Chapter 150
Chapter 150
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 150
Chapter Title: Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors
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What kind of martial art is the Soul Annihilation Step?
Kamiizumi Nobutsuna said,
"It seems you need a talent they call a 'wandering soul' to learn the Soul Annihilation Step."
"'Wandering soul'? What's that?"
It was a concept I'd never heard in my life. I tilted my head in confusion, and he explained.
"It's less a talent and more an innate disposition... It's the essential nature of those who revel in wandering and embody freedom. 'A knack' might be a better way to put it."
"......?!"
I was flabbergasted.
What kind of condition was that for a martial art? I thought back to Lee Gwang and Jin So-cheong, who had failed to learn it before me, fitting them into the criteria. At the same time, I compared them to Geukho and Yagyu Munenori. I couldn't spot any difference.
"It's strange. I enjoy wandering and pursue freedom just as much as anyone. And those who failed at the Soul Annihilation Step first weren't particularly bound by anything either. So how can there be a difference in wandering souls?"
"It's a truly complex issue. It's in a realm separate from martial heart."
Swoosh.
Kamiizumi Nobutsuna had already sat down cross-legged. The other sword heroes also gathered in a circle, listening intently. I followed the mood and quietly took a seat as well. He continued slowly.
"Let me ask you one thing. Are you free right now, Lord Baek Woong?"
"...Well, that's..."
The sudden question gave me pause. I reflected carefully on myself before answering.
"I don't think so."
"With your skills, Lord Baek Woong, you could roam the world as if it were your home. Yet you feel constrained. Whether it's due to [mission], [duty], or other internal and external factors, that's how you feel.
Think carefully, Lord Baek Woong. Humans pursue freedom while bound by constraints, but they often enjoy or settle into that very unfreedom. Truly pondering what freedom is and charging straight through it is impossible for ordinary people."
"Hmm..."
Freedom within unfreedom.
Even in forced unfreedom, they affirm themselves within those societal bonds.
I considered his profound words deeply. As I sank into thought, he continued.
"We are sword heroes and experts. With our martial prowess, we could roam the world as we please, but we don't. It's the inherent conservatism of our dispositions and the instinct to protect our tangible and intangible assets. That includes [greed], and even the self-discipline to endure ourselves."
"That makes sense."
"But those with a wandering soul seem to overlook and accept that reality, yet casually cast everything aside and bolt. They don't think about consequences or repercussions—they live for ultimate freedom. The ties in their inner world are exceedingly thin. Without a grand reason, they end up wandering."
Listening to him, I countered.
"That's a contradiction. Among those I know who failed at the Soul Annihilation Step, one is an unparalleled expert of tremendous realm. Even I doubt if I could withstand a hundred full-force exchanges from him."
"Oho... Such an incredible figure exists?"
I nodded, thinking of Lee Gwang.
"An unparalleled expert like him was born with immense talent, perseverance, and self-control—overcoming greed is no issue. He also seems the type to casually shed all desires and run off. How can a mere wandering soul explain such a contradiction?"
Kamiizumi Nobutsuna burst into laughter.
"Haha... You've misunderstood. A wandering soul isn't about endurance or self-discipline. Nor is it the self-control and shedding that supreme experts possess—those are entirely different."
"How are they different?"
"A wandering soul is a disposition that harbors destruction. When experts discard greed and delusions to reach purity, it's driven by an even greater longing for the martial arts. It's also the pinnacle of self-control through extreme training.
But a wandering soul leaves no room for reflection—it turns you into a vagabond, discarding everything. It's different from realms gained through training."
"......!!"
Only then did I understand. Astonished, I looked at Yagyu Munenori, who had just demonstrated the Soul Annihilation Step. He shyly averted his eyes. Kamiizumi Nobutsuna said,
"It's a heavenly disposition that disregards even one's own destruction, abandons everything, and wanders in freedom... We call that the heart of the wandering soul."
"Then Yagyu Munenori over there..."
"He's adept at politics and preserving his faction—quite conservative. But there's no doubt he has the wandering soul's heart. His son, Yagyu Jubei, probably has it several times over."
Yagyu Munenori's face flushed as he said,
"That's true, but that brat isn't my son..."
"......"
Even with a wandering soul's heart from birth, one could become a stubborn, conservative middle-aged man. It was truly an innate disposition—meaning that when the moment came, you'd abandon everything to become a masterless ronin wandering the world. Amazed, I asked Yagyu Munenori,
"You were born with that disposition, yet you grew into a sword hero responsible for your school?"
"Of course, I've had plenty of moments where I wanted to chuck it all after dealing with worldly affairs. My nature made it worse."
He spoke resolutely.
