Chapter 106
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 106
Chapter Title: Relationships Within Relationships (1)
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The Festival of Papiyas ended in great success.
The rite offered to Papiyas was conducted with solemnity, but the ceremony itself lasted less than an hour. As someone had said, the Festival of Papiyas was now more like a celebration.
With the brilliant festival over, all that remained was the cleanup.
The Grand Marshal mobilized seventy percent of the Divine Cult’s forces and finished the cleanup in just two days.
He had decided that even if operations were paralyzed for a day or two, it was better in the long run to get things back in order quickly.
Perhaps that was why the Divine Cult regained its tranquility, as if such a boisterous event had never happened.
Just as a mild breeze can feel particularly cold after a hot summer, the Divine Cult of the Heavenly Demon felt exceedingly quiet now that the clamorous festival was over.
***
“You okay?”
“Pant! Pant!”
Drenched in sweat, Ma Dongpil gasped for breath, his hands braced against the ground.
Seo Ryang grinned. Without a single drop of sweat on him, he casually rested the Dragon Scale Saber on his shoulder, his face looking almost radiant.
“Still, not bad. You’re improving every day.”
“Gasp! Th-thank you!”
“What’s there to thank me for? I’m safer if you’re stronger. Just think of it as an investment.”
Despite his words, Ma Dongpil felt a deep sense of gratitude.
Even investments had their limits. Seo Ryang, who meticulously guided every swing of the sword and every footstep, was a better teacher than any instructor he had seen in the Divine Cult.
“One last round?”
“Of course!”
“Catch your breath properly. Since this is the last one, let’s make it a real fight.”
“Yes!”
After taking a full quarter of an hour to steady his breathing, Ma Dongpil raised his sword.
Just then, the main gate burst open with a bang!
“I’m here, Young Ma—!”
*Thwack!*
Wi Hongryeon spun once in the air before collapsing in a heap. A fist-sized rock rolled to a stop beside her as she lay there, the whites of her eyes showing and her tongue lolling out.
Seo Ryang growled.
“Now you don’t even knock? That crazy brat.”
Ma Dongpil swallowed hard.
“Y-Young Master. Still…”
“Still what!”
“…Nothing.”
“So uncivilized. I’ll have to give her a good spanking later. How is she not dead yet?”
Ma Dongpil thought getting spanked was probably better than being hit with a rock, but he wisely kept that thought to himself.
Now was the time to focus on the coming strike, not Wi Hongryeon’s well-being.
“Begin.”
“Yes.”
*Chiiiiik!*
The words had barely left his mouth when a blue sword aura began to rise from the Silent King Sword.
It wasn’t one of his secret techniques, the Soul-Severing Sword or the Heavenly Return Sword. The sphere of aura shimmering faintly at the tip of the blade indicated he was aiming for a thrust, not a slash.
The corners of Seo Ryang’s mouth lifted.
‘He’s learning faster.’
A powerful technique wasn't always the most advantageous. The key was to find the most effective attack against the opponent.
Just like Seo Ryang, who had instinctively drawn his saber and struck when Lee Cheonsang offered to teach him a lesson,
one had to have an eye for finding openings and exploiting weaknesses to be called a true master.
Moreover, the Strong Sword and Heavy Sword that Ma Dongpil pursued were types of martial arts that had few weaknesses once fully mastered.
If he could grasp the solid principles of both offense and defense, he would boast an impregnable martial prowess.
“One strike, coming.”
“Come at me whenever you’re ready.”
After a brief moment of concentration, Ma Dongpil moved.
*Thump!*
A straightforward advance with no trickery.
Seo Ryang’s eyes gleamed.
‘Look at this one.’
His forward speed wasn’t fast. It was unlike Ma Dongpil, who always maintained an explosive pace to force a single blow.
‘How is he planning to attack?’
For once, even Seo Ryang couldn’t read Ma Dongpil’s intentions.
As the distance closed to three zhang, then two, then one.
*Woooong.*
Ma Dongpil swung his sword.
‘Huh?’
He had expected a quick, swift thrust, but this was different.
From an unreachable distance, he swung the Silent King Sword from top to bottom. There was no sword aura, and the speed was sluggish.
‘What is he— Hup!’
*Kuuuuung!*
Suddenly, an intense weight pressed down from above his shoulders.
