The Fate of Life (2)
p_GT;[The fate of a thing is but the pull of destiny itself.]/p_GT>
p_GT;The words of the madman began./p_GT>
p_GT>[In the simplest example, humans are born and are constantly drawn toward the fate of death.]/p_GT>
p_GT>The madman drew two points in the air and connected them with a line./p_GT>
p_GT>[This is the fundamental thread of life. It begins here and ends there. And because every being has a different lifespan, fate itself cannot change.]/p_GT>
p_GT>He drew additional lines above and below the first line on the points./p_GT>
p_GT>[If you treat one of those lines as life itself, then the moment the other lines end is when they influence this line. Because fate has a pull of its own, and when that pull ends, other fates are also drawn in just a little./p_GT>
p_GT>That is why the threads of life are not straight as they move from birth to death, but twisted and tugged by the lives of others, becoming a chaotic mess.]/p_GT>
p_GT>The first line had begun to bend slightly to match where the other lines ended./p_GT>
p_GT>[We call this the mischief of fate, or rather, karmic connection. It is because of these connections and fates that our lives are decided and events are always bound to occur.]/p_GT>
p_GT>“So when they say events are always bound to occur…”/p_GT>
p_GT>[Imagine a close friend. That friend carries a different lifespan and fate from you and dies before you. That fate clings to you and carries a pull of its own, so you are inevitably swept along with your friend’s death./p_GT>
p_GT>That is why events are ‘always’ bound to happen.]/p_GT>
p_GT>“Then do events unrelated to death also happen without fail?”/p_GT>
p_GT>[No. In this world there is no event that is unrelated to birth and death. Even the air we breathe contains countless lives that are born and die in an instant. I have explained fate with only a few lines, but the birth and death that occur within fate are far too complex and endless to be described so simply.]/p_GT>
p_GT>“I see…”/p_GT>
p_GT>[All things in the world are born together with death, so every event that beings cause ultimately carries a pull of its own.]/p_GT>
p_GT>The madman erased the lines in the air and randomly scattered points across the empty space./p_GT>
p_GT>[Following the pull in this life, every being travels a long and short journey…]/p_GT>
p_GT>He began connecting the points from the very first one, one by one./p_GT>
p_GT>In the end every point was joined, forming a complex and intricate pattern./p_GT>
p_GT>[Well, what do you see when you look at this?]/p_GT>
p_GT>‘Scribbles of a child?’/p_GT>
p_GT>I swallowed the words I was about to say and answered him./p_GT>
p_GT>“I’m afraid I don’t quite understand.”/p_GT>
p_GT>[Points pull toward one another, lines follow that pull… It looks like the constellations of the night sky, doesn’t it?]/p_GT>
p_GT>“Ah…”/p_GT>
p_GT>Thump, thump, thump, thump./p_GT>
p_GT>The madman kept scattering points with random force even outside the lines./p_GT>
p_GT>It really did resemble the stars of the night sky./p_GT>
p_GT>[I have never visited the Star Realm where those stars exist, but the ancient adepts who once wandered the distant past wrote that the stars themselves wield a pull.]/p_GT>
p_GT>The madman stroked his chin and continued./p_GT>
p_GT>[Do the stars not resemble fate? No, if the records are true, fate itself is the one that resembles constellations. Fate resembles stars./p_GT>
p_GT>Life is this kind of journey: searching for the pulls of fate that are closest to you and swimming through the sea of stars…/p_GT>
p_GT>And the events closest to you. When you are caught by the pull of fate, those events are ‘always’ bound to occur…]/p_GT>
p_GT>The madman looked a little melancholy as though he had remembered something./p_GT>
p_GT>[Still. When we think of fate as constellations and life as a journey through the sea of stars,/p_GT>
p_GT>the principle by which adepts read the heavens and their own names is roughly like that. They sense the pull of fate that has come closest to them./p_GT>
