The Heavenly Thunder
I received permission from Kim Young-hoon to visit my disciples in the Jin Clan estate’s territories.
This life was no different at all.
Gye-hwa had given birth to two children.
Man-ho had become a father to his children and was teaching them his skills. The two of them would make excellent parents.
Gyeong-hyeon’s sculpting skills had grown far beyond what they had been in the previous life.
He also seemed to have taken a new wife. Judging by the face I didn’t recognize, she was probably another woman he had met in the Jin Clan territories.
Cheongya was weaving silk, and the silk she pulled out was exceptionally fine.
Hui-ah had married Gwak-ki and, as far as I could tell, had no children yet.
There were connections that reminded me of the previous life.
But thanks to the butterfly effect, I could see small changes in their appearances.
They were all doing well.
Not a single one of them had died.
After I secretly circled the village where they lived, I left the territories with Kim Young-hoon once more.
“How splendid. It seems everyone is living well. That is truly fortunate.”
“But are they people you know?”
“…If I know them, I know them. If I don’t, they are complete strangers.”
“Would you care to tell me the nature of their connection?”
The nature of their connection…
I thought for a moment, then answered.
“…Just connection.”
It was pointless to attach a name to any bond once it had already been forged.
They were simply connections.
Even if they were not master-disciple ties, the bonds that would never be forgotten in my heart…
“Just connections…”
Kim Young-hoon seemed eager to ask something more, but upon sensing my complex thoughts, he refrained.
He saw me off with several conversations.
What had he been doing all these forty years? Had there been no difficulties in cultivating martial arts?
How had he mastered both the method of conserving energy and martial arts to that level…
“I learned a great deal from the direction of Byeokra Kingdom. Just as you, Elder Brother, did, the moment I opened my eyes I found myself in an entirely different place.”
“Haha, truly? The moment I opened my eyes, the language of Yeon Kingdom and the unfamiliar martial arts I had never seen were already deeply imprinted in my mind. So there were really no major difficulties.”
“…I had the same experience. Those strange beings from Deungsunhyang… who knows what they did?”
I attributed to them the knowledge I had handed over to Kim Young-hoon for survival, calling it the work of the Heavenly Person energy-conserving masters from Deungsunhyang.
“…Tsk. Even if we kidnapped your companions and did all sorts of things… well, it’s fine. What’s done is done. I can’t undo the past anyway.”
He clicked his tongue and sighed. I shared various insights with him about martial arts.
And then, at the western border region of Yeon Kingdom.
There, I received three books from Kim Young-hoon.
“The Woldowolmurok, the martial arts manual those strange beings placed in my mind. It has been augmented to the extreme and includes the insights gained through trial and error. You should read it. It will help.”
“Hmm. The title… is it still the Woldowolmurok?”
I asked the same question, accepting the martial arts manual he had lengthened.
Kim Young-hoon only clicked his tongue with a self-mocking expression.
“What else would you change the title to? It’s barely holding on with stupid trials and errors added to it. Honestly, I’m doubtful whether the realm beyond Deungbongjogeuk even exists. It’s nothing but a stubborn diary of repeated blunt-force collisions.
Sometimes I think… maybe Deungbongjogeuk isn’t even the final limit of what mortals in the martial world can reach.”
Puhut!
“…What’s so funny?”
I couldn’t help but laugh at his words.
The final limit of what mortals in the martial world can reach?
Something I had heard Kim Young-hoon say countless times.
But he had, over and over again, forged that beyond realm.
He had shattered even the ultimate limit, repeatedly, and passed it down stronger and higher.
That was Kim Young-hoon.
“…Beyond the mountains there are no more mountains, and in the midst of the road there are no more roads.”
I recited the ancient verse slowly.
“If you think it’s the end, there is still something beyond. And if it is you, Elder Brother, you will surely reach that beyond. If you refuse to change course, I’m afraid I must accept the Woldowolmurok as it is.”
“…What’s the point of floating the idea… Well, fine. Speaking of which, are you really heading to Seongje Kingdom?”
“Yes. Seongje Kingdom has what I need.”
