Chapter 211
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0211 ———————————————-
The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors
If the timeframe is about a month, I didn’t have that much time left. Therefore, the faster I trained, the better it was, so as soon as the conversation ended, I maximized my internal power.
Kugugugugu…
The moment my power reached its limit, lightning flickered in my eyes, and the ground trembled. It wasn’t that I consciously used any technique, but the force of my energy caused the nearby stones to float up. The Sword Demon, who was watching from about three steps away, exclaimed in shock.
“I can’t believe it; it’s incredible. Your energy must be ten times higher than mine…”
“I only have my power to brag about.”
“Haha, such humility!”
Chuckling, the Sword Demon continued.
“Given the difference in our internal energies, I shouldn’t even be able to stand here properly. That’s the common logic in the martial world you know. Yet here I am, standing and talking with you. How do you think that’s possible?”
Listening carefully to the Sword Demon’s words, I pondered before replying.
“It’s the power of intention.”
“Exactly.”
The Sword Demon crossed his arms, gazing steadily at me.
“My will is currently forming a pillar of light in heaven and earth. It naturally disperses the dominance your internal energy exerts with my will. Do you understand what this means?”
“I don’t quite get it.”
“It means anyone who has mastered and can freely apply intention cannot be pressured by mere internal energy. There are only a handful who have more internal energy than you in the whole world.”
“Ah…!!”
I got it now!
At that moment, I understood why the likes of Lee Kwang, Jin So-cheong, and the Dharma Guardians weren’t intimidated by my overwhelming power. It wasn’t just a difference in realm; they could naturally shake off the dominance of my energy with their intention. Therefore, there was no reason for those peak experts to feel fear.
The Sword Demon continued.
“But you shouldn’t think your internal energy is useless. Intention is a highly consumable advanced application. Without internal power to secure fundamental abilities, destructive capability, and endurance, showing a strong power with just intention isn’t possible. Do you know what I mean?”
“I understand.”
Just as the Sword Demon said. If internal energy were useless, the White Lotus Sect wouldn’t go through the trouble of cultivating the Sacred Lotus and producing peak experts. After all, internal energy is a precious entity that enhances a warrior’s basic abilities. Moreover, the fact that the Dharma Guardian with the infinite internal power of the Heavenly Spirit Pill stands in an overwhelming position over the Thunder God Lineage’s masters solidifies that truth.
The Sword Demon said.
“Now, go ahead and expend that internal energy at your leisure.”
“Hmm… Should I use it up quickly if possible?”
“Of course. If you just try to endure with pure power, it’ll take the whole day.”
Hearing the Sword Demon’s advice, I felt there was no choice.
‘Ugh… Even if I pour out my internal energy, it regenerates quickly, making it hard to consume it all. Should I just use Thunderclap here?’
Thunderclap was a technique that consumed an enormous amount of internal energy, making it highly suitable for this situation. If I activated it and went all out, I could probably use it all up in one meal.
‘What to do…?’
The hesitation stemmed from one reason.
Thunderclap was the Decisive Enlightenment of the Thunder God Lineage!
Among the numerous secret techniques of the Thunder God Lineage, only a select few individuals, including Lee Kwang, inherited the highest level of their techniques. Given its immense power, exposing it to outsiders would be dangerous in itself. If it were to be seen multiple times by the clearly martial genius Sword Demon Seo Mun-dae-ryong, he might decipher its weaknesses or create similar techniques. This is precisely why I hesitated to reveal it to the Sword Demon in my past lives.
However, I ultimately made my decision.
‘Damn it. What do I care! I’ve cut ties with the Thunder God Lineage!’
No matter how much I intended to nurture the Thunder God Lineage as a force against the White Lotus Sect, I couldn’t shake off the disgust I felt right now. I just realized that I had been fooled countless times by Lee Kwang just moments ago and that, in this new life, I had no affiliation with the Thunder God Lineage nor did I have any connection with Lee Kwang. Even if I leaked Thunderclap, I had no need to feel any misplaced loyalty.
