845——————==

True Martial Home

I answered Yeodong-bin’s words.

“Why is that?”

[The way he handles martial arts seems related to the path I must take. So I want to gauge the flow by sparring with him directly.]

I sighed internally at that moment.

‘Personal reasons, huh…’

Suddenly, I realized I’d never seen an immortal concentrate on personal seeking quite like Yeodong-bin. Jang Sam-bong, too, had focused on martial arts after encountering a martial god like Yeodong-bin, but he wasn’t saving his cause-and-effect like Yeodong-bin was to build strength and elevate his abilities. I can’t say I’ve seen that many immortals, but there’s no doubt that Yeodong-bin is a unique type.

I said to Yeodong-bin, “Yeodong-bin, I’ve heard that the Celestial Realm is in chaos, and the Queen Mother of the West ordered the immortals to refrain from entering. Nevertheless, is there a reason you responded to my summon so promptly?”

[I received permission.]

“…The Queen Mother allowed it?”

[Yes.]

At that moment, I realized that the Queen Mother had already started taking an interest in me. She could have prohibited Yeodong-bin’s spirit summoning, but instead, she allowed it. This indicates that she sees me as someone uniquely tied to Yeodong-bin, feeling a need to watch over me. That interest was likely related to the recent incident involving the Moon Sovereign.

‘The scrutiny of the Celestial Realm has already begun. However, it seems that they haven’t identified me as the culprit yet.’

This was something I could have easily predicted, so I said without revealing my thoughts, “I’m sorry, but I can’t accept that.”

[Why not?]

“If I receive your assistance, defeating Musashi wouldn’t be too difficult. However, the insights I can gain from receiving spirit summoning are limited. I need to take down Musashi and ascend to a higher realm.”

Yeodong-bin’s eyes brightened upon hearing my words.

[Are you saying you’re willing to face death to pursue enlightenment?]

“As a martial artist, that’s only natural. My resolution has only come late.”

As I replied calmly, Yeodong-bin spoke.

[A good attitude. Well then, I’ll be taking my leave…]

“Yeodong-bin, please wait a moment.”

It felt too regrettable to send him back just like that. Could there be more I could gain through Yeodong-bin? Having summoned him, I desperately racked my brain to think of ways to squeeze more out of him.

I decided to review the martial arts I had learned one by one. In that process, I discovered a martial art I had never once mastered.

‘The Divine Thief’s secret manual obtained from Longmen Grottoes!’

I quickly pulled out the secret manual of the Divine Thief. The title read “Hundred Transformations of the Divine Thief,” and just like I had seen before, it was filled with shabby thief techniques. Techniques like wall crawling or pickpocketing, stealth techniques, etc.—none of them were particularly useful for direct combat.

Yet, for some reason, I felt that I had to learn Hundred Transformations. Because I felt an overwhelming sense of discomfort.

‘The Divine Thief was an expert so strong that even Yeodong-bin had to be cautious! He must have reached the Absolute Realm in his lifetime… The fact that such a high-level expert’s secret manual contains these lowly techniques feels off!’

Thanks to the Peerless Technique, my proficiency in the Seven Great Techniques had reached a substantial level. Now that I could finally shift my gaze from the learning link, I turned my eyes to the discomfort emanating from another martial art. I called Yeodong-bin again and showed him the Hundred Transformations secret manual.

“Yeodong-bin! This is the secret manual of the Divine Thief, Hundred Transformations. Please take a look at it.”

[……!!]

Yeodong-bin’s eyes widened in surprise. He took the manual from me and read it intently for about half a moment. After a while, he spoke.

[No. This is not the Divine Thief’s martial art.]

“How can you be so certain?”

[I have once measured the Divine Thief’s martial arts when he was alive. The techniques he used, especially the flying knife technique and the divine technique, were nothing like what is written here. I don’t even think this represents insane refinement at its peak.]

“I see. So, does that mean I can still learn these martial arts?”

[I consider it a sort of cipher.]

“Cipher?”

[The Divine Thief was always in pursuit of treasures until the moment of his death. If I were him, I’d entrust martial arts to a talent who could follow in his footsteps to chase treasures. It’s likely that by learning these martial arts, you could uncover that cipher.]

Got it!

‘The real martial arts of the Divine Thief manifested when one mastered this shabby third-rate martial arts, Hundred Transformations?’

I understood the meaning behind Yeodong-bin’s words.

Yeodong-bin said, [If you plan to learn this martial art, I think it’s best to give up.]

“Why is that?”

[The Divine Thief was a rare peerless master of his time, but he had a rather unpleasant personality. He likely placed hidden conditions in addition to mastering this Hundred Transformations. For an ordinary person, just discovering those hidden conditions would take their whole life.]

“Hmm…”

That was a reasonable statement. Given that I already had many martial arts under my belt, adding more to it was becoming burdensome, and deliberately learning a third-rate martial art would be a poor decision for my potential.

‘I have to learn it still.’

