Chapter 14
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: The Sky Beyond the Heavens
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The next day.
Cheon Muryang woke up alone.
"Hmm..."
Woryeong should have been here, but she had clearly already gone to the training grounds.
"It feels a bit empty."
The path to the training grounds felt strangely awkward as he walked it alone.
Shrugging, Cheon Muryang arrived at the training grounds and saw Woryeong running laps.
"Whew. Looks like they're already putting her through the wringer."
In the center of the grounds stood Cheon Seonhak, his sharp eyes monitoring not only the trainees but Woryeong as well.
"You're here?"
"Yes, Uncle."
"Let me be clear. That girl is no longer your personal attendant. Do not help her in any way. She must endure this entirely on her own. Do you understand?"
"..."
Cheon Muryang knew what those words meant.
[What is he thinking? Teaching martial arts to a mere attendant?]
[I acknowledge the Great Young Lord's enthusiasm, but isn't this going too far?]
[This isn't a joke. Some things just shouldn't be done.]
The whispers had already started.
Everyone knew Woryeong was Cheon Muryang's personal attendant.
They acknowledged Cheon Muryang, but that was as far as it went.
But Woryeong ran around the training grounds in silence, unshaken.
Seeing the unwavering determination in her eyes, Cheon Muryang nodded.
"Yes."
"Good. Then, begin your training."
There was so much he wanted to say to Woryeong, but he had to hold back.
In the end, proving herself was her own responsibility.
*I believe in you, Woryeong.*
It might have been purely his own selfish desire.
He might be forcing martial arts on her when she had no interest in them.
*But... this is the best I can do.*
It was to protect Woryeong.
Cheon Muryang was certain.
They would all soon realize Woryeong's true worth.
*I have my own problems to worry about. Who am I to be concerned for others? I have a long way to go.*
First was the Divine Art of the Heavenly Yang.
The Divine Art of the Heavenly Yang, having changed on its own, had transformed to a degree that could be called an evolution.
Its previous weaknesses had vanished and its strengths were reinforced, making it truly worthy of the name "Divine Art."
*This must be the true form of the Divine Art of the Heavenly Yang.*
The heavens were infinite.
The martial arts of the Cheon Family were derived from the heavens, so it was unlikely an incantation ever existed.
Everyone learned the same Divine Art of the Heavenly Yang, yet everyone's became different.
*So, they must have created a standardized framework.*
The Divine Art of the Heavenly Yang, created with a forced incantation, lost its original form over generations and was relegated to a mere basic art of the family.
Thus, no one knew the Divine Art of the Heavenly Yang that Cheon Muryang had learned.
*This is my Divine Art of the Heavenly Yang, and mine alone.*
It was a one-of-a-kind martial art.
And so, Cheon Muryang's interest was piqued.
The newly evolved Divine Art of the Heavenly Yang boasted a depth worthy of its name.
*I can't even fathom its limits.*
He didn't envy any peerless divine arts.
*I can say with confidence that no other divine art could claim to surpass this one.*
All the conditions were perfectly in place.
This was fundamentally different from the opportunity Nameless had in the past, when he only possessed the family's basic arts.
*How strong I can become depends entirely on me.*
What was it?
Cheon Muryang felt as if he had caught a glimpse of the path to becoming the greatest under heaven.
*The greatest under heaven...*
How could any man who wielded a sword not dream of it?
*As I am now... it's possible.*
The path was distant, but Cheon Muryang was determined to walk it.
He resolved himself, again and again.
*Grip.*
Gripping his sword, Cheon Muryang slowly immersed himself in the unfathomable depths of the Divine Art of the Heavenly Yang.
*Fwaaa!*
The boundaries of the world blurred.
At the edge of the horizon, a poignant light appeared, so beautiful it could bring tears to one's eyes.
*Ah...*
Cheon Muryang stood alone in a vast, empty plain.
There, a single sword, the Heavenly Light, stood embedded in the ground, its solitary presence scattering light in all directions.
*...*
As if possessed.
