The Spear That Speaks
The warriors of the Shin Clan all wielded spears of the same design. It was a weapon modeled after the legendary Divine Spear (Shin-chang), the artifact that had elevated the Shin Clan from a mediocre, unremarkable martial arts family to their current standing. Unlike the martial arts of the Nine Sects and One Union, which were built up over long ages by many hands, the prestige of the Shin Clan was forged solely by the martial arts of one man: the Divine Spear.
The Divine Spear’s technique was a unique, self-created style, entirely distinct from the traditional arts of the Shin Clan. It had one significant drawback: to fully replicate his spearplay, one required a spear identical to the one he used. Despite this, the Shin Clan had discarded their ancestral arts in favor of his, settling for the best mass-produced replicas they could forge to mimic the original.
Shin Suran, having mastered the Shin Clan’s inherited arts, belonged to the rank of the "Incomplete Super First-rate." She could manifest the state of Returning to Truth, but only while wielding the familiar spear of her clan. Consequently, after being deceived by a tiger demon that mimicked a human voice and having her weapon shattered, her combat effectiveness had plummeted.
Upon arriving at the Cheonmu Academy, Shin Suran immediately requested a spare spear from her main family. Even among the rising stars of the Orthodox faction gathered at the academy, there were only ten who had reached the Super First-rate rank. Though she was picky about her weapons, it was unthinkable for a master of her caliber to miss the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering. This was especially true for the Shin Clan, a family perceived to have nothing but the Divine Spear himself. If a family that had produced an Absolute Master couldn't field a single Peak Master, it would imply their success was merely a stroke of luck. In the martial world, where face was everything, being treated as nouveau riche was not a desirable outcome.
The Divine Spear held high expectations for his granddaughter, who had reached the Super First-rate rank at such a young age. When she requested a spear, he immediately sent his own. Not a replica, but the original—the very spear he had used himself.
Everyone in the Shin Clan opposed this decision. Succession struggles were just as fierce in the Shin Clan as in any other. If Shin Suran were to receive the Clan Master’s spear, the power balance would be shattered; if she then went on to win the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering with it, the implications would be even greater. But if the Divine Spear could be swayed by the objections of his descendants, he wouldn't have been an Absolute Master. In a clan without a single Peak Master, he was the sole Absolute Master. In the Shin Clan, where the authority of the Clan Master was more absolute than in any other, no one could stop him. When the Divine Spear decided to do as he pleased with his own weapon, there was no one who could stop him. At least, no human could.
"Who are you?" Seong-jin asked, staring at the entity occupying Shin Suran’s body. His suspicion had been piqued by her Gong-gwa-gyeok score, and his certainty came from her shadow. Beneath her feet stretched a shadow that looked nothing like the Shin Suran he saw with his eyes. It was a clear, supernatural anomaly.
"To pretend you don't know me after just a few days... how cruel, benefactor."
"Do you think it makes sense for me to recognize someone who has undergone Rebirth of Bone and Change of Form?"
Seong-jin was, quite literally, a different person now thanks to his own transformation. With internal energy settled in his Dantian, he could even sense ripples of energy that were previously imperceptible. It was hard enough to believe he was the same person, let alone ignore such a drastic change. Yet, the Shin Suran before him treated him naturally without a word about it, confirming that her method of distinguishing people was not based on appearance or energy, but on the senses of a yokai.
"Tsk, the spiritual essence in your Upper Dantian was no different from what I remembered...!"
Realizing her identity had been unmasked, the entity twisted her face and revealed her true colors.
"Caught, huh? And I was being as careful as I could."
"What have you done to Miss Shin?"
"What do you mean, 'what have I done'? She handed it over herself."
"What?"
"If you're curious, ask the girl herself."
The thing occupying Shin Suran’s body closed its eyes, and moments later, the real Shin Suran opened hers.
"Ah, benefactor..."
It wasn't an act. The moment her aura shifted, even the Gong-gwa-gyeok score floating above her head changed.
Current Score: 420 points
It was a significant score. Since his cultivation level had risen and he had gained the ability to see the scores of others, Seong-jin had observed many—from commoners on the street to the Orthodox and Demonic masters camped before the Third Tomb. Unless they were actively practicing the Gong-gwa-gyeok system, most people’s scores were near zero. Even those who lived honest, ordinary lives would inevitably commit minor acts that deducted points. If one lived a life as selfish, petty, kind, and moral as an average person, the score generally converged to zero. Even among Orthodox warriors, few exceeded 100 points, and for Demonic warriors, negative numbers were the standard. Furthermore, even a saint who had spent a lifetime helping others wouldn't have a high score if they were young; the duration of their good deeds simply hadn't been long enough. In that sense, Shin Suran’s score was as astonishing as the Beggar Sect leader’s.
"What happened?"
"Um, well, you see..."
Shin Suran seemed strangely hesitant to explain.
"Could you please not take this child away?"
"Let me hear the circumstances."
"That child is the spear the Clan Master used."
Old objects often become dokkaebi (goblins). Usually, this happened to items like brooms or pestles, but the weapons of martial artists were no different. Thus, it was not impossible for the spiritual essence of a master to dwell in a spear that an Absolute Master had cherished for a long time.
Shin Suran explained that her spear was one she had received from the Shin Clan Master, and that it was not merely a spear, but a dokkaebi. She had merely lent her body for a moment so that the spear, which remembered the Divine Spear’s martial arts, could teach her.
"A dokkaebi... but it’s rare for a martial artist’s weapon to become one. How?"
