The Chaotic Immortal Wood Sect: Immortal Cultivation War - Chapter 15

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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15. Late Qi Refinement Stage, Breaking Through the Minor Realm

After sending Trent into the Demon Tree King’s Forest, Kang Hyeon’s cultivation achievements rose dramatically.

When they created the secret cave dwelling in this volcanic region, In Deok was at the 5th layer of Qi Refinement, and Kang Hyeon was at the 4th layer.

However, now that only about 3 years have passed, Kang Hyeon has completed the 6th layer of Qi Refinement and is attempting to advance to the 7th layer, while In Deok still lacks something and must postpone his advancement to the 7th layer.

This means that Kang Hyeon’s cultivation conditions have been that much better during this time.

If Trent hadn’t absorbed tremendous wood spiritual energy from the Demon Tree King’s Forest and transmitted it to him, such growth would have been impossible.

‘It’s not just me who has grown. Trent has already reached the Great Perfection of Qi Refinement.’

The place where Trent is now located is about 50 li inward from the Demon Tree King’s Forest.

If he goes just a little further from there, he would have to face demon trees at the Foundation Establishment level.

Trent had become so strong that he was bold enough to consider even that an adventure worth attempting.

When facing demon trees, Trent showed the ability to somehow absorb them even if the opponent’s realm was somewhat higher.

That’s why he could approach close to where Foundation Establishment level demon trees were located and brazenly occupy a position there.

‘When I reach the 7th layer of Qi Refinement, things will be greatly different from now. Just as early and middle Qi Refinement are different, middle and late stages also have great differences.’

Basically, there would be a three to four-fold growth in the total amount of spiritual energy he could operate.

In addition to that, the refinement and power of operating spiritual energy also had great differences between middle and late stages.

‘When I reach the late stage, it might be possible to have Trent devour early Foundation Establishment demon trees. If that happens, reaching Foundation Establishment myself would be nothing.’

Absorbing one Foundation Establishment demon tree would be several times more helpful than devouring dozens of Qi Refinement level demon trees.

So with Foundation Establishment demon trees, Kang Hyeon would be able to easily break through the 8th and 9th layers of Qi Refinement, and achieving Great Perfection wouldn’t be difficult either.

Advancing to Foundation Establishment after that would depend on Kang Hyeon’s qualifications, but if he absorbed Foundation Establishment demon trees, he could prepare the spiritual energy needed for advancement without any shortage.

After that, only enlightenment and preparing a body capable of enduring the advancement process would be the remaining problems.

‘So this advancement is extremely important. If I succeed this time, it’s like paving a highway not just to late Qi Refinement but all the way to Great Perfection.’

Kang Hyeon began his breakthrough cultivation with the hope that his future path would be like the paved roads of his previous life.

***

The source of a cultivator’s practice is the Spiritual Root.

Everything is born, grows, and is accomplished from this Spiritual Root.

Thus, upheaval began to occur in Kang Hyeon’s Spiritual Root as he aimed for advancement to the 7th layer of Qi Refinement.

He drew out all the wood attribute spiritual energy that his Spiritual Root had contained so far and pushed forward the growth of his Spiritual Root.

However, simply stimulating and expanding the Spiritual Root with large amounts of wood attribute spiritual energy was like trying to push Mount Tai through the eye of a needle and hoping for success.

For the growth of the Spiritual Root, a cultivator’s enlightenment must fundamentally support it.

What properties does wood attribute spiritual energy possess, and how must it change to achieve the realm of late Qi Refinement?

What should be the quality of spiritual energy, and what should be its purity?

And what methods exist for using wood attribute spiritual energy, and what are the correct ways to use them?

How is it to use wood spiritual energy to cultivate all kinds of spiritual herbs, and how much does one understand about methods of using wood spiritual energy to attack opponents or heal them?

What is the level of understanding regarding the creation and utilization of magical instruments, talismans, spirit pills, spirit beasts, and puppets using wood spiritual energy?

While contemplating these numerous points, one must have confidence in the path that Kang Hyeon himself is currently taking, and also maintain the integrity of his Spiritual Root.

When such conditions are met, the growth of the Spiritual Root finally begins, and at this time, the level of spiritual energy permeating the Spiritual Root varies according to the depth of the cultivator’s enlightenment.

The abundantly gathered wood spiritual energy is filtered and filtered again through Kang Hyeon’s enlightenment, finally taking on a form suitable for the 7th layer, which is late Qi Refinement, to grow the Spiritual Root.

‘Grrraaah!’

However, the changes occurring inside the Mental Space are not everything.

The growth of the Spiritual Root soon affects the external body, causing the body to change to better match the status of a cultivator.

The greatest change is that the body transforms into a state more compatible with spiritual energy.

However, such change is an upheaval equivalent to a species transformation, so the burden placed on the body is enormous, and the intense pain is incomparably tremendous.

Many cultivators slip during advancement by losing their body’s robustness, which is naturally a mistake of not properly laying the foundation that should be done.

However, Kang Hyeon silently endured the body’s growth and pain that came with the changes in his Spiritual Root.

