Chapter 87
Chapter 87
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: Nascent Soul (4)
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The fluctuations arising during the preparation of the ritual could not be concealed.
Ordinary people could never sense it, but every cultivator in Yu Nation at the time felt it.
The members of the joint pursuit team were no exception.
They hurried toward the source of the fluctuations.
It was clear that Wi Jimok was preparing the ritual.
Once it began, there would be no way to intervene midway.
Finally, arriving at the ritual site, the team members witnessed it.
A massive vortex of heaven and earth spiritual energy swirling like a gale.
The scale of the ritual blatantly defied common sense.
A gigantic whirlwind had engulfed the entire mountain.
Soon, the wind gathered into a spherical barrier.
The ritual site was completely isolated from the outside world.
The density of heaven and earth spiritual energy was so high that it was visible to the naked eye, even without using spirit eye techniques.
Lightning flashed within the pitch-black barrier.
It was the trial from the heavens, the Heavenly Tribulation.
Its aftermath made even approaching impossible.
At this point, they had no choice but to target the moment right after the ritual.
The team members all pulled out flutes and blew into them.
Man-faced birds flew about incessantly, relaying the news.
To the other pursuit teams, and to the distant Nascent Soul cultivator.
Soon after, most of the nearby reinforcements joined them.
The joint pursuit team swelled in an instant and swallowed dryly.
Their mission was to hold Wi Jimok in place so he couldn't escape after completing the ritual.
They just needed to hold out until reinforcements from the Nascent Soul cultivator arrived.
Fortunately, the moment right after the ritual ended was when Wi Jimok was at his most vulnerable.
He had expended physical strength and mental energy enduring the Heavenly Tribulation, and he wasn't yet accustomed to his new power.
To hunt Wi Jimok, they had to strike at that opening.
The tense pursuit team waiting in anticipation doubted their eyes.
Something utterly unbelievable was happening.
A dazzling flash erupted, and the heavens and earth shook.
The volume of the spherical barrier isolating the ritual site expanded more than twofold in an instant.
An unimaginable force was tearing the barrier apart from within.
It was an impossible feat even if everyone gathered here cooperated.
Suddenly, an enormous amount of heaven and earth spiritual energy surged in.
And it immediately began repairing the barrier.
The barrier, which had seemed ready to burst from internal pressure, slowly began to contract.
The joint pursuit team stared at the sight in a daze.
The barrier sucking in all surrounding spiritual energy.
The fierce Heavenly Tribulation blinding to behold.
The storm slashing in all directions like blades.
And then they witnessed a scene etched into their memories for life.
The raging storm fell silent.
The Heavenly Tribulation ceased, and even the barrier melted away.
All the heaven and earth spiritual energy in the area compressed into a single point.
A single ray of sunlight pierced through the dark clouds.
Within the light were a young girl and a translucent baby.
The spirit in the form of a baby was the Primordial Infant.
It was an exceptionally large one, far above average.
The baby looked around with an expression of wonder.
Then it gazed at its own palms, soles, and finally at the girl's body below.
The Primordial Infant gently stroked the top of the girl's head before slipping neatly inside.
The girl, Ryu Seran, opened her closed eyes.
A new Nascent Soul cultivator had appeared in the Western Continent.
She was thirty-five years old.
Every member of the joint pursuit team shared the same thought.
Where had the wanted criminal Wi Jimok gone?
What on earth had happened inside the barrier?
And isn't that Ryu Seran?
Why is she here?
Among the cultivators of the Western Continent, she was the only one with such a youthful appearance.
The rumor of her forming a Golden Core at age twenty, the youngest Core Formation cultivator, was more widely known than not.
Even without having seen Seran in person, anyone could easily infer it.
The team members waited for Seran's next move.
Following the youngest Core Formation, now the youngest Nascent Soul.
A Golden Core the size of a Yeouiju pearl and a Primordial Infant the size of a child's head.
She was truly a prodigy worthy of the Incarnation stage.
She had just overcome the Heavenly Tribulation.
What reaction would this heaven-sent genius show?
Would she cheer in感動, shed tears, or display her extraordinary nature with aloof poise?
In the silence as everyone held their breath, Seran spoke.
"Ah...!"
The historic first words uttered by Ryu Seran, the greatest genius in the history of the cultivation world, after forming her Primordial Infant.
Seran hurriedly began clearing the landslide debris.
It was because the Golden Core survivor she had tossed aside had floated up.
Fortunately, the Golden Core survivor was unharmed.
*****
The cleanup was quickly finished.
Wi Jimok, who had slaughtered countless cultivators, was dead.
Ryu Seran had intruded into the ritual, slain the villain, endured the Heavenly Tribulation afterward, and become a Nascent Soul cultivator.
The pursuit team handled the rest.
Recording testimonies from Seran and the Golden Core survivor.
Clearing debris from the collapsed mountain peak.
Searching for fragments of the Doll Four Sisters and the Vajra Yaksha.
While the team members busied themselves, Seran and the Golden Core survivor reflected on their brief adventure.
"How are your memories now?"
The Golden Core survivor replied.
