The Heavenly Demon Practices Taoist Magic (2)
I recalled the Taoist sorcerers I had faced in my head until now. The one who tried to toy with me by manipulating nature as if it were his own limbs. The one who carried around all sorts of talismans and pulled off bizarre tricks. The one who lived inside a formation and ruled over it like a god. Come to think of it, there had been quite a few who resembled the image of a mage I had in mind.
Learning Dosul might be enough to realize my ideals. To be honest, the path to using magic is far too long. One of my viewers had advised me that it was something closer to an endless academic pursuit. Without any foundation whatsoever, I would need an incredibly long time just to learn magic. Having only just taken my first steps, how many years—no, how many decades—would it take for me to wield magic as freely as Harkia?
Of course, mastering Dosul in a short time would be difficult as well. But according to Baru, the fundamentals were similar, so wouldn’t it be easier than learning magic?
“Baru. Would you teach me Dosul?”
When I asked, Baru simply stared at me. She seemed completely unprepared for those words.
“Dosul, you say? Why?”
“Why? What do you mean, why?”
“It’s only natural. Someone of your caliber has no need for Dosul, does he?”
Dosul was ultimately a power that invoked phenomena by borrowing the laws of nature. Unless one reached the extreme of those laws and comprehended all of creation, it was impossible to surpass nature itself. In contrast, my own power had already reached the point where I myself had become a phenomenon. Learning Dosul would be meaningless.
That was what Baru explained. But she was mistaken. I wasn’t trying to learn Dosul because I desired more power. My reason for reaching for Dosul was nothing more than pure curiosity. Whether it was useful or how much immense power it could produce simply wasn’t my concern.
After hearing my story, Baru pressed hard on her own forehead with her palm, then walked up to me and kicked my shin with her tiny foot. It didn’t hurt at all, but the way her brows were furrowed bothered me.
“What’s the matter?”
“It’s because you’re so shameless, you fool. You’re basically saying you want to treat Dosul like a toy, aren’t you?”
Only after hearing Baru’s words did I realize I had committed a great discourtesy. Until now, I had always dismissed Dosul as something beneath martial arts. To a martial artist, Taoist sorcerers were wicked beings who wielded sinister powers. In all my life, I had never once shown respect to a practitioner of Dosul, and that same attitude had apparently carried over to Baru as well.
How could someone asking to be taught possibly look down on the very thing they wished to learn?
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. Anyway, that’s just how all you martial artists are.”
Baru grumbled for a moment, then let out a sigh and looked up at me again.
“Keep this in mind. The path of Dosul is by no means lighter than the path of martial arts.”
“I understand.”
“Therefore, if you truly wish to learn Dosul from me, you must show it respect.”
When I nodded, Baru pulled out her staff.
“You’ll teach me?”
“Didn’t you ask me to teach you? I received grace from you, so I should repay it with at least this much.”
“You really don’t have to worry about that.”
Hadn’t Baru done so many things for my sake as well? There was no need to fuss over favors or debts. When I said as much, Baru sighed.
“Would you say the same if our positions were reversed?”
I was at a loss for words. I was the type of person who placed great importance on favors and grudges. Had the situation been reversed, I would have repaid the grace no matter what the other party said. When I fell silent, Baru smiled and shook her staff as she spoke.
“What is the most important thing in Dosul? It is to see.”
“To see?”
“Yes. Though the Tao dwells within all of creation, every phenomenon that occurs also contains the Tao.”
As she spoke, Baru waved her staff. Several red flames bloomed around her.
Flames bloom from nothing.
“The act of fire catching on wood.”
She waved her staff again. Plants sprouted from the ground and bloomed with flowers.
Life sprouts and flowers bloom.
“The growth of plants.”
Once more, Baru swung her staff. A single spirit appeared behind her.
A spirit manifests from death.
“Even in the death of a person.”
Finally, when Baru waved her staff one last time, everything she had created with Dosul scattered and vanished.
“There is nothing in this world that does not contain the Tao.”
After saying this, Baru paused for a moment before continuing.
“We who practice Dosul are mere imitators who trace with our own power what the Tao has already drawn. Therefore, the most important virtue for a practitioner of Dosul is to observe how the Tao moves within the world. If you do not know the path, it is impossible to trace it. However, the path the Tao travels is not something ordinary people can see. To become a practitioner of Dosul, one must first begin by blindly imitating. As you grow accustomed to tracing the Tao through imitation, you will naturally come to see the path.”
Having said all that, Baru made the staff in her hand disappear. She walked right up to me and opened her palm.
“Watch carefully.”
