Chapter 192
Chapter 192
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 192
Chapter Title: Harsh Lesson
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That obvious truth felt strangely unfamiliar all over again. The world isn't particularly kind to anyone. If anything, it's ruthless and cruel.
Even knowing that, most people expect the world to treat them kindly. It's because they unconsciously delude themselves into thinking they're special, somehow different from everyone else. If they have outstanding talent, they lean on that; if not, they make excuses for their lack thereof. Delusions are free, after all.
In all honesty, Wi Seongcheon had good reason for such a delusion. He truly was quite special. His sect, the Heavenly Flower Sect, harbored an extraordinary secret, and his innate constitution—recognized by Dawn herself—was one of a kind. And that wasn't all. He'd encountered the Undefeated Divine Statue, obtained the Dragon Jade, and earned the title of Lotus Child.
But.
Even after all that, even if Wi Seongcheon had become a special existence, there was no guarantee the world would be particularly kind to him.
*I was complacent.*
The dizziness subsided. His nose was collapsed, his forehead cracked. His cheekbone throbbed. Wi Seongcheon blinked slowly. Blood streamed down, seeping into his eyes.
He had no choice but to admit it. He'd been complacent. Just as the Green Forest Demon Emperor said, he'd harbored reckless expectations. He'd felt on the verge of grasping the elusive knack of the Supreme Purity Secret right then and there.
"I'm sorry."
Wi Seongcheon steadied his breath and spoke. His mouth filled with the metallic tang of blood and the gritty mush of shattered teeth. He worked his jaw and swallowed it down.
"I was complacent. As you said, I'll etch this valuable lesson into my heart."
He harbored not a shred of resentment toward the furious violence. If anything, Wi Seongcheon felt genuine gratitude toward the Green Forest Demon Emperor. He could have killed Wi Seongcheon with a single blow or crippled him for life. But all he'd done was crack a few ribs and smash his face into the ground twice.
This would be a lesson he'd never forget for the rest of his life. The Green Forest Demon Emperor twitched his eyebrows and peered into Wi Seongcheon's eyes. He could tell Wi Seongcheon truly held no grudges against him.
"......Ahem."
The Green Forest Demon Emperor cleared his throat lowly and released Wi Seongcheon's head. Wi Seongcheon staggered and slumped back down. He couldn't force himself to stand, nor could he bend over. One wrong move, and those shattered ribs would shred his lungs.
"Good. If you get it, that's enough. Son."
"Don't call me that."
"You said you'd call me father if you used your arms."
"Even after seeing my face, you're still going to call me your son?"
"I believe that if you've done something deserving of a beating, you get beaten—whether by father or brother."
"I don't want a son like that, so please, stop calling me your son."
Wi Seongcheon grumbled as he rubbed his aching side. The Green Forest Demon Emperor looked down at him with an odd expression.
Frankly, it was impressive. Wi Seongcheon was a junior worlds apart in age and experience. The gap in seniority alone was enough to make anyone shrink and tongue-tied before one of the Ten Heroes. And yet, after getting thrashed, he quickly composed himself and bantered right back.
Was he just good-natured, or a bit crazy? Whichever it was, the Green Forest Demon Emperor genuinely liked Wi Seongcheon's temperament. Better to cleanly admit one's faults than sulk after a little beating.
"......Hm. Fine, then no more calling you son."
The Green Forest Demon Emperor grinned broadly and nodded.
"You were very different from what I expected, but it was fun anyway. It's been ages since I felt this exhilarated. So, I suppose I owe you some reward for the enjoyment. What should it be......"
"The lesson you gave me is reward enough."
"Do you enjoy getting scolded by your elders? I didn't enjoy it one bit."
"Isn't that for me to decide?"
"I told you. I'd make it enjoyable for you, in my own way."
He certainly had said that. Wi Seongcheon's expression crumpled. In the end, the Green Forest Demon Emperor was going to do whatever he pleased under the pretext of "play." Among all the people Wi Seongcheon had met, he was undeniably the most whimsically self-indulgent.
