The Perfect Ritual for Humans
Perfect form of ritual for humans.
“Is this simply a warning about the techniques I’m learning, or is it a koan you’ve found, brother Kim?”
There was no way he would speak without reason.
Kim Young-hoon stared at me quietly, then wore a thoughtful expression for a moment.
“Both.”
If that was the case, he had already found the stepping stone for the next realm, hadn’t he?
“Hah. Why do you think I came to you and spilled my emotions? If I had already found the clue to the next realm with that, I would have told you long ago.”
He formed a self-deprecating smile and adjusted his posture.
Well, it seems he did find something after all.
He walked to the front of the massive boulder and set up his stance, then slowly reached out a hand.
No internal energy flowed into the hand.
Even though it moved slowly, striking the boulder with that hand was like not caring if the hand was shattered!
But then.
Flash!
“…!”
My eyes widened as I watched Kim Young-hoon’s first strike.
No, I was watching his consciousness.
His consciousness churned, and for an instant the consciousness area around his fist collapsed, then condensed into a fist-like shape.
This was almost like…
The technique for controlling beasts…!?
There was a resemblance to the beast-controlling technique that altered consciousness areas.
And eventually Kim Young-hoon’s fist reached the boulder.
Crack!
“…!!”
It dug in like slicing through tofu.
Kim Young-hoon’s fist plunged straight into the giant rock, reaching all the way up his forearm.
I didn’t even use internal energy!?
I rubbed my eyes and looked again, but Kim Young-hoon’s arm had no internal energy flowing through it.
“Watch this.”
Tap tap.
Whoosh—
Kim Young-hoon pulled his arm out of the boulder and showed it to me.
I observed his arm and figured out how he had dug into the boulder without any internal energy.
It’s not internal energy at all. The basic qi naturally flowing through the body has been activated to its extreme! When the consciousness area suddenly matched the fist, the basic qi of the fist was maximized…!
Crack…
After showing me his arm for a while, he relaxed his focus, and the consciousness area he had crushed back into a fist shape returned to its original form.
“It’s a koan I recently obtained, so I can’t maintain it for long. Originally, unlike your natural Ho-fung Eung-ryong-byun, I don’t change the consciousness through the spirit formula. I just blindly crush the consciousness area.”
I listened to his words and asked Kim Young-hoon.
“Does the consciousness form that suits humans mean that, like what you showed me, by changing the consciousness area to a human shape, I can do it?”
From what I had seen so far, that was how I felt.
However, Kim Young-hoon’s expression became strange.
“That’s… ambiguous. Maybe I should say it’s subtle…”
“Eh?”
“Sure enough, I considered dozens, hundreds, or thousands of fake paths in front of me. Then, when I found the method of compressing consciousness into a human shape to strengthen the body’s qi, I intuitively knew that it was one of the true paths.”
“…Then what’s the problem?”
“I don’t know if the path I found is really martial arts.”
“…?”
What kind of thing was this?
“It overlaps slightly with the realm of martial arts, but intuitively, if I walk that path, I feel like it will eventually lead to a completely unfamiliar realm that has nothing to do with martial arts.
Of course, even if that’s the case, since the realm of the beast-controlling technique I’ve been walking is clearly wrong anyway, I had the intention to teach it to you, so I learned it to some extent.”
“Hmm…”
“By the way, can’t you find another beast-controlling technique besides the Ho-fung Eung-ryong-byun?”
“Yes, probably hard to find.”
Kim Young-hoon sighed in frustration.
“It would be nice if there were reference materials, but…”
“You said the method of changing the consciousness area you showed me is separate from the realm of martial arts, didn’t you?”
“That’s true, but since I’ve only ever studied the one Ho-fung Eung-ryong-byun you gave me, I don’t have anything to compare or contrast with. If I could get and study another beast-controlling manual, there would be far more materials and fewer trial-and-error mistakes.”
“Hmm… I’ll try to look for one, but I can’t give a definite answer.”
“That alone is enough.”
He nodded and we discussed the consciousness area. A while later we both obtained results we were satisfied with.
I gained the clue to the fifth strong gang, and Kim Young-hoon obtained the koan about the differences and common points between inner energy methods, beast-controlling techniques, and martial arts.
We sat down and discussed for several shijin, then parted ways.
I had wanted to spar with him after a long time, but it felt like he was avoiding sparring because he had something bothering him.
***
Since he came to me that day, Kim Young-hoon has visited me more and more frequently.
Especially to hear my own enlightenment on inner energy methods and beast-controlling techniques.