Once my thoughts were completed, I immediately activated Thunderclap.
“Ha!”
Kwa-ching!!
In an instant, thunder essence surged, enveloping my body in lightning. I appeared like a ghastly creature made of thunder, and I could see the Sword Demon looking astonished.
“No way?”
Kiiiiiing—
The moment he was surprised, I unleashed all my utmost techniques without holding back. I began with the Thunder Shadow Sword Technique, transitioned to the Ten Thousand Success Sword Technique, and seamlessly followed with flexible transformation techniques.
That was precisely one hundred and fifty moves, at which point Sword Qi and Sword Flame began to swirl with my lightning, launching Cave-Collapsing Sword and Heavenly Contraction Sword. While unleashing the Wudang Sect’s Glorious Absolute Techniques, I realized my understanding had deepened significantly compared to before. I had trained intensely alongside the Thunder God Lineage masters.
The flow of my techniques increased rapidly, and the speed of my swordplay fluctuated wildly. I quickly sliced the petals swirling around me into sixteen pieces, connecting to my most confident technique, Thousand Kills Slash. It was the most dazzling move from the Ten Thousand Success Sword Technique.
Kigigigik
After the Thousand Kills’ thousand cuts ended, as if it had been promised, I hurled a massive Thunder Blade into the sky. It was my love-hate technique, the Thunder Blade. Several sheets of lightning sliced through the sky, splitting the clouds in half.
‘…But I still have a bit of energy left.’
I pondered what to do, and finally decided to unleash the Thunder Spirit Seal in the void. The Thunder Spirit Seal, which the Red Moon transmitted to the disciples of the Thunder God Lineage, was a powerful technique ranked among the top three in the Thunder God Lineage. Especially with its vast range, it was an excellent martial skill for dealing with minions.
Kwa-gagagwang
After firing dozens of Thunder Spirit Seals, my internal energy plummeted sharply, leaving only a vein of mysterious energy remaining. By that time, my stamina had dwindled as I gasped for breath, and the Sword Demon looked at me in amazement.
“Wow… you’ve mastered some incredible martial arts. Just who is your master? Truly a curious figure in the world.”
“… Just a hot-tempered person.”
Breathing heavily, I slowly sat down. As I tried to adopt a cross-legged position, the Sword Demon suddenly struck my calf with a wooden sword and made me stand again.
“Hey! Don’t try to recover your energy. Instead, unfold your sword techniques in your current state.”
“Huh…? In this state?”
“Of course. Intention doesn’t just mean strong mental strength. To gain transcendent abilities, you need to repeatedly push your mental strength to its extremes, peeling back layers of your limits. Usually, enlightenment comes from life-and-death situations or immense breakthroughs, but you have too much internal energy, making it difficult to realize it that way.”
“I understand.”
I gritted my teeth and forcefully took my stance. As I held the stance for the sword technique, the Sword Demon shouted.
“Move! No matter what, keep moving! Until your heart bursts!”
“……!!”
It felt like an ancient feeling returning. Until now, I had conserved energy, worrying about death with minimal internal energy, so I hadn’t experienced being pushed to my limits. As the destructive pain surged through my body, I felt like I was going to die.
‘Ugh… Ugh…’
Those who have never felt this sensation can’t possibly understand. It felt like my body was disintegrating piece by piece, my mental strength dissolving, and I wanted nothing more than to collapse there. The thought of wanting to kill the one who ordered me to run more became overwhelming. The moment I took the next action, blood poured from all seven meridians, and it felt like I would die.
Yet, I moved.
‘I’ve already wasted decades! No matter how hard it is now, I can’t keep spinning my wheels!!’
I screamed inside. I must grow stronger before my humanity wears away! Otherwise, it would be impossible to fulfill both a ‘happy life’ and ‘goals.’ With a determination to regain my sanity even at the end of hell, I began to move my body with great difficulty.