The Green Forest Demon Emperor chuckled at Wi Seongcheon's openly twisted face, then turned away.
"I did lose my temper and hit you, but I held back my strength and made sure not to cause lasting damage. With proper care, a month...... no."
The Green Forest Demon Emperor's eyes twitched as he looked at Wi Seongcheon. No illusion about it.
*It was worth the gamble.*
Just moments ago, Wi Seongcheon had quickly steadied his faltering body. It went beyond mere grit. The kid's body was bizarrely resilient.
"......A week should do it. I haven't met her and have no interest, but didn't you say that old woman Dawn is here? With the world's best healer around, you'll be right as rain in a week."
Could external injuries like this heal in a week? Impossible for an ordinary person.
"Once you're healed and I get bored again, I'll come find you. Have something ready as repayment for today's fun."
With those words, the Green Forest Demon Emperor left the Blood Palace. Wi Seongcheon sat there for a while longer. His injuries were too severe to move right away, but also,
"You deserved that beating."
"I know. That's why I'm like this."
His self-loathing expression soured even further. Wi Seongcheon wiped his blood-soaked face, scrubbing at the drying crust.
"You know, but hear it again. You deserved it."
The White Flame Witch, standing on the floor, stepped forward. Though the distance was considerable, she reached Wi Seongcheon in one stride. She scowled deeply and looked down at him.
"Tell me what you did wrong."
"......I was complacent."
"Yeah, you were. It's natural for a martial artist to crave power and act on impulse, but even that has times and places."
Part of her wanted to slap him a few times. But seeing his bloodied face and caved-in nose killed the urge. In the end, the White Flame Witch sat down to meet his gaze.
"......I get why you did it. The situation's been incredibly merciful to you. Here in the Black Forest, you and the other Heavenly Academy students are protected by the Black Demon King's will—no one dies. Even the Green Forest Demon Emperor won't defy the Black Demon King's will."
"......"
"But you took that too far. The Black Demon King's will doesn't absolutely protect you. The guy you faced is one of the Ten Heroes, even on one leg. He could've turned you into a vegetable just because he felt like it. He happens to like you, I was watching, and it was just 'play' between you two."
The White Flame Witch's eyes narrowed.
"You're not some ten-year-old kid. You can't blindly trust that. No matter the situation, the only thing you can rely on is yourself. You trusted something other than yourself. And you overestimated yourself too."
"......Yes."
"The immortal arts you learned from Dawn. I don't know much about them, but I can see there's something mystical in those moves that look no different from demonic steps. But as the Green Forest Demon Emperor said, far more people die trying to grasp enlightenment in life-or-death moments than succeed."
The White Flame Witch reached out. Her pale hand hovered briefly before his face, then slid down to grasp his right hand.
"......I understand being captivated by the wonders of those immortal arts. Perfect timing, too. A strong opponent with no intent to kill you. And after days of struggle with no progress, you finally felt something. Just a bit more, a few steps—no, one more step. That must've been it."
"......You know me well."
"Immortal arts and martial arts differ, but how different can awakenings be? ......Count yourself lucky. Without the Black Demon King's protection, the Green Forest Demon Emperor would've just killed you."
"Yes."
The White Flame Witch's qi enveloped his hand and flowed into his meridians. No internal injuries, but her qi soothed his troubled mind.
"Kid."
After channeling qi into him for a moment, the White Flame Witch spoke.
"Why the rush?"
"......Pardon?"
"You have no reason to rush."
"......"
"Take this time. From the start, you didn't do what you're good at. You consciously focused on those half-baked immortal arts, and your movements turned ridiculous."
Irrefutable. Up until then, he'd been practicing the Supreme Purity Secret, frustrated and irritated by the lack of progress. Desperate to master and apply it somehow.
That desire permeated his conscious and unconscious. In the end, he'd felt a glimpse, just as desired. Captivated, he'd gotten greedy—and ended up like this.
