Chapter 72 – Dream-Roaming Primal Pill: A World Lacking One (1)

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Translated by Frog in the Well

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

Yunhwa Village, one of the countless small villages on Sky Island.

In that place, which had been peaceful in its own way, a disaster fell one day.

– Awoooo!

A blue wolf that came along with a blizzard. A Rank 2 high-grade demonic beast attacked the village while scattering powerful demonic Qi.

“E-Elder! The formation is on the verge of collapsing!”

“…Calm down. Go to the storehouse quickly and bring spirit stones! We must maintain the formation somehow!”

Crack!

Every time the pure white snowflakes controlled by the wolf touched the barrier, a hair-raising chill spread.

“Urgh.”

Im Yeon-hu, an early Foundation Establishment cultivator who was desperately blocking it, clenched his teeth.

‘Damn it, what bad luck. For a late Foundation Establishment-grade demonic beast of all things to appear.’

Rank 2 high-grade.

As someone who had just reached Foundation Establishment, it was an opponent he could absolutely never match.

Relying on the formation installed in the village to hold out was the best.

‘Was raising a family at this time indeed too much?’

He regretted it. Had he known it would turn out like this, he would have quietly stayed in a Golden Core-grade city.

“Elder! I brought the spirit stones!”

“Well done.”

Although the formation was slightly restored as a bundle of spirit stones gathered with difficulty vanished, to be honest, it was only a temporary patch that did little to help.

‘Ah. It is meaningless.’

He had requested support from everyone he knew, but it was impossible for them to arrive in time.

And… in fact, even if they came, it was of little use.

‘To think that the result of becoming Foundation Establishment by good luck would be this.’

Had it not been for his family members who trusted and followed only him, he would have given up long ago and waited for death.

Just as Im Yeon-hu, who had become despondent, was blankly looking up at the sky,

“…Uh?”

the violently raging blizzard split apart.

The snowy wind that made it impossible to see even an inch ahead parted, and a clear sky was revealed.

A ray of light descending from the sky

sliced through the despairingly powerful demonic beast in a single blow.

Thud!

Futilely simply. The headless demonic beast collapsed and became a mere lump of meat.

“…Golden Core?”

How did those who were busy maintaining the Reverse Polar Grand Lock Formation that protected the entire Sky Island come all the way to this place?

Just as Im Yeon-hu, who was muttering as if possessed, suddenly snapped to his senses,

although he did not know how it happened, expressing his gratitude first was the priority.

He immediately cleared away the meaningless formation and rushed outside to greet the visitor.

***

Jin So-myeong, who had disposed of the Rank 2 high-grade demonic beast with a single swing of his sword, paused.

It was because the Foundation Establishment cultivator who opened the formation and ran out flurriedly was familiar.

‘Where did I see him?’

He was definitely someone he had met before.

As he traced his past memories, a scene flashed through his mind.

‘The Spiritual Seeking Talisman! It was the cultivator who sold me the Spiritual Seeking Talisman.’

He was a Qi Condensation cultivator whom he had met around the time he just arrived on Sky Island.

The memory of buying and usefully using the Spiritual Seeking Talisman, a talisman that found opportunities, rose freshly.

‘Did he achieve Foundation Establishment with the Nourishing Jade Essence Flower I gave him?’

If so, he was a truly lucky person.

For it meant that he had made a Foundation Establishment Pill with only a single Foundation Establishment spiritual object.

“Senior! Thank you very much for helping me!”

“Hmm? Ah. The demonic beast is just something I caught because I needed it, so do not pay it any mind.”

“No! How could I just let it pass when I saved my life thanks to you?”

“Rather than that… congratulations on achieving Foundation Establishment. Was the Nourishing Jade Essence Flower I gave you of help?”

“Yes?”

“You would not recognize me in this appearance.”

When Jin So-myeong flicked his finger, he transformed into an ordinary rogue cultivator. It was one of the appearances he used to use often.

“Heh! S-Senior!”

“The Spiritual Seeking Talisman you sold was quite useful.”

In a way, it could be said that he had easily passed the preliminaries of the Ascending Immortal Tournament thanks to this junior.

The opponent, who was standing blankly as if shocked, bent his waist ninety degrees.

“Senior has saved the life of me, Im Yeon-hu, twice. How should I repay this favor…”

Although it was a serious voice, he just laughed it off.

He had heard those words once or twice, but there were almost no people who actually repaid the favor.

However, Im Yeon-hu was slightly different.

After pondering for a long time, he spoke like a person who had made a big decision.

“If Senior used the Spiritual Seeking Talisman usefully, this map will also be of help. Please accept it.”

“A map?”

“It is a map left by my great-great-grandfather, who was a Golden Core Sage in life. It is said that he obtained the Spiritual Seeking Talisman in this place.”

He accepted the jade slip politely offered with both hands and inspected it with his Divine Sense.