Glimmers flickered in front of my eyes. It was a phenomenon that appears when you reach the limit of your physical strength. This flickering could ruin my eyesight, and if I didn’t snap back quickly, I would find myself unconscious. I kept repeating in my head that I had to strengthen my mental strength and rose again.
“Uaaaaaaaa!!”
I screamed as I moved.
All for the sake of grasping intention!
As long as I could obtain that intention, I didn’t care if my body fell apart here!
When I finally came to my senses, I was looking at the ceiling of Shadowless Gate. I got up and noticed my clothes had been changed. As I sat up from the bed, I heard a familiar voice.
“Are you awake?”
The Sword Demon entered the bedroom. He must have felt my aura the moment I regained consciousness. The Sword Demon pulled up a chair beside him and sat down, then said,
“It’s been just half a day since you fainted.”
“I see…”
“Do you feel a sense of realization regarding intention?”
I sat there blankly and shook my head.
“No…”
“Then what do you think the training you received was?”
I honestly replied.
“I just… thought it was hell training.”
“Right, it is indeed hell training, which is utterly inefficient. It’s merely a method of improving physical strength by pushing you to your limits and then recovering. Only beginners in martial arts undergo this.”
“……”
“Don’t think of it as something you can grasp overnight. The important thing is whether you can hold on to the limits of your will or not.”
In other words, hell training is just a means to an end. The key lies in whether I can draw out the ultimate will known as ‘intention’ from the brink of unconsciousness I experience after the hell training. As I understood this fact and slightly nodded, the Sword Demon added,
“However, there’s something I’m curious about among the techniques you used.”
“Please, go ahead.”
“The sword technique that freely pulls and pushes space… it’s strikingly similar to the one used by Bright Dragon. Do you have any connection with the Wudang Sect?”
“……!!”
I was taken aback and looked at him.
Bright Dragon is the actual supreme expert of the Wudang Sect who achieved the Half-Transition Master status! A close friend of the legendary Master of Zen! Why would Bright Dragon come up here?
But soon enough, I logically understood the causal relationship in my mind.
‘Right… Bright Dragon already knew Cave-Collapsing Sword and Heavenly Contraction Sword! And according to the Wudang Sect’s leader, he is the only current expert researching that swordsmanship. So it’s definitely possible…’
I contemplated deeply before responding.
“My master is not a Wudang Sect person. Moreover, the sword techniques I learned were not passed down by my master.”
“What do you mean?”
“By chance, I had an opportunity to inherit the secrets of a former Wudang Sect expert. It wasn’t in a secret technique form but rather his enlightenment entering my mind, so it was like I learned it haphazardly. Because of that, I don’t even know the name of that martial skill well.”
After I vaguely explained, the Sword Demon marveled.
“Oh! So that’s how it is.”
“But does Bright Dragon use similar swordsmanship as I do? How do you know?”
“Hm… that’s because.”
The Sword Demon lifted a teacup, took a sip, then continued.
“Bright Dragon and I are rivals.”
“What?”
“Bright Dragon’s renown may not be widely known, but he is indeed among the top experts of the orthodox sect. He managed to achieve the Half-Transition Master status and also reached the realm of the Invincible Sword, so how could it be any less? His skill must be at least half a notch above the Three Great Masters of the Orthodox Sect. Therefore, I can’t recklessly clash with the orthodox sect either.”
“……!!”
From the Sword Demon’s words, I couldn’t help but be shocked.
‘Does that mean Bright Dragon of the Wudang Sect is a peerless master on par with Sword Demon Seo Mun-dae-ryong?’
When a peerless master like the Sword Demon evaluates others, they generally do so with a measured, cold perspective, cutting down their own assessments. Inflating their evaluations or disparaging others is meaningless, so their evaluations can only be sober. By admitting their rivalry, it suggests that the incredible Sword Demon Seo Mun-dae-ryong and Bright Dragon of the Wudang Sect possess equally high levels of martial arts.
The Sword Demon continued.