Records of the Geumsincheonroemun, located on the western great mountain range of Seongje Kingdom.
I planned to dig through them and draw as much information about the Ascension Gate as possible.
“How unfortunate… I wished you would stay and spar with me more.”
“I would have liked that too, but there are things I must seek.”
“Mm, I see. Still, stop by occasionally.”
I clasped my hands silently toward him.
Kim Young-hoon returned the gesture, and our farewell was brief.
***
Seongje Kingdom was also called the Land of Scriptures.
Countless scriptures and treatises overflowed there, and as a land of scholars, poems and anthologies filled the streets.
My knowledge of Seongje Kingdom’s language was weak, but with the strengthened mental fortitude of an energy-conserving master, I was able to speak it fluently within two months.
After learning the language, I traveled throughout Seongje Kingdom in search of information.
It was said that Seongje Kingdom was ruled by seven major energy-conserving clans.
Yet even with so many clans, they were not superior to Yeon Kingdom or Byeokra Kingdom.
The half of the nation was dominated by the Jinru Clan, a great family with slightly greater power than the Makri and Jin Clans.
The remaining half was held by a loose alliance of six minor clans: the Ha, Geo, Jun, Yeoljeon, Ori, and Jeon Clans.
Because so many energy-conserving clans existed, the nation overflowed with the philosophies and treatises championed by each family. It was the holy land of learning and scripture.
That was Seongje Kingdom.
I wandered through every corner of Seongje Kingdom collecting information.
***
Approximately one year after arriving in Seongje Kingdom.
By questioning local energy-conserving masters and the collateral branches of the major clans, I discovered the place where information about the Geumsincheonroemun could be obtained.
“If you want information on the most prestigious clan in Seongje Kingdom, the Geumsincheonroemun, then the imperial archive of the Seongje royal family should have quite a bit.”
“The imperial archive…”
The imperial family of Seongje Kingdom was surprisingly not a collateral branch of any particular clan.
In a world where the seven clans maintained a delicate balance of power, if any one family’s collateral branch seized the throne…
A massive bloodbath would erupt between the hidden families, as in Yeon Kingdom.
To prevent that, the seven clans formed a pact so that the seven families would jointly choose the imperial family from among their own members.
And within that balance, the Jin Clan, chosen by the seven families as imperial house, had ruled for seven hundred years.
During those seven centuries, precious energy-conserving manuals were not collected, but history books and other texts that energy-conserving masters considered less important were steadily gathered.
Thus, the imperial archive of Seongje Kingdom contained a great deal of history about the energy-conserving clans, particularly the biographies of the most prestigious clan, the Geumsincheonroemun.
The problem, as always, was how to enter the imperial archive.
“An energy-conserving master isn’t allowed into the archive—let alone the palace itself…”
It was said to be a restriction designed by the seven clans to prevent one family’s energy-conserving masters from freely controlling the throne.
Because of this, not only were the residences of the seven clans barred from the palace, but a powerful array had been erected inside the imperial palace so that no one could enter the inner sanctum.
“Hmm… This is troublesome. If I can’t pierce the array, I can’t go in.”
I asked the energy-conserving master who had provided the information standing before me.
“So… no energy-conserving master is allowed inside the palace? It’s completely impossible for them to enter?”
“Ah, I’m sure that’s not the case, Senior. I have heard that a few high-layer energy-conserving masters serve as imperial guards inside the palace. They wear special amulets made by the seven clans that allow them to resist the arrays.
They protect the palace during emergencies or, when the throne goes against the will of the seven clans, they replace the emperor.”
“So… it is possible to enter?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Hmm…”
It seemed I would have to judge for myself.
I traveled to the capital of Seongje Kingdom, Jin-gyeong, and observed the layout of the imperial palace and the spiritual energy flowing around it.
Drawing on the knowledge of formation I had been taught by my master and the accounts I had heard from the energy-conserving masters, I realized the array protecting the palace was not one that blocked entry but one that suppressed the energy of any energy-conserving master who had already entered.
In other words, even an energy-conserving master inside the array was no different from an ordinary person unless they carried the special amulet bestowed by the seven clans.
