The Banquet of Spiritual Flesh

Crackle…!

Over a crudely built campfire, chunks of meat skewered on branches sizzled as they cooked. Each time fat dripped, the flames surged for a moment and soot rose to cling to the meat, but Han Yujin paid it no mind.

Now that he had become a cultivator, there was no need to worry about such trivial things. No matter how crude one’s cultivation, a practitioner wouldn’t die from something as mundane as cancer.

In that sense, cultivators really are overpowered.

Once you entered the Initiation Stage and trained in the proper method, you could live over a hundred years free of illness no matter how weak your skills. After all, the very purpose of cultivation was longevity, not raw power.

Han Yujin found this xianxia style greatly to his taste. Cultivation arts, spells, and artifacts alike felt neither cheesy nor childish to him.

Of course, he would have liked fantasy-style magic just as much, but that didn’t mean he disliked this path either.

Despite the monkey monsters’ hideous appearance, their meat gave off an overwhelmingly fragrant aroma. He had honestly expected the smell of haphazardly butchered wild game to be foul, but that had been a naïve assumption.

Meat infused with spiritual energy could never be ordinary. It would either be as richly aromatic as the flesh before him, or so unbearably rank that it was impossible to endure—one or the other.

At least it doesn’t spoil easily. That’s a relief.

The forest was cool, but the spiritual energy within the meat kept it from decaying until that energy fully dispersed.

Thanks to that, he could safely pile the monkey monster corpses to one side. Most of the blood had already drained, so they weren’t particularly messy. Removing the internal organs had been the hardest part, but he had managed.

A short while later, once the meat seemed fully cooked, Han Yujin lifted the branch to his mouth and took a large bite.

It was quite tough, but not impossible to chew. The more he worked it, the softer it became, and the flavor and aroma were both unique and exceptionally good.

If prepared properly, it would become a delicacy worthy of the ages. Of course, truly fine meat could reveal more than half its potential with nothing but fire and salt.

He devoured what he had thought was a rather large portion as if his eyes had been bigger than his stomach. Only after taking a sip of the fragrant liquor from his spiritual liquid bottle to cleanse his palate did he pat his full belly in satisfaction.

Within minutes, a gentle heat began to bloom in his abdomen. Without hesitation, he tidied the campfire and retreated into his shelter, sitting comfortably.

As he began circulating the Hoe-won Gong, the spiritual energy he drew in with each breath resonated with the heat in his stomach and moved in tandem. It tempered both body and soul, causing the latter to grow.

There was a saying that a healthy mind dwelt in a healthy body. From a cultivator’s perspective the two were not separate, so naturally, to strengthen the soul one had to strengthen the body as well.

After running through the basic circulation several times, Han Yujin boldly attempted to sublimate his soul into a Dharma Soul.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

More complex spell patterns emerged within the flow of spiritual energy that had been moving along set pathways. They exerted mysterious effects and triggered a definite change. It was no longer simple, efficient training; the true touch of cultivation had begun.

An indescribable sensation filled him—cool yet electric, occasionally painful, only for that pain to transform back into refreshment and carry onward.

The changes in his body were one thing, but the transformation of his soul was truly profound. Although he had gained spiritual sensitivity upon entering the Initiation Stage, this was the first time he had felt the soul’s existence with such clarity.

To advance from the Initiation Stage to the Dharma Soul Stage, one had to sublimate at least forty percent of the soul.

If the soul could generate spiritual energy on its own, then naturally a Dharma Soul could generate Dharma Power. And that Dharma Power was the true strength of a cultivator.

Its might was such that a single Dharma Soul Stage practitioner could slaughter more than ten ordinary Initiation Stage cultivators like sheep.

Nor was a Dharma Soul Stage cultivator strong only in brute force.

They possessed intelligence proportional to their Dharma Soul sublimation rate—detection, calculation, judgment, memory, and more.

It meant they could casually catch incoming arrows with their fingers or solve multiple complex mathematical ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠problems at once.

It was no empty title to call the Dharma Soul Stage the beginning of true cultivation. The Initiation Stage was exactly what the name implied: the first step.

