The Foundation of Immortality
Time flowed peacefully without any major incidents. More than two years had passed.
When he thought about it, the fact that he could live like this without complaint was largely thanks to his abilities as a cultivator. Many things that would be bothersome, exhausting, or inconvenient for an ordinary person were simply no issue for him.
His resistance to both cold and heat was immense, and he wasn't bound by darkness either. Sleeping on hard ground never left his back sore, and he could go several days without sleep and still feel perfectly fine.
When eating felt like a hassle, he could simply substitute it with spiritual nectar wine. Cleaning or showering was finished with a single purification spell. Since he could create any shelter or tool he needed without materials, he was free to move and settle wherever he wished.
He faced no threats to his safety from insects or beasts, and the risks of injury or illness were practically nonexistent.
‘I’ve only just reached the Qi Condensation stage, yet I’ve already become so inhuman in so many ways.’
And that inhumanity would only grow stronger once he advanced to the Foundation Establishment stage.
From the Foundation Establishment stage onward, as long as there was spiritual energy, one could survive without sleep or food. A purified body produced no waste, so one remained clean without bathing. The power of a Dharma Soul could even automatically cleanse the surrounding filth according to the cultivator’s unconscious preferences.
Even without mentioning the enhanced intelligence, the transcendent sense known as Divine Sense, or the superiority of Dharma Power, it was more than enough to describe how extraordinary one became. And this was only the Foundation Establishment stage.
Indeed, the saying that immortals and mortals were fundamentally different was no empty phrase.
And for someone walking the path of immortality, there were no words more thrilling. After all, every human carried the desire for self-realization—to become as exceptional as possible.
‘Today, I will achieve the Dharma Soul and lay the true foundation for the path of immortality.’
With that thought, Han Yujin had already been meditating for over half a day to calm his mind. Sensing his seriousness, Mu-yong refrained from her usual playful antics and stayed quietly nearby.
How much more time passed after that?
His breathing had become completely still and serene. At some point, the Hoe-won Gong began to move, reaching into his soul.
Perfect Foundation Establishment.
He could feel a soul that had been flawlessly, perfectly sublimated into a Dharma Soul. If he had to compare it, it was like the software of some wondrous machine that had completed all preparations and was simply waiting to be activated. The hardware, of course, would be his trained body.
And now, with the final hand seal in motion, the power button of that machine had been pressed.
The change was both fast and slow.
In a sensation where time stretched infinitely, the color of the soul he perceived was dyed with infinity. All the Dharma patterns he had meticulously built until now rose up, interconnected, and began their true fusion, rippling outward. It was as if the movement of a single small spring had triggered the motion of every single part, creating a dramatic scene.
Dharma patterns were phenomena, forms, and methods through which the spiritual energy filling heaven and earth revealed its mysteries.
The patterns containing the power of lightning found on rocks that had endured countless lightning strikes over the years. The patterns containing the power of flame found on the hides of creatures that lived submerged in lava. Those were Dharma patterns.
It would not be an exaggeration to simply call them crystallized mysteries.
Collecting such patterns and designing them to create synergistic effects in a desired direction was called a Dharma technique. The purpose of cultivation arts built from such techniques was to lead humans to become immortals—eternal, undying beings.
The essence and foundation of cultivation, which had likely been steadily verified and improved over more than a hundred thousand years, or perhaps even longer, now completely elevated Han Yujin’s soul to a higher dimension and anchored it there.
If his previous sublimation had merely been about completing preparations and maintaining that state, this was now a true rebirth.
He sensed a new power beginning to radiate from his soul—Dharma Power. It seemed to carry a brilliant golden light, yet upon closer inspection, it was as infinite as his soul itself, impossible to define by any single color.
At the same time, following the flow of that Dharma Power, his body felt so full it might burst from the reinforcement.
‘I can endure this.’
Even amid the ecstasy and overwhelming pressure of advancing realms, Han Yujin judged the situation with cold clarity. Having consumed the Fruit Elixir to temper his body, there was no reason he couldn’t endure. Moreover, thanks to Perfect Foundation Establishment, the Dharma Power was incredibly potent yet showed no signs of instability whatsoever.
The Clear Mind Technique, which was part of the Hoe-won Gong and something he had been practicing even in his sleep for the past several years, allowed him to remain calm even in this situation.
His body grew increasingly full, seemingly breaking through its limits again and again. In that sensation, his five senses—which had been constrained by the physical body—suddenly burst outward like a dam collapsing.
It was the awakening of Divine Sense, a new and transcendent sense that only cultivators could possess.
Born from the enhanced five senses granted by Perfect Foundation Establishment and the Fruit Elixir, his Divine Sense far exceeded his expectations. It would likely be nearly twice as strong as that of an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator.
It felt like someone who had lived their entire life with their eyes closed was opening them for the first time and seeing the world.
All spiritual phenomena that had previously only been faintly visible through the Spirit Eye Technique were now clearly visible without effort. He could perceive them the instant his mind turned toward them, without needing to use his physical senses, and could even clearly feel aspects that ordinary senses could never reach.
For example, he could now examine the state of the soul within his body and the flow of his Dharma Power in greater detail than any other method. Even if he were to dissect himself, spread everything out, and examine it with every tool imaginable, it couldn’t possibly be more precise than this.
Moreover, the effect of awakening Divine Sense was not limited to gaining a new sense and expanding his perception.
It was as if several additional brains had been added outside his body.
He wasn’t sure about creativity, but it felt like he could memorize anything after seeing it once. Complex calculations unraveled on their own to produce answers, and making judgments came naturally, easily, and with perfect clarity.