But I secretly resolved to learn it. After all, I was a reborn person; time was on my side. Moreover, the Divine Thief spent his life chasing after the Xuanyuan Sword, so I had to track his traces to obtain clues for the Xuanyuan Sword. Discovering the ‘hidden conditions’ might be difficult, but I felt that somehow it could work out.

Additionally, there might even be clues that could help me take down Musashi!

After sending Yeodong-bin on his way, I began practicing the martial arts within the Hundred Transformations secret manual. There were eight techniques listed in total.

Fist Technique – Dog Beating Fist

Palm Technique – Giant Palm

Flying Knife Technique – White White Knife

Transformation Skill – Utilization of Transformation

Pickpocketing – One Hand Snatches Gold

Body Technique – Mouse Escape

Wall Climbing Skill – Confucius Says

Stealth Technique – Mencius Says

“……”

Upon reading them thoroughly, I found that the names of these techniques were all slapdash and the epitome of cheapness.

‘Confucius Says and Mencius Says? Did he despise Confucianists or something…’

I muttered and began examining the essence of each martial art. I soon realized that the fighting power fundamentally derived from Dog Beating Fist and Giant Palm, while the other six were all for evasive escape or theft. Even those meant that with enough dedication, I could memorize the essence within a day.

“……”

This was solely useful for common thugs. I could see a third-rate thief easily learning this. No matter how I looked at it, these were third-rate martial arts, and I couldn’t see how they’d be beneficial. Adding them all up wouldn’t even come close to the Thunder God Fist or Thunder Cloud Palm…

I pondered whether I should learn these trash martial arts with the eye of an expert. After squeezing my eyes shut, I finally resolved to go for it.

First up was Dog Beating Fist. I went through the ten techniques of Dog Beating Fist one by one, memorizing them. I soon realized that learning this could get me killed by the Thunder God lineage’s practitioner in just one second. There were no secrets or techniques, and it was just mindless punching without a thought put into internal power execution.

I also mastered Giant Palm and White White Knife before half a moment had passed. Not that I was particularly talented, but since I had already learned superior martial arts, I could easily grasp these lower-level techniques like breathing, and it was evident they were worthless.

However, One Hand Snatches Gold seemed to require quite a bit of finesse. I realized that while I understood the essence of the technique, I’d need to undergo hands-on experience.

‘Should I resort to pickpocketing…?’

Me? Pickpocketing?

I had never done anything that pathetic even in my first life…

…

‘Damn it… is this when I start picking and choosing? Let’s do it.’

I resolved to give it a shot and entered Luoyang Castle. I picked a random person and began my pickpocketing using One Hand Snatches Gold. With an expert’s instinct, I executed the technique at an astonishing speed, and no one noticed my thievery.

Success!

I nonchalantly completed One Hand Snatches Gold and then proceeded to master the body technique, Confucius Says, and the stealth technique, Mencius Says. Confucius Says and Mencius Says were close to methods of cultivating internal power, so I picked them up immediately, and Mouse Escape turned out to be surprisingly useful. It could be regarded as being on par with the main techniques of the Nine Great Sects.

So is it true that the magician of thieves excels at body techniques?

I figured it might take a few days of diligent practice to master Mouse Escape completely. Lastly, I checked out the utilization of transformation, Utilizing Transformation, which was surprisingly tricky. This was because it was based on the technique of the Peking opera troupe rapidly altering their facial masks, requiring significant skill and training to achieve.

However, mastering Utilizing Transformation would allow me to completely transform into another person even in broad daylight, making it worth pursuing.

‘Utilizing Transformation seems valuable. I should definitely master this.’

Although such situations had been rare until now, once I mastered Utilizing Transformation, I would also expand my strategic options. I decided to focus on mastering Mouse Escape and Utilizing Transformation, resolving to look for local Peking opera troupes in Luoyang. After asking around, I soon found one nearby known as the Moon Opera Troupe.

The troupe leader was a gray-haired young man with glazed eyes. Upon seeing me, he brightened and said, “A noble has come… What brings you here?”

“I want to learn the utilization of transformation and seek the help of an expert.”

“Utilization of transformation, you say…”

“I will share the secrets of the secret manual. So please help me.”

“Alright. I will teach you.”

The young man bowed his head slowly and said, “I am Gui Ling… Please remember me, noble.”

“Gui Ling? Quite a unique name…”

Gui Ling only smiled silently. Eventually, I showed him the Hundred Transformations secret manual, and Gui Ling examined it carefully before saying, “To learn this transformation art, you’ll need a mask.”

“A mask? I see many of them hanging in the troupe, so just give me one. Money won’t be a problem.”

“No. You must specially make a mask that suits you. And a mask is infused with destiny…”

After saying that, Gui Ling glanced at me and added, “The mask that suits you does not exist in our troupe. Only you can create a mask for yourself… But I will lend you a temporary mask that can help you practice without drawing on destiny…”

Swish

I donned the mask given by Gui Ling and spent the entire day practicing Utilizing Transformation. Learning how to change masks, how to infuse my internal power into the masks to temporarily change my facial features, how to apply makeup, etc. That night, I slept in the Moon Opