Chapter 178: Regrouping (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 178: Regrouping (2)
“…I thought you said you weren’t going anywhere.”
“…Or so I was about to say.”
Seo-jun quickly swallowed his words and changed the subject.
“I have a few questions for you regarding martial arts. Could you spare some time later?”
“Of course… Come find me whenever you wish…”
*
Lee Seo-jun, the self-appointed attending physician of the Chun-bong Mental Health Clinic, was deep in thought.
Chun-bong’s condition isn’t looking great…
It was only natural. If it were something a person could easily shake off, it wouldn’t be called trauma.
Since Seo-jun hadn’t majored in psychiatry, he didn’t know the exact clinical solution. However, he was a master in an entirely different field: the path of Martial Arts.
Things will improve once she reaches the Super Peak Realm.
Achieving the balance of Essence-Qi-Spirit sounded simple on paper, but its profound principles affected every aspect of a martial artist’s existence. It was particularly effective as a remedy for the mind.
Seo-jun knew this from personal experience. Hadn’t his own mental state become remarkably stable after breaking through to the Super Peak Realm?
All the conditions to use the Life and Death Breakthrough Art have been met.
This applied to both Chun-bong and Namgung Su-ah. However, theoretically speaking, the Life and Death Breakthrough Art came with one significant side effect.
“Normally, you need enlightenment to reach the Super Peak Realm.”
To be precise—if you didn’t gain enlightenment, you died. Failing to pierce the Life-Death Barrier meant your Qi would flow backward, collapsing the balance of your Essence-Qi-Spirit. In that scenario, having your body simply explode would be considered a merciful end.
“But if you force your way through the realms using the Life and Death Breakthrough Art, you miss out on that enlightenment.”
In short, it was like skipping a mandatory power-up event.
“Why is that a side effect?” Namgung Su-ah tilted her head. “You can just gain enlightenment after reaching the Super Peak Realm, right?”
“That’s… true.”
“In fact, wouldn’t it be easier to gain enlightenment once you’re already there?”
“That’s… also true?”
He had to concede the point. It wasn’t so much missing a power-up event as it was slightly changing the order of operations. Since a person could see much further from a higher vantage point, it might actually be easier to grasp enlightenment that way.
“Anyway, what I’m trying to say is this.”
When a cultivator reached the Super Peak Realm normally, they were usually classified as being in the Initial or Beginning stage of that realm. However, by forcing the breakthrough with the Life and Death Breakthrough Art, there was a high probability they wouldn’t quite reach that baseline level of stability.
“If I had to give it a name, it would be something like the ‘Super Peak Extreme Entry’ stage.”
It was a lame name, but it couldn’t be helped. Seo-jun had never been gifted at naming things.
Seo-jun recited the oral chant of the Life and Death Breakthrough Art to Chun-bong and Namgung Su-ah, then handed them a booklet where he had transcribed the chant in detail.
“You really have to memorize this perfectly. One wrong move and you could kick the bucket. I’ll be watching over you, but still. You get it, right?”
“Yeah. Thanks.” Namgung Su-ah gave a beaming smile.
Chun-bong, however, hesitated before tightly grabbing the hem of Seo-jun’s sleeve.
“Are you giving us this so you can leave for the Demonic Cult…?”
Even as she spoke, Chun-bong felt frustrated with herself. She knew that clinging to Seo-jun like this was only holding him back. It benefited no one.
And yet, despite knowing that, her anxiety clawed at her. She was terrified that this time, Seo-jun might truly disappear forever.
Ever since she had witnessed Seo-jun’s body being shattered, she had been plagued by nightmares every single night. Nightmares where he vanished, never to be seen again.
In her dreams, Seo-jun died in a myriad of gruesome ways. His body would explode, his head would be severed, he’d be poisoned, or he’d simply dissolve into thin air.
Chun-bong panted slightly, gripping his sleeve even tighter as if she were afraid to let go.
“You can’t go anywhere…”
“Oh, my dear Chun-bong.”
Seo-jun picked her up and gently rocked her back and forth.
It seemed he really shouldn’t take his eyes off her until her condition improved.
“Anyway, Su-ah. We’ll be doing this soon, so be ready.”
“Got it. What about Geum Mae…?”
“Don’t worry too much. Our Chun-bu-i is strong, right?”
“…I’m not.”
“She says she is.”
“…I said I’m not.”
No. He knew Chun-bong better than she knew herself.
The day he could respond to her gibberish with his own nonsense, Chun-bong would surely regain her confident, vibrant self.
*
Seo-jun headed toward the Golden Pearl Hall with Chun-bong riding piggyback. He was on his way to inspect the Divine Weapons the Chief Steward had mentioned.
“Ah, you’ve arrived, Young Master.”
The Chief Steward welcomed him warmly with a brief bow and immediately led him toward the warehouse.
“I mobilized our spare manpower to search throughout the Central Plains, but… as expected, obtaining Divine Weapons is no easy task.”
“Well, it wouldn’t be easy to find things with the word ‘Divine’ attached to them.”
“Ho ho, you are quite right. I was only able to secure about six…”
“What?”
Upon entering the warehouse, Seo-jun saw all sorts of weapons neatly organized on racks. The sharp aura emanating from them was extraordinary.
As Seo-jun looked around with gleaming interest, the Chief Steward didn’t even glance at the surrounding armory and headed further inside.
“Aren’t they here?”
“No. The items here are merely ordinary famous swords.”
Ordinary famous swords? How could a famous sword be ordinary? Wasn't being famous the whole point?
Well, I guess this is the Namgung Clan.
Accepting the clan's absurd wealth and logic, Seo-jun scratched his head and followed the Chief Steward.
