The Six Paths of Reincarnation Painting
Only then did Han Yujin finally realize the truth.
The Six Paths of Reincarnation Painting was literally just a painting.
It was not some grand transmission of knowledge disguised as art, nor a mystical tool hiding special functions. It was exactly what it appeared to be: a pure work of art created purely for appreciation, infused with the artist’s personal sensibility.
That was also why, despite his transcendent comprehension, the thoughts echoing in his mind had not been perfectly interpreted. Only by doing it this way could the painting offer precisely the right amount of understanding while preserving its original emotional resonance.
The overwhelming experience of the Six Paths of Reincarnation’s flow had to be viewed in the same light. The being who created this painting clearly wanted viewers to understand how they had interpreted human emotions and how they had chosen to express them.
The awakening of new knowledge and the subsequent acquisition of crafting abilities were merely byproducts necessary for fully appreciating this single work.
‘Then what I need now is…’
Following a half-instinctive intuition, Han Yujin began to infuse his own essence into the endlessly cycling images of the Six Paths and the sensations and emotions they evoked.
He was not crudely painting over the artist’s style. Rather, he was adding his own interpretation as a viewer—an act of appreciation.
Into the joy of the Path of Heavenly Bliss, he melted his own personal happiness.
Though much of it had been shattered and faded during his turbulent high school years, there were still memories he could not deny had once been genuinely happy. The image of his mother waiting in front of their house when he was in the lower grades of elementary school, smiling brightly and opening her arms wide to embrace him. The sound of his father, drunk after work, suddenly calling the whole family out to the street to buy fish cake and hotteok, laughing heartily the whole time.
There were also distinctly personal memories of happiness. Sitting next to his first love on the bus during a school trip, laughing and talking for what felt like forever. The moment of triumph when, after a bet with a friend, he studied hard and scored over ninety points in every subject for the first time in his life. The pride of receiving his first paycheck—along with generous praise—from his part-time job, which he had started because he was tired of living off relatives and eating their resentful glances.
Of course, there were also small, seemingly trivial memories that nevertheless formed the foundation of his life. The rush of winning a game or getting a good item drop. The sunlight filtering through the trees while riding bikes with friends. The peaceful scenery of a walking path on a clear, mild day while listening to his favorite music.
And he could not leave out the pounding excitement in his chest when he had suddenly awakened his ability and begun dreaming of the future.
He had never reflected on his life in such detail before. It was far deeper and richer than simply flipping through old photo albums or scrolling through old chat logs. He was truly immersed in his memories.
Naturally, life had not been filled only with happiness.
There were more than enough childhood memories to blend into the Path of Human Desire. In fact, they far outnumbered the happy ones. The time he had asked a girl out with unfounded confidence only to be rejected. The sighs he let out while staring at expensive foods or items he could never afford. The losses he suffered after jumping into the stock market with gambling-like methods in pursuit of the brilliant dream of financial freedom.
Yet even then, he had never broken. He had clung to the hope that things would get better someday, scraping by and finding satisfaction in small joys.
These were faint but ever-present landscapes that made up the ordinary fabric of daily life.
For the sorrow of the Path of Lost Souls, he could not help but recall the collapse of his family—an event that, while not uncommon, had felt like his entire world crumbling around him.
In truth, that single event could have been poured into the anger of the Path of Beasts, the disgust of the Path of Revulsion, and the despair of the Path of the Abyss as well.
The heartbreak and sense of loss from being abandoned by his own parents. The rage and hatred at how anyone could abandon their child. The disgust toward the very people who were supposed to be his parents, and the irrational self-loathing for being someone who could be thrown away. The fear and despair that came from believing there was no one left in this world who would truly stand on his side.
They were memories that had to be intense precisely because they were the darkest and most painful moments of his life.
On a smaller scale, he could also add the stabbing pain he had felt the moment Mu-yong had run away when he tried to adopt her.
For the anger of the Path of Beasts, it was easy to melt in the burning desire for revenge born from the shocking deaths he had witnessed at the hands of the demon worshippers in Icapa Pangea.
