Heavenly Intent
With a buoyant heart, I headed back to my room.
Purple Sunset Divine Art. In terms of internal methods, it was unquestionably an A-rank martial art.
No—if I called it A-rank, the Mount Hua Sect would probably feel pretty wronged.
But there was nothing I could do about that. That was how it had been classified in the Zilpung Ganghorok strategy guide.
Honestly, I could see why they’d be upset. Legendary martial arts like Heavenly Demon Divine Art, Marrow Cleansing Scripture, and North Sea Divine Art had all been ranked S, so Purple Sunset Divine Art had inevitably been pushed down to A.
It wasn’t that Purple Sunset Divine Art was lacking and had failed to make S-rank.
If anything, it was more like S-.
Still, that didn’t matter. I’d learned it, and that was what counted.
Zilpung Ganghorok was all about internal energy. No, this whole martial world was basically nothing but internal energy games.
And now I’d obtained not one but two top-tier internal methods.
Galaxy Divine Art and Purple Sunset Divine Art.
Core arts of Mount Hua and Zhongnan, both of them.
Now the question was how to make them grow.
Galaxy Divine Art, Purple Sunset Divine Art, and Ice Soul Divine Art.
That lineup was already excellent. Going after anything more would probably just be greedy.
So from here on, I needed elixirs. I’d have to chew through heavenly pills like wall-rations and bring these divine arts to full completion.
There was no way I’d fill the experience bar just by using them.
That would take years. No—maybe I shouldn’t even think in terms of years.
I’d be talking decades.
Wasn’t there a reason people said “sudden enlightenment”?
Anyway, now that I’d learned it, I might as well try it out.
I had to use it myself. Only then would I know what it actually did.
What I was curious about was Purple Sunset Divine Art, but since Extreme Sky had taught me Galaxy Divine Art first, I decided to start with that out of courtesy.
I climbed onto the bed, settled into a lotus position, and followed the formula.
The energy of the world flowed in with my breath. The sensation was vivid, almost startlingly alive.
It was strange. How should I put it? It felt like the heavens and I were connected.
Martial arts were an expression of mind. Of will and philosophy.
I’d realized that clearly when I learned Ice Soul Divine Art.
Martial arts were creations deeply colored by the intent of their creators.
Whoever made Galaxy Divine Art probably designed it with the night sky in mind.
So of course I’d feel as though I were linked to the heavens.
But at the same time, it was a little difficult. How to describe it? It was almost like motion sickness.
No, not motion sickness. More like… what was it? Right. A phobia? Fear? Something like that.
Suddenly, I felt terribly small.
Like I’d been cast into a vast, silent space where sound couldn’t echo.
My ears went dull, and the world seemed to lose its voice.
Ah. Right. It felt like I’d been thrown into outer space.
There was that movie—about repairing a space station in a silent vacuum.
That was exactly the feeling. Only now I was experiencing it myself.
I wanted to keep going, but a small part of me wondered: Is this really okay?
It was like food laid out on a table—food that looked unbelievably delicious.
It had been arranged neatly and beautifully, so of course it should be fine to eat.
But for some reason, I felt like I ought to ask before taking a bite.
Luckily, I had someone to ask. So there was no need to hesitate.
I got up at once, crossed into the next room, made my presence known, and called for Extreme Sky.
“Senior. It’s Harin.”
“Come in.”
When I entered, Extreme Sky was lounging on the bed at an angle, looking at me.
No, why was she lying there so temptingly?
Well, I’d interrupted her rest, so I was the one at fault.
I asked her about what I’d experienced.
That sense of being connected to the heavens. That immense, overwhelming feeling. And whether it was safe to keep going.
“Ha! You’re saying you already felt that?”
“Yes.”
“Incredible. Truly incredible. It took me ten years just to feel that.”
“Ten years?”
“What’s ten years? There are even those who learn Galaxy Divine Art and still never feel it at all.”
No way. So it wasn’t something you automatically felt just because you learned Galaxy Divine Art?
“That is called Heaven’s Intent. It is something one can only feel when one has fully understood and wholly accepted the divine art! So if you felt Heaven’s Intent, then it means you understood the art completely.”
“Hmm…”
“Hah. No matter how I think about it, this is astonishing. I taught you only a few hours ago, and you’re already feeling Heaven’s Intent… I don’t even know what to say to that.”
Listening to her, I understood at least part of it.
I hadn’t actually understood Galaxy Divine Art completely and accepted it in full.
That was the system’s doing.
In other words, the process of understanding had been skipped for me. Whether I wanted it or not.
“So it’s not strange that I felt it, then? But what changes when you sense this Heaven’s Intent?”
“You ask what changes? You draw closer to the essence of martial arts. Naturally, how could that be the same as those who use it without truly knowing what they’re doing?”
That made enough sense.
If you copied an answer sheet, you might still get a perfect score.
But the knowledge wouldn’t actually be in your head.
You wouldn’t understand the problem, and you wouldn’t grasp the formulas or principles behind it.
But if you truly knew the material, you could think for yourself and write the answer even without the answer sheet.
It was like the difference between memorizing old exam solutions and barely passing, versus studying properly and understanding everything.
“Then I don’t need to worry too much about this Heaven’s Intent, right?”
“Yes. However, you must still be careful.”
“Why is that?”
“Because deviation may strike.”
“Ah…”
“Humans are far more insignificant than they think. So when they come face-to-face with something vast and immense, they may find themselves unable to endure it.”
I thought I understood what she meant.
That was exactly why I’d come to ask Extreme Sky—because I’d felt fear and dread.
“Then… should I approach it carefully?”
“You must proceed as cautiously as if you were walking on ice. One wrong step, and you will fall into cold waters a thousand fathoms deep.”
“I see… All right. Thank you, Senior. I understand what you mean.”
