Chapter 726: As Earnestly as Anyone Else
Chapter 726: As Earnestly as Anyone Else
“I knew I’d find you here.”
At the sound of Geom Mu-geuk’s voice from behind, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon turned his head, a look of surprise crossing his features.
“How did you know I was here?”
They were at the very summit of Daecheon Mountain. The Blood Heaven Blade Demon stood at the peak, his gaze fixed on the stars scattered across the night sky. Previously, Seo Dae-ryong had mentioned that whenever his master needed to clear his head, he would climb this mountain.
“Am I not the one person who knows everything about you, Elder?”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon turned back to Geom Mu-geuk.
“I suppose you climbed up here because you were feeling restless as well.”
Geom Mu-geuk didn’t deny it; he simply offered a thin smile.
“What about the victory banquet?”
“It ended well.”
His father and the Blood Heaven Blade Demon hadn’t attended from the start, and most of the other Demon Lords had departed after staying only a short while. They knew that Seo Dae-ryong would only be able to truly relax and enjoy himself with his comrades if the elders made themselves scarce.
After watching Seo Dae-ryong and Dan-ah enjoy the boisterous atmosphere for a time, Mu-geuk had quietly slipped away. By now, the guests were likely watching the drunken Huangquan Pavilion Master recite poetry.
“Your congratulatory speech was truly wonderful,” the Elder remarked.
“I didn’t realize I would forget the words so many times.”
“It’s because you’re getting old.”
The Blood Heaven Blade Demon laughed, looking back up at the stars.
“You’ve seen your right-hand man married off. What will you do now?”
Until now, Mu-geuk had only said he would distance himself from the Great Achievement of the Nine Calamities Demonic Art. But his answer was different now.
“Now, I am going to run toward the Great Achievement of the Nine Calamities Demonic Art.”
When Mu-geuk had previously felt the Great Achievement within his grasp and prepared to enter closed-door training, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon had stopped him.
If you want it too desperately, it will only move further away.
He had gained a profound realization then. His progress toward the Ninth Star had been a result of his interactions with people, yet he had been tempted to discard all those connections in his singular desire to reach the Great Achievement.
But the Great Achievement he spoke of now was different.
He was only saying this after seeing Dae-ryong through his wedding, fulfilling his worldly duties.
Geom Mu-geuk’s eyes held a new, tempered fire. This time, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon did not stop him.
“If you have decided to want it, then want it more earnestly than anyone else.”
*
The next morning, Geom Mu-geuk packed his bags.
He prepared a change of clothes, spices for cooking, a leather mat for sleeping on the ground, dried rations that would last a long time, and a few other essentials.
With his pack full, he climbed Daecheon Mountain once more.
He searched for a suitable spot among the mountain's many peaks and valleys. Eventually, he found a wide clearing in a rugged area where no one ever ventured. A cave sat nestled in the soaring cliff behind it, and a stream flowed nearby.
A cliff to the rear and an open space in front—it was the perfect place for training.
Geom Mu-geuk unpacked his things in the cave.
He didn’t intend to use the Time Heaven Secret Technique of the Space-Time Displacement Technique for this training. Since the Great Achievement felt close enough to touch, he had resolved to train while physically feeling the natural energy of Daecheon Mountain.
His father had told him once: if his chest felt tight or if he hit a wall during training, he should climb this mountain. He said the energy of Daecheon Mountain would provide the clarity he needed.
He began his training the following morning.
First, he sat in the lotus position and meditated, absorbing the essence of the mountain. After a hearty meal, he began training in the Nine Calamities Demonic Art in earnest.
He performed the first through fifth forms in the clearing, only activating the Space-Time Displacement Technique to perform the sixth form: Heavenly Demon World Destruction.
If he were to unleash the Heavenly Demon World Destruction—which now incorporated the volatile energy of the Flying Blood Snake—in the open, everything in the vicinity would be annihilated.
