BANG!
Close to the end of the ‘smart time’, an explosion suddenly shook the entire cave abode. But nothing was destroyed, it occurred within Ji-Yoon. A pressure slowly spread from him, as if gravity itself was getting stronger.
Still, in his deeply concentrated state, he knew what was happened and was happening.
His body, which had already gone through extreme changes in the anterior Realm, was furthering its transformation towards no goal.
His entire cultivation, meridians, veins, organs, and everything else began to resonate with each other as if they developed a mind of their own. Slowly, a paradox began to form in Ji-Yoon. His mind controlled his body and cultivation, and the same those two controlled themselves, and the whole system was still in harmony as if they are one mind.
He noticed this paradox and wondered how to solve it. With the help of his boosted IQ, he quickly tried to find an answer within his own flow. The more he tried, the more difficult it turned, and then, the smart time ended.
Still, he didn’t stop trying, even though he felt the obvious decrease in his efficiency. It was as if his entire mind entered a pool of the dirtiest mud. He didn’t stop because he felt he was already very close to solving the paradox he created in his own being.
And then, the flow suddenly led him to a fragment of memory hidden within his mind. It was his memory, but at the same time not. It was the memory of the Untitled Ascetic Sage.
“Mei’er, don’t forget the basics just because you are already a cultivator,” the Sage instructed his last disciple while at his death bed, “The foundation of a mountain is always bigger than its peak, the peak is sustained by it. The majestic sun is always seen as small in our eyes, a small pond reflects it as a blurred image which doesn’t represent its majesty.”
“Master, we cultivators seek to be as majestic as the sun, not as small as a pond’s reflection,” the girl said, not managing to hide her doubts and incomprehension, her bright purple eyes staring lovingly at the dying stubborn old man.
“If the sun you want to be is as small as what you see, you will turn into a blurred image,” the Sage said, as the last breath of life left him. His stubbornness was clearly felt by Ji-Yoon.
His eyebrows frowned tightly, he was bewildered but at the same time enlightened. This time, he himself remembered another fragment of the Sage’s memory.
“You think too much,” the Sage said as he held a stick in his hand, which he used to discipline/beat his disciples, “What you learn is not for yourself only, but to yourself as a whole. To reach a high level in martial arts, you need to reach a balance between body and mind, and then reach union.”
“Yes, master!” shouted a group of hardly beaten youngsters, their while faces were beaten black and blue.
Ji-Yoon then began to search within himself for the answer he wanted, he knew where to search and where he would find it this time. All things he learned since coming from this world began to sublimate in an ultimate state.
Ji-Yoon’s entire Consciousness Sea began to shatter, not violently, but in an orderly manner. The shards of it began to merge with the already merged mortal body/cultivation base.
Body, Cultivation Base, and Mind. The barriers between those completely disappeared. His body was his mind, his mind was his body, his cultivation base was his body and mind… There was no difference anymore, in an extremely more profound sense. Of course, he still had blood, bones, and flesh, he was still a living being.
At the same time he attained this state of the perfect union of separate natures, and thus resolved his paradox, he came to realize through the flow… what was the true meaning of cultivation, at least for him.
“It’s not about accumulating, but releasing what one already has. Those so-called Realms are, in fact, shackles, rather than power-ups. How wonderful and unsettling…”
Frowning slightly, Ji-Yoon opened his eyes, which shone with surprise.
Lifting his right hand, he conjured a green flame in his palm, it was the ‘Living Flame’ he was taught, it shone with extreme energetic violence and all-encompassing vitality. But it slowly turned crimson like boiling blood, Ji-Yoon was perfecting it according to his new level of comprehension of the Life Dao, Profound Level.
Ji-Yoon’s mind was running two kinds of analysis and operations, one by using the flow through the Mortal Dao, and the other by using the pure Life Dao. As if he had a spark of enlightenment, he smiled with narrowed eyes and clenched his hand, putting out the flame.
“How exciting, to think the Flow could have such a use. I could comprehend any Dao much easier this way, I wonder if I’m in a protagonist seat of this world, at least,” Ji-Yoon said to himself as he stretched himself, “I only hope there’s no author behind me, how scary would it be?”
[Ding! Dong! Congratulations on reaching the state of True Being Union. No reward this time, be grateful nonetheless.]
“Hmm? It is called True Being Union?” he muttered with a relaxed expression, “Sure thing, there’s nothing completely new in this world. Whatever happens now already happened once. My predecessors aren’t less capable than me.”
“Should I go to the old man? I’m sure he reached the Golden Core Realm by now.
“I also need to report my breakthrough to the Human Dao Pavilion.”
After leaving his cave, he heard a powerful voice coming from the sky, “All disciples within the Outer Sect should gather at the War Field, anyone who disregards this order will be severely punished!”
“Fuck!” Ji-Yoon cursed as soon as he heard the words ‘War Field.’ It was the biggest field in the Outer Sect, normally used to hold tournaments or important events. However, Ji-Yoon knows well that it’s still too early for the five-year tournament of the Outer Sect, and there’s no large-scale event that year.
Therefore, something really important must have happened for all disciples to be ordered to gather there.
“Please, oh my powerful luck, make it so that there’s no danger close!” Ji-Yoon muttered as he ran towards the field along with others equally surprised disciples. Cold sweat began to flow down his back.
‘Damn! Don’t tell me something like a Sect’s Danger arc is coming?’ he thought full of fright.
After lining up with the others in the field, he looked at the floating platform high in the sky, there were many high-ranking members of the sect.
