Chapter 53
Chapter 53
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: Heavenly Flower Sect's Martial Arts
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The martial arts of the Heavenly Flower Sect.
Its sole heart method, the Heavenly Flower Sequential Art, and its body technique, the Five Divine Forms of the Heavy Hand. There were a few other techniques as well, but to be blunt, Wi Seongcheon didn't think the Heavenly Flower Sect's martial arts were worthy of being hailed as divine arts.
His father had never once spoken of how great they were, either.
He had only said that if mastered well, one wouldn't go getting beaten everywhere. The only time he said "more" was on the day Wi Seongcheon left the Heavenly Flower Sect to head to the Heavenly Academy.
In front of the sect gates.
'The Heavenly Flower Sect's martial arts are strong.'
That was all. Yes, he thought that statement was undeniably true. He hadn't realized it while still in the sect, but the Heavenly Flower Sect's arts were strong.
He had fought and defeated Hwangbo Seongu, one of the Dragon-Phoenix youths, and subdued the rampaging Paeng Yeonhwa.
But he had never considered them divine arts. And yet, here was the Taiji Sword Lord—one of the Ten Heroes—calling the Heavenly Flower Sect's martial arts divine arts.
"Are you serious?"
"Why would I lie?"
The Taiji Sword Lord let out a hollow laugh. But Wi Seongcheon simply couldn't believe it.
To be precise, he didn't want to believe it. The Heavenly Flower Sect's reputation in the world was that of a 'bat' flitting between the righteous and demonic factions.
Its current sect leader—his father—was mockingly called the False Hero, while his grandfather bore the moniker Hypocrite Fiend.
The most respectable title among them belonged to his great-grandfather, the Heavenly Flower Lord Wi Sin-yeop, the great figure who had shifted the sect from the Black Death Alliance to the righteous Martial Alliance. But even he had sought fame and perished facing off against a Demonic Cult warrior.
That was the history of the Heavenly Flower Sect. The Heavenly Flower Lord dying in battle against some nameless Demonic Cultist. Driven mad by grief, his son the Hypocrite Fiend had left vowing revenge and never returned, while Wi Seongcheon's father, the False Hero, showed his face at every minor Martial Alliance event to curry favor.
And yet, the Taiji Sword Lord was calling such a sect's martial arts...
Divine arts.
"......Uh......"
For some reason, the tip of his nose tingled. Startled, Wi Seongcheon wiped his face. Tears welled up unbidden and streamed down freely.
"What the? Why is this happening?"
His heart churned wildly. In a daze, Wi Seongcheon rubbed at his eyes.
"......Pitiful child."
The Taiji Sword Lord murmured. He slowly reached out and gripped Wi Seongcheon's shoulder. Even as he kept rubbing, the tears wouldn't stop.
"The Heart Sword is a sword that cuts the mind."
The Taiji Sword Lord murmured.
"It doesn't always kill when it cuts. It wasn't swung with killing intent, after all. But......a mind that has been cut will naturally be refilled to the extent it was sliced."
And indeed it was. Wi Seongcheon rarely showed his emotions, but now they surged uncontrollably.
Heart Sword.
A sword he never wanted to be cut by again.
"Will you answer if I ask?"
The Taiji Sword Lord stroked Wi Seongcheon's shoulder until he stopped his own tears. Wi Seongcheon felt ashamed of his reddened eyes.
"Why were you crying?"
"......Don't you already know?"
Pitiful child.
"It's just a guess. I haven't learned any mind-reading techniques."
"......I was happy that the Heavenly Flower Sect's martial arts were acknowledged by you, Taiji Sword Lord. And resentful, too."
"What was resentful?"
"My father, the Heavenly Flower Sect Leader, never once called our martial arts divine arts. Nor have I ever thought so. But......if you, Taiji Sword Lord, say they are divine arts, then they must be."
The pain in his side had already faded. Wi Seongcheon let out a sigh and bowed his head deeply.
"......I can't understand why my father and the previous sect leaders endured such humiliation."
"There must be a reason they had no choice but to do so."
The Taiji Sword Lord shook his head.
"I've never met the current Heavenly Flower Sect Leader, but I did meet your grandfather. He......was strong. Incredibly strong. Strong enough to roam the demonic realm alone amid demonic beasts and fiends. And yet, he endured the insults from hunters and ignorant fools."
