The Heavens' Gift of Talent (Part 2)
Four months later.
Kim Young-hoon had peacefully reached the pinnacle of the Peak Martial Artist realm.
*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…*
He had swallowed the Yellow Spring Elixir I had given him and immediately assumed a lotus posture, circulating his qi and exhaling.
*Whoosh…*
With him, the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown blossomed above his head, and he attained the Peak Martial Artist realm.
“Haha, the world looks completely different now.”
“…No matter how many times I see it, your talent is truly monstrous.”
Originally, reaching the Peak had taken Kim Young-hoon six or seven months.
But after I taught him the first-rate sword art Danak Sword Art from the very beginning, the difficulty of advancing to the Peak seemed far lower than I had expected, and he reached it two months ahead of schedule.
In fact, while practicing the Danak Sword Art, he had declared the sword forms unsatisfactory and completely remodeled them into the form of a saber, creating a new martial art called the Severing Vein Saber Art.
Anyone would have called this incredible martial talent.
“I see. I find it strange myself.”
“…I have something for you, Lord Minister.”
I sighed at his terrifying talent, drew a book from my robes, and handed it to him.
The Moonlight Palace Martial Record.
A peerless martial art he himself had compiled in his previous life after reaching Five Qi Consorting with the Origin, dedicated to the rest of his life.
He had neatly organized it into book form during the four months until he reached the Peak.
“I picked it up at the bookshop last time. The owner said it was an incredible martial art and sold it to me, but all I got were incomprehensible characters… so I came looking for you, Lord Minister, because I felt I had been scammed.”
“Hmm, let me see.”
I handed him the Moonlight Palace Martial Record.
A while later, his eyes widened and his hands trembled.
“T-this… what kind of martial art is this?”
“…I don’t know.”
“Ah, I see. That must be it.”
Kim Young-hoon pressed his temples and explained.
“This is a martial art only those who have reached the Peak… no, only those who have attained Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown in the Peak realm can understand. It’s terrifying. I never imagined such a martial system existed. Truly… anyone who masters this martial art could become the greatest under heaven. You’ve brought me another incredible opportunity!”
“Haha, I thought I had been scammed by a bunch of empty promises, but it turns out I wasn’t. By the way… wasn’t Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown supposed to be a lower realm than the Peak?”
“Anyone who has reached the Peak can understand this martial art?”
“No, I must have mistaken because I saw you reach the Peak. But I know I’m a special case too. The Peak has stages, and there are early, middle, and late stages. Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown is only the realm those who have reached the late stage of the Peak can comprehend.”
“I see…”
This was information I had never known.
It was strange. I had risen to the post of Wulin Alliance scholar, yet I knew nothing about martial arts above the Peak.
In the martial world, the criteria for classifying a warrior’s level were as follows: first-rate, second-rate, and third-rate.
Anyone who had begun to learn a martial art was fundamentally third-rate.
Those who had mastered at least one form or internal energy and could use it in battle were third-rate early stage.
Those who had mastered both forms and internal energy were third-rate middle stage.
Those who had mastered both and could use them simultaneously were classified as third-rate late stage.
Fundamentally, using forms and internal energy simultaneously was extremely difficult.
Moving the body while controlling the flowing qi inside it at the same time? If one miscontrolled the qi even slightly, it would twist the qi and blood, causing immense pain, or trigger the Demon Cultivating Heart. A single misstep was unacceptable.
‘When I first started learning martial arts, it felt like my head was splitting in two.’
And those who overcame these difficulties and began to master martial arts were treated as second-rate.
Those who could use forms and internal energy simultaneously and apply them in battle were second-rate early stage.
Those who had mastered the simultaneous use of forms and internal energy and had no awkwardness applying them in battle were second-rate middle stage.
Those who had mastered the use of forms and internal energy to the point that it became instinctive, flowed naturally even without thought, and could release internal energy without preparation or linkage were called second-rate late stage.
With the training I had undergone over the past few months, I had successfully rediscovered the second-rate middle stage martial skill I had attained in my previous life.
‘Soon I will reach the second-rate late stage…!’
Beyond mastering martial arts, the realm where martial arts were truly completed was the first-rate realm.
Those who had reached first-rate early stage had internalized forms and internal energy until they became completely one with the martial art, achieving freedom within it.
First-rate middle stage involved fully realizing the intent of the martial art, mastering the use of qi with ease, and being able to release sword qi.
First-rate late stage was when the martial art and intent had fully merged, the sword forms and qi had become one, and the time to release sword qi and the preparation time had been greatly shortened.