Regarding martial arts, he was the top disciple of the great sect.
But regarding inner energy methods, because I was either him or below him in talent, his inner energy method didn’t change.
Of course, he wasn’t really obtaining true inner energy enlightenment; his bigger goal was to apply the enlightenment of inner energy methods to martial arts and break through the next realm of martial arts. That was why he didn’t mind.
I told him my enlightenment on the enlightenment of inner energy methods based on the comprehension of seeing and hearing the past and present, and Kim Young-hoon explained the enlightenment of strong gangs in a way I could easily understand.
Years passed like that.
***
Whoosh—
The valley around me.
The valley water there flew toward me, swirling around me.
And at some point.
Splash!
It exploded like water and then gathered back around me, forming a large water droplet around me.
Inside the law of the water, I slowly opened my eyes.
Even though I was in the water, the spirit qi of the water attribute connected with me, allowing me to breathe underwater.
Bubble bubble…
I stayed in the water for a while, then formed the spirit formula and scattered the water droplet.
The technique for entering the moon realm had also reached the ninth layer of qi condensation and the first stage of the five elements true intention.
From the ninth layer of qi condensation, the attributes of the techniques learned were fully expressed, and proper attribute laws became usable.
Also.
Whoosh—
“The recovery speed of magic power has become much faster.”
How much would the recovery speed of magic power increase if I mastered both the moon entry technique and the water entry technique?
I didn’t know, but it wouldn’t be a small increase.
I wonder how much it will help to learn two techniques of different attributes…
But so far, the only benefit had been the greatly increased recovery speed of magic power, allowing me to challenge the foundation establishment more often.
Well, I should wait until I fully master the techniques. After all, in the water entry technique, the remaining stages are the three thoughts’ intent, three defects’ will, two intents’ unity, one origin’s one response, and wuji’s floating clouds—five stages. But since the three thoughts’ intent, three defects’ will, and two intents’ unity stages have already pierced the veins with the moon entry technique, the only thing left is to accumulate magic power.
The technique for entering the moon realm was also not far from mastery.
While organizing my thoughts and gathering magic power, it happened.
Tap, tap, tap…
Someone was walking from far away.
His footsteps don’t sound like Kim Young-hoon.
He wasn’t someone who had learned martial arts.
His footsteps showed he was young.
But he wasn’t afraid to climb the deep mountain.
His footsteps also didn’t show he was a child.
Someone who had learned martial arts at the later stage, an old man familiar with the mountains, a child who didn’t know the world—none of them, yet no fear in his footsteps?
A high-ranking official or an inner energy practitioner.
One of the two.
Probably an inner energy practitioner.
If it were a high-ranking official, there was no way he would come alone.
He would bring dozens of servants.
Whoosh!
I used the stealth and illusion technique to cut his recognition and hid my body there.
A while later.
A young inner energy practitioner in red robes emerged from the bushes.
“Hmph, that criminal often came to this place…”
He was a disciple of the Jin family clan.
Probably he had been tailing Kim Young-hoon and come looking for this place where he often came recently.
I don’t want to get involved in troublesome things, so I’ll move my residence and contact brother Kim later.
I hid my body with the stealth and illusion technique and gauged his ability.
His consciousness area size and spirit qi pressure told me he was also an inner energy practitioner at the fourteenth layer, the same as me.
One of the later-stage disciples of the Jin family clan’s powerful family.
Seems like I’ve seen him once or twice while passing by in the past.
When I was about to ignore him and leave, he spoke.
“Hahaha, that damned criminal. The criminal dares to become the external hall lord by riding some strange power? Absurd.
This damned guy, I’ll make him suffer plenty…!”
The later-stage disciple of the Jin family clan threw spirit stones around him and began setting up formations.
He’s setting a trap?
It was a sad thing for him, but Kim Young-hoon had already awakened the perception of the beast race and could see the flow of heaven and earth spirit qi, so it probably wouldn’t work.
When the guy was about to watch something.
Tap, tap, tap…!
He began forming the spirit formula.
Each time, flames rose around him.
I watched the change in the qi, startled, and retreated.
“Fire Beast Formation!”
Crackle—
Flames filled the surroundings, and fire spread in a radius of three zhang.
“The one hiding, come out immediately!”
…Ah, right.
When I hid with the stealth and illusion technique, the remaining spirit qi from my water attribute law hadn’t settled completely.
He had probably sensed that someone was hiding around him based on me.
“Who is it! Come out! What’s the relationship between you and that criminal’s external hall lord!”
