A Flood of Insight

Four hours had passed since Jin Somyeong began focusing on the Five Elements Qi Refining Art.

“Hoo…!”

He exhaled a murky breath and let the corner of his mouth curl upward. His lower abdomen, where his dantian lay, throbbed faintly—and that was good news.

Good heavens. My spiritual root is already overloaded.

Overload meant his spiritual root had absorbed spiritual energy to the limit of what it could withstand. Even if he wanted to continue cultivating, he had to stop. If he forced more spiritual energy into himself in this state, he might damage both his spiritual root and his meridians. He would have to wait for them to recover naturally.

The spirit vein in the Mental Secret Realm is definitely helping.

Ordinarily, cultivating to his limit took a full ten hours. Today, his spiritual root had overloaded in just four. His cultivation efficiency had improved by more than double.

It was only natural. While others cultivated with a single spirit vein, he was using two at once.

“Incredible.”

The lifespan he had sacrificed did not feel like a waste in the slightest. In a sense, it would not even be wrong to say his aptitude had improved. After all, his cultivation efficiency had risen.

Smiling in satisfaction, Jin Somyeong sank into thought. This development had changed his cultivation environment in a major way. He needed to revise his plans going forward.

Once the Boundless Great Ability recovers, I’ll try improving my spiritual root… and maybe use the extra time to properly learn some spells?

In the past, after cultivating until his spiritual root overloaded, he had barely had any free time left. At most, he could rest or read books to broaden his knowledge.

But now things were different. His free time had increased dramatically. If there was something he wanted to do, he could simply do it.

One week later.

Jin Somyeong, who had spent each day cultivating while waiting for the Boundless Great Ability to recover, saw his eyes gleam.

The moment four golden beads were restored, he could endure no longer and began improving the aptitude of his spiritual root.

Exactly which aspect of my aptitude would be most efficient to improve?

What people usually lumped together as “spiritual root aptitude” was, when examined closely, divided into quite a few different talents: total spiritual energy absorption capacity, absorption speed, sensitivity in perceiving and handling spiritual energy, recovery time after overload, and so on.

Improving all of them at once would be extremely difficult. It would probably require consuming some miraculous divine pill or heavenly treasure.

For now, let’s start by improving the part that speeds up cultivation.

Raising his realm was the most important and urgent matter, so it took priority over the other aptitudes.

Crack.

The instant Jin Somyeong made his wish, one bead of the Boundless Great Ability was consumed.

First, he tried increasing the total amount of spiritual energy his spiritual root could absorb before overloading. Then his brow furrowed.

It works, but the change is too slight.

He had no precise measuring device, so he could only rely on sensation—but a cultivator’s instincts were fairly accurate. His spiritual energy absorption capacity had definitely increased.

But only by a hair. The improvement was so faint it was practically meaningless. If accumulated over a long period of time, it would eventually become noticeable, but he could not call it efficient.

It seemed he would have to set this option aside for later.

If I find a method to improve spiritual root aptitude, or a related cultivation art, the cost should drop sharply… Let’s check the other aptitudes too.

The four beads of the Boundless Great Ability disappeared one by one. By the time he finished experimenting, Jin Somyeong’s expression had brightened visibly. He had found the most effective direction for improvement.

Recovery speed!

Reducing the time it took his spiritual root to recover naturally after overloading was the most effective option. If he steadily strengthened his recovery ability, he felt he could clear spiritual root overload after only eight hours of rest.

Eight hours.

Compared to the twelve-plus hours it had taken before, the difference was like heaven and earth. If things went as he expected, then with a bit of diligence, he would be able to cultivate twice a day.

Two months later.

The whirlpool of spiritual energy that had been raging around Jin Somyeong gradually settled.

“I broke through!”

Joy overflowed in his clear eyes. And no wonder—he had reached the third layer of Qi Refining in just two months.

It was much faster than he had expected. His improved aptitude, the cave dwelling where a spirit vein flowed, the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Mental Secret Realm, and the Qi Condensing Pills he had purchased with Spirit Stones—all of these aids had combined to produce a result that bordered on miraculous.

My spiritual energy seems to have increased by about thirty percent. And…

Spiritual energy was not the only thing that had advanced with his breakthrough.