p_GT>Also, the way adepts escape the pull of fate is simple. When normal life runs from here to there…]/p_GT>
p_GT>The madman continued connecting the points in the air./p_GT>
p_GT>The constellation formed by joining the points ended at some point./p_GT>
p_GT>The next point was quite far away./p_GT>
p_GT>The line seemed unable to continue./p_GT>
p_GT>[Between these two stars you draw one more star as a stepping stone to the next./p_GT>
p_GT>The reason the constellations of Seventy-Two Earthly Branches, Thirty-Six Thousand Rivers, Seven-Star Ceremony, and Core Formation exist is not in vain./p_GT>
p_GT>By creating something similar to a star within the body and using it to artificially manipulate the flow of fate, you can somehow extend your own destiny./p_GT>
p_GT>This is how adepts prolong their lifespan, and this is why they are called those who defy the heavens.]/p_GT>
p_GT>The madman laughed bitterly and continued./p_GT>
p_GT>[Then fate is bound to occur, but how do you escape it? How do you escape the path of fate? It is simple.]/p_GT>
p_GT>The madman drew the constellation again./p_GT>
p_GT>[The fate closest to you in this life is the next fate, but if the master of life wishes for a different fate…]/p_GT>
p_GT>He drew a line connecting star to star, showing a line that turned toward another constellation instead of the one it had been meant to follow./p_GT>
p_GT>[The pull of the next fate is so strong that it is easy to be sucked in, but it is not that simple.]/p_GT>
p_GT>The line tried to turn toward the other constellation but was caught by the predetermined pull of fate and could not go elsewhere./p_GT>
p_GT>[So what must be done? The method is simple. You escape the pull of fate.]/p_GT>
p_GT>Pull!/p_GT>
p_GT>The line escaped the pull of the predetermined constellation and settled into another one./p_GT>
p_GT>“How do you do that?”/p_GT>
p_GT>[Do what? If you have the strength to escape the pull, you can escape fate!] /p_GT>
p_GT>When he clenched his fist, all the constellations and drawings he had drawn in the air vanished instantly./p_GT>
p_GT>[If you cannot change fate, it is proof that you are weak. Overwhelming strength to escape the pull of fate! And the bone-crushing effort to escape the pull! If you have those two, we can reach any destiny we want./p_GT>
p_GT>Events are always bound to occur, but through the effort of existence we might not suffer in those inevitable events.]/p_GT>
p_GT>The madman continued explaining, his eyes flickering with madness./p_GT>
p_GT>[If fate torments me, I will become stronger than fate! Where else is there such a simple solution! I have worked and worked to escape my predetermined fate…]/p_GT>
p_GT>The madman hugged the box tightly and panted./p_GT>
p_GT>[I will escape the fate that keeps me from her and meet her again. No matter what, absolutely. No matter what I have to do! If I keep working and working, I will meet her. I will meet her…]/p_GT>
p_GT>The madman murmured as he scratched the box with feverish eyes./p_GT>
p_GT>[Ah, I love you. I love you. Please, please come back and talk with me, hold a fan, dance with me as before… I cannot see you is not the fate I want. If I can see you again, I will abandon all my fate and gather my strength to leap to another destiny. To a place where I can see you. Please…]/p_GT>
p_GT>He kept scratching the box and whispered toward something inside it./p_GT>
p_GT>‘He really is not in his right mind.’/p_GT>
p_GT>I looked at Kim Yeon, who had fainted under the madman’s treatment./p_GT>
p_GT>‘Strength…’/p_GT>
p_GT>The strength to escape fate./p_GT>
p_GT>And effort./p_GT>
p_GT>Yes./p_GT>
p_GT>I still lacked everything./p_GT>
p_GT>I simply lacked the ability to change the situation with my own strength./p_GT>
p_GT>That was why events were always bound to occur and I could only watch my companions fall into madness and hypocrisy./p_GT>
p_GT>“Thank you for the teaching.”/p_GT>
p_GT>I felt I had understood a little more about fate thanks to him./p_GT>
p_GT>‘Yes, fate is bound to occur, but it can be changed.’/p_GT>
