Peak Martial Artist (Part 2)
I headed to Cheongho Castle with Kim Young-hoon and crafted a badge using the stolen money from the bandits.
Afterward, I taught him characters and martial arts.
About two months later.
Uuuung—
‘He’s growing faster than I thought.’
I felt a slight sense of disbelief as I watched Kim Young-hoon swallow the Huang Zhou San before my eyes and step into the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown.
After all, I had taught him the Danak Sword Art in earnest, and it seemed this was the result of my full commitment.
‘A bit of emptiness, but that’s just how it always was.’
Some people spent their entire lives reaching the Peak realm.
Others, armed only with the teachings of a Peak martial artist and a first-class sword art, skipped straight over the Peak realm and entered the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown.
Soon, three flower-shaped auras were sucked into his nose and mouth, and Kim Young-hoon opened one eye.
A radiant light swirled in his eyes.
“I congratulate you on reaching the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown. To cross over the Three Flowers Gathering before even finishing your characters….”
“Hmm, I’m surprised too. Who would’ve thought I had such martial talent….”
I gazed calmly at Kim Young-hoon.
Then, a trace of competitive spirit surged within me.
‘Up until now, I’d never actually sparred with Kim Young-hoon after he reached the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown.’
I’d always received guidance sparring from beneath him.
Now, what if—
Myself, who had reached the Peak realm, and Kim Young-hoon, who had only just entered the Three Flowers Gathering.
“First, let me congratulate you. Then… shall we spar?”
“Haha, sparring sounds good. This time, I feel like I might actually beat you.”
He drew his sword and blazed with competitive fire.
I drew mine as well.
In the training ground inside the estate, the two Peak martial artists began their spar.
Peeng—
I fired killing intent at Kim Young-hoon.
Dozens of blue lines stuck to him.
Dozens of optimal paths targeted him.
At that moment, Kim Young-hoon adjusted his ki formula.
“…”
All dozens of blue lines vanished.
His opening vanished, and all the optimal attacks I could attempt became useless.
Uwoong—
At the same time, hundreds of red threads shot toward me.
I changed my ki formula to erase my opening and prepared to counter his attack.
The red threads extending from him were pushed back and withered.
How deeply had our red and blue threads intertwined?
Kim Young-hoon had been the first to attack.
“Danak Sword, Mountain Wind.”
Peeng!
A piercing thrust with devastating speed!
However, from that thrust, I saw hundreds of red threads branching out.
That meant the follow-up sequence was more than one or two.
“Danak Sword, Ghost Peak.”
Bong, bong, bong!
I spun in place, adopting a seamless offense-and-defense stance, and blocked his thrust.
“Danak Sword, Taebaek!”
His thrust bent in the air and delivered a horizontal slash from upper right to lower left.
“Danak Sword, Wolak!”
I met his sword with a horizontal cut, then immediately calculated dozens of paths.
My blue threads aimed at his head, waist, and legs.
“Danak Sword, Ibsan.”
Buwoong!
I switched to a low stance and slashed at his lower leg.
In that brief moment, dozens of blue and red threads crossed between us.
“Danak Sword, Yongryung!”
Similar to the Yulryung of Danak Sword, but with even more subtle changes, an advanced style came down at me.
In that short moment, dozens of threads crossed in the air between us again.
We had already exchanged dozens of exchanges in the virtual realm.
‘Should I dodge? No—if I dodge, I’ll just keep getting pushed back.’
Eventually, I’ll lose.
So what?
It’s just a spar, after all.
But…
Somehow, a competitive spirit to win flared up.
Why?
‘Ah, of course. In this life, the only chance to beat Kim Young-hoon is right now.’
From now on, he would rampage like fresh meat in water and grow like a runaway train.
Next time we fought, he would soar beyond what I could even look up at.
This time—
This was the last chance in this life to bring down the one just entering the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown.
Yes, I win.
Even if I had to use everything I had.
I quickly moved my hands and pulled out the hidden hidden weapon.
“Tugwae Amgisul, Jiksa.”
