Chapter 59 – Tournament Preparation

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Translated by Frog in the Well

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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***

Jin So-myeong, who tapped the demonic beast inner core, fell into thought.

He had thought the opportunity found by the Spiritual Seeking Talisman ended with the Steel Blood Tree, but suddenly a doubt arose that it might not be.

‘Then just how far does the opportunity pointed to by the Spiritual Seeking Talisman go…’

The Ascending Immortal Tournament?

Or the Soul Washing Land he could go to as a reward?

If so, this tournament would be of great help.

‘…Let’s investigate the rewards properly first.’

Although he heard it was not dangerous, entering would take no small amount of effort.

Since he could not waste his efforts, he had to investigate properly.

‘They said one could enter the Soul Washing Land if they placed within the top ten.’

Then what on earth was the Soul Washing Land?

He roamed here and there to search for information, and fortunately, finding out was easy.

‘It is a place where one can improve aptitude and drastically shorten the cultivation period.’

The Soul Washing Land was a blessing-like land created by the cultivators of Sky Island over a long period.

It was a kind of cultivation sacred land managed by strict formations, and because it had been built over dozens of generations, the accumulated treasures were not few.

Lotuses emitting coldness, sap that healed hidden wounds, and so on.

It was filled with heaven and earth spiritual objects that would be helpful at the Foundation Establishment grade.

‘There is even a thunder-attribute spiritual spring ?’

If one immersed their body in this spring water called the Jade Light Spring , they could wash to the depths of their bones with lightning.

That alone was a splendid effect, but it was highly likely to also be of great help to the cultivation of the Heavenly Thunder Dao Body Art!

Perhaps it could even cause the mastery to explode.

‘What a relief. I was worried because the cultivation of the Heavenly Thunder Dao Body Art was becoming increasingly difficult.’

There were many rewards besides the Soul Washing Land.

Various cultivation spiritual medicines were a matter of course, and the higher the rank, the exponentially larger the reward grew.

‘They say the Golden Core seniors give a suitable gift if one wins…’

For reference, the gift received by the previous winner was a Rank 3 Magic Treasure. It was also of the defensive category, which was said to be precious.

Rank 3 was powerful enough to be called a magic treasure rather than a dharma treasure.

Although it would be hard for a Foundation Establishment whose spiritual power was lacking to handle it perfectly, it was clearly a treasure that would save his life at a crucial moment.

‘…Winning is honestly impossible.’

Although only Foundation Establishment cultivators under eighty years old could participate in the Ascending Immortal Tournament, there were many geniuses in the world.

Hadn’t Jin So-myeong achieved Foundation Establishment in his early twenties? There would surely also be late Foundation Establishment in the tournament.

Without using the Supreme Great Ability, it was hard to defeat the late stage.

‘Shall I aim for the top ten with the Soul Washing Land as the goal.’

That was also not entirely easy.

It was because, unlike him who had achieved Foundation Establishment not long ago, other people must have prepared for the tournament for decades.

‘To pull up combat strength in a short period, it would be best to concentrate on spells and equipment.’

Flash!

【Spell】

Wind Control Art (Mastery 941 / 3000)

River and Cloud Sword Art (Mastery 29851 / 30000)

Immortal-Severing Earth Art (Mastery 1578 / 5000)

Thousand Transformations Art (Beginner 730 / 10000)

Lightning Escape Art (Beginner 5122 / 10000)

Scanning through the mastery, he selected the top priority goal.

‘I must raise the Lightning Escape Art first.’

Excluding the River and Cloud Sword Art that he resolved to practice by himself, this attracted him the most.

Speed was the basis of combat.

Just by being fast, even a simple attack turned into a deadly strike.

Once the Lightning Escape Art reached the mastery stage, he would become far faster than now, so he would be able to seize the initiative in combat.

However, there was one worry.

‘Is it alright to use the Lightning Escape Art? It seems to stand out too much…’

A sword cultivator who handled lightning. Even Jin So-myeong himself thought it was an uncommon existence.

Just by being a Foundation Establishment sword cultivator, the Young Master of the Thousand Corpses Sect had come looking for him.

Although it was an unlucky event that occurred during the war, he did not know what would happen if his thunder art was also revealed.

‘Can I reach the top ten by using only the sword.’

Thinking about it carefully, it seemed possible. A sword cultivator was just that powerful an existence.

Jin So-myeong, who caressed his chin, took a step.

Half a year remained until the tournament began. There was much to prepare.

***

Four months later, in a certain cave dwelling.

The moment Jin So-myeong, who closed his eyes and concentrated, extended his hand,

Flash!

Divided lightning poured in all directions. Every time the flash blocked his vision, his figure vanished and appeared repeatedly.

From one end of the cave dwelling to the other.

Every time he blinked his eyes, the position changed.

If anyone had seen it, they would have opened their mouth wide. It was because it was as if one person existed in multiple places simultaneously.

Sizzle!

Jin So-myeong, who brushed off the heat caused by lightning, grinned.

He felt the worth of raising the Lightning Escape Art to the mastery stage. Compared to four months ago, he had become at least twice as fast!

【Spell】

Wind Control Art (Proficient 1 / 300000)

River and Cloud Sword Art (Mastery 29995 / 30000)

Immortal-Severing Earth Art (Mastery 1658 / 5000)

Thousand Transformations Art (Beginner 800 / 10000)

Lightning Escape Art (Mastery 1 / 100000)

His gaze scanning the status window turned to the Wind Control Art.

He tried raising the Wind Control Art, a Rank 1 low-grade spell, to the Proficient stage, which was the stage after mastery, and a far more splendid result than expected came out.

Breaking through the limits possessed by the original spell, it had reached the Rank 2 level.

Now, if he operated the Wind Control Art at full power, his body became as light as a feather.

Everything from swinging the sword to running. All movements became faster.

If he practiced the Wind Control Art to the great success stage, he might really be able to fly ten thousand li with a single gust of wind.

‘Is the remaining period until the tournament two months.’

He contemplated carefully what he had to do in the future, and it seemed he only needed to achieve two things.

Practicing the River and Cloud Sword Art to the Proficient stage, and obtaining a Rank 2 dharma treasure.

‘How many spirit stones do I have left.’

He searched his sub-space, and about seven hundred mid-grade spirit stones were visible.

It was not as much as he thought.

It was because he had spent a lot to obtain things necessary for cultivation, such as the rent of the Rank 2 cave dwelling, cultivation medicinal pills or demonic beast meat, spiritual rice, and so on.

‘Still, some leeway will arise in the future.’

The daily production volume of the Secret Realm of the Mind, which he steadily developed, had already reached ten mid-grade spirit stones.

At this level, it was sufficient for practicing in the early Foundation Establishment stage.

However, seven hundred was insufficient to obtain a usable dharma treasure at the grand auction to be held in a month.

In particular, what he needed was a defensive dharma treasure, but because defensive dharma treasures were the first to be damaged during combat, they were rare and expensive.

‘It seems I must have at least one thousand five hundred.’

Jin So-myeong, who tapped his scabbard, left his cave dwelling. It seemed he had to earn spirit stones after a long time.

*

Half a month later, the sea near Sky Island.

A bat with a fish head glared at a young man with angry eyes.

Skreee!

The moment it flapped its wings while letting out a bizarre scream that induced a headache, wild waves raged.

Was it an innate divine ability? A water spray that changed into the shape of an awl swept over the young man!

Yet, the young man just stood still and narrowed his eyes.

The young man, who stared at the demonic beast silently, as if not even fearing the spells pouring down like a shower.

No, the moment Jin So-myeong gripped his sword.

Splash!

At the same time the waves parted, blood erupted.

The whitish slash extending from the tip of the sword had cut down the distant demonic beast!

Skreee?!

The demonic beast, whose wing on one side was cut off, struggled. The instant it ran wild while causing waves in all directions,

Rumble!

Jin So-myeong, who vanished with thunder, grazed past the demonic beast.

He directly swung his sword and cut down the demonic beast’s neck.

Although he caught the Rank 2 demonic beast with barely two strikes of the sword, his expression was not bright.

‘It missed again.’

He was currently practicing launching Sword Qi in earnest lately, but it was not easy.

If his concentration scattered even slightly, the Sword Qi failed to condense and became rapidly unstable.

Just now, he aimed for the neck but the wing was cut.

It meant that beyond the force being dispersed, even the direction was skewed. If the demonic beast’s hide had been hard, it would not have even been cut.

【Spell】

…

River and Cloud Sword Art (Mastery 29999 / 30000)

The remaining mastery was a mere one.

Yet, no matter how much he swung his sword, this single mastery point did not rise. He felt as if blocked by a thick barrier.

Because there was no progress due to the wall that could be crossed by investing just a single Supreme Great Ability, he was extremely frustrated.

“Whew. Should I raise this or not.”