In a secluded corner of the warehouse, the Chief Steward carefully deactivated a complex series of formations.
Click—
A hidden space revealed itself. Inside, about a dozen weapons were on display, each possessing an aura that was anything but ordinary.
“This way.”
The Chief Steward led Seo-jun to a specific set of items resting on a velvet-lined table.
Four swords, one set of clothing, and one scabbard.
“Wait, what are these?”
Clothes and a scabbard? As Seo-jun scratched his head in confusion, the Chief Steward chuckled.
“A Divine Weapon refers to an object imbued with mysterious functions. There is no rule stating such an object must be a weapon.”
The Chief Steward began to recite the history and functions of the Divine Weapons one by one.
“This sword is known to have been used by a master named the Iron-Steel Sword three hundred years ago. I obtained it from its owner after hearing news that it was recently discovered in Guizhou.”
“You obtained it?”
“Yes. There was no friction. Fortunately, he seemed satisfied with a few Gold Ingots.”
“Excuse me? How many?”
A Gold Ingot was no small sum; just one was enough to accomplish almost anything. Most commoners would struggle to even lay eyes on a single Silver Tael in their lifetime, and it took forty to fifty of those to make one Silver Ingot. But not just Silver—he’d casually dropped several Gold Ingots?
“Hmm.”
While Seo-jun was busy doing the mental math and reeling from the cost, the Chief Steward continued his explanation.
“The function itself is modest. Even if the blade breaks, it slowly regenerates. However, if the sword is snapped completely in half, it takes several years to fully repair, so it isn’t an overwhelming ability.”
“I see…”
“The sword over here is…”
Summarizing the functions of the swords according to the Chief Steward:
A regenerating sword, a sword with an exceptionally sharp edge, a sword that could split into two and rejoin as one, and… a Demonic Sword.
“What?”
A Demonic Sword?
When Seo-jun showed interest, the Chief Steward nodded with evident satisfaction.
“It isn’t truly related to demons. However, the sword possesses a degree of sentience and is said to exert a wicked influence on its owner.”
“Wait, why would you get something like that…?”
“In exchange, if one can master it, it can display performance far superior to other Divine Weapons. It is a perfect fit for you, Young Master.”
“Why does a Demonic Sword fit me…?”
Seo-jun wore a strange expression as he reached out and gripped the Demonic Sword.
Wuuuung—
The blade hummed, and a faint, sinister voice echoed in Seo-jun’s mind.
[Accept my will and— wait, what is this?! No…!]
It went dead silent. When Seo-jun tapped the Demonic Sword, it vibrated softly, almost as if it were acting cute.
“Indeed. Just as I expected.”
“Hey… that was a compliment, right?”
“Of course.”
The Chief Steward nodded with a pleased look and pointed to the clothing hanging on the wall.
“This is a garment woven from Heavenly Silk. It also lacks a grand function, but it is possible to unravel the sleeves thread by thread and then restore them to their original state. If you infuse it with internal energy, it gains considerable durability, allowing it to serve as both defense and offense.”
“And this scabbard?”
“That is…”
The Chief Steward stroked his short mustache and cleared his throat awkwardly.
“To be honest, I felt a bit embarrassed even showing it to you…”
He picked up the scabbard and a nearby sword, then slid the blade inside.
Clack—
The sizes didn’t quite match, but perhaps because it was a Divine Weapon, the sword fit perfectly into the scabbard.
“This scabbard can change the appearance of the sword placed inside it.”
“What? Wait, isn’t this the best one?”
Changing a sword’s appearance? Didn’t that mean he could use all sorts of swords with just that one item?
“Only the hilt and the guard change.”
“Ah.”
So it was purely for aesthetics.
As Seo-jun smacked his lips in mild disappointment, a brilliant idea suddenly struck him.
“Wait a second.”
Taking the scabbard from the Chief Steward, Seo-jun slid the Demonic Sword into it.
Wuuuung!
The Demonic Sword resisted for a brief moment, but it was utterly futile. As Seo-jun gripped the scabbard and strongly visualized an image in his mind, the hilt of the Demonic Sword transformed into something quite extravagant.
“Oh…!”
A golden dragon was now coiled around the guard. It looked exactly like the ceremonial swords used by imperial palace officials.
“Wow, I really like this.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. This will be absolutely perfect for when I need to do something suspicious.”
“Pardon?”
The Chief Steward’s eyes widened in alarm, but Seo-jun just smiled brightly as he packed up the scabbard, the Demonic Sword, and the Heavenly Silk garment.
“Is it okay if I take these now?”
“Of course. These were obtained specifically to be given to you, Young Master.”
“Yahoo!”
Seo-jun giggled.
…And Chun-bong, who had been quietly hanging onto his back this whole time, whispered into his ear.
“You’re planning to do something weird again, aren’t you?”
“Obviously.”
“…Don’t do anything dangerous.”
“Gasp…!”
Seo-jun’s eyes snapped wide open in shock.
This wouldn’t do. Chun-bong’s condition was far more serious than he thought. Instead of nagging him, she was actually worried?
“Chief Steward, I think I need to head back quickly.”
After hastily bidding the Chief Steward farewell, Seo-jun hurried back to his room, set Chun-bong down, and stood before her.
“Stand up straight, Geum Chun-bong…!”
“Whyyy…”
Chun-bong sluggishly assumed a position of attention, her lips jutting out in a pout.
Seo-jun habitually gave a satisfied smile and moved to pick her up… before setting her back down again.
“You, how long are you going to stay stuck to me?”
“For life…?”
“Hmm. Should we?”
Now that he thought about it, it didn’t seem like a bad idea at all.