"Why skip what you're good at and use something you're no good at? Want to train in real combat? You'll just die."
Grumbling, the White Flame Witch helped him up.
"Kid, you're still young. No, too young. No need to rush now. Your immortal arts use the upper dantian, but you haven't even opened it yet. Why mess with the upper dantian already? Want to switch from the martial path to the immortal path just to open it?"
"......No, that's not it. It's just......"
"Want to try out that dragon vein in your body? Better hone what you already have and excel at before messing with some sudden dragon vein."
The White Flame Witch supported him. He had no retort, even with ten mouths. Wi Seongcheon averted his eyes and hung his head.
"......Then Ghost Soul White Escape too......"
"That's martial arts, idiot. It meshes well with your style, so training them together is fine. But immortal arts are completely different. Train as you like, but no need to obsess or rush."
Smack. The White Flame Witch swatted the back of his head.
"Don't delude yourself, kid. Your talent's exceptional, but you're no once-in-history genius."
"......I know that."
"You know? Then why arrogantly try to catch up to a genius's decades in days? Even that fool Dawn trained immortal arts for over a century. Me, the Black Demon King, the Green Forest Demon Emperor—we all reached this level after decades of martial training. And you?"
"......Ahem."
"A snot-nosed brat who still reeks of mother's milk. Anyone'd think you had a death sentence the way you're rushing. You need ten years of quiet training just to glimpse awakening, so what makes you think you can enlighten in days after learning immortal arts?"
Stabbed by her sharp truths, Wi Seongcheon coughed repeatedly. Each time, his ribs ached. The White Flame Witch clicked her tongue, supporting him as they walked. Toward Dawn's room deeper in the Blood Palace, it seemed.
*......Impatience......*
How could he not be impatient?
Wi Seongcheon wanted to master Spirit Ignition as soon as possible. Become the Heavenly Flower Sect's leader and uncover the sect's truths he didn't know.
The Supreme Purity Secret used immortal qi and innate astral qi. Different name from the Heavenly Flower Sect's Spirit Ignition, but both harnessed innate astral qi. Ordinary training would take decades, as she said, but his dragon vein might shorten it if used right.
That's why he was even more impatient. No, actually, more than that.
*......My brother.*
He'd thought about it countless times.
Could he defeat the Black Heaven Noble now? If he fully mastered Ghost Soul White Escape? Mastered the Supreme Purity Secret via the dragon vein? Defeating the Black Heaven Noble would let him hear the story.
That was the impatience.
*Ah, right.*
Wi Seongcheon rubbed his throbbing ribs and composed his expression.
*Why didn't I think of this?*
Not that he hadn't. He just hadn't wanted to.
"......Why the sudden smile?"
"I've found my answer."
Before entering Dawn's room, Wi Seongcheon smiled.
"As you said, White Flame Witch, I was impatient. Unavoidably so. My impatience stems from my ignorance."
"......What're you on about?"
"Ignorance of my opponent. I had no choice but to push myself blindly. It wasn't like me."
He'd done it time and again.
Before fighting anyone, Wi Seongcheon always tried to scout them beforehand if possible. And arrange the situation to his advantage.
But strangely, with the Black Heaven Noble as his goal, he hadn't. ......He hadn't wanted to. Wi Seongcheon still saw him as sworn brother Wi Seongyeol and thought he knew him well. No need to investigate now, he'd thought.
What arrogance. He knew nothing about his brother Wi Seongyeol.
"To avoid impatience, I need to know my opponent. Only then can I know myself and respond."
"What're you trying to say?"
"Once I'm healed, I'll go meet the Black Heaven Noble."
Wi Seongcheon smiled, feeling clear-headed for the first time in ages. The White Flame Witch blinked, then smirked.
"Do as you like."
*Gotta get him treated now.*
Kicking open Dawn's firmly shut door, the White Flame Witch resolved.