Pebit!
The small hidden weapon shot toward Kim Young-hoon’s face from my hand.
Confusion flashed in his eyes, and he quickly dodged.
However, in that gap, my ki formula was thrown off.
Ting!
I struck his sword away and entered counterattack.
“Danak Sword, Yulryung.”
Peit!
A sinuous sword qi shot at him.
‘Blocked.’
A red thread was drawn at the angle to knock away my sword.
At the same time, a new branch extended from that thread, targeting my shoulder.
‘After knocking it away, counter.’
Swak!
At the same time, I pulled another hidden weapon from my sleeve.
Merely holding the hidden weapon expanded the blue threads I could use.
The path of his red threads shifted.
The red branch that had been aiming for my sword now shifted toward my hidden weapon.
And only after knocking away my hidden weapon did a new red branch extend back toward me.
‘Good.’
But it was still soft.
‘With real combat experience, I’m ahead!’
“Danak Sword, Yongmaek, Gisan Simcheon, Danae.”
I condensed three advanced styles into one hand.
Using the Yongmaek style, I instantly circulated the inner energy of the Yongmaek Qi Gong to strengthen the sword qi.
At the same time, I opened the entire body’s meridians with the Gisan Simcheon style and strengthened the sword qi again.
With the Danae style, I created a difference in sword speed to make reaction difficult.
Swak!
A sword thread formed at the tip of the sword, and the qi became tangible.
However, although I scattered the highly reinforced sword qi, Kim Young-hoon used a footwork technique in that moment and retreated backward.
Thanks to him, my sword tip only grazed his chest, leaving a small wound.
‘Done. I’ve seized the momentum.’
San Gunmu, Wolakbo.
Charging in with the momentum of San Gun, I approached with Wolakbo and unleashed Wolak, then used the Sanjung Hogal style to deliver several horizontal slashes while using San Suhwa to create chaos.
At the same time,
Peing! Peing!
With my other hand, I hurled hidden weapons while facing him with swords.
I had seized the momentum and pushed him back, but Kim Young-hoon, even in the midst of it, extended several red threads and seized the chance for counterattack.
But I thought it was real combat and, every time an opening appeared, I scattered sand on the floor and shot the spit hidden in my mouth, and gradually, as Kim Young-hoon, who was falling into a defensive position, grew irritated, he began pouring more energy into his sword.
Uwoong—
The momentum changed.
‘Dangerous.’
Something big was coming.
“I’ll show you the realm of the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown!”
Uuuwoong!
Gradually, the energy condensed on his sword changed.
The sword qi, which had been formless like mist, condensed and became like a thread-like Sword Thread, then evolved once more into Qi Thread.
‘That’s…!’
The energy condensed on the sword became perfectly tangible and emitted a pure white light.
“Sword Gang!”
“Taaat!”
The pure white light covered everything in front of me.
If I clashed with that, my sword would be sliced clean through.
It would be the same no matter which Peak martial artist I brought here.
But.
The Danak Sword Art I had mastered was a supreme sword art created by a genius of the age who had reached the Five Qi Consorting with the Origin.
“Danak Sword, Gonggok Jeonseong!”
The style that had shaken away even the sword qi of Kim Young-hoon, who had reached the Five Qi Consorting with the Origin in my past life!
His sword qi, who had only just reached the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown.
Buwoong!
‘I leave the intent in the sword and enter the state of emptiness, then receive the opponent’s power as is….’
It breaks!
Kwakwang!
I received Kim Young-hoon’s sword qi and sent him flying.
The explosion echoed, and Kim Young-hoon retreated three steps backward.
“Haa… haah… Impressive.”
Tuwoong—
Kim Young-hoon’s sword split in half and fell.
But inside, I was shocked.
‘He caught my flying kick with sword qi in that short time?’
According to my calculations, with Gonggok Jeonseong, he should have retreated several steps instead of his sword shattering into pieces and flying beyond.
However, in that moment, he had retracted his sword, used sword qi again, and caught my flying kick.
