Chapter 5
One sheet, then another.
Keep your back straight, and your arm at a consistent angle.
When drawing talismans, never lose your grace or grandeur.
Nine lowered her gaze and released spiritual power through the tip of her brush.
The spiritual power flowing from her heart mingled with the ink and raced back and forth across the paper.
Soon, a low-grade Might Talisman was born, scattering green light.
The time it took to draw a Might Talisman had shortened by thirty seconds, to four minutes and thirty seconds.
[Constitution: Talisman Dao Sacred Body (符道聖體) 2 / 10]
[Art: Introductory Talisman Dao Art (符道入門訣) 7-Star 1320 / 15000]
“Next.”
This time, too, it was a Might Talisman.
But Nine’s movements were different from before.
Even drawing the same lines, she was faster and more precise.
She drew the complex, tangled lines in a single breath, without hesitation.
With no resistance as she released her spiritual power, the brush raced briskly across the paper.
She was growing in real time.
The next one took three minutes, then the one after that took two. Finally, when she could draw a Might Talisman in less than a minute...
Nine instinctively realized that one minute was her limit.
“Last one.”
Fwoosh!
A talisman steeped in deep green rose high into the air.
It was a low-grade talisman, but one in the finest condition possible for its grade.
[Constitution: Talisman Dao Sacred Body (符道聖體) 9 / 10]
[Art: Introductory Talisman Dao Art (符道入門訣) 7-Star 1390 / 15000]
[Current Realm: Lifespan-Severing Stage (84%)]
Nine’s gaze shifted to her constitution and art.
“So one talisman raises my Talisman Dao Sacred Body proficiency by one, and Introductory Talisman Dao Art by ten?”
It really was absurdly overpowered.
Only then did Nine realize that talent was everything in cultivation.
Before, she had struggled desperately just to take a single step forward in the Lifespan-Severing Stage, and even then, she could barely catch her breath.
But what about now?
She had drawn ten talismans in a mere hour, and her realm was advancing without a hitch. The summit was already in sight.
Those fifteen years had been worth less than this single hour.
There was a saying widespread in the cultivation world.
“A genius’s day is worth more than a mortal’s lifetime (奇才一朝 勝凡百年).”
The gifted, born with superior insight and spiritual talent beyond anyone else’s reach, made immeasurable progress every day.
With abundant resources and guidance from outstanding masters, they advanced farther than an ordinary person could in an entire lifetime.
But Nine had believed the world wouldn’t be so cruel.
It was an innocent belief, but perhaps it was what made her who she was.
Those days of relentless effort were what made Nine who she was.
Closing her eyes and absorbing spiritual energy with the Lifespan-Severing Art, Nine looked back on her life.
She had worn herself to the bone for cultivation, working tirelessly without end.
At first, she thought that was enough.
But effort was only the bare minimum.
Everyone made an effort.
Everyone willingly threw themselves into hell to climb higher.
Nine had simply run in circles around the bare minimum.
It hurt. Her heart hurt so much.
Her chest ached as if her entire life had been denied.
And yet, tears of joy welled up in her eyes.
She had finally escaped the endless forest stretching like a vast ocean, and could at last spread her wings and fly toward the sky.
What a joyful thing it was.
“Still, it wasn’t all for nothing.”
Nine straightened her slumped posture once more.
It was pointless for a wingless bird to practice flapping its wings.
But if that bird were given the greatest wings of all, then the time it had spent before would no longer be meaningless.
“Hee, I’m being pointlessly sentimental.”
A woman’s body was certainly more inconvenient than her former male body.
It was a little tiring, but Nine decided to think positively about herself anyway.
She felt at ease.
The spiritual energy completed a circuit through her meridians, became spiritual power, and gathered in her heart.
Guiding the spiritual power into her brush, Nine began drawing her final Might Talisman.
Swish, swish.
Then, in just fifty-two seconds—less than a minute.
Nine broke through the one-minute barrier she had thought was her limit.
Fwoosh!
[Constitution: Talisman Dao Sacred Body (符道聖體) 10 / 10]
Pou’s body trembled violently.
Along with it, Nine’s body began to shake as well.
A change was imminent.
[Constitution: Talisman Dao Sacred Body (符道聖體) 10 / ?]
The characters on the pure-white surface were swallowed by shadow.
The pitch-black shadow devoured the characters, then spat them back out.
“Hiek…!”
The brush slipped from her right hand and fell with a thud.
Nine toppled to the floor along with it.
“Eek, hiiii…!”
Her new body seemed to have no resistance to pain at all; every sensation came through vividly.
Nine writhed in agony.
“Agh, eh!”
A change that began at her fingertips spread across her whole body.
