Chapter 1028
"Sensory Martial Arts is about creating an information domain centered around oneself."
Sa-u's clear voice echoed in front of the thatched cottage.
"It involves instantly detecting and analyzing all traces, flows, killing intent, and changes within that domain... and based on all those signs, choosing the optimal response at every moment."
Back when Bu Eun-seol was learning the Beast Path from Sa-u on Hell Island, he had crouched in front of the cottage for a long time, listening to his lecture, before finally asking:
"Then, is there an attack that surpasses the senses and perception of the Beast Path?"
"Huh?"
"If there exists a Sensory Martial Art like the Beast Path, then there must also be a martial discipline specialized in destroying an enemy's senses or will."
Caught off guard by the sudden question, Sa-u furrowed his brows and sank into thought for a while before answering:
"Well, it does exist... but worrying about it is practically pointless."
"To destroy the senses of the Beast Path, a sword stroke must have neither beginning nor end... and even if it shows you the cause, it must produce no result."
"I don't understand."
Sa-u flicked Bu Eun-seol's forehead.
"Where there is no light, there can be no shadow."
He bared his fangs.
"If a master capable of shattering Sensory Martial Arts were to draw their sword, you'd have to completely shut down your consciousness... not seeing, not sensing, not attempting to predict."
Sa-u wore an exasperated expression.
"How many peerless swordsmen in the martial world could possibly pierce through Sensory Martial Arts? And do you really think the day will come when you, of all people, reach such a sublime state... where you exchange blows with such a master in the realm of the unconscious?"
Swish.
As the recollection ended, Bu Eun-seol's pupils turned transparent.
He had fully immersed his spirit and mind into the boundary of the unconscious...
Entering a state where he could not see, could not sense, and could not predict.
Swish!
At that moment, Wi Ji-mua's tree branch stabbed toward Bu Eun-seol's throat.
Slash, slash, slash!
With an unfocused expression, Bu Eun-seol drew three sword strokes and effortlessly deflected the initial attack.
Seeing how easily Bu Eun-seol neutralized his strikes, Wi Ji-mua extended the branch downward, aiming for his lower abdomen.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
In an instant, the two exchanged over a dozen moves.
Wi Ji-mua's swordplay was intricate, its transformations peerless—yet not a single gap could be found.
And yet, Bu Eun-seol...
Every time Wi Ji-mua moved his sword, wasn't he reacting in sync, blocking each stroke in sync?
"Hoh."
Wi Ji-mua let out a sigh of admiration.
No sword technique in the world could match the speed and profundity of the Fire Rain Sword Sect's arts.
Yet here was someone, repeatedly deflecting attacks that should have severed his neck, continuing to trade blows?
Slash, slash!
Wi Ji-mua altered his swordplay once more, and several sword energies grazed past Bu Eun-seol's body.
Zing.
Each time, a faint light shimmered across his entire form.
Not only did he possess the most profound internal energy in the world, but the fusion of the Three Divine Powers with the Heavenly Light Endless Art meant...
Even minor wounds healed in an instant.
Swish, swish, swish!
But as the attacks continued...
Eventually, his recovery speed could no longer keep up with the force of the sword strokes, and his body became covered in wounds.
A mere tree branch—something that shouldn't even be able to cut through tofu—
Yet in Wi Ji-mua's hands, it exhibited power no different from that of a Divine Sword or Treasured Saber.
"This is the end."
With Wi Ji-mua's declaration, the branch drove toward Bu Eun-seol's dantian.
The sword energy hadn't even reached his abdomen yet—
But the flesh near his lower belly was already tearing, his dantian trembling as if on the verge of destruction.
By the principles of swordplay...
In this situation, he absolutely had to retreat, disperse the force, and seize an opening to counter.
But Bu Eun-seol, who had entered the realm of the unconscious, paid no heed to the blade piercing toward his lower abdomen.
Instead, as if committing to mutual destruction, he simultaneously thrust his sword toward Wi Ji-mua's throat.
