Chapter 104
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 104
Chapter Title: Whip Strike
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Sword Venerable, the current head of the Murim Alliance and also So-hyang's close friend, the White Path's Foremost.
He was the heavens in human form.
Not a metaphorical expression revering an overwhelming powerhouse, but truly so.
A Venerable whose essence, qi, and spirit united to achieve the Three Flowers Gather at the Summit, whose heart-image had reborn as essence.
What circulated through his veins was the flow of clouds, mists, and atmosphere, while the electrical signals of his nerves were thunder and lightning rampaging in cumulonimbus clouds.
He was a natural phenomenon compressed to human size, and thus the Transformation Realm was also called the Entering the Divine Realm.
So-hyang had once pierced the inner world of a demigod cloaked in human skin and even discerned the essence deeper than that.
The sky as beheld by the Alliance Lord was none other than the sword.
The Heavenly Domain—its original name the Vast Heaven Sword Realm—was grandiose as the Alliance Lord's heart-image, but its essence was the range reached by the sword in his hand.
In other words, a swordsman wielding the heavens themselves.
Then what of the Chancellor?
She was flames in human form.
Not burning red or blazing crimson, but purely azure flames rising in a brilliant blue blaze.
The unimaginable aggregation of power beneath the skin of the blue-haired, blue-eyed beauty entered So-hyang's sight.
Quiet yet ferocious, serene yet violent, blindingly bright.
The immediate metaphor that came to mind was nuclear fusion, a power like the sun at midday.
And so, Azure Flame Star was the most fitting title for her.
A star composed of blue flames.
Then what was the Azure Flame?
Simply flames transformed blue beyond 1,400 degrees Celsius? No, it was far too vast a power to be mere mimicry of natural fire.
The true value of stellar principles lay in their differentiated view of the world; it was the manifestation of a heart-image borrowing the phenomenon of flames.
I want to know.
What is the essence of that power? How can one reach it? How does sorcery touch transcendence?
"Haaah..."
A rapturous breath escaped So-hyang's lips.
Her eyes turned seductively sweet, as if dripping honey, and she began analyzing the Chancellor with all her senses, as if devouring her whole.
The rhythm of her breath, the flow of her energy, every gesture and movement—all were clues to enlightenment, footprints left by the senior ascending above.
And above all, the most orthodox way to comprehend was to cross swords and measure her.
If her heart had its way, she would clash in a life-or-death duel, but to do so against someone with no crime or justification would mean abandoning her humanity.
Thus, only one choice remained.
"For the reward... could we do a sparring match...?"
An uncannily beautiful smile, tinged with ominous allure, spread across So-hyang's face.
"...Wow, what the hell kind of crazy bitch is this?"
Such viscous obsession was plainly visible even to the Chancellor, prompting the exclamation.
"Yeah, got it. I know you're a pretty insane martial artist craving enlightenment."
The Chancellor sighed and asked So-hyang with genuine puzzlement.
"But at the gap between you and me, you can't gain any enlightenment or whatever, right...?"
Even a sorcerer who had reached the divine realm or a transcendent peak master— the gulf between them was vast.
Like the difference between a microbe and a human, an overwhelming disparity of power no Gang Qi or ultimate technique could bridge.
Gleaning knowledge was possible only within realms of comprehensible understanding; what could one learn from observing a transcendent's display?
The Chancellor was sincerely perplexed.
So-hyang shook her head with a gentle smile.
"First off, learning and gaps aren't related."
Humans were beings who learned from everything they saw, gaining flashes of insight.
A martial artist elevating their existence through self-cultivation should be even more so.
Enlightenment of grounding from a crawling insect's movements, principles of evil-breaking from a lion's roar.
The same held for immeasurable nature.
Shaolin's dragon-mimicking form-fitting fist, Jeonchang's Sun-Shooting mindset—were they not so?
How much more, when So-hyang had the insight to pierce the Alliance Lord's heart-image and now the Chancellor's stellar principles.
Sparring held meaning regardless of the gap.
"And actually, the gap between us isn't that big...?"
"...What?"
The Chancellor gaped in disbelief, but So-hyang was serious.
Before completing the Spirit Sword's refinement and venturing into the martial world, So-hyang had been confident she could take one of the Alliance Lord's arms.
Of course, not even risking death, but in a fight burning life force to rampage intent to its limit...
And now, So-hyang had achieved considerable growth and accomplishments since then.
The spirit energy flow once handled by mere instinct now possessed systematic qi circulation techniques.
Through sparring with the Zhuge family head, she had formed Sword Qi into Gang.
At Wudang, she comprehended profound Taiji principles, advancing her heart method to the next stage.
By devouring a demonic beast reborn as a Demonic Realm, she even gained spatial manipulation ability.
If she removed the seal array's core suppressing her body and rampaged her intent at the cost of mental self-destruction...
She was certain mutual destruction was possible.
"Of course, I'm still weaker than you, Chancellor."
But that was akin to self-detonation using one's life as gunpowder—closer to mutual annihilation than victory.
In proper martial comparison, a gap clearly existed between the Chancellor and So-hyang.
"Just not as big as you think."
And in truth, that hardly mattered.
Even if the gap was as vast as the Chancellor imagined, preventing enlightenment.