And as a result, the Heaven and Earth Laws finally recognized Kang Hyeon’s qualifications and opened the Path of Spiritual Communication for him.

Swoooosh!

‘Finally!’

The opening of the Path of Spiritual Communication means that the Heaven and Earth Laws recognize and permit that Kang Hyeon has the qualifications for advancement.

And when the Path of Spiritual Communication opens, a congratulatory gift from the Heaven and Earth Laws descends from there, which is the Dharma Bliss of advancement.

Supreme joy or pleasure that cannot be compared to anything else in the world.

That Dharma Bliss is so tremendous that it’s natural to say countless cultivators continue their cultivation diligently to feel Dharma Bliss again.

However, cultivators also all know how important it is to overcome that Dharma Bliss.

One must not lose consciousness in the Dharma Bliss to reach the end of the Spirit Communication Passage and meet the true form of the Heaven and Earth Laws.

Also, if lucky, one can obtain special power from that true form, which is the path to obtaining True Body Techniques that all cultivators dream of.

In reality, Kang Hyeon obtaining True Body Techniques at his first step into Qi Refinement was indescribably fortunate, as most cultivators never encounter True Body Techniques.

‘This time!’

Nevertheless, Kang Hyeon overcame that supreme Dharma Bliss every time he advanced and reached the Heaven and Earth Laws, struggling desperately to obtain even fragments of it.

‘I will definitely obtain it.’

Kang Hyeon steeled his resolve and once again groped along the Path of Spiritual Communication to face the Heaven and Earth Laws at its end.

‘Immeasurable.’

And this time too, he realized the boundlessness of the Heaven and Earth Laws and faced a vague and dismal reality.

‘Mist! It’s mist again this time. And I had thought there would be the true form of the Heaven and Earth Laws inside that, trying to pierce through and look inside.’

However, having pondered and worried about it from time to time over the past period, Kang Hyeon reflected that perhaps his approach might have been wrong.

‘I cannot pierce through that mist with my abilities. Then I shall examine the mist itself and try to obtain whatever emanates from it.’

A mindset of taking a step back.

A new attempt acknowledging his own limitations.

Thus, Kang Hyeon finally drew a little closer to the Heaven and Earth Laws in the situation of spiritual communication.

‘Mysterious. How can there be such ever-changing and profound flows of spiritual energy? What exactly is that flow?’

Kang Hyeon knew that the mist he could fathom was an extremely small part, but he didn’t strive to see more.

He simply followed that flow within the range he could perceive right now.

‘Ahhh!’

And such attempts by Kang Hyeon finally bore fruit.

‘This! This flow! This is the Fertile Soil Secret Method!’

What Kang Hyeon saw in the mist resembled the spiritual energy utilization method of the Fertile Soil Secret Method he was learning.

However, Kang Hyeon was now realizing that what he was seeing possessed such mystical profundity that it made even the Fertile Soil Secret Method, which was said to rival the Foundation Establishment realm, seem trivial.

‘I cannot let this slip away. This is the original form of the Fertile Soil Secret Method. And the incantation!’

Kang Hyeon discovered the incantation of the Fertile Soil Secret Method within the flow of the mist.

The Fertile Soil Secret Method he had learned also had incantations, and he knew that the flow created by those incantations formed the main axis of the Fertile Soil Secret Method.

But the spiritual energy operation method and incantations of the Fertile Soil Secret Method he had now found in the mist of Heaven and Earth Laws made his existing Fertile Soil Secret Method look shabby.

‘No. This is the result of the Fertile Soil Secret Method contained in my consciousness being reflected in the Heaven and Earth Laws here. Could it be that the Heaven and Earth Laws regard me favorably and are upgrading the Fertile Soil Secret Method I possess?’

Since the Heaven and Earth Laws did not answer Kang Hyeon’s question, he could not confirm the truth, but one thing was certain.

It was because Kang Hyeon himself had learned the Fertile Soil Secret Method that he was now encountering this opportunity at the end of spiritual communication.

Swooooosh!

While Kang Hyeon was struggling to gather the True Fertile Earth Secret Method from the mist of Heaven and Earth Laws, a sudden gravitational force acted and pulled Kang Hyeon’s consciousness into the Spiritual Root of his Mental Space.

The Path of Spiritual Communication had closed, and he had returned to his humble consciousness once again.

‘Regrettable, but also satisfying.’

Kang Hyeon did not dwell long on being pulled out of the Spirit Communication Passage.

What was more important now was to completely engrave the True Fertile Earth Secret Method he had obtained this time into his memory as his own.

Thus, Kang Hyeon cleanly ignored the lingering afterglow of Dharma Bliss that still remained and entered deep meditation once again.

***

“You came out! Kang Hyeon!”

Swoosh!

“Ugh!”

“What disgusting thing are you doing?”

Kang Hyeon pushed away In Deok, who was hugging him, by stabbing him with thorns made of wood spiritual energy.

“That’s too much. I was just happy because it’s been so long.”

“I don’t like men hugging each other.”

“Tch.”