No matter how great an object was, it would eventually break if used for a long time. This was especially true for weapons that had to clash with others while absorbing powerful energy ripples.
"For an ordinary object to become a dokkaebi, it must endure for a long time. But the lifespan of an ordinary weapon isn't that long."
"Then were the divine weapons discovered recently, like the Songmun Ancient Sword, also dokkaebi?"
"That wouldn't be the case. If the owner keeps changing, it’s hard for a dokkaebi’s ego to form."
Ordinary weapons broke too quickly to become dokkaebi. Conversely, divine weapons were so infused with the artisan’s spirit that they rarely became dokkaebi. Only an ordinary object that had been well-maintained and loved by its owner for a long time could achieve such a state. It wasn't for nothing that common brooms or pestles were the ones that usually transformed.
"Is that so? I know nothing of such spirits..."
The Divine Spear was certainly a master, but his spear itself was ordinary. The reason it could be replicated was precisely because there was nothing special about the spear itself. However, because the Absolute Master had been obsessed with his first weapon, the spear had become a dokkaebi, and his martial arts had become a deformed style that only reached its full potential when used with a spear of that exact shape. The fact that his spear had become a dokkaebi was as rare as a mediocre rural clan producing an Absolute Master.
"Anyway, this child is just possessing me at my request to teach me spearplay. Because as a spear, it has experienced my father’s martial arts firsthand."
The reason Shin Suran hadn't been able to find Seong-jin recently was that the spear sent by her family had suddenly started talking to her.
"Hmm."
Seong-jin fell into thought. It wasn't that he didn't believe her, but he was bothered by the -444 Gong-gwa-gyeok score. 'Does that score reflect the lives it took as a spear as evil deeds?' A spear was made to pierce enemies. It would be unjust to punish it for the sins committed in the line of duty. 'If that’s truly the case, it wouldn't be a problem, but...' The issue was whether that score was truly unrelated to the dokkaebi’s nature.
-Hummm!
"Huh? What was that?"
-Hummm-hummm!
Shin Suran began to mutter to herself while holding the vibrating spear; it seemed she was conversing with the dokkaebi.
"You say the benefactor looks like a gigolo but seems as stubborn as that old man?"
"Old man? Do you mean the Clan Master, the Divine Spear?"
"Ah, aack! I was just repeating what this child said! I would never call my father such a thing..."
"It seems even as a dokkaebi, it doesn't think very highly of its owner."
"Well, it seems my father dismissed this child’s voice as mere auditory hallucinations. It said it was incredibly frustrating."
It was the cherished weapon of an Absolute Master. It was never held by anyone else, and the master’s Dantian was too solid for it to possess him. In the end, its only conversation partner was the Divine Spear, but since he treated it as a hallucination, the dokkaebi must have been driven to the brink of madness. Perhaps that was why it was so eager to teach martial arts to a new owner who accepted it without resistance.
"Anyway, this child is a pitiful one. It hasn't committed any evil deeds, so please trust it."
"I can trust Miss Shin’s word, but not the dokkaebi. It might be plotting some sinister scheme, so if you insist on using it, do not leave my side from now on."
Since it was a family heirloom, he wouldn't confiscate it immediately. But he was warning her that if he saw it causing trouble, he would not stand idly by.
-Hummm! Hummm!
"Eh? You say I should be grateful because I can stay with the benefactor thanks to you? What is that..."
At Seong-jin’s words, the dokkaebi chattered something, and Shin Suran blushed upon hearing it.
"He-hello, sir."
Then, the Gong-gwa-gyeok score above Shin Suran’s head turned negative again.
"You can just call me Soran. Please take good care of my younger sibling from now on."
Soran said this and reached out to shake Seong-jin’s hand.
"A younger sibling..."
If it was a dokkaebi born from the Divine Spear’s hand, it wasn't wrong to call it Shin Suran’s sibling. Seong-jin took the hand Soran offered.
It was a handshake that seemed ordinary at first glance. But the feeling was strange.
'A piercing energy?'
An offensive internal energy was infiltrating from their joined hands. As Seong-jin looked at Soran, she smiled meaningfully.
"How is it? You seem to have some skill yourself, so why don't we see who’s stronger?"
Was it because it was born as a weapon? Soran showed unreserved competitive spirit toward Seong-jin. Seong-jin did not tolerate such nonsense.
"Ouch!"
He grabbed Soran’s head with his other hand. If he were to emit Lei-qi (Thunder Energy) from his Laogong point right now, he could scorch the personality of Soran residing in Shin Suran’s Upper Dantian.
"Haha, my, my. You react so violently to a little teasing, it’s hard for me to hold back too, you know?"
Of course, if he did that, Shin Suran wouldn't be unscathed either. Seong-jin had expected Soran to use Shin Suran as a hostage, but unexpectedly, Soran looked quite flustered.
"Wa-wait! Suran? Are you serious? In this situation, you’re saying, 'I want to have my head patted too!'? How is this..."
"Hmm?"
"No, calling me a thieving cat! Who are you looking at!"
Soon, a normal Gong-gwa-gyeok score appeared above Shin Suran’s head, and Seong-jin released her. Freed from his grip, she smoothed her clothes and cleared her throat.
"Ahem!"
"Miss Shin?"
"So, you mean that from now on, if Soran tries to run wild, you will catch her, benefactor?"
"Pardon?"
"Ah, this child is doing it again...!"
Shin Suran said this and leaned into Seong-jin’s embrace.
Current Score: 420 points
The score remained the same.