He had asked the reason.
"I saw many sides of him. The hunters thought your grandfather wandered the demonic realm scavenging weak beasts and corpses, but that wasn't true. He traversed horrific death zones, battling demonic beasts like a madman. As if he wanted to kill himself."
For all that strength.
Why endure the humiliation? Why not make your name resound in the martial world?
"He never gave me an answer. He only smiled awkwardly."
There was another response he had heard.
I don't want to kill you.
The Taiji Sword Lord chuckled heartily.
"It was a threat not to spread pointless rumors. I never heard it directly, but your grandfather undoubtedly had some story. The Heavenly Flower Sect Leader not telling you, his son, anything different must have its reasons, too."
But know this for certain.
The Taiji Sword Lord gripped Wi Seongcheon's shoulder.
"The Heavenly Flower Sect's martial arts are undoubtedly divine arts. And you came to the Heavenly Academy bearing recommendation letters from your father, the Heavenly Flower Sect Leader, and the Radiant Buddha. I don't know the sect leader's intentions. But he surely wished for you, his son, to choose a different life—one without enduring humiliation."
Wi Seongcheon recalled his father's words. The Heavenly Flower Sect is strong. You don't have to endure insults......
Those words decided how Wi Seongcheon would conduct himself at the Heavenly Academy.
"......Heart Sword."
Wi Seongcheon murmured.
With his heart finally eased, he shook his head.
"A sword I never want to be cut by again."
"Haha, you won't often be cut by the Heart Sword."
The Taiji Sword Lord laughed heartily.
"You said the Heavenly Flower Sect's martial arts are divine arts. What exactly makes you say that?"
Having composed himself, he straightened his posture. Wi Seongcheon fixed the Taiji Sword Lord with shining eyes.
'Well now.'
The Taiji Sword Lord smiled wryly. A child who didn't even know what martial arts he himself had learned. Was it right for an outsider like him to explain it from the fundamentals? The Taiji Sword Lord hesitated briefly.
"......No helping it."
It had been the Taiji Sword Lord who first stepped forward to teach Wi Seongcheon. He had no intention of backing out now.
"People often call world-shaking martial arts divine arts, but any martial art, if taken to its extreme, can astonish the heavens and shake the earth."
"Even third-rate martial arts?"
"Yes. What matters is the person wielding it. Even if one starts with third-rate arts, if their talent is transcendent, they can fill in the gaps themselves."
Of course. The Taiji Sword Lord added.
"Even if one's innate talent is mediocre, with the obsession and effort to reach the extreme, they can surpass those limits."
It sounded good. But the world didn't always reward effort as the Taiji Sword Lord described.
Countless people despaired over lacking innate talent and gave up on effort.
"In truth, being able to put in that effort is itself a talent."
The Taiji Sword Lord gave a wry smile.
"What do you think is the measure that divides martial arts' tiers?"
"......Destructive power?"
"No. It's 'how far' it guarantees."
A simple statement.
What level does mastering this martial art 'guarantee.'
"You understand the Three Dantians, right?"
"Yes."
"The basis of martial arts—especially inner arts heart methods—is accumulating qi in the lower dantian."
Naturally, martial arts vary in quality. The speed of accumulation in the lower dantian, the purity of the accumulated qi, and so on. "If it 'guarantees' opening the middle dantian beyond the lower one, that's when it becomes a transcendent art surpassing first-rate."
Opening the middle dantian marks true entry into true qi. With skillful use of true qi, a single sword swing can cleave a mountain.
"The Nine Great Righteous Sects and prestigious families have prospered for so long because even their most basic arts guarantee opening the middle dantian.
Their history is far from meaningless."
They had refined those transcendent arts over long ages, building upon them.
"Arts that open the upper dantian. Those are divine arts. Divine arts teach the 'path' to opening the upper dantian. It's possible to force open the upper dantian through desperate effort and obsession with inferior arts, but with divine arts, mastering them alone can open it."
"......So the arts I've learned are such divine arts?"
"Among them, yours are exceptionally special. Though I've explained it this way, even divine arts don't unconditionally open the upper dantian. Knowing the path from divine arts doesn't make walking it easy."
In the end, all martial arts depend on how one cultivates them.
