The Rapid Ascent of a Reincarnated Cultivator

In the quiet of the Nangseo Study, Pyo Rip sat in deep contemplation. Before beginning his study of the cultivation techniques, he reached into his Ethereal Pouch and withdrew a single item: the Twelve Severing Corrosion Spiritual Pill. He had prepared this pill specifically to refine his Spiritual Root to better align with his new Dao Body. Consuming it would stimulate the mutual generation and restriction of the Five Elements, allowing him to expand or compress his root as needed.

"Hmm." Pyo Rip pondered. Was this truly necessary? It’s useful, but... The Eight Trigrams Creation Art, by its very nature, required a Spiritual Root of all five elements. He didn't need it immediately. Even if he didn't need to obsess over a single-element root now that he possessed a Dao Body, a single-element root was still a single-element root. There was no reason to abandon such incredible cultivation efficiency so soon.

"Later." Pyo Rip muttered quietly, tucking the pill back into his Ethereal Pouch. With that, his attention shifted to the cultivation manual. The Dust-to-Dust Formula. It was a basic Earth-attribute technique, one that contained insights gained from the dust of the world. Having mastered it in his past life, the formula was etched into his brain, not a single syllable out of place.

"Scattered dust reflects within the Qi..."

Thus, Pyo Rip began his meditation. The familiar Life Wheel appeared behind his head, scattering a milky radiance as time slipped away. He truly felt why a single-element root was called a "Heavenly Root," praised as a gift from the heavens. What would have taken years of cultivation with his talent from the Qingyu Continent days was achieved in mere hours. This was the result of several complex factors working in tandem: the talent of a single-element root; the talent of a Dao Body that transcended the limits of roots; the fated pull of the Nine Palaces Life Wheel; the powerful support of treasures like the Peace Stone and the Five Paths Compass; the spiritual energy that was overwhelmingly denser than that of the Qingyu Continent; and finally, the technique that his past self, a dullard with a five-element root, had already fiercely mastered. The realm he had struggled so hard to cross in the past—all these conditions combined to instantly propel Pyo Rip from the early stage of Qi Condensation to the Great Perfection.

The insights regarding dust settled into his Dantian in the form of a formula, and his Dharma Power, which had been like a faint mist, grew in density until it became a thick fog the moment he reached the Great Perfection of Qi Condensation. His lifespan also increased by another 70 years in an instant.

Pyo Rip opened his eyes on the inn bed. A sharp, icy aura flickered in his pupils before vanishing. A momentum incomparable to his early Qi Condensation days was subtly visible. Judging by his senses, not much time had passed. It was still the dead of night. He could have broken through to the Foundation Establishment realm right then and there, but Pyo Rip decided to take it easy. He had never experienced such a rapid, exhilarating progression from the early stage to Great Perfection before.

However, he had heard stories. Demonic cultivators would sometimes forcibly raise the cultivation realm of captives intended as pill ingredients before refining them, but in such cases, the Spiritual Root would be irreparably damaged. This was the very reason Pyo Rip chose not to ascend to Foundation Establishment immediately. Although he possessed a Dao Body—a body that was omnipotent in cultivation—there was no need to take unnecessary risks once he had identified the danger. It was a long road of cultivation anyway; there was no need to rush, and if his Dao Body were damaged, he wouldn't be able to use his Dao Body Divine Abilities until it recovered.

Instead, Pyo Rip decided to meditate on his Dharma Arts until morning. Closing his eyes again, his consciousness connected to the Nangseo Study.

When Pyo Rip opened his eyes again, it was nearly noon. The results of his meditation on Dharma Arts were excellent. The Five Paths Compass provided various inspirations for his understanding of the arts. The Eight Trigrams Creation Art was indeed profound, so he didn't make massive progress, but he was able to enter the Gan Trigram (☶), which could be mastered through an Earth-attribute root. The area Pyo Rip focused on more than the Eight Trigrams Creation Art was the Fate-Anchoring Art. As he practiced it, he found it was a unique art that added an effect to his Divine Sense; now, Pyo Rip could gauge the strength of another person's luck through his Divine Sense. As it was a Qi Condensation-level technique, there were no major difficulties, and with the help of the Five Paths Compass, he achieved quite satisfactory results.

Pyo Rip circulated his Dharma Power through his body, blowing away his fatigue. The thick, fog-like Dharma Power of the Great Perfection of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Qi Condensation felt incredibly reassuring. Pyo Rip wrote a post in his imaginary past-life gallery.

Enjoying the intense reactions of his past-life personas, Pyo Rip rose from the bed. Since he had broken through to the Great Perfection of Qi Condensation in one go, he planned to spend about three days gathering information and letting his Spiritual Root rest without overusing his Dharma Power. Leaving his room and heading down to the first floor, he found no innkeeper, only a young girl busy cleaning with a mop.

"Ah, guest. You're up!"

"Oh."

A girl with brown hair, pale skin, and freckles. Was she about fifteen? Pyo Rip nodded and greeted the girl, who was cheerfully acknowledging him. She giggled.

"I was going to bring you breakfast, but there was no answer when I knocked."

"It is my fault for not checking, so it is fine. What is your name? I am Pyo Rip."

"I'm Bella."

"Bella. Yes, nice to meet you."

"Hehe."

Bella was incredibly bright, which didn't fit the desolate Hundred Over at all. Well, children should smile, after all.

"Would you like some lunch? It's not usually allowed."

As she said this, Bella glanced at the entrance. "My dad would be mad if he knew, but Zero One hasn't started his shift yet, so it's okay."

"Oh."

As expected, being polite always yielded rewards. "Alright. Shall I take you up on that?"

"Hehe, I'll heat it up right away!"

Judging by her tone, it was likely just frozen food. Watching Bella head into the kitchen, Pyo Rip pulled out a chair at the bar table and sat down. Soon, the sound of sizzling and the savory smell of oil wafted from the kitchen. Left alone, Pyo Rip fell into thought again. The name Zero One that Bella mentioned bothered him. Zero One... how is that a person's name? Judging by Bella's tone, she seemed to assume Pyo Rip would naturally know who Zero One was. Perhaps it was a codename, or perhaps it wasn't a person at all.

For a moment, Pyo Rip's Divine Sense swept over Bella. The fortune he sensed through the Fate-Anchoring Art was Small Auspiciousness. At first glance, she seemed ordinary, but that wasn't the case. In Pyo Rip's opinion, having auspicious luck itself was a blessing. Still, it doesn't seem like something to worry about too much.

Pyo Rip let go of his thoughts ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠about Zero One and looked around the dining area. The restaurant was quiet, without a single customer. He had expected to see many ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠thugs drinking in the middle of the day since it was an abandoned zone, but it was surprisingly empty.

"Hmm...?" Pyo Rip tilted his head. A peaceful and leisurely noon hour. A fifteen-year-old kid running the shop alone as if it were natural. Thugs or gangsters who didn't drink during the day. ...Is this really an extraterritorial zone outside the walls?

Just as Pyo Rip's thoughts were drifting further into a labyrinth, the food arrived.

"It's a smoked chicken leg and Central-style dumplings."

A large chicken leg and two steamed bun-like dumplings were served on one plate. The chicken leg was glistening with oil and looked very appetizing. Now that I think about it, I haven't eaten anything until now. Seeing the food, he felt a sudden, intense hunger. It had been about 15 hours since he woke up in the cargo truck. While a cultivator could survive on minimal food just by entering the Qi Condensation realm, Pyo Rip had never been able to give up the joy of eating, even after reaching Foundation Establishment in his past life.

"Thanks for the meal."

"Enjoy!"

The food disappeared in the blink of an eye. One might wonder if a chicken leg and dumplings were too heavy for a body that had just been produced, but Pyo Rip wasn't an ordinary person, so it was fine. Wiping his mouth with a rough napkin, Pyo Rip asked, "Bella, do you know where there are many beggar children? I heard they do some begging."

"Them? Because of their Underground accounts?"

She was a sharp kid who understood exactly what he meant. "Hmm..." Bella's eyes drifted toward the ceiling. After a moment of thought, she replied, "You don't have to go looking for them; you'll run into them if you walk around the District 101 shopping area. You can just take a walk and look around here."

It seemed this place was indeed District 101, where the Hundred Over began. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Pyo Rip nodded, reached into his pocket, and took out a relatively low-quality Spirit Stone from his Ethereal Pouch.

"Thanks for the information. Don't give this to your dad, buy something tasty for yourself."

When he placed it on the table, Bella's eyes went wide.

"Whoa."

"Your eyes are going to pop out."

"Thank you!!"

"Yes, yes." Pyo Rip laughed heartily and left the inn.