The Heavens' Gift (3)
p>It only took a brief moment for Young-hoon-hyung to become the number one martial artist under heaven.
p>‘Even faster than in my previous life.’
p>Five years.
p_GT>After just five years, he had traveled every corner of the Yeon Kingdom, visiting the grand gates of major sects in each province and city.
p_GT>He challenged the peak martial artists and defeated them all.
p_GT>In three years he claimed the seat of one of the Three Great Daoists of the World.
p_GT>In two more years he defeated the other two, earning the title of Yeon Kingdom’s First Blade.
p_GT>And finally, by defeating seven elders of the Seven Sects who had all reached the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown, he stood unchallenged as the true number one martial artist under heaven.
p_GT>‘…Somehow it feels empty.’
p_GT>‘Such arrogant words from you, brother.’
p_GT>I replied as I trained the Danak Sword Art before him.
p_GT>Thanks to Young-hoon-hyng’s patient guidance during the five years without wars, my martial skill had climbed from mid-tier to late-tier.
p_GT>Now my foundation was complete.
p_GT>I no longer needed to concentrate when drawing my sword; intent lines manifested automatically.
p_GT>And my internal energy flowed without any preparation at all.
p_GT>‘Arrogant, you say?’
p_GT>‘I’m actually envious of you, Eun-hyun.
p_GT>Now that you’re at late-tier, there will always be someone to spar with and check yourself against.
p_GT>But now the only ones who can still stand against me are weaklings… who am I supposed to fight?’
p_GT>The sect masters of the Four Sages and Three Demons who once lost to you would burst with laughter if they heard that.
p_GT>‘It’s a little unfair to them.
p_GT>After all, the Wansuigungmurok is such an unconventional martial system that no one in the jianghu can possibly defeat it.’
p_GT>Somehow his expression grew distant as he gazed at the sky.
p_GT>‘Even the next stage of the Three Flowers—Five Qi Consorting with the Origin—will be nothing compared to Wansuigungmurok.
p_GT>Soon I’ll reach it… then even the peak martial artists of Yeon Kingdom who once tried to challenge me will fall easily.’
p_GT>A trace of exhaustion filled Young-hoon-hyng’s eyes.
p_GT>‘Then what comes after that?’
p_GT>I sensed something ominous.
p_GT>‘No!
p_GT>If Young-hoon-hyng’s thoughts reach the Wulin Alliance…’
p_GT>This life would end the same way—trapped like a beast, beaten to death.
p_GT>Even though I had reached late-tier this time, unlike last life.
p_GT>I would still be made to serve him for far longer…
p_GT>‘I have to think of something else quickly!’
p_GT>‘Brother, how about traveling to neighboring kingdoms?’
p_GT>‘Like touring the jianghu?
p_GT>I already toured every corner of Yeon Kingdom for five years…’
p_GT>‘No, not Yeon Kingdom.
p_GT>What about the neighboring empires like Seongje or Byeokra Kingdom?
p_GT>There are jianghu there too.’
p_GT>‘Oh?
p_GT>You want me to visit the jianghu of neighboring countries.’
p_GT>‘Yes.
p_GT>Then you’ll meet experts who suit your tastes.’
p_GT>‘Hmm… the Wansuigungmurok is something no human can master.
p_GT>Still…’
p_GT>He pondered for a moment, then nodded.
p_GT>‘Very well.
p_GT>Touring the jianghu of neighboring countries doesn’t sound bad.’
p_GT>So for six months I and Young-hoon-hyng studied the languages and characters of Seongje and Byeokra Kingdom, and toured their martial worlds.
p_GT>***
p_GT>Two years later.
p_GT>Young-hoon-hyng defeated twelve peak martial artists from Byeokra Kingdom’s Three Flowers Gathering and awakened to the Five Qi Consorting with the Origin realm.
p_GT>Now he had undergone hwan-gol-tal-tae and looked younger than me.
p_GT>And somehow he had earned the title of number one martial artist under heaven in all three kingdoms—Yeon, Seongje, and Byeokra.
p_GT>Yet his face showed no joy.
p_GT>‘Eun-hyun, what now?’
p_GT>Overwhelming fatigue.
p_GT>The sense that no jianghu person could ever stand against him again.
p_GT>The satisfaction of Wansuigungmurok pushing toward its limit.
p_GT>He had lost interest in jianghu affairs.