The higher the sublimation rate, the greater the advantages in ability and growth potential, but…

Unfortunately, corresponding risks existed. During the sublimation process one would experience all kinds of hallucinations and could easily go mad.

Yet Han Yujin felt no anxiety.

If I go mad, I can just die and start over.

Recalling how brutally his soul had been shattered in the world of those demon worshippers, he knew he could nullify side effects of this level without difficulty.

Truly, his awakening ability was cheat-like. If he utilized it properly, his future on the path of cultivation would never be bleak.

Believing this, Han Yujin continued focusing on his Hoe-won Gong training.

It took roughly half a month to finish all the monkey monster meat. The spiritual energy contained within deteriorated more rapidly as time passed, so he had hurried the process.

Thanks to the spiritual flesh, Han Yujin was able to advance his Dharma Soul sublimation steadily, if with occasional stumbles.

However, he realized one unfortunate truth.

The reason he had resonated with spiritual energy so quickly was not because his spiritual root talent was exceptional. After verifying several minor tips within the Hoe-won Gong during his Dharma Soul progress, it seemed his spiritual root was, at best, in the lower tier of true spiritual roots.

At least it isn’t a false spiritual root.

Even as he comforted himself with that thought, another sigh escaped him whenever it resurfaced.

In truth, when he had succeeded in spiritual resonance at such blinding speed, he had secretly harbored high expectations. Perhaps he had been unconsciously hoping for it even before then.

A celestial spiritual root was called that because it was a gift from the heavens, and expecting one was indeed greedy.

Yet humans were creatures who could not help but harbor such greed.

The more he considered the gap between celestial and true spiritual roots, the fiercer that desire became. A tenfold difference in training speed was no small thing. The more he calculated, the larger it loomed.

With my awakening ability, perhaps…

Han Yujin shook his head while resting.

Cultivation was not something to wait for passively but to seize ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠aggressively—provided one had the minimum skill to back it up.

Even if slightly inefficient, I should challenge it only after acquiring the ability and insight of the Dharma Soul Stage.

Especially since nothing specific came to mind on what to attempt or how. If he locked the door while simply wishing for “talent improvement,” he might regret it later even if he gained something from the experience.

Above all, acquiring such talent would likely leave him short on Karma. Renting a spiritually rich training ground like this and eliminating risks such as qi deviation was already a worthwhile expenditure.

In terms of leaving himself options, this was the wiser path.

Only after reaching that conclusion did his mind feel lighter. Rather than continue training in seclusion, he decided to leave the shelter and search for more spiritual meat or spiritual plants.

It had been a long time since he last stepped outside. Between the spiritual liquid bottle and purification techniques, he had had no reason to leave and had remained holed up like a bear in hibernation.

The fact that no truly dangerous beasts had approached was also significant. It really felt as though this section of the forest had become his own territory.

But now it was time to explore the surroundings. He did not plan to stay here another day or two, and he needed more spiritual meat and plants for faster progress.

Even without that, he might discover a location far richer in spiritual energy.

He stored all his belongings except the Ohaeng Sword into the storage belt at his waist. The motions had become rather familiar; during his seclusion he had not only focused on the Hoe-won Gong but had also practiced using Dharma artifacts and spells in small increments.

Where were those Planet of the Apes bastards staying?

It was a question he had pondered several times before. Now that he had become the master of this area, he naturally needed to learn where the previous occupants had lived, what the terrain was like, and what lay there.

Activating the Wind Riding Technique flawlessly, he crossed the forest at a controlled speed. He did not merely run across the ground; he also flew low at times, covering considerable distances.

His speed rivaled that of a decent scooter. Considering he was in the heart of a primordial forest filled with giant trees and dense undergrowth, his mobility was outstanding.

Needless to say, he had long since deployed both the Stealth Technique and Spiritual Eye Technique. After several failures, he also succeeded in casting the Jade Skin Technique.

This one really is tricky.

He grumbled inwardly. Still, managing to cast four different spells simultaneously after only half a month was an excellent achievement.