It pointed to a location considerably far from Sky Island, which was right in the middle of the Demonic Roaring Sea.

“In fact, I intended to visit it later when my realm became higher, but I will give it to Senior.”

“…Hmm. I will accept it with gratitude.”

He did not deliberately refuse what was given. He looked at the map again and memorized the exact location.

‘It is too far to go now, but I should visit it when Sky Island enters the Demonic Roaring Sea in a year.’

The Spiritual Seeking Talisman was quite useful. If possible, he wanted to obtain more.

Laughing with satisfaction at the unexpected harvest, he turned his gaze.

‘A demonic beast that uses ice-and-snow attribute spells… usually, unique guys like this have a high probability of having an inner core.’

Just as he was looking at the headless blue wolf, Im Yeon-hu tactfully withdrew.

“Senior. Since you seem busy, I will take my leave now. If there is an opportunity next time, please be sure to visit. I will offer a cup of decent spiritual wine.”

Left alone, Jin So-myeong drew a line in the empty air.

Whoosh!

The Sword Qi flown from his fingertips sliced the thick and tough hide like tofu.

He harvested the demonic beast with the butchering skill that had become proficient through much experience, and…

found the inner core he had wished for so much.

‘Finally seven!’

After packing various byproducts, he immediately returned to Filial Moon City.

He went to the Deacon’s Office and applied for the Dream-Roaming Primal Pill exchange.

“The Dream-Roaming Primal Pill? That requires gathering seven Rank 2 high-grade inner cores, though.”

“Here they are.”

Thud.

As he placed seven round beads on the table, the deacon’s mouth gaped wide.

“Heh. To think there is someone who actually exchanges this. How on earth did you gather as many as seven inner cores… W-Wait. The Thunderclap Swordsman?”

Because he shouted in a shocked voice, a brief commotion arose, but there was no particular problem.

The deacon, who inspected the inner cores meticulously, nodded. Handing over a wooden box sealed with a talisman, he spoke with a serious expression.

“Fellow Daoist Jin. The Dream-Roaming Primal Pill must absolutely be consumed in a safe place.”

“Yes.”

“If you get drunk on the dream, you might never wake up. You must brace your mind. Well… although there would be no worry for Fellow Daoist Jin, who is the winner of the Ascending Immortal Tournament.”

Although he already knew because he had investigated, he listened quietly.

“This is really just in case, but if you lack confidence, I also recommend splitting the Dream-Roaming Primal Pill in half to eat it. Although you will not be able to digest the medicinal effect fully, the risk will decrease.”

The Dream-Roaming Primal Pill was a secret medicine with which one could experience trials in a dream and train the divine soul, and it had a special efficacy only when consumed for the very first time.

‘I heard that if one is lucky, the spells they previously knew can become stronger, or they can learn a new spell.’

However, if it was split in two and eaten, such effects did not appear. The effect of training the divine soul also dropped to less than half.

‘Absolutely not.’

Four and a half years.

It was a medicinal pill obtained by spending almost five years of time. He had to absorb it as perfectly as possible.

Returning to his cave dwelling, Jin So-myeong took out the Dream-Roaming Primal Pill and observed it.

Although it looked like an ordinary gray bead at first glance, if one focused and examined the surface, a faint cluster of stars shimmered.

‘The Milky Way?’

It seemed as if the universe was contained in a pill barely the size of a fingernail.

Although he did not know how the medicinal pill was made, the more he looked in detail, the more he was convinced that it was no ordinary item.

He wanted to eat it right away, but he held back.

If one consumed the Dream-Roaming Primal Pill, they would fall into a truly deep sleep. Since he would be placed in a defenseless state, he was anxious in his current condition.

After activating the cave dwelling formation to the maximum,

he additionally installed various formation dharma treasures purchased in the market.

Although the spiritual vein was instantly depleted and the formation shook, he poured out more than a thousand mid-grade spirit stones to replenish the spiritual power.

‘This much is enough.’

Having prepared the defenses as much as possible, Jin So-myeong sat cross-legged in the center of the cultivation room and took a deep breath.

For a full fortnight, he calmed his mind through meditation and cultivation.

Simultaneously with the Supreme Great Ability being completely charged,

he consumed a massive 5,000 golden beads to amplify the effect of the Dream-Roaming Primal Pill.

The moment he popped it into his mouth,

the world spun around.

***

A shabby wooden shack in the Outer City of Red Yang Market.

Jin So-myeong, who was sitting blankly on a creaking, old bed, furrowed his brow.

‘…Why is my body so heavy?’

He stretched and carefully examined his body condition, and it was clearly exactly the same as usual.

But something was strange.

For some reason, he felt incredibly weakened.

Although he groaned for a long time, he could not know the reason at all, so he ignored it.

‘Forget it.’

On a joyful day like today, he could not be obsessing over something insignificant.

Slide.

He took out the spirit stone he had hidden under his bedside.