Even if greater than thought, causing the Chancellor to fail power control and crush her like an insect.
Such things were unimportant.
Return empty-handed if so, die if crushed—that was that.
Enlightenment was always uncertain; if there was possibility, she must throw herself at the chance.
Thus, please.
With gentle motions, So-hyang took the Chancellor's hand and brought it to her chest.
"I've helped the academy in my own way, so isn't this a modest request...?"
Faced with her moist, pleading gaze, the Chancellor pressed her forehead in exasperation.
"Haa... Fine. I'll do it, the sparring match."
Only then did So-hyang beam and summon her Spirit Sword from empty air.
"Yay! Then right away—"
"—But! Not now, a bit later."
"Huh...?"
Like a puppy realizing the prey before it was a fake, So-hyang's face rapidly darkened.
"Even so, I'm the Chancellor. Shouldn't I clean up this mess before deciding on sparring or whatever?"
Looking around, the area within a thousand feet had been shredded by So-hyang's sword strikes—buildings and facilities all collapsed.
Fortunately no deaths, but barely that.
Lower-year students buried under collapsing buildings due to delayed response, non-sorcerer laborers unable to use spells.
Even the Demonic Realm's damage in that fleeting moment before So-hyang's swift suppression.
The academy was a total wreck.
"I'm truly grateful for the help. Thanks to you, the damage was reduced this much—really fortunate."
Like the duel with the imperial experts, and now this spar with the Chancellor, her schedule felt backed up lately, which was regrettable...
"Ah..."
"I'll definitely do the spar you want, and even if not, I'll owe you the debt... Sorry, but can you give me a few days...?"
Her genuine gratitude and apology left nothing more to say.
"No, I'm the one sorry. Just contact me later, and I'll come by."
"Good, you're more reasonable than I thought...? Ah, sorry, if that offends—"
"Haha, it's fine. I know best how crazy I am."
The Chancellor had peered into So-hyang.
She had seen those in the jianghu who rampaged under sword obsession, earning titles like Sword Maniac, Sword Ghost, Sword Demon.
But this three-headed monster was beyond that.
A lump of impulse, immersed in the sword like murderous intent felt by the Heavenly Death Star.
By surface psychology alone, humanity, morality, etc., were mere trivialities justifying reckless brutality.
Yet she was surprisingly rational, considerate of others' circumstances, and clearly of kind disposition.
"Impressive. Mind if I ask the secret?"
"Nothing special. Grace of good parents raising me."
Not this life's Bright Mystery Pavilion family, but the previous life's elder had a childhood too.
Even after her innate nature softly enveloped and revealed her true self once, she maintained humanity by setting standards.
The love lavished by her parents had turned the innate monster human.
"...Must've been wonderful people."
"Yes. They turned a beast into a person."
Gazing wistfully into the past, So-hyang momentarily forgot the sword, recalling nostalgia.
"Then, can I go? I'll handle any lingering troublesome matters, and send the research results you entrusted later."
"Sure, I'll visit later with a bottle of liquor."
To So-hyang's bright farewell smile, the Chancellor looked slightly awkward.
"Ah, sorry, but I don't drink."
"No problem. I'll bring snacks and drinks instead."
"Mm, actually, I don't eat food...?"
The Chancellor was originally a passionate researcher, scorning time spent eating or drinking, thinking mere nutrient supply sufficed.
After reaching stellar principles, she had fully transcended physiological needs; her last meal was decades ago.
"Wait, what did you say?"
Flames flickered in So-hyang's pupils.
"No, I'm fine like this? I can function without eating, no harm to the body..."
"Hey! Same for me!"
So-hyang also substituted nutrition via spirit energy supply. If only functionality mattered, eating was unnecessary.
"Still, to live like a human, you need to eat and sleep—living like that breeds mental illness!"
"Eh? No, I'm fine..."
"Good grief, what are you saying!"
Frustrated as if her insides were bursting, So-hyang smacked the Chancellor's back with her palm.
"Ow!... Huh? Why does this hurt—"
A body reaching transcendence in the divine realm, unable to recall the last time it felt pain.
Yet that whip strike had hurt. As she puzzled to ask, So-hyang's rapid-fire words preempted.
"You said you'd owe me a debt beyond the spar, right? I'll claim it with this, so have a meal with me later!"
"Wait, using a debt like that?"
For a transcendent like a stellar transcendent equal to the Transformation Realm to grant such a trivial request—
"Pfft! Trivial? What's more important than eating and living!"
Meeting the Chancellor's incredulous gaze with even greater disbelief, So-hyang smacked her back again.
"Aaaah! Stop hitting!"
"Then say you'll eat!"
"I'll eat! I said I'll eat!"
Having obtained the desired promise, So-hyang smiled softly and gently stroked the Chancellor's head.
"There, good girl."
"Ah, no, what the hell is..."
Her pupils shook violently, unable to accept the situation, and the Chancellor stammered in utter confusion.
"Still, you must have preferred foods—mind recalling and telling me?"
"Uh, uh? I think I liked stuff with honey or sugar, high in calories..."
"I'll prepare to your taste, so you have to eat together, okay?"
"No, seriously, what...? Why...?"
The Chancellor rubbed her heated back in utter incomprehension for a while, while So-hyang left the academy with a satisfied smile.