Chapter 83: Subjugating the Green Forest (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 83: Subjugating the Green Forest (1)
For a martial artist at the Super Peak Realm or higher, the most crucial element in executing any technique is Mental Imagery.
It isn't merely the imagery held within one's own mind; the inherent imagery embedded within the martial art itself exerts a massive influence.
Qi is a contradictory force—it exists, yet it does not. In a way, it behaves like a quantum particle existing only as a probability. Mental Imagery is what grants that existence absolute certainty.
Whirrrr!
A Finger Pellet spun at the tip of Seo-jun’s index finger. The surrounding air was sucked into the violent rotation, compounding its destructive power.
While materialized internal energy is technically subject to air resistance, it becomes completely negligible if the user wills it so.
Bang!
The fired Finger Pellet pierced clean through a tree. Simultaneously, a violent gust of wind whipped around the point of impact, grinding away the wood and leaving a massive, gaping hole in its wake.
Creeak!
The tree, its trunk completely hollowed out, toppled over.
Seo-jun fired a few more Finger Pellets before coming to a conclusion.
‘The speed is about the same.’
Whether he added rotation or not, the velocity remained constant. Accuracy didn't vary much either; it simply consumed a bit more mental energy in exchange for a sheer boost in destructive power.
The reason the Finger Pellet was faster now than before was simply due to the image of a gun firmly planted in Seo-jun’s mind. That, and the subtle nuances he had absorbed from the martial arts of that idiot who used a bow.
Next was the Firmament Pressure Step. He had discarded it during the Monster Wave because its energy efficiency was absolute garbage, but he hadn't given up on its potential entirely.
Thump!
As Seo-jun stomped his foot, the ground in the distance caved in, sending up a thick cloud of dust.
The efficiency was still abysmal. It felt like holding the very end of an incredibly long pole and trying to crush something far away.
‘I’ll probably need to reach the Transcendent Realm for this to actually be useful.’
If he reached the Transcendent Realm, where one could freely command Natural Energy, it would likely produce devastating power.
The image serving as the foundation for the Firmament Pressure Step was the Heavenly Demon Ruling Step he had read about in modern novels. Once he broke through to the Transcendent Realm, he would be able to bring an army of thousands to their knees with a single step.
Next was the Ten-Fold Yin-Yang Reversal.
Zap, zap, zap!
Yin and Yang rapidly alternated at Seo-jun’s fingertips, sparking with volatile energy.
Watching the reaction, Seo-jun pondered for a moment before nodding in satisfaction.
‘This is good.’
The only downside was the massive drain on mental energy—at least, that would be the case for any ordinary martial artist. In fact, it was highly questionable if anyone else could even use it. He figured he could try teaching it to Chun-bong later.
But for Seo-jun, while it required a degree of focus, it didn't drain his mental reserves significantly.
He could drive his fist into an opponent’s body and trigger the Ten-Fold Yin-Yang Reversal point-blank, or he could project it as an area-of-effect skill like he did during the Monster Wave.
As an AOE attack, it wouldn't do much against an opponent of equal strength, but it was absolutely perfect for sweeping away hordes of moderately strong enemies in one fell swoop.
Having finished the basic diagnostic of his techniques, Seo-jun stood in the center of the ruined training yard and gazed up at the sky.
His martial arts were improving by the day, yet the heavens still felt impossibly far away.
A single move to bring down the sky.
As Seo-jun contemplated this, dark Demonic Qi began to shimmer across his entire body.
‘In terms of pure, single-hit destructive power, the Heaven-Defying Sun-Moon Art is probably the strongest.’
Taiji radiates outward. Taiji gives birth to the two forms, the two forms give birth to the four symbols, the four symbols give birth to the eight trigrams, and the sixty-four hexagrams derived from those trigrams ultimately form all of creation.
Conversely, Reverse Taiji converges. All of creation collapses back into Taiji, eventually transforming into Primordial Unity.
For reasons he couldn't quite pinpoint, the power of the Heaven-Defying Sun-Moon Art doubled whenever he channeled Demonic Qi instead of other types of energy.