“…So that means…”
I glanced at the people moving in and out of the palace and at the martial artists emitting sword qi that I could barely make out inside, and chuckled.
“So I can simply enter.”
Whether my energy was suppressed or not was no concern of mine.
The array did not prevent those with energy from entering; it only suppressed it once they were inside.
But I possessed power beyond energy.
Shukak!
After slicing through the recognition with the Wansuigungmurok, I walked calmly toward the main gate of the imperial palace.
Kugugugu!
As soon as I stepped inside, I felt my energy being suppressed, but my will, internal energy, and inner dan remained intact.
After all, if even martial artists inside the array couldn’t use their martial arts, it would be impossible to handle any sudden events that occurred in the palace.
“Moreover, the energy-conserving masters who are permitted to use their power are all at the Qi Condensation level anyway…”
In an emergency I could destroy the palace and flee without a second thought.
I wandered through the palace searching for the imperial archive and slipped inside.
“Let me see… books about the Geumsincheonroemun… books…”
I began reading the books I found.
***
While reading the books on the Geumsincheonroemun, I discovered one astonishing fact.
The Geumsincheonroemun had been founded twelve thousand three hundred and twenty years ago by a Daoist named Yang Su-jin, the Golden Spirit.
Twelve thousand three hundred years!
It was an absurdly long time.
“What kind of absurd unit of time is that…?”
I dismissed the idea as fiction or legend and checked every other book.
Yet the completely different books kept by the imperial family, written in the languages of Yeon Kingdom and Byeokra Kingdom, placed the appearance of the Geumsincheonroemun at roughly twelve thousand three hundred years ago as well.
Of course the more precise dates below three thousand years varied slightly, but every book pointed to the same era.
“Truly…?”
After all, even Heavenly Person energy-conserving masters lived for more than two thousand years.
“On Earth I had barely exceeded two hundred years. If there are monsters whose lifespan exceeds two thousand years…”
The idea of twelve thousand years seemed less insane.
“Hm? Even the Black Ghost Valley… this clan… fifty thousand years? Is this just a numerical joke or the truth?”
I quickly erased the ridiculous numbers about the Black Ghost Valley from my mind and turned my attention back to the Geumsincheonroemun.
Futile to chase such painful numbers.
I compiled the information from the books on the Geumsincheonroemun.
Information cross-verified across multiple books was treated as reliable.
Information mentioned in only one or two books was considered rumors.
By cross-checking, the reliable information I gathered about the Geumsincheonroemun was as follows.
The Geumsincheonroemun had been founded twelve thousand three hundred and twenty years ago by the Daoist Yang Su-jin of the Geum Clan.
No records of this Yang Su-jin existed anywhere in the imperial archive.
He had simply dropped out of the sky.
Yet strange records of him existed: the phenomenon of Heaven Refusal.
“Exactly what I experienced…!”
When he was performing the Seven-Star Ceremony at the seventh layer of Qi Condensation, dark clouds had covered the sky and obstructed his divine light.
Compared to the countless high-grade pills I had refined to tear through the clouds and complete the ceremony, the record stated that his extraordinary talent had allowed him to overcome the Heaven Refusal phenomenon on his own.
I had no idea what talent that had been.
“How strange… even twelve thousand years ago, people were experiencing the Heaven Refusal phenomenon…”
But the strangeness did not end there.
For some reason, information also existed that six or seven others had experienced the Heaven Refusal phenomenon during Yang Su-jin’s era.
“Six or seven…”
Unfortunately, no information remained about who they were, and I could not find how they had overcome the phenomenon.
Even one of them was recorded to have died of old age without overcoming it.
In any case, the fact that so many rare Heaven Refusal phenomenon possessors had appeared simultaneously in one era gave me pause.
“I can’t shake the feeling… but without a decisive clue I can’t form a conclusion.”
The most peculiar record among those concerning Yang Su-jin was the founding of the Geumsincheonroemun.