The Spirit Stone mine had grown as well. At some point, it had started producing three Spirit Stones a day.

How could he not be happy? In his days as a mortal, obtaining three Spirit Stones would have required nine years of suffering.

“Heh heh heh.”

Grinning like a child receiving a gift, he focused his mind. There was something even more important.

The beads of the Boundless Great Ability had also increased, from fifteen to twenty. Compared to when he had been at the first layer of Qi Refining, that was twice as many.

Looking at the golden beads that had increased with his breakthrough filled him with pride. A brilliantly shining future was not far away.

Someday, the wishes he could make would surely become astonishingly powerful.

“Mm-hmm.”

Jin Somyeong had been nodding in satisfaction when he suddenly let out a sigh. His cultivation of the Five Elements Qi Refining Art was finished, so now it was time to practice spells.

However, this part was not nearly as enjoyable.

After hesitating for a moment, he steeled himself and reached for the book titled Wind-Riding Art.

Inside the quiet cave dwelling, Jin Somyeong closed his eyes and concentrated. In a voice too soft to be heard, he murmured the mnemonic formula of the Wind-Riding Art.

Wuuung…

How much time passed? A faint swirl of spiritual energy began to form around him. Jin Somyeong seized that moment and snapped his eyes open.

Thrust.

The instant he pointed forward with a sword-incantation hand seal, a gust of wind swept through the cave dwelling. It was a wondrous sight in a room where not a single window had been opened.

He had succeeded in casting the Wind-Riding Art.

“...Not enough.”

But Jin Somyeong was not satisfied. His expression was dark, as though he had failed the spell outright.

“It took five whole minutes to cast. That’s ridiculous.”

It was far too slow. At this level, using it in actual combat was impossible. He would be stabbed to death before he could even finish casting the Wind-Riding Art.

Bitterness rose in him. He knew perfectly well that a journey of a thousand miles began with a single step, but he could not help feeling discouraged. After all, this was an extremely disappointing result for two months of relentless effort.

“...Was I too greedy?”

The Wind-Riding Art was a lower-grade first-tier spell with an official rank. Ordinarily, one or two months was enough to grasp the basics at the latest—and at a level usable in real combat, no less.

Yet despite two months of effort, he had not properly entered the threshold.

“Could it be an issue with my realm?”

In general, cultivators began taking an interest in officially ranked spells starting in the middle stage of Qi Refining. Only at the fourth layer or above did they have enough spiritual energy to spare, and only after growing accustomed to cultivation did they have time left over.

“But it’s not as if there are no people who use spells in the early stage of Qi Refining…”

Jin Somyeong sighed. He had been trying to force himself to find reasons why spell training was difficult, but he stopped.

The fundamental reason was, in truth, simple and clear. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠He merely had not wanted to face it.

It was all because his spiritual root ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠aptitude was poor. Spiritual roots also affected one’s sense for handling spiritual energy.

“Forget it. If I keep working hard, I’ll get there someday.”

He tightened his grip on his faltering heart. Even before he had obtained the Boundless Great Ability, he had never given up on cultivation. He had been stubborn enough to risk his life climbing Jeokyang Mountain every day for three years.

Compared to the hardships he had endured as a mortal, his current situation was heaven.

“Hoo…!”

Jin Somyeong straightened his posture and opened the book on the Wind-Riding Art. He had already memorized every last character, but he intended to read it carefully once more.

“The effects of the Wind-Riding Art are broadly divided into two.”

The first was controlling wind. The second was lightening the physical body. Only by freely manipulating both at once could one ride the wind and fly through the sky.

Among foundational spells, it was definitely on the difficult side. Strictly speaking, it was a combined form of two different spells.

Should I start with easier spells and get used to them first?

But he did not want to. The Wind-Riding Art appealed to him too much.

He had been interested in flying through the sky for a long time. If he could properly master the Wind-Riding Art, it would be no different from making one of his dreams come true.

It’ll help with self-defense too.

Speed was one of the fundamentals of combat. Merely being faster than the enemy gave one freedom to advance or retreat.

The Wind-Riding Art was useful in all sorts of ways. It was well worth the effort of learning.

“Hmm.”

As Jin Somyeong pondered a solution, his thoughts reached the Boundless Great Ability.

