Chapter 371: Attaining Enlightenment
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 371: Attaining Enlightenment
Woooooooong—
Rattle, rattle.
As a massive amount of Nature Qi was incessantly released, the carriage began to shake violently.
'Aaaaaaaah!!!!'
At the source of that Nature Qi, Sun-woo was experiencing an overwhelming sense of spiritual ecstasy.
The principles of the Great Void One-Qi Art, which he had practiced for over twenty years without truly grasping, were now flooding into his mind without pause.
He finally understood.
He understood why he had been stuck at the Peak Realm.
He understood why his progress had been so agonizingly slow.
The Great Void One-Qi Art was a martial art designed to turn one into an immortal. It was a technique that emphasized becoming one with nature.
To achieve that, one had to empty themselves constantly.
Every impurity stored within the body had to be purged.
Only by emptying everything could one truly become nature itself.
Thus, the initiation into the Great Void One-Qi Art begins with emptying. By discharging the gathered Nature Qi back out, one transforms their physical form into a vessel closer to nature.
But Sun-woo hadn't known that.
There was no way he could have.
How could an eight-year-old child understand a philosophy of martial arts that was fundamentally different from conventional logic?
Consequently, from the perspective of the Great Void One-Qi Art, he had merely been accumulating internal energy that was nothing but impurity. He had never properly discharged energy through the art's intended method.
The result of that was being stuck at the Peak Realm.
He had practiced a martial art unparalleled in the mortal world for over twenty years, only to reach the mere Peak Realm.
'Aaaaaaaah!!!'
Sun-woo pushed the Great Void One-Qi Art to its absolute limit.
Simultaneously, he began to purge all the impure Nature Qi he had accumulated over the years from his entire body.
Woooooooong—
As time passed, even greater torrents of Nature Qi erupted from him.
Not only the results of twenty years of cultivation but even the medicinal potency he had absorbed from elixirs began to drain away.
He repeated the process of emptying and emptying again.
'Aaaaaah!'
In that process, Sun-woo felt a tremendous surge of pleasure.
It was because he could feel his body gradually transforming. The more he discharged, the closer his body became to nature.
How could he not be joyful?
Sun-woo was bathed in pure rapture.
.
.
.
.
.
.
How much time had passed?
The Nature Qi that had been discharging with such ferocious momentum suddenly vanished.
Flash!
Sun-woo, who had been sitting with his eyes closed, snapped them open.
In his eyes was a sense of calm and profundity that was incomparable to before.
Opening his eyes, Sun-woo slowly observed his own body.
Soon, he could not hide his astonishment.
The internal energy that had been latent in his Dantian and throughout his body had completely disappeared.
Sun-woo began to feel an extreme sense of futility.
These were things he had held onto for over twenty years. To have it all emptied in an instant left him with a staggering sense of loss and emptiness.
'What happened?'
Filled with doubt, Sun-woo began to circulate the Great Void One-Qi Art once more.
Immediately, the Nature Qi drifting in the surroundings began to gather in his right hand.
Seeing this, Sun-woo was struck with shock.
How could he freely use Nature Qi instead of the internal energy in his Dantian?
"......This is impossible."
Woooooooong—
This time, Sun-woo began to operate the Yin-Yang Harmony Divine Art.
The Nature Qi instantly permeated his body and began to spread through his fine meridians.
Soon, the Nature Qi, having completed a full circulation, transformed into Yin-Yang Harmony Qi and gathered in his right hand.
Sun-woo stared at it with a dazed expression.
He had realized it.
He realized exactly what realm he had stepped into.
The Ethereal Body.
A body of an immortal, said to be capable of absorbing and using the energy of nature directly after all internal energy has vanished.
Through the Great Void One-Qi Art reaching its peak, he had achieved the Ethereal Body.
'No, how...'
Sun-woo couldn't understand.
The Ethereal Body was associated with the Harmony Realm, a state one could only reach upon attaining the level of an immortal.
How could he have reached such a transcendental realm?
'Have I reached the Harmony Realm?'
For a moment, Sun-woo entertained an absurd delusion.
But he soon shook his head.