p_GT>This life./p_GT>
p_GT>No one would be torn apart by the fox./p_GT>
p_GT>Because I had become strong enough to draw the fox’s attention and escape it for days./p_GT>
p_GT>‘If I become even stronger, I might be strong enough to tear the fox apart. Maybe I can escape the pull of the fox’s fate entirely.’/p_GT>
p_GT>With that thought I trained harder./p_GT>
p_GT>Training more and more, extending my lifespan through cultivation until I create a constellation that lets me escape every fate./p_GT>
p_GT>‘One day, when I am strong enough to escape even the hands of Heavenly Person adepts, I will be able to escape every single fate…’/p_GT>
p_GT>The madman, still scratching the box in a frenzy, glanced at me and Kim Young-hoon./p_GT>
p_GT>“Today’s teaching has truly been a great help. I have one more question to ask…”/p_GT>
p_GT>[That is enough. I have answered you. Now go. [She] is calling me. She needs my help. She says the joints need oiling. She is calling me, she is…]/p_GT>
p_GT>Whoosh!/p_GT>
p_GT>Before Kim Young-hoon and I could react, the madman’s gesture sent us tumbling through a spatial rift./p_GT>
p_GT>I opened the lid of the box and watched the madman bury his upper body inside it as the last thing I saw before darkness swallowed me./p_GT>
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p_GT>We landed in Yeon Kingdom once again./p_GT>
p_GT>‘A pull of fate…’/p_GT>
p_GT>If fate truly has a pull, then no matter how randomly the madman sent us, landing in Yeon Kingdom was the pull drawing us there./p_GT>
p_GT>I mulled over the madman’s words and pondered fate./p_GT>
p_GT>His explanation made me feel as though I was starting to catch a glimpse of the star of Core Formation./p_GT>
p_GT>Before Kim Young-hoon woke up I transmitted knowledge into his mind using a law technique./p_GT>
p_GT>When he woke and looked confused by the sudden flood of information, I explained that I had been conversing with Heavenly Persons and that the knowledge was now inside my own mind./p_GT>
p_GT>I convinced Kim Young-hoon and settled him into Yeon Kingdom, pulled him up to the Peak realm, and taught him Void Step and Wansuigungmurok./p_GT>
p_GT>I encouraged him to keep training until he crossed into Deungbongjogeuk and entered a new realm./p_GT>
p_GT>Then I secretly entered the Jin Clan family and observed my disciples’ lives./p_GT>
p_GT>My master appeared once more from a distance./p_GT>
p_GT>And finally I headed toward Black Wind Sea./p_GT>
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p_GT>“Hmm…”/p_GT>
p_GT>Before heading to Seo Ran’s residence by Black Wind Sea I gazed at the jet-black orb Seohyul had given me./p_GT>
p_GT>The orb that had caused the destruction of Seopmyeongship during my past life when Seo Ran and I detonated it together./p_GT>
p_GT>“You’re talking nonsense.”/p_GT>
p_GT>I let out a dry laugh and tossed the orb straight into the sea./p_GT>
p_GT>It sank to the deepest depths of the ocean and would never be found./p_GT>
p_GT>“Seo Ran will remember you as a good king and progenitor.”/p_GT>
p_GT>He would not remember you as the villain who sought to destroy Seopmyeongship and perish together./p_GT>
p_GT>That was enough./p_GT>
p_GT>I glanced briefly at Hofung Eungryongbyeon again before deciding it would serve as a token when I met Seo Ran./p_GT>
p_GT>‘What should I do. Should I meet Seohyul right away?’/p_GT>
p_GT>I hesitated before the Black Wind Sea./p_GT>
p_GT>If I went now, Seo Ran would teach me Hofung Eungryongbyeon and challenge Seopmyeongship again in a few years./p_GT>
p_GT>“No, I cannot.”/p_GT>
p_GT>I forced a bitter smile./p_GT>
p_GT>A Core Formation level soul in Seopmyeongship could never be defeated by the two of us./p_GT>
p_GT>‘Probably if I do not find him, Seohyul will wait years trying to break the last barrier protecting Seopmyeongship.’/p_GT>
p_GT>Then I should not find him yet./p_GT>
p_GT>‘Everything is still lacking.’/p_GT>
p_GT>If Seo Ran’s death was fate, I lacked the strength to stop it./p_GT>
p_GT>‘So let me gather the strength to change fate first.’/p_GT>