"There are still some holes here and there... but they seem much better overall."
The Golden Core survivor had lost parts of his memory.
It was because Wi Jimok had blown off his upper body.
Still, the symptoms were mild, and he seemed likely to recover soon.
Seran asked another question.
"What will you do about your missing body?"
The Golden Core survivor inside the clay doll answered.
"Well, I'm not sure..."
"What about puppetry?"
"That sounds good too. The problem is the cost..."
The Golden Core survivor grew slightly dejected.
It seemed he didn't have much saved up.
But he quickly rallied.
"Anyway, thank you so much for all your great help."
"I only did what needed to be done."
"Thanks to you, Ryu cultivator, I and many other cultivators were saved."
Seran parted from the Golden Core survivor feeling fulfilled.
Just as she was about to leave the temporary camp, one team member approached.
"Ryu cultivator, where should we send the bounty?"
Seran asked.
"Bounty?"
"Yes, the bounty on Wi Jimok."
Seran pondered briefly.
Then she glanced back.
She could see the tent where the Golden Core survivor was resting.
Seran told the team member.
"Please use the bounty for victim relief."
"It's quite a large sum."
"That's fine."
After her generous donation, Seran left the temporary camp.
Seok Yeonhwa was loaded with puppet fragments.
Because of that, her flight speed was a bit slower.
When Seran, flying leisurely, finally reached the border of Yang Nation, a horseless rumor was sweeping the Western Continent.
The culprits were the team members who had returned to their sects after the joint pursuit team disbanded.
They had faithfully recorded every astonishing event they had witnessed with their own eyes in their reports.
It was obvious where they submitted them.
All members of the joint pursuit team were Core Formation cultivators.
The vast majority were sect leaders or high executives.
The executives' reactions upon reading the reports were uniform.
"Wow, thirty-five..."
"No, does this even make sense..."
"What's so impossible about it?"
"What's the secret?"
"A Golden Core the size of a fist..."
"But if the Primordial Infant is that big, does it even fit inside the skull?"
"I'm so jealous."
"Fifteen years from Core Formation to Nascent Soul... At that rate, she'll reach Incarnation within eighty years at the latest."
"But what's more shocking is that she killed Wi Jimok alone. How many Core Formation cultivators died to him..."
"It's a shame we couldn't see the process because of the barrier."
"Finding puppet fragments during terrain restoration suggests she's definitely a puppeteer."
"How did she win with a fringe art like puppetry?"
"That sect—Black Bamboo Sect, right? Weren't they famous for fire-water spells and pill refinement?"
"Yes, and Ryu cultivator has earth affinity."
"Oh, right. Didn't she travel around doing civil engineering projects?"
"With that girl who has deer antlers?"
"Yes, our sect's artificial lake is also her work."
"Come to think of it, her antlered companion wasn't to be trifled with either."
"It's a relief Black Bamboo Sect has no grudge against us."
"No, but seriously, how did she win?"
"Maybe puppetry is stronger than we thought?"
"I really doubt that."
*****
While the continent buzzed, Seran returned to Black Bamboo Sect.
Black Bamboo Sect had taken one step closer to becoming a supreme sect.
The executives welcomed Seran with bright smiles.
The sect's financial managers, who had saved on the Primordial Infant ritual costs, were just as happy.
Upon returning, Seran attended a simple ceremony.
It was a ritual every Nascent Soul cultivator went through.
Acquaintances she knew well offered thanks.
"Ryu cultivator, we sincerely thank you for your efforts for the sect."
Seran replied with the customary words.
"No, I sincerely thank you for your sacrifices for me."
They exchanged similar words a few more times.
After Seran's declaration to diligently pursue cultivation henceforth, all procedures ended.
Seran and her acquaintances sat casually and chatted.
Elder Wang, who had brought Seran and Yi Agum to Black Bamboo Sect, spoke deferentially.
"Congratulations on your Primordial Infant condensation, Ryu cultivator."
Seran waved it off.
"No, Elder Wang. Speak as you usually do. This isn't an official occasion anymore."
In official settings, even elders must show respect to higher-realm cultivators regardless of age.
But in private, it mattered less.
It was up to the individuals.
Elder Wang smiled faintly and did so.
"Alright, got it. Anyway, my congratulations are sincere. Oh, I should thank you too."
Seran asked.
"Thank me for what?"
"Just... thanks for working hard. Yeah, that's it. This old man's off. You young folks will have more fun together."
Elder Wang greeted the others and left.
He was still busy recruiting talent.
She'd heard he'd gotten even busier after annexing Yu Nation.
Ma cultivator, the body training expert, also bid farewell.
"Then I'll be going too. Congratulations again, Ryu cultivator."
The others left one by one.
Yi Agum, who stayed until the end, asked.
"Sister, got plans? If not, let's grab a meal."
Seran made an apologetic face.
"I do have plans... Let's eat tomorrow."
Yi Agum replied.
"Sure, but what's the plan?"
Seran answered.
"I have to go learn Nascent Soul techniques."
Her next schedule was a fun study session with Yeomujin-sensei, the top instructor in the cultivation world.