p_GT>‘What if we form our own sect, brother?’
p_GT>I suggested another idea.
p_GT>‘A sect?’
p_GT>‘Yes.
p_GT>Gather talented people from across the country, train them, and raise them into experts who can challenge you.’
p_GT>‘Hmm.
p_GT>No matter how many talents I raise, they’ll advance one step while I advance ten.
p_GT>…’
p_GT>It sounded hopeless, but it was true.
p_GT>Young-hoon-hyng’s talent was insane.
p_GT>‘Long or short, we’ll have to test it.
p_GT>Moreover… with the strength and resources of one sect, I could also recruit hidden experts to serve you.’
p_GT>‘Hmm…’
p_GT>That was true too.
p_GT>Though the hidden experts were not jianghu people, but the assassins I had identified in my previous life.
p_GT>‘Those assassins never interfere with personal matters…’
p_GT>They had no concern whether the number one martial artist was born or not.
p_GT>But they always interfered when large organizations threatened stability.
p_GT>That was why, even after traveling three kingdoms, we had never met an assassin.
p_GT>‘Fine.
p_GT>Then with my fame I’ll create a sect.’
p_GT>Thus the sect was founded under Young-hoon’s name.
p_GT>The name chosen after Wansuigungmurok was Gungmujheon—Poverty Martial Hall.
p_GT>Countless jianghu people joined under the number one martial artist’s prestige.
p_GT>Seven of them reached the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown.
p_GT>In an instant Gungmujheon became Yeon Kingdom’s top sect.
p_GT>And I served as vice-leader, working to stabilize it for three years.
p_GT>After those three years, Gungmujheon had become a truly stable giant sect unknown to no one in the Yeon Kingdom.
p_GT>Yet when its influence grew to threaten the entire jianghu, they came.
p_GT>***
p_GT>‘Assassins?’
p_GT>Young-hoon-hyng asked upon seeing the visitors.
p_GT>‘What assassins?
p_GT>I know they are a very special breed.’
p_GT>They all wore robes of different colors and hid their faces with broad-brimmed hats and veils.
p_GT>Only their voices were visible.
p_GT>Yet their voices had been altered with some mysterious technique, so they all sounded nearly identical.
p_GT>One day, when these three assassins suddenly appeared before me and Young-hoon-hyng, his eyes sparkled.
p_GT>‘So… you want our Poverty Martial Hall to swear loyalty to the organization of your assassins?’
p_GT>Yes.
p_GT>He was glowing.
p_GT>‘A “new quality” no one has ever seen before.’
p_GT>The spark in his eyes had vanished, replaced by a burning competitive fire.
p_GT>‘That is correct.
p_GT>We are a lineage of cultivators who pursue the immortal dao.
p_GT>We do not interfere in worldly affairs.
p_GT>But we felt we needed at least some moral guidance and control over the mortal world.
p_GT>Thus we have hidden ourselves in the imperial court, the financial world, the political world, and the jianghu, supporting and guiding them so their power continues uninterrupted.’
p_GT>‘Haha…’
p_GT>‘The price is equally great.
p_GT>You need only swear eternal loyalty to our assassin lineage.
p_GT>And whenever we intervene in worldly matters, you must aid us.’
p_GT>‘Hahaha… that sounds interesting.
p_GT>I never imagined such a world existed.’
p_GT>Young-hoon-hyng laughed heartily, looking at the three assassins.
p_GT>‘What if I refuse?’
p_GT>From the assassins came a faint killing intent.
p_GT>‘We will withdraw today, but from now on every sect in the world will cut all ties with you.
p_GT>No merchant guild or influential family will accept your disciples.
p_GT>And the government and imperial court will arrest you and bring you down however they can.’
p_GT>‘Hmm.
p_GT>That doesn’t sound scary at all.’
p_GT>Young-hoon-hyng chuckled and crossed his arms.
p_GT>‘You threaten to fight the entire Yeon Kingdom and say it doesn’t scare me.
p_GT>Truly arrogant.’
p_GT>‘This criminal dares to flaunt his arrogance before the assassins…’
p_GT>Another assassin, standing behind the speaker, raised his hand with a killing intent.
p_GT>Whoosh!
p_GT>Stars seemed to flash.
p_GT>From the assassin’s hand poured starlight.
p_GT>At the same instant, a blade flashed from Young-hoon-hyng’s waist.
p_GT>Kwak!