“I lose. My weapon is broken, so as a martial artist, I can call it a loss. You’re really skilled.”
“…Don’t worry. From now on, I can never beat you.”
I sheathed my sword and said calmly.
This battle was the last.
From now on, until the next life, I could never beat Kim Young-hoon.
He would continue to grow in real time while fighting, become even stronger after he collected his insights after the fight, and gain real-combat sparring experience from fighting me, so he would immediately become one of the strongest in the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown.
In addition,
“Actually, since you’ve reached the Peak realm, I’ve prepared a congratulatory gift.”
“Oh, wasn’t this spar the congratulatory gift? Did you prepare something else?”
“Yes, here….”
I went inside the house and handed him six books I had prepared.
“This is….”
“The martial arts book called Jo Su Wolmu Gyeong. I heard it was a book taken from an old man, and the minimum entry condition is the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown. I read it too, but I couldn’t understand what it meant, so I’m giving it to you.”
“Oh, it’s truly a fateful encounter. I’ll read it with gratitude.”
The insights I had obtained from the Jo Su Wolmu Rok had been maximized by the Kim Young-hoon of my past life and organized into various epiphanies.
I changed the titles of these books from Rok to Gyeong and handed them to him.
From now on, as he practiced the Jo Su Wolmu Gyeong, he would become someone I could no longer even dare to challenge.
I taught him characters and languages for another month, then, to earn living expenses, I slaughtered the mountain hermit and the sword dao sect near Cheongho Castle and captured the wanted murderers from the Demonic Cult.
After I had fully taught Kim Young-hoon characters, he stared at the six volumes of the Jo Su Wolmu Gyeong with a half-mad expression and simply trained madly for four months.
Four months passed.
“Brother Young-hoon, I’m back with the money.”
I captured a wanted murderer from a famous first-class demonic cult figure near Cheongho Castle and returned home with the bounty.
However, Kim Young-hoon was not at home.
‘What? Did he leave?’
I had been reading the Jo Su Wolmu Gyeong like a madman and training only on the training ground, but today, no matter where I looked in the estate, he was nowhere to be found.
‘He has no ki… it seems he’s completely left the house….’
Just as I thought that,
Whoosh!
“Huh…!”
Suddenly, Kim Young-hoon appeared like a phantom in the air.
“W-what…!”
“Haha, I tried using one of the techniques written in the Jo Su Wolmu Gyeong, and I really couldn’t find it. This book is truly an incredible martial arts text…!”
“Brother Kim, that’s….”
I asked him in a trembling voice.
That strange technique was one that the Kim Young-hoon of my past life had only used after reaching the Five Qi Consorting with the Origin.
But it was the current Kim Young-hoon, who had just regressed, who was using it.
“Ah, you mean this? It’s one of the techniques written in the Jo Su Wolmu Gyeong. Originally, it can be used much more simply once you reach the Five Qi Consorting with the Origin, but after digging into just this one over the past few days, even though I’m still at the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown, I managed to use this technique somehow.”
“Haa… you’re not even at the Five Qi Consorting with the Origin yet?”
“Hahaha, do you think the Five Qi Consorting with the Origin is some kind of joke? Just following the insights in the Jo Su Wolmu Gyeong takes at least five years. By the way, this technique is truly terrifying. To the point that even a Peak martial artist like you couldn’t notice it—anyone could become a murderer if they just set their mind to it.”
I was at a loss for words due to his talent and simply stared at him.
“By the way, from now on, I’ll be roaming the jianghu to accumulate real combat experience. Will my brother not follow?”
“Um, the jianghu, right?”
I thought for a moment and shook my head.
“I’m done, brother.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“I want to stabilize the realm of the Peak just a little more.”
“Hmm, makes sense. You’re still an early-stage Peak and can’t even use a sword thread yet.”
“Yes, it seems you should go alone, brother.”
I said that and decided to part ways with him for a while.
The reason was exactly as I said.
As an early-stage Peak, I needed time to stabilize my strength.
While following him and observing the battles of experts was also good, it was not what I needed right now.
