Chapter 99 – Minor Success of the Five Viscera Hundred Tempering Art, A New Divine Ability

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Translated by Frog in the Well

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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In a wasteland where not even a small animal, let alone a person, was visible.

Jin So-myeong, who stood like a stone statue, closed his eyes.

Before casting the Light-Accumulating Destructive Vibration, he entered meditation without even a single movement.

Inhale…

Inhalation and exhalation. Pouring all his nerves into his breathing, he pulled up his concentration to the limit.

The trivial thoughts floating in his head disappeared one by one. The moment even the last remaining persistent thought vanished.

Opening his eyes wide, Jin So-myeong activated the Light-Accumulating Destructive Vibration.

Thump!

First of all, his heart moved.

That which had evolved into a spiritual energy organ, worthy of being called a dantian, poured out all the spiritual power accumulated so far.

‘Now.’

The first moment. This time was the most important.

For the Light-Accumulating Destructive Vibration, every time the energy passed through each organ—heart, spleen, lungs, kidneys, liver—the energy increased explosively.

Therefore, when the energy was at its weakest, right as it departed from the heart, he had to make his move.

‘Half. Let us use exactly half of the power.’

The moment he forcibly stopped a portion of the spiritual power that had begun to gallop along the meridians.

His breath caught and his head spun. Blood rising in his throat made it seem as if he had suffered an internal injury.

‘It hurts like hell.’

What would happen if one suddenly blocked a faucet from which water poured copiously? Naturally, tremendous pressure would be exerted on the internal pipe.

His meridian state was exactly like that right now.

As the flow of spiritual power was blocked unnaturally, his meridians throbbed as if they would burst.

He clenched his teeth and endured. No, in the first place, it was such a brief instant that it was embarrassing to even express that he endured.

The moment he felt a portion of the spiritual power that departed from his heart touch his spleen.

———!

A dazzlingly pure white flash dyed the front.

After a strange silence passed, as if the existence of sound itself was forcibly erased.

Rumble!

Together with a powerful explosion, a gale raged. The Light-Accumulating Destructive Vibration erupted from his fist pierced the sky.

“…Cough.”

At the intense pain felt after a long time, Jin So-myeong, who coughed up blood unable to hold back, knitted his eyebrows.

The disappointment of wondering if it was a failure was also brief.

His expression brightened instantly as he measured the spiritual power remaining in his dantian.

“Ohh.”

Originally, when he used the Light-Accumulating Destructive Vibration, less than ten percent of meager spiritual power remained and he fell into exhaustion, but now, twenty percent remained.

With this much spiritual power, he could continue the battle!

Of course, it meant so when only considering the amount of spiritual power.

Right now, as his meridians were on the verge of bursting, far from fighting, he had to focus on recovery immediately.

The state was worse than just using the Light-Accumulating Destructive Vibration.

Still…

Anyway, he succeeded.

‘Well begun is half done.’

He controlled the power albeit through a somewhat rough and coarse method. Since he succeeded once, he would be able to do it more skillfully next time.

Just as he was nodding his head in satisfaction and consuming recovery medicinal pills.

‘Hmm?’

The sky pierced by the Light-Accumulating Destructive Vibration caught his eye by chance. A fairly wide range of clouds had vanished as if erased with an eraser.

Staring at the clouds pierced in a circle, such a thought suddenly occurred.

‘The Light-Accumulating Destructive Vibration spreads in a cone shape.’

It was a form erupting in all directions from the fist.

In a way, it meant the power was not concentrated. Of course, despite that, the Light-Accumulating Destructive Vibration was powerful enough to turn a Golden Core to dust.

But what if.

This destructive power spreading widely in a plane shape were fully contained in a line—no, in a single point?

Just imagining it brought goosebumps.

‘It might show tremendous penetrating power…’

Jin So-myeong, who was murmuring blankly, clenched his fist tightly. In any case, what he had to do now was clear.

It was cultivation.

***

As time flowed and flowed, one day one and a half years later.

“Finally!”

Jin So-myeong’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.

Five Viscera Hundred Tempering Art (Mastery 3,999,000 / 4,000,000)

The proficiency of the Five Viscera Hundred Tempering Art was right on the verge of being filled.

It was only expressed as 3,999,000 because digits below the thousands place were omitted, but the actual proficiency was 3,999,999.

It meant that by investing just one more unit of the Supreme Great Ability, he would reach the stage after Mastery.

‘Whew.’

For some reason, he felt nervous. Calming his excited heart, Jin So-myeong concentrated his spirit.

The moment he invested the last unit of Supreme Great Ability with the mind of pushing a completed domino.

Crack!