"But Master Kamiizumi Nobutsuna pulled me back time and again. I decided to overcome that self, to take responsibility for my family and school. Even with a wandering soul's disposition, I can't let it dictate my entire life."
Yagyu Munenori's master was Yagyu Sekishusai, who was also Kamiizumi Nobutsuna's disciple. By lineage, he was the sword sage's grand-disciple.
"Hmm..."
Hearing Munenori's answer, I thought of Geukho.
I recalled Geukho's eyes during the standoff when the Anti-Heaven Alliance and Thunder God Style disciples held Mangnyang hostage.
'Geukho was deeply obsessed with revenge for Thunder God Style.'
Originally, Geukho would have roamed the world freely with Thunder God Style arts, but he couldn't forget the grudge of his master's murder by Wind God Style and hid in Guanzhong. He sharpened his blade of vengeance for the day Thunder God Style would rise again. A wandering soul's disposition was innate, but it didn't dominate one's life.
Curious again, I asked,
"So, is that wandering soul disposition just a personality trait? How does it relate to learning the Soul Annihilation Step?"
Yagyu Munenori answered my question.
"In the Soul Annihilation Step manual, there are several bizarre passages that don't interpret well."
"True."
"They seem less like simple luck and more like incantations. When reciting them blankly while executing the Soul Annihilation Step, the body just moves on its own, as if something else is directing it."
"What...?!"
"Entrusting your body to that flow without doubt might be hard for ordinary people."
I could hardly believe his impression. Kamiizumi Nobutsuna, who had been listening, said,
"It's a sensation close to possession."
"You too?"
"I lack the wandering soul disposition, but I had an inkling, so I tried reciting the formulas and letting my body go. But the feeling of something else taking over was too repulsive—I stopped. It's close to an instinctive rejection."
Just in case, I had the gathered sword heroes recite the Soul Annihilation Step formulas and attempt it together.
Whoooosh...
"Huh..."
As they said, at some point, something tried to smoothly occupy my body, moving it in completely unexpected directions. Feeling like I'd lose my mind and go insane, I hastily stopped.
It wasn't just me—the other sword heroes had stopped in shock too. One of them said,
"You can execute this sane? I can't! This isn't something training can handle."
Exactly.
It wasn't just entrusting the body. The horrific alienation and dissonance of turning into something other than yourself! For sword heroes who had rigorously trained mind and body, enduring that sensation was nearly impossible. The same for other experts. Physical pain could be gritted through, but how do you endure the disgust of being devoured by yourself?
Only then did I understand why the Soul Annihilation Step required a wandering soul.
'A reckless, free disposition that can unhesitatingly discard oneself like trash... Without that madness, executing the Soul Annihilation Step is impossible.'
Truly soul annihilation.
It could be learned postnatally, but you'd have to go quite mad, immersed in insanity. Maintaining consciousness and madness while executing the technique was nearly contradictory, so only the wandering soul's disposition could nonchalantly ignore that instinctive disgust and access the true training method.
Standing there, I pondered.
How precious is 'me' to me?
How readily can I discard myself like chaff?
It's different from killing and forgetting the self en route to martial extremes. It's whether you can endure becoming someone else, mad with frenzy. And I realized my ego was fiercer than I thought—I valued myself deeply.
I reached a conclusion and sighed.
"...It's impossible for me as I am now."
I currently had the goal-consciousness of toppling the Demon Subduing Hall and clung to past lives for information. I even rejected the [Ancient Ruler]'s call because my soul recoiled from invasion. With such a strong ego, meeting the Soul Annihilation Step's requirements would be arduous.
Knowing the experiment was over, I told the sword heroes,
"Everyone except Kamiizumi Nobutsuna and Yagyu Munenori can return to your homes tomorrow."
"May I teach the Thunder Shadow Step?"
"Of course."
I had obtained the Thunder God Style license transmission. And I'd learned all the secret techniques. Teaching Thunder God Style to anyone wouldn't cause issues. Instead, I stared each one down squarely and said,
"But what I'm teaching you is the footwork from the Central Plains' strongest school, Thunder God Style. Make sure to teach that fact clearly to future generations without hiding it."
"Th-that's..."
"By the way, Thunder God Style has two experts several times stronger than me. I won't demand you become affiliates, but remember: act greedily at your peril, and you'll face punishment."
"Understood."
The sword heroes looked uneasy, probably planning to pass it as their own secret art.
Once they departed, Kamiizumi Nobutsuna said,
"Quite the pride. Well, as the strongest of White Lotus Cult's Four Great Dharma Protector Styles, calling it the Central Plains' strongest isn't far off..."
"You knew what Thunder God Style was all along."