When combined with his expanded perception, it felt as though he was constantly observing everything within a twenty-to-thirty-meter radius using every possible means with full concentration. Perhaps even more than that.
By then, all the changes had finished and were entering the stabilization phase.
Since he had invested so much time tempering himself during Qi Condensation, the transformation should naturally end quickly and smoothly. All the more so since he had achieved Perfect Foundation Establishment.
‘Finally.’
With that thought, Han Yujin slowly opened his eyes. As he let out a long breath, a faint ripple of spiritual energy sparkled and vanished, as if carrying the last remnants of the transformation.
Jjik-! Jjik!
Sensing her master’s overwhelming sense of accomplishment, Mu-yong rushed over and began making a fuss. It was as if she were demanding compensation for having stayed so quiet until now.
She seemed to instinctively understand that now that her master had reached Foundation Establishment, she too could become a being at the Qi Condensation level.
“Hey, calm down a bit.”
However, Han Yujin had no desire to jump straight into training right after advancing. After achieving something significant, it was necessary to simply relax and enjoy oneself without thinking about anything.
‘Or is it? Whatever. Doesn’t matter.’
Anyway, right now, that was fine.
He scooped Mu-yong into his arms and stepped outside. It had become completely dark at some point, but he didn’t need to use the Spirit Eye Technique. Mu-yong was a beast with naturally sharp night vision anyway, so there was no problem.
When she realized they were heading toward the spot where he had specially set aside a jar of spiritual wine, the gluttonous little creature grew excited again.
“Today, I’m drinking all of this.”
It was more than enough reason to celebrate. He took the entire jar of spiritual wine and even brought out a considerable amount of meat he had stored elsewhere, then began grilling it lavishly.
It was truly a beautiful and rewarding night.
Han Yujin did not immediately return to reality.
He needed to adapt to the abilities he had gained upon reaching Foundation Establishment, and he also needed to familiarize himself with techniques like Earth Escape that he hadn’t properly practiced before.
Training for Core Formation was impossible anyway, since he lacked a suitable cultivation art. So he spent his days solely training Dharma techniques and rapidly improved his skills.
In roughly two months, he learned the Dharma technique specialized for defense called Breaking Dharma Lightning Wall Technique, became proficient in Earth Escape, and even mastered Wind Escape. As a result, he could now fly through the air like a proper Foundation Establishment cultivator.
He naturally learned Fire Escape and Lightning Escape as well.
Learning the escape techniques of the other Five Elements brought him many insights, and above all, the enhanced intelligence that came with reaching Foundation Establishment made training several times easier than before.
During this time, he also attempted to create one new and special Dharma technique.
It was a technique for ‘escape.’
The fact that he could only return to the standby location by dying or being completely incapacitated had always bothered him. There was a chance he might end up suffering in an unwanted, half-dead state.
Of course, if an escape technique became a habit, that would be dangerous, but he still felt it was something he needed to have.
‘With the mind I possess after reaching Foundation Establishment, I should be fine as long as I don’t act like an idiot.’
Only after much deliberation did he begin creating the technique.
Since he was going to make it, it needed to allow him to escape as quickly, reliably, and comfortably as possible. Coming up with the concept was difficult, but realizing that concept was relatively easy.
About three days after the escape technique was completed.
Having spent quite a long time there, Han Yujin looked around the hiding place he had grown rather attached to and organized his thoughts. He held Mu-yong in his arms, gently stroking her.
While he trained his techniques, Mu-yong had fully benefited from the Tongmyeong Eosu-gyeol.
She had gained power roughly at the Qi Condensation level and could now easily use several techniques that had been transmitted to her through spiritual communication. Most were for hiding and escaping, but there were definitely offensive techniques as well.
‘Her spiritual domain isn’t fully developed yet, so she definitely won’t be A-rank. Maybe C-rank? With luck, she might reach the lower end of B-rank.’
Even so, if she actually fought a B-rank hunter who knew her abilities well, winning would be difficult. Still, the fact that this once-useless beast could now stand against a B-rank hunter was astonishing in itself.
‘If even my pet has come this far, then in reality, I’ve clearly become a munchkin.’
This was exactly the kind of power he had begun the xianxia-style training for. Of course, that didn’t mean he would let his guard down.
“Let’s go.”
After leisurely finishing organizing his thoughts, he sat down on the rock he usually favored. Then, with the conviction that he could return together with Mu-yong, he activated the escape technique for the first time.
It had been worth the hard work of creating it.
You have died.
The world went dark in an instant with no sensation whatsoever. Then mysterious silver characters floated up.
In an extremely brief moment, his brain and heart had been perfectly destroyed. No matter how powerful an existence was nearby, they would be unable to revive him at will.
Select your harvest.
Snapping back to his senses in the standby space, he examined the harvests spread out before him. He immediately selected Mu-yong, who was curled up as if sleeping and floating gently in the air. He didn’t even bother calculating the karma cost.
What he chose next was, of course, the results of his training up until now. After selecting both, roughly seventy-four percent of his karma remained.
‘Only twenty-six percent was consumed?’
He had chosen the results of training that allowed him to reach Foundation Establishment, yet it was this cheap. A hum almost escaped his lips. It was likely because, although he had received help from the environment, he hadn’t simply stumbled upon it by luck.
There was no real need to choose the rest. They were all things he could gather or create again whenever necessary.
‘All done.’
After confirming his harvest selection, he prepared to awaken in reality.
In his mind, he was already making plans for what he should do first once he returned.