Chapter 68 – Digesting the Rewards

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Translated by Frog in the Well

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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Clang!

Appearing with a bolt of lightning, Jin So-myeong drew his sword.

From left to right.

The moment the sword swung horizontally drew a single line,

the upper and lower bodies of about ten demonic beasts were separated. This was because a slash spreading in a crescent-moon shape sliced through them.

No one could block it. Even a mid-stage Foundation Establishment level demonic beast was sliced down with a single strike.

“Kieeeek!?”

The monkey who appeared to be the commander glared, then pulled out another pure white shinbone.

Thump, thump, thump!

Using all of its four arms, it began to beat the drum like crazy.

An intangible sound wave condensed in the air, turned like a blade, and flew in, but it was too slow to hit him who utilized the Lightning Escape Art.

Rumble!

Penetrating into the pack of demonic beasts amounting to a hundred, he swung his sword.

Narrowly dodging the claws of a demonic beast that fought back, he slashed its neck with a single strike.

Swish!

Belatedly, the monkey’s spell flew in, but it was meaningless. Using the demonic beasts filling the surroundings as a shield, he blocked it easily.

He rampaged without restraint. He completely shattered the encirclement that was already halfway collapsed.

Although there were crustacean demonic beasts with hard shells, they could not endure the Sword Qi enveloped in lightning.

“Kyah! Human! I will remember you!”

Realizing that the situation was turning bad, the monkey that had reached the late Foundation Establishment stage kicked off the ground.

It fled alone, abandoning the demonic beasts that charged tenaciously even while dying.

Just as Jin So-myeong, narrowing his eyes, was about to give chase immediately,

Boom!

a stamp the size of a house striking down from the sky hit the monkey. Having gained leeway as the encirclement disarranged, Ha Yul-hee had manipulated her dharma treasure.

“Keck!?”

The fleeing monkey was thrown to the ground, and in the split second the energy flowing from the stamp suppressed it,

Whoosh!

Jin So-myeong, who did not miss the opportunity, slashed its neck with a single strike.

Simultaneously with the head floating in the air dropping with a thud, the demonic beasts that had rampaged without even sparing their lives paused.

Grr…?

Every single one of them looked around with a bewildered expression… and the moment their gazes met Jin So-myeong,

Screeech!

they fled in groups as if they had met a grim reaper.

“…”

It was somewhat unexpected, but letting them go would obviously only result in them devouring people. He was about to chase and finish them, but…

he soon realized there was no need to do so.

Thud!

This was because the demonic beasts fleeing in all directions fell one by one.

As if they had squeezed out all their strength, they collapsed and became dried-up corpses.

“…Gasp! I-I lived!”

“The Thunderclap Swordsman has come!”

Among the Qi Condensation cultivators who cheered belatedly as if they had just snapped back to their senses,

Ha Yul-hee, who bit her lips, muttered softly,

“You… clearly, just a short while ago, you were weaker than me. How on earth…”

Weaker?

Did she think she would have won if they had kept fighting in the tournament?

Although it was absurd, he ended up just letting out a sigh. What would he gain by catching the words of an immature princess.

He was about to just ignore it and pass, but before he knew it, a clear voice was heard.

“Just how did you become that strong?”

At that simple question, the countless life-and-death struggles he had experienced until now instantly flashed through his mind…

How could he explain all those matters.

Even talking for a day and night would not be enough, but for some reason, he could summarize it in just one sentence.

“Because I risked my life on the tip of the blade.”

Leaving behind her who had frozen solid, he selected only those among the demonic beasts he just caught that reached Rank 2 and put them in his subspace.

Regrettably, the late Foundation Establishment stage monkey did not have an inner core.

He glanced at Ha Yul-hee, but she did not seem interested in such byproducts.

He did not know what she was thinking, but she did not move as if broken.

At that time, other Qi Condensation cultivators approached competitively and bowed their heads.

“Senior! Thank you for saving us!”

“What on earth happened? Why did the demonic beasts suddenly increase so much?”

He asked what he had been curious about since earlier, but the Qi Condensation cultivators merely wore bitter smiles.

“We also do not know well. We came out to harvest spiritual herbs, but what a disaster…”

Just as he was guessing what the reason was, a sharp voice was heard.

“Demonic beasts are always invading anyway. What is there to be strange about? It has been quiet for a while, so it is about time they came. Stop talking nonsense and let’s return to Filial Moon City quickly.”

Ha Yul-hee, who had returned to her usual arrogant attitude before long, pulled out a disk the size of a tray and threw it in the air.

The disk that enlarged instantly floated in the sky, and at a glance, it was a vehicle.

“What are you doing? Aren’t you getting on?”