Simply recalling the shock, pain, and despair from that time still ignited a smoldering hatred toward the culprits. Though it had gradually faded with time, it would clearly take a very long while before that ember completely died out.
For the disgust of the Path of Revulsion, the shock from the unidentified insect magic he had experienced in that same world fit perfectly.
Even now, he had never encountered anything more bizarre or horrifying. It seemed that those who abandoned their humanity to follow demons truly were repulsive beyond measure.
And for the despair of the Path of the Abyss, he could not omit the overwhelming gaze he had felt while receiving the ‘baptism’ in that world.
The sensation of his soul being crushed, pulverized, and reduced to dust—shrinking into a tiny speck before vanishing entirely—still sent chills down his spine.
The experiences from the post-apocalyptic Earth also had to be included.
Every ghost seemed to radiate an aura that instinctively triggered primal human terror. Just remembering the chase with the ghost in the suit still sent shivers racing up his spine.
Above all, there was Wonhui.
That entity had inspired not mere fear but something closer to awe. It had appeared so frequently as a hallucination during his Dharma Soul ascension that its impression remained burned into him with terrifying intensity.
‘Emotions are subjective.’
Even if his experiences seemed trivial to someone else, the authenticity of the emotions he had felt at the time could not be denied. The same would hold true even if he were to feel even more intense and shocking emotions in the future.
And so, while appreciating the Six Paths of Reincarnation Painting, Han Yujin completed his own unique interpretation. Naturally, he never forgot to show respect for the artist’s original style.
Before long, the cold sweat that had drenched him earlier had completely vanished. Han Yujin now appeared utterly serene.
When he finally emerged from the Dharma Wheel Hall, a full month and a half had passed. To Han Yujin, it had felt like merely three or four days, so the difference was quite surprising.
Perhaps the news of his exit had been delivered quickly, because as he stood outside savoring the surrounding scenery, the abbot, Master Hye-gak, soon appeared.
“The allotted time has not yet ended, yet it seems you have already achieved something significant.”
Han Yujin simply smiled and nodded without denying it.
“Thanks to your advice to study the scriptures in advance, I was able to reap quite a harvest.”
“Oh my… I offer you my sincere congratulations. You have now truly become the unrivaled supreme of the martial world, one who completely surpasses even myself.”
At Master Hye-gak’s gentle smile, Han Yujin could only smile again.
Then, a sudden thought occurred to him, and he made a serious request.
“If it is not too rude, could you show me your Six Paths of Reincarnation?”
“You have only just come out of seclusion. Are you not tired?”
“I am fine. In fact, I feel more mentally energized than at any other time.”
“In that case… please prepare yourself thoroughly, just in case.”
It was closer to a request to observe rather than a spar, and as a Life-and-Death Realm expert, Master Hye-gak was naturally curious about how his opponent would react to his Six Paths of Reincarnation.
When Han Yujin signaled that he was ready, the master quietly chanted a Buddhist invocation and brought his palms together.
Immediately afterward, an illusion of the Six Paths of Reincarnation—divided into six revolving realms—rose from his eyes. At the same time, the exact same vision appeared inside Han Yujin’s mind.
It was exactly as depicted in the painting.
It was a truly masterful display worthy of a Life-and-Death Realm expert—one capable of seizing the opponent’s emotions, shaking them violently, and ultimately forcing them into submission. The images of the Path of Heavenly Bliss, Path of Human Desire, Path of Lost Souls, Path of Beasts, Path of Revulsion, and Path of the Abyss rose and sank repeatedly, as if Buddhist chants were echoing from all directions. At the same time, an overwhelming urge to kneel, submit, and attain liberation by casting off all these waves of sensation and emotion surged within him.
However, it was still far from enough to subdue an opponent like Han Yujin.
‘It is quite different from my own interpretation.’
Master Hye-gak had interpreted the Six Paths of Reincarnation Painting strictly according to doctrine. The feeling that he viewed it as the footsteps and teachings of saints that must be believed and followed was unmistakable.