In this way, I had been able to gather all the information from third-rate early stage to first-rate late stage in my previous life as the Wulin Alliance scholar.
‘But, information about the Peak realm was sealed, as if everyone had sworn not to speak of it.’
Even my close friend Young-hoon would smile awkwardly and dodge whenever I asked.
‘Why bother? He won’t understand anyway?’
Even when I casually asked the few who had reached first-rate late stage, none had ever given a proper answer to a Peak expert.
“…By the way, Minister, could you tell me roughly what the Peak realm is like?”
I asked for clues about the Peak, just in case.
However, he gave me the same awkward smile and the same answer as in his previous life.
“Ah, I’m sorry. Even if I told you, you wouldn’t understand.”
“….”
“I’m not trying to mock you. If you already knew about the Peak, you might become obsessed with vain fantasies and fall into the Demon Cultivating Heart. The world we see… is completely different from the one you see…”
He turned the conversation with an apologetic expression.
“Since you’ve reached the Peak anyway, I was thinking of going around breaking the signs of every small and medium sect in the Blood Dragon Valley just to check my own strength… will you be able to keep up?”
“…Of course.”
And one month later.
Kim Young-hoon had torn down the signs of every small and medium sect in the Blood Dragon Valley.
In the Seogyeong-seong where he had first settled in his previous life, there had been seven major sects like the Four Greats and Three Masters.
However, that was due to the special nature of the capital, and in ordinary cities there was usually one major sect, at most two.
The Blood Dragon Valley had one major sect, the Gacheon Castle, named after the fortress.
Thanks to Kim Young-hoon ripping off the signs of all the small and medium sects in the city, they had already been on edge before he even came to break their plaques.
“We, the renowned Hero Young, have come to pay our respects. Gwangyeong!”
When we visited Gacheon Castle, the sect leader himself came out to welcome us.
“Among the small sects in the city, sixty-six. Among the small and medium sects, thirty-two. Among the medium sects, eleven. A grand hero who has torn off the signs of a total of sixty-six sects has come to visit Gacheon Castle. Heh heh…”
“I never intended to go looking for this many sects and tear off their signs in the first place…”
Kim Young-hoon said to the sect leader with a slightly disappointed expression.
“I had planned to end the martial competition by defeating them, drawing, or at least having a match against even one person…”
“…None of them were able to become your match.”
He was right.
I had reached the Peak after mastering the Severing Vein Saber Art, which was a modified version of the first-rate Danak Sword Art.
I had awakened the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown in one go by bringing my innate talent to its extreme.
I had learned the Peerless Peerless Peerless martial art he had compiled in his remaining life after reaching Five Qi Consorting with the Origin.
Not only the small and medium sects in the Blood Dragon Valley.
Even among the eleven sects that were considered medium sects, not a single one had anyone who could withstand even his three sword forms.
“However, in Gacheon Castle, which is treated as a major sect, I expect it will be slightly different.”
“Haha, of course. The main sect has a veritable army of experts, so there must be people who can match the Hero Young’s level…”
We followed the sect leader to the martial arena inside the castle.
The martial competition format was a three-round battle.
Three experts from inside Gacheon Castle were scheduled to take turns facing Kim Young-hoon, and he was to take their signs if he defeated all three.
A martial competition format extremely disadvantageous to Kim Young-hoon.
However…
“Hahahaha, no problem.”
Confidence overflowed in Kim Young-hoon’s eyes.
“The Moonlight Palace Martial Record is invincible! The moment I mastered it, I became an adult and they are three-year-old children. Why should I be afraid when three little kids come at me one after another?”
And the three-round battle at Gacheon Castle began.
The first opponent in his three-round battle was the Gacheon Castle sect leader.
“…I see. I didn’t expect the sect leader himself to come out from the start…”
The sect leader, Moon-yeok, answered with a bitter smile.
“In the elders of this sect, no one can suppress the top experts of the medium sects in the Blood Dragon Valley within three sword forms. It must be… that you are a Peak expert even at the top of the Peak realm. You will face me and the elders of the Gacheon Castle Elder Council!”
*Ding—*
The bell announcing the start of the martial competition rang.
The Gacheon Castle sect leader, Moon-yeok.
He was a well-known Peak expert even in the city.
‘Among the top experts of the eleven medium sects I quickly defeated and the Peak expert Moon-yeok, I had heard that they were one step behind.’
I watched the duel between the two experts and awaited the outcome.
*Whoosh…*
Kim Young-hoon drew his saber.
The Gacheon Castle sect leader also drew his soft sword.