At the very least, until the middle stage of the Peak, sparring and real combat were not the answer—only the repetition of practice and comprehension.
‘First, I need to get used to entering the field of vision of a Peak martial artist all day.’
While Kim Young-hoon left the estate and broke dojo halls in nearby sects, I first practiced becoming accustomed to entering the field of vision of a Peak martial artist.
My sparring partner was the demonic cult factions near Cheongho Castle.
They had many numbers, were tenacious, and, most importantly, killing them was allowed, so they made the perfect sparring partner.
‘The one in front is trying to shoot a poison needle.’
‘From behind, he’s thrusting a spear.’
‘From the diagonal right rear, there’s one trying to wrap my ankle with a whip.’
Countless red threads surged at me.
I dodged all the various random attacks from the demonic cultists and, with minimal movement, wiped out the demonic cult martial artists.
Whenever I fought the demonic cult martial artists, I always closed my eyes and wore earplugs, then went out and fought them.
After all, even without any sense, I could kill them all in the world of the Peak realm.
For about three years, I practiced by capturing the demonic cult martial artists, bandits, and mountain bandits near Cheongho Castle.
Finally, I could no longer feel a burning sensation in my brain even when entering the world of the Peak realm all day.
My brain had become completely accustomed to this world.
Even more, I had obtained the technique to enter the world of the Peak realm, and it became possible to maintain the world of the Peak all day without using inner energy.
The result of three years of ‘practice’ against demonic cult martial artists.
I had finally succeeded in completely entering the world of the Peak realm.
At the same time, I received bounties generously from Cheongho Castle, and my pocket situation became sufficient.
My alias, ‘Infinite Tugwae,’ also began to spread again.
Even those who wanted me as a disciple and martial artists who followed me increased.
‘Of course, this is still nothing compared to Kim Young-hoon.’
About three years.
Kim Young-hoon received the title of the number one sword in Yeon Kingdom and ascended to the position of the number one person in the world of the Yeon martial arts.
The strongest in the martial arts!
A realm reached by someone who had only been learning martial arts for three or four years.
The number of people who wanted to become his disciple and follower was incomparably more than me.
‘And probably around now….’
The time had come for Kim Young-hoon’s illness as the leader of the martial arts alliance.
He always rose to the position of number one in the world.
As expected, Kim Young-hoon came to me again and suggested the position of vice leader of the martial arts alliance.
Of course, I knew the future in which I would work like an ox, so I refused in one go and made an appropriate excuse.
“Brother Kim, I plan to enter the imperial palace now.”
“Wh-what? The imperial palace?”
“Yes. The reason I refused your suggestion is to enter the imperial palace, to help brother Kim from the perspective of the government office. Please understand.”
“Haa, my brother Seo is truly grateful.”
Of course, there was a slightly different motive behind my decision to enter the imperial palace.
‘If I enter the imperial palace, I’ll have much more contact with the capital family clan!’
The life of a strategist for the leader of the martial arts alliance and a chapter head of the information group Gu Yeong Gak.
According to the information I had learned at that time, the imperial palace was deeply intertwined with the capital family clan more than any other group in Yeon Kingdom.
It was said that the Yeon Kingdom imperial palace was even the collateral of the capital family clan.
I first supported the military.
The military happily accepted my support as a well-known Peak martial artist in the martial arts world, and I quickly gained recognition in the military and rose to the position of general,
At that time, I also supported the imperial guards and passed through without any problem.
The result after five years of regression.
“Your duty is to protect the emperor in secret and guard him with your life. As a Peak martial artist, you should be able to do that much, right?”
“Yes, I will remember.”
I entered the imperial secret guard and, after training in shadow techniques and ghost-eating techniques for four months, was assigned to the emperor’s protection.
And I discovered one surprising fact.
‘The emperor… was a capital family clan member!’
Uwoong—
I could confirm the red-colored area surrounding him centered on the emperor’s forehead.
‘It’s the capital family clan’s recognition! The emperor was originally a capital family clan member.’