Whoosh!
Caught off guard by the unexpected counterattack, Wi Ji-mua was unable to fully pierce Bu Eun-seol's abdomen and had no choice but to pull back.
But in that moment, a bizarre spectacle unfolded.
Drip, drip...
The blood flowing from Bu Eun-seol's body...
Wasn't coming from his stabbed lower abdomen—but rather, from his left shoulder?
Formless Destruction.
All this time, Wi Ji-mua had been employing the supreme technique of the Fire Rain Sword Sect—
A sword stroke that could neither be predicted nor sensed, subtly shifting mid-execution.
"As expected of the successor of Langya Pavilion."
Having realized everything, Wi Ji-mua nodded in acknowledgment.
"To recognize the method of Formless Destruction, forcibly sever your consciousness, and fight in the unconscious... Truly impressive."
Severing consciousness was something an ordinary martial artist wouldn't even dare attempt.
Only those who had reached the pinnacle of mind-control martial arts could employ such a method—and even then, only at the risk of their life.
"Then what if you fail to evade the enemy's attacks in that unconscious state? You'd meet death without even knowing why."
Yet Bu Eun-seol, trusting in the martial arts he had honed relentlessly over the years, stepped into the realm of unconsciousness.
And at last, he shattered Formless Destruction, one of the supreme mysteries of the Fire Rain Sword.
Swish!
As if declaring he would no longer use Formless Destruction, Wi Ji-mua swung the tree branch cleanly, carving a sharp sword mark beneath Bu Eun-seol's feet.
Zzzing—
At that moment, the light returned to Bu Eun-seol's eyes, which had turned transparent.
He had awakened from the unconscious realm.
"Now, let's get serious."
Whoosh!
The branch in Wi Ji-mua's hand traced an arc through the air, and a storm of razor-sharp sword energy poured down like a tempest.
The sword energy shifted even as it was being defended against, altering its trajectory mid-flight.
Yet Bu Eun-seol stood motionless, subtly adjusting Ink Soul Sword to block every strike.
"Good."
Wi Ji-mua, seemingly exhilarated, swung the branch repeatedly, unleashing a flurry of sword strokes.
Though his movements appeared so fluid that they couldn't even graze skin—
In truth, even the slightest touch would split flesh and sever bone.
But no matter the angle of attack or the stroke employed, Bu Eun-seol intercepted each strike as if cutting through rays of light.
"Hmm."
Wi Ji-mua let out an impressed sigh, then suddenly began slashing wildly.
In response, Bu Eun-seol's swordplay also shifted—swinging and sweeping like a madman, disregarding all direction.
The fifth form of the Formless Heavenly Flow—Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Origin—mimicking the enemy's sword trajectory in real time.
"Hohoho."
Wi Ji-mua exhaled another sigh of admiration.
The Fire Rain Sword could not be instantly deciphered; to counter it, one needed mastery of sword studies on par with its wielder.
Yet Bu Eun-seol had replicated Wi Ji-mua's swordplay in the heat of battle—
And in that desperate moment, he was internalizing its mysteries through his very body.
Shhk—
In that instant, Wi Ji-mua smoothly rotated the branch, striking Bu Eun-seol's shoulders and sides.
Outwardly, it resembled nothing more than a third-rate sword stroke—Wind and Rain from Eight Directions—
But the moment the martial form manifested, an invisible mist thickened like a shroud, and merciless sword energy pierced through Bu Eun-seol's entire body.
The third form of the Fire Rain Sword—Swordless Extreme Mystery—its hidden technique.
Pak! Pak! Pak! Pak!
Suddenly, a circular sword barrier bloomed around Bu Eun-seol's body.
As the lethal sword energy, impossible to block at such close range, surged in—Fluorescent Sword Control activated instinctively.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The relentless clash of sword and branch produced an eerie resonance.
