The Heavenly Demon Teaches (2)
I still lacked conviction about whether I should teach Cheonma Singong to Seol-ah. It wasn’t her fault. The problem lay in my own hesitation. No matter how much she had changed, the fanaticism rooted deep in her heart likely remained unchanged. That very worry—that I might not be qualified to teach her the Heavenly Demon Divine Art—forced me into painful deliberation.
Until now, I had never once tried to face someone possessed by fanaticism. To me, such people were no different from repulsive insects. The kind of bugs that made my skin crawl so badly I hesitated even to look at them, let alone touch them. The mindset I had held since my days as the young Socheonma of the Heavenly Demon Cult, far back in the distant past, still gripped me even now, after all these years.
That was why I had immediately judged Seol-ah the moment I saw her. After all, I had never witnessed someone possessed by fanaticism truly change. It was only because I had come to this world and taken Enry’s advice that I even attempted to confront that madness head-on. Had I not, I would have erased her from my sight long ago.
The result of my patience was fascinating. Her fanaticism had not blossomed. Even after quite a long time had passed since the day we first met, it simply lingered in the same place, merely announcing its presence. I didn’t know exactly what had influenced her. Was it because I kept her by my side? Because I had revealed myself without hiding anything through my broadcasts? Or was there another reason entirely?
With so many questions at the start, I couldn’t be certain whether teaching her the Heavenly Demon Divine Art right now would have a good influence on her or not.
As I mulled it over, a chuckle slipped out. I could feel how much more relaxed I had become. In my prime, during those fierce days, I would have simply gone through with it, thinking whether she ends up ruined or not, let’s just test it. Yet here I was, worrying about something that hadn’t even happened yet. Truly a pointless endeavor.
Let’s teach her. After all, Seol-ah herself wanted it.
Unlike the first time she had asked to learn the Heavenly Demon Divine Art from me, she now seemed to have discovered her own simji. Even if she dragged the art into reality, she probably wouldn’t collapse immediately. If any abnormalities arose, I could simply correct them then.
Once I made up my mind and told Seol-ah that I would teach her the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, she looked so overjoyed she might faint. No matter how hard she tried to calm her emotions, the excitement shining in her eyes refused to fade, and it made me laugh. She looked exactly like Baru waiting in front of a delicious meal.
Had I ever tried to teach the Heavenly Demon Divine Art to others from the very beginning? It seemed I hadn’t. Those who could ask me for instruction in the Cult were usually people who had already reached a certain level. The same went for those who came to meet me in Murim. And even after entering the modern world, I had never hammered the fundamentals of the art into anyone.
Ha-rin hadn’t learned the Heavenly Demon Divine Art from me in the first place, and what I taught that fellow Dang So-il wasn’t so much the art itself as how to fight using it. So this would be the first time I taught someone from the absolute basics.
I already had an idea of where to begin. If it had been me right after falling into this world, it might have been different, but the current me knew quite a bit about the physiology of beginners.
Not long after I entered the world of Apis and created a room, Seol-ah appeared.
“I-I’m here!”
Strangely, she had come in a body that was not the Heavenly Demon’s. Just what was this girl doing? She wanted to learn the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, yet she brought a body that had trained in the orthodox sects’ martial arts? What was she thinking?
I stared at her with an icy gaze. Seol-ah hurriedly made excuses.
“That’s because! Last time, Heavenly Dragon-nim told me not to choose the Heavenly Demon!”
“That was when you were unstable, you fool. Learn to think flexibly.”
If she wasn’t going to choose the Heavenly Demon’s body, then there was no reason for me to have dragged her all the way here.
“Yes! I’ll change it right away!”
Before long, Seol-ah reappeared possessing the Heavenly Demon’s body.
“Seol-ah. How much do you know about the Heavenly Demon Divine Art?”
“I don’t know anything! I’m a pathetic, bottom-tier noob!”
When I asked lightly, Seol-ah practically screamed the answer. She seemed extremely excited. Normally she wasn’t this bad.
“Stop talking nonsense and recite what you know. I won’t laugh.”
“Y-yes…”
Listening to Seol-ah mumble like a timid student in front of her teacher, I realized she knew almost nothing about the Heavenly Demon Divine Art. Since she was the one who edited my broadcasts, she knew what I had said, but beyond that, most of her knowledge was worse than useless. I had no idea where she had heard it all, but she spouted nothing but complete garbage.
After listening quietly, I became certain that I needed to teach her how to take her very first steps.
“I see. Let’s start from the basics.”
“Yes!”
Originally, to learn the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, one had to begin with the mental cultivation method. How could one learn to handle it without first learning how to accumulate its inner energy? However, in this world, that was possible. Because one could use a body that already contained the Heavenly Demon Divine Art’s inner energy.
“I assume that while learning martial arts in the world of Hwaryong Muin, you were taught how to sense and move inner energy.”
