Battle for the Spiritual Beast (1)
Enlightenment could come suddenly one day and vanish just as abruptly the next.
That was why Hyeon Yucheon sought out a quiet place immediately after his duel with Namgung Ungwang.
"Cheonu!"
Finally grasping their young master's intent, the Black Wolf Three Swords took responsibility for clearing the area and led him to a nearby wild mountain.
Fortuitously, there was a small cave used by herb gatherers, and it stood empty.
"Sect Leader, we'll stand guard."
With the Black Wolf Three Swords and numerous other Demon Sword Sect experts present, protecting Hyeon Yucheon was no concern at all.
He nodded.
Fearing that even speaking aloud might cause the vivid enlightenment he now felt to slip away, Hyeon Yucheon cautiously entered the cave.
The space was cozy, with just enough sunlight filtering in to make it perfect for concentration.
He sat cross-legged without hesitation, as if he had been waiting for this moment.
'I thought mastering the second Formless Mystery, the Formless Flash Light Extreme Exhaust Sword, would take a great deal of time.'
After all, the final three forms of the Formless Flash Quick Sword were transcendent ultimate techniques that even the Demon Sword Ghost Lord Cheon Baeksang—hailed as the supreme martial artist of his era—had never fully mastered.
It had been less than a year since he attained the first Formless Mystery, the Formless Endless Sword.
Yet now, drawing so close to the second one, Hyeon Yucheon's heart raced with rare excitement.
"Huuu."
He exhaled steadily, forcing calm.
As the saying went, haste makes waste—especially in moments like this.
'Calmly, but surely. I must grasp it completely.'
With that resolve, Hyeon Yucheon awakened one of his greatest yet lesser-known strengths: his extraordinary focus.
Even back in his days as the Mangeum Young Master Man Yuhyeon, once he concentrated on something, they said a tiger could drag him away unnoticed.
As his focus sharpened, it didn't matter if this was an unfamiliar cave or the familiar chamber of the Demon Sword Sect leader.
There was only one thing that mattered.
'In my duel with Namgung Ungwang, the Crimson Sky Sword King who prized extreme speed above all, I gained profound insights.'
Three clashes in total.
Against the still plum blossom bud, the flying flock of geese, and finally a one-on-one martial exchange.
Looking back, this was the first time since venturing into the martial world that he had delved so deeply into the essence of extreme speed alongside one of the countable peak masters.
Was that why?
'Through those three bouts, I realized how to strike even faster and more powerfully.'
It was truly bizarre.
Insights he couldn't grasp no matter how diligently he trained alone had arrived unexpectedly out of nowhere.
How much time passed like that?
A faint smile crept across his face.
"Something... it's becoming clear!"
In meditation, cross-legged as if comfortably watching a play, he visualized himself unleashing the second Formless Mystery: the Formless Flash Light Extreme Exhaust Sword.
This was a stroke of profound fortune.
And he had no idea how many days and nights had passed in this realization.
All Hyeon Yucheon could do was devote himself utterly, day or night, sunlight or none, without care.
"Ha! Hahaha!"
Overjoyed, he burst into laughter.
After a long, grueling struggle, he had finally fished the second Formless Mystery from the vast sea of illusion.
He had nearly missed this fated enlightenment amid the cheers and clamor of the crowd.
'Ah, this isn't the time.'
It wasn't fully his yet.
Only after deploying it and etching it into his body would it truly become his technique.
He rose swiftly.
'Let's try it once.'
This unfamiliar cave wasn't ideal for grand forms, but having grasped the second mystery, he yearned to unleash it properly.
With precise control, he could avoid collapsing the cave—and above all, this second Formless Mystery emphasized the world's fastest sword over raw destruction, so there was little risk.
"Huuuup."
Hyeon Yucheon regulated his breath calmly.
Honestly, his body wasn't in optimal condition.
He had lost track of time, but hunger gnawed fiercely, and hygiene was abysmal.
Even so, he committed to giving it his all.
Formless Flash Light…
As he attempted the newly mastered second Formless Mystery, something was wrong.
"…!"
Shockingly, his formless sword gang wouldn't activate properly.
Some might see this and think demonic possession had struck or that his attainment was mere delusion—but no.
The issue was simple…
"My inner power is insufficient to manifest the Formless Flash Light Extreme Exhaust Sword."
Incredibly, it was a lack of inner power.
Hyeon Yucheon could scarcely believe it.
Who was he?
He had inherited all of the Demon Sword Ghost Lord's inner power, vast enough to rank among the world's elite.
Never had insufficiency caused him trouble before.
But this second Formless Mystery was different.
'Just how much inner power does it demand?'
He clicked his tongue in disbelief.
After a moment.
"No, the first one was the same."
Now that he thought about it, the first final form of the Formless Flash Quick Sword had required immense power, which even Cheon Baeksang couldn't master in his later years.