It was thanks, of course, to his transcendent linguistic ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠comprehension. Since grasping spell patterns took him no time at all, he completely bypassed the part ordinary Initiation Stage cultivators struggled with most.

My spiritual root is average, but my comprehension is near genius.

Perhaps that was why his craving for a better spiritual root only grew stronger.

Even though he had stayed in the forest for over half a month, moving only a short distance made it feel as if he had entered an entirely foreign place. It seemed he could run forever and never see the end of this primordial forest.

It’s lonely.

Even as the thought struck him, Han Yujin did not slacken his vigilance. Whenever he spotted something unusual or an object rich in spiritual energy, he stopped immediately to investigate.

In that brief exploration, several varieties of mushrooms and small fruits found their way into his storage belt.

There were a few methods to test whether spiritual plants containing spiritual energy were toxic; one involved applying portions of the healing and purification spell patterns. There was no need to examine, touch, and taste them one by one like an ordinary person.

In fact, he felt a twinge of regret at discarding those he judged poisonous. If he knew pill refinement, he could have made use of even that toxicity.

It’s not just pill refinement I regret missing.

Weapon techniques, talisman arts, spiritual plant techniques, beast taming, restriction techniques, puppet techniques…

There were countless useful skills and bodies of knowledge on the path of cultivation. The problem was that a single lifetime was not enough to learn them all.

He was already busy training his primary cultivation method; when would he find time to study each additional art? None of them were simple, either.

It was no coincidence that specialists in those fields were so highly respected—there simply weren’t many of them.

While lost in thought, he discovered a small canyon that felt relatively safe. The grass was unusually thick; without the Spiritual Eye Technique he might have walked right past it.

“Hmm.”

Approaching for a closer look, he caught the faint scent of beasts. It seemed vaguely familiar, and after a moment he realized it was the smell of those monkey monsters.

So this was their nest.

He checked his Jade Skin and Stealth techniques once more, then stepped into the canyon.

Before even a few minutes had passed, the narrow path vanished and the interior opened into a wide clearing.

A gaunt, pitch-black tree standing at the center immediately drew his gaze—especially because the ground around it was littered with the badly gnawed corpses of smaller monkey monsters.

“……”

It appeared something had attacked this place and massacred the young that had remained behind.

The black tree itself had not always been so barren; it looked as though it had once borne some kind of fruit.

A few objects resembling fruit seeds lay scattered nearby, each radiating unusually dense spiritual energy that made them impossible to overlook.

Grrrr…!

At that moment.

A low growl came from the upper edge of the canyon. Han Yujin looked up and saw a wolf-like beast staring down at him intently.

He called it wolf-like because its ears were oddly shaped and its tail ended in a sharp stinger reminiscent of a scorpion. While he observed it, several more heads appeared, all gazing down at him.

Even with Stealth active, he had come too close and been detected by their sense of smell. His proficiency with the technique was not yet perfect.

The wolf beasts seemed to test the waters for a moment, then bared their fangs, clearly preparing to attack.

It looked as if prey had wandered into their midst while they were idle.

“Hoo—”

In response, Han Yujin exhaled lightly and drew the Ohaeng Sword from his belt, completely unafraid.

“If you’re going to attack, do it quickly, you bastards.”

He was no longer the incompetent person he had once been.

Because of that, Han Yujin could view these creatures as nothing less than delicious prey.

If he hunted and devoured them all, he estimated he could continue training until his Dharma Soul sublimation rate reached at least ten percent.

Cultivation was not something to wait for passively—it had to be seized.

As the thought crossed his mind, faint golden spell patterns appeared on the Ohaeng Sword, emitting a subtle golden light. Then the sword left his grasp on its own and floated gently in the air beside him.

It was a rather convincing combat posture for a cultivator.

A faint tension filled the air.

- Bark! Grrrr…!

One wolf leapt down the canyon slope as if flying, and the rest charged after it. There were far more than the five or six he had initially guessed.

In response, the Ohaeng Sword resonated instantly.

The cut was so sharp it felt unreal; had it not been for the spraying blood, he might have mistaken the entire scene for a hallucination.