Her muscles and bones twisted, the bones shifting into their proper places.
Her meridians, once like country roads, widened and expanded into two-lane roads.
“Aga-ga-ga-gaah…!”
Every hair stood on end like a cat that had been electrocuted.
Nine clenched her hands and gritted her teeth, trying to endure the pain.
At the same time, her heart transformed.
The heart that had been beating faintly grew just a little larger and turned a more vivid red.
A dark Dao-script character sank into its center like a seal.
[Talisman]
“A heart tattoo isn’t my taste!”
She knew it instinctively.
The day the Dao-script character on her heart was complete, her Sacred Body would evolve another stage.
She realized that naturally, as the owner of this talent.
Thump!
The trembling of her body stopped once all the changes were complete.
The constitution entry, which had been hidden beneath the darkness, came back into view.
[Constitution: Talisman Dao Sacred Body (符道聖體) Rank 1 0 / 10000]
The constitution that had been blank was now Rank 1.
She wanted to thoroughly feel every inch of her body and find out what had changed, but...
“Ah, I’ve hit my limit…”
Nine let go of her tenuous grip on consciousness.
Honestly, just making it this far in a body with no resistance to pain deserved praise.
It was impressive enough that she hadn’t even soiled herself.
“Keh.”
***
Gwooooo…!
The former Republic of South Africa.
Present-day Z Sector.
A Gate of every color tore across the sky, flaunting its grandeur.
It was a thousand kilometers in diameter.
Even looking at it caused dizziness and nausea, and an ordinary person would die instantly if they looked directly at it.
Fortunately for Africa, there were almost no countries that could be called great powers.
But that good fortune had instead become a poison, eating away at the continent.
The invaders regarded ‘Africa’ as one enormous country.
South Africa, recognized as the capital of Africa, faced the largest Gate on Earth.
That was the story behind the Gate that swallowed half the population of Africa.
Atop a cliff on a remote island, the vast ocean stretched out below.
A magnificent view unfolded where the Gates of the sea and sky met.
Eun Seolhwa stood at the edge of the cliff, gazing down at the sea.
Her silver hair shimmered in the sea breeze.
Her snow-white coat fluttered along with it, adding to her elegance.
Softly.
Eun Seolhwa nervously nibbled at her fingertip.
At present, she was frowning as she glared at the terminal on her bracelet.
Nine.
Despite the major trial ahead, she couldn’t stop thinking about her ninth child, and it troubled her.
The only child born with Five Spiritual Roots who still hadn’t reached Qi Refining.
All her other children had passed the early stage of Qi Refining and were advancing toward the middle stage.
There was only one year and one month left until the second selection.
“I can’t even get in touch with her. What is she doing?”
If Nine failed the second selection, she would be expelled from Earth.
If she went to an outer star system, they might never see each other again.
Honestly, Nine had little hope.
She was a child who hadn’t crossed the threshold of Qi Refining in fifteen years.
Nine wouldn’t break through her realm in the year she had left.
The 10,000 credits she’d sent her had been her last chance.
The resources that could be provided to a child during their upbringing were limited.
If Nine failed to seize this opportunity, she would be expelled from Earth and spend the rest of her life in a mine or factory.
“Sigh…”
A cold breath spread through the air.
The chill joined with the moisture, turning it into ice fragments that scattered the light.
A beautiful glow enveloped Eun Seolhwa.
[Her name is Eun Seolhwa. She reached Great Perfection in Qi Refining at ten, and she’s twenty-seven now, is she?]
[Good heavens, she’s so young, and yet so impressive. She’s already completed six of the Seven Tribulations of Foundation Establishment in just seventeen years.]
[She’s a prodigy born with the mutated Ice Spiritual Root. It’s a shame its purity was a little low, so she was born with Two Spiritual Roots.]
[Amazing. I only met the requirements when I was forty.]
[Oh, don’t be so modest. You’re remarkable even as you are.]
High above the cliff.
Foundation Establishment cultivators spoke through their divine sense above Eun Seolhwa’s head.
They were all Foundation Establishment demigods.
They were the true upper class, having fought through fierce competition to stand above humanity.
[But it’s such a shame.]
One of the three Foundation Establishment cultivators spoke.
Another of them agreed.
[It is. If only she’d been a little faster.]
[If she’d been two years faster—just two years—she could’ve caught their attention. That’s the requirement.]
[What a shame, truly. Such a remarkable talent could even aim for Core Formation. Unfortunately, she’s too old to hope for anything beyond that.]
Eun Seolhwa paid no attention to whatever the Foundation Establishment cultivators were saying above her head.
Instead, she focused on operating her terminal and contacted one of her children.
