Chapter 36
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Heavenly Thunder Revealed
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"Now do you get it?"
At Dan Hyeong-u's words, Jo Seol-yeon wore a thoroughly puzzled expression.
"Pardon?"
"Once more."
Dan Hyeong-u grasped Jo Seol-yeon's hand again, lifting it up before bringing it down.
Swish.
Jo Seol-yeon still looked utterly baffled. She understood what Dan Hyeong-u wanted her to do, but it felt no different from the demonstration he'd shown moments ago.
Dan Hyeong-u paused in that position, lost in thought for a moment. Then he nodded.
"I see the problem now."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a surge of energy flooded into Jo Seol-yeon's hand. She jolted in shock, but having experienced something similar before, she managed to stifle a scream.
"B-Brother?"
"Now, try again."
At Dan Hyeong-u's prompting, Jo Seol-yeon focused her mind. She poured all her attention into the strange energy gathered in her hand and the sword gripped tightly in her fist.
The sword rose upward.
Swish.
Then it fell back down.
"Ah...!"
Only then did Jo Seol-yeon finally understand. Why Dan Hyeong-u had said their sword techniques were wrong.
"Now do you get it?"
Jo Seol-yeon nodded blankly at Dan Hyeong-u's question. She understood now, but if asked to do it again, she was certain she couldn't.
Dan Hyeong-u's swordwork, which had seemed so utterly simple, was anything but. As the blade descended, countless collisions took place. Collisions of qi against qi.
It sliced straight through the myriad strands of energy permeating the air.
Only because Dan Hyeong-u had gathered qi in her hand could she sense it now. Without that, she never would have noticed whether it cleaved through them or missed entirely.
"What? What is it? What did you figure out? Tell me too!"
Umun Hye demanded urgently, but Jo Seol-yeon just shook her head.
"This... isn't a technique I can perform alone."
Everyone's faces hardened at her words.
Then Dan Hyeong-u moved again. He went to each of the others in turn, letting them feel exactly what Jo Seol-yeon had.
And Tang Ho-gwan, for his part, abandoned any thought of giving up after today without a second thought. He resolved—once more, firmly—to cling to this until the end. This was undoubtedly the key to unlocking the secret of Heavenly Thunder.
Training resumed. But without Dan Hyeong-u's help, no one could sense it again. Not even Tang Ho-gwan. Despair gradually crept over their faces.
Still, with the mindset that they'd get it eventually, they focused on their swords again and again.
The second day of training passed like that.
On the third day, Dan Hyeong-u grabbed each person's hand as soon as training began, infusing them with qi. Since he gave them a substantial amount, they could swing their swords several times to get a feel for it. But they couldn't replicate his fluid mastery. Repetition was key for this.
It was the result of Dan Hyeong-u's all-night deliberations.
With the qi he'd provided, they could perform the unfamiliar training of slicing through the ambient energies with the qi dwelling in their swords.
When their qi ran out mid-swing, Dan Hyeong-u replenished it. They repeated this until the day ended.
"Grandfather, is it really that different?"
At Tang Moon-young's question, Tang Ho-gwan nodded gravely.
"It is."
"Does it really seem like he's teaching us his own techniques?"
"Hard to say yet, but he might just be the key to unlocking Heavenly Thunder's secrets."
Tang Ho-gwan's words made Tang Moon-young bite her lip. To think she'd given up after just one day—it filled her with regret.
"It's such a waste. I should have held out a little longer..."
But what could be done now that it was too late? In fact, she'd gone to Dan Hyeong-u today begging to learn more. He'd refused her outright, without hesitation.
She hadn't expected such cold rejection, leaving her flustered, but she nodded in understanding. Who would welcome back someone who'd stormed off in a huff?
Either way, Tang Moon-young had no more chances.
"Don't dwell on it. Even if I unravel the secret, you're the only one in the Tang family who could master it anyway."
Tang Ho-gwan's reassurance softened Tang Moon-young's expression slightly.
"Yes, Grandfather. I will."
Seeing her spirits lift, Tang Ho-gwan smiled kindly.
Ten days passed like that. That was how long it took for most to slice through the energies with familiarity. It had seemed simple at first, but attempting it revealed far greater complexity. Even Tang Ho-gwan needed considerable time.
As he casually cleaved the energies, Tang Ho-gwan's face grew slightly tense. They'd advanced just one step, and already ten days were gone. Time was running short.
Moreover, without Dan Hyeong-u, even this was impossible. Training ground to a complete halt.
"Ugh."
Today was meant for training, but for Tang Ho-gwan—who had learned to slice qi far sooner than the others—it was as good as wasted.
He had no confidence they'd grasp Heavenly Thunder's clue in the remaining ten days. No, it seemed impossible. What use was mastering Heavenly Thunder this way if they couldn't use it without Dan Hyeong-u?
After wrestling with these thoughts, Tang Ho-gwan abruptly stood.
He walked toward where Dan Hyeong-u stood.
"Hey there."
Dan Hyeong-u turned to look at him. Tang Ho-gwan stared straight back, his face rigid. Their eyes met, and Tang Ho-gwan spoke as if steeling his resolve.
"How about a spar?"
Dan Hyeong-u nodded. A faint smile tugged at his lips.