*Crack!*
Fissures spread across the ground where Seo Ryang stood. His body felt heavy, as if he were carrying a thousand-pound boulder.
‘That bastard…’
Ma Dongpil’s face was pale, a stark contrast to his serious expression. It meant he was unleashing an immense amount of internal energy in an instant.
Seo Ryang lifted the Dragon Scale Saber from his shoulder. His movement was slow, unlike his usual self. He was being affected by Ma Dongpil’s sword pressure.
“Urgh!”
*Kwa-jee-jeek!*
The formless sword pressure weighing down on him from the air shattered completely.
At the same moment, Ma Dongpil moved.
*Bang!*
Unlike before, it was an explosive movement. Faster than any speed he had shown until now.
Seo Ryang’s eyes wavered. The tip of the Silent King Sword, pushing through the air, shot toward his solar plexus.
It was too late to counter by swinging the Dragon Scale Saber. In a flash, the Seven Nights Saber, which had been at his right hip, was in his left hand.
The killing blade of the Heavenly Demon and the ancient demonic weapon clashed head-on.
*Kwarreureung!*
“Keoheok!”
With a deafening roar, Ma Dongpil was thrown out of the training ground.
He rolled over several times before coughing up blood.
“Bleegh!”
The gushing blood was proof of a severe internal injury. He had performed a two-forms-in-one-move technique at the risk of injury, and on top of that, had taken a blow he couldn’t handle.
He was lucky to even be conscious.
Seeing this from a distance, a startled Aeng-hwa rushed to Ma Dongpil’s side.
“Guard Ma! Are you alright?”
“Cough, cough! Pant, pant!”
He couldn’t get his bearings. It was the aftereffect of taking the full shockwave of the weapon clash. He was conscious, but the dizziness was so bad he couldn’t even kneel.
Aeng-hwa looked at Seo Ryang with worried eyes.
“Y-Young Master. What should we do?”
Seo Ryang didn’t register her gaze or her voice. He was too busy staring at Ma Dongpil in astonishment.
But that lasted only a moment.
*Chiriring!*
Sheathing his sabers cleanly, he approached Ma Dongpil. Though he tried to get up, Ma Dongpil kept stumbling.
The shockwave had reached his eardrums, disrupting his sense of balance.
Seo Ryang’s hand touched his Life Gate acupoint.
*Wooooong.*
A highly pure demonic energy instantly circulated throughout Ma Dongpil’s body.
And that wasn’t all. He operated the Unhindered Arts on top of the Nine Hells Demonic Art.
*Drip.*
Stagnant blood trickled from Ma Dongpil’s nose. At the same time, his wavering vision cleared, and the dizziness vanished.
“Hoo! Hoo!”
Finally coming to his senses, Ma Dongpil panted and looked up at Seo Ryang.
“I-I apologize. I’ve shown you a disgraceful sight.”
Seo Ryang looked down at Ma Dongpil in silence.
A look of confusion crossed Ma Dongpil’s face. He had never seen such an expression on Seo Ryang before.
It was a strange mix—impressed yet bitter, surprised yet not entirely pleased.
“Hey.”
“Y-yes?”
“Since when?”
“…I’m sorry, but I don’t understand what you mean.”
Seo Ryang touched his lips. He didn’t know how to explain it.
‘Ha! What kind of guy is this?’
In martial arts, there was a technique called the Thousand-Pound Drop.
A skill that used powerful internal energy to amplify one’s own body weight.
Of course, that was what those who didn’t truly understand the Thousand-Pound Drop thought. No matter how miraculous internal energy was, it couldn’t increase a person’s physical weight.
However, just as one could use internal energy to exert strength beyond their muscular limits, one could pour it into their center of gravity to apply an explosive sense of ‘weight’ for a moment.
But even that was normally only possible within one’s own body. To imbue sword pressure with the principles of the Thousand-Pound Drop and crush another person’s body, as Ma Dongpil had done, was not something just anyone could do.
It was also one of the pathways to the divine skill of Grasping from the Void—an ability of supreme masters who could subdue others by emitting waves of energy.
“If you could have used that move just now when you faced Ji Yeonghyeon, you would have been able to subdue him too.”
“…Pardon?”
“Ji Yeonghyeon possessed overwhelming internal energy. Enough to suppress even a highly enlightened master. But it’s a power that doesn’t work against true experts.”
Ma Dongpil unknowingly nodded. For instance, Seo Ryang had subdued Ji Yeonghyeon in an instant.