*Thud!*
Kim Young-hoon moved first. He rushed straight at the sect leader, and when the Gacheon Castle sect leader swung his soft sword, Kim Young-hoon’s four directions became trapped in the sword’s momentum.
*Crash!*
However, Kim Young-hoon’s body instantly split into seven shadows, and the seven clones moved toward the weak points in the soft sword’s barrier.
“Hmph!”
But as if not wanting to miss, the Gacheon Castle sect leader’s soft sword chased the shadows like a snake.
*Shuak!*
*Shuak, shuak!*
The soft sword split into thousands of blades and sliced through the shadows.
But none of the real shadows were caught, and all his shadows vanished inside the soft sword’s barrier.
At that moment.
*Whoosh!*
Kim Young-hoon jumped down from the sky and rushed toward the sect leader after spinning once.
He had left the seven shadows behind and leaped into the sky to become the real body.
“Ugh…!”
*Whoosh!*
His sword edge touched the neck of the sect leader Moon-yeok.
*Ding—*
Kim Young-hoon’s victory.
The forms he had used to win took only two forms.
“Does the challenger wish to continue the battle?”
The elder serving as the martial competition referee asked with a stiff face.
Kim Young-hoon did not even step down from the arena and nodded.
The next opponent was an old man with completely bald, white-bearded head.
“I am the Supreme Elder of Gacheon Castle and currently belong to the Elder Council. My name is Ikcheonbae.”
After the bald old man gave a brief self-introduction, he immediately assumed his stance.
*Ding—*
The bell rang again, and this time the old man Ikcheonbae rushed at Kim Young-hoon.
*Chorak!*
He too had a soft sword as his weapon.
But…
*Ding—*
He too could only kneel before Kim Young-hoon without exceeding ten forms.
‘Still, he went beyond three forms.’
Mastering the Moonlight Palace Martial Record and then going beyond three forms proved his monstrous strength, but Kim Young-hoon still looked slightly disappointed.
“…Do you wish to continue the battle?”
By now, the referee’s face had turned completely sour.
“I’ll continue.”
The final opponent in the three-round battle was a stern old man with long beard and white hair, dressed in plain robes.
“I am the Supreme Sect Leader of Gacheon Castle and the current Elder Council head. My name is Paljikdae. It seems the third round has been surpassed.”
“Oh…”
Only then did Kim Young-hoon’s eyes spark with interest upon seeing the old man who was the Supreme Sect Leader of Gacheon Castle.
“You must be a Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown expert. I have never seen one in this city other than myself.”
“Those who reach the third round are rare. The vast majority live their entire lives only within the red and blue. I too have not met a hero like you for a long time.”
“Huh… How many Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown experts have you met besides me?”
“Most belong to the major sects’ Elder Council, and there is always at least one who has reached the third round. There are also a few rogue experts here and there… If you’re curious, go around the cities of the Yeon Kingdom and visit the major sects. And I heard you went to find medium sects and broke their signs. In our realm, those small fry won’t be of help. Keep that in mind.”
“I will gratefully take the senior’s advice.”
‘Third round? Red and blue?’
I organized the clues the old man had spat out and felt a sense of realization.
‘Why express Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown as the third round? And what are red and blue?’
I looked around and saw that the other elders and disciples of Gacheon Castle were also staring wide-eyed and listening intently to the two experts’ conversation.
“Then… shall we begin the martial competition!”
“Alright~”
*Ding—*
The bell rang.
However, unlike before, neither of them rushed at each other first.
They simply drew their weapons, assumed their stances, and stared at each other.
*Chak!*
*Cheok!*
Surprisingly, when Kim Young-hoon changed his stance, the Gacheon Castle Supreme Sect Leader Paljikdae was startled and also changed his stance.
For a while, the two of them kept changing their stances without clashing.
‘What is this? Are they fighting? Or is this a qi fight or something?’
I could not understand the situation, so I looked around.
The other disciples and elders of Gacheon Castle were also looking puzzled at the arena, as if they could not understand the current situation either.
However, the sect leader and elders who had been defeated and had stepped down from the arena were staring at the two of them with horrified expressions.
‘It seems something is definitely happening… Only a Peak expert would be able to understand it.’
At that moment.
“Ugh! Hah…”
Paljikdae gasped.
He was already covered in cold sweat.
“What… What martial art did you learn!”
“…This martial art is called the Moonlight Palace Martial Record.”
“The Moonlight Palace Martial Record… I have never seen such a monstrous martial art in my life… To begin with, was this martial art even meant to be used against humans?”
“…?”
What?
They hadn’t even clashed yet.
At that time, Kim Young-hoon smiled faintly and said.