“Thereupon the Ancestor stretched his hand toward the sky. The heavens parted, and a gate of light opened above the capital city of the Central Spirit Kingdom. A divine object descended there. Naming the Daoist by the title Golden Spirit and the divine object by its name, he established the Geumsincheonroemun. The people of the Sacred Kingdom wished to remember him, and so they built an ancestral shrine in the capital city to offer prayers…”
“A gate of light…?”
I cross-checked the accounts in other books and concluded the biography was credible.
I examined the descriptions of the ‘gate of light’ in multiple texts.
“This is the Ascension Gate.”
It was clear.
“And the nation called the Sacred Kingdom described in the texts…”
It had existed twelve thousand years ago.
It had been a country located where the current Dabcheon Desert now lay.
“So… twelve thousand years ago, the Dabcheon Desert was not a desert but a land flowing with milk and honey? Then the location of the Ascension Gate must have been at the center of that Sacred Kingdom, and the stone monument shrine in Deungsunhyang… is that the one from twelve thousand years ago?”
Those stone fragments had been aged twelve thousand years.
They felt a little hard, but I had never imagined they were so ancient.
“Normal stones couldn’t possibly last that long, but given the existence of flying immortals at the time, it’s not unthinkable.”
In the end, after compiling all the information, I reached one conclusion.
“The Ascension Gate was created by the Golden Spirit, Yang Su-jin, the founder of the Geumsincheonroemun…”
So was this man the true culprit who had dropped us here?
“No, that doesn’t seem right.”
Yang Su-jin’s Heaven Refusal phenomenon at the Qi Condensation level.
The six or seven Heaven Refusal phenomenon possessors who had lived in the same era.
And my own colleagues.
No definitive connection could be found between them.
But for some reason I began to think that Yang Su-jin had also been swayed by the heavens.
“And near the location where the Ascension Gate had opened, there had been unstable space and many spatial fissures.”
That too had been confirmed through cross-verification in multiple books.
The capital of the Central Spirit Kingdom had been called Open Heaven City, born from the phenomenon of the sky repeatedly opening and closing.
“If only I had more detailed information…”
Because the biographies were from twelve thousand years ago, the imperial archive held no finer details about the matter.
Most of what I found was simply that “something like that happened at the time.”
“Then what exactly is the divine object of the Geumsincheonroemun…?”
I searched through more books for information on the divine object.
But the only thing I could find was that “the divine object of the Geumsincheonroemun is the core secret of the clan and must not be revealed to the public.”
What had been revealed was that every disciple of the Geumsincheonroemun had an extremely close relationship with the divine object, that the clan placed enormous importance on it, and that it was passed down only to the clan leader across generations.
“Of course the divine object is important, and it should only be passed to the highest level. That makes sense!”
It was so obvious that it annoyed me slightly.
I continued searching other books, but no information about the divine object existed anywhere in the imperial archive.
Just because the imperial archive contained twelve-thousand-year-old information did not mean it held every single book from that era.
It contained only those volumes that recorded particularly famous events in thousands-of-years increments.
The event of the Golden Spirit opening the Ascension Gate and founding the Geumsincheonroemun was simply too well known; there were many records of it.
“Hmm… this is a collection of rumors.”
While digging through the archive I discovered another rumor collection concerning the Geumsincheonroemun and opened it.
The collection contained no credibility but many interesting stories.
The most representative was the tale of Yang Su-jin opening the Ascension Gate.
According to the rumors, rather than receiving the divine object from beyond the sky after opening the gate, he had first ascended to the Upper Realm at the Heavenly Person level, then descended to this world carrying the divine object. The fissure he created in space was itself the divine object, the rumor suggested.
“Indeed, that explains why the Ascension Gate connects to the Upper Realm.”
Since the crack was made while descending from the Upper Realm, it naturally connected to it.
Yet the rumor contained something strange.
“If that is true… then Yang Su-jin must have had some reason to ascend to the Heavenly Person level, carry the divine object to the Upper Realm, and then descend to this world again?”
I searched frantically for information about Yang Su-jin’s later years.
The records were generally consistent, but his death was described in wildly different ways.
Some books claimed suicide.
Others said he ascended to the Upper Realm again.
Still others said he went mad from dementia, raved, and entered a spatial fissure.