The Qi Condensation cultivators, reading the room, trooped onto the disk, and Jin So-myeong, whose curiosity was piqued, followed suit.

Swish!

The speed of the disk that departed while cutting through the wind was quite something.

Although slower than the Lightning Escape Art at full power, it was much faster than flying simply using spiritual power.

‘Is the power source spirit stones? It would be convenient when flying long distances. I wonder how much something like this costs.’

As he observed the flying disk, Filial Moon City soon began to be visible.

However, Filial Moon City, where they actually arrived, was different from before.

‘…Corpses?’

The entire castle wall, which had been clean, was blood-soaked enough to be dyed red, and the vicinity was full of demonic beast corpses piled up like mountains.

It seemed a large-scale raid had just passed.

‘Fortunately, no place has collapsed.’

Just when Jin So-myeong’s group approached the castle gate,

“Stop! Do not approach further and reveal your identities! …Wait. Thunderclap Swordsman?”

The armored cultivator shouting from atop the castle wall paused, and his face brightened up.

“Oh! Lady Ha Yul-hee is here too. I heard you went to the Soul Washing Land, and I am glad you returned safely. What is everyone doing! Open the formation immediately!”

“Captain! What if a demonic beast has disguised itself! We must try using the Demon-Detecting Compass first!”

“Ah… that’s right. Lady Ha Yul-hee, Fellow Daoist Jin. I am sorry, but it seems we must check first. Recently, the Rank 2 demonic beasts we speak of have increased strangely.”

Jin So-myeong glanced aside. It was because he wondered if Ha Yul-hee, whom he inwardly regarded as immature, would act crankily.

But contrary to his expectations, she was submissive.

“I get it, so do it quickly. Because I am exhausted to death.”

She even took the lead in being inspected.

“Thank you for your cooperation. Do not dodge and stand still.”

The late Foundation Establishment stage cultivator who appeared to be the person in charge pulled out a tray-sized circular dharma treasure.

Buzzing!

A bizarre wave of spiritual power swept over Jin So-myeong’s group, repeating about ten times in a short moment.

To be honest, it was not very pleasant as it felt like his insides were being forcibly rummaged through.

‘Does it judge whether one is a demonic beast or not by giving stimulation to spiritual power.’

Just as he was guessing the principle of the dharma treasure called the Demon-Detecting Compass, the armored cultivator said in a much brighter tone,

“The inspection is finished. Please come in.”

Jin So-myeong, who stepped into Filial Moon City through the castle gate, paused.

This was because of the unexpectedly peaceful atmosphere.

Although some young cultivators loitered the streets with anxious expressions, the older Foundation Establishment cultivators did not mind at all.

There was even a person enjoying the sunlight with a relaxed expression.

Seeing that sight made him feel relieved for some reason.

‘Is this just daily life?’

He had worried if he had to go to war with demonic beasts right away, but it seemed it was not that kind of situation yet.

‘Fortunately. I gained too much and needed time to digest it.’

Looking up at the sky, the shockwaves that had been echoing constantly had also subsided before he knew it.

The battle between the Rank 3 existences had also entered a lull.

At that time, Ha Yul-hee, who followed behind, muttered in a weakened voice,

“Sigh. I am already tired from going to the Soul Washing Land, and now I even have internal injuries because of the demonic beasts.”

“We are sorry. It is all because of us… we will definitely repay the grace of saving us today someday.”

The heavily shrunk Qi Condensation cultivators said as if swearing a vow, but Ha Yul-hee merely snorted.

“Hmph. As if you guys would be of any help. Fine. I am going to rest, so do as you please now.”

Glaring at Jin So-myeong one last time, she walked away abruptly.

A brief awkward silence flowed, and the Qi Condensation cultivators who were standing blankly bowed their waists to Jin So-myeong this time.

“Thank you very much for helping us as well, Senior Jin. What we said just now is not a lie. Whenever it is, we will definitely repay the favor.”

“Hmm. I will look forward to it. If possible, give me a good gift.”

“Haha! Understood.”

Honestly, Jin So-myeong was of a similar mind to Ha Yul-hee. Would a day really come when he would receive help from Qi Condensation cultivators…?

Although the possibility looked slim, he did not point it out. They merely parted with a laugh.

‘I should stop by the market and then return to my cave dwelling.’

Since the tournament was over, it was time to return to daily life.

To organize the treasures he had obtained recently, a safe place was needed. In that aspect, the cave dwelling was the best.

He headed toward the market without much thought, and gazes were felt everywhere on the streets.

“The Thunderclap Swordsman?”

“Hey, the winners of the Ascending Immortal Tournament are currently in the Soul Washing Land.”

“Isn’t today the one-month mark?”

“…Could it really be him?”