p_GT>The side wall of the pavilion we were in shattered.
p_GT>‘Stay behind me, Eun-hyun.
p_GT>You’ll be safe as long as you stay there.’
p_GT>‘I understand.’
p_GT>I smiled faintly through the dust cloud.
p_GT>‘They seem to have different ideas…’
p_GT>‘How dare you draw a blade on an assassin!’
p_GT>‘You attacked first.’
p_GT>‘Shut up!
p_GT>No need for dogs to bare their fangs.
p_GT>Just kill them and make them puppets!’
p_GT>‘If they call themselves cultivators, they’re no different from demons.’
p_GT>The three assassins chanted spells and formed seals.
p_GT>The one in front raised his hand again.
p_GT>Shuaak!
p_GT>But before the spell could even form, it was sliced by Young-hoon-hyng’s blade.
p_GT>‘What—!’
p_GT>Before they could react, Young-hoon-hyng slipped into their midst and kicked their stomachs.
p_GT>Kurgh!
p_GT>Ugh!
p_GT>Kuaaaak!
p_GT>They looked as if they would fall through the floor.
p_GT>But halfway down they used a strange technique to slow their descent.
p_GT>Dirt covered their robes.
p_GT>The places he had kicked were completely torn.
p_GT>‘Listen, assassins!’
p_GT>Young-hoon-hyng poured internal energy into his voice and roared.
p_GT>‘I will never swear loyalty to you!
p_GT>Make your jianghu merits or Yeon Kingdom merits!
p_GT>You three are nothing to fear!
p_GT>Thud, thud, thud!
p_GT>From his fingertips shot finger bombs that shattered the ground beside the assassins.
p_GT>‘No one can stand above me!’
p_GT>The three assassins grimaced.
p_GT>Then they fled using a mysterious technique.
p_GT>I cautiously approached.
p_GT>‘…Brother, can you handle the aftermath?’
p_GT>‘Hahaha.
p_GT>Aftermath?’
p_GT>Yet his eyes shone with joy he could not hide.
p_GT>It looked almost like madness.
p_GT>‘Aftermath?
p_GT>I’ve awakened, Eun-hyun!’
p_GT>‘What do you mean?’
p_GT>‘The thirst that never filled no matter how many jianghu people I fought!
p_GT>The satisfaction that never came!
p_GT>Yes.
p_GT>That was the thirst I felt because I had been using a martial art meant for humans against humans!’
p_GT>He clenched his fists, face filled with excitement.
p_GT>‘Assassins!
p_GT>Yes!
p_GT>This Wansuigungmurok is the martial art to kill you!
p_GT>Finally!
p_GT>I’ve finally found the purpose of Wansuigungmurok!
p_GT>I’ve discovered the meaning of my own martial will!
p_GT>Aftermath?
p_GT>That’s all you think of!’
p_GT>‘…’
p_GT>‘This martial art is for fighting assassins!
p_GT>So to grow stronger I must fight them!
p_GT>Hahaha!
p_GT>Finally the path to mastering Wansuigungmurok is in sight!’
p_GT>I thought I had seen every side of his personality after years together.
p_GT>But…
p_GT>‘Humans really are creatures with different sides every time you look.’
p_GT>‘Summon the hall’s protectors and elders!
p_GT>From today, anyone not a core disciple will be expelled!
p_GT>Assassins are causing trouble.
p_GT>We have no time to spare for students.’
p_GT>Immediately he gathered the outer disciples.
p_GT>All mid- and late-tier disciples were sent home.
p_GT>Even among first-tier, those who had not yet reached sword qi were sent away.
p_GT>Thus Gungmujheon was left with five elders at the Three Flowers Gathering.
p_GT>Three hundred first-tier disciples.
p_GT>And roughly three hundred ten members, including me—the vice-leader at late-tier.
p_GT>From that day, Young-hoon-hyng taught Wansuigungmurok to the elders.
p_GT>He also taught the first-tier disciples sword qi and other techniques derived from its principles.
p_GT>And for me…
p_GT>‘First, raise your skill to first-tier as quickly as possible.
p_GT>From late-tier to first-tier, you must completely integrate the martial art into your body.’
p_GT>It was hellish training every single day.
p_GT>Until the Danak Sword Art melted completely into my body!
p_GT>***
p_GT>After driving out the assassins, the government declared our hall an illegal building.