Common sense dictated that he, who had only been at the Upper Stage of the Peak Realm, could not possibly achieve the Harmony Realm in one leap. Even if he had advanced, the Transcendent Realm would be the limit.
'Then, am I in the Transcendent Realm?'
The question remained.
He doubted whether he had truly reached the Transcendent Realm.
He had not yet established his Sword of the Mind. How could he call himself a master of the Transcendent Realm without realizing the principles of the mind?
Doubts swirled endlessly.
Driven by these doubts, Sun-woo circulated his power again.
Once more, the scattered Nature Qi gathered in his hand.
Seeing this, Sun-woo had a thought.
He wanted to test this power.
Sun-woo slowly stood up.
He opened the carriage door and stepped outside.
"Sun-woo!"
Neung So-hwa, who had been waiting outside, quickly approached him.
"Are you alright?!"
She looked at him with a face full of worry.
".........I'm fine."
Sun-woo replied with a calm expression.
"I was so worried!"
"I'm sorry. I made you worry a lot, didn't I?"
Sun-woo spoke with an apologetic look.
"It is fine. As long as you are safe, that is all that matters."
Neung So-hwa shook her head and asked, "More importantly, did you achieve a breakthrough?"
".....That... I'm not quite sure."
Sun-woo spoke with a heavy expression.
"What do you mean you do not know?"
"I can't get a sense of exactly how far I've ascended."
"Hmm... I suppose that is possible. There is nothing more difficult than knowing oneself, after all."
"So, about that."
Sun-woo hesitated for a moment before continuing.
"I have a favor to ask."
"I accept."
Neung So-hwa answered immediately.
"I haven't even told you what it is yet?"
Sun-woo asked, taken aback.
"You want me to help you, do you not? So you can figure out which realm you have reached."
"...That's right."
"Fufu, it was obvious."
Neung So-hwa let out a soft, beautiful smile.
"Is it not human nature to want to use power once you have gained it? I could easily guess."
"You're like a mind reader."
"Fufufufu, there is nothing about Sun-woo that I do not know."
"Then, should we do it right now?"
"Unfortunately, I think we must delay it until this evening."
"Until evening?"
Sun-woo looked disappointed.
"Yes."
Neung So-hwa nodded.
"This would be a duel between Half-Immortals. If we fight where the Alliance members are, it will surely cause immense damage."
"......That's true."
"Let us have our duel tonight, somewhere far away from here."
"Alright."
Sun-woo nodded in agreement.
It seemed testing this power would have to wait.
"Fufufu, I am curious. Just how strong have you become?"
Neung So-hwa said with a slight smile.
"First, let's settle the situation here."
Sun-woo looked at her and then raised his voice toward the Alliance members watching from a distance.
"Everyone! It's over! You can come back now!"
One by one, the Alliance members began to return.
They came back leading the North Sea Blood-Sweating Horses, which were still visibly terrified.
Sun-woo apologized to the startled Alliance members, and soon, the carriage set off again.
*
Rattle, rattle.
Inside Sun-woo's carriage.
Three people were staring at Sun-woo with faces full of excitement.
"Is there something on my face?"
Sun-woo asked, looking around at the three of them.
"There is."
Un-jeok-ja was the one who answered.
"A massive enlightenment is written all over it!"
Un-jeok-ja continued, his face flushed with excitement.
He was currently in a state of high agitation, having realized that Sun-woo had attained enlightenment.
"Un-jeok-ja... please calm down."
"How can I be calm! You have entered a magnificent realm!"
Un-jeok-ja raised his voice.
"It's not certain yet."
"No! It is certain! Were you not already at the Upper Stage of the Peak Realm? For someone like you to emit such a world-shaking aura while gaining enlightenment—how can you say it is not the Transcendent Realm?"
Un-jeok-ja spoke so fervently that spit almost flew from his mouth.
"Incredible. This is a great omen. To think the future Greatest of All Time is revealing himself right before my eyes."
".....You flatter me."
"Flattery? You have entered the Transcendent Realm at the young age of your late twenties! This is an unprecedented event, something truly monumental!"
"Lady Neung next to me is also in the Transcendent Realm, though?"