Sssssssss—
The Heaven-Defying Sun-Moon Art seemingly carved a black hole directly into the sky. Watching that singularity slowly dissipate, a strange heat flickered in Seo-jun’s eyes.
‘I need a technique that can handle martial artists of a higher realm.’
A technique that could take down an opponent stronger than himself, even at the cost of damaging his own body. A true "ultimate move," so to speak.
As he visualized the technique in his mind, Seo-jun’s eyes flashed sharply.
The blueprint was drawn; all that remained was the experiment.
However, the aftereffects would undoubtedly be severe, so there was no need to test it right now. He could just test it in actual combat.
Anyone else would call it sheer madness, but Seo-jun was confident.
He wouldn't fail. Not when it came to a martial art that manipulated Qi.
And so, another day passed.
* * *
“Oh...!”
He had become rich in an instant. His coin pouch felt like it was about to burst from the hefty reward he received for completing the Chief Steward’s request.
But he had nowhere to spend the money. Since Chun-bong had entered secluded training, the "Chun-bong Cheek Maintenance Fund" had vanished entirely, bringing his living expenses down to zero.
Since he had been a bit rough with his sword lately, he thought about buying a new one, but the Namgung Clan had simply handed him a replacement as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
And it was actually quite good—a masterwork blade. It was incomparable to the cheap iron swords he had used until now, and even better than the blade he had received as a prize at the Mount Hua Sect’s tournament.
“I’ve got absolutely nothing to do.”
Wandering aimlessly through the vast estate, Seo-jun naturally found his feet carrying him toward the Golden Pearl Hall. It was the building where the Chief Steward handled his affairs.
He strolled in without much thought, but the interior was far busier than expected.
After watching the servants and officials rushing about for a moment, he slipped over to the Chief Steward.
“Is something going on?”
“Ah, Great Hero! It’s nothing major, but it seems the Green Forest ruffians are moving north, crushing smaller sects along the way.”
“Doesn't that sound exactly like something major...?”
“They have many experts at the Peak Realm, but since their only Super Peak martial artist is the Chief of the Green Forest, it isn't a catastrophe. The bigger issue is the Black Lotus Union forces moving south toward Hebei.”
“Aha.”
Seo-jun scratched his head and examined the large strategic map hanging on the wall.
It marked the movement routes of both the Green Forest and the Black Lotus Union. Looking at the projected path, the Green Forest forces seemed to be crossing the Yangtze River from Shandong, heading straight for Hebei.
They likely intended to join forces with the Black Lotus Union...
“Who’s going to stop them? Is there a large sect nearby?”
“The Hwangbo Clan is stationed there, but they are short-handed, so they seem to be hoping for support from the Namgung Clan.”
“Aha. So, one Super Peak expert from their side and one from Namgung will go?”
“Yes. That is likely how it will play out.”
War in the Murim was fundamentally different from modern warfare.
The outcome was largely determined by two main factors: the sheer number of high-level experts, and the defense of the home base.
High-level experts were essentially "cheat-code" units—they moved fast, required low maintenance, and could unleash massive firepower. Even if an army pushed forward and formed a solid front line, they couldn't possibly cover the entirety of the vast Central Plains. If a few elite experts slipped through the cracks and started wreaking havoc behind enemy lines, there was no stopping them.
Ultimately, war in the Murim took the form of a grand game of chess—capturing high-value pieces—rather than a simple territorial dispute.
And it went without saying that the home bases where these "pieces" belonged were absolutely crucial. Before worrying about the clash between Righteous or Evil factions, protecting one's own home was the obvious first priority.
Regardless, the minimum cutoff for being considered a "piece" on this board was the Peak Realm. In a large-scale war, martial artists below the Peak Realm were effectively treated as non-combatants.
The main forces consisted of Peak and Super Peak martial artists, and in most cases, the victory of the Super Peak experts outright decided the outcome of the battlefield.
As for the Transcendent Realm? They were complete outliers.