p_GT>We were ordered to leave the premises.
p_GT>They also commanded total dissolution of the sect.
p_GT>But…
p_GT>‘Ignore them.’
p_GT>Young-hoon-hyng answered briefly.
p_GT>He continued teaching martial arts to the elders, disciples, and me.
p_GT>A month passed while they ignored the government’s orders.
p_GT>We discovered that a wanted poster bearing Young-hoon’s face and mine was being posted in the streets.
p_GT>The government had labeled us traitors and issued arrest orders.
p_GT>‘We’re leaving.’
p_GT>Young-hoon-hyng answered once more.
p_GT>He took the five elders and three hundred disciples and wandered the mountains and wilds.
p_GT>Mercenary hunters who targeted the bounty came rushing.
p_GT>They could not even reach Young-hoon-hyng.
p_GT>They were eliminated by the first-tier disciples.
p_GT>When one hundred such hunters had been killed, the major sects of the entire Yeon Kingdom jointly declared us public enemies of the jianghu.
p_GT>Our Poverty Martial Hall became known as the Palace of Demon—Gungmaheon.
p_GT>Young-hoon-hyng earned the nickname Extreme Demon.
p_GT>The bounty on us grew even larger.
p_GT>Mid- and small sects from across the country sometimes joined forces to attack us.
p_GT>But the disciples who used the sword qi formed from Wansuigungmurok’s principles simply cut them down.
p_GT>And the fame of Gungmujheon—and later Gungmaheon—only grew.
p_GT>At some point the hall was no longer called a palace.
p_GT>It became the Hall of Extreme Demon.
p_GT>And Young-hoon’s nickname evolved into Extreme Martial Demon.
p_GT>We could no longer stay anywhere.
p_GT>We wandered the entire Yeon Kingdom.
p_GT>And we received joint attacks from countless sects.
p_GT>***
p_GT>Ten years passed.
p_GT>Ten years since the declaration of jianghu enmity.
p_GT>Twenty years since my regression.
p_GT>Young-hoon’s title had changed from Extreme Martial Demon to Extreme Divine Demon.
p_GT>And the world now called us the Hall of Divine Demon.
p_GT>Among the three hundred disciples who had undergone real combat for ten years, many reached the peak.
p_GT>They had also continuously practiced sword qi and other techniques derived from Wansuigungmurok.
p_GT>Those who had not reached the peak still advanced to the highest level of first-tier.
p_GT>They were now called Divine Demons of the Hall of Divine Demon and struck fear.
p_GT>And even after ten years, because the Hall of Divine Demon had not been exterminated, new forces joined.
p_GT>Demonic cultivators, major demons, and even some minor sects that feared the Extreme Divine Demon Young-hoon.
p_GT>Thus the Hall of Divine Demon had grown enormously compared to ten years ago.
p_GT>Precisely, excluding the official three hundred ten members, the rest were just those drawn by its fame.
p_GT>Visually, the Hall of Divine Demon now looked like a religion.
p_GT>A massive force and a group overflowing with fanaticism toward the Extreme Divine Demon.
p_GT>Everything had changed.
p_GT>Nothing had changed…
p_GT>except me and Young-hoon-hyng.
p_GT>‘How is it that you’re still barely holding on to first-tier after ten years of real combat, internal energy cultivation, and sword practice?’
p_GT>‘Yes.
p_GT>I’m glad you’ve grown so much that you’ve mastered Wansuigungmurok.’
p_GT>I grumbled as I continued sword practice.
p_GT>Ten years.
p_GT>I had trained hard for ten years.
p_GT>And finally found freedom in the sword.
p_GT>Now only one more step and I could use proper sword qi at mid-tier first.
p_GT>But…
p_GT>‘Hey, vice-leader of the Hall of Divine Demon.
p_GT>Can’t even use sword qi?
p_GT>Do you know what your nickname is?’
p_GT>‘What is my nickname?’
p_GT>‘You don’t have one!
p_GT>A first-tier early-tier who barely scrapes by.
p_GT>So no one cares about you in real battles and gives you no nickname!’
p_GT>‘Hey, I’m not a frontline combatant!
p_GT>I’m an auxiliary member!’
p_GT>That was true.
p_GT>Because I lacked talent for martial arts, I had never fought in ten years.
p_GT>Instead I had mastered disguise, infiltration, seduction, mechanism traps, and espionage to support the Hall of Divine Demon.