“I will yield the first move.”
“…I’m truly envious. To be able to master such a terrifying martial art that directly negates three hundred years of Gacheon Castle history…”
After speaking, Paljikdae changed his stance.
*Whoosh!*
Paljikdae swung his soft sword and unleashed his form.
The soft sword swept through the air in a whirlwind, enveloping Kim Young-hoon’s four directions.
It looked like the same form the sect leader Moon-yeok had used at the start.
However, unlike when he had faced the sect leader, Kim Young-hoon did not create shadows.
Instead, he gazed intensely at the only open space outside his four directions, the sky, drew his saber, and leaped into the air.
*Chwaek!*
At that moment, the tip of Paljikdae’s soft sword shot toward the sky like an arrow.
*Whoosh!*
*Ching!*
Kim Young-hoon twisted his body in the air and knocked away the tip of the soft sword,
and escaped from the soft sword’s barrier.
The next instant, he rushed like lightning at Paljikdae and swung his saber.
*Kwaang!*
A massive boom sounded as the arena floor cracked.
The two weapons collided in the air and spat sparks.
“Eh…”
I momentarily lost sight of both of them.
*Paang, paang, paang!*
The sonic boom rang out, and Kim Young-hoon’s shadow flickered.
It looked like a stab with the sword edge, but Paljikdae dodged the stab that was almost impossible to follow with his eyes and exchanged blows with Kim Young-hoon.
*Kwaak!*
The soft sword Paljikdae had released exploded at the corner of the arena.
*Jjaeng!*
Kim Young-hoon’s saber qi shattered the bell next to the arena. The elder watching the match next to the bell jumped in shock and rolled to avoid the saber qi.
*Pa ba bat!*
Kim Young-hoon took three steps and rushed at Paljikdae.
Inside those three steps, his stance seemed to have changed ten times or more.
But the changes in stance were also too fast, making it hard to follow with the eyes.
It felt more like a video with choppy frames.
‘Damn… The Peak experts are still monsters.’
It had been the same in my previous life.
As the closest aide to the Wulin Alliance leader, I had had the chance to watch several Peak expert martial competitions.
‘Back then, I couldn’t understand even one thing.’
But thanks to having watched many martial competitions back then, I felt I could at least follow it with my eyes.
The disciples and tutors of Gacheon Castle who seemed to be at a similar level to me were completely dazed and staring blankly at the arena.
Not a single one among them was following the movements of the two.
*Shuak, shuak, shuak!*
Paljikdae’s soft sword cut through the air and caused three changes in the sky.
However, for some reason, every time he made one change, Paljikdae’s body was sliced in places and knife scars appeared.
While Paljikdae was packing his three changes into one form, Kim Young-hoon had launched three attacks.
And finally.
*Chwaeang, chwaakang!*
Kim Young-hoon’s saber cut through Paljikdae’s soft sword as is.
The soft sword was cut and fell outside the arena.
*Whoosh—*
Kim Young-hoon’s saber touched Paljikdae’s neck, and Paljikdae let out a sigh.
“I have lost. I will give you Gacheon Castle’s sign. This sect will be closed for three years!”
“…I have realized that no martial art from any sect in the Blood Dragon Valley can match that of Gacheon Castle. This was a match in which I learned a great deal.”
The two warriors bowed politely to each other and stepped down from the arena.
“Well, go home, Seo Eun-hyun.”
“Do you feel you have grasped the extent of your strength?”
“…It’s not my strength.”
However, for some reason, Kim Young-hoon’s complexion looked slightly gloomy.
“The Moonlight Palace Martial Record… I only grasped the form of the martial art according to its teachings. I did not master this martial art and obtain complete freedom within it, nor did I obtain the intent of the Moonlight Palace Martial Record.”
“….”
“I don’t know who created this martial art. I could not surpass the legacy of its creator. I realized I was far inferior to the creator of this martial art. The more deeply I master and wield this martial art, the more urgently I feel it…”
I felt trapped in an emotion I did not know what to say when I saw this situation of him praising his own martial art and becoming depressed.
“I learned how insignificant my strength is through today’s martial competition. As the senior said, I will go around the various cities in the future and challenge Peak experts for martial competitions… will you keep up?”
“…Of course.”
Anyway, in this life I had decided to devote my body only to martial arts.
“I will train to become a Peak expert by following you, Minister, no, brother.”
“Haha, I look forward to it. By the way, calling me brother makes me a little embarrassed. How old is the age difference between us. Heh heh…”
“It’s good to call each other hyung among people of the same path.”
In this life, I will definitely become a Peak expert.