What is a Human? (3)
“You want my wrist?”
I immediately understood what Geum Byeok-ho was after.
“At the Cheonin stage he should be able to see straight through me, so why bother asking for my hand…?”
Most likely, even he found the situation hard to believe.
I held out my wrist without resistance.
He grasped it slowly, as though an old physician taking a pulse.
Woong!
His consciousness swept through my meridians and raced across my entire body.
“…You.”
Geum Byeok-ho called my name in a strangely heavy voice.
His eyes held a complicated light.
“I heard from the elders that you began mastering every technique in the sect… Yes. I thought that if you spent perhaps a thousand years studying them, you might uncover the hidden verses and the lost arts. Yet…”
Beneath that complicated gaze lurked something close to disbelief.
“In only ten years you mastered them all and even reproduced a technique spoken of only in legend… I cannot decide whether to praise you or scold you for recklessly discarding your lightning-attribute techniques and Thunder Body in the process.”
“…”
Outwardly I remained calm.
Inside, however, his words sent heavy waves crashing through my chest.
Geum Byeok-ho sighed and continued.
“I do not know if Jin-hwi told you, but the true name of the art that appears once every technique is mastered is Myeonsingeobcheon. It is the greatest insight the Founder wished to leave to the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect, passed down through every successive sect master.”
“Is that so…”
“The art has two defining traits. First, once you begin practicing it, every lightning-attribute technique already within your body transforms into colorless, attribute-less force, stripping away every advantage you once enjoyed. Second…”
Geum Byeok-ho’s expression grew slightly strained.
“Your original spiritual root vanishes, and your body reverts to that of an ordinary mortal. Further cultivation becomes impossible. The very talent you were born with is extinguished. In short… you can no longer walk the path of immortal cultivation.”
“…”
“Had you reached the Cheonin stage… there might still have been a way.”
Indeed, when I examined my own body, the Five Elements spiritual root I had forged through Five Qi Consorting with the Origin was nowhere to be felt.
Force still existed inside me, yet my flesh had lost the ability to draw it in.
Since I could no longer refine spiritual energy into force, any technique I used would leave me permanently drained.
Geum Byeok-ho, however, did not seem overly concerned about the loss of the spiritual root itself.
“Do not worry about the spiritual root. If we obtain Hongryeong Grass or other rare elixirs that grant special roots, it can be restored. The true problem is that you have lost your Thunder Body.”
I read his intent.
Outwardly he appeared composed, yet inside he looked ready to flip a table.
“After all, we barely managed to stabilize the Heavenly Golden Thunder Body, only for another disciple to suddenly become little more than a mortal and lose his talent.”
It would not have been strange if he had grabbed me by the collar and demanded to know what on earth had happened.
Considering his usual temper, the fact that he was restraining himself at all spoke of desperate effort.
“Can you remain in the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect without a Thunder Body?”
He asked.
Instead of answering, I posed a question of my own.
“Before that, Supreme Sect Master, you said you know the verses of Myeonsingeobcheon. Do you also know how they are used, or for what purpose?”
“I know the general outline. Myeonsingeobcheon is not a combat art but a ritual verse meant to be fused with various ceremonies. It is said to amplify the effects of those rites. The Founder’s original intent, however, was never passed down.”
It seemed Geum Byeok-ho had only been told of Myeonsingeobcheon’s existence and its broad nature.
Either that was how the knowledge had been transmitted, or the details had simply been lost over time.
“Are there any sect regulations concerning Myeonsingeobcheon?”
“Hmm. I heard there once were, but by my generation most of those rules have ceased to be passed down.”
“I see…”
I frowned slightly.
An art left behind by Yang Su-jin himself could easily invite disaster if mishandled.
Clear regulations would have been vital.
Simply continuing to practice it might draw the attention of some unknown existence.
“I need to learn those rules, if they still exist…”
Since Geum Byeok-ho did not know, there was nothing to be done.
He asked about my physical condition and future plans for a while longer.
“Now that you have learned Myeonsingeobcheon, the sect’s lightning-attribute techniques are useless to you. They have all become attribute-less, so the old verses will no longer function, and even if you tried to learn them again they would simply be absorbed by Myeonsingeobcheon.”
“Does that mean I will be expelled from the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect because I can no longer practice its techniques?”
“What?”
Geum Byeok-ho clicked his tongue.
“What nonsense is that? Even if your talent and insight have vanished, you are still an elder who has formed a Primal Nascent Soul. Anyone who has condensed a Nascent Soul is treated as a respected elder even in the Gwanghan Realm. We cannot afford to discard such strength, and Myeonsingeobcheon itself is the Founder’s legacy. Your task now is to continue studying it and uncover what meaning those verses truly hold.”
“Is that so…”
I smiled faintly.
Geum Byeok-ho’s words were, after all, perfectly reasonable.
“You asked whether losing the Thunder Body would be a problem. It will not.”
“…!”
“As long as the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect continues to accept me, I will remain here as a disciple.”
“I see… Thank you.”
He clapped my shoulder.
“Anyway, even without the lightning techniques there is still work to be done…”
One way or another, I still had to steal the Heavenly Thunder Banner.
It remained one of my goals in this life.
Geum Byeok-ho, unaware of my dangerous intention, merely patted my shoulder with a proud expression.
I flinched, wondering if he had noticed something, but it seemed he had not.
“You may have lost the lightning techniques and your spiritual root, yet you are still a talent of this sect. I will send you elixirs to restore a spiritual root later. And though it is regrettable, you are also the disciple who mastered every technique in our canon. I look forward to your continued efforts.”
“Yes.”
After offering a few more words of encouragement, he left my eastern quarters.
Once he was gone, I closed my eyes and examined my body.
Colorless, transparent force flowed within me.
