Chapter 226
Chapter 226
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 226
Chapter Title: Heavenly Realm
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I decided to first explain my circumstances to the Dragon Master as well. Of course, showing him the obsidian's memories like I did with the Sword Demon would be far too dangerous, so I simply told him that I had been a disciple of the Thunder God Style in the past and had gone through various events.
Once the Dragon Master seemed to accept it, I once again demonstrated Jang Sam-bong's ultimate arts before them. For a full day, the Sword Demon and Dragon Master simply watched my display of the techniques in silence, lost in thought.
'They're deciding on the direction for my future training.'
That day, I ate the rations, vegetables, and rice pills the Dragon Master had brought and slept comfortably.
[Hey. Come out here for a moment.]
The next day at dawn, the Dragon Master called me separately via mental transmission, so I went out.
The Dragon Master stood before the lake at dawn and said to me,
"What do you think Unrivaled Hegemony is?"
It was an unexpected question. I had thought he would ask about the insights or subtleties of Coiling Shell Sword or Tianzhu Sword, but Unrivaled Hegemony? I pondered for a moment before answering.
"It must be tremendously domineering. Probably an Intent Absolute Technique."
"But neither you nor the Sword Demon can perform Unrivaled Hegemony."
"Yes, that's right."
"What do you think the reason is?"
If I knew, I would have started training it immediately. However, quite some time had passed since I began practicing Jang Sam-bong's ultimate arts, but I hadn't grasped any sense of Unrivaled Hegemony. This was the same even for the geniuses of the Thunder God Style and the Sword Demon.
As I remained silent, the Dragon Master spoke.
"Don't think about Unrivaled Hegemony for the time being."
"Are you saying I shouldn't pay attention to useless things?"
"The Sword Demon said you've been endlessly checked under the wrong master. You might doubt my words because of that, but hear this as pure advice. For you right now, obsessing over Unrivaled Hegemony during training will only have the opposite effect."
"......?"
The opposite effect?
What did that mean?
The Dragon Master continued.
"Even I, who has practiced Wudang Sect's martial arts my whole life, might barely attain Unrivaled Hegemony at the end of this life. For any of us three, mastering that technique is a burdensome task. It's of terrifying difficulty."
"That much?"
"Yes."
The Dragon Master glanced at my face and smirked.
"Well... since you look unconvinced, I'll give you a benchmark."
"A benchmark?"
"Achieve Sword Heaven. Only at that level will you have the qualifications to even research Unrivaled Hegemony."
What was Sword Heaven?
As I tilted my head in question, the Dragon Master said irritably,
"Ask that Sword Demon over there about it."
Sure enough, about twenty paces away, the Sword Demon was slowly walking toward us. He seemed to have been watching from afar as the Dragon Master and I met. The Sword Demon chuckled and said,
"Dragon Master. If it's just that much, it wouldn't matter if you explained with me here, right?"
"You were so full of thoughts about this kid's training progress that your head was packed. I was just sparing you the effort."
"Haha... thank you."
The Sword Demon had apparently heard everything from the start. His profound martial arts allowed him to easily use Heavenly Ear Clear Listening Technique. The Sword Demon walked over to me and said,
"The Dragon Master is right. Don't think about Unrivaled Hegemony until you've achieved Sword Heaven."
"What is Sword Heaven?"
"I explained before the stage where you infuse your intent into techniques to make them Intent Absolute Techniques."
"Yes."
"It's the stage beyond that, where you manifest abstract imagination into reality. It means obtaining techniques worthy of being called true killing moves."
"......!!"
The moment I heard that, I understood what Sword Heaven was.
The ultimate Intent Absolute Technique that manifests tremendous power into reality, like Lee Gwang's Thunderclap Flash or the Sword Demon's Sword Controlling Intent! The level of martial arts that can perform such things is what swordsmen call Sword Heaven. It was clearly on a whole different dimension from simply mixing intent into techniques to strengthen them.
I grasped the implication of his words.
"That means... become a Lee Gwang-level expert?"
"You can think of it that way. Unrivaled Hegemony is at a level where even researching it is absurd without being at the pinnacle of the current martial world."
"......"
I understood why these two experts were giving me this advice. Since Unrivaled Hegemony was a mysterious martial art with many unknown aspects, they thought that if I hit a wall in my swordsmanship training, I might be tempted by it. Instead of coveting an unattainable ultimate art, they were giving me prior guidance to focus solely on swordsmanship.
