Chapter 73
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 73
He had to be incredibly careful with his skull.
If even a single bone fragment splintered in the wrong direction, his brain would suffer a fatal injury. It had to be crushed cleanly.
Ise exhaled as shallowly as possible, meticulously guiding the flow of his internal Qi.
Slowly, his skull began to shatter.
Maintaining his focus, Ise gently dispersed his internal Qi.
The swirling energy spread softly through his body like dye dissolving in water, seeping into the fissures of his fractured bones.
Spiritual energy began to repair the damage.
Where the broken fragments mended, a new structure took shape, possessing a texture entirely distinct from ordinary mortal bone—a Spirit Bone.
Ise cracked his eyes open slightly, then closed them again.
Once more.
Adjacent to the newly healed spot, he began tempering another untouched section of bone.
Sweat dried on Ise's face only to pour out again in a grueling cycle. The agonizing process of shattering and restoring continued without end.
The area reinforced by the indestructible Spirit Bones expanded bit by bit.
At last, even when Ise struck his entire skeleton with a surge of internal Qi, his bones remained completely unscathed.
Rebirthing Bones and Casting Spirit was complete.
Ise drew a long, deep breath.
His body felt light—but not merely light; it felt remarkably solid and firm.
Even in the simple act of shifting his stance, he could feel his joints interlocking flawlessly with his internal Qi.
Breakthrough to 9-Star.
But he would not stop here.
10-Star: Shedding the Mortal Body and Rebirthing the Spirit.
Ise set his internal Qi swirling once more.
This time, his target was his organs. He would imbue the Five Internal Organs—liver, heart, spleen, lungs, and kidneys—as well as his digestive tract, with a complete spiritual nature.
The moment his internal Qi slammed into his liver, Ise's back arched like a taut bow.
This was a level of pain on an entirely different scale from forging Spirit Bones.
Gag. A glob of blood burst from his lips.
As his ruptured liver began to heal, the sheer agony of his first organ reconstruction ravaged his insides.
Without even the luxury of wiping the blood from his mouth, he moved on to the next organ.
He slowly forced his body upright.
Beads of sweat trickled incessantly down his forehead, neck, back, and arms. Blood congealed around his lips, and his breathing grew ragged.
It was an indescribably horrific process. He had thought himself accustomed to pain, but this torment was enough to make his instincts scream at him to give up.
The real problem was that he had no idea how many times he would have to repeat this arduous, agonizing ordeal. The sensation of his insides being hacked apart by blades persisted for hours.
Each time he reconstructed an organ, he collapsed, vomiting blood for days on end.
Though he couldn't distinguish day from night inside the closed-door cave, he had already passed out and regained consciousness multiple times.
If I stop here, I can step outside having already broken through to 9-Star. Shouldn't I go out and prepare some dharma artifacts or medicinal pills to manage the pain?
...No.
He opened his eyes once more.
If he slipped up in his internal Qi control, his organs would explode beyond repair. Such a delicate, perilous process could never be aided by something as simple as a painkilling pill.
Right now, with the spiritual energy and demonic energy within his body in perfect equilibrium, he had to see this through.
Reaching into his robes, he pulled out the Mind-Calming Mirror and looked into it.
The mirror reflected his wretched state: blood crusted around his lips, drenched in sweat, eyes half-unfocused.
...Focus.
It was truly a dharma artifact effective at quelling inner demons.
Setting the mirror down, Ise moved his internal Qi once again.
One by one, his organs absorbed the spiritual energy and were rebuilt. Each time, blood poured from his body, leaving him unconscious for days.
His passed-out body gave a long, violent shudder.
* * *
The heavy stone door of the Closed-Door Cultivation Cave finally opened.
Sunlight spilled through the widening gap, dispersing the stagnant air that had been trapped inside.
Ise took a step forward.
His Daoist robe was tattered, and his hair had grown long and shaggy.
His footsteps were silent, yet each step carried a heavy resonance that seemed to make the ground hum softly.
Paradoxically, his body felt incredibly light.
His physical form moved in complete harmony with his spiritual energy. It felt as though he had shed a heavy suit of steel he had been wearing his entire life.
His skeleton had transformed into indestructible Spirit Bones, and his Five Internal Organs had been reconstructed into Spirit Organs.
Short of his brain being completely destroyed, no injury to his body would cause instant death. Eating was no longer a matter of survival, but a mere choice.
Superhuman. The word came naturally to mind.
Though he had long since transcended mortal bounds, he was struck by the profound realization that he had truly drifted away from the species defined by the heavens as "human."
Great Completion of the Qi Refining Stage.
He raised his head and looked up at the sky. The weather was perfectly clear, making it difficult to gauge the changing of the seasons.
At last, he possessed the qualifications to challenge the major realm of Foundation Establishment.
Ise immediately headed to the Mission Pavilion in the Administrative District to report the conclusion of his closed-door cultivation.
As he stepped through the pavilion doors, he raised an eyebrow.
Normally, even when crowded, it was an orderly space. Today, however, the atmosphere was distinctly chaotic and abuzz with frenetic excitement.
Officials bustled back and forth carrying heavy bundles of bamboo scrolls, shouting out to one another, while crowds hovered restlessly in front of the counters.
How strange. If they had business, they could simply line up. Had some sort of major event occurred?
As Ise approached one of the counters, an official looked up. It was a familiar face—the junior cultivator who was always overburdened with administrative tasks and endless complaints.
"It's been a while."
"Ah, Senior! It really has been a while. Are you here to register the end of your closed-door cultivation?"