That fact became even clearer after I met some of the imperial personnel, the crown prince, and princesses.
Most members of the imperial family were capital family clan members.
‘Still, it doesn’t seem to be a high-level capital family clan member. None of them… are even close to that fox.’
It was probably no more than ordinary Qi Condensation capital family clan members.
‘I wonder why I need to protect a capital family clan member who is a Peak martial artist….’
The emperor’s subtly revealed momentum was never around the level of Qi Condensation 1st layer.
With that kind of strength, the emperor might have been stronger than the entire secret guard.
‘Perhaps the secret guard is just there because he doesn’t feel like dealing with his assassins himself.’
Unfortunately, the emperor was the one in the imperial palace most frequently threatened with assassination.
Almost every night, an assassin would come, and I had to fight the assassins and subdue them every night.
‘Is accumulating real combat experience every day a good thing?’
So, while accumulating real combat experience as the emperor’s guard, five years passed as a secret guard.
* * *
“Is the leader of the martial arts alliance capable?”
In a small secret room, I asked that while sparring with Kim Young-hoon.
As the emperor’s guard, it was officially forbidden to meet the martial arts alliance leader, so I had to meet him secretly.
“My head hurts for some reason. Haha, if you were together, it would have been a little less painful.”
“You look younger than me soon, so what’s the problem?”
“Haha, well….”
He gave me a meaningful smile in response to my question.
Around this time, he was beginning to gradually undergo his third life transformation.
No, actually, it was a little late if I thought about the timing.
“You’re right in front of the Five Qi Consorting with the Origin. You seem to have quite different ki as well. You should congratulate me.”
“Haha… Being stabbed by the emperor’s sword next to him for a long time means you can’t help but grow stronger.”
The assassins who came to assassinate the emperor were at the minimum first-class demonic cult figures and at the maximum the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown.
On average, many assassins came as Peak martial artists of similar realm to me, so I was able to fight with strong players of the same realm to my heart’s content.
“You, on the other hand, seem capable of guarding the emperor?”
“Don’t even joke. Every time I gauge the emperor’s strength, I get a sense of unease.”
“Uahaha, the emperor is a capital family clan member. Really, he doesn’t seem like someone worth protecting.”
He had known about the existence of capital family clan members during the years he had served as the leader of the martial arts alliance and seemed to want to fight them too.
“By the way, brother Kim, what do you think of the capital family clan members?”
Normally, at this point, Kim Young-hoon should have been going around fighting the capital family clan members.
However, the current Kim Young-hoon didn’t seem to have that inclination.
He downed his cup in response to my question.
“Huh, what are you asking. Of course I want to fight them. But….”
“But?”
“I haven’t fully comprehended all of the six volumes of the Jo Su Wolmu Gyeong yet. Especially the codes written at the end of the sixth volume….”
The codes I had written at the end of the Jo Su Wolmu Gyeong were the insights the Kim Young-hoon of my past life had obtained at the very end.
“It’s an insight that I can’t challenge until I’ve fully mastered the Jo Su Wolmu Gyeong. So I’ll dig into all those codes first, and only after that, I’ll go around fighting the capital family clan members once. By then, I should be able to lay down the position of the leader of the martial arts alliance….”
“I see….”
“By the way, you seem a bit stronger.”
Kim Young-hoon smiled brightly and poured liquor into the cup.
‘He’s pouring ki along with the liquor into the cup.’
This guy is really.
I drew my sword from my waist.
“Come, let’s see how you do.”
Buwoong!
He threw the cup.
Interestingly, not a single drop of the liquor in the cup overflowed.
The light-looking cup, but I focused on the cup by drawing up the inner energy of my entire body.
Over the past five years, as a result of constant real combat, I had succeeded in transitioning from the early stage of the Peak realm to the middle stage.
The early stage of the Peak realm was the realm where one had just entered the world of the Peak and seen one line.
From the middle stage of the Peak realm, it became possible to see the red and blue lines ‘at the same time.’
