Chapter 127: Primordial Unity Step (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 127: Primordial Unity Step (2)
Seo-jun began by establishing the basic framework for his new Lightness Skill.
Whenever he created a martial art, Seo-jun always prioritized its core direction—regardless of how others might do it.
Why was he making it? How would it be used? How would it be classified, and what would be its specialty?
Once the broad blueprint was drawn, the details would naturally fill themselves in as he progressed. Of course, things rarely went exactly according to the original plan. Usually, sudden bursts of inspiration along the way would transform the martial art into something else entirely.
‘For now, this Lightness Skill must be fast. Period.’
He didn't need to overthink it. He didn't need profound principles, nor did he need to worry about its combat applications. This was simply a Lightness Skill designed to traverse the insanely vast Central Plains.
Speed was the absolute priority.
With the direction set, he began building the skeleton. He already had several martial arts under his belt, so it was best to utilize whatever components he could.
The first thing that came to mind was the Tyrannical Power Ghost God Art.
His body was significantly sturdier than before. To that foundation, he added the mechanics of the Fist King’s Lightness Skill.
‘That old man really is a lunatic, now that I think about it.’
The old man’s realm was technically only Second-rate. So how did he stride through the sky?
The answer was simple.
He kicked off the air itself with overwhelming physical force, literally stepping on the atmosphere. He was a man who could shatter Astral Qi with his bare fists, after all.
Normally, pure physical force couldn't easily overcome Astral Qi. From the middle stages of the Super Peak Realm onward, once a martial artist coated their body in Protective Astral Qi, they could survive a mountain falling on their head without major injury. (Though what happened after the mountain fell was anyone's guess.)
This was why martial artists at the Super Peak Realm and above always infused their attacks with internal energy. Without it, they couldn't deal any real damage to their peers.
But that crazy old man, Pae Jin-gwang, simply smashed through it with his bare fists.
How?
Seo-jun only understood after seeing it with his own eyes. If physical force was strong enough to literally crack space, then even Astral Qi would shatter. And the foundation that made such a feat possible was the Tyrannical Power Ghost God Art.
It was the very technique Seo-jun had studied under the Fist King.
‘Shall I give it a try?’
Seo-jun flexed every muscle in his body and kicked off the ground with explosive force.
KWA-AAAAANG!
His body soared high into the sky.
In that state, he activated Yellow Dragon Crossing the Clouds. The image of a yellow dragon shimmered beneath his feet. He tapped the air, imbuing the movement with the overwhelming power of the Tyrannical Power Ghost God Art.
“Oops.”
KWA-AAANG!
The Astral Qi he had stepped on was driven violently into the earth, kicking up a massive cloud of dust. Seo-jun descended, clicking his tongue. He flipped several times in mid-air before landing safely.
“This is ridiculous.”
He smacked his forehead as he surveyed the ruined courtyard.
In truth, the Void Stepping performed at the Super Peak Realm wasn't "true" Void Stepping. One might ask: if you can walk on air, isn't it Void Stepping?
Of course not.
The way Seo-jun walked on air worked like this: he would emit internal energy from the Yongcheon acupoints on his soles to coat his shoes, then manifest either plum blossoms or a yellow dragon to use as a foothold to launch himself.
There was a glaring problem with that method. It was essentially the same as trying to double-jump in mid-air by stepping on your own foot. Logically, it shouldn't work.
However, by utilizing profound principles and the sheer power of internal energy, martial artists at the Super Peak Realm ignored common sense to make it happen. It worked, but it had its limits; one couldn't put much power behind the step. This was because the force used to "fix" the internal energy in the air simply wasn't strong enough.
The Transcendent Realm was different. Since those at that level could manipulate natural energy, their ability to anchor internal energy in the air was on a completely different dimension. For them, there was no distinction between the ground and the sky. They could simply fly or run through the air as comfortably as if they were on solid ground.
That was what was truly called Void Stepping or Controlling the Void.
Even Seo-jun, who had been flitting through the air using plum blossoms since his days in the Peak Realm, couldn't overcome that fundamental limitation. If he wanted to bypass it, he just had to reach the Transcendent Realm.
“…This is tricky.”