Some said he died of old age at the end of his lifespan.
Others said he simply disappeared.
“Why are they all different?”
But one thing was certain: Yang Su-jin was dead or gone.
“What a strange man…”
Neither his birth nor his death was clearly recorded.
The problem was not that the records were old and imprecise but that no information existed at all.
“Records of the birth of other Black Ghost Valley clan leaders or major sect leaders exist in roughly the same region or period. But nothing at all for Yang Su-jin.”
Perhaps this man…
I thought for a moment and continued reading and reading through the other books.
With the information about the Ascension Gate and other matters, I might be able to glean something new…
***
My lifespan was drawing near.
I had hidden in the imperial archive, reading books and compiling information.
I had not stopped cultivating the Jiwol Ipdogyeol.
Extracting earth-attribute spiritual energy from the ground and applying the four virtues of the five elements to all my energy meridians.
After more than three years I completed the Four Virtues of the Five Elements Array and advanced to the tenth layer of Qi Condensation, the realm of Four Aspects.
The Four Aspects was the task of dividing the eight trigrams of spiritual energy within the body into two yin and two yang meridians according to the principles of the four aspects.
I had already understood this method in advance with the comprehension of Master, and since the realm of guiding energy was my own by then, the experience of training the formation with my own inner energy was more than sufficient.
Kugugung!
I found a place in the heart of the palace where spiritual energy gathered and settled into meditation using the Wansuigungmurok, working day and night.
After one and a half years I completed the Four Aspects and advanced to the eleventh layer of Qi Condensation, the realm of Three Treasures Connecting Unity.
The Three Treasures Connecting Unity was the task of further strengthening the path connecting the lower, middle, and upper dan with the energy meridians.
After another three and a half years I barely broke through the Three Treasures Connecting Unity and entered the twelfth layer of Qi Condensation, the realm of Two Yi Becoming One.
“Heaven and earth are one… soon.”
The Three Treasures are one.
That was the realization I had gained from the Three Treasures Connecting Unity.
Boom, boom, boom…
At the same moment, I felt something change within my Ganghwans.
“What is this? It feels like I know what it is…”
Why did Kim Young-hoon always split one Ganghwan into three, then split those three into nine?
Why not simply draw nine Ganghwans from the beginning?
“I’m lacking one sheet of paper of understanding… I suppose I don’t know how to explain it.”
What exactly was lacking?
“Heaven and earth are one…”
In the end I completed the eleventh layer Three Treasures Connecting Unity and advanced to the twelfth layer, Two Yi Becoming One.
Two Yi Becoming One was the stage in which the yin and yang energies of the divided meridians were continuously circulated until they merged into a single yin-yang pair meridian.
Because it relied on the constant circulation of spiritual energy, which was similar to the flow of true qi, the realm was crossed far more quickly than any previous stage.
Pabeobeng!
After about six months I completed Two Yi Becoming One and advanced to the thirteenth layer of Qi Condensation, the realm of One Essence Responding to All.
And then.
My lifespan was almost gone.
***
Uwoong!
That day I pulled out a book and read while sensing the flow of spiritual energy inside my body.
The thirteenth layer of Qi Condensation, the realm of One Essence Responding to All, was the task of rapidly circulating the spiritual energy of the unified meridian until it condensed into a single point in the lower dan.
This also required understanding the unity of spiritual energy, so it demanded comprehension.
But I already knew I would complete the thirteenth layer soon.
In this life I would not see the extreme limit of Qi Condensation, but in the next life I could surely reach it.
But…
“Foundation Establishment is the problem.”
The fourteenth layer of Qi Condensation, the realm of Wu-geuk Unifying Spirit, was a smooth road because I had learned it so well from my master.
However, reaching Foundation Establishment was a separate matter.
Even energy-conserving masters with good talent found it an immense effort to reach Foundation Establishment.
Only those with celestial spiritual roots or exceptionally outstanding earth spiritual roots could comfortably reach it through mere cultivation.
That was why artificial Foundation Establishment pills made from ground humans were everywhere.
But.
“I cannot eat those Foundation Establishment pills.”
I refused even to touch that disgusting substance.