A storm raged in his mind. Hundreds of thousands of characters split, scattered, and merged into one repeatedly.

All sorts of secrets to temper the physical body poured in endlessly.

“Ah!”

Literally a cry of admiration. The emotions of astonishment and wonder became sound and flowed out.

The miracle achieved by the overwhelming four million units of Supreme Great Ability.

The Five Viscera Hundred Tempering Art, reconstructed from the roots, evolved into a cultivation method one stage above.

It became a cultivation method so outstanding that it was embarrassing to call it by the same name as the Five Viscera Hundred Tempering Art circulating in the market!

His mind grew hazy under the pouring feast of knowledge.

Could it be called ecstasy?

It felt as if he had become a lofty existence. The feeling that the world was grasped in his palm! At least in this moment, he envied nothing.

Would it be like this if one consumed the legendary Enlightenment Pill that was said to grant the Buddha’s realization?

Under the joy given by the infinite ascension, he forgot everything and plunged in frantically.

Simultaneously with the complete scripture containing a fragment of the Three Thousand Great Daos being engraved in his head.

Boom!

As if expelled from the heavens, he was forcibly thrown out from the state of self-forgetfulness.

“…Ah?”

A lament leaked out of his clogged throat. It was a sigh similar to when he was drunk on enlightenment, but the meaning was completely different.

It was regrettable. Enough that it would not be strange if he went mad.

It was extremely unpleasant as it felt like being demoted from a great and lofty existence to a tiny creature.

“Sigh.”

Jin So-myeong, who scowled with a grimace, raised his arm.

It was clearly the identical body as usual, yet it was felt like an extremely cumbersome load.

He, who was sitting blankly, closed his eyes.

He tried to artificially reproduce the state of self-forgetfulness just now by any means, but it was not easy.

It was an event that occurred barely a minute ago, yet his memory was hazy. He could by no means recall it as if it had been deleted.

“Mmm…”

It was within reach yet out of reach; he floundered, chasing a mirage that grew more distant the closer he approached.

How many times had the sun risen and set?

During a period close to almost a week, Jin So-myeong, who only recalled the ecstasy while even omitting his cultivation, started.

‘What am I doing right now…?’

At the suddenly rising thought, he was startled and slapped his own cheek hard.

Not stopping at that, he forcibly raised his body and walked around the cave dwelling as if taking a stroll.

Once the sensation of being drunk disappeared and his mind became clear, goosebumps rose.

He had almost wasted truly a lot of time falling into the illusion called enlightenment, which he could not even perceive with his current strength.

“Phew!”

He took a deep breath by the lake halfway up the mountain of the cave dwelling.

As he focused only on the airflow entering his lungs, the feeling of being possessed completely disappeared.

Looking at it after regaining his sober mind, it was even more chilling.

He had almost fallen into a heart demon by obsessing over the ecstasy.

What would happen if he sat still and absorbed himself only in enlightenment without even cultivating? Perhaps his body and mind would have become impoverished as time flowed.

‘That was a close call.’

Jin So-myeong, who let out a sigh of relief, pulled up the status window.

Although an unexpected problem occurred, he had gotten past it well anyway. What was important now was how the Five Viscera Hundred Tempering Art had changed.

Scanning the status window, the translucent hologram, Jin So-myeong’s eyes went wide.

Five Viscera Hundred Tempering Art (Minor Success 1 / 4,000,000,000)

“Ohh.”

The stage after Mastery was Minor Success.

By the standards of the strict status window, what level did a small success actually refer to?

To the extent that his mouth dried up in anticipation.

He hoped the effort of investing four million units of Supreme Great Ability would be rewarded.

‘Let us see…’

He recalled the reconstructed Five Viscera Hundred Tempering Art scripture from beginning to end.

He focused on the changes that occurred as the proficiency reached Minor Success.

“It is good?”

The expression of Jin So-myeong, who focused for a long time, became brighter and brighter.

This was because he liked the newly born Five Viscera Hundred Tempering Art quite a lot.

First of all.

All the basic effects possessed by the Five Viscera Hundred Tempering Art grew stronger.

Poison resistance, regenerative power, physical strength, meridian durability, and so forth.

Blessing-like effects that were of great help normally, knowingly or unknowingly, were all strengthened.

Energy efficiency also increased. The power that could be exerted with the same blood energy grew!

‘The Light-Accumulating Destructive Vibration has also grown stronger.’

The amount of spiritual power the five viscera—which performed the role of dantians—could accommodate increased.

Originally, Jin So-myeong possessed about 1.3 times more spiritual power than cultivators of the same tier, but now he reached the level of 1.5 times.

Although controlling the Light-Accumulating Destructive Vibration became harder, there was no reason to dislike it. It meant he grew stronger anyway.

