Chapter 65
Chapter 65
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: A Glimpse of the Heavens
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Beside Dang Cheong walked a middle-aged man with cold features, looking as though not a single drop of blood would emerge even if he were pricked with a needle.
It was the Lord of the Wind and Cloud Division, Baek-yeon.
“Who could have stopped that So-jeon fellow? I'm just glad it ended safely.”
“Vice-Lord. Division Lord.”
As Bu Eun-seol bowed deeply to the two, Dang Cheong chuckled and said.
“You've become quite the strapping young man in just a year!”
After Dang Cheong's praise, Baek-yeon approached and spoke.
“You saved the daughter of the Lord of the House of Demonic Suppression and finished off the Gong Clan Twin Demons?”
“How did you know?”
The missions and details of the Nine Kill Squad are top secret. Even the high command of the Demonic Hall cannot obtain information unless they are directly involved.
Baek-yeon smiled faintly at Bu Eun-seol's surprised expression.
“Normally, it would have been information we could only obtain with great difficulty.”
Baek-yeon said with a strange smile.
“But because you turned Akyang upside down, all sorts of intelligence organizations have taken notice of you.”
Since Bu Eun-seol's arrival in Akyang, the intelligence networks of the Orthodox Faction operating in the Honam region had been brought to the brink of annihilation.
Because of that, not only the Demonic Hall but also the Orthodox Faction had become desperate to find the mysterious figure stirring up Akyang in silence, Number Eighteen.
“I was not aware.”
It was a lie.
Bu Eun-seol had already shared all the information coming into the Akyang branch. Therefore, he was aware of not only the Demonic Hall's movements but also, to some extent, those of the Murim Alliance.
But Baek-yeon, who had no idea Bu Eun-seol was feigning ignorance, raised the corners of his mouth.
“Of course you wouldn't know. The various intelligence organizations of the Demonic Hall did everything in their power to conceal your information.”
“You mean the Demonic Hall helped me.”
“If your identity were exposed, wouldn't the arrows be aimed at the Demonic Hall? Thanks to that, even our Nang-ya-gak sent members of the Wind and Cloud Division to Akyang almost daily.”
Listening to Baek-yeon, Dang Cheong laughed heartily, as if something was very amusing.
“There were all sorts of opinions about which faction sent Number Eighteen of the Akyang branch. When it was finally revealed to be you, you should have seen how surprised the Demonic Hall was. Hehehe.”
“This is no laughing matter, Vice-Lord.”
Baek-yeon said with a sigh.
“Thanks to this boy stirring up the Honam region as a member of the Nine Kill Squad, hasn't he attracted unnecessary attention?”
“Unnecessary attention, you say.”
“The Demonic Hall is starting to make moves to seriously utilize the Ten Demonic Successors. If this boy keeps drawing attention, couldn't they give him unnecessarily harsh tasks?”
“Hmm.”
The Ten Demonic Successors.
Those who, mimicking the Murim Alliance's joint successor plan, received the martial arts of the Ten Demonic Sects without reservation, regardless of their own school.
The problem was that they were called successors in name only. In reality, they were considered little more than consumables for dealing with the Great Masters of Justice.
Most of the Ten Demonic Sects already had excellent disciples and successors.
It was difficult for them to acknowledge the Ten Demonic Successors, who were outsiders rapidly created through the Demonic Hall's plan, as their own disciples.
“So you're saying the more outstanding this boy is, the harsher the missions they might give him.”
Baek-yeon nodded at Dang Cheong's words.
“Furthermore, the existing heirs of the Ten Demonic Sects are not fond of the Ten Demonic Successors. After all, they received their ultimate secret arts without reservation.”
“So no matter how talented the Ten Demonic Successors are, they're still just outsiders who rolled in.”
“Exactly.”
Baek-yeon shook his head as he looked at Bu Eun-seol.
“The existing disciples and factions of the Ten Demonic Sects are hoping that all the Ten Demonic Successors will self-destruct along with the Great Masters of Justice. That's why they keep pressuring the Demonic Hall to use them.”
“Hmm.”
Dang Cheong narrowed his eyes.
“Indeed, when I went to the Island of Hell, there were many others besides this fellow who looked outstanding.”
“Unlike our Nang-ya-gak, the other Demonic Sects have various factions entangled with one another, and they engage in secret struggles for the position of heir… so they can't simply be happy about gaining a talented Ten Demonic Successor.”
Dang Cheong chuckled at Baek-yeon's explanation.
“The higher-ups of the Ten Demonic Sects, excluding our Nang-ya-gak, must have quite a headache.”
The Nang-ya-gak is based purely on merit.
But that is only a special case for the Nang-ya-gak.
