Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Birth of the Plum Blossom Divine Art
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About an hour after Hyeondo departed.
Cheonhwi, who had been watching the sun slowly setting, hopped onto a large boulder beside the thatched hut and sat cross-legged.
'Time to circulate my qi.'
He entered a state of meditative breathing.
Afterward, he exhaled deeply and repeated the process of inhalation, slowly observing the inside of his body.
He began the Great Circulation at a leisurely pace.
A fingernail-sized amount of inner power started circulating through the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, merging with the qi entering through his mouth and nose, and steadily accumulating layer by layer.
An hour later, he completed the Great Circulation.
'I wonder how much has built up?'
He examined his lower dantian with his mind's eye.
In the pristine lower dantian, a speck-of-dust-sized inner power had gathered, firmly taking root... However, the increase compared to before the meditation was so negligible that one might not notice without close inspection.
'Even after a Great Circulation, this much. To reach the minimum inner power I had in mind, it'll take over a decade.'
His brows furrowed at the sluggish accumulation speed.
Was it because the Plum Blossom Qi Art was a foundational technique learned before advanced heart methods?
Thanks to it, he could meditate stably and build pure inner power, but its limitations were clearly felt.
At least it was this much because it was the Plum Blossom Qi Art, accessible only to true disciples, not the Six Harmonies Art that outer disciples learned.
'If it had been the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, I would've accumulated ten times this amount.'
Recalling the effects of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art he had practiced in the past, he shook his head.
No heart method in the world surpassed the Heavenly Demon Divine Art for qi accumulation.
Comparing it to the Plum Blossom Qi Art, which was merely foundational, was absurd to begin with.
'Maybe I should tweak the incantation a bit?'
It felt like a pretty good idea.
Upon reflection, since the Plum Blossom Qi Art was a basic heart method, it should be easier to modify than other advanced ones.
If anyone had known his thoughts right then, they would have fainted in shock.
Reforming a martial art was a daunting task even for grandmasters who created their own techniques.
Yet Cheonhwi spoke of it as lightly as if he were going for a stroll.
It was because he brimmed with confidence that he could do it.
That much was easy.
He slowly examined the Plum Blossom Qi Art.
Along with it, he sank into deep thought.
How long had he been swimming through the ocean of countless martial manuals in his mind?
Cheonhwi first selected orthodox martial arts.
'Focusing on the Nine Great Sects.'
Shaolin Temple's Prajna Great Ability.
Wudang Sect's Two Instruments Taiji Divine Art and Mysterious Void Seven Stars Art.
Kunlun Sect's Jade Heart Return to One Art.
Then Jeongsong Sect, Jungnam Sect, Qingcheng Sect, and so on.
Innumerable heart methods from the sects of the Nine Great Sects rose and faded repeatedly.
Hm? They look similar when viewed this way.
He sensed something peculiar.
Though the heart methods appeared vastly different at a glance, delving deeper revealed numerous similarities.
Taiji, Yin-Yang, Nine Palaces, Primordial Chaos.
All originated from the same source.
Not only the absolute arts of the Nine Great Sects,
but even the Demonic Cult's demonic absolute arts.
All shared the identical root.
'That means...'
To test a sudden inspiration, Cheonhwi first drew up all the inner power of the Plum Blossom Qi Art.
Then, establishing the Plum Blossom Qi Art as the core, he began melting in the incantations of the various heart methods surfacing in his mind, one by one.
Thus, all the world's incantations clumped together stickily into one.
Whoosh!
Finally, the boundary between demonic and orthodox absolute arts crumbled, merging into a single entity.
Ten thousand streams return to one source, as they say.
Whether demonic absolute art or orthodox absolute art, they all pointed to the same end.
Return to the Primordial Orthodox Way.
The true path of the origin!
Whoooosh—
An astonishing surge of energy erupted from Cheonhwi's cross-legged body, engulfing the surroundings.
A sharpness unfit for an orthodox absolute art.
Yet too pure and clear to call a demonic absolute art.
The sight evoked the Mount Hua Sect's heart method, the Purple霞 Divine Art.
And that was only natural.
The Plum Blossom Qi Art was the root of the Purple霞 Divine Art.
Tracing back, their paths converged.
But it differed slightly from the Purple霞 Divine Art.
While the Purple霞 Divine Art emitted its signature purple energy and was bound by certain constraints, the energy radiating from Cheonhwi now was transparent and utterly free of restrictions.
A primordial martial art surpassing the Purple霞 Divine Art.
Thus, a peerless heart method destined to etch itself into Mount Hua Sect's history was born.
Smoothly—
Cheonhwi opened his closed eyes.
This is pretty good.
It was a heart method that perfectly suited his taste.
Its accumulation was outstanding, and the inner strength it contained was so pure that it would undoubtedly unleash tremendous power.
'I thought I'd just tweak the incantation a little, but somehow I ended up creating a new heart method.'
He slowly examined his lower dantian.
Traces of the Plum Blossom Qi Art remained.
But the contents within had completely transformed.
If it were his past self, he wouldn't have been able to create such a heart method.
No, he wouldn't have.
Not with the Absolute Dominion Art and Heavenly Demon Divine Art firmly mastered.
A new heart method, so should I name it or something?'
Having long believed that every martial art needed a proper name, he crossed his arms and pondered for a moment.
"Still, since it's a heart method centered on the Plum Blossom Qi Art, it should include 'Plum Blossom.' Then what for the rest? Heaven? Manifest? Or..."
