Ch 144
Became a swordsmanship instructor at the academy
Chapter 144
The method Master suggested to solve Luciel's problem was internal energy.
At first, I didn't understand.
Unlike the wound inflicted by the Demon King, the magic power of the Demon Realm Tree couldn't be absorbed with internal energy.
Qi flows from places with less to places with more.
Of course, the magic power of the Demon Realm Tree in Luciel's body is about the same as or slightly less than the internal energy I possess.
So it wasn't that I couldn't attempt it at all.
But when I actually tried, the moment I absorbed the demonic energy of the Demon Realm Tree, the Demon Realm Tree immediately refilled that empty space.
While Master certainly has much more internal energy than me, it can't be more than the Demon Realm Tree.
Even if Master's internal energy were greater, it's not like internal energy can be absorbed indefinitely.
There's also a high possibility that the demonic energy erosion would progress further as the demonic energy flows back and forth during the absorption process.
Since I didn't explain properly earlier, I mentioned these concerns, but Master snorted.
"You're completely barking up the wrong tree."
"Pardon?"
"Why do you think someone else has to do the absorption? I roughly guessed those issues you mentioned even without you saying anything. Would it be good for your health if someone took away your internal energy?"
"It wouldn't be good. Then how..."
"Wouldn't it be solved if the one purifying the demonic energy isn't someone else but the person themselves?"
Luciel purifying her own demonic energy?
"If that were possible, she would have already..."
"You still don't get it even after I've explained this much? Sigh. My stupid disciple, what did I say at the beginning?"
"Internal energy..."
"Your memory seems fine. More precisely, it's an internal energy cultivation method."
"Internal energy cultivation method? Oh? Then teaching Luciel the cultivation method..."
"Right. Your sweetheart just needs to learn the cultivation method herself and convert the demonic energy she has into internal energy."
Hah... What was I thinking.
"I understand what you're saying, but it's not that I haven't considered that method."
"Then why didn't you do it? Don't tell me it's because you were being stingy like last time?"
"No. As I mentioned earlier, when the demonic energy of the Demon Realm Tree decreases in Luciel's body, the Demon Realm Tree supplies more demonic energy..."
"What's the problem with that? Just keep converting it to internal energy."
"If demonic energy is continuously supplied, it would accelerate the erosion, the balance might break, and wouldn't her condition actually get worse?"
"Hmm, that's a valid point."
Just when I thought I had gotten my hopes up for nothing, Master flicks me on the forehead.
"What are you trying to do? You said it was a valid point."
"A properly valid point."
"Hah... Where did you even learn to talk like that. Master, I'm really not in the mood for jokes, so please take it easy."
"Hmph, look who's talking. You don't seem very desperate either."
Seriously, even if he's my master, he's being too careless with his words.
"I'm telling you to really stop..."
"Have you forgotten what I told you when I first taught you the cultivation method?"
"What words!"
"Didn't I say that our Xiantian Sect's Xiantian Divine Art is a cultivation method that can embrace all forms of energy and creates internal energy more powerful than any other internal energy cultivation method under heaven?"
I do remember hearing that, but at the time I didn't think much of it.
In martial arts novels, martial artists always think their sect's internal energy cultivation method is the best in the world.
I thought Master's words were just that kind of self-praise.
Besides, in my world, there's only one internal energy cultivation method - the Xiantian Divine Art - so there's nothing to compare it to.
"So what about it?"
"Even after I tell you, this obtuse fellow. Isn't the cause of your sweetheart's problem the imbalance between demonic energy and divine energy?"
"So?"
"There's no energy in the world that the Xiantian Divine Art cannot embrace, and there's no energy stronger than the internal energy created by the Xiantian Divine Art. If your sweetheart learns the Xiantian Divine Art, could mere demonic energy erode her?"
It's not entirely without merit, but thinking about it more, this too is impossible.
"Wouldn't it be dangerous if the balance breaks while rashly learning the internal energy cultivation method?"
"Why would the balance break?"
Se-jin and I easily converted our existing magic into internal energy, but Luciel's case is different.
Luciel's body contains both the divine power she has as an angel and the demonic energy of the Demon Realm Tree.
As Master said, internal energy created by the Xiantian Divine Art might be able to prevent demonic energy erosion unlike divine power.
But demonic energy isn't a virus and the Xiantian Divine Art isn't a vaccine.
If Luciel learns the Xiantian Divine Art, she'll convert both divine power and demonic energy indiscriminately into internal energy.
Then it's only a matter of time before the balance breaks.
While the divine power Luciel possesses is limited, demonic energy will be continuously supplied from the Demon Realm Tree.
"The divine power Luciel has - or in Master's terms, divine energy - is limited, but demonic energy is continuously supplied. The Xiantian Divine Art won't selectively convert only demonic energy first, will it?"
If the Xiantian Divine Art could specifically target and convert only demonic energy into internal energy, then Master would be absolutely right.
But if divine power is converted to internal energy first and the balance breaks, demonic energy will instantly devour Luciel and completely corrupt her.
Even if by some miracle they convert at the same ratio, corruption would be inevitable due to the difference in quantity between limited divine power and continuously supplied demonic energy.
Even if internal energy created by the Xiantian Divine Art can block demonic energy erosion, a half-hearted amount would be nowhere near enough.
We don't even know how much internal energy would be sufficient to control demonic energy erosion, and we can't rule out the possibility that Luciel might fall to corruption first.