“Of course, I wouldn’t make such evaluations without having met him before. Bright Dragon and I had a fierce battle about twenty years ago, and the unique sword technique he displayed has stuck in my memory. The technique had the power to manipulate space and pull it in or push it out freely, just like your swordsmanship.”
“I see.”
Suddenly, I had a thought and asked.
“Then how do the martial skills of both of you compare to the Dharma Guardians of the White Lotus Sect?”
“Hmm… that’s a rather pride-hurtful question.”
Did I make another slip of the tongue?
“I-I’m sorry.”
The Sword Demon waved his hand with a smirk.
“No, it’s okay. Everyone’s curious about it even if they don’t say it. You’re the first to ask me directly.”
“I apologize for my rudeness.”
“Hmm. I’ll say the answer to that question is ‘absolutely not.’”
“Are the Dharma Guardians that powerful?”
At my question, the Sword Demon nodded.
“Indeed. I’ve faced the Dharma Guardian before, so I can certainly say that.”
“……!!”
“When was it… Ah, it was about ten years ago. A person who identified himself as the Dharma Guardian of the Water God Lineage secretly visited the Shadowless Gate to see my skills, claiming to want to gauge his own prowess in the martial arts world.”
With a playful smile, the Sword Demon drank the cold tea in one gulp and said.
“I was utterly defeated. I couldn’t last even a hundred moves against him.”
Is it that severe?
Comparing the prowess of the Water God Lineage Dharma Guardian Yong Bi-cheon I had witnessed in my mind against the Sword Demon’s ability, I remarked.
“That was ten years ago, right? If it’s the current Lord of Shadowless Gate, you should be able to win against him.”
At my answer, the Sword Demon gazed at me intently.
“Why do you speak as if you’ve seen a Dharma Guardian before?”
“Just… I thought ten years would mean that the Sect Leader made incredible advancements.”
As I floundered my words, the Sword Demon chuckled.
“Well, that could be true. However, the prowess of the Water God Lineage Dharma Guardian Dokgo Jun, which I sensed back then, was truly overwhelming. Even with the combined efforts of Bright Dragon and myself, I believed we would be unable to defeat him.”
“T-That shouldn’t be possible.”
I muttered softly.
Despite my encounters with various Dharma Guardians and having numerous opportunities to gauge their abilities, the skills of the likes of Yong Bi-cheon from the Wind Spirit Sect couldn’t be overwhelmingly superior to the Sword Demon Seo Mun-dae-ryong. At most, I thought they would merely push back using the overwhelming power of the Heavenly Spirit Pill and, after a protracted battle, tally a victory.
‘Is the Dharma Guardian of the Water God Lineage exceptionally strong?’
That’s the only conclusion I could come to.
Come to think of it, the Water God Lineage was reportedly the strongest among the current Dharma Protectors of the White Lotus Sect. If that were the case, then Dokgo Jun, who serves as the current head of the Water God Lineage and the direct descendant of the White Lotus Sect master, could indeed be stronger than the other Dharma Guardians.
This was significant information. While I mulled over that fact, the Sword Demon said,
“It seems you have your own undisclosed connection to the White Lotus Sect. So let me give you a clear warning.”
“Yes…”
“Never fight against the White Lotus Sect. And if you must fight, never provoke the Water God Lineage. Their martial skills are beyond human levels.”
“……”
A chill ran down my spine.
Even the Sword Demon, who could freely use the Invincible Sword and was comparable to Lee Kwang, was a true peak master dominating the martial arts world. The fact that he warned against confronting the Water God Lineage felt insupportable.
What kind of martial ability does the Water God Lineage possess?
As I contemplated inwardly, the Sword Demon instructed.
“Now, let’s get moving. A month isn’t much time, so let’s begin practicing as soon as we wake up from now on.”
“Understood.”
I gritted my teeth. No matter how resolved I was, pushing my limits to the extreme and rolling about until fainting was nothing short of a significant challenge. The upcoming hell was going to be a headache, but I trudged on toward the training ground, enduring it.
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