Until now, to see the red line, one had to give up seeing the blue line, and to see the blue line, one had to give up seeing the red line.
However, as entering the world of the Peak deepened, it became possible to see the red and blue lines at the same time.
Chwaak!
As I entered the world of the Peak, countless red threads shooting from the cup appeared.
At the same time, the optimal paths I could take to deflect that cup appeared in the form of blue threads.
Kim Young-hoon revealed his own path through that cup and exchanged dozens of exchanges with me.
When I tried to slash back with Wolak,
The path of the red thread changed as if it were nailed vertically down.
When I tried to strike up with Dongmaek,
The path of the red thread changed so that it could not be followed in any direction.
When I tried to cause chaos with San Suhwa,
The red thread precisely targeted the gap in the chaos and aimed at my weakness.
In that moment, after a fierce exchange with Kim Young-hoon, I succeeded in creating a single path to pierce through his exchange.
“Danak Sword, Yulryung!”
Jjeong!
The tip of the sword and the cup clashed, but the gale made the secret room tremble.
I quickly sheathed my sword and reached out to grab the falling cup after I sensed that the inner energy in the cup had been dissipated by Yulryung.
Luckily, not a single drop of liquor had spilled.
“Huu, shall I play a prank with food?”
“Well, how is it. By the way, you’ve gotten quite strong. The realm of the sword thread is right in front of you.”
Sword Thread.
The first step where the sword qi, which was originally formless, becomes tangible by compressing it into a thread.
In my past life, Kim Young-hoon had said that once I reached the Peak realm, the sword thread would come quickly because I had high understanding of sword qi.
But he had underestimated my talent too much.
Even now, as I approached ten years of regression, I had not yet comprehended the sword thread.
‘The good thing is that from the middle stage of the Peak realm, some clues began to appear.’
It was fortunate that the difficulty was not as high as when transitioning from first-class late stage to Peak.
“Um, by the way… I said I was right in front of the Five Qi Consorting with the Origin.”
“Yes.”
“Actually, I am always at the level to challenge the Five Qi Consorting with the Origin. However, if someone attacks while I’m challenging the Five Qi Consorting with the Origin, there’s no answer, so I’ll have to call someone reliable to act as a guardian….”
“You mean to have him act as guardian?”
“Haha, yes.”
I went with Kim Young-hoon to his closed-door training room.
“There is no one more trustworthy than a fellow countryman.”
“Of course. Let’s start quickly.”
“Then….”
Kim Young-hoon sat in the center of the training room and began circulating his ki.
And changes began to occur in his momentum.
‘Hmm?’
Suddenly, I entered the world of the Peak and observed his red thread.
It felt like I had to do that.
The red threads of Peak martial artists were usually connected between the arms of the Peak martial artist and his weapon.
However, a change began in the red thread between his hand and his sword.
‘That’s….’
Dozen branches extended from the red thread.
At the same time, his red thread seemed to cover all around Kim Young-hoon.
If I entered that, I felt like I would be sliced apart by his attack at any moment.
Any Peak martial artist would not try to enter that distance unless they were crazy.
‘No, no…!’
However, I felt my pupils shrink tightly due to the familiar change.
The red thread covering all around Kim Young-hoon gradually began to fill the gaps between them.
His surroundings gradually became a red area.
It looked like…
‘The capital family clan’s recognition!!!’
The red area centered on the capital family clan member’s forehead!
It was the same as the capital family clan member’s recognition.
Paaat!
Kim Young-hoon’s recognition became completely clear, and not a single gap remained.
And when the form of the recognition stabilized into a round sphere of about half a li radius centered on Kim Young-hoon’s forehead.
Uuuwoong—
It seemed the surrounding ki was being sucked in, and a flow was formed inside his recognition.
The flows slowly gathered, and five spheres formed above his head.
That phenomenon that occurs when transitioning to the Five Qi Consorting with the Origin!
I had never observed this phenomenon of transitioning to the Five Qi Consorting with the Origin in such detail until now.
No, in the first-class stage, it had been impossible to even observe that subtle flow of ki.