p_GT>Whether it takes years./p_GT>
p_GT>Whether it takes a long time./p_GT>
p_GT>Whether it takes tremendous effort./p_GT>
p_GT>“I will head to Seohyul after I reach Core Formation.”/p_GT>
p_GT>I made the decision and headed toward Shattered Heaven Peak in the Great Mountain Range of Seongje./p_GT>
p_GT>The peak with excellent veins and where the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect had once stood./p_GT>
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p_GT>Five years had passed since my regression./p_GT>
p_GT>Kugruk…/p_GT>
p_GT>“Hoo…”/p_GT>
p_GT>Brownish-yellow clouds swirled around me and were sucked into my nose and mouth./p_GT>
p_GT>Having awakened enlightenment through Pioneer Through the Veins and repeating it every life, I gradually understood Jiwol Ipdogyeol better./p_GT>
p_GT>And with each life my speed of cultivation had risen./p_GT>
p_GT>‘I have finally mastered it after five years.’/p_GT>
p_GT>Compared to the earlier achievements of Suhwol Ipdogyeol, Hwahwol Ipdogyeol, and Geumwol Ipdogyeol, which would have taken about eight years each, this was astonishing./p_GT>
p_GT>If this pace continued, I could master all four techniques in thirty years, and with a target of ten years for Mokwol Ipdogyeol, I might reach Owol Ipdogyeol by forty./p_GT>
p_GT>‘It is possible…’/p_GT>
p_GT>Perhaps I really would reach Core Formation in this life./p_GT>
p_GT>Uuuuung―/p_GT>
p_GT>I opened my eyes and spat out nine stabilized Ganghwans./p_GT>
p_GT>Now I could control nine Ganghwans steadily./p_GT>
p_GT>“I have become completely proficient at the extreme of Deungbongjogeuk…”/p_GT>
p_GT>It was time to move beyond this./p_GT>
But materializing consciousness remained difficult./p_GT>
p_GT>‘I can imitate the flow by recalling the moment of my past life.’/p_GT>
Uuuung―/p_GT>
The Ganghwans spinning around me melted into consciousness./p_GT>
But consciousness could not hold their qi and will, and the Pure Force inside the Ganghwans evaporated within the consciousness space./p_GT>
‘How do I keep the power of the Ganghwans inside consciousness to materialize them…?’/p_GT>
I repeated Wol Do Ip Cheon countless times but found it too complex and clouded by Kim Young-hoon’s subjectivity./p_GT>
I studied Wol Do Ip Cheon and practiced Suhwol Ipdogyeol./p_GT>
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Eight years had passed./p_GT>
I had once again mastered Suhwol Ipdogyeol./p_GT>
But Wol Do Ip Cheon remained elusive./p_GT>
I had studied Wol Do Ip Cheon while recalling Kim Young-hoon’s trials, yet I still could not understand it./p_GT>
And then./p_GT>
Kim Young-hoon arrived at Shattered Heaven Peak./p_GT>
“What brings you here?”/p_GT>
I could not keep my mouth shut at his growth./p_GT>
“Have you already reached the end of Deungbongjogeuk?”/p_GT>
It was impossible./p_GT>
Only thirteen years had passed since my regression./p_GT>
How could he have already crossed Foundation Establishment, entered Deungbongjogeuk, and reached its peak?/p_GT>
Confused, I asked./p_GT>
Kim Young-hoon gave a bitter smile./p_GT>
“I reached the end of Deungbongjogeuk, helped the Jin Clan Sect drive the Makri Cult out of the sunny side of Yeon Kingdom, and thought I had everything./p_GT>
But only at the extreme of Deungbongjogeuk did I truly understand./p_GT>
If I stay here I will gain nothing.”/p_GT>
He looked solemn./p_GT>
“So I threw away every title of the Jin Clan elders and came to you./p_GT>
To discuss this Wol Do Ip Cheon inside our minds and move to the next realm together.”/p_GT>
“…”/p_GT>
“Intuitively I knew./p_GT>
To reach this realm I could no longer rely only on innate talent./p_GT>
I had to shed blood and endure dozens of years of relentless training./p_GT>
Only then could I barely obtain the realm…/p_GT>
I felt the pain mixed with blood that the maker of Wol Do Ip Cheon had endured…”/p_GT>
He summoned nine Ganghwans around him./p_GT>
“I have reached the extreme but honestly cannot figure out how to move to the next realm./p_GT>
The previous generation left a path called Wol Do Ip Cheon made by shedding blood./p_GT>