Fundamentally, a sect can be called a coalition of power and order. One cannot completely ignore the divided factions within a sect when choosing a successor.
“I predict that within a year and a half, no, within a year, the Demonic Hall will summon the Ten Demonic Successors.”
“A year?”
“Normally, I would have predicted about three years, but with the factions of the Ten Demonic Sects applying so much pressure… the Demonic Hall will reach a conclusion within a year at the latest.”
“I see.”
Gathering all sorts of information from the martial world to predict future events. That is the job of the Lord of the Wind and Cloud Division.
And Baek-yeon's predictions had never once been wrong.
“Good. I was planning to look after this boy for a year anyway. The pride of our Nang-ya-gak is on the line, after all.”
“Is that so.”
Baek-yeon nodded and then said something unexpected.
“But… now that I think about it, isn't he a bit too grown to be called a boy?”
“Ah, you're right.”
Dang Cheong sighed as he looked at Bu Eun-seol, who exuded the dignified air of a warrior.
“The word 'boy' no longer suits him… but in my eyes, he still looks like that scrawny child.”
It was likely because Dang Cheong held affection for Bu Eun-seol. Knowing this, Bu Eun-seol clasped his hands together.
“I am but a disciple of the Nang-ya-gak. Please call me whatever you find comfortable.”
“Hahaha. You've become quite eloquent in the meantime.”
Dang Cheong let out a hearty laugh, nodded, and said.
“Bu Eun-seol. Will you learn martial arts from me, the Vice-Lord, for a year?”
This was the second time.
Dang Cheong had tried to teach Bu Eun-seol before. However, he was refused due to Bu Eun-seol's desire to learn practical combat arts.
But now that things had come to this, he would surely not refuse.
Dang Cheong was certain.
“Could you show me a move?”
But Bu Eun-seol said something unexpected.
“Hm?”
“I wish to perfect my own style of practical combat arts.”
After mulling over Bu Eun-seol's words for a long moment, Dang Cheong's eyes widened.
“So you're saying that for me, the Vice-Lord, to teach you, I have to show you that I'm skilled enough? Is that what you mean?”
“It's not that, through practical application…”
“Hehehehe.”
Dang Cheong, clutching his forehead, suddenly looked up at the distant sky and burst into a wild laugh.
“Uwahahahaha!”
After laughing boisterously for a while, Dang Cheong said to Baek-yeon.
“I really like this boy. Because he has never once acted as I expected!”
Baek-yeon said to Bu Eun-seol with a grave expression.
“Take back those words immediately. Do you have any idea what you've just said?”
“Let him be.”
Dang Cheong said with a wide grin.
“This boy learns incredibly fast. It's probably better for him to feel and see it directly than for me to teach him martial arts for a whole year.”
“Vice-Lord.”
Despite Baek-yeon's words, Dang Cheong smiled and asked Bu Eun-seol.
“What should this Vice-Lord teach you? Whether it's the arts of the fist and palm or the eighteen weapons, it doesn't matter.”
“Please teach me swordsmanship.”
“I thought so.”
*Chwareureuk.*
Dang Cheong drew a flexible sword from his waist.
“Take your stance.”
Bu Eun-seol nodded and drew his sword. He seemed to be standing comfortably, but no openings were visible.
“A good stance.”
“Thank you.”
Dang Cheong, holding the flexible sword, said calmly.
“This Vice-Lord will execute only a single form. Block it as you see fit.”
“Understood.”
As soon as the reply came, Dang Cheong moved his flexible sword.
In that instant, Bu Eun-seol's vision turned white. No, the entire world was dyed in white.
*Chwareureureureu.*
The light was as brilliant as the morning sun, then it changed to be as subtle as the countless stars illuminating the night sky.
Those intense yet subtle lights transformed into an innumerable number of sword forms, enveloping Bu Eun-seol's entire body.
“Vice-Lord, please have mercy…!”
Just as Baek-yeon shouted in great surprise,
*Kwajijijik.*
The longsword Bu Eun-seol held, made of white-refined steel, shattered into dozens of pieces and fell to the ground.
At the same time, fine sword marks were being etched all over the clothes he was wearing.
*Pureureut.*
Just as his clothes, now torn to ragged tatters, were about to scatter in the wind,
*Saak.*
A massive boulder standing dozens of yards away split into two pieces and came rolling down.
*Kureung. Kureureureung.*
Hearing the sound of the boulder rolling down, Bu Eun-seol's heart trembled as if his own body had been split in two.
“…”
His eyes, always cold and still, were wide open, and cold sweat streamed endlessly down his back.