'I need to put in the effort.'
And with all three of us gathered, training began at dawn.
First, as the one with the lowest level, I took on the role of demonstrating Coiling Shell Sword and Tianzhu Sword to the Dragon Master. After observing my movements and receiving the secrets for half a day, the Dragon Master said,
"As expected, the basic essentials aren't much different from what was in our sect."
"Is that so?"
It seemed Coiling Shell Sword and Tianzhu Sword had been properly transmitted in the Wudang Sect. The Dragon Master nodded and said,
"If True Warrior Jang Sam-bong went out of his way to leave Coiling Shell Sword and Tianzhu Sword, the reason is probably in the more advanced applications."
Hearing that, I searched my mind for the insights of True Warrior Jang Sam-bong regarding applications of Coiling Shell Sword and Tianzhu Sword. But I didn't see anything particularly worthy of that description. Then the Dragon Master said bitterly,
"It seems he was worried that our sect's lineage would be severed."
"Then..."
"There's nothing particular I need to learn from you regarding Coiling Shell Sword and Tianzhu Sword. Tell me in more detail about the remaining True Warrior Seven Absolutes Scripture, Profound Heaven Five Gods Decision, Taiji Radiant Will Willow Sword, and Seven Stars Shadow Escape."
I transmitted the martial arts to the Dragon Master until sunset. Only after that process ended and the sun had set could I finally receive proper martial arts training from the Sword Demon. The Sword Demon grinned.
"Heh heh. I wish we could train all day, but being held up by the Dragon Master must be tough."
"Ah... that's."
I glanced around cautiously. The Dragon Master was training alone about fifty paces away with the ultimate arts he had learned today, but as a great expert, he could hear our conversation. The Sword Demon, finding it amusing, said,
"No helping it. In terms of Coiling Shell Sword and Tianzhu Sword, the Dragon Master is ahead of any of us, so he has to share the remaining ultimate arts for us to get a share of the benefits. Don't think of the time invested in him over the next two or three months as a waste."
"Understood."
"Then let's begin training."
Ta-da-dang!
The Sword Demon and I started training with light sparring. It was the same as what we had done at the Shadowless Gate, so nothing new. However, since I could now handle basic offense and defense using intent, enduring a hundred exchanges was no longer that difficult.
After the warm-up sparring ended, we sat facing each other and talked.
"You've realized that mind, intent, and thought are different. Now, make it more familiar and naturally blend it into your techniques."
"Yes."
"While doing that, you'll naturally realize what the best Intent Absolute Technique is."
Each piece of the Sword Demon's advice was like gold and jade precepts. Until now, I had only used intent for basic offense and defense, but through sparring with the Sword Demon, I became proficient in infusing and strengthening techniques with intent.
Days passed like that, transmitting martial arts to the Dragon Master and sparring, and before I knew it, three months had flown by.
As the Dragon Master ruminated on the ultimate arts, he said,
"I have something to discuss with the Sword Demon. Call him."
"Yes."
At the Dragon Master's request, I called the Sword Demon, who had been training alone elsewhere. The Sword Demon and Dragon Master soon went deep into the mountains somewhere, apparently to have a highly secretive conversation.
When they returned after half a day, they said to me,
"From today, I'll teach you the applications of Coiling Shell Sword."
"Applications?"
"Of course, as Intent Absolute Techniques."
It meant entering the true essence of Coiling Shell Sword, not the superficial effects I had used so far. After saying that, the Sword Demon glanced at the Dragon Master and added,
"And after my transmission time ends, learn Sword Gang from the Dragon Master."
"......!!"
I shuddered at those words.
Sword Gang!
It was one of the highest realms in swordsmanship, a terrifying state that wasn't much inferior to Intent Sword Control in some ways. Warriors who achieved Gang Qi Realm were revered everywhere, and most people never saw one in their lifetime.
'Until now, I could only forcibly form it with internal energy... Am I finally going to be able to use true Sword Gang!'
True Gang Qi was on a whole different level from techniques like sword energy or sword flame!
My heart swelled with excitement, but a question arose, so I said to the Sword Demon,
"I want to know why I have to learn it specifically from the Dragon Master."