If one appeared, the tide of battle would shift instantly. Because of this, they couldn't move recklessly; their mere existence served to keep the enemy’s Transcendent Realm experts in check.
Thus, the strategists of each faction prioritized placing their Transcendent Realm masters in key locations to lock down the board, relying on the Super Peak and Peak martial artists to actually execute their tactical maneuvers.
Ultimately, when the Transcendent Realm power on both sides was equal, the war was decided by how effectively the Super Peak martial artists were utilized.
‘My father-in-law said I don't need to worry about the Profound Realm, right?’
Apparently, they couldn't act for a variety of reasons.
In fact, most people who reached the Transcendent Realm—let alone the mythical Profound Realm—lost all interest in worldly affairs. Even the previous generation of masters from the Namgung Clan had vanished into deep seclusion.
Rumor had it that some of these ancient monsters wouldn't even lift a finger if their entire sect was being burned to the ground.
“It really looks like a war is starting.”
“It would be more accurate to say it has already begun. This clash will mark the start of the war in earnest.”
“Oh boy.”
Seo-jun tapped his forehead and asked, “Then, should I be the one to go?”
“Oh, Great...! Hmm...”
The Chief Steward, who was about to habitually rejoice at Seo-jun’s volunteering, suddenly let out a groan.
“But... this task could be truly dangerous. Although the Chief of the Green Forest is said to only be at the early stage of the Super Peak Realm, his actual combat prowess is reportedly quite formidable...”
Early Super Peak. This was merely a classification of cultivation realm, not a strict measure of pure combat power.
If you could manifest Astral Qi, you were at the early stage.
If you could shape that Astral Qi, you were at the mid-stage.
If there was zero distortion when firing the Astral Qi, you were at the late stage.
And if you could control Astral Qi as naturally as your own limbs, you were at the Absolute Peak.
Naturally, the average power level spiked as you climbed the ranks, but it wasn't completely impossible for an early Super Peak to defeat an Absolute Peak.
Hadn't he heard it from Chun-bong before? Take the Fist King, for example. In terms of pure realm, he was only considered second-rate, yet he was counted among the absolute top powerhouses, even among Super Peak experts.
In Seo-jun’s case, he was technically hovering somewhere between the mid and late Super Peak Realm, but that was just a "bloated" realm achieved through his ridiculous, cheat-like talent. It was an empty rank lacking a solid foundation.
Therefore, it was genuinely uncertain what would happen if he fought a Super Peak martial artist in their prime, rather than an old man past his peak like Elder Jong-in or the Soul-Stealing Demon.
Of course, it wasn't that he lacked confidence. His stamina and sustainability were simply absurd; while an opponent was forced to rely on basic attacks, he could just spam ultimate moves.
The only real issue was that at higher realms, a deep understanding of martial principles became far more important than raw power, but to Seo-jun, that was just a minor detail.
“Actually, now is the perfect time. A Super Peak martial artist from the Hwangbo Clan will be there too, so it’s a great chance to get some real combat experience relatively safely. I can't stay cooped up in my room forever anyway.”
Real combat was absolutely essential for getting stronger. Seo-jun’s mind was made up.
“Hmm... But the Young Lady...”
“Ayy! It’s fine! Just consider it settled that I’m going. It's confirmed!”
Bang, bang. As Seo-jun slammed his hand on the desk to finalize the decision, the Chief Steward’s expression turned remarkably complicated. It was a strange, crumpled look—unable to be fully happy, yet unable to be fully sad.
Eventually, he offered a deep bow.
“You are providing our clan with great help once again. Thank you.”
“Hey, come on. We’re family, aren't we? Family.”
Honestly, at this point, wouldn't it be perfectly fine to just call him Namgung Seo-jun?
Seo-jun chuckled to himself as he left the Golden Pearl Hall.
‘The Green Forest, huh?’
He wondered what kind of guy the Chief of the Green Forest actually was.
This would be the perfect chance to determine whose Giant Spirit Divine Art was the real deal.