*Is this… a martial art that a human can perform?*
He had felt an immense wall when facing So-jeon's martial arts earlier, but he believed he could somehow surpass it in the future.
But the martial prowess Dang Cheong displayed was truly beyond the heavens.
The martial art of Dang Cheong, the peerless grandmaster who looked down upon the entire martial world, had reached a realm Bu Eun-seol could not even imagine.
“This single form that I, the Vice-Lord, have executed contains all the variations of the world's swordsmanship.”
Dang Cheong said calmly, looking at the frozen Bu Eun-seol.
“I intentionally performed it about five times slower, so you should have grasped the essentials of the art, right?”
For a moment, the corner of Bu Eun-seol's frozen eye twitched.
Swordsmanship like a flash of light, impossible to see.
And that was performed five times slower?
*There's a new realm.*
In truth, Bu Eun-seol had grown a little arrogant about his martial arts.
Until now, he had grasped the essentials of martial arts and mastered them faster than anyone else.
He believed that if he only had enough time, there was no martial art in this world he couldn't master. But that thought had been completely shattered.
*I don't know if I can ever reach it, no matter how many times I surpass my limits.*
The absolute swordsmanship Dang Cheong had shown was a boundless realm that any martial artist would aspire to achieve in their lifetime.
Witnessing that swordsmanship, the passion and warrior's spirit that had cooled slightly began to burn brightly again.
A vague goal that had been invisible.
That goal had finally become a vast sky, clearly visible before him.
*This kid…*
Baek-yeon, noticing the fervent fire in Bu Eun-seol's eyes, was inwardly astonished.
*He's making that face after seeing this sword form?*
This was the swordsmanship of the Supreme Heavenly Realm, a level beyond even the Transcendent Realm, which had made even masters who had trained with the sword their entire lives despair.
Yet, wasn't Bu Eun-seol calming his pounding heart with fervent eyes, like a boy meeting his first love?
*Hehehe.*
On the other hand, Dang Cheong, watching him, suppressed a burst of laughter.
Just how far will this kid go? What will he be like in ten years?
*This will be fun!*
There was a time when he had felt life was dull.
But after meeting Bu Eun-seol, it felt as if another world he never knew had opened up before him.
“Do you have any more questions?”
“No.”
As Bu Eun-seol shook his head, Dang Cheong turned away with a calm expression.
“If you study it for about a year, it will be of great help in achieving your swordsmanship.”
“Thank you.”
As Bu Eun-seol bowed deeply, Baek-yeon placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Bu Eun-seol.”
“Yes, sir.”
“From now on, you must not recklessly…”
Baek-yeon, who was about to say something, let out a deep sigh.
“It's nothing. Just work hard.”
After shaking his head for a long moment, he turned and followed Dang Cheong toward the rear garden.
***
What is outstanding swordsmanship?
What increases the power of a sword, and what determines the superiority of a sword art?
Bu Eun-seol could find the answer in Dang Cheong's swordsmanship.
It was time.
*The Vice-Lord unleashed one hundred and eight sword shadows in a single instant.*
Currently, if Bu Eun-seol simply swung his sword as fast as he could, he could produce twelve sword shadows in a single strike.
But Dang Cheong had unleashed one hundred and eight different, profound sword forms.
In simple terms, he was making a single moment last over four times longer than Bu Eun-seol could.
*Besides, swordsmanship isn't simply a matter of time.*
The single strike Dang Cheong executed. Each of the one hundred and eight different sword shadows flowed into the next like water, allowing them to unfold as a single mass.
This was only possible because he had naturally incorporated all the variations that martial arts could express into a single strike.
“If I can execute the variations of these one hundred and eight forms as fluidly as water…”
Bu Eun-seol gripped his sword tightly.
If he could perfectly master the swordsmanship of this single form, he would become an expert in all the variations one could create with a sword.
If that happened, he could freely execute his swordsmanship without being bound by variations and forms.
*Swish!*
Bu Eun-seol thrust the sword he was holding forward.
It was just an ordinary thrusting motion, but a fierce current of air poured from the sword's tip.
*Swish! Swish!*
As the sword form changed in mid-air, it accelerated, and the tip of the sword spun around his body.
*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*
The ever-accelerating sword forms created a massive whirlwind, and then,
*Paaat!*
it burst like a firecracker, spewing out millions of points of light. It was a sword form executed in an instant, but the finely shattered lights lingered in the air for a long time.
“I suppose I can't use an ordinary sword.”
The moment Bu Eun-seol, having executed the sword art, muttered in a low voice,
*Jjeojeok. Tutuk.*
Cracks appeared on the sword he was holding, and the blade shattered into several pieces, falling to the ground.
The sword had completely shattered because it contained too much powerful force.