My question was quite bold and rude to the Dragon Master. But this was something I had to ask properly and move past. At my question, the Sword Demon answered bitterly,
"Of course, I could teach you Sword Gang, but no matter what, it can't compare to the Dragon Master, who has inherited Wudang Sect's true ultimate arts. It's the difference in systematized teaching methods and experience, not the martial arts themselves."
"Ah..."
"He's one of the people in the world who can teach advanced swordsmanship the easiest. He'll teach it much faster and simpler than I can."
The Dragon Master, standing nearby, said gruffly,
"Brat, consider it an honor. No one besides Clear Wind Master has properly learned Sword Gang from me."
"Yes..."
When he put it that way, I had nothing to say. Clear Wind Master was one of the current martial world's super peak experts and Wudang Sect's leader, and the Dragon Master treated him like a child.
I first learned the applications of Coiling Shell Sword from the Sword Demon.
"You've only used Coiling Shell Sword so far to slightly alter the trajectory of techniques. But that's not the true essence of Coiling Shell Sword."
Shiiik!
The Sword Demon unleashed Shadowless Soul-Separating Sword. Midway through, suddenly, all his sword paths twisted and distorted like they were crumpling. It was a development unimaginable in ordinary swordsmanship, and soon he created two or three afterimages, shooting out sword energy whose paths couldn't even be predicted.
Pa-pa-pa-pat...
Just twelve techniques, yet how many variations were mixed in? As I stared blankly at that fantastical transforming sword path, the Sword Demon stopped his movements and said,
"The true power of Coiling Shell Sword is using intent to twist space anywhere, anytime, changing the attack direction. Mastering Coiling Shell Sword completely is equivalent to becoming proficient in change and illusion."
"Amazing..."
"You've become familiar with using intent, so you can learn this application. From today, plan for at least a year to learn the applications of Coiling Shell Sword."
"Yes!"
"Once you've mastered this, I'll teach you Tianzhu Sword too."
After learning the applications of Coiling Shell Sword, when the sun had set, I learned Sword Gang principles from the Dragon Master under torchlight. The Dragon Master said in a stern voice,
"You're doing it all wrong! You idiot!"
Puk!
The Dragon Master suddenly charged and kicked me. I flew back from the impact but regained my balance in midair and landed again. His kicking speed was so formidable that countering was difficult—truly, the Dragon Master was an incredible expert.
I protested.
"What did I do wrong? I made the sword energy as strong as possible, just as instructed."
"Ugh... You know how to use intent, so what the hell have you learned?!"
The Dragon Master frustratingly thumped his chest.
"Not with qi, with intent! If you form qi quality by infusing internal energy, no matter how big or strong, it's just sword energy! Not Sword Gang!"
"......"
"Damn it! Listen to me, you fool!!"
The Dragon Master desperately guided me on the principles of Sword Gang, even teaching me Wudang Sect's secret transmission essentials. But no matter how much he explained, I couldn't even grasp a sense of Sword Gang. Finally, I got annoyed too and poured my internal energy to the limit, forcibly forming Sword Gang.
Whoooosh—
Kwa-ching!!
"Is this... what you mean? This is Sword Gang, right?"
"......"
The Dragon Master clutched his head in disbelief.
"It is Sword Gang... but it's just your qi breaking through the limit. You can't use that in real combat."
"Ugh..."
"Hoo... Fine. Now I understand why they call you a dullard."
The Dragon Master scratched his head as if it gave him a headache. He was a selected genius from Wudang Sect, having risen to the highest realm through countless competitions. Those he had taught were undoubtedly only Wudang's top talents. Teaching a dullard like me must feel like talking to a wall.
The Dragon Master said,
"Then I'll adjust it to suit you."
"How?"
"What was the first swordsmanship you learned after birth?"
I thought carefully and answered.
"Six Harmonies Swordsmanship."
"How long did you practice it?"
"About ten years or so."
In my first life, I didn't just eat, sleep, and train martial arts. I figured the pure training time was around ten years, maybe a bit less.
At that, the Dragon Master lit up and said,
"Hoh? That's interesting."
"What's interesting about it?"
Six Harmonies Swordsmanship was the most common sword art in the martial world, consisting only of basic techniques like diagonal cuts. Even a child could mimic it after a few views, it was that simple. However, the Dragon Master replied as if it wasn't.
"At that level of proficiency, it's worth trying. From today, infuse intent into Six Harmonies Swordsmanship and perform it until your internal energy runs out."