Only after exhausting all his internal energy by unleashing the sixth form would he emerge from the Space-Time Displacement.
Having completely spent his energy, Geom Mu-geuk would sit down and begin the slow process of replenishment.
“That’s one!”
He intended to repeat this process continuously. Since he performed each form with his entire soul, it was an exhausting, grueling task.
His goal was five full cycles a day.
How long would he have to stay here?
A hundred days? A thousand? Or perhaps ten thousand?
*
Eat, train, walk, sleep.
The routine repeated every day.
The Great Achievement, which had seemed so close he could almost grab it, was not actually that near. It felt like it was right in front of him, yet it remained perpetually out of reach. Had he mistaken its proximity simply because the power itself was so massive?
Fortunately, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s teachings proved their worth during this intensive isolation. The two pieces of advice he had given were his anchors:
Don’t be too earnest.
Yet, be more earnest than anyone else.
Geom Mu-geuk practiced both of these contradictory lessons.
On days when he grew anxious that his training method was wrong, he recalled the first. On days when he was tempted to go back down and find another way, he recalled the second.
People thought his strength lay in his ability to form relationships, but his true talent was his ability to accomplish things alone. He was a man who could devote his entire life to a single goal in absolute solitude.
And today, as he performed the Nine Calamities Demonic Art for the two hundred and twenty-fifth time, he had an unexpected visitor.
Geom Wu-jin walked up to the clearing with his hands behind his back, looking as if he were taking a casual stroll.
“Father!”
Geom Wu-jin looked at him with a dry, unimpressed expression.
“You look like a total beggar.”
Now that he thought about it, Mu-geuk hadn’t shaved his beard recently and had been so focused on training that his appearance was a mess.
“Is that how you intend to meet him?”
“Meet who?”
From the silent gaze of his father, Geom Mu-geuk understood immediately.
He was asking if Mu-geuk intended to look like a wreck the moment the Heavenly Demon Soul finally manifested. It was something he had longed for so much; he couldn’t let that happen.
“Please, sit here, Father.”
Geom Mu-geuk quickly spread out a tiger skin he had kept rolled up in his leather pouch. He had been using an ordinary piece of leather for himself.
“Did you know I was coming?”
“I brought it just in case.”
He wouldn’t have brought it elsewhere. But since this was the place his father had recommended, he thought his father might visit at least once.
Geom Wu-jin sat on the tiger skin.
“Have you eaten?”
“I haven’t.”
It had taken a long time to hear those words—that his father hadn't eaten. It meant he had come here specifically to share a meal with his son.
“Please wait a moment. I’ll go catch a wild boar or something quickly.”
As Geom Mu-geuk moved to go hunting, Geom Wu-jin stopped him.
“Let’s just eat what you’re having.”
“It’s all cold.”
“It’s fine.”
Geom Mu-geuk brought out the meat and food he had set aside. He used his Heat Yang True Qi to warm the food before serving it. Of course, he had clean utensils prepared in his leather pouch in anticipation of this very visit.
The two ate in silence. Though they didn’t speak, the atmosphere wasn't awkward at all.
After finishing the meal, Geom Mu-geuk brewed some tea. He even had the specific tea his father enjoyed in his pouch.
“I didn’t bring any alcohol because I thought it might make me want to go back down the mountain,” Mu-geuk admitted.
“The tea tastes good, so it’s fine.”
The two sat across from each other, sipping tea. Geom Mu-geuk shared his honest thoughts.
“It feels like I’m almost there. It feels like I’ll achieve it as soon as I finish this session. Is the Great Achievement always like a mirage in the desert?”
Geom Wu-jin took a sip of tea before answering.
“Normally, one wouldn’t even be able to step into that desert.”
It was his way of saying Mu-geuk’s progress was exceptionally fast.
While becoming stronger through the Great Achievement was important, Mu-geuk’s greater desire was to see his own Heavenly Demon Soul.