Unlike when she usually used Dosul, Baru drew a clear image using her own energy. It was so vivid that even I, who knew nothing of Dosul, could tell exactly what picture had been drawn. The moment she stopped drawing, a blazing flame appeared above her hand.
“Let us begin with creating fire.”
I see. So this is how Dosul is used. Looking at the bigger picture, it was similar to unfolding martial arts. The only difference was whether one followed the principles of martial arts or the principles of the Tao. If it was like this, it didn’t seem difficult to imitate at all.
I drew out a portion of the internal energy within my body and traced the same image Baru had drawn.
“Of course, it will be difficult to follow from the very first attempt, but with practice…”
A flame appeared above my hand. Strangely, the flame was not hot but warm. When I brought my other hand close, I could feel a gentle warmth spreading across my skin.
“Is this correct?”
“…Huh?”
Baru stared silently at the fire in my hand, then lifted her head to meet my eyes.
“How?”
“How? You just showed me, didn’t you?”
It was far simpler than using magic. When I tried to create even a single flame with magic, I had to struggle just to memorize the incantation. But with Dosul, all I had to do was follow the path as if tracing the principles of martial arts.
“No, wait… No matter how profound a martial artist you are, how is this even possible?”
The one who answered the bewildered Baru was Baekju, who had been performing miracles in the center of the room just moments ago. After finishing her sentence, she lightly waved her hand. The flame above my palm scattered and disappeared.
Hmm. It was hard to even guess what she had just done. As expected of a divine spirit who had lived for countless years.
“You… want to learn Dosul?”
“That’s right.”
“Someone as powerful as you… No, never mind. That was rude of me.”
Baekju, who had been about to say something to me, glanced at Baru’s expression and swallowed her words. She took a step back, leaned close to Baru’s ear, and whispered something. Even though we were close enough that I should have been able to hear, not a single sound reached me. She must have taken some measures.
“I have work to do elsewhere on the mountain, so I’ll be going now. Good luck!”
After saying her goodbyes, Baekju left. Baru cleared her throat.
“That girl is showing unnecessary consideration again.”
“What did she say?”
“She said it would be fine for you to start from seeing.”
“Is that really okay? Throwing an advanced course at someone who just took their first steps? Isn’t that a bit much?”
When I asked again, startled by Baru’s words, she averted her gaze.
“I don’t know either.”
“Huh?”
“Since Baekju said it’s possible, it should be fine. That girl wouldn’t misjudge something like this.”
I could feel Baru’s trust in Baekju in her voice.
“Is Baekju that impressive?”
“Quite so. Her skill in Dosul is considerable, and she has accumulated a great deal of wisdom over her long life.”
The casual way Baru spoke made it sound like Baekju was among the stronger ones even among divine spirits. Still, she had been rather helpless against the Blood Sect Leader. While I was tilting my head in confusion, Baru spoke up.
“In any case, let’s get moving.”
“Moving? Where to?”
“To a place where the Tao can be seen clearly.”
“There’s a place like that?”
“Of course there is.”
After all, the Tao was the process by which phenomena occurred within a given space. The stronger the energy lingering in that space, the easier it was to see the Tao, Baru explained.
“Didn’t you also feel it when I created the flame earlier?”
“Ah, so that’s what it was.”
“Of course, it won’t be as clear as what I showed you, but it should still be easier than doing it on bare ground.”
That made sense. But even if I saw the Tao in that place, wouldn’t it become useless once I left? When I asked Baru about that doubt, she answered like this.
“Do not worry. Once you have seen the Tao moving within nature, seeing it afterward becomes much easier. Isn’t it the same with the principles of martial arts you like to talk about? Grasping it the first time is difficult, but once you realize its existence, following it becomes far simpler, does it not?”
Indeed. Using martial arts as an analogy made it much easier to understand.
“I roughly get it. So where do we need to go?”
“Any place with strong energy would work. Do you happen to know any?”
I had assumed she already had a place in mind, so I was surprised when the question came back to me.
“Weren’t you the one who brought it up because you knew somewhere?”
“What exactly are you expecting from someone who spent a long time stuck on a rocky mountain?”
That was true. There was no way Baru would know any places. She had seemed so reliable while explaining things earlier, but now that she was grumbling, why did she suddenly look so insignificant?
Sigh. A place with strong energy, huh. There were a few spots that came to mind, but the best one was obvious. The place where those immortal bastards resided. It wouldn’t be easy to enter, but that was something I could handle with my own strength.
“Have you thought of a place?”
“Yes. Let’s get moving.”
It had been a while. Shall we pay them a visit?