p_GT>But that wasn’t because I didn’t want to raise my martial skill.
p_GT>‘No matter how much I train, I can’t progress.
p_GT>Why?’
p_GT>The first-tier late-tier had scraped by at the peak for ten years.
p_GT>The first-tier mid-tier had raised their skill to the absolute peak.
p_GT>I was the only one who had barely climbed from late-tier to early-tier.
p_GT>Of course, first-tier was still comparable to elders of major sects or heads of small sects.
p_GT>If I had entered a major sect, I might have become an elder.
p_GT>But in the Hall of Divine Demon, I was treated as the weakest despite ten years of real experience.
p_GT>Because the only ones who had reached the peak were the five elders I myself taught.
p_GT>‘Brother, why are you only scolding yourself?’
p_GT>‘Who scolded you?
p_GT>My little brother has been training under me for ten years and still can’t even hold onto first-tier!
p_GT>That’s why I’m angry!’
p_GT>‘Hey, first-tier?
p_GT>Isn’t that the age when normal people reach first-tier?’
p_GT>Of course I was worse than normal.
p_GT>If I counted the previous cycles, I was over a hundred years old.
p_GT>After more than a century of training, I was still only first-tier early.
p_GT>That meant my martial talent was truly terrible.
p_GT>It was only hidden by regression.
p_GT>‘To be honest, I don’t know how you reached first-tier.
p_GT>Ugh… just from the information you brought me I’m already tired…’
p_GT>He pressed his temples.
p_GT>And that evening.
p_GT>I and the elders gathered at Young-hoon-hyng’s summons.
p_GT>‘Recently suspicious movements.
p_GT>It seems the government and jianghu are planning to attack us together.’
p_GT>The elders’ faces twisted.
p_GT>‘Those trash.’
p_GT>‘There are six monsters who mastered Wansuigungmurok here!’
p_GT>‘Why is the Extreme Divine Demon worrying about nothing?’
p_GT>Then Young-hoon-hyng looked at me and signaled.
p_GT>I unfolded the documents I had gathered through espionage and explained.
p_GT>‘It’s not simple.
p_GT>There is a rumor that the assassin lineage who have been hiding behind the government and jianghu for over ten years are now preparing to come out openly because we are no longer controllable.’
p_GT>‘Ah.
p_GT>Assassins…’
p_GT>‘As long as it’s information from the vice-leader…’
p_GT>‘The vice-leader is outstanding in every field except martial arts.
p_GT>I can’t doubt it…’
p_GT>‘Was that praise or scolding?’
p_GT>I cleared my throat.
p_GT>I explained how I had gathered the information through espionage and described our situation.
p_GT>‘…Therefore, the probability that the government and jianghu will join forces to push us toward the assassin lineage’s territory is high.’
p_GT>‘Then what do we do?’
p_GT>I smiled.
p_GT>‘Before they attack the assassin lineage, we strike them first.’
p_GT>‘Strike the assassins individually?’
p_GT>‘Yes.
p_GT>Although they are assassins, they are scattered across the mortal world.
p_GT>Striking each one separately will make their plans useless.’
p_GT>One elder asked.
p_GT>‘Then has the vice-leader located the positions of the hidden assassins?’
p_GT>‘Yes.
p_GT>I am confident I know where more than ninety percent are currently staying.’
p_GT>‘As expected of the vice-leader.
p_GT>I believed in your information power.’
p_GT>In truth, it was information I had gathered insanely through my first advisor position at the Wulin Alliance in my previous life.
p_GT>Information that would never be available in a jianghu enmity situation.
p_GT>‘So, we will locate the assassins and fight.
p_GT>Everyone must raise their skill.
p_GT>Especially you.
p_GT>I will personally ensure you become stronger than the lowest rank of Divine Demon.’
p_GT>Young-hoon-hyng patted my shoulder.
p_GT>‘Haha.
p_GT>I saw the vice-leader being scolded by the front commander yesterday.
p_GT>From that day on you kept training, didn’t you?’
p_GT>‘Very diligent.
p_GT>Haha!’
p_GT>‘Of course.
p_GT>If the vice-leader of the Hall of Divine Demon were weaker than the lowest rank of Divine Demon, what good would that do?’
p_GT>The elders laughed.
p_GT>And a few days later.
p_GT>We set out to strike the scattered assassins.
p_GT>---