Chapter 56
Chapter 56
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: Gathering Qi (2)
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Oh, it looked like half-step Gathering Qi, but taken down in one shot?
Yuk-gyeong flipped his hand this way and that, hardly able to believe he'd done it himself, as he manipulated the surrounding heaven-earth spiritual energy.
If it had been before reaching Gathering Qi Realm, Mo Yong-jeong would have been an opponent he'd have to fight tooth and nail against in a desperate battle for survival. But to Yuk-gyeong, who had now achieved Gathering Qi Realm, the man was little more than someone he could send flying with a flick of the wrist.
Is this the difference between Response Qi and Gathering Qi Realms?
Yuk-gyeong realized that Mo Yong-jeong had been easier to handle because he'd reached this extraordinary realm.
He had achieved all three—heaven, earth, and human—Gathering Qi at once.
Having shot straight to the early stage of Gathering Qi Realm, there was no way Response Qi Realm could compete.
The gap between Response Qi and Gathering Qi Realms was comparable to that between a child and an adult.
No matter how impressive a child's assault might seem, to an adult, it was nothing but childish play.
Yuk-gyeong had defeated Mo Yong-jeong, the strongest Response Qi cultivator of the Wan Dao Sect, in a single move.
He looked down at his hand.
"Is this Gathering Qi Realm?"
Yuk-gyeong felt as if his entire perspective on the world had shifted.
Back in Response Qi Realm, he'd been peering at the world through a knothole. Now, having ascended to Gathering Qi Realm, it felt like he was viewing it from every angle.
The heaven-earth spiritual energy seemed close enough to touch, and the inner power accumulating in his body was so densely condensed—far beyond mere spiritual energy—that it felt like he could accomplish anything.
In Response Qi Realm, one circulated heaven-earth spiritual energy through the body using Heaven-Earth Resonance.
In Gathering Qi Realm, one accumulated that spiritual energy within the body and converted it to inner power. This inner power wasn't just compressed spiritual energy; it underwent a qualitative transformation. That was why it wasn't called spiritual energy anymore, but inner power.
Inner power strengthened divine sense and gradually remade the body, bit by bit—into a physique suited to it.
Of course, Yuk-gyeong's body, tempered by a thousand tribulations, merely needed its internal and external balance aligned, and it would be ready to leap to the next realm at any moment.
Hummm—!
Using inner power to cast spells made all the difference in the world.
Now he understood why Response Qi-level spells were called "incomplete."
Gathering Qi inner power created seeds when casting spells. Seeds of the spell took root within the body.
This served as the spell's foundation, allowing faster casting and free control over its deployment and retraction.
Above all, the key difference from Response Qi was having those roots.
What plant in the world could stand without roots?
A Response Qi cultivator's spells were like rootless plants—scattered by the slightest breeze. Gathering Qi was different. They condensed spell seeds and properly deployed the spells, making them incredibly hard to dispel.
Yuk-gyeong felt his understanding of spellcraft deepen.
The sensation of truly becoming an immortal.
It gave him a strange sense of omnipotence. As a Gathering Qi cultivator, he could do anything. No mortal, no Response Qi cultivator could call themselves an immortal.
Having ascended past it, Yuk-gyeong could now see every flaw in Response Qi Realm. He understood what Gathering Qi Realm enabled.
This omnipotence of Gathering Qi Realm brought him incomparable pleasure.
So this is how good it feels to advance a realm.
Now that he'd reached Gathering Qi, time to check if the Fuck Status Window had gained any new features.
'Fuck Status Window'.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ 👤 Name: Yi Yuk-gyeong (Han Sang-sik) ⭐ Aptitude: Upper-Mid 🌟 Realm: (Triple) Gathering Qi Realm - Early ⚡ Abilities: Pluck Yin to Supplement Yang, Plunder, Foresight Fist, Fire Control, Cultivation Obsession, Spatial Perception 🍀 Trait: Single Spiritual Root (Metal) Huh? Reaching Gathering Qi changed the Fuck Status Window too?
For starters, it now displayed aptitude and realm.
My aptitude is upper-mid, huh. I figured it'd be top-grade.
Realm: early Gathering Qi. But not just any—Triple Gathering Qi? Does that mean all three, heaven-earth-human?
It's even showing my spiritual root's attribute. Already knew it was metal spiritual root.
Feels like the messed-up, broken Fuck Status Window is gradually normalizing. Does it get more detailed and refined as my realm advances?
That was the extent of the Fuck Status Window's changes.
Impressive growth. Yuk-gyeong was satisfied with the update. More detail was a good thing.
I wonder if sex-based ability absorption has changed too?
Thinking that,
But something feels refreshingly empty.
Ah, my clothes all burned away.
Yuk-gyeong approached where Mo Yong-jeong had flown off to.
Mo Yong-jeong was a total wreck. The disrupted heaven-earth spiritual energy had wrecked his spellbook's interior, and being mercilessly hurled by Yuk-gyeong had left him covered in wounds and dirt.
He let out occasional groans, so at least Yuk-gyeong knew he was alive.
"...My liege... Gathering Qi..."
Yuk-gyeong frowned at the pitiful sight.
Kind of feel bad for him. Just hit Gathering Qi, so I couldn't control my power. If I could, I'd have tossed him more gently.
Sorry or not, business was business.
"Mind if I borrow some clothes?"
Fortunately, Mo Yong-jeong was built similarly to Yuk-gyeong, so his outfit fit perfectly.
After inspecting the clothes, Yuk-gyeong set off, satisfied.
"...Gah!!"
Stripped naked on top of everything else, Mo Yong-jeong vomited blood and passed out cold.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The paths within the ruins remained treacherous.
The deeper one went, the more barriers blocked each section, halting progress in many areas.