"Heh heh. When I visited White Lotus Cult in my youth, Thunder God Style was at its peak among the Dharma Protector Styles. Impossible not to know..."
"......!!"
I stared at him in shock.
"How old are you, exactly?"
"I may not look it, but just over 120..."
"......"
He appeared only mid-to-late 50s—an astonishing feat. He smiled faintly.
"Once you enter late absolute peak, aging slows naturally, granting extended lifespan. Nothing to be surprised about."
"Hmm..."
True, Yagyu Munenori, a middle-aged sword hero, reveres him as grandmaster. It made sense. Looking at him, I said,
"If it's not rude, please tell me what you know about Thunder God Style."
I decided on semi-formal speech. Though from a frontier nation, his swordsmanship, age, and wisdom deserved respect. He replied,
"Hmm... From what I know, Thunder God Style was a school that truly deserved the title of strongest among the Four Great Dharma Protector Styles. There were the Four Great Dharma Protector Lions—beings who possessed demigod-level arts transcending humanity."
As expected, Thunder God Style had produced Dharma Protector Lions too. Listening intently, he continued,
"Even the White Lotus Leader placed a Thunder God Style Dharma Protector Lion right beside him, not a high priest. I once witnessed the Four Great Dharma Protector Styles sparring among themselves. Thunder God Style seemed to have no 'weaknesses.' Fire God Style had immense attack power but poor stamina; Wind God Style was agile but weak in strength; Water God Style couldn't exert power without conditions... But Thunder God Style had none of that."
"I see..."
"It was a cut above the other three major schools overall."
I gave a wry smile. His evaluation suggested he was an outstanding expert when he visited White Lotus Cult young. Indeed, Thunder God Style allowed mastery of sword, fist, and spear with near-perfect power in talented hands.
"And Thunder God Style's prestige hasn't died... Producing an absolute peak expert your age, Lord Baek Woong—they must be the world's greatest school."
"The world's greatest school is Water God Style, the White Lotus Leader's origin."
"Haha... No. One who learns Water God Style becomes the world's strongest, but not an absolute peak expert."
"......?"
What did that mean? As I stared blankly, Kamiizumi Nobutsuna explained,
"Their arts are special secrets only the White Lotus Leader's bloodline can learn. That hardly counts as a martial school. Plus, Water God Style is extremely insular."
"Hmm."
"I don't know details, so ask Thunder God Style elders. That's all I know..."
I'd already asked Lee Gwang, but expelled young from White Lotus Cult, he didn't know Water God Style secrets well. I thought inwardly,
'Hmm... Guess I'll seek past Thunder God Style experts or visit White Lotus Cult directly.'
To Kamiizumi Nobutsuna, I said,
"Learning the Soul Annihilation Step will be tough, but I'd like to research it more together. And discuss swordsmanship—please help."
"Of course. Makes my old blood boil..."
Afterward, I observed Yagyu Munenori's Soul Annihilation Step executions and changes moment by moment, practicing yielding to its flow. In spare time, I debated sword insights with Kamiizumi Nobutsuna, exploring diverse sword realms.
And I learned a unique technique.
"Lord Baek Woong, first learn the basics of Mutodori."
He grinned.
"There are many experts in the world, but this is my pride."
Seemingly fond of me, Kamiizumi Nobutsuna decided to teach his secret, Mutodori—disarming foes barehanded, a step beyond no-sword techniques.
But my talent couldn't master the secret quickly, so I learned only basic forms and training methods first.
After three months of research, I concluded I couldn't learn the Soul Annihilation Step. Regretfully, I sent the two sword heroes home. Miho, who had lounged in the Imperial Palace until then, said,
"It's over now?"
"Yeah... Seems it'll take decades to learn the Soul Annihilation Step."
No exaggeration or joke. The self-discipline and training to artificially immerse in madness was unimaginable. I might manage blindly yielding consciousness now, but useless in real combat. For practical use, consciousness must be maintained.
Miho said,
"You've researched it this far—why not go straight to that Geukho?"
"To Geukho?"
"Without knowledge, you were both stumped, but tell him the Soul Annihilation Step's conditions and exact power. As the successor, he'll have answers only he can give."
"You're right...!!"
Her words rang true.
"Then let's head to the Central Plains."
I'd stayed in Dongyoung long enough—it was time to return.
Back to seriously track Dao Wang and Dongbang Mu-gyeol, while uncovering the Soul Annihilation Step's secrets from Geukho!
============================ Author's Afterword ============================
Sorry for the delays in updates over the past few days ㅠㅠ Had some circumstances, but from today, I'll serialize diligently and sincerely! Don't believe the rumors about breaks... Also, fixed a setting error in chapter 149: changed Cheonju-sal transmission to regular Thunder Shadow Step transmission.