At the same time…
“Finally.”
The curse of Thunder Transformation that had been gnawing at my body little by little had vanished.
I smiled.
“I am free.”
Five hundred years had passed since I first contracted the curse.
Even after dying twice it had lingered, faint but persistent, following me across lives.
When the force of Myeonsingeobcheon transformed the lightning within me into attribute-less energy, the curse had finally been lifted.
So many great events had occurred that I had not noticed, yet the breaking of the curse meant I had achieved one of my major objectives in this life.
“Of course, reaching the Cheonin stage and stealing the Heavenly Thunder Banner are still ahead…”
I drew a deep breath.
Woowoong!
Heaven-and-earth spiritual energy flowed into me with my inhalation.
Operating the Dragon Vein Art, I once more entered the body reconstruction of Five Qi Consorting with the Origin.
Crack, crack…
There was almost no change from the reconstruction.
It felt more like simple stretching.
Still, I could feel the Five Elements spiritual root being recreated as the energy of Five Qi Consorting with the Origin entered my body.
“Huuu…”
Feeling the five roots, I drew in heaven-and-earth spiritual energy through them.
The depleted force rapidly refilled, and in an instant I returned to peak condition.
“I have reached the mid-stage of Primal Nascent Soul.”
Having succeeded in forming a Yang Spirit, I only needed to gather yang energy to reach the peak of the Yang Spirit and obtain the momentum to advance to late-stage Primal Nascent Soul.
After that, progress would be far easier.
“Then, for now, let me organize everything I have obtained and everything I still must do.”
What I had gained was precious information and Myeonsingeobcheon, the verse that resists fate.
What I still had to do was reach the Cheonin stage and steal the Heavenly Thunder Banner.
Yet obtaining Myeonsingeobcheon had added one more task.
“The transmission of Myeonsingeobcheon within the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect has not been properly maintained.”
Something about it did not feel fully understood.
So what should I do?
“I need to find someone who knows the transmission well.”
I rose from the bed.
Perhaps because of my trip to the depths of the underworld, my body felt lifeless and creaked like an old man on the verge of death.
After a single night’s sleep, however, I could at least move.
I walked to the entrance of my quarters and called out in the language of the distant ancestors.
“Hong… Beom…!”
Woong woong woong!
The wave of spiritual energy spread in every direction.
Some time later.
Kugugugugu!
A colossal centipede, each segment now larger than a house, flew through the air.
Hong Beom, his black carapace gleaming, brought his face close to mine.
“What is your command, Master?”
“Bring me the list of new disciples who entered the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect from the Gwanghan Realm within the last ten years.”
“Yes.”
Srurururuk!
Without another word, Hong Beom soared away and soon returned.
Clutched in his forelegs—small compared to his enormous size—were several scrolls.
“Here is the list of new disciples.”
“Good. Thank you. Now then…”
I unrolled the scrolls and quickly scanned the names.
Before long, I found the one I wanted.
“There you are. A disciple who entered eight years ago… praised by the elders for rapid progress and recently made a Green Thunder disciple…”
I pointed to a name on the list.
“Hong Beom, bring this one to my quarters.”
“Yes, Master.”
Hong Beom flew off at once.
“She should be able to answer.”
Some time later, Hong Beom returned from afar, carrying a single Foundation Establishment early-stage disciple in his jaws.
Whoosh, thud!
“Huaaak! I told you to throw me gently!”
When Hong Beom dropped him, the disciple rolled across the ground, clutched his head, and glared up at Hong Beom with a sulky expression.
Confronted by the silent, early-stage Hong Beom, he quickly shut his mouth.
The disciple stared at Hong Beom for a moment, then noticed me and hurriedly assumed a respectful posture.
“Ah, um… Green Thunder disciple of the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect, Yeon-jin. I greet the Elder of the Purple Thunder Hall.”
Familiar black-and-white hair.
A slightly youthful-looking cultivator clad in golden robes.
My old friend, Yeon-jin.
“Sit.”
I invited him inside my quarters, seated him, and slowly prepared spirit tea.
After brewing leaves rich in spiritual energy, I poured him a cup.
Yeon-jin looked overwhelmed.
“Do not feel burdened.”
“Thank you, Elder!”
“Ah, do not drink it yet.”
I stopped him before he could sip.
“This Thunder Leaf Tea is quite popular among the disciples of the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect. Even the elders enjoy it… A single sip can raise the force of lightning-attribute techniques. Even mid-stage Primal Nascent Soul cultivators gain the equivalent of one or two months of training, and for a Foundation Establishment cultivator like you it should immediately add two or three more spiritual orifices.”
“H-how could I accept something so precious…”
“If one wishes to treat an honored guest, one must prepare something worthy.”
“No, I am merely a Green Thunder disciple…”
Woong!
I released a thread of force and activated the restrictions I had previously set inside my quarters.
Tsutsutsuts!
The barrier surrounding the eastern quarters activated, completely isolating the inside from the outside.
“Now then, please come out, Senior.”
“Eh…?”
“This junior does not know what you like, so I brewed ordinary Thunder Leaf Tea. I hope it suits your taste.”
Yeon-jin stared at me in confusion as I suddenly switched to formal speech, yet every one of his thoughts was laid bare to me.
The dominant thought was “How on earth…?”
And then.
Woowoowoong!
Something rose from within Yeon-jin, and his hair changed.
Crack, crackle…
The body that had been a boy reversed its yin and yang.
Yeon-jin became a girl radiating an entirely different presence.
“Hmm…”
She crossed her arms and looked at me.
“No, not Yeon-jin.”
She shot me a glare.
“How did you know?”
I offered a greeting to the ancestor of Yeon-jin.
To Yeon Wi.
“This junior simply happens to possess a few useful talents.”