Only after becoming a Peak martial artist did the phenomenon of rapidly rising ability to read an opponent’s momentum become visible.
‘Ah, it’s a shame.’
Suddenly, a feeling of regret arose.
If I had reached the realm of the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown, I would have been able to see much more.
‘…For now, let’s observe this state in detail.’
I stared at the five spheres with madness.
The flow flowing inside.
The law by which those five spheres revolve around each other.
The principle of the spheres floating above Kim Young-hoon’s head.
Although I couldn’t understand everything, with just a fragment of that epiphany, I felt like I could grasp some intuition about the sword thread.
At that moment.
Sruur—
The five spheres shattered and changed into multicolored ki.
The multicolored ki entered Kim Young-hoon’s nose and mouth, and at the same time, his body began to change.
Uduk, uuduk!
His body twisted.
Kim Young-hoon’s bones and flesh changed, and the wrinkles on his skin disappeared.
At the same time, rich hair grew on his previously hollow head.
Uuduk, uduk!
Paaat!
In an instant, all the ki in the training room seemed to be sucked into him, and he opened one eye.
“You have safely reached the Five Qi Consorting with the Origin.”
“…Congratulations. You have undergone your third life transformation.”
His appearance had returned to his late twenties, which looked even younger than mine.
It was a scene I had seen in my past life, but in this life, I had gained much more.
“It’s really a shame for you. If my brother had only reached the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown, I would have been able to see much more.”
“I was also thinking that. What can I do, my realm is to blame.”
“Still, you wouldn’t have been completely useless, so go back and think it over.”
He touched his rich hair, pleased with it.
Suddenly, I asked him a question.
“Brother Kim, haven’t you met one or two capital family clan members until now?”
“Hmm, yes.”
“In my eyes now… the recognition they have and the area you formed seem very similar. Do you think there’s a connection?”
“Hmm….”
He thought for a moment and said.
“I think there is. If I’m inside this area, I think I can fight equally with those capital family clan members called Qi Condensation capital family clan. If I use the martial arts of the Jo Su Wolmu Gyeong, I should be able to fight with capital family clan members of higher realms to some extent. Maybe, those who have reached the Five Qi Consorting with the Origin share the same field of vision as the capital family clan members.”
“I see….”
Through his answer, I roughly imagined why the martial artists who reached the Five Qi Consorting with the Origin obtained the same spiritual root as the capital family clan members.
‘If they obtain the same recognition as the capital family clan, maybe they can practice the same cultivation through them….’
First-class and Peak see different worlds.
Peak and Three Flowers Gathering also see different worlds.
Three Flowers Gathering and Five Qi Consorting with the Origin would live seeing completely different levels of worlds.
The reason the Five Qi Consorting with the Origin can practice the capital family clan’s cultivation methods is probably because they can see the areas that ordinary people cannot.
‘This experience will help when I reach the Five Qi Consorting with the Origin.’
After I received a little more martial arts guidance from Kim Young-hoon that day, we chatted a little and returned to the palace.
And, while I turned over the situation of his ascension to the Five Qi Consorting with the Origin he had shown that day, I collected my insights.
Several days passed.
* * *
That day too, I was guarding the emperor’s bedroom in the darkness.
Sruur—
Far away in the darkness, someone was approaching.
This time too, an assassin.
‘Peak realm expert.’
Just entering the Peak realm.
But I did not let my guard down.
I was a little stronger, but the difference between the early and middle stages of the Peak realm was not as great as between first-class and Peak.
Moreover, the opponent was an assassin who dared to come assassinate the emperor.
Swak!
In the darkness, red lines appeared, and a dagger stretched toward me guarding the emperor’s bedroom.
Chaeang!
I knocked the dagger away with my sword and threw a hidden weapon at the assassin’s ankle.
The assassin hurriedly dodged my hidden weapon and stabbed me with a dagger again.
The exchange between me and the assassin intertwined.
My blue threads and his red threads crossed in the air.
‘Strange.’