"You haven't even opened your upper dantian, yet you've already formed the Intent Body. I've studied martial arts for ages and seen many others, but......I've never encountered a case like yours."
"......Is this that special? My father never said anything like that."
"You don't fully grasp how astonishing it is to open the upper dantian and form the Intent Body."
Hearing that made his face burn. What the Taiji Sword Lord spoke of was advanced martial theory unknown even in the Heavenly Flower Sect or the Heavenly Academy.
"The human body has limits to its movement."
The Taiji Sword Lord raised his hand.
"Because it's ultimately human. But if the upper dantian opens, divinity descends into this frail human form. Have you never thought the God-Demon War of a thousand years ago sounded implausible?"
"......Pardon?"
"The 'Demon King' of a thousand years ago wiped out a continent across the sea before coming here. We can't call the Demon King human, but how could one being erase an entire continent?"
Wi Seongcheon hesitated on how to respond. In truth, he'd thought it absurd since childhood. But it made sense—it was a thousand years ago, after all. Myths and legends are inherently exaggerated.
"A power beyond human comprehension is the power of the divine."
The Taiji Sword Lord pointed to the sky.
"Opening the upper dantian means taking one step into the divine realm."
His extended finger shifted sideways.
Wi Seongcheon's eyes widened as he followed the direction. A massive cloud high in the sky was being 'sliced' along with the movement of the Taiji Sword Lord's finger.
"Forming the Intent Body means one's movements far surpass human limits."
Wi Seongcheon whipped around in shock.
The Taiji Sword Lord, now behind him, smiled faintly as he regarded Wi Seongcheon.
"H-How?"
"My intent moved my body thus. Nothing impressive—any of the Ten Heroes could do this much."
Now do you see how remarkable you are? The Taiji Sword Lord patted Wi Seongcheon's shoulder.
"Forming the Intent Body is only possible after opening the upper dantian. Accumulate qi in the body via the lower dantian, shape the qi by opening the middle dantian, and when the upper opens......everything connects as one, becoming the complete 'self.' Only then does one comprehend intent and form the Intent Body. Yet you've already done so. It's incomplete, but......haha. Astonishing."
Hearing that, Wi Seongcheon had an inkling.
The Heavenly Flower Sect's martial arts.
The Five Divine Forms of the Heavy Hand.
An art transcending human limits.
The Taiji Sword Lord watched Wi Seongcheon's expression change. Those points alone piqued his interest, but the real reason he decided to teach Wi Seongcheon was another.
"Even more astonishing is your 'sense.'"
"......Pardon?"
"You were the first to detect the Demonic Cult spy. With mere sense."
"Is that something to surprise you, Taiji Sword Lord?"
"It's very surprising. There was one other who spotted the Demonic Cult spy's concealment through 'sense' alone this time. Know who?"
"No idea."
"Muyeon Jun."
Wi Seongcheon swallowed hard.
"And I heard from Nam Myeong and Absolute Sword that you sensed the Bloodlight Man before his frenzy."
"......Yes."
The master of Jigeon Chamber in Samgok Mountains. Somehow, he had ingested a Bloodlight Pill. A stimulant used by Demonic Cultists, it granted power exploding past one's limits if one craved strength fiercely after consumption.
At the cost of losing one's sanity, becoming a madman whose blood vessels burst, killing them.
"The Bloodlight Pill is demonic power. You discerned demonic qi with mere sense."
It couldn't be coincidence. Not once, but twice. Moreover, Wi Seongcheon had clearly felt 'ill omen' from both the master's frenzy and the spy's concealment.
"Muyeon Jun is sensitive to demonic qi because he was born with heavenly talent bearing the fate to eradicate demons."
"......Then what about me?"
"There are arts in Buddhism and Taoism that detect demonic qi for demon-extermination, but you're no disciple of either, right? So there's only one answer."
The Taiji Sword Lord spoke calmly.
"The Heavenly Flower Sect's martial arts are demon-exterminating arts."
It had been a day full of surprises.
"Perhaps your grandfather drove himself so harshly in the demonic realm out of obsession to perfect demon-exterminating arts."
'Today.'
Today, upon returning to the dormitory, he would write a letter to his father at the Heavenly Flower Sect and send it.
Wi Seongcheon hardened his expression with resolve.