The area where Yuk-gyeong was had mostly Wan Dao Sect disciples scattered about.
He'd been lucky at first, slipping in without running into any. But now, encounters grew frequent.
"Who are you? I'm an inner disciple of the Wan Dao Sect..."
Whoosh! Boom!
"Argh!"
Every time Yuk-gyeong met Wan Dao Sect disciples, whether Response Qi or Gathering Qi, he dispatched them effortlessly with his familiar Fire Bloom Technique.
No one could withstand Yuk-gyeong's hand. Probably not even late Gathering Qi staring down Core Formation, or actual Core Formation cultivators.
Now, Yuk-gyeong went beyond handling them lightly—he used them as spell practice dummies.
'My spiritual root is metal, so I should master metal-element spells too.'
Whirr whirr whirr!
The metal-element spell he could use, 'Metal Bloom Technique'—which bloomed flowers of iron and hurled them everywhere—was like tossing grenades in terms of destructive power.
As expected of Yuk-gyeong's metal spiritual root, it was far more efficient than his fire-element Fire Bloom Technique.
Even using only inner power, it rivaled Fire Bloom Technique's might.
And Fire Bloom Technique was a spell comprehended all the way from dharma tools.
Metal Bloom Technique had enough power to shred a Gathering Qi cultivator.
"The inner power conversion efficiency is overwhelming. Compared to Fire Bloom Technique, I could cast Metal Bloom five times with the energy for one Fire Bloom. Similar power, too."
Yuk-gyeong used Metal Bloom Technique to tear through the Wan Dao Sect inner disciples' barriers and neutralize them.
The Wan Dao Sect inner disciples were helpless.
They tried counterattacking with spells or focusing on defense, but nothing worked.
Defenses shredded along with their bodies; counters left parts of the caster missing.
"Aaaagh!"
"Everyone, run! There's a monster from Radiant Moon Sect!"
"Can't even match him as fellow inner disciples!"
Back at the entrance, Yuk-gyeong had been scrambling to dodge their attacks—or even the aftershocks—sweating bullets as he fled.
But now? They'd reversed roles. They fled like their tails were on fire to escape his attack's aftermath.
Yuk-gyeong thought the phrase "leaps and bounds" fit perfectly.
Upon closer inspection, the opponents hadn't changed—it was him. He rampaged freely. No one could stop him.
"It's a Gathering Qi cultivator! Run!"
"Gathering Qi? Even the other Gathering Qi guys can't handle him! Where are the senior uncles?"
"Judging by the aura leaking out, mid-Gathering Qi! Equivalent to an elite inner disciple!"
The Response Qi cultivators scattered in panic.
From Yuk-gyeong's center, their flight resembled Moses parting the Red Sea.
Wan Dao Sect: conquered.
The late Gathering Qi inner elite disciples had probably gone deeper. With barriers everywhere, they'd scattered while detouring.
No way Core Formation elders were here.
What a feeling of deep satisfaction.
The Response Qi disciples who'd only fled before now panicked and ran at his triumphant return with Triple Gathering Qi.
'The gap between elite Response Qi First Class and Gathering Qi is this vast. Even Gathering Qi cultivators I'd feared like the heavens can't stand before my spells. Though they're not true inner elites.'
What halted Yuk-gyeong's unstoppable advance wasn't a Core Formation cultivator or late Gathering Qi powerhouse.
It was a barrier.
Yuk-gyeong stood before the barrier blocking his path, observing it silently.
Invisible to the eye, but divine sense revealed its presence.
'Gotta dispel this to proceed. My instincts say straight ahead is right. Guess I'll have to break through.'
Yuk-gyeong had the perfect tool for dispelling barriers.
Pure Land Mantra Technique!
Pure Land and Mantra.
Pure Land referred to land suitable for erecting barriers.
Mantra referred to the incantations sustaining them.
Pure Land Mantra Technique encompassed both— the ultimate all-in-one kit of barrier arts.
Just an all-in-one kit? Then it wouldn't be hailed as a supreme barrier manual.
Pure Land Mantra Technique was the master key.
A key to unlock any barred "land" at will.
Master it fully, and no barrier would stand against you—that's what Pure Land Mantra Technique claimed.
Whether true would be up to Yuk-gyeong to discover.
As described, Yuk-gyeong circulated inner power, formed hand seals, and chanted the mantra.
"Om—! Open!"
His sharpened senses caught a fleeting connection to some... entity.
What? An entity? Just how did Pure Land Mantra Technique neutralize any barrier?
Didn't matter. The barrier opened; he just needed to enter.
A few more uses, and every barrier parted before him like soft curtains welcoming him.
No barriers obstructed Yuk-gyeong anymore.
He outpaced even the late Gathering Qi powerhouses and elders detouring around.
Like tackling a maze: one side searches paths painstakingly, the other punches straight through walls.
Obviously, the latter was faster.
Yuk-gyeong realized he was nearing the ruins' heart.
The barriers grew stricter and sturdier.
Though none withstood Pure Land Mantra Technique, of course.
They melted like men crumbling under a beauty's touch. They'd harden again after he passed, but he was already through.
Thus, bypassing barriers, he dispatched manageable foes with spells and slipped past tougher ones via barriers, advancing smoothly.
"Om—! Open!"
Humm—!
Eventually, Yuk-gyeong reached a barrier far stronger than any before—vastly different.
If prior ones were easy men melting at a beauty's touch, this felt like a steadfast man rejecting advances once or twice.
Pure Land Mantra Technique met slight resistance—but couldn't hold out.
"Where does this lead? Feels like it connects to the deepest part of the ruins."
Dispelling the mightiest barrier yet, Yuk-gyeong stepped into the profound darkness of the inner sanctum.