Cheon Muryang grasped the Heavenly Light Sword.
The will of the Heaven-Severing Arts, which split the sky, settled within him.
*I can see it.*
He could see the grain of the sky.
He swung the Heavenly Light Sword along that grain.
The sky split open, creating a path.
*Whoooosh!*
A wind as fierce as a typhoon raged on either side of the path.
Cheon Muryang walked that path.
*...!*
The sky pressed down on Cheon Muryang.
Under the pressure, the path through the sky began to slowly close.
『This is your limit.』
The sky jeered.
*Grit.*
Cheon Muryang gritted his teeth.
He ignored the sky's mockery.
*I told you, I decide my own path!*
No one, and nothing.
Could stand in his way.
*Begone.*
*Whoosh!*
He swung the Heavenly Light Sword once more.
The wind calmed.
The path opened between the skies led to a sky beyond the heavens.
*Ah...*
The moment was but a fleeting instant.
The celestial path closed again, but to Cheon Muryang, it felt like an eternity.
*I definitely saw it.*
It was a single path of the sword.
He imbued the Heavenly Light Sword with that path.
*Fwoosh!*
Cheon Muryang swung his sword.
He soon lost all track of time.
The harmony of all creation enveloped Cheon Muryang.
"..."
Cheon Muryang, lost in a state of selflessness.
Cheon Seonhak smiled as he watched Cheon Muryang, who seemed to have attained something.
"Truly a monster."
The moment of enlightenment. It was called sudden awakening.
It was something that never came easily.
But Cheon Muryang was different.
Day by day, he broke his own mold and moved forward.
"If I'm not careful, I might be surpassed as well."
Cheon Seonhak had recently hit a wall.
He felt he needed to break down that wall quickly.
Watching the unhindered progress of Cheon Muryang, he felt he might have glimpsed a way to overcome his own obstacle.
"To think I would gain enlightenment because of you..."
He'd lived long enough to see it all.
Who would have thought the day would come when he'd be impressed by Cheon Muryang, who had been nothing but a scoundrel?
"Go forth. Fly into that vast, blue sky."
The scoundrel was gone.
All he saw was a crouching dragon, a hidden talent waiting to emerge.
"I will become the clouds for you."
For a dragon must ride the clouds to ascend to the heavens, must it not?
*Fwoosh!*
The crouching dragon of the Cheon Family slashed the sky into a thousand, ten thousand pieces with his sword.
A much deeper Heaven-Severing Art.
However, only Cheon Seonhak and Woryeong could see through to the true meaning of his sword.
"Gasp, gasp!"
Of course, Woryeong was too out of breath to pay much attention.
"Control your breathing."
"Gasp, yes!"
Cheon Muryang, his sword.
Woryeong, the training grounds.
They swung and ran without rest.
It was a new and remarkable sight on the training grounds.
* * *
Cheon Muryang's daily routine didn't change.
He practically lived on the training grounds, as always.
If anything had changed, it was one thing.
"Gasp, gasp!"
It was the presence of Woryeong, running laps in martial arts attire that still looked awkward on her, instead of her maid's uniform.
She was still running, but it was quite different from when she started.
She now ran at a steady pace, looking practiced.
"I told you not to lose control of your breathing."
Whenever her breathing became ragged, Cheon Seonhak's piercing gaze would whip her back into shape.
"Gasp, yes!"
Though she looked on the verge of collapse, Woryeong started running again without a word of complaint, steadying her breath.
"One more lap."
"Gasp, yes!"
Cheon Seonhak's training was harsh.
He never stated the goal.
Whether she ran ten laps or twenty.
He applied psychological pressure by not telling her how much further she had to go.
*It must be hell...*
All the trainees knew that pain.
They thought Woryeong wouldn't last long before breaking down.
But Woryeong endured.
A week had already passed, with her repeatedly running until she vomited and collapsed.
"..."
Everyone, except for a few like Yi Seok-gi, had no choice but to acknowledge her.
Because none of them had ever lasted more than a week under Cheon Seonhak's training.