I hesitated for a moment, then released the stealth and illusion technique and stood in front of him.
He was quite surprised when I appeared like a ghost from nowhere.
“Who… are you?”
He felt the size of my consciousness and the pressure of my spirit qi and gauged my ability carefully.
How should I introduce myself…
How could I not harm Kim Young-hoon?
I hesitated for a moment and thought of an excuse that was just right.
“I am the disciple who received techniques from him before entering the Jin family and has been receiving enlightenment from him recently. Who are you trying to do?”
“Hmph, this place is within our Jin family’s territory! You’re practicing with permission from our Jin family!”
Just the fact that he’s talking makes me angry.
Of course, I didn’t want to provoke him and make him blow up.
After all, the Jin family clan had recently established itself by stealing the Yellow Sparrow, and the Jin family clan’s pride was already high. I didn’t need to cause a conflict with the Jin family clan here.
Especially since Kim Young-hoon was relying on the Jin family clan.
I cut off his words and made a proposal.
“Since we’ve met through fate, how about a bet? If you win, I’ll teach you this technique.”
Flash!
When I raised my strong gang in my heart, the inner energy practitioner flinched and stepped back.
But at the same time, greed bloomed in his eyes.
“Wh-what bet… Wait, no. If I lose, what happens?”
Thinking I was at the foundation establishment level, he immediately bowed respectfully.
“If you lose, keep secret that I practiced nearby. Also, Kim Young-hoon is my master and also my friend, so don’t try to bother him. In any case, you are the external hall lord of your clan?”
“…Yes, I understand.”
“The bet is simple. I will compete using only pure qi condensation level laws. I won’t use magic tools or laws, so you should use all your magic tools and laws to defeat me.”
“Yes, understood.”
Crackle—
At the same time the words ended, the guy’s formation began reacting.
Crack!
I also activated the moon entry technique and spread formations around me.
A battle as a pure qi condensation inner energy practitioner… almost the first time.
Until now, I had only used inner energy methods as auxiliary.
Because the realm of the martial arts’ later stage was almost at foundation establishment, while the qi condensation of laws was weaker than that.
Moreover, after reaching the fourteenth layer of qi condensation, I had rarely fought against inner energy practitioners of the same level.
Then, shall I experiment how much power I can use?
The fourteenth layer of qi condensation.
When reaching the realm of wuji’s floating clouds, a spirit cloud is born in the inner dan.
By compressing this spirit cloud to create a spirit star, one succeeds in foundation establishment, but the spirit cloud could also be accumulated for use in battle.
Whoosh!
I and the guy blew into our palms almost simultaneously.
From the guy’s inner dan, a red spirit cloud filled with hot heat burst out, and from my inner dan, a yellowish spirit cloud filled with heavy ground qi burst out.
Clouds covered the surroundings.
Hot clouds and yellowish clouds collided.
Crack crack crack!
Within the clouds’ range, the formations activated, and at the same time, several laws rose on the formations.
“Heavenly Emblem, Heavenly Gang, Heavenly Machine, Heavenly Idle, Heavenly Brave…”
“Earth Strong, Earth Dark, Earth Assistant, Earth Gathering…”
Laws of the earth system and flames system condensed within the clouds and began colliding violently.
Both reached the realm where laws could be used with just the spirit formula and precise incantations.
We clashed using the seventy-two killing incantations and thirty-six thousand strong laws.
Flames and earth clods flew and exploded between the two clouds.
“Flames, Explosion, Fire!”
And then the guy formed the spirit formula and began condensing his unique innate ability.
Unlike the basic techniques I learned, the Jin family clan’s true spirit techniques meant that unique innate abilities existed in the techniques.
Flames gathered into the shape of water droplets.
Fizzle, fizzle!
The water droplets of flames scattered sparks in all directions and, like lightning, flew at me.
Fast!
From the structure of the laws, it was a direct-hit that exploded.
“Earth Prisoner!”
I quickly formed the spirit formula and created an earth prison to trap the water droplets of flames.
Crack!
The water droplets exploded inside the prison, but the prison only blackened slightly and didn’t break.
“How… to use unique innate abilities with basic laws…!”
“If you can pull out the true power of laws, it’s more than enough.”
I calmly continued using laws and spoke.
“Those who reach a realm with past and present comprehension can overwhelm those of the same realm…!”
“Guh… You said I could use magic tools!”
Whoosh!
The Jin family disciple took out a red flame fan from his magic tool.