Jin So-myeong, who nodded his head in satisfaction, shone his eyes.

‘A divine ability also appeared!’

Blood Spirit Clone Technique.

Literally a cloning technique using blood. It was a divine ability to divide the body into several.

Closing both eyes, he concentrated.

The moment he exerted the divine ability engraved in his physical body.

The world split into two. No, to be precise, it had to be expressed that his vision was divided into two.

“Mmm…”

Amidst the unfamiliar sensation felt for the first time.

Slowly shifting his gaze, a youth looking exactly like him was staring blankly.

When he raised his right arm, the fellow also moved identically. It felt like looking in a mirror.

Jin So-myeong, who moved here and there as if stretching, frowned.

The clone created by the Blood Spirit Clone Technique lacked a sense of self. It was an existence close to a doll that moved simply as the main body commanded.

‘…Control is harder than expected.’

What would it be like if one’s limbs suddenly doubled? Walking properly would probably be difficult.

The clone was even worse.

Starting from vision to touch, smell, and so forth.

He had to first grasp which body the senses he felt right now were coming from, which was trickier than imagined.

“Groan.”

He tried to have only the clone move while the main body stayed still, but it was difficult. The clone that collapsed with a thud floundered on the ground.

Still, time was the answer.

Perhaps because it was a divine ability engraved in his physical body, the proficiency rose rapidly.

After practicing for about half a day, he became able to move both the clone and his body at will.

Swish!

Jin So-myeong, who watched the clone brandishing a sword, stroked his chin.

During the half day, he found out various pieces of information regarding the Blood Spirit Clone Technique.

True to a divine ability originating from the proficiency system, the Blood Spirit Clone Technique was extremely powerful.

Speaking of the restriction first, the blood spirit clone could only move within his Divine Sense range.

Although going outside the Divine Sense range was not impossible…

‘The further it moves from me, the consumption of mental power and spiritual power increases rapidly. It cannot endure long.’

Next was the power possessed by the clone; the power of the blood spirit clone differed based on how much power Jin So-myeong consumed to create it.

It meant that if he consumed ten percent of his power to create the clone, a clone equipped with ten percent of the main body’s ability would be created.

‘This is slightly ambiguous.’

The method by which power was consumed was slightly tricky.

If Jin So-myeong possessed ten units of power but invested one unit of power to create the clone, the main body could also only handle nine units of power.

It meant that the main body grew weaker the more clones he created.

If it ended here, the blood spirit clone would have been of no particular use. The drawback of the main body growing weaker was truly fatal.

However, this clone possessed an ability worthy of being called an authority.

‘Excluding the Supreme Great Ability, it can use all the powers I possess…’

Indeed.

This clone could also use the Light-Accumulating Destructive Vibration.

The blows suffered by the clone did not affect the main body. He became able to cast the Light-Accumulating Destructive Vibration without worrying about exhaustion.

Also.

There was one more powerful ability; the clone and the main body could swap locations with each other at any time.

In a way, it was no different from teleportation.

By swapping locations between the clone stationed in a distant place and the main body, he could easily escape in dangerous moments.

‘It is a divine ability specialized in survival.’

Although it was a divine ability with quite a few drawbacks, he did not care greatly. The Light-Accumulating Destructive Vibration also grew more powerful as his realm rose.

Perhaps the Blood Spirit Clone Technique would be the same.

Upon reaching the Nascent Soul stage, it was highly probable that it would display its true power. Perhaps additional abilities might arise.

‘If used well, it seems likely to help in cultivation as well.’

While worrying about how to utilize the newly appeared divine ability, Jin So-myeong faltered.

Suddenly, the goal and ideal pursued by the Five Viscera Hundred Tempering Art came to mind.

‘It was said that when achieving Great Success, one accomplishes an immortal body so that even if only a single drop of blood remains, one can revive from death…’

The stage the Five Viscera Hundred Tempering Art reached currently was Minor Success.

Perhaps the Blood Spirit Clone Technique was experiencing part of the divine abilities to be obtained when the Five Viscera Hundred Tempering Art achieved Great Success.

‘Can I live forever if I achieve an immortal body?’

Agonizing deeply, Jin So-myeong shook his head.

It was too distant a future.

To reach the next stage of the Five Viscera Hundred Tempering Art, he had to consume as many as four billion units of the Supreme Great Ability.

He would have to at least reach the Nascent Soul stage to even dare think about it, and it was also uncertain whether the next stage was Great Success or not.

Right now, just raising his realm was enough.

‘Next is Golden Core 2nd layer.’

Recalling the goal to be achieved before the secret realm opened, he began to immerse himself in cultivation again.