"Yeah."
The official reflexively bowed his head, then looked up at Ise's face again.
His gaze froze.
The official's eyes swept across Ise from head to toe, widening continuously until his mouth hung slightly agape.
"Whoa... Senior, weren't you originally at 8-Star Qi Refining?"
"That's right."
"A double realm breakthrough! To think I'm witnessing a milestone in the history of the Great Martial Dao right before my eyes. Congratulations!"
"Thanks. By the way, what year is it?"
"It's Year 319 since the founding of our sect."
Year 319. There were about three years remaining until his nine-year deadline.
It was tight, but still within his expected timeframe.
"By the way, everyone seems flustered. Did something happen?" Ise asked, glancing around the room. The officials hurrying down the hallway were moving twice as fast as usual.
"You heard those heavy rumors floating around before, right, Senior? About the Secret Realm."
"Ah. Don't tell me...?"
"Yes. That Secret Realm has opened."
"When?"
"About four days ago."
Ise's face stiffened. Seeing his expression, the official belatedly realized the situation.
"Ah, so you were planning to go too, Senior? Well, with your current cultivation realm, it really is the perfect time to enter a Secret Realm. But since you were in closed-door cultivation... You know how it is. A locked Closed-Door Cultivation Cave can't be opened from the outside."
"..."
Ise stood in silence, looking utterly devastated. How could his luck be this abysmal?
"Still, you're in luck. If you leave right now, you might just make it in time."
"What? Is it still possible to enter now?"
"I heard the entrance to this Secret Realm will remain open for about seven days and nights. If you hurry, you might still be able to enter—though who knows what the early arrivals will have left behind."
Being late was painful, but being able to enter at all was a blessing.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Ise pressed the official with an urgent voice.
"Could you tell me the location?"
"That's not my department. Go talk to Cultivator Guk over there."
Ise immediately greeted the Foundation Establishment senior sitting in the corner and purchased information about the Secret Realm for twenty Spirit Stones.
Darting off like an arrow, Ise checked the contents written on the wooden slip.
[Dark Heaven Secret Realm]
- Entry Requirement: Qi Refining Stage
- Location: Northern Aro Plains, upper reaches of Goeun River, near Igyeong Bridge.
- Type: Battlefield Remains
It was brief. Aside from the location, the information was practically useless, but the entry point was all that mattered.
Without even pausing to catch his breath, Ise ran at full speed, covering a distance of 900 li in a single day.
The scene at the entrance to the Secret Realm was unfamiliar.
Cultivators from various sects had gathered in small groups, waiting near the portal.
Having only ever seen the white robes of the Great Martial Dao or the black robes of the Cheolyang Lightning Sect, seeing a kaleidoscope of colorful Daoist robes gathered in one place felt novel.
Fortunately, the entrance to the Secret Realm was still open.
It resembled a jagged rift, much like the one Hall Master Hae Il created when he tore through space to appear. Glimpses of the landscape inside were visible through the tear, and the dense spiritual energy leaking from within could be felt on the skin.
"Ise?"
Ise turned his head at the sound of a familiar voice.
Hall Master Woo Yu-hee of Winged Dragon Hall was walking toward him, accompanied by several disciples.
Ise immediately offered a polite greeting.
"Hall Master Woo Yu-hee. Greetings. I did not expect to see you here."
"Indeed. I came to make sure those Jeong Empire vermin wouldn't pick on our disciples."
In an instant, the aura of the Jeong Empire cultivators—who had just been loudly referred to as 'vermin'—turned menacing.
Volatile glances were exchanged, but thankfully, no bloodshed occurred.
"Are you planning to enter the Secret Realm?"
"Yes."
"You're late. I thought you weren't coming."
"I was in closed-door cultivation, so the news reached me late."
"Is that so? Ah, I see. You worked hard."
Spotting Ise's new cultivation realm, Woo Yu-hee curved her lips into a satisfied smile beneath her half-mask.
She patted Ise's hair a couple of times.
"Then I suppose you haven't prepared for the Secret Realm?"
"No. I sprinted here the moment I heard about it."
"I Rang."
At Woo Yu-hee's call, a cultivator stepped forward. Her Daoist robe featured the hall's matching emblem beside the Great Martial Dao insignia.
"Yes, Hall Master."
"Take care of this suicide volunteer here."
"Understood."
Without a change in expression, I Rang approached Ise. She formed a hand seal and cast a spell.
A sound-isolation barrier enveloped them, preventing their voices from escaping.
"Entering a Secret Realm without prior information is suicide. Keep that in mind."
"Yes, Senior. But shouldn't I enter as soon as possible?"
"It doesn't matter. What's important isn't when you enter, but whether you can come back out. People who enter a Secret Realm fall into two categories: those who enter as soon as it opens, and those who enter right before it closes. Those who enter immediately are either trying to seize resources first, or planning to secure only what they need and hide. Those who enter right before it closes either lack confidence in their abilities and wait as long as possible, or they intend to plunder the resources gathered by those who entered first."
"Then I..."
"Kill them and take their things. That's what a place like this is for."
"..."
"If you don't have the stomach for it, you can turn back right now."
"No, I'll go."
"Once inside, the location you drop into is random. Hide somewhere safe first, then assess the surrounding terrain and situation."
"Understood."
"Once you enter, you must endure inside the Secret Realm for about a month. After a month passes, the surviving cultivators will be ejected back out. That exit location will also be random. It won't be far from where you entered, but if you happen to get spit out in the Jeong Empire, flee immediately without getting detected and return."