“Like you just now.”
“…!”
“How did you think of using a move like that?”
“Ah… I just…”
Ma Dongpil, who had been stammering, hardened his expression and said.
“I thought that an attack that was merely fast and strong wouldn’t be able to touch a single hair on you, Young Master.”
“You’re right. Because I’m faster and stronger than you.”
“Yes. I decided it would be better to maximize my own strengths. Even with the same power, the efficiency is higher when using a familiar martial art.”
“A correct judgment.”
“But I figured a simple attack wouldn’t be much different from before. That’s when I found a clue in your martial arts, Young Master.”
“A clue? What kind?”
“Your saber art… that is…”
“The Nine Hells Calamity Saber Art.”
“Yes, you demonstrated it for me once before, didn’t you?”
“Did I?”
“The extreme firepower that raged after a powerful saber wind, and the glacial gale of ice and snow that seeped in after the firepower, was truly the ideal of martial arts.
But what made that gale even more terrifying was that the technique used right before it was one of extreme Yang.”
“So you maximized the sense of speed with a swift sword following a heavy sword?”
“Yes. Of course, I thought even that wouldn't work, so as a desperate measure, I tried amplifying the power of my sword pressure.”
Ma Dongpil let out a sigh.
“In the end, this too was brought to its knees by a greater power.”
“…Idiot.”
“Eh?”
“You have no idea what an incredible thing you just did.”
Seo Ryang didn’t hide his admiration.
“Since meeting you, this was the moment I was most impressed by your martial arts alone.”
“…!”
“A shift in perspective is just as important as diligent effort. A shift in perspective comes from creativity, and creativity can only be unleashed when you truly understand your own abilities.”
“…”
“You were able to think of such a move because you understood the greatest strength of your martial art.
That creativity and those attempts build up, piece by piece, to form a large mass. Do you know what that mass is called?”
“I don’t know…”
“It’s called enlightenment.”
“…!”
“Enlightenment isn’t just a sudden flash of inspiration. Growing without realizing it through calm effort and relentless training is also enlightenment.”
Seo Ryang patted Ma Dongpil’s shoulder.
“I was genuinely impressed. Even I was in a bit of danger. Why else would I have drawn the Seven Nights Saber?”
A look of deep emotion colored Ma Dongpil’s face. To receive such high praise from the Young Master he revered filled his heart to bursting.
“However, your body isn’t sufficiently trained to use such a technique. Your pure internal energy rivals my own, but your physical body can’t fully utilize that power.”
“Ah…”
“Of course, you’ve trained plenty until now. The fact that your body can’t withstand it isn’t because you’ve trained incorrectly. It’s because of the limitations of the demonic art you’re learning.”
Seo Ryang stood up.
“Circulate your energy and regulate your breathing for a bit.”
“Wh-where are you going?”
“Not telling.”
With that, Seo Ryang strode out of the main gate, but not before committing the atrocity of kicking the unconscious Wi Hongryeon, sending her flying toward Ma Dongpil.
***
“Oh! This is it.”
Looking at the Vajrayaksa Demonic Art, one of the Ten Great Demonic Arts, Seo Ryang’s face instantly brightened.
“This is perfect for him.”
He had originally thought of the Heaven-Seizing Forbidden Demonic Art he saw in the Solitary Bamboo Forest, but seeing this art changed his mind.
The Vajrayaksa Demonic Art seemed as if it were made for Ma Dongpil; it suited him perfectly.
“This and a couple of sword techniques… huh?”
Seo Ryang blinked.
Far across the numerous bookshelves, someone was secretly hiding and peeking at him.
But…
‘Small?’
She was incredibly short.
‘Pale?’
Her skin was incredibly white.
‘…Young?’
And she was very young.
Seo Ryang scratched his head.
“Who are you?”
“Hic!”
Despite being caught staring, she apparently hadn’t expected to be noticed. Seemingly quite startled, the little girl hiccupped and emerged, twisting the tips of her feet.
‘Hmm, I don’t know who she is, but she’s quite something.’
Cute.
She was a girl who oozed nobility. Her age was hard to guess. At a glance, she looked about six or seven, but on closer inspection, she could be over ten.
The girl, who had been darting her eyes around nervously, bowed at the waist.
“Hello, big brother!”
Seo Ryang instinctively clutched his chest.