / 10

He was also able to create a like this.

It was not as difficult as he had thought.

‘Finding out one’s lifespan is not an impossible task. Any cultivator can vaguely feel their own lifespan.’

If one used a Lifespan Talisman, a talisman containing spell work, it could be found out even more accurately.

“Heh.”

A sudden, silly laugh leaked out.

If there was one thing he regretted most after awakening his past life, it was that there was no .

He did not know how much he had wished for this while risking his life to climb the mountain for three years.

After creating the status window using the Supreme Great Ability, an unknown sense of pride washed over him.

With this status window, he felt like he could achieve anything.

It felt as if it would illuminate his future like a lighthouse.

Of course, it was not greatly effective.

For now.