"Commandery Princess Gyeonghwa is not a martial artist of the Murim! She is an exception."
Un-jeok-ja spoke with a firm expression.
"What about Lady Bukgung? She's in the Transcendent Realm too."
"I said it was hard to find a precedent. I did not say there were none."
Feeling embarrassed by Sun-woo's repeated rebuttals, Un-jeok-ja cleared his throat a few times and made excuses.
"Anyway, please don't praise me so much. It's embarrassing."
"I am not just praising you! I am simply amazed and astonished!"
Un-jeok-ja's face turned even redder as he spoke.
"You were already incredibly strong. Strong enough to easily ground someone like me, who has reached the Peak Realm. How could I not be shocked that you've leaped into a greater realm through enlightenment?"
Un-jeok-ja spoke with a look of genuine admiration.
"................."
Sun-woo remained silent at Un-jeok-ja's continuous praise.
He wasn't used to this kind of worship.
"Taoist Un-jeok-ja is right, Brother."
Seol-hyang, who had been quiet until then, suddenly spoke up.
"You need to be a bit more arrogant."
"Wh-what!?"
"You've reached a magnificent realm that only a handful of people in the Central Plains have attained. Humility from someone like that is actually poisonous."
"....Poisonous?"
"The Transcendent Realm is a state every martial artist yearns for. If someone who actually reached it acts like it's no big deal, imagine how much of a sense of loss others would feel."
".....Is that so?"
"Yes. So you can be more arrogant and show more confidence."
Seol-hyang spoke with a pleasant smile.
Seeing that, a smile formed on Sun-woo's lips.
He never imagined a day would come when he'd be scolded for being too humble.
"She is right. Now you are perfectly worthy of being my partner! Have more confidence."
Neung So-hwa spoke with a bright laugh. She seemed to be in a very good mood.
"Oh my, Sister, that sounds a bit strange."
Seol-hyang interjected from the side.
"Strange? What do you mean?"
"The way you said it makes it sound like Brother wasn't worthy of being your partner until now."
Seol-hyang spoke with a smirk.
"Th-that is not what I meant!"
Neung So-hwa was startled and raised her voice.
"Isn't it, though? You were always a bit disappointed by his martial arts skills, but now that he's had this enlightenment, he's finally 'not lacking.'"
"......Th-that's..."
"I didn't see you that way, Sister... You're quite materialistic, aren't you?"
"Mate... materialistic!?"
"I heard there are plenty of women in the Central Plains these days who only care about a man's status. I guess you're one of them, Sister?"
Seol-hyang spoke with a mischievous expression.
"Th-that is not true!"
"It sounds true to me."
"Eeeeeeek!"
Soon, Seol-hyang and Neung So-hwa began a heated argument.
Of course, for the most part, Neung So-hwa was being unilaterally overwhelmed.
".......Sun-woo, I am sorry. I did not mean it that way... Even if your martial arts were weak, I would still love you."
Eventually, having lost the argument, Neung So-hwa looked at Sun-woo with a pitiful expression.
It seemed she had reflected on her words and considered them a slip of the tongue.
Seeing her like that, Sun-woo thought she was incredibly cute.
"It's okay. I didn't really mind."
Sun-woo replied with a slight smile.
"No. Regardless, I believe such a statement was very problematic..."
Despite Sun-woo's comfort, Neung So-hwa continued with a dejected expression.
'She's like a puppy.'
Sun-woo thought. Her dejected appearance was exactly like a sad puppy.
Sun-woo slowly raised his hand.
Pat, pat.
He began to gently stroke Neung So-hwa's deep red hair.
He could feel the softness of her hair against his palm.
"It's really okay."
"........."
Neung So-hwa seemed to enjoy his touch, as she quietly submitted and felt his hand.
"Ugh."
Seeing this, Seol-hyang made a face as if she had goosebumps.
She felt a sense of regret inwardly. The teasing she had started to annoy Neung So-hwa had ended up making her happy instead.
'Brother Sun-woo is just too kind.'
She thought. Sun-woo was kind—far too kind.
'That's why I like him, though.'
But she didn't hate it. It was because he was that kind of person that she had fallen for him in the first place.