But I alone cannot walk it.”/p_GT>
A gloomy light appeared in his eyes./p_GT>
“I would have to train for decades./p_GT>
Even if it is me!/p_GT>
So come with me…/p_GT>
Come with me and reach this realm.”/p_GT>
Yet his gaze showed no sign of giving up./p_GT>
‘Kim-hyung…’/p_GT>
Humans must shed blood and exert tremendous effort to escape the pull of fate./p_GT>
But perhaps what frees humans from fate is not strength but will./p_GT>
“Understood.”/p_GT>
I met his eyes and renewed my will for this life./p_GT>
“Let us jump over fate together.”/p_GT>
From that day onward Kim Young-hoon and I began simultaneous training on Shattered Heaven Peak./p_GT>
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“Hah!”/p_GT>
I shot up from my seat./p_GT>
‘A dream from the past?’/p_GT>
It was the dream of the day I had decided to train with Kim Young-hoon on Shattered Heaven Peak./p_GT>
I shook my head wildly and woke up./p_GT>
‘I had fainted so deeply I even dreamed.’/p_GT>
Thump, thump./p_GT>
I brushed dirt and rubble from my body and stood./p_GT>
Shattered Heaven Peak was a battlefield./p_GT>
Scorch marks and sword marks littered the ground and deep pits scarred by Ganghwans were everywhere./p_GT>
Cough, cough!/p_GT>
I swept away the dust with a gust of wind and searched for Kim Young-hoon./p_GT>
If my memory was correct, during training Kim Young-hoon and I had clashed and been sent flying in opposite directions./p_GT>
I had been struck by his sword and briefly lost consciousness, only to dream the old dream./p_GT>
But Kim Young-hoon had endured hundreds of strikes from my footwork and sword arts, so I could not guess his condition./p_GT>
“Kim-hyung! Kim… hah!”/p_GT>
While searching I spotted Kim Young-hoon with his upper body buried in the valley below./p_GT>
‘Damn it. If we had fought purely with martial arts from the start, it would have been safer for me…’/p_GT>
Kim Young-hoon had insisted on mixing my sword arts even though he was trying to obtain enlightenment on the edge of life and death./p_GT>
“Kim-hyung! Kim-hyung!”/p_GT>
I used Void Step to descend into the valley and pulled Kim Young-hoon out./p_GT>
“Kuh… cough…”/p_GT>
Using protective energy to cushion the impact, Kim Young-hoon’s head had been crushed but he seemed only severely injured./p_GT>
“Cough, gurgle…”/p_GT>
He coughed up blood foam but because his head was crushed he was not dead./p_GT>
“Please wait. First I will administer emergency treatment.”/p_GT>
I brought the herbs and acupuncture needles I had prepared before training and began healing him./p_GT>
Tap, tap, dok, tap./p_GT>
I stabbed acupuncture needles into his body and activated his life force./p_GT>
After a while Kim Young-hoon regained consciousness./p_GT>
“Kim-hyung, are you all right? How many do you see?”/p_GT>
“…Two…”/p_GT>
“You are not looking good.”/p_GT>
I folded my index finger into a fist and clicked my tongue./p_GT>
“Sit tight. I will go buy healing talismans at the adepts’ market./p_GT>
Wait…/p_GT>
“No, it is two.”/p_GT>
Kim Young-hoon spoke firmly as he woke from his daze./p_GT>
“What I obtained this time is enlightenment of two…”/p_GT>
Crack./p_GT>
Kim Young-hoon rose to his feet./p_GT>
Cough, cough./p_GT>
He coughed up bloody phlegm./p_GT>
“I have obtained a clue to the next realm at the boundary of life and death./p_GT>
I have understood Wol Do Ip Cheon to a certain degree.”/p_GT>
He wiped blood from the corner of his mouth and grinned./p_GT>
“First, Wol Do Ip Cheon is a martial art with thick subjectivity from the maker./p_GT>
The realm obtained through it differs for each person.”/p_GT>
“Yes…?”/p_GT>
“Beyond Deungbongjogeuk the realm reached by different enlightenment./p_GT>
Up to this point it could be divided by weapon and martial art type, but beyond this point it is divided according to ‘that person.’”/p_GT>
I listened to the enlightenment Kim Young-hoon had gained and gradually opened my mouth./p_GT>
Year 35 of regression./p_GT>
Kim Young-hoon had begun to gain enlightenment toward the next step through Wol Do Ip Cheon.