To eat pills made by grinding one human into another?
“Doesn’t humanity possess at least a minimal morality…?”
But regardless, with my current five spiritual roots it was nearly impossible to reach Foundation Establishment, which even celestial spiritual roots found difficult.
“Then what am I to do…”
While rummaging through the imperial archive I had searched for more than ten years, looking not only for books about the Geumsincheonroemun but also for any cases where Foundation Establishment had been reached without artificial pills.
I found none.
Those who had reached Foundation Establishment without artificial pills had possessed either unusual physiques, celestial spiritual roots, or earth spiritual roots of extraordinary quality.
There was not a single recorded case of a person above earth spiritual root reaching Foundation Establishment without artificial pills.
“…Then what am I to do.”
My lifespan was now almost gone.
I had only reached the thirteenth layer of Qi Condensation after two lifetimes of effort.
And I had reached it only because I had met the best master and worked day and night.
With the effort of an ordinary mediocre person, it was practically impossible.
So then.
Would I ever reach Foundation Establishment?
“…There is not enough time.”
Why did one lifetime last no more than fifty years at most?
Why was that limit set in stone?
If only I had a little more time, I could do a little more.
“Just a little more… if I were given more time…”
Foundation Establishment.
I lacked lifespan to reach Foundation Establishment.
But only through Foundation Establishment could I receive a new lifespan.
What was I to do?
Sarag…
As I flipped through the books I suddenly discovered an intriguing theory about lifespan.
“People say the heavens grant human lifespan. Therefore, it is said that to overcome one’s allotted lifespan one must succeed in Foundation Establishment and receive a new lifespan. But this one thinks differently.
The heavens may not be beings that grant lifespan. The heavens are simply the record-keepers of predetermined lifespan; they only block those who cannot surpass the record by assigning fate. In other words, if one obtains the power to block even the fate granted by the heavens.
Then the heavens will rewrite that person’s name. The new name will be approximately three hundred years, and if the human again possesses the strength to surpass even three hundred years, the heavens will hurriedly rewrite a new lifespan.
Perhaps that is the true meaning of the story that the heavens grant lifespan.”
“Oh…”
I paid close attention to those words.
It was the most interesting theory I had ever read.
“Why… is this story placed at the front of the book…?”
In the distant past.
With my master, searching for eels to feed my mother in the dead of winter, naked and melting the ice rink.
The case of the story “the wise man melts the ice to save the life.”
It had been placed at the front of a classic collection of fables.
“This must mean… that the author or compiler of the fable ‘the wise man melts the ice’ held such thoughts about the lifespan granted by the heavens.”
I flipped through the front and back of the fable collection.
But the collection bore no author’s name and had no title; it was simply called Fable Collection.
The two fable collections in the imperial archive and the Cheongmun Clan archive were identical in every respect except for the cover and the words placed at the front of the fable collection.
I infused my internal energy and spiritual power, tried various methods such as exposing the paper to fire or wetting it, but the paper only grew tattered.
“What a waste…”
I clicked my tongue and replaced the fable collection.
An intriguing claim, yet unproven, and merely the personal opinion of the compiler who had written the sentence.
“But if it is true, it is a very interesting theory.”
According to that statement, if one possessed the strength to reject even the fate granted by the heavens, the heavens would rewrite the lifespan.
Then.
What about a martial artist who had reached Deungbongjogeuk, possessing the power of the early stages of Foundation Establishment?
Could he overcome his lifespan?
“Clearly, in my previous life I lived one day longer than my allotted lifespan…!”
The heavens had brought me a heart attack, but I forced out my Gangqi, stimulated my heart, and survived until the morning sun rose.
Of course it had lasted only a day, so whether that constituted overcoming one’s lifespan was questionable.
But if one had power, one could overcome one’s lifespan to a certain extent.
“Can I… overcome my lifespan…?”
For some reason the theory presented by the unknown compiler would not leave my mind.
The compiler’s words somehow appealed to me.
The remaining time of my lifespan was only about two months.
Would a person who had reached Deungbongjogeuk be able to overcome their lifespan like Foundation Establishment?
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