But Wi Ji-mua's swordplay was too refined—even Fluorescent Sword Control couldn't fully defend against it.
Whoosh— Sssss—
Then, the sword energy of Fluorescent Sword Control multiplied into dozens of strands, and suddenly, a translucent barrier unfurled.
As Wi Ji-mua's swordplay ascended to unfathomable heights—
Bu Eun-seol's Fluorescent Sword Control also evolved—
Drawing upon the mysteries of Scattered Sword to its extreme, releasing sword energy as dense as mist.
Fwoooosh!
Wi Ji-mua, swinging his sword at point-blank range, narrowed his eyes slightly as he observed Bu Eun-seol's face.
The expression of the swordsman before him—
Even in this life-or-death battle, it was as if he were watching a dull Beijing opera—
Maintaining such tranquility that it bordered on boredom.
Fwaa!
Wi Ji-mua, who had been unleashing sword strokes like beams of light, suddenly retreated and halted his assault.
The reason Bu Eun-seol hadn't been completely overwhelmed—despite failing to fully replicate Wi Ji-mua's swordplay—
Was because he dodged fatal killing moves by a hair's breadth, minimizing damage to mere tears in his flesh.
And the longer he endured, the more he grasped the mysteries of the Fire Rain Sword—finding threads of counterattack.
The more time passed... the stronger he became.
"I see."
Wi Ji-mua's expression cleared, as if solving a riddle.
"You intended to bind this Sect Leader with swordplay alone."
Had Wi Ji-mua employed diverse martial arts or techniques—
No matter how desperately Bu Eun-seol resisted, he would've been helpless.
But because this battle was confined solely to the sword, Bu Eun-seol could endure and seize his opportunity.
"But you dragged it out too long."
Wi Ji-mua's eyes transformed as he let out an astonished sigh.
"From now on, I shall wield the Fire Rain Sword."
KWAANG!
With a thunderous roar, his neatly combed hair erupted toward the sky.
Each strand stood on end, and his once-gentle face now resembled that of a ruthless swordsman.
Of course, his features themselves hadn't changed.
But the aura he had always carried—one of extreme softness and warmth—made it so that even the mere release of his internal energy's shockwave felt like witnessing a benevolent Buddha's face morph into the visage of a demon freshly escaped from hell.
'Sect Leader Wi Ji is about to unleash his own version of the Fire Rain Sword.'
The Fire Rain Sword of the Fire Rain Sword Sect was not rigid.
Built upon foundational Sword Studies, it adapted to the disciple's temperament and individuality.
Even Wi Hyeok-gun, known as the Sword Demon, had wielded his own unique variation when Bu Eun-seol faced him under the guise of Seon-u Jin.
'Until now, he had only been using the Fire Rain Sword Technique passed down through generations.'
But if Wi Ji-mua were to unleash his true Fire Rain Sword?
It was obvious—sword strokes capable of overturning the heavens and splitting the earth would rain down in terrifying succession.
'Ah—!'
Bu Eun-seol, whose thoughts had been spinning like lightning, inwardly gasped in realization.
Just like the previous mind-sword technique, Wi Ji-mua had already begun unfolding his sword technique.
Goooooo...
A sound like the air itself being sucked away resonated from somewhere.
This was the culmination of all Sword Studies a human could wield—or even conceive.
The sword energy, dazzlingly beautiful like stars pouring from the night sky at once, contained the principles of all things in the universe.
It was impossible to evade.
A sword technique born from suffering within anguish, leading only to self-destruction.
"......"
In the endlessly accelerated flow of thought,
Wi Ji-mua watched Bu Eun-seol's frozen figure with bewilderment.
All his life, he had pondered the infinite principles of the universe like a scholar.
And he had strived to encapsulate those mysteries into his sword strokes.
It was precisely because of this that he had earned the epithet "Demon of Mystery."
The sword stroke he now unleashed upon Bu Eun-seol was the culmination of decades of agonizing refinement—
A technique that would plunge even lifelong swordsmen into despair and torment the moment they witnessed it.