One real spirit stone exchanged by gathering 110 spirit stone shards!

If he could just absorb the spiritual Qi contained in this spirit stone, it was also possible to enter the Qi Condensation stage.

“Okay. Let’s start.”

Jin So-myeong, who braced his mind, absorbed the spiritual Qi and successfully entered the 1st layer of Qi Condensation!

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

Joy overflowed.

How could he be this happy? The reward he risked his life to win three years after reincarnation was too sweet.

But.

something felt empty. It felt as if something precious that must absolutely be there had vanished.

“…What is it?”

After tilting his head for a long time, he eventually brushed it off. Because no matter how hard he tried, he could not think of it.

Afterwards, he paused while trying to go to the Red Yang Sect following the advice of the shopkeeper he was close with.

It was because the closer he got to the entrance of the Red Yang Sect, the stronger an unidentified headache became.

‘Strange…’

Since it was too unsettling, he eventually turned his steps back.

‘Let’s cultivate alone first.’

Several months flowed like that, and Jin So-myeong was still at the 1st layer of Qi Condensation.

Around the time he thought that it absolutely could not go on like this, a rumor was heard that the Three Great Families ruling Red Yang Market were recruiting spiritual crop masters.

With the thought that he could not miss the opportunity, he ran at dawn and stood in line.

“The name is Jin So-myeong, and… a mixed spiritual root? Tsk. No need to ask further. Go wait over there. If there is a shortage of people, we will select you.”

Half a day of waiting with an anxious heart.

Fortunately, he was able to enter the Heo Clan, one of the Three Great Families.

“To become a spiritual crop master, you must know how to handle at least three spells.”

Wood Nourishing Art .

Water Clarifying Method .

Earth Guiding Art.

They were techniques to feel and manipulate wood, water, and earth attribute spiritual Qi, respectively.

Although they were basic spells without a proper rank, they were the first supernatural abilities he learned.

Of course, it was not easy.

“Jin So-myeong. You are really too much. Three months have passed, and you still have not learned them?”

“I am sorry.”

“I really do not understand. You did not slack off by any chance, did you?”

Although he was cursed at because of his miserable aptitude, time was the medicine.

Thanks to his efforts, even saving sleep time, he became able to do at least one person’s share around the time a year passed.

From then on, life seemed to improve. Certainly, being affiliated somewhere was better than being alone.

His cultivation realm, which had no progress, rose little by little…

and at the end of a full two years of time, he was able to reach the 2nd layer of Qi Condensation.

The joy was brief.

A Qi Condensation 5th layer cultivator named Heo Yang-ok, who had selected him as a spiritual crop master, came to visit and clicked his tongue.

“How about you just give up cultivation and go to a place where mortals live? Then, you will at least be able to become a respected immortal.”

The feeling of rising and then falling was painful.

‘…Is there really no meaning in cultivating if one has no talent?’

It felt as if his will would break at the anxiety that arose from time to time. Despite that, on a day he was silently cultivating,

by absolute chance, he found out that he had a talent for martial arts.

“Ah.”

It felt like discovering a ray of light in a dark world.

“Martial arts? What is the meaning of that? Is it not a trivial skill learned only by mortals who cannot use spiritual Qi?”

Someone ridiculed, but he ignored it. He clung to the light named hope.

He spent his entire fortune to buy a Rank 1 mid-grade flying sword. Although it was a secondhand one whose source was unknown, it was the first dharma treasure he possessed.

Since that day, he never let go of the sword for a single day.

“…You are really venomous.”

Although it was a martial art learned only by mortals, he learned it with all his might. He researched methods to use martial arts with spiritual Qi instead of ordinary Qi.

A year of time flowed.

“Hmm. Using martial arts with spiritual Qi is quite strong. It would work against us Qi Condensation cultivators as well.”

The gazes of those around him changed.

Especially, the attitude of Heo Yang-ok, who could be called his direct supervisor, changed the most.

“I am sorry for the past. I think someone like you might be able to achieve Foundation Establishment someday. This is an apology gift.”

“This bracelet… is it by any chance a dharma treasure?”

“Yes. Although it is a Rank 1 low-grade, it is an expensive defensive dharma treasure. It will be of great help in the Red Cloud Secret Realm that will open soon.”

At the goodwill felt for the first time in a harsh world, he did not know what to say.

Fiddling with the bead-like bracelet, he barely opened his mouth.

“How did you know that I intended to challenge the Red Cloud Secret Realm?”

“Haha. It is plainly visible that you are swinging the sword like crazy lately, so how could I not know? If you do well later, you must never forget me.”

“…Thank you.”

Was it thanks to his much lighter mind? His cultivation realm, which had been progressing sluggishly, advanced rapidly.

In the end.

Six years after falling into a heartless world.

From a serf for whom being whipped was a daily routine, he became a cultivator at the 3rd layer of Qi Condensation and was able to enter the Red Cloud Secret Realm.