If she falls to corruption, everything ends.
A corrupted Luciel who has lost her reason wouldn't obediently learn an internal energy cultivation method.
In other words, to summarize, having Luciel learn the Xiantian Divine Art is essentially gambling.
Case one: The Xiantian Divine Art converts demonic energy to internal energy first.
Case two: The Xiantian Divine Art converts demonic energy and divine power to internal energy simultaneously.
Case three: The Xiantian Divine Art converts divine power to internal energy first.
Among these three cases, only the first case would allow us to save Luciel.
It's one out of three, so at first glance it might seem like not such bad odds, but reality isn't like that.
If we don't attempt it, I can be with Luciel for 20 years.
But if it fails, forget 20 years - in two months... no, maybe even less than two weeks, I might have to kill Luciel with my own hands...
Luciel, who had been standing at a slight distance listening to our conversation, approached.
"It's not like there's only a possibility of failure, right? If there's a possibility, it might not be bad to try once."
"No."
Probabilities don't matter.
Even if the success rate is 99.9% and the failure rate is 0.1%, I can't gamble with the life of someone I love.
"Why? If it goes well, you and Shin-hyeok can stay together..."
"What if it goes wrong? She might not last two weeks instead of 20 years and fall to corruption!"
There's still plenty of time.
It would be slightly better to attempt it when divine power is dominant, but it wouldn't make that big a difference.
I haven't even given a proper answer to her confession yet...
There's no need to make a choice right now.
"Why are you shouting? If it goes wrong, it goes wrong."
"Luciel!"
"Don't shout! Even if something goes wrong with me, you won't lose anything, will you?"
"Won't lose anything? What kind of way is that to talk?"
"You have that thieving cat besides me, don't you? If something goes wrong with me, you can just meet her. Wouldn't that actually be better?"
...
"Don't say things you don't mean."
"I'm serious though? I want to do it. I was curious about the energy Shin-hyeok uses anyway, so this works out well."
She approaches Master with a nonchalant smile, but my insides are boiling with anger.
"If you teach Luciel the Xiantian Divine Art, I'll sever ties with you from that moment, Master. I'll never come to this place again either."
"Kang Shin-hyeok! You really."
"What?"
I'm one step above when it comes to handling Master.
"Hey, you coward!"
"Oh, right. I'll be a coward. So no. There's no need to decide right now."
"Who are you to decide on your own?"
"Um..."
Master tried to intervene between us two.
"Master, please don't interfere."
"Right. Old man, step aside."
"Old man? Hey, what kind of way is that to talk to our master?"
"What? I'm probably older anyway."
"Is being old something to brag about? Then wouldn't it be a crime for someone older like you to like me?"
"Cr... Crime?"
"Seriously, these guys! Are you treating me like a decorative sack of barley right now?"
"No, Master, this is something for the two of us to decide, so please... UGH!"
"AH! Why are you hitting me!"
Both Luciel and I got flicked on the forehead.
"You should listen to what people say until the end. As you said, there's a possibility the balance could collapse. But couldn't we provide support to prevent that?"
"Pardon? How could such a thing..."
"It might be difficult at your level, but it's not particularly difficult for me."
...
"No. If that's possible, why are you only saying it now? You should have spoken up sooner."
"Right. This wrinkled old man... AH!"
"I was going to say it, but you two didn't listen and started your melodrama, didn't you?"
UGH...
I have nothing to say.
"Old man, then let's start right away."
"Calling me old man again... Shin-hyeok, does your sweetheart know our language?"
"Our language? Oh, Chinese? She doesn't."
Come to think of it, internal energy cultivation methods are in Chinese.
Lee Ji-sung had the setting of being able to speak Chinese because he received a lot of education from a young age, and Do-hyun had the setting of knowing Chinese because his father did China-related business.
"My name isn't sweetheart, why do you keep calling me sweetheart?"
"She doesn't know it."
When Luciel couldn't come outside, I brought her videos and books to keep her from getting bored, just like I did for Master, but they were all in Korean.
"It'll take some time."
We can communicate through translation magic, but when learning internal energy cultivation methods, both meaning and pronunciation are important.
Se-jin also learned Chinese as a second foreign language, but I had to provide separate language education.
"She'll be able to learn it quickly."
"Quickly? She doesn't even seem to know the Chinese characters for sweetheart."
Chinese isn't such an easy language, but if I briefly visit Luciel's world, it'll be quick.
I asked Master for a moment's understanding and exited the portal.
I downloaded Chinese lessons onto my phone and tore a leaf.
***
Luciel quickly learned Chinese in her world and smoothly learned the internal energy cultivation method.
I thought everything was resolved well, but it wasn't.
"Luciel has to stay here for a year? You didn't mention that at first."
Not just a day or two, but at least a year...
I wondered if Master could go to Luciel's world instead, so I brought it up, but Master said he couldn't leave this portal.
He said if he left this portal, sanctions would come from the immortal realm.
"Your sweetheart has quite a lot of demonic energy. To build up enough internal energy to control the demonic energy, it'll probably take about a year. Couldn't you just leave her here?"
"Luciel cannot be separated from me."
I explained the soul separation magic to Master.
"Hmm, so you're saying that necklace cannot be dismantled?"
"That's right."
"That necklace looks like it could be broken with just a little force?"
"I can break it too. But then Luciel's condition would worsen..."
SNAP.
"Ma... Master?"