Even as it descended so slowly... it could neither be blocked nor dissolved.
SHWIIK!
Just as the razor-sharp sword stroke was about to engulf Bu Eun-seol—
—Do you remember the mnemonic verses the Head Instructor taught you?
Suddenly, the words Jin Gak had spoken to him on his deathbed resurfaced in Bu Eun-seol's mind.
—Truthfully, those verses were only meant to be passed down to disciples of the Fire Rain Sword Sect.
Burdened by guilt, I withheld the final two verses.
He had spoken with a deeply meaningful expression.
—Receive the remaining two teachings from the Sect Leader himself.
'The pinnacle of the Fire Rain Sword.'
Bu Eun-seol could sense it.
The Fire Rain Sword Wi Ji-mua wielded was the highest stage—
The key to completing the mnemonic verses Jin Gak had omitted.
No sword, forgotten sword.
The mind sharper than the sword.
The sword must be hidden within the heart.
The sword transforms into will.
These were the mnemonic verses Jin Gak had imparted.
And now, witnessing Wi Ji-mua's Fire Rain Sword, Bu Eun-seol grasped the final two in an instant.
—Even empty hands are like the sword.
Wi Ji-mua held nothing but a frail branch, inferior even to a finger sword wielded with empty hands.
Yet the sword strokes he unleashed were more threatening and razor-sharp than if he wielded a true blade.
—The obsession and form of the sword vanish.
'Having reached the Sword God Realm, one sheds all attachment to the sword—instead, one dominates it.'
As Bu Eun-seol completed the verses, the Ink Soul Sword in his hand—
ZIIING!
—halted precisely at the tip of the branch Wi Ji-mua had extended.
"Ho."
Wi Ji-mua let out an intrigued exhalation and attempted to unleash another sword technique.
But in that brief moment, a brilliant radiance blossomed from the Ink Soul Sword.
It was the Fire Rain Thirteen Forms—Bu Eun-seol's manifestation of the path of the sword he had walked all this time.
He had walked endlessly.
Even as he tread that path, he questioned whether it was the right one, what lay at its end, and why he needed to reach its conclusion.
And the answer had come through Jin Gak.
—Keep questioning, but do only what you can.
Jin Gak had possessed no overwhelming talent that could command the world.
So he had found what he could do—and carried it out in silence.
That stubbornness and unyielding will.
With nothing but the foundational Fire Rain Thirteen Forms of Sword Studies, he had toppled the greatest swordsmen of the Fire Rain Sword Sect.
And in the end, it had led to his victory in the Secret Sword Tournament.
—The heavens do not grant abundant talent to everyone. But they do bestow the possibility of infinite growth equally upon all.
What if even the most meager talent were honed with relentless effort?
One could grow. One could advance.
Talent does not define a person's limits...
It is merely the qualification to make diverse choices.
—The path I walk is only one.
From that day onward, Bu Eun-seol paid no mind to martial realms.
All he desired was for those who encompassed the world to descend to the level of ordinary men and fight.
Crack!
Once again, Bu Eun-seol was sent flying backward with a thunderous impact.
But this time was different.
Even as he was forced back by Wi Ji-mua's blade—
Another sword stroke abruptly surged forth.
Fire Rain Thirteen Forms.
The first sword technique Bu Eun-seol had ever learned, the foundational Sword Studies of the Fire Rain Sword—
Now displayed power on par with Wi Ji-mua's own Fire Rain Sword.
Clang! Clang-clang-clang!
Wi Ji-mua felt something strange and unfamiliar as Bu Eun-seol continued exchanging blows with him.
The Fire Rain Sword.
Why was he wielding the true sword, true study of the Fire Rain Sword Sect?
How could he possibly match blades with someone who had spent decades in enlightenment?
'So that's it.'
Wi Ji-mua finally understood.
'That's why he insisted on fighting with swords.'
