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Translator/Editor: Dionysus

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◈ Xianxia Cultivation with a Dragon Heart ◈

Chapter 8: Introduction to the Immortal Path

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Cultivation realms were divided with extreme strictness. The difference in ability between each realm was simply too great to ignore.

Naturally, those differences did not come for free. Each realm came with trials to overcome and tasks that had to be completed to reach the next. They were all terribly difficult, took an incredibly long time, and demanded tremendous effort.

Spiritual energy perception was one such threshold. Anyone who knew how many people had fallen at this first hurdle throughout the long history of the cultivation world would be horrified.

And yet.

Han Yujin succeeded in sensing spiritual energy before even a few hours had passed!

At first, he wondered whether it was just his imagination.

But the more instinctively he focused on the sensation, the clearer it became. What had been faint sharpened as though waking from sleep, sending a shiver down his spine.

Spiritual energy filled every direction, vivid and dense enough to make him wonder why he had never noticed it before. Once he recognized it, it was a sensation he could no longer ignore.

It seemed to possess mass, yet it did not. It felt cool or warm, yet had no actual temperature. It seemed as though he could gather it up and knead it into something soft, yet it had no texture.

With every breath, dense spiritual energy seemed to rush in until he felt as if he might suffocate. Yet it was not unpleasant at all. It spread through his lungs and into every corner of his body, washing away his fatigue and filling him with an almost ecstatic freshness.

A Hunter had once described the moment they first sensed mana as a “baptism.” The timing of that sensation differed depending on an awakened person's ability, but most Hunters agreed with the description.

And now Han Yujin could agree with it wholeheartedly.

Just as a religious baptism was meant to wash away sin, this baptism felt as though it were cleansing every impurity from a person.

'I'm an Entry Stage cultivator now.'

A cultivator's realms began with the Entry Stage, then progressed to the Dharma Soul Stage, Core Formation Stage, Nascent Soul Stage, Spirit Transformation Stage, Integration Stage, Tribulation Crossing Stage, and True Immortal Stage.

What mattered most right now was how he could advance to the Dharma Soul Stage. In his current state, it was still somewhat questionable whether he could truly be called a cultivator.

The most important task of the Entry Stage was elevating one's soul into a Dharma Soul. Only after completing that could one reach the Dharma Soul Stage and become a true cultivator capable of freely wielding dharma power.

Of course.

That did not mean an Entry Stage cultivator was no different from an ordinary person.

Han Yujin raised one palm upward, as though drawing in the spiritual energy around him. In response to that action and the intent behind it, the surrounding spiritual energy slowly gathered above his palm and formed a sphere.

He could not see it with his eyes, yet it was as clear as if he could.

As he looked at the thing that seemed to possess an indescribable color, Han Yujin traced a basic dharma pattern from memory and raised it a little higher.

Fwoosh!

A ball of fire appeared in the empty air and flickered wildly. The heat of those vivid flames filled him with delight.

For the first time in his life, he had caused a supernatural phenomenon!

“Hahaha...!”

A low laugh escaped him without his realizing it. If this had been a safe zone, he might have burst into mad laughter.

He had only made a single fireball, yet a sense of omnipotence swelled within him as though he had become a god. It was probably because of the brilliant hope that he could one day become even greater.

Excitement overflowing, he extinguished the fireball and swung both arms around him. Spiritual energy responded, and an unexpected gust swept through the shelter. The dry leaves he had worked so hard to spread across the floor scattered everywhere, turning the place into a mess in an instant.

“Ugh...! Cough!”

Han Yujin inhaled a mouthful of dust and hurriedly calmed the chaos while coughing. Even that was astonishing. Once he used spiritual energy, the inside of the shelter quickly became still again.

In any case.

Having calmed down, he sat in the quiet shelter and gathered his thoughts.

'Just handling spiritual energy doesn't make me any different from an ordinary Hunter.'

No, he was actually worse off than that. His awakened ability could not be used directly in combat or anything similar.

So now, he had to seriously prepare to elevate his soul into a Dharma Soul.

Closing his eyes and concentrating, he took deep breaths while reciting the formula sequence of the Returning to the Origin Art in his mind.

Breathing was the easiest way for a cultivator to take spiritual energy into the body. Instead of spreading through him at random as it had before, the spiritual energy entering through his breath began tracing a fixed path.

It did not merely trace a path. A formula sequence was the method and order used to draw dharma patterns, while dharma patterns were mysterious constructs that held wondrous effects within themselves.

That was how they tempered and improved a cultivator's body and soul.

In other words, cultivating a cultivation method was not, as it was in many genre novels, the act of storing external energy somewhere inside the body.

'That would be meaningless.'

No matter how diligently he accumulated it, it would disappear as soon as he used it. It was ultimately nothing more than an external resource.

'A soul can generate spiritual energy on its own.'

That was true personal power.

The more it was used and tempered, the more spiritual energy the soul could generate, faster and more efficiently. Just as exercising diligently allowed someone to exert greater strength more explosively and for longer.

And just as exercise required plenty of food and various pieces of equipment, tempering the soul required abundant external spiritual energy and a good formula sequence.

'The same goes for recovering after using up a lot of strength.'

No matter how properly one used excellent exercise equipment, muscles would not grow without eating and resting well. Instead, an overworked body could be ruined.

The soul was the same. If one had expended a great deal of spiritual power, it had to be nourished and cared for with external spiritual energy. Only then would it be tempered rather than weakened.

