Chapter 139: Divine Flame (1)
Chapter 139
Divine Flame (1)
Everyone in the room immediately rose and began moving toward the forge.
However, they weren't heading to the location where Se-woon had been constructing the forge before leaving for Naman—instead, they were led to an entirely different place.
Soon, they arrived at Mancheoldang, the Sichuan Tang Family's main smithy.
"This...!"
Se-woon's eyes widened in surprise as he pushed open the doors of Mancheoldang.
And for good reason.
The forge, which had only been about eighty percent complete before he left for Naman, was now fully constructed.
Since progress should have been impossible without him, this was something he never expected. But upon hearing the explanation, he was astonished to learn that Hwa Wol Young had taken the lead and completed it in his absence.
Se-woon immediately bowed his head deeply in gratitude toward her.
"It seems I owe you yet another debt of thanks."
"No need. Don't burden yourself with it. I merely did this in return for the hospitality I received as a guest."
Se-woon's eyes gleamed.
This alone had saved him at least half a day's worth of work.
"Then... shall we begin right away?"
"Yes, let's."
"No need to worry. I'll assist to ensure no harm comes to anyone."
"Th-thank you."
Oh Mun-tak stepped forward, right in front of the forge.
Then, just as before, he slowly closed his eyes.
Everyone around him fell silent, aiding his concentration.
"Huu..."
Taking a deep breath, he drew up the Wildfire.
Whoosh!
Rumble—!
A scorching heat surged forth, and in an instant, the smithy was filled with a deep, resonant hum akin to the pulse of life itself.
Slowly, Hwa Wol Young also approached Oh Mun-tak's side.
By now, a peculiar light had risen in her eyes.
'We must receive the seed of flame that will transform into Spirit Flame.'
Snap!
She clasped her hands together, activating an arcane ritual.
From her lips flowed an incantation, her voice reminiscent of a high monk chanting sacred verses.
Swoosh—!
An extraordinary surge of magical energy began swirling around her entire body.
At that moment, Hwa Wol Young stretched out her hands—now brimming with an auspicious aura—toward Oh Mun-tak.
Whoomph!
Her magical energy, resembling a white heat haze, connected to Oh Mun-tak.
Simultaneously, the energy of the Wildfire began violently converging toward a single point above Oh Mun-tak's head.
'Huu... it's done. The ritual is functioning properly.'
Hiss—!
This was the moment the Otherfire Stone Technique—a spell that crystallized extreme yang energy—activated.
Normally, the expelled yang energy would dissipate instantly, but through this ritual, it was stabilized and condensed into a crystal.
And by using this crystal, she could amplify her depleted magical energy to ignite the Spirit Flame.
Of course, manipulating extreme yang energy was no simple feat.
Among sorcerers, who—like the Dark Sorcerers—were divided into eight ranks:
Sun, Moon, Stars, and Celestials
Heaven, Earth, Spirits, and Divines
Only those of the Earth-rank or higher could perform the Otherfire Stone Technique.
In the history of the martial world, the only sorceress to reach the Divine-rank had been her master, the Mountain Divine Maiden.
At present, the only ones in the entire nation capable of activating this ritual were Hwa Wol Young herself and the leader of the Heaven-Piercing Gang.
But just as everything seemed to be proceeding smoothly—
Whoosh!
An anomaly occurred.
"Ghk—!"
"Master!"
Hwa Wol Young let out a pained groan, her face twisting in distress.
Startled, Seo Su-rin instinctively moved toward her—
Thud.
"......!"
"Don't."
But Se-woon raised a hand, stopping her in her tracks.
The activation of a spell was as delicate and intricate as a martial artist's energy circulation.
Interrupting it abruptly could cause even greater harm.
"B-but if this continues, both of them will be in danger—"
"I'll handle it."
"H-how?"
Before Seo Su-rin could process his unexpected words, Se-woon strode toward Hwa Wol Young.
Though beads of cold sweat rolled down her forehead, his expression showed no trace of concern.
'As expected, the Wildfire is too much for a single Earth-rank sorceress.'
Indeed, Se-woon had already anticipated this situation.
The power contained within the Wildfire—a divine artifact of Naman—was on an entirely different level compared to the extreme yang artifacts Hwa Wol Young had handled in the past.
To control the Wildfire, at least two Earth-rank sorcerers were necessary.
And he was the second.
'Go.'
Swoosh—!
The Heavenly Silk in Se-woon's hands writhed and stirred. A sacred radiance emanated from it, pulsating with demon-suppressing energy.
Flash—!
As he spread his palms, the Extinction Threads surged forth like waves, gently wrapping around Hwa Wol Young's entire body.
The sight of dozens of threads connecting to her resembled a puppeteer manipulating a marionette.
Hiss—!
Through the Extinction Threads, Se-woon began channeling his Innate True Qi, Golden Arm Energy, and demon-suppressing aura into Hwa Wol Young, who had been moaning in pain.
Though different from magical energy, the energies he sent were all akin to natural qi—
Harmless, existing solely to stabilize her.
'This...?'
Hwa Wol Young was stunned.
The Wildfire's frenzied rampage had been instantly suppressed by these energies.
With the danger now gone—
Swoosh—!
The embers of the Wildfire slowly crystallized into a small, radiant core.
Soon after, Hwa Wol Young opened her eyes, having completed the first phase of the ritual.