In truth, Dan Hyeong-u enjoyed sparring with Tang Ho-gwan. Trading blows without staking lives, simply to determine a victor—it was a delightful experience for him.
Lately, everything around Dan Hyeong-u brought him joy. Teaching others was fun. Having people talk to him was fun. Walking alongside someone was immensely enjoyable. Learning these new emotions one by one went without saying.
"Thank you."
Dan Hyeong-u nodded lightly at Tang Ho-gwan's words and headed to a suitable spot.
Due to their martial training, they'd been camping in a wide clearing lately. No need to seek out an arena.
Once Dan Hyeong-u took position, Tang Ho-gwan stood facing him from a distance. Before the match began, he spoke hastily.
"I'll attack first today. See if you can block it."
Dan Hyeong-u nodded readily. He welcomed any new approach.
The instant he did, Tang Ho-gwan drew sharp hidden weapons from his sleeves and bosom. Needle-thin darts, specially made for Full Heaven Flower Rain.
Full Heaven Flower Rain lived up to its name: a technique that blanketed the sky with darts like falling rain. Few in the Tang family could perform it, and its power was tremendous.
"Here I go."
Tang Ho-gwan's hands blurred into motion. He hurled the countless darts skyward.
Hundreds filled the heavens, then rained down.
Screeeeech!
Pabababak!
It was as if someone in the clouds were pelting them down wildly. Each dart concealed potent inner force. They fell so densely, blocking seemed impossible.
Dan Hyeong-u tilted his head at the darts blanketing every direction. Then he swung his sword this way and that.
Crackle-crackle!
His blade birthed bolts of lightning. Some shot upward from below, others spread wide sideways, and some thrust forward like spears.
A net woven of lightning unfurled.
Crackle-crackle-crack!
With shattering sounds, the darts scattered everywhere. Not one grazed Dan Hyeong-u's robes.
Tang Ho-gwan stared at him in dazed astonishment.
"Strange."
Dan Hyeong-u's words snapped him back.
"Wh-what's strange?"
"Why throw them like that?"
"Wh-what do you mean?"
Dan Hyeong-u kept tilting his head. He flicked his hand.
Shwoooosh!
The scattered darts on the ground flew into his palm at his gesture.
He moved to toss them, then paused as if struck by an idea. He walked to Tang Ho-gwan and scattered them over the empty clearing.
Screeeeech!
Dan Hyeong-u unleashed Full Heaven Flower Rain. Tang Ho-gwan went beyond shock, nearly fainting. To mimic it after seeing it once? Impossible.
Yet impossibly, the darts moved flawlessly. They filled the sky in an instant and plummeted.
Flash!
Crackle-crackle!
Kaboom!
An astonishing spectacle unfolded.
Countless bolts struck the clearing. Each of the hundreds of darts birthed lightning, exploding on impact. A qi detonation.
The blasts whipped up a massive storm, laying the area to waste.
The onlookers' jaws dropped at the sight.
Tang Moon-young and Tang Ho-gwan's eyes nearly bulged out.
"Th-Th-Th-Thousand... Heavenly Thunder!"
It was Heavenly Thunder. The Tang family's ultimate secret art, revealed in perfect form. By a man utterly unconnected to them.
Chapter 5. New Beginning
After Dan Hyeong-u demonstrated Heavenly Thunder, Tang Ho-gwan practically begged to learn it. It wasn't much different from what Dan Hyeong-u had been teaching, so he had no objection.
The Three Talents Sword Art and Three Talents Miraculous Art he'd first learned from the Heavenly Qi Master were mostly gone now. Only faint traces remained at the foundation; it had evolved into something entirely new.
What Dan Hyeong-u practiced was simpler, more powerful. Embodied through his body, it was far more practical. And laced with killing intent.
That had begun shifting gradually as he emerged into the world, yearning for leisure and peace.
This new enlightenment actually hindered his growth at first, clashing head-on with his prior arts. But teaching others allowed him to gradually assimilate it.
The pinnacle of his Three Talents Miraculous Art was the unity of Heaven, Earth, and Man. Once assimilation began, it merged ever deeper with him.
Tang Ho-gwan trained far more than the others. While they learned Heavenly Thunder together, he had to practice Thousand Thunder separately afterward.
The first he did with Dan Hyeong-u's aid, but the second alone. Above all, Thousand Thunder had to be performable solo.
Screeeeech!
Pum-pum-pum!
Darts flew from Tang Ho-gwan's hand, filling the sky as they fell. But none carried thunder qi. Undeterred, he kept unleashing Full Heaven Flower Rain.
At first, crowds watched out of curiosity, but now no one paid heed.
Night deepened, and everyone retired. But Tang Ho-gwan pressed on.
As he hurled and recalled darts endlessly, secret ecstasy welled within him.
How long since he'd trained his body like this?
After reaching a certain level, he'd done no physical practice. He meditated steadily, but otherwise stuck to mental cultivation.
This rare physical training was delightful. It let him lose track of time, immersed.
Mid-throw, Tang Ho-gwan realized much time had passed.
"Oh dear. Bedtime's long gone."
He slowly recalled the darts. That was enough for today. Pushing further seemed pointless.
With Dan Hyeong-u's help, it always felt on the verge of success. Seeing energies shredded by his sword fueled that hope.