It was only natural for him to be clumsy since this was his first time, but Han Yujin continued cultivating the Returning to the Origin Art diligently without losing his rhythm.

This was where the Returning to the Origin Art's remarkable quality revealed itself.

It was truly a cultivation method for beginners.

Even minor mistakes had been rendered completely harmless. Despite its emphasis on safety, the speed at which it tempered the body and soul was not slow.

The spells included in it, of which every cultivation method generally had at least two, were quite good as well. No, when it came to cultivation alone, they could not have been better.

One was the Purification Art, which could cleanse all pollution and unclean energy. The other was the Clear Mind Art, which could prevent mental instability and improve concentration.

This was why the spell manuals he had collected from the Scripture Pavilion did not include the common Cleaning Art. The Purification Art was a grade higher.

This was especially true because it could dissolve even impurities within the body. There was no need to mention the Clear Mind Art's effect on concentration.

Most importantly, it had been designed so that he would lose nothing no matter what formula sequence he switched to later.

Thanks to that, he could focus entirely on cultivation without a single worry.

At that moment, he forgot even his surroundings and remained completely still, like a stone statue.

* * *

When he opened his eyes, it was the middle of the night, and darkness like black ink surrounded him.

It was his first night in the heart of this deep primeval forest. Even though he had become an Entry Stage cultivator, he was somewhat tense because he had not yet mastered a single spell.

'I was able to concentrate that deeply?'

The chirping insects nearby, the faint calls of mountain birds in the distance, and the howls and cries of unknown beasts even farther away.

With his entire field of vision swallowed by darkness, it was hard for him to relax.

Naturally, what he needed in this situation was not a fire, but the Spirit Vision Art that would let him see through the darkness. How could he recklessly light a fire when he had no idea what sort of beast it might attract? This was not safe Earth.

He calmed his mind and heightened his concentration with the Clear Mind Art included in the Returning to the Origin Art. Then, following the knowledge in his head, he cautiously focused spiritual power into his eyes.

It was only a basic spell, and the dharma pattern it used was not particularly dangerous. Still, his eyes were sensitive and important organs, so he was extremely tense.

Fortunately, despite his worries, he succeeded almost immediately.

'Oh...'

Since it was his first attempt, the spell seemed to have activated somewhat imperfectly. Even so, his pitch-black vision immediately opened up.

It was not as bright as day, but he could inspect his surroundings without trouble.

'So this is the power of spells.'

He could do more than merely see through darkness. With a glance, he could roughly gauge the density of spiritual energy contained within each object.

If something like a ghost had been nearby, he would have been able to clearly see its location and shape.

As that thought crossed his mind, he suddenly realized that his current state might make him highly visible to dangerous lifeforms as well.

He had only just entered the immortal path and begun cultivating a cultivation method. Surely he gave off an aura to match.

'I should learn the Concealment Art first.'

The most important skill for survival was, first, not being noticed. Second was escaping well.

Being good at attacking and defending had no choice but to rank lower. Fighting itself came with enormous danger.

What had seemed like a somewhat daunting life-or-death struggle in the primeval forest was beginning to feel like an exciting game because of the spells.

Just as he was about to concentrate and try casting the Concealment Art.

Rustle.

An unfamiliar sound, completely different from the noises he had heard outside until then, came from nearby. It was close enough to make goosebumps rise all over Han Yujin's body.

His hand moved reflexively and grasped the Five Elements Sword at his waist. At the same time, he regretted something.

'Now that I can handle spiritual energy, I should've tested this magical weapon first...!'

If he had at least learned the Concealment Art first, he would have had the option of simply holding his breath and staying still.

He should not have foolishly started by cultivating the Returning to the Origin Art just because he was happy about it.

Feeling cold sweat form, he gripped the Five Elements Sword, which did not even have a proper edge, and watched the shelter entrance.

The boulder roughly blocking the entrance had never looked so flimsy. When he first found it, he had thought this would be enough. Now he wanted to slap his past self for being so complacent.

He knew that death would only wake him in reality, but that did not mean dying carelessly was fine. The pain would still be real.

Rattle!

At that exact moment, the boulder blocking the entrance shook violently. He had not heard it approach right up to the shelter, so he recoiled in alarm.

Through the Spirit Vision Art, he could faintly see a black beast's paw above the boulder.

'It really found me!'

Shock and despair raced through his mind.

Despite how hard he had struggled to move it, the boulder suddenly flew backward and vanished from sight. Then, a beast's monkey-like face appeared in the opening to the outside, its bright yellow eyes gleaming.

It met the gaze of Han Yujin, who was tightly gripping the Five Elements Sword, and gave him a grotesque grin. The claws at the ends of the hand thrust inside looked terrifyingly thick and sharp.

At that instant, Han Yujin poured spiritual power into the Five Elements Sword and thrust with all his might.

The spiritual energy he poured into it awakened the functions of the mid-to-high-grade magical weapon, the Five Elements Sword.

Complex and precise art-formula restrictions surfaced across the surface of what had been nothing more than a sword-shaped club without an edge. They resonated, and the light spilling from them transformed in an instant into searing flames that shot forward.

There was no booming sound at all.

As if it were an illusion, overwhelming heat surged out and pierced through the monkey-like beast's head along the path of his thrust.

Then it spread out behind the beast like a fan, turning everything it caught into a handful of ash.

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