She immediately fixed her rabbit-like gaze on Se-woon and spoke.
"Y-you're also skilled in sorcery?!"
"No. Just some crude techniques I picked up on my own."
"Crude?! With power like this, you'd rank at least as a Star-rank, no—a Celestial-rank sorcerer!"
"Ah, Celestial-rank? Don't be absurd. How could someone like me—"
Se-woon waved his hands dismissively, but Hwa Wol Young's excitement didn't subside.
Every word she spoke was sincere.
Her eyes sparkled like stars in the night sky as she stared at him.
'Ahh... So this is why the Alliance Leader visited him twice, desperate to take him as a disciple!'
Normally, martial arts and sorcery couldn't be practiced simultaneously.
Internal energy and magical energy were fundamentally incompatible.
But the energy Se-woon had channeled into her was different.
'It was like pure natural qi itself!'
Completely untainted, pristine as refined essence—energy so pure it could be converted into magical energy with ease.
And beyond that, the fact that Se-woon had deciphered the Otherfire Stone Technique and assisted her was nothing short of miraculous.
He had perfectly identified the weakened sections of her spell where her energy faltered and reinforced them.
Such a feat was impossible without a comprehension of sorcery rivaling her own.
A single thought kept rising in her mind as she looked at Se-woon.
'If I were to take him as my disciple and have him study sorcery from the very basics...!'
A desire wholly unbefitting the current situation swelled within her.
But she couldn't help it.
If a self-taught boy could achieve this much without proper guidance—
'Just how far could he go if he received proper training?!'
If he trained under her for a decade—
Wouldn't he surpass not only her but even her master, the Mountain Divine Maiden?
Yes, the dream of all sorcerers and Dark Sorcerers alike—
The pinnacle of sorcery, a realm none had ever reached:
The Enlightenment-rank.
'Hmm... My master never strictly forbade altering the sect's doctrines...'
As she pondered whether to change the Divine Maiden Sect's name to the Divine Human Sect and break its long-standing prohibition on male disciples—
Snap.
Se-woon picked up the Wildfire crystal from the ground and spoke to her.
"Well, Sect Leader. Shall we proceed with igniting the Spirit Flame using this crystal?"
"Y-yes, let's."
After letting the exhausted Oh Mun-tak rest, the two stood before the forge—one in front, the other behind.
Swoosh—!
As Se-woon's Extinction Threads shimmered once more, Hwa Wol Young clasped the Wildfire crystal between her palms.
"Heaven and Earth, Flow of Fire."
Chanting the final incantation, she activated the spell.
Whoosh—!
Flash—!
"Creation of Spirit Flame."
The extreme yang energy amplified her magical energy.
Though an immense recoil erupted, unlike before, she didn't let out even a whimper of pain.
Swoosh—!
Se-woon's Extinction Threads perfectly supported the flow of her magic.
'Ahh...!'
She inwardly gasped in awe.
Having wandered the martial world all her life, she had never once found a sorcerer of equal standing to perform spells alongside.
This new experience granted her profound enlightenment.
Then, the ember they had created flowed into the empty forge—
Roar—!
Blaze—!
A colossal flame erupted, blazing like the sun itself descending from the heavens.
At last, the Spirit Flame had been born.
With this, the Mystical Forge now existed in three locations across the Central Plains: the Martial Alliance, the White Night Iron Forge, and the Sichuan Tang Family.
Tomorrow, when this news spread through the martial world, an unprecedented storm would follow.
Yet the reactions of Oh Mun-tak, Moo Myeong, and Seo Su-rin—who watched the forge radiating white light and scorching heat—were peculiar.
"Ooh! It's truly complete!"
"That's the Mystical Forge...?"
"...No, this is different. What in the world—?"
Oh Mun-tak, who had never seen another Mystical Forge, was simply overjoyed.
But the other two could barely contain their shock.
The reason was simple.
The forge Se-woon had created was not a Mystical Forge—
But something far beyond, an entity unheard of.
'Hmm... This exceeds even my expectations.'
Se-woon instinctively realized that the flame he had created was incomparably superior to that of a typical Mystical Forge.
Just as his eyes gleamed with curiosity about the forge's untapped potential—
"I... I've truly created something surpassing even my master's work..."
Drip.
Tears of emotion streamed down Hwa Wol Young's face as she stood beside him, overwhelmed by the joy of fulfilling a lifelong dream.
'Hmm... Shall we begin now?'
Se-woon glanced at her sidelong before slowly speaking.
"Sect Leader, congratulations—and thank you."
"This... This is all thanks to you."
"No. I'm just glad we could help each other. And... from now on, I hope we can continue working together."
"Hm? From now on...?"
"Yes. Truthfully, I have countless ideas I'd like to realize with your help. This forge is merely one of them."
"?!"
At his words, an intense emotion flared in Hwa Wol Young's eyes.
It was desire.
Seeing this, Se-woon inwardly cheered.
Without a doubt, the Divine Maiden Sect's headquarters would no longer be its main stronghold.
'The commonality between a blacksmith and a sorceress? It's their insatiable curiosity and creative drive.'
From now on, only he could satisfy her hunger for innovation.
And that would become the shackles binding the Tang Family and the Divine Maiden Sect together.
Smirk.
Se-woon hid his true thoughts behind a pleasant smile.