What would it look like? Did the Heavenly Demon Soul possess its own spirit? How would it communicate with him?
He had so many questions, but he didn’t ask his father. He wanted to experience it all for himself. However, there was one thing he had to ask.
“Once I reach the Great Achievement, how do I summon the Heavenly Demon Soul?”
“You will be able to summon it with your will.”
“How much internal energy does it require?”
“Manifesting the Heavenly Demon Soul requires no internal energy. However, for the Heavenly Demon Soul to use martial arts, it requires yours.”
In the end, it meant the Heavenly Demon Soul was deeply connected to the one who summoned it. The manifestation of the Heavenly Demon Soul—just the thought of it made his heart race.
After finishing the rest of his tea, Geom Wu-jin stood up.
“When you come down from the mountain, let’s play a game of Go.”
His father didn’t say a single word about doing well or how to train; he truly just ate and left. But this visit brought about a change in Mu-geuk.
*
The day after his father’s visit, Mu-geuk took a walk after finishing his training as usual.
Because he trained with everything he had, the mental exhaustion was immense, and he was drained by the end. Yet, he never skipped his walks. He contemplated as he moved. He thought about his life before the regression and the enemies he had killed. He recalled the oral formulas of his martial arts and pondered new training methods.
Then, Geom Mu-geuk’s eyes fell upon a giant tree that had fallen when a section of the valley collapsed.
“What a waste.”
The giant tree, which looked to be a thousand years old, lay broken and fallen. Mu-geuk was about to pass by, but then he turned back.
Slaaaash! Slash!
Geom Mu-geuk cut into the tree with his Black Demonic Sword. He brought a piece of wood the size of a large box back to his dwelling and began to craft.
Slaaaash, slash.
As it was carved by the sword, it gradually took shape—a thick Go board with sturdy legs.
The reason Geom Mu-geuk hadn’t passed the tree by was that the fallen wood was Torreya, the highest quality material for a Go board. It was even a thousand-year-old Torreya tree.
When you come down from the mountain, let’s play a game of Go.
He wanted to make a Go board himself and give it to his father as a gift. For a man who loved Go, there could be no better present.
Geom Mu-geuk put his heart into the work. His training continued, and he spent his spare time crafting the board. Ten days later, it was finally finished. It was so magnificent that one would believe it had been bought from a master craftsman.
Now, only one step remained—the most important task.
After staring down at the board for a moment to steady his mind, Geom Mu-geuk began to draw lines on the surface with his Black Demonic Sword.
Shick! Shick! Shick!
The lines were drawn with detached precision. Nineteen horizontal lines were etched, followed immediately by the vertical lines. Even though a single mistake would ruin the entire piece, Mu-geuk did not lose his focus. The lines were drawn with perfect accuracy, without a hair’s breadth of error.
Mu-geuk was satisfied. It had turned out better than he had imagined.
Once the board was done, he felt the urge to make the Go stones himself as well. He cut more Torreya wood to make the bowls for the stones. Making the bowls was actually harder than the board; it required more specialized skill than it appeared, and only after several failures did he produce a pair he was satisfied with.
Finally, he made the stones.
While walking, he found a white rock that shone like crystal, and a few days later, he found black stones that emitted a pitch-black luster. Geom Mu-geuk began to emit sword qi from his Black Demonic Sword to shape them.
Even though it was more inconvenient and difficult, he used the Black Demonic Sword instead of a dagger. He controlled the minute sword qi to carve the stones. At the end, he used gang qi to buff them smooth.
He had never imagined he would use his martial arts to make Go stones.
The first stone took a long time, but the time gradually decreased. It was the first time he had practiced such minute, delicate control over his sword qi.
Slaaaash! Slash!
The more he made, the more he became accustomed to the fine adjustment of sword qi and gang qi.
Train, make stones, train again, make more stones.
One, then two, sometimes three or four—he crafted the stones with care every day. No matter how tired he was, he never rested from his training or his stone-making.