Given its even greater speed, the Formless Flash Light Extreme Exhaust Sword naturally demanded even more.
That was his conclusion.
'So what now?'
Regrettably, his current inner power couldn't fully unleash this second mystery.
Attempting it imperfectly risked imprinting a flawed form from the start—a catastrophe best avoided by sealing it for now.
'Should I consume the myriad elixirs I possess?'
He pondered, but knew the answer.
He had ingested countless premium spiritual medicines since childhood.
Having reached the Entering Divinity realm, even the world's rarest elixirs would yield minimal gains.
"Hmmm."
Thus, half elated at mastering a new Formless Mystery and half frustrated at not fully claiming it due to insufficient power, Hyeon Yucheon finally emerged from the cave.
"The Sect Leader has emerged!"
"Oooooh!"
Three full days had passed since Hyeon Yucheon reentered the outside world.
"Sect Leader, are you alright?"
The Black Wolf Three Swords, who had guarded with utmost diligence, approached bearing rice balls and cool water.
"No need. You've all suffered greatly."
Looking around, So Jaun and Jeong Se-in had left for business, as had his senior brothers.
Only the Black Wolf Three Swords and the Flash Light Demon Sword Squad remained, vigilantly securing the area.
"Not at all. The others said they couldn't leave the sect unattended for long, so they departed. They asked you to understand and apologized."
Hyeon Yucheon nodded at Eldest Brother Cheonu's words.
"Of course. Truth be told, I haven't fully achieved it."
"Pardon?"
The Black Wolf Three Swords tilted their heads at this unexpected revelation.
It didn't make sense to them.
When Hyeon Yucheon emerged, a subtle halo glowed behind him, and despite three days without food, he looked remarkably well—surely a sign of success.
Yet not fully achieved?
Listening closely, it didn't sound like outright failure either.
What could it mean?
"Actually…"
In the end, Hyeon Yucheon explained everything to the Black Wolf Three Swords.
He had grasped the second Formless Mystery, but insufficient inner power prevented full integration.
Aaah!
The Demon Sword Sect members expressed regret but didn't despair.
Instead, they gazed in awe at how, at such a young age, he had attained even the second Formless Mystery.
'Previous Sect Leader, are you watching?'
'Sect Leader Hyeon Yucheon is truly a monster.'
They clenched their fists in joy, confident he would overcome the inner power shortfall.
And one more thing.
"Is it heaven's will?"
Flash Light Demon Sword Squad Captain Flying Spirit Sword Guest Dohyeonbo and many others smiled brightly.
'What's with them?'
Hyeon Yucheon couldn't fathom their reactions.
But there was a reason.
"Recently, a spiritual beast was discovered near Zhongnan Mountain in Shaanxi Province. A once-in-a-millennium marvel, the king of spiritual beasts."
Hyeon Yucheon's calm expression shifted abruptly.
He jolted in shock.
Now he understood why his subordinates weren't disappointed.
"I see! Of course!"
For the first time, Hyeon Yucheon raised his voice before his men.
His current inner power had reached the absolute limit achievable through elixirs and cultivation methods.
So how to increase it further?
There was only one answer.
Absorbing a spiritual beast's inner core.
And not just any—an extraordinary one.
Some might argue: if elixirs don't work, how could a beast core?
Ignorant outsiders who knew nothing of inner power might say that.
Elixirs were mostly artificial products of physicians or warriors, even naturally occurring herbs. But a spiritual beast's inner core was different.
It contained the pure essence of qi and power accumulated over eons—another dimension entirely.
"The king of spiritual beasts is…"
At Hyeon Yucheon's words, Second Brother Cheonjung smiled and replied.
"Indeed. The Sun Golden Frog."
"…!!"
Hyeon Yucheon was stunned once more.
"The Sun Golden Frog? That... the incredible spiritual beast that fully absorbs solar essence, appearing only once every millennium—how could such a treasure…"
He could hardly believe it.
Simultaneously, if it had appeared, the entire martial world would be in upheaval.
And sure enough?
"Shaanxi Province is in chaos because of it. Peak and super peak masters from across the Central Plains are converging."
"Exactly. Shaanxi has no room to stand, especially since Huashan Sect—those who maintained order—has all but sealed their gates, turning it into utter pandemonium."
Hyeon Yucheon nodded at Cheonjung and Cheonjwa's words.
With Huashan, Shaanxi's hegemon and strongest force, in retreat, those below wouldn't miss the opportunity.
And that wasn't all.
"In particular... with the Sun Golden Frog found near Zhongnan Mountain, the Zhongnan Sect warriors are claiming ownership."
As the saying went, without tigers in the mountains, foxes reign as kings. With Huashan nearly sealed and the Murim Alliance's Shaanxi branch collapsed, the Zhongnan Sect was rampaging unchecked.