But wasn't he creating this Lightness Skill precisely because he couldn't reach the Transcendent Realm yet?
The overwhelming power of the Tyrannical Power Ghost God Art was simply too much for internal energy suspended in the air to handle. It would be a different story if he could step on the air itself like Pae Jin-gwang, but it would take far too long to reach that level of physical mastery. By then, he’d probably have reached the Transcendent Realm anyway.
His specialties lay elsewhere, so what was he supposed to do? Even his current progress with the Tyrannical Power Ghost God Art was excessively fast considering it was just a "minor" study.
“Hmm…”
Then should I just run on the ground instead of the sky?
No, that’s also…
Whenever possible, flying in a straight line through the sky was much faster. You didn't have to worry about terrain or obstacles; you just flew straight ahead. There was a reason airplanes were such overwhelmingly fast modes of transport.
“Oh? Wait a second.”
Fly? In a straight line?
Seo-jun’s mind raced. His body was sturdy enough now, so it might actually work.
He immediately began piecing together an oral chant. Since it was just a slight modification of an existing martial art, it wasn't difficult. Having finished the draft in an instant, Seo-jun grinned.
“This is insane. This is going to be so much fun.”
He couldn't do this alone. Excited, Seo-jun immediately called everyone together.
* * *
Chun-bong, Namgung Su-ah, Namgung Myeong, Pae Jin-gwang, Namgung Hyeok, Jang-geuk, and various others gathered in the courtyard.
There was one person who stood out in particular.
“You are…”
“Greetings. I apologize for last time.”
Mu-hye of the Wudang Sect bowed deeply. Despite nearly having her head burst by Seo-jun previously, her expression showed no particular emotion. Instead, her eyes were filled with curiosity as she stared at him.
Namgung Myeong, standing beside her, spoke up while gauging Seo-jun’s reaction.
“My friends happened to be visiting… and she said she wanted to apologize for the previous incident once more, so I brought her along for a moment.”
“Chun-bong said it was fine, so whatever. It’s not like you did anything wrong, Brother.”
Seo-jun stared intently at Mu-hye.
“As for you… just don’t do that again.”
“Ah… I will do my best.”
Her best? He wondered if he hadn't hit her hard enough, but her eyes were dead serious. It seemed that "doing her best" wasn't something she could fully control.
“I don't care what you do to others, but if you pull that in front of me again, I won't care if you're from the Wudang Sect or not, got it?”
It might cause trouble for the Namgung Clan, but that was fine. He would handle it somehow.
“I will keep that in mind.”
Nod, nod. She was certainly good at nodding. Feeling slightly bad for some reason, Seo-jun waved his hand dismissively.
“I was a bit harsh last time, too. Sorry about that.”
“No. It was a natural response.”
Hye-un offered a blank fist-and-palm salute. Seo-jun returned it out of courtesy.
As Hye-un and Namgung Myeong were about to step aside, Seo-jun stopped them.
“Since you’re here, stay and watch. I’ll show you something incredible, Brother.”
“Uh… is it alright for them to see?”
“Why not? What are they going to do with it?”
It wasn't like they could copy it just by watching, anyway.
Mu-hye, Cheong-song, and Wol-mang sat down with sparkling eyes. Namgung Myeong also took a seat beside them with a bright smile.
Leaving them to their anticipation, Seo-jun stood proudly in the center of the courtyard.
“Watch closely, everyone. This is a true revolution in the world of Lightness Skills.”
Those who were used to his antics simply waited in anticipation. However, Namgung Hyeok, who was slightly less accustomed to this, quirked an eyebrow.
“A Lightness Skill? Why a Lightness Skill all of a sudden?”
“I made one.”
“You made… another one?”
Fwaaaa—!
Plum blossoms bloomed into existence.
Seo-jun stood in the air, stepping lightly on the petals. Though he had seen it a few times before, Namgung Hyeok let out a low groan of renewed surprise.
“Plum blossoms… It seems different from the Mount Hua Sect’s…”
Namgung Myeong’s guests also focused intently, refusing to even blink.
Seo-jun didn't care. At this point, it didn't matter if someone realized he had copied a martial art. It was better to focus on the Lightness Skill he was about to demonstrate.