Ring, ring…
The line rang a few times, and a girl’s face soon appeared on the screen.
She didn’t look like Eun Seolhwa.
But their temperaments were similar: her face was cool, and her gaze always composed.
Her black hair shimmered like the night sky, and her yellow eyes accentuated her beauty.
“Decia.”
“Yeah, Mom. What’s up?”
“Nine hasn’t been answering my calls lately. You’re the only one in Future Special City right now. Could you meet with her and let me know how she’s doing?”
One of Decia’s eyes twitched slightly.
“Nine…”
She rolled the name around in her mouth for a moment, then nodded with a smile.
“Okay, Mom. I’ll check on her.”
“Please do.”
Beep.
The call ended.
At the same time, a Foundation Establishment cultivator’s divine sense reached Eun Seolhwa.
[Then, let the trial begin.]
Eun Seolhwa bowed her head slightly and gracefully expressed her gratitude.
“Thank you for your consideration.”
[Think nothing of it. We’ll be seeing each other often in the future, so shouldn’t I earn some points with you in advance?]
[Heh, you’re being a little too obvious, aren’t you?]
The middle-aged Foundation Establishment cultivators standing on either side laughed.
But the young man in the middle looked down at Eun Seolhwa without expression.
[Enough chatter. Let’s begin.]
At his words, the other two Foundation Establishment cultivators also fell silent, their expressions solemn.
Eun Seolhwa narrowed her eyes and gazed out at the sea.
[The sixth of the Seven Tribulations of Foundation Establishment: Yao Beast Hunt.]
Krrrrrraaaah!!!
Far below, at the base of a cliff that rose more than two thousand meters above sea level.
A roar rose from a sea darker than pitch.
[Hunt one hundred Tier 1 Great Perfection yao beasts alone.]
This was the last one.
The previous ninety-nine yao beasts had been submitted as evidence in the form of their byproducts.
This time, Eun Seolhwa had to prove her abilities before the examiners.
Boom, boom, boom!
The cliff trembled.
The yao beast began to come into view.
A monster three hundred meters long, weighing tens of thousands of tons with ease.
The Ink-Scaled Radiant Sky Jiao, the pinnacle of Tier 1 yao beasts, raised its head and opened its jaws wide toward the cliff.
Overwhelming yao energy spread out and suppressed the area around it.
“Grrrrraaaaah!!!”
[The test begins now.]
Tap.
Eun Seolhwa looked down at the Ink-Scaled Radiant Sky Jiao with a frigid gaze.
“You’re no match for me.”
Flap, flap, flap!
Eun Seolhwa lightly leaped from the cliff.
Her coat billowed violently as she faced the wind head-on.
By contrast, the Ink-Scaled Radiant Sky Jiao frantically scrambled up the cliff.
Its red eyes, steeped in madness and instinct, glared ferociously at Eun Seolhwa as she fell.
“Haa…”
A blue breath spread out.
The chill enveloped her falling body.
The spirit star in her dantian trembled, releasing overwhelming spiritual power.
A piercingly blue point of light blossomed at Eun Seolhwa’s fingertip.
A prodigy born with a single-attribute Ice Spiritual Root.
The power Eun Seolhwa had accumulated over seventeen years at Great Perfection in Qi Refining was more than a mere wild yao beast could withstand.
The Ink-Scaled Radiant Sky Jiao sensed danger and summoned its yao power.
With its innate bulk and instinct, the defensive divine ability it brought forth drove its defense to the utmost.
Its scales turned black and grew denser.
But none of the Ink-Scaled Radiant Sky Jiao’s preparations mattered.
The icy point blossoming from Eun Seolhwa’s long, pale fingertip split apart.
Her spiritual power branched according to her cultivation art, tracing complex trajectories to form a spell.
Cangyue Dust-Severing Canon (蒼月斷塵典).
A blue moon gently descended upon the Ink-Scaled Radiant Sky Jiao.
KRAAANG!
“Kiii…”
Blue cold swept over the Ink-Scaled Radiant Sky Jiao.
The spell pierced through every defense and preparation, turning the monster, more than three hundred meters long, into a block of ice in an instant.
Crack.
Eun Seolhwa landed atop the Ink-Scaled Radiant Sky Jiao’s head as she fell.
Crack-crackle.
Compared to the yao beast’s enormous body, it was an insignificant impact.
But that alone was enough to make the Ink-Scaled Radiant Sky Jiao’s body collapse and fall into the sea.
Rumble…
The block of ice weighing tens of thousands of tons rolled down the cliff, sending a colossal wave dozens of meters high crashing against it.
The black depths of the sea quietly swallowed the corpse.