At first, he had assumed it was merely an attempt to bind him through swordplay.
But looking back, that couldn't be the case.
No matter how much of a prodigy Bu Eun-seol was, he still wasn't at a level where he could cross swords with Wi Ji-mua.
But what if their sword techniques were the same?
Even while employing the sword techniques of Langya Pavilion, Bu Eun-seol had seamlessly integrated the Fire Rain Thirteen Forms he had learned from Jin Gak.
Because the roots of both techniques were the same.
Amidst the exchange of martial forms, he had discerned the variations and subtleties of the Fire Rain Sword's strokes—
And in the end, he had been able to endure and counter them without cease.
"Huhuhuhu."
Laughter spilled out.
Now he understood why Jin Gak, Cheon Un-gwang, Dan Cheon-yang...
Had so unreservedly imparted the secrets of the Fire Rain Sword to Bu Eun-seol.
'This kid is the real deal.'
Jin Gak, Cheon Un-gwang, and Dan Cheon-yang—who had served as instructors on Hell Island—had actually opposed the Ten Demonic Heirs Plan.
They had tried every excuse to prevent the Ten Demonic Heir from being brought into the Fire Rain Sword Sect.
Yet suddenly, they changed their minds.
They unanimously claimed that among the surviving children, they had found a prodigy capable of mastering the sect's martial arts.
In the end, Wi Hyeok-gun had believed them without hesitation and sought to take the child in.
Because their judgment could not be wrong.
Bu Eun-seol.
He truly was a once-in-an-era prodigy—one who could elevate the Fire Rain Sword, which no one had completed in seven hundred years, to the realm of the Great Origin.
Zzzzing—
A blue glint suddenly flickered in Wi Ji-mua's eyes.
Not only had he raised his Internal Power to its peak, but his Spirit and Mind had also reached an extreme state.
Clang!
Deliberately, he clashed his Ink Soul Sword against a tree branch—and in that instant, unleashed a devastating shockwave.
"Kgh—!"
As the shockwave engulfed his entire body, Bu Eun-seol stiffened for a split second.
In that single move—
Lay the culmination of Wi Ji-mua's lifelong pursuit of the Sword Path.
Whoosh—
Yet despite that, Wi Ji-mua withdrew the branch.
Though Bu Eun-seol's body had been paralyzed for only a fleeting moment, for masters, that was an eternity.
Had Wi Ji-mua seized that opening to unleash a Killing Move—
Even if Bu Eun-seol hadn't died, he would have suffered a fatal wound.
But he stopped without hesitation.
"Why?"
Bu Eun-seol couldn't comprehend it.
Why? For what reason... did you withdraw your sword?
"You've grasped all the secret principles of the Fire Rain Sword by witnessing this sect leader's blade."
Wi Ji-mua posed an unexpected question.
"Haven't you?"
"...I have."
"Good."
Wi Ji-mua smiled faintly.
"Finally Abandon the Sword and Attain the Way."
"......"
"That is the new secret principle this sect leader has created."
Bu Eun-seol had not only learned the secret principles of the Fire Rain Sword, passed down only to its direct disciples—
But also the essence of the Sword Studies Wi Ji-mua had attained.
—Finally Abandon the Sword and Attain the Way.
In the end, abandon the sword and attain the Way.
The final secret principle—Wi Ji-mua's opening move, Sword Flies, Void Perishes —
Had been condensed into a single phrase of dharma.
However, the meaning contained within that principle was so profound that comprehending it in a short time was nearly impossible.
Even for Bu Eun-seol, it would take a long time to fully master it.
"Sect Leader."
Bu Eun-seol had no choice but to ask again.
"Why did you impart this insight to me?"
"Because you are the only one who can do it."
Wi Ji-mua wore an expression of utter solitude, as if bearing the weight of all the world's silence and emptiness.
"You are the only one who can preserve the Fire Rain Sword's legitimacy... and restore this sect to its rightful place."