*Pfft.*
Cheon Muryang chuckled as he watched Woryeong.
They were surprised.
But this was just the beginning.
"If you get complacent and stay where you are, you'll be surpassed soon, you know?"
Cheon Muryang said with a smile, swinging his sword.
He was still practicing a single movement, over and over until it was worn into him.
At a glance, it looked like the same sword path, but its grain was different.
*I can see the grain of the sky now.*
It was as if his eyes had literally opened.
*How far have I come?*
He suddenly wondered.
The realms were commonly divided into First-Rate, Peak, Transcendent, and Divine.
Of course, there were subtle differences within each stage.
*I still can't manifest sword qi.*
For that reason, by the standards of the martial world, he hadn't even reached the First-Rate level.
However, if he were to fight a First-Rate master, he didn't think he would lose.
*For some reason, I feel like I'd win.*
The man he fought at the Crimson Phoenix Pavilion was clearly a First-Rate master.
But the man had been careless and flustered.
His victory had exploited that opening, so a formal duel might have ended differently.
*But now... I can win. For certain.*
Cheon Muryang was confident that he was steadily growing stronger.
His path was not wrong.
*By the way, it should be about time for them to make a move.*
It was too quiet.
They were bound to act in some way.
Just as his patience was wearing thin.
"Is the Great Young Lord here?"
A stranger came looking for Cheon Muryang.
His pompous voice drew everyone's attention.
Even when he saw Cheon Seonhak, he gave a half-hearted greeting, his attitude arrogant.
"Ah, there he is."
The man approached with his hands clasped behind his back, exchanging a glance with Yi Seok-gi.
He walked up to Cheon Muryang.
"Great Young Lord."
*Stop.*
The sword stopped mid-air.
Then, Cheon Muryang turned his head.
Meeting his eyes, the man shuddered for an instant.
*W-What kind of eyes are those...?*
They were like a predator's, staring down its prey.
"What is it?"
Cheon Muryang asked, feigning ignorance.
It was obvious where the man had come from.
As expected, he produced a letter stamped with the seal of the Council of Elders.
"This is a letter the Third Elder ordered me to deliver."
"Leave it there and go."
The man's expression changed.
He scowled, as if to ask what he meant by that, and said sternly.
"Great Young Lord, I said this letter is from the Third Elder."
*Pfft.*
His clumsy attempt at intimidation was laughable.
*Even the old scoundrel wouldn't have been scared.*
Well, that's what he told himself.
Of course, he would have been scared.
He was the epitome of someone who preys on the weak and fawns over the strong.
"Hey."
*Vwooom!*
The Heavenly Light Sword hummed.
At the same time, a vicious sword intent washed over the man.
"So what?"
"W-What?"
"I told you to leave it and go. What am I supposed to do just because the Third Elder sent a letter?"
"The Th-Third Elder...!"
"Huk!"
The Heavenly Light Sword touched his neck.
The sword intent was so sharp, as if it would slice through him at any moment, that he couldn't even swallow.
"You'd do well to shut that filthy mouth of yours."
"Gasp!"
Cheon Muryang withdrew the sword.
Only then did his stiff body seem to relax, and he fell backward onto his bottom.
Even then, he scrambled backward, trying to get away from Cheon Muryang. It was a pathetic sight.
"Oh, and..."
"Hiek!"
"I don't care about myself, but you will show respect to the Grand Commander."
Cheon Seonhak's official title was Grand Commander of the Heavenly Dragon and Heavenly Phoenix Sword Corps.
Thus, he was called Grand Commander.
"Otherwise, next time... I will cut off your head."
What was it?
The man who had fallen on his rear felt the illusion of the entire sky collapsing.
And that sky was collapsing solely on him.
"Hiiiiek!"
*Drip, drip.*
Paralyzed by extreme fear, he couldn't control his bladder.
"Get lost before you make a mess."
"Hi, Hiiiiek!"
He fled for his life, forgetting all about his dignity.
"Tsk. It stinks."