This omnipotent power was his greatest pillar of support. It was only natural that he thought of it whenever a problem arose.

However, this power had far too many uses. Since it was always insufficient, he had to be cautious about spending it.

Let’s think.

Over the past two months, while cultivating, he had poured most of the Boundless Great Ability into strengthening the recovery ability of his spiritual root. As a result of steadily increasing that recovery power, he now needed only eight hours of rest to clear spiritual root overload. In other words, he could cultivate twice a day.

There had also been an unexpected gain: his body’s natural recovery ability had strengthened as well. Minor cuts could now heal in an hour.

But this method has hit a wall too.

The recovery ability that had been increasing steadily had stopped at a certain point. It no longer rose, as if blocked by an invisible barrier.

He had reached the limit of haphazardly strengthening his physical recovery without proper knowledge.

I’ll need to obtain and practice some kind of body-tempering cultivation art. Then I should be able to break through this limit.

Clicking his tongue in regret, Jin Somyeong returned to the question of how to use the Boundless Great Ability. He had to decide whether it was worth spending this useful power on spell training.

In truth, there were countless places to use the Boundless Great Ability. He could also improve the spiritual energy absorption capacity of his spiritual root. He had only hesitated because the efficiency felt lacking.

...Let’s try it first. I’ll judge after seeing the effect.

He ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠focused his mind and activated the Boundless Great Ability. For the sake of training the Wind-Riding Art, one mysterious golden bead was consumed.

Boom!

It felt as though a bomb had gone off in his head. The memories of his two months of hardship learning the Wind-Riding Art flashed past like a panorama.

The spell formulas that had once felt clogged and incomprehensible shattered to pieces. The characters that explained the spell were dismantled one by one, then floated through his mind and formed a single sequence.

In an instant, they became a complete formula and were engraved into him with absolute clarity.

“Ah.”

His fingertips trembled from the rapture of enlightenment. The refreshing sensation of knowing traveled along his nerves and swept through every corner of his body.

It was as if he had drunk himself senseless on sweet wine. His mind nearly went hazy from the intoxication.

“I’ve entered the threshold.”

With that fierce certainty, he extended his sword-incantation hand seal.

The chaotic gale that had been roaming without order gradually began to follow the guidance of his spiritual energy. Like clouds bearing up a dragon, it wrapped gently around his body.

“I’m… I’m floating!”

His body, now lightened to a third of its weight, rose into the air.

Wobble!

He failed to hold on for even a full second before dropping back to the ground, but that did not matter. The Wind-Riding Art was originally like this. It was a spell that displayed its proper power only when used together with the propulsive force of kicking off the ground.

“Good!”

Jin Somyeong clenched his fist. The effect of the Boundless Great Ability was even better than he had expected.

It felt as though he had eaten the legendary Dao-Comprehension Pill, said to grant a Buddha’s enlightenment.

He savored the lingering aftertaste of insight, but in the end he could not hold himself back. He consumed another golden bead.

“Huh?”

Strangely, this time, the effect was not much to speak of. It did seem as if his proficiency in the Wind-Riding Art had increased, but the sensation was bland. It was worlds apart from the dramatic effect of the first time.

He activated the Boundless Great Ability once more, but the result was the same.

...It’s because I don’t have two months of grueling training experience behind it this time.

Before long, he realized the difference. The countless questions and clumsy fragments of understanding he had accumulated by directly practicing the spell had all gathered and sublimated, allowing him to obtain that powerful enlightenment.

Fine. This is enough.

He was not disappointed. It was enough that he now had the certainty that, as long as he worked hard, he could one day bring a spell to great success.

How many people in the world could not even do that much?

There was no reason to be disappointed at all.

I’ll train on my own first. Once I’ve accumulated enough experience, I can trigger enlightenment. In the meantime, I’ll focus on improving my spiritual root aptitude.

Once a rough direction had been set, his mood grew pleasant.

Whoosh!

When he extended his sword-incantation hand seal, wind rose. As he felt the wind surge along his spiritual energy, his hands began to itch.

Let’s go outside.

The moment the impulse stirred within him, he left the cave dwelling at once and headed toward the desolate wasteland beyond the outer city, where few people ever went.

He wanted to cast a proper Wind-Riding Art outdoors, where the natural wind blew.