As he mulled it over step by step, a name suddenly came to mind, and he voiced it.
"...Divine Art. Yes, Plum Blossom Divine Art. Since it's one I created, it deserves the 'Divine'."
Uttering words brimming with immense pride, Cheonhwi flashed a satisfied smile.
"Now that the name's set, shall I try a proper Great Circulation?"
He closed his eyes again.
As he recited the Plum Blossom Divine Art's incantation,
Whoosh!
In an instant, the Great Circulation formed, and an energy incomparable to before flooded in, rapidly filling his lower dantian.
'This is what a heart method should be.'
Soon, he immersed himself in the Plum Blossom Divine Art.
Smoothly—
Two hours later, he slowly opened his eyes.
A clear field of vision filled his sight, and even the scenery around him appeared different.
A martial artist required mastery of eye, footwork, mind, and force.
First, sight.
Second, handling the feet.
Third, possessing a mind unshaken by any threat.
Fourth, boldly executing techniques in any situation.
Only by fulfilling these four could one be called a true martial artist.
And thanks to the Plum Blossom Divine Art, the most crucial—sight—had opened.
"Good."
He sprang to his feet.
His movements felt as light as a feather.
Starting with lightly rotating his neck side to side, he loosened his body, stiff from the long meditation.
In the process, his gaunt forearms and emaciated frame caught his eye.
"I'll have to address this gradually too."
Thinking of the future, he looked down.
The wooden sword he had briefly set aside before meditating lay on the ground.
"Before that..."
He kicked the wooden sword with his foot.
Whish—
Catching the wooden sword spinning once in the air with ease, his eyes gleamed sharply.
"Shall I check just how much I've improved?"
He drew up the inner strength of the Plum Blossom Divine Art.
Perhaps because it was still weak,
no outward changes were visible.
But Cheonhwi could feel it.
'The power within the inner strength is completely different.'
Was it because it was close to a primordial martial art?
Because the martial art had reached the primordial state?
Or because it was so pure?
Its inner strength was potent enough to counter someone wielding a full measure's worth with less than half that amount.
Flash!
His eyes half-closed.
Moments later, he stepped forward with his left foot.
Following that, the hand gripping the wooden sword swung largely from above to below.
Whoooosh!
The wooden sword, swung without hesitation, cleaved the air in an instant and scattered its residual force.
"With this level of inner strength, I should be able to perform the Plum Blossom Sword Art properly now, unlike last time."
The corner of Cheonhwi's mouth twisted up.
Previously, he couldn't execute it due to insufficient inner strength, but this was more than enough.
Soon, he channeled inner strength into the sword.
He still couldn't manifest sword qi.
But even that alone imbued the wooden sword with sharp spirit and power.
"How did it go again?"
He recalled the martial manual from the Ten Thousand Scriptures Pavilion.
The Plum Blossom Sword Art—precisely the 'Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Art' as inscribed—was the first one he had picked up in the sword manual archives.
And rightly so, as it was the sword art most iconic to Mount Hua Sect, demonstrated by that big-nosed priest.
'It was flashy, emitting plum fragrance with every swing or blooming flowers and such, but still a fierce sword art.'
A sword art that beguiled with its splendor.
That was his impression when facing it back then.
"How did it go?"
He spread his feet shoulder-width apart, raised the wooden sword, and slowly drew a circle.
Thus, beginning with the first stance, Plum Blossom Roadside, he executed the forms one by one.
Second stance, third stance, fourth...
As he performed the Plum Blossom Sword Art's stances, Cheonhwi's expression shifted to one of astonishment.
'Among all the sword arts I've seen, this ranks at the top.'
He recalled the sword arts filling the Heavenly Demon Repository and the Ten Thousand Scriptures Pavilion.
Roughly hundreds of them.
The Plum Blossom Sword Art he had just executed was outstanding enough to rank in the top ten, and when it came to illusory swords, it undisputedly vied for first place.
'Of course, there are a few regrettable points, but those can be addressed later.'
He drew up his inner power and half-closed his eyes.
Smoothly—
Inner power naturally flowed into the wooden sword.
As he guided it per the incantation, a faint plum fragrance wafted from the wooden sword, tickling his nostrils.
'That fragrance from back then.'
The moment he recalled the big-nosed priest,
Smoothly—
The sword path of the Plum Blossom Sword Art as demonstrated by the big-nosed priest appeared before his eyes like an afterimage.
Smoothly—
His hand naturally followed that path.
How many times did he swing the wooden sword along the sword path?
The boundary between hand and sword blurred.
'This is...'
As the situation he had experienced several times in the past returned, he let out a chuckle.
It was the no-mind state, where one attained enlightenment or drastically shortened the path to mastery in a single breath.
'Came sooner than expected.'
He swiftly focused on the Plum Blossom Sword Art.
The no-mind state was something that might not return if missed once.
As Cheonhwi immersed himself in the Plum Blossom Sword Art and delved deeper into the no-mind state,
Thud.
Two people appeared.
Sect Leader Hyeonsang and Hyeondo.
"...!"
"...!"
The Sect Leader, who had come to the thatched hut where Cheonhwi resided to verify what Hyeondo had said moments ago, was the first to be stunned, and Hyeondo beside him gaped in shock.
Cheonhwi was performing a sword dance.
A beautiful sword dance emanating a plum fragrance so thick it seemed to engulf the entire Mount Hua.