“Attention! Listen to the Sect Leader’s Decree!” an elder shouted from the platform, making all disciples shut their mouths.
“The Sect is now closing its gates for one year for preparation for war! The Sect is now in a special regime! You all should follow the rules stated in the book of rules!”
‘Damn!’ Ji-Yoon cursed inwardly with clenched teeth and fists.
“Until the day our gates open again, no one is allowed to ask about who our enemy is, and if anyone leaks this information, they will be executed on the spot along with the curious ones.
“Follow your superiors’ orders and don’t create panic, any troublemaker will be severely punished. If anyone tries to communicate with the exterior world, they will be executed on the spot!
“All disciples will receive three times their usual resources during this one year. Don’t waste them and strengthen yourselves!
“Did you all understand!?”
“Yes! Sir!” all disciples shouted, not daring to save breath.
“You can go now! Don’t slack off, I don’t want you to die a preventable death!” the elder said and waved his hand, raising a strong wind that sent the majority of the disciples flying as they screamed.
Only a minority of those at the Golden Core Realm managed to stand with their feet on the ground and Ji-Yoon was one of them.
“I used less than a grain of mustard of my power, and still you are sent flying!? How do you expect to survive when fighting a superior enemy?” he reprimanded harshly, making much blush in shame.
“Go now! Make sure to not be so weak next year! I want to see your progress then, or you will regret being weak!”
As the disciples dispersed, Ji-Yoon spotted Old Li from afar, the beforehand decrepit old man was obviously full of vitality, his muscles were no more flaccid, but full of strength.
“Old man!” Ji-Yoon sent a voice transmission to him.
“Hehe, Senior Yun, did you finally awake?” Old Li answered the call with a weak voice, his expression instantly falling and darkening.
“Did you miss your senior? What about another round of special training? I’m sure you need it after breaking through, it will help you stabilize your cultivation,” Ji-Yoon said with a smile as he ran towards him.
Seeing this, Old Li gulped and started to run too. “Senior, I have an important matter on the body, and it’s inconvenient to train with you.”
“Is that so?” Ji-Yoon said as he leisurely put a hand on his shoulder, “I’m sure you don’t need to run away from me though.”
‘Damn! You freak! How could you be so fast!?’ Old Li cursed inwardly and stopped running with a bitter face. “Senior, please give me a break, my old bones can’t keep up with you anymore!”
“Old bones? Now that you gained another 150 years of lifespan, you can only be said to be middle-aged,” Ji-Yoon mocked and began to arrest him towards the practice field.
“Huh? Senior, aren’t you going to train in a more seclusive place?” Old Li asked with clenched fists, still unresigned.
“No choice, that place we trained was too small before, more so now that we broke through a big Realm, don’t you think?”
“…”
After arriving at the practice field, they reserved a place for themselves in the corner.
The practice field of the Outer Sect was not big, but it had several strange formations that could stretch the space and isolate it for the disciples depending on their cultivation base, they only had to enter the field and ask an elder or deacon in charge for them to be transported to this stretched isolated space.
When the formation was activated, both were transported to a big blank field. Nothing could be seen on the horizon as if it had no end, and the ground was entirely covered with the same kind of white tiles as the practice field was.
Ji-Yoon scrutinized Old Li with sharp eyes and senses. “Your cultivation seems a bit unstable, it shouldn’t be happening, your martial arts background isn’t a sand castle.”
Old Li twitched his lips and sighed. “You freak, how did you notice?” he said and explained, “It’s like this because of my depleted life span when I was breaking through.”
“Hmm… So, what about your progress with the Mortal Dao?” Ji-Yoon asked as a master evaluating his disciple, with his hands behind his straight back.
“Tsk…” Old Li just clicked his tongue and avoided eye contact.
“Don’t tell me you haven’t made it to at least the Entry Level of comprehension?” Ji-Yoon asked with a vein popping in his forehead.
“Don’t compare a normal person with you. Don’t you know how difficult it is to have progress when comprehending a Dao?” Old Li shouted in a fit of indignation, “I’m proud to have got just a glimpse of it, some people have to wait until the Nascent Soul Realm to grasp the principles of a Dao.”
“You damn old man!” Ji-Yoon shouted back, “What a waste of cultivation and years! Even though I instructed you on everything you could possibly understand!
“Even a pig would have ascended to the sky if it were in your place!”
“You…” Old Li stared at Ji-Yoon with bloodshot, deadly eyes, and clenched teeth. His breathing suddenly seemed to stop as he suddenly took an instance.
“Hoh? Finally, seems like you got some guts since last time,” Ji-Yoon said with slightly curved lips, “Hit me, if you can.” He then took a defensive instance.
Both stared at each other without moving for some time, until Old Li finally took action, his leg was about to flex when he was suddenly hit on the nose by Ji-Yoon, who appeared as lightning in his front.
“FUCK!!” Old Li cursed when he saw Ji-Yoon’s mocking smile. ‘From where cames this ridiculous speed of his!?
‘This freak took a defensive instance just to trick me!’ Old Li thought as he tried to create some distance between them as he summoned his treasured spear, which shone brightly in blue color when imbued with his qi. However…
“Old man, did you already forget?” Ji-Yoon said as he suddenly appeared behind Old Li, “I can read and foresee your movements easily if you think too much.” He then kicked Old Li’s butt, sending him flying.
“In fact, I’m even better than before. Come at full power if you want to try and make me serious, if~ you~ can!”