In Deok felt relieved at Kang Hyeon’s unchanged attitude, but he also grumbled because he felt disappointed that Kang Hyeon didn’t express the joy of seeing his face after so long.

But even that didn’t last long.

In Deok, who had been pretending to sulk for a moment, soon extended his spiritual energy sensing toward Kang Hyeon.

And upon sensing Kang Hyeon’s change, he showed a surprised expression.

“Wow, you. You seem stronger than Senior Hyeon Gak?”

The strongest Qi Refinement cultivator In Deok knew was Hyeon Gak, who had reached the Great Perfection of Qi Refinement.

But now Kang Hyeon, who had barely reached the 7th layer of Qi Refinement, felt stronger than Hyeon Gak.

In Deok could only make an expression of incomprehension.

“Hmm, it’s probably because of Trent.”

“Huh? The tree monster? Why the tree monster?”

“At the last moment, Trent was reverse summoned and came to me.”

Kang Hyeon hadn’t expected things to turn out that way.

After completing his advancement to the 7th layer of Qi Refinement and while soothing his Spiritual Root, he felt something was lacking.

So when he looked around, the cause was Trent.

Unlike previous advancements, this time he was rising from the middle stage to the late stage of Qi Refinement, so the difference in level was significant, and as his Spiritual Root grew, the empty space where Trent should have been became apparent.

“When I advanced while missing something that should have been there, an empty space appeared. So I had no choice but to call Trent over. But as you know, Trent is at the Great Perfection level of Qi Refinement. So that’s probably why I feel similar to Senior Hyeon Gak.”

Kang Hyeon explained his thoughts.

But In Deok didn’t seem to accept it easily.

“No way! Right now, you feel much stronger than Senior Hyeon Gak. Honestly, it’s enough to make my knees weak.”

“Hmm, that’s strange. I don’t feel anything particularly different.”

“But…”

In Deok was feeling some inexplicable pressure from Kang Hyeon.

It was truly a type he had never felt from Hyeon Gak, and it was at a level similar to what he remembered feeling when thinking of Yang Gwang.

“Tell me slowly and in detail. What’s different and how?”

Knowing that In Deok wasn’t lying, Kang Hyeon asked with a serious expression.

“It seems like the same type of power that Elder Yang Gwang used to emanate. You might not know, but similar power is radiating out and pressuring me.”

“Hmm. That’s a problem. You’re saying I’m emanating power but I don’t know about it myself?”

Sensing something was amiss, Kang Hyeon turned around and entered the Cultivation Chamber again.

Then In Deok called out to Kang Hyeon in surprise.

“Hey, you. Why are you going back in there again?”

“Why?! You’re the one who said there was a problem. Of course I have to solve it.”

“Wait again?! I’m bored?”

“Where would a cultivator have time to be bored? You, if I come out to check and find you haven’t been cultivating properly, be prepared.”

“I worked hard too! But when you’re alone, being bored is unavoidable.”

“Sigh, a cultivator whining about being bored.”

“It’s not whining! How old do you think I am!”

“Anyway, wait. I’ll think about it a bit and then come out.”

Because of In Deok, Kang Hyeon postponed his exit from seclusion and took time to examine his condition again.

And after being in deep meditation for some time, Kang Hyeon succeeded in discovering the true nature of the power In Deok had mentioned.

“True Fertile Earth Secret Method. This was the cause.”

At the end of the Spirit Communication Passage, the Fertile Soil Secret Method obtained from the Heaven and Earth Laws. As Kang Hyeon understood a part of it, the spiritual energy flow of the Fertile Soil Secret Method naturally settled into his body.

However, the level of the Fertile Soil Secret Method was so high that just by comprehending that small part, Kang Hyeon developed spiritual consciousness.

The reason In Deok felt pressure was exactly that—it was because of the spiritual consciousness that Kang Hyeon unconsciously spread out.

Spiritual consciousness is similar to spiritual energy sensing yet vastly different.

Using the power of consciousness to examine the surroundings is similar to sensing, but the area where spiritual consciousness is spread becomes a space similar to a cultivator’s Mental Space.

In the space controlled by spiritual consciousness, there is almost nothing that can deceive or hide from the cultivator.

If cultivators capable of deploying spiritual consciousness are near each other, their spiritual consciousnesses will collide to create boundaries rather than mixing together to share the spiritual consciousness space.

This is because spiritual consciousness is a unique space controlled by that particular cultivator.

Originally, such spiritual consciousness can only be crudely imitated when one reaches the Foundation Establishment stage, yet Kang Hyeon gained spiritual consciousness while comprehending the True Fertile Earth Secret Method.

‘Not knowing this fact, I just released my spiritual consciousness carelessly, so In Deok had no choice but to feel something strange. I’m really foolish too. I was deploying spiritual consciousness while not accepting any of the information transmitted from it.’

To put it in Earth terms, it was like scattering radar waves while keeping the pathway to receive the information they send completely blocked.

Kang Hyeon acknowledged his shortcomings with a bitter smile and rose from the Meditation Platform.

Now it was truly the moment when Kang Hyeon, having reached the Late Qi Refinement Stage, stepped out of the Cultivation Chamber.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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