So basically, I needed to be careful. No rushing.
“Senior? Then I won’t disturb you any further. I should head back.”
When I said I was leaving, Extreme Sky looked a little disappointed.
But of course she didn’t say it aloud.
She was a proud, aloof woman, after all.
So I casually asked, “Oh, by any chance… if I’m not bothering you, may I try using Galaxy Divine Art here?”
“Do as you please.”
She answered with an indifferent expression, but I could still feel that she was quietly pleased by what I’d said.
What a fascinating woman.
Her inability to be honest about things like that was, at times, almost unbearably cute.
So I once again began circulating Galaxy Divine Art in front of Extreme Sky.
I had my eyes closed, so I couldn’t see her, but I could feel the weight of her gaze on me.
It had to be there. My face was tingling so much it was impossible not to notice.
Still, enough idle thoughts. I concentrated on Galaxy Divine Art again.
And once more, that sensation returned.
The immense, fearsome feeling known as Heaven’s Intent.
As expected, once you understood the shape of something, a layer of fear peeled away.
And now I also understood exactly why deviation could strike.
I was still too immature to accept all of this.
I could clearly feel that I wasn’t ready yet.
Come to think of it, that made sense.
There weren’t even any stars lit in the Galaxy Divine Art tab in my skill window yet. Just twelve empty star slots.
My current method was, frankly, pretty warped.
If this weren’t being learned through a skill window but as a true martial art, I’d probably only feel that intent after filling the stars to some extent.
Only after that would I fully grasp the formula and finally sense Heaven’s Intent.
But because of the skill window, Heaven’s Intent came first. The system had judged that I’d already understood everything.
Fine. I understood completely now.
Then it was simple. I didn’t need to worry about Heaven’s Intent for the moment.
I’d fill the stars little by little and try again in stages.
Trying to grasp Heaven’s Intent now would be no different from diving into the deep sea without even wearing diving gear.
Anyway, ignoring Heaven’s Intent for the time being, I continued circulating Galaxy Divine Art.
The energy moving through my body felt different from Ice Soul Divine Art.
Still, I could tell right away that if I used the Youyou Mujik Sword Art with Galaxy Divine Art, the power would improve dramatically.
Ice Soul Divine Art had been fine too, but it couldn’t be compared with Galaxy Divine Art.
If Youyou Mujik Sword Art and Galaxy Divine Art were watermelon and soda, then Ice Soul Divine Art was just watermelon with sparkling water mixed in to make fruit punch.
It was still fruit punch, but it was kind of bland—like it was missing something.
I opened my eyes and stood, then looked around the room for a moment.
Mm. Good, it was spacious. This would be fine.
Still, I couldn’t exactly draw a sword in the middle of the room, so I formed my stance with an empty hand, imagining a sword in my grip.
Then I circulated Galaxy Divine Art, stirred my internal energy, and demonstrated the Youyou Mujik Sword Art.
If I were a little more skilled, I probably wouldn’t have needed to perform it physically at all. Thinking it through would have been enough.
But I was still clumsy, so it was better to do it properly.
And the feeling was unmistakable.
As expected, the sword path was different. Moving the body made that much of a difference.
Then I glanced at Extreme Sky and saw that she was watching me with the corners of her mouth lifted high.
Honestly, it was hilarious. She didn’t even seem to realize she was smiling.
Was she really that happy? So happy she couldn’t hide it?
Well, I could understand that too.
I was using Galaxy Divine Art while performing the Youyou Mujik Sword Art.
Maybe, by looking at me, Extreme Sky felt like one of her wishes had come true.
Considering that I’d already defeated Hong Si-yeon, Geumran’s disciple, earlier, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call today Extreme Sky’s day of liberation.
So I kept unfolding the Youyou Mujik Sword Art in front of her, like I was entertaining a delighted audience.
And then, while I was still performing the forms with empty hands, I suddenly felt tears begin to stream down my cheeks.
“Huh…?”
I was shocked. Why were there tears? Why was I crying?
Extreme Sky must have been startled too, because she went from reclining lazily to sitting upright and looking at me.
“W-what… is wrong?”
“Huh? No. I mean—no, I don’t know. Why? Why am I crying?”
I was bewildered. I couldn’t make sense of it.
Why had I suddenly started crying? Was it because of Galaxy Divine Art? Or because of that Heaven’s Intent thing?
Extreme Sky actually got up from her seat and came over to me.
But she looked just as flustered, as though she had no idea what she was supposed to do.
Of course she’d be at a loss. I was crying all of a sudden while practicing martial arts.
“Are you all right?”
Extreme Sky asked me in a voice full of concern.
There was warmth in it too.
And I was able to find the reason in that voice.
I wasn’t the one putting on a show. I wasn’t the one trying to charm Extreme Sky.
It was the other way around.
I liked the concern and affection she was showing me.
I had been the one craving it. More than Extreme Sky, who had wanted a disciple.
Wasn’t there a saying that a teacher, a parent, and a ruler were one and the same?
So maybe I’d ended up crying like this because I was receiving something like a parent’s affection from Extreme Sky, even though she wasn’t formally my master.
Honestly… I really did look pathetically orphaned just then.
Or maybe it was because my body had become female.
With all that estrogen surging through me. I was basically an estrogen girl, after all.
“Phew. I’m fine now. I’m sorry for showing you such an ugly sight.”
As I dabbed at my tears with my sleeve, Extreme Sky looked at me with a helpless expression.
Then she bit her lip faintly, wore a face that said oh, to hell with it, and gently pulled me into an embrace, patting my back.
But… the warmth of it felt so good.
So I, too, gathered a little courage and carefully hugged her back.
And then that warmth became even clearer.
I could feel a long-forgotten softness seeping into me as well.