Jin So-myeong, who frowned his brow, was conflicted.

Because the Supreme Great Ability was wasteful?

As if. At his current level, one or two were truly nothing.

Because he was anxious since it was a power whose origin he did not know?

It was not that either.

He did not know why, but he had a conviction that the Supreme Great Ability originated from himself.

Therefore, he could use it without any hesitation. Since it was a useful power that provided great help, he would continue to use it fondly in the future.

He had only imagined it.

At the very end.

When he wished to go a step further than the Supreme Great Ability, or rather, if a moment came where he had to.

This moment where he broke through by himself.

Wouldn’t the sword become a great strength… such a thought close to a delusion hovered in his head.

‘But the tournament is soon. If I raise this, I feel I will truly become drastically stronger…’

Jin So-myeong, who stared at the number with only one mastery remaining, eventually closed his eyes tightly.

Waving his hand, he scattered the hologram.

He resolved not to raise the mastery, even if it was merely a foolish thought!

‘It doesn’t matter since it isn’t a tournament where my life is in danger anyway.’

Was it because he did as his heart desired?

For some reason, he felt lighthearted.

He felt the tip of his sword had become slightly lighter.

Finishing his contemplation, he checked the demonic beast corpse. Sword training was good, but he must not forget the purpose.

‘Let’s see… Oh!’

He butchered the demonic beast that was a mixture of a bat and a fish, and indeed.

Whether he was lucky, there was an inner core. Even selling only the inner core, excluding other parts, would fetch several hundred mid-grade spirit stones.

‘What a relief. Combining even this, is the total number of inner cores collected over a fortnight three.’

Of course, it was a count excluding the mid-grade inner cores he had to submit for the qualifiers.

‘I should return slowly.’

If he had it his way, he wanted to catch a few more, but finding demonic beasts itself was difficult.

Perhaps due to the qualifying round of the Ascending Immortal Tournament, the demonic beasts had dried up. Just now was also discovered by luck.

Swish!

Putting the demonic beast including the inner core entirely into his sub-space, he returned to Sky Island.

Contemplating which shop to sell the byproducts to, he decided to just sell them directly on the street.

In any case, that way he could receive even a penny more.

‘To think I would open a street stall. Such an experience is also a first.’

He had thought he wouldn’t need to worry about spirit stones in his life, but indeed, one never knew how things would turn out in the world.

[Various Rank 2 low-grade demonic beast byproducts. Wings of the Winged Scale Bat, Horn of the One-Horned Beast…]

At the moment when he took out a wood suitable to use as a sign and wrote the text with spiritual power,

a rogue cultivator whose face was covered with a thick hood peeked.

“Hey. Do you by any chance have inner cores too?”

“Of course I have.”

“Oh! I will give you two hundred mid-grade spirit stones. Sell it to me.”

“Inner core? Stop! I will buy it for two hundred and seventy!”

Just what was going on.

In an instant, people crowded around. None cared about other byproducts and only wanted the inner core.

“Three hundred! Everyone, please yield a bit. I have hope if I only collect just one more!”

“Same for me! Three hundred and twenty!”

An auction started out of nowhere.

Cultivators whose faces were covered with hoods or masks endlessly shouted prices.

Ultimately, the bat demonic beast inner core he had just obtained was sold for a huge sum of four hundred and ten mid-grade spirit stones.

“Ugh. Damn it, if I only obtained one more, it would be six…”

“Damn it.”

At the moment when the cultivators who were pushed out by price left with their shoulders drooped,

“Wait! Who said there was only one.”

At Jin So-myeong’s shout as he stared intently at the heavy spirit stone pouch in his hand, everyone’s footsteps froze solid.

“Then…?”

The cultivators who swallowed their saliva stared with expressions of “could it be,” and Jin So-myeong nodded his head.

Ten minutes later.

Jin So-myeong, who earned eight hundred mid-grade spirit stones in an instant, let out a hollow laugh.

He did not know Rank 2 low-grade demonic beast inner cores would sell this expensively.

There was no need to even ask the reason. It was all due to the Ascending Immortal Tournament.

‘I should keep one without selling it. A total of eleven should be sufficient.’

Usually, ten inner cores were more than enough to pass the qualifiers, but just in case, he kept one more.

Now, the only work remaining was to buy a dharma treasure at the auction and achieve a good result in the tournament.

Then…

he would be able to enter the Soul Washing Land, the cultivation sacred land created by the cultivators of Sky Island over a long period!