The days repeated, and Geom Mu-geuk overcame the boredom. Finally, today, he finished the last of the three hundred and twenty-one stones.
“It’s finally finished!”
With trembling hands, Mu-geuk placed the last stone into the bowl. The stones, all identical in size, glittered inside. After touching them with a sense of deep emotion, he tucked them away in a corner of the cave and covered them with the tiger skin.
Rather than basking in the feeling, there was something he had to do now.
Geom Mu-geuk stepped out of the cave and drew his sword. It was night, and his training for the day was already over, but he intended to perform the Nine Calamities Demonic Art once more.
The moment he finished the last Go stone, he had felt a sudden urge to perform the art. He didn’t know why. He just felt like he had to.
The moment the First Form, Annihilation Form, was unleashed.
Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!
Four evil ghosts appeared from the four cardinal directions and slashed through a single space. Before they could even vanish, he unleashed the Second Form, Great Annihilation Form.
Mu-geuk now unleashed these five forms as a linked sequence.
Sssssssssssss!
The hideous ghosts multiplied before his eyes. There were twenty-six of them!
Rumbleeeee!
They charged forward, tearing through space. Before the results could even be seen, Mu-geuk’s sword was already unleashing the next form.
Whoosh!
With the sound of a single gust of wind, a wall of gang qi appeared before him. Before the transparent radiance of the Third Form, Great Demonic Wall, could fade, the Fourth Form, Dark Flash, was unleashed.
Fwip.
Just as a deep darkness seemed to settle...
Shweeeeee.
A single streak of light cut through the gloom. When the surroundings brightened again, sword qi was pouring down from the sky like lightning. It was the Fifth Form, Soul-Severing Demonic Strike.
Shuck-shuck-shuck-shuck!
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
Stone fragments flew everywhere. The traces of sword qi left in the ground were perfectly spaced. The depth of the holes was identical.
Despite unleashing the first through fifth forms in succession, Mu-geuk felt no strain on his body. He was performing the Nine Calamities Demonic Art with absolute freedom.
He could not unleash the Sixth Form, Heavenly Demon World Destruction, here. He couldn’t risk destroying Daecheon Mountain.
Geom Mu-geuk opened the Space-Time Displacement Technique and unleashed the Heavenly Demon World Destruction there.
Flash!
The moment light erupted from the Black Demonic Sword, it covered the world in white. The world within the Space-Time Displacement was annihilated. It was a technique he had repeated hundreds of times since climbing the mountain.
Normally, after completely annihilating the world within the technique, he would release the Space-Time Displacement and emerge. But today’s Heavenly Demon World Destruction was different. After flying endlessly and annihilating everything...
Craaaaack!
Cracks began to form and shatter in every direction within the Space-Time Displacement world.
‘!’
The world Mu-geuk was looking at was cracking, even though he hadn’t released the technique.
‘The Space-Time Displacement is breaking!’
The Heavenly Demon World Destruction was smashing and breaking through the Space-Time Displacement itself. This had never happened before, and Mu-geuk was thrown into a panic.
BOOOOM!
As the Space-Time Displacement shattered, Mu-geuk was flung back into the outside world.
Thud.
Mu-geuk slammed into the cliff with immense force. Having no internal energy left, he was defenseless.
Rumble, crash!
The residual shockwave of the Heavenly Demon World Destruction, which had broken through the Space-Time Displacement, pulverized the surroundings.
Boom! Rumble!
The cliff where the cave had been collapsed under the impact.
Crash!
Geom Mu-geuk’s eyes widened. He rolled his body to dodge, but he couldn't avoid another massive boulder. It all happened in an instant.
‘No!’
THUD!
Darkness followed the thunderous roar.
‘Am I dead?’
Judging by the fact that his entire body felt like it was exploding from the impact against the wall, he wasn't dead. How had he survived?
At that very moment!
The darkness surrounding him began to move, and then, it slowly began to open its eyes.