“I call it: Primordial Unity Step.”
Beneath Seo-jun’s feet, the blooming plum blossoms split into two and began to rotate. Energies of Yin and Yang merged into one, forming the shape of a Taiji symbol.
Quickly coating his entire body in Protective Astral Qi, Seo-jun raised both hands.
“Applaud!”
KWA-AAAAAAAANG!!!
The Primordial Unity Sun-Moon Art exploded beneath Seo-jun’s feet, launching his body forward like a cannonball.
His figure vanished in an instant.
Pae Jin-gwang burst into uproarious laughter.
“You’re a lunatic as always!”
It was a speed that even the Fist King's eyes struggled to follow. If Seo-jun flew in like that during combat, it would be incredibly difficult to react in time.
Can that brat even control it?
Pae Jin-gwang heavily doubted it.
And soon enough—
KWA-AAAAAAAANG!!!
Something violently crashed into the ground.
Rumble!
A faint sound of an explosion echoed from high up in the sky a moment later.
Chun-bong, frantically waving away the thick cloud of dust, ran over in a panic.
“Hey! Hey! Are you okay?!”
Seo-jun was buried deep in a crater in the ground. Chun-bong grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, hauled him out, and smacked him hard on the back.
“You idiot! I told you to think before you do anything!”
“Ugh…”
Seo-jun shook his head to clear the dizziness and gave a lopsided grin.
“I’m perfectly fine, aren't I?”
It was a resounding success.
By limiting the direction of the explosion—similar to the Fake Plum Blossom technique—and launching his body while coated in Protective Astral Qi, he had achieved flight. Adding his own Lightness Skill on top of that propulsive force resulted in absolutely insane speed.
A body made light as a feather through Lightness Skills, the explosive power of the Primordial Unity Sun-Moon Art, and his own raw leaping force. These three elements formed a perfect trinity, resulting in ultimate speed.
There was a slight side effect where the user's entire body would burst apart—even with Protective Astral Qi—if their physique wasn't sturdy enough, but that was a minor detail. Since he would be using it high in the sky, he wouldn't hit anything anyway. All he needed was a bit more practice in controlling his direction.
“It would be a shame to end it here, wouldn't it? Especially since I’ve gathered everyone.”
Since he had set the stage, he had to live up to their expectations. Seo-jun jumped to his feet.
“Watch this!”
KWA-AAAAAAAANG!!!
Once again, Seo-jun’s figure vanished into the horizon.
The spectators stared blankly at the flashes of light streaking across the sky as they conversed.
“Great-Granduncle Wol-mang, what is that?”
“I am curious as well.”
Cheong-song gave up on trying to track Seo-jun with his eyes and simply looked around. Surprisingly, everyone was reacting quite calmly. While they were all marveling in their own ways, no one was struck with sheer terror or shock.
And this was despite him demonstrating a Lightness Skill of such incredible speed!
It was the first time Cheong-song had ever seen a person—not a sword or a fist—fly at such a terrifying velocity.
Are they not even surprised by this?
Feeling puzzled, he studied the faces of the crowd again. There were many unfamiliar faces, but judging by the auras they gave off, none of them were ordinary. Seeing such profound martial artists watching the display with amused chuckles made him wonder what exactly was going on.
‘Is the atmosphere of the Namgung Clan always like this?’
It was quite different from what he had imagined.
And then—
KWA-AAAAAAAANG!!!
A massive explosion echoed from far away.
At the sight of a towering cloud of dust rising in the distance—visible even from where they stood—Pae Jin-gwang roared with laughter.
“That brat crashed into something again!”
“Senior Fist King, I don't think this is the time to be laughing.”
Fist King?
Cheong-song’s eyes widened in shock, but no one paid him any mind. Namgung Hyeok pointed toward the direction where the dust was rising.
“Isn't that the Shaolin Temple?”
“What?”
Pae Jin-gwang bolted upright.
The others also stood up, their mouths agape.
Chun-bong turned deathly pale and immediately sprinted toward the crash site.
“That—that crazy bastard finally did it…!”
It was a disaster of epic proportions.