‘Indeed… my transcendent comprehension must have activated on the Six Paths of Reincarnation Painting as well.’
If it had not, it would have been extremely difficult to realize that it was the pure artistic work of an enlightened being who had foreseen liberation. Naturally, he would never have experienced such deep immersion.
As he was briefly lost in thought, the illusion of the Six Paths of Reincarnation that had been trying to suppress his mind vanished without a trace. Having confirmed that it had no effect at all, Master Hye-gak had withdrawn his power.
“A prodigy of the Dharma… truly a prodigy of the Dharma…”
The master now treated him with a level of respect slightly different from before, as if greeting a senior monk of equal standing. Han Yujin had no choice but to return the gesture.
They continued their conversation for a little while longer.
After receiving Master Hye-gak’s guidance until he left the central grounds, Han Yujin bid farewell and headed back to his quarters, organizing the gains from this session along the way.
‘I have obtained the Six Paths of Reincarnation at the level of a divine ability.’
He had only sought a new divine technique, yet he had awakened something even greater—a true divine power.
He could now read an opponent’s emotions as easily as looking at his own palm. He could also attempt to manipulate emotions, just as Master Hye-gak had tried moments ago.
Moreover, since it had awakened as a divine ability, it was certain to grow far stronger than expected the more experiences and emotions he accumulated throughout his life.
Unfortunately, it was still not enough to completely overcome the Heartless Tribulation.
‘I may be able to delay it to some extent… but it truly is a tribulation.’
Fortunately, he had already come up with several ideas, so he did not feel completely stuck.
Thinking of seeing Mu-yong and the rest of the group, he arrived at the lodging building in high spirits.
He planned to stay for another day or two to wrap up loose ends before leaving this place.
Upon returning to the Geumryeon Estate in Okhan City, the group immediately resumed their previous routine.
Han Yujin once again began refining his Dragon Heart, radiating his overwhelming presence and aura beyond the boundaries of Okhan City.
Dok Junseong ruthlessly dismantled the martial arts he had originally learned and threw himself into training the Hoe-won Gong.
Seogwang Gahu and Eun Miryeong devoted themselves to their respective Wonryeok Sim-gong and Hoe-won Gong training. Whenever they encountered a bottleneck, they would visit Han Yujin during his rest periods and politely seek his guidance.
Mu-yong, to her credit, did not disturb any of them—including the diligently training Han Yujin and Eun Miryeong. Instead, she wandered around the interior of the estate and the nearby outskirts, finding her own enjoyment.
Although she was still a small beast, she had already reached the Initiation Stage. Moreover, she had received a great deal of training in escape techniques. As long as no expert above the Transformation Realm attacked her with lethal intent from the start, she would not be in any real danger.
Amid these peaceful yet fulfilling days, Han Yujin instructed Dok Junseong to begin laying some subtle groundwork.
It concerned the matter of ‘trade.’
He had separate plans to have Dok Junseong and Seogwang Gahu conduct sparring tours across the martial world once they reached a certain level of training, thereby spreading the rumors far and wide. However, it would be even better to first whet people’s appetites in advance, like oiling a machine.
After all, rumors that he was training an absolutely monstrous supreme technique within Okhan City had already spread throughout the gangho.
‘If rumors spread that the foundation of this supreme technique can be traded for martial arts manuals above a certain level, high-grade spiritual herbs, or secrets of the Life-and-Death Realm, it will surely draw a great deal of attention.’
His prediction proved accurate.
It proved so accurate that, even though it was merely a rumor, factions were already visiting Okhan City to sound out the possibility of a deal.
Although they were not prestigious families or major sects but rather relatively young and weaker forces, Han Yujin did not turn them away at the door.
Unfortunately, the compensation they brought was far below standard, so not a single transaction was successfully completed.
Still, the important thing was that the Geumryeon Martial Sovereign himself had appeared to conduct the trades, proving that the rumors were not baseless fabrications.
And so, the entire martial world began to stir with quiet anticipation.