The feathers on the flame fan began waving like blazing flames inside his formation.
“Twelve Flames Explosions!”
Crackle—
Flames condensed, and twelve water droplets of flames rose into the air.
“Go!”
From twelve directions, the water droplets flew.
But I began forming the spirit formula even faster.
Inside the yellowish clouds, laws condensed at an even faster speed.
Crack, crack crack, crack!
Basic laws flew and shattered the unique innate abilities, and beyond that, new basic laws continued to condense.
“What, you can condense laws even faster than that…!”
I formed the spirit formula until blood flowed from my hands.
I wouldn’t get tired from this!
The yellowish clouds began gradually swallowing the red clouds.
“Grugh!”
The Jin family disciple continued swinging his magic tools, and even though he was losing, he now took out and threw amulets.
I fought the guy with only basic laws without using any magic tools or unique innate abilities.
If it went on like this in a long battle, it would be my victory because I had abundant magic power without using magic tools or strong innate abilities.
He also knew that, and he tried to settle the outcome in a short battle, pulling more magic power.
Crack—
The guy bit his little finger and bled.
Red blood droplets rose into the air and seeped into his magic tools.
Crack crack crack!
His flame fan became even redder and spewed heat.
“Piercing Heat, Fire Explosion!”
Heat broke the limit, and a huge water droplet of flames flew like a phoenix.
“Not bad.”
Was this the strength of ordinary qi condensation extreme inner energy practitioners?
“Thank you, thanks to you I could gauge how strong my strength is.”
“What…?”
I began forming a different spirit formula from what I had formed until now.
“Heavenly Violent!”
At the same time, the water in the valley behind him began churning.
Splash!
A huge wave arose and covered him from behind.
The guy’s formation, clouds, and all innate abilities were swept up in the wave, and in an instant the water vapor evaporated and spread in all directions.
A sudden attack!
Even though it was an attack at the ninth layer of qi condensation level, it didn’t greatly affect the fourteenth layer of qi condensation guy’s formation.
One thing was certain: the laws he was preparing had their power greatly reduced.
And I took the gap and formed sixteen spirit formulas at once.
Sixteen laws condensed and flew toward him.
Crack! Crack crack, crack crash!
Splash!
“Gugh…”
The guy’s formation and clouds were completely shattered, and the Jin family disciple was pushed out to the back valley and disappeared.
“Cough! Whew… H-how… How did you reach the fourteenth layer of qi condensation, yet you also use laws of another attribute, and that too high-level laws of spirit condensation… how…!”
“Since I won the bet, please keep secret that I practiced here.”
The Jin family disciple, swimming in the valley while struggling, sat down on a nearby boulder in the water and looked at me with a dumbfounded expression.
“How… no, why? Why did you bother to learn two attribute techniques…? If you reached fourteenth layer, you should have entered seclusion and only challenged foundation establishment…”
“Challenging foundation establishment.”
I smiled wryly and said.
“I’ve been doing that steadily for a long time. From tens of years ago, steadily.”
My smile at the corner of my mouth was far too bitter.
“Even so, I couldn’t reach foundation establishment, so I learned other attributes to find another method.
For a talentless person to reach a realm, they must try everything within the bounds of not betraying the path, right?”
It was actually a grateful thing to this Jin family disciple.
While fiercely clashing with him in a law battle, I felt my internal magic power being quickly consumed and then recovered.
Through him, I had an epiphany.
If learning two attribute techniques alone greatly increases the recovery power of magic power, what if I master those two attribute techniques?
Even if it was three attributes instead of two?
Four attributes instead of three?
No, what if it was all attributes of the five elements?
It was a foolish and stupid thing no one had tried.
Even learning one attribute took years, so mastering all of it would take a lifetime.
But.
With the comprehension of past and present, I have already obtained the enlightenment, and time is sufficient.
Then.
If I master all attributes of these five elements.
How much will that recovery power be?
With that recovery power, won’t I be able to challenge foundation establishment dozens of times a day?
The Jin family disciple apologized for daring to disturb me and, swearing on the family’s honor, would keep today’s matter secret, then quickly fled far away.
It’s decided.
To rise to a realm as a dullard.
You need hundreds of times the effort of a genius.
Then, shouldn’t I just do that hundreds of times the effort?
Even if I get enlightenment in the morning, it’s fine if I die at night.
“Master all the five entry techniques…!”
I had been thinking about it little by little before, and today, after clashing with the Jin family disciple, the thought finally burst out.
To reach foundation establishment, I made a vow to fill all five elements within me.
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