“Yes. That’s what I learned to death at Mount Hua.”
“Even if the Heavenly Demon Divine Art is alien compared to other martial arts, at its root it is still martial arts. The foundation is no different.”
It was simply a little more finicky and willful. How could those ferocious things that were always looking for a chance to devour their master obediently follow their owner’s words?
“Do you remember the Mount Hua martial arts you learned from that fellow Hak Yeong-chung?”
“Yes.”
“Show me.”
Seol-ah didn’t question my order and immediately obeyed. The girl who had once stayed up all night fervently learning Mount Hua’s arts executed the techniques more cleanly than any modern person I had seen so far—second only to one other. But that was only up to the middle.
The moment the Heavenly Demon Divine Art’s inner energy began to rampage inside her, the form of the technique she was trying to perform collapsed. Confirming that she had received the recoil from the failed martial art, I cut off her head.
Soon, the once-dead Seol-ah stood on the dirt floor in a perfectly fine body.
“Heavenly Dragon-nim?!”
“Wouldn’t dying and reviving be more comfortable than suffering from the recoil?”
“…Did you know this would happen?”
“Of course.”
This was different from when I taught Ha-rin the Wind Flow Fist. That art had a weak sense of self. Or more precisely, it was a martial art that couldn’t assert itself. That was why even if the Heavenly Demon Divine Art’s inner energy ran wild, there was no major problem. The Wind Flow Fist would simply bow its head obediently beneath it.
But Mount Hua’s martial arts were different. Those self-proclaimed representatives of the orthodox path had incredibly strong egos. They wouldn’t tolerate even the smallest exception. How could I not know that? I had ordered it fully aware of what would happen. After all, experiencing something with your body is far more effective than hearing about the danger in words.
“What you must do right now is control the Heavenly Demon Divine Art that runs wild as it pleases.”
Originally this was something one had to risk their life to face, but since there was another way, there was no need. I would eventually have to teach her the mental cultivation method if she wished to look toward higher realms, but not yet. For now, I would first teach Seol-ah how to control the Heavenly Demon Divine Art’s inner energy. At the very least, to eliminate any variables.
“Every day, for three hours. I will help you learn to control the divine art.”
“Three hours?”
Though it was only one short question, it wasn’t hard to read the meaning behind it. She was probably thinking, Only three hours? This was the girl who cut her sleep to devote herself to martial training. To someone who lived by the motto sleep is for the dead, three hours must have seemed far too little. I understood.
“Yes. Three hours. I will not permit you to practice the Heavenly Demon Divine Art on your own at any other time.”
“But…”
“In any case, aren’t you my editor? You have work to do.”
“Of course I’ll work! But three hours is still too little…”
“Are you doubting me?”
“It’s not that! I just… um…”
Haha. Don’t worry. I know full well that your enthusiasm is simply overflowing.
“For now, let’s talk after three hours have passed. If you can still say the same thing then, I’ll reconsider.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Would I ever speak falsehoods? Don’t worry. If you can still stand properly after three hours, I will think about it.
Control the wild inner energy. Three hours daily. No independent practice permitted.
Seol-ah once again demonstrated Mount Hua’s martial arts. At first she had chosen difficult techniques to show the Heavenly Dragon what she had learned, but not anymore. The Heavenly Demon Divine Art’s inner energy was far more willful than she had imagined. She hadn’t felt it while handling the art through the Heavenly Demon’s body, but now that she was using Mount Hua’s techniques, she could physically experience its ferocity.
After several failures, Seol-ah realized the truth and began choosing easier, simpler techniques each time. The Heavenly Dragon did not stop her. As if such things were not particularly important. And in truth, they weren’t. No matter how simple the martial art Seol-ah used became, controlling the Heavenly Demon Divine Art’s inner energy did not become any easier.
She continued to make mistakes every single time she used a technique.
“Ah.”
The moment Seol-ah let out a sound after feeling the Heavenly Demon Divine Art’s inner energy burst out uncontrollably, the screen went black.
“How many times have I told you not to try to control everything? You cannot control it all. Think about suppressing the inner energy.”
Seol-ah, opening her eyes in a new body, tried to plant her feet on the ground only to collapse as strength left her legs. It wasn’t that her body was tired. In the VR world, the body could not grow tired. What stole the strength from her was purely one thing—mental fatigue. The effort of controlling the Heavenly Demon Divine Art’s inner energy had forced mental exhaustion upon her.
“Stand up. Only one hour has passed.”
“One hour…”
Seol-ah realized how arrogant she had been. Three hours was by no means a short time. For some, it could feel like an eternity. At least, that was how it felt to Seol-ah right now.
“Again.”
It was the same word that had appeared in Enry’s broadcast last time, but the voice was completely different. How could a voice mixed with playfulness and indifference possibly resemble one that allowed no refusal?
Seol-ah staggered to her feet and once again assumed her stance.