I should have been focused on the fight, but somehow, the situation when Kim Young-hoon ascended to the Five Qi Consorting with the Origin would not leave my eyes.
At the same time, I began to worry about the sword qi.
‘Sword qi is the evidence that the path of sword body integration has begun.’
‘In the middle stage of first-class, manifesting sword qi reaches the beginning of sword body integration.’
‘In the late stage of first-class, reaching complete sword body integration allows proper use of sword qi.’
Why did the situation in front of me, which fluctuated between life and death, cause me to worry about sword qi and the appearance of Kim Young-hoon when he reached the Five Qi Consorting with the Origin?
‘As I entered the Peak realm, I was always able to see the optimal path.
In following that optimal path, the sword qi never goes out.’
That was why the Kim Young-hoon of my past life had advised me to train maintaining sword qi all day.
‘The optimal path I see is ultimately the limit pointed to by my sword art.
Sword qi ultimately appears when the characteristics of my sword art are expressed to the limit by sword body integration.’
Sword art is sword qi.
This was what I had felt while training martial arts.
‘Wait, no. Something’s wrong.’
However, suddenly I felt something was wrong with my thought.
The assassin stabbed me three times in succession, and I knocked the dagger away with the San Suhwa style and broke his balance with the Ibsan style.
His red thread extended toward me and split again.
After stabbing with the dagger, he would reduce the distance.
I blocked his intention with my blue thread and clashed with his exchange.
‘If sword art is sword qi, what is the meaning of a martial artist?
Just make a scarecrow to practice sword art with? Then those scarecrows would have to use sword qi too?’
Why did I not hear the words that weapons use sword qi during my multiple lifetimes?
‘Sword qi is not just sword art.’
Then, what is sword qi?
While exchanging dozens of exchanges with the assassin and exchanging offense and defense, the assassin’s red thread pierced between my blue threads.
His dagger was aimed exactly at my forehead.
‘Sword qi is….’
The scene where red area was formed centered on Kim Young-hoon’s forehead when he entered the Five Qi Consorting with the Origin came to mind.
Ah, I see.
Although sword qi is made by sword art,
The center is ultimately a human.
The intent of the martial artist who unfolds that sword!
At the same time, I clearly understood the identity of the red and blue threads I had seen until now.
It was not a simple optimal path or the opponent’s intent.
The intent of the martial artist who unfolds the sword!
It was the direction of the will!
Upon realizing that fact, I felt a strange sensation in my hand holding the sword.
As if blood vessels grew from the sword and pierced my skin and entered my hand.
Not just simple sword body integration, but an even more sticky integration!
I unconsciously pushed sword qi toward the sword that had achieved even deeper integration.
Until now, I had thought sword art was sword qi.
But I realized that sword art is completed together with the martial artist who unfolds it.
Therefore, wherever the martial artist’s intent goes, even if it is not bound by sword art, it will be sword art.
Buwoong!
I thrust my sword and swung it at the assassin.
Until now, if I deviated from the sword path of the Danak Sword Art, the power of sword qi would weaken greatly.
However, now, even if I deviated from the sword path and swung the sword any way, the power of sword qi did not decrease at all.
‘No, this is not the end.’
I realized that the epiphany I had just gained was not this much.
I continued to focus my consciousness on sword qi.
Until now, to evolve sword qi, I had to instantly strengthen the energy with techniques like Gisan Simcheon.
But now it was different.
‘I will keep pouring sword intent!’
In the world of the Peak realm, my sword gradually became wrapped in blue light.
And at some point, when I entered the critical point, my sword went beyond being wrapped in blue light and itself became a blue thread.
In reality, I was holding a sword, but in the world of the Peak realm, I was holding a blue thread.
‘Ah, this is….’
Sword Thread!
Evidence of mastery in the middle stage of the Peak realm!
Kiing—
Even in reality, my sword qi, which was originally formless, became as thin as a thread and faintly tangible.
After about ten years since reaching the Peak realm,
I was able to freely use the sword thread upon reaching the middle stage of the Peak realm.