Reaching the Zenith, Part 2
"Wahaha!"
After crossing into the Zenith Realm, Seok Geum-ryong remained motionless for a long while. Only after the sun rose and bathed him in its full light did he finally laugh aloud.
He was only fourteen now, by the reckoning of the new year, yet there was a strange weight and maturity in that laughter.
In my previous life, I was already past thirty, almost forty, before I could barely force my way into the Zenith Realm.
And yet here he was, at the tail end of thirteen, or strictly speaking already fourteen, having become a Zenith Realm expert. It was an extraordinary moment.
Especially considering that this body had only properly learned martial arts for about three years. Even with the Heaven-Defying Body, such progress was absurd.
All of this must have come from this talent, along with the many strokes of great fortune, chance encounters, and my own desperation.
The terror of never again dying as miserably as he had in his previous life, after failing to protect a single thing, had driven him forward like a desperate struggle.
If not for that struggle, no matter how fortunate he had been, no matter how much he knew of the future, he could never have reached the Zenith Realm at such a young age, so quickly.
"...!"
As Seok Geum-ryong calmly gathered the immense force of a true Zenith Realm expert, something flashed through his mind.
It was none other than the third form of the Heaven-Shattering Seven Stars Sword Technique.
The form I never dared to challenge before, lacking both enlightenment and the realm to even dream of it.
But now that he had reached the Zenith Realm, confidence surged through him. He could unleash it at will, and even bring it forth perfectly.
"Let's do it."
Seok Geum-ryong shook off the stiffness of his long seated meditation and rose to his feet once more.
After loosening his body in a calm, measured way, he drew a slow breath.
Chk.
Carefully, he drew the Eunmyeong Sword.
To be honest, the Eunmyeong Sword was a short dagger, hardly a weapon suited to sword techniques.
But just as a superb calligrapher never blamed the brush, the weapon itself was never the important thing to Seok Geum-ryong.
"Haaah!"
He let out a sharp battle cry and simultaneously activated his internal energy method.
Northern Dipper Cultivation Technique!
He had drilled the Northern Dipper Cultivation Technique every single day, with punishing intensity, until he was sick of it, all to reach the Zenith Realm.
And yet now that he was a Zenith Realm expert and circulating it as such, it felt fresh again, revealing a strange and unfamiliar delight he had never understood before. That delight made Seok Geum-ryong smile.
Whooshhh!
Most of all, he realized that the amount of inner energy he could unleash, and the weight behind it, were completely different from when he had been a Super First-class expert.
And then, at last!
Heaven-Shattering Seven Stars Sword Technique: Third Form, Preserving Wealth!
The third star of the Big Dipper had descended. Where the previous forms held only hunger, sharpness, and a fierce cutting edge, now the form of Preserving Wealth, beyond sword wind and even sword gang, descended as the sword itself.
It was a truly strange form.
Rumble-rumble-rumble!
Its ferocity was certainly calmer than the first form, Greedy Wolf, or the second form, Great Gate, and yet for some reason that quiet ripple spread far and wide, making the grandeur of it even greater.
So that's it. I understand now why Preserving Wealth can only be grasped after stepping into the Zenith Realm.
Feeling the immense stillness of the third form, Seok Geum-ryong nodded.
Before this, the sword had been focused on harming or killing others. Now, he felt certain he could use the sword to change himself, and even change the world.
Wasn't this, without question, the clear dividing line between Super First-class and Zenith?
That was the answer he had reached as the Golden Young Master Seok Geum-ryong, now a true Zenith Realm expert.
One thing was certain, at any rate.
"I am stronger now."
Today's Seok Geum-ryong was undeniably stronger and superior to the one he had been before.
Of course, if he compared himself to his former life, his realm was still one step lower, and the Heaven-Shattering Seven Stars Sword Technique was still one form behind as well. But he did not care.
At this rate of progress, could I reach the Super Peak Realm before I come of age?
He was already moving fast enough.
There was no impatience in him, nor even any need to feel impatient.
He simply swam freely in the ocean of emotion the martial way and the sword gave him.
* * *
The Golden Young Master Seok Geum-ryong broke out of closed-door cultivation and emerged into the world the very moment he reached the Zenith Realm and became a true expert.
The first person he sought out after returning to the world was none other than...
"Young Master Seok Geum-ryong?!"
Shadowless One Shin Dan-woo, who guarded Seok Geum-ryong at all times just as Geum-ryong had once done for someone else in his previous life.
Reunited after months apart, Shin Dan-woo stared in disbelief at the dramatically changed force and perfectly restrained aura before him, too shocked to close his mouth.
"It's been a while, Mr. Shin."
"Young Master... Could it be...?"
Half doubtful, half stunned, Shin Dan-woo stared at Seok Geum-ryong with an expression caught between disbelief and awe.
And then, for reasons he could not even explain, he sensed that Seok Geum-ryong had changed completely, that he now carried an oppressive presence that seemed to overwhelm even him. Only then did certainty strike.
So that's it. Young Master Seok Geum-ryong has broken free of the swamp I struggled in for so long... and finally reached the Zenith ranks.
Once that realization settled in, Shin Dan-woo felt not jealousy or resentment, but envy and respect.
"Congratulations!"
And so he bowed deeply with sincere feeling, genuinely delighted that his master had surpassed his own level of skill.
"Not at all. None of this would have been possible without your help, Mr. Shin."
Seok Geum-ryong's words were heartfelt.