The ones who recognized him as the winner of the Ascending Immortal Tournament whispered. Although they spoke softly as if whispering, thanks to his sensitive senses, it was all heard.

Jin So-myeong, who paused, changed his appearance with the Thousand Transformations Art.

Rather than intending to hide his identity, it was simply because it was uncomfortable.

Just like that, as soon as he arrived at the market, he sold off all the demonic beast byproducts he obtained today and spent all the spirit stones he earned exactly as they were.

While buying various cultivation resources including spiritual rice and spiritual soil to plant the Sword Seed,

‘Huh?’

an unusual sight was visible in a corner of the alleyway. There were strangely many people at a certain dharma treasure specialty shop.

‘Thousand Refinements Chamber? That shop is the place where I bought the Five Elements Sword.’

The sword was decent, but because it was in an out-of-the-way place, it was a shop with almost no customers.

Yet it was so crowded that there was no room to step. Piqued by curiosity about what was going on, he approached closer.

“They say the sword crafted by you, Elder, is comparable to a Rank 3 Magic Treasure. Is it true?”

“Bullshit! What skill do I, a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, have to make a Magic-Treasure-grade sword. It is absolutely not true, so stop talking nonsense and go away.”

“Hmm.”

The Foundation Establishment cultivators gathered in front of the shop whispered something while looking at each other, then nodded.

“Very well for now. Give me one of those Five Elements Swords as well.”

“I don’t have any… I said I don’t have any. The swords I made are already all sold out.”

The old man who was the owner of the Thousand Refinements Chamber looked tired for some reason. His rugged muscles had also clearly shriveled compared to the past.

“They are all sold out? Then you can just make new ones.”

“Damn it! Do you think a Rank 2 mid-grade dharma treasure just pops out with a tap of a hammer!”

He gestured for them to get lost, but the customers did not budge.

“Tsk. Playing hard to get just because you have some skill. I will give you 700 mid-grade spirit stones, so hurry up and make it.”

“S-Seven hundred… Ahem! That won’t do.”

“…800. Instead, you must make it exactly the same as the one used by the Thunderclap Swordsman.”

“Haha! Dear customer. Do not worry. I will make a fellow with even the same single ornament for you.”

Jin So-myeong, who watched up to that point, shook his head. That old man who was crazy about spirit stones was the same as ever.

Leaving the place quietly, he looked down, and the Five Elements Sword hanging at his waist was visible.

He felt strange because it seemed its value had risen.

In the distant future, perhaps this sword would be treated as a divine sword on Sky Island…

A chuckle emerged at the sudden random thought.

*

The cave dwelling he returned to after a month was the same as ever.

The quiet yet thick spiritual Qi felt calmed his mind.

‘Should I strengthen the mine first?’

Planting the Sword Seed, establishing the Jade Light Spring, and so on. There was a lot to do, but he decided to take it step by step.

Flash!

Wielding the divine ability engraved in his soul, he moved to the Secret Realm of the Mind and then ran to the mine.

The 300 mid-grade spirit stones accumulated while he was in the Soul Washing Land for a month were visible.

Adding the 800 spirit stones he originally possessed to this, it was 1,100.

It was a quantity sufficient to grow the Secret Realm of the Mind’s spiritual vein to Rank 2 mid-grade.

Clang! Clang!

He swam his pickaxe skillfully. Had he mined about thirty mid-grade spirit stones?

His forehead began to throb.

His fatigued divine soul cried out in pain. Mining spirit stones in a semi-soul state was no different from hard labor.

‘Let’s endure.’

This was also cultivation. The more he endured the pain, the stronger his divine soul would become.

He kept mining with a staggering body. The moment he mined fifty spirit stones in succession,

his head spun.

“Ah.”

He intuitively knew it was his limit but did not stop. Forcing his body, which felt like collapsing, to move, he mined three more spirit stones, and then.

With a hazy mind, he exited the Secret Realm of the Mind and collapsed onto his bed.

Just how long did he sleep? He opened his eyes naturally.

Simultaneously with the feeling of having slept truly deeply after a long time, the world looked a level brighter.

‘…My Divine Sense has become stronger.’

The 200-meter range was the same, but it felt slightly more solid.

If he kept growing stronger like this, he would not be swayed by other people’s Divine Sense attacks.

‘Sometimes, gathering spirit stones to mine them is not bad either.’

Nodding his head, he entered the Secret Realm of the Mind again. He repeated mining spirit stones to his limit and sleeping deeply.

Just when 1,000 mid-grade spirit stones gathered like that,

as the long-awaited time had come, he did not hesitate.

All the spirit stones, he grew the Secret Realm of the Mind to Rank 2 mid-grade!