On the path to awakening into the Zenith Realm, the influence of Shadowless Movement Technique had been enormous.
He understood full well how much he owed that support, which was why he had come to find Shin Dan-woo immediately after breaking out of closed-door cultivation.
"You're too kind. Still, why have you come here?"
After finishing closed-door cultivation, one would usually bathe in hot water or indulge in a feast of mountain and sea delicacies.
Yet Seok Geum-ryong had come looking for Shin Dan-woo in the very plain, somewhat worn martial clothes he had worn during his retreat.
"It's because I thought I might be able to share my insight with you as well, Mr. Shin."
Seok Geum-ryong's reason for seeking out Shadowless One Shin Dan-woo was simple.
Mr. Shin is in exactly the same state I once was, wandering helplessly in the Super First-class realm and struggling to satisfy his thirst for the Zenith.
Shin Dan-woo, too, was only half a step from the Zenith Realm. Since he had sparred with Geum-ryong for so long, trained in friendly bouts with him, and even practiced Shadowless Movement Technique side by side, Seok Geum-ryong believed he could help him tremendously.
"If you think I'm overstepping..."
Seok Geum-ryong was ready to step back if Shin Dan-woo found the offer unwelcome or annoying.
"No! Not at all! On the contrary, I'm only grateful."
But Shin Dan-woo was not the type to feel envy toward Seok Geum-ryong.
For someone else, perhaps. But not toward the person he respected, cherished, and would even have given his life for if asked.
And now he's even looking after someone as unworthy as me.
Again, he could only be moved by such thoughtfulness.
"Mr. Shin is in a state much like mine before, where all it would take is peeling away a single shell to reach the Zenith Realm."
Seok Geum-ryong's expression was precise.
The real problem was that most martial artists carried that shell on their backs as though it were the whole world, stumbling through life until they died.
"I will help you break through that shell and step into the Zenith ranks. I'm confident it won't take more than a few days."
"I appreciate the thought, but... I don't know whether my dull mind can manage it."
Shin Dan-woo was already nearing forty.
He had reached Super First-class in his early thirties, and after nearly ten years of struggle, he still had not broken that shell.
So even if Seok Geum-ryong offered help, doubt still remained.
"If you're dull, then who in this world can be called bright? It's good not to overpraise yourself, but it's just as wrong to underestimate yourself."
Shin Dan-woo found Seok Geum-ryong's sincere, simple words deeply to his liking.
"Why not trust me and give it a try?"
Seok Geum-ryong was certain of himself.
He was confident because, in his previous life, Shadowless One Shin Dan-woo had eventually risen from Super First-class to Zenith not long afterward, and he believed he could bring that moment forward.
"Then... I'll give it a try."
And so, as soon as he finished his own closed-door cultivation, Seok Geum-ryong devoted himself to separate training and practice together with Shadowless One Shin Dan-woo.
The goal was simple.
To lead Shadowless One Shin Dan-woo past the Super First-class realm and into the Zenith Realm.
"Slower! You have to let go of impatience and urgency!"
Seok Geum-ryong instructed Shin Dan-woo so that he would not repeat the mistakes he himself had once made.
At this point, it was not merely a reversal of roles between host and guest; it was as if master and disciple had been switched. But Shin Dan-woo did not feel the slightest embarrassment.
Even a great sage would lower his head to learn from a child in swaddling clothes if there were something to gain from it.
All the more so when the teacher was Seok Geum-ryong, whom he respected most in the world and believed to be the finest among men.
Under Seok Geum-ryong's guidance, Shin Dan-woo held not the slightest doubt. His trust was absolute.
Sincerity moves heaven.
Thus, after three days and three nights had passed, at last!
"My God, my God!"
Colorful streams of qi now flowed from Shin Dan-woo's entire body, though still not as abundant as Seok Geum-ryong's had been.
That, too, was proof that he had crossed beyond Super First-class and entered the Zenith Realm.
Pouring tears, Shin Dan-woo looked down at himself and ended up weeping like a child.
To be honest, he had thought he might never reach this in this lifetime.
He had always believed that only the geniuses chosen by heaven could become true Zenith experts.
And yet look at him now.
Compared to the many brilliant peers of his generation, Shin Dan-woo had come a long way and arrived late, but at last he stood in the Zenith Realm with all the dignity of a true master.
It was a living example of the saying that masters are those who never give up, right to the end.
"Thank you, Young Master. Huhhh... sob..."
When had Shadowless One Shin Dan-woo ever been so overcome with emotion that he shed this many tears?
It could only mean he was that grateful, that moved.
"Not at all. You had the talent to reach the Zenith Realm on your own. I merely brought that moment forward by sharing my insight."
Seok Geum-ryong also sincerely congratulated Shin Dan-woo, who had reached the Zenith ranks almost side by side with him, and patted him on the shoulder.
In truth, he was very pleased as well.
From old times, the number of Zenith experts had always been taken as a measure of a faction's strength.
That meant the forces under Lord Seok Geum-ryong at Bukcheon-won had now gained a total of two more Zenith experts, including himself.
Not just the two of us, but also Lady Im So-gun, Lady Wol-papa, and Physician Yeo Gwang-rae. That makes five in total!
Seok Geum-ryong calmly counted the number of experts at Zenith or above.
With five Zenith experts gathered together, even a small or medium-sized sect would begin to wobble.
And since his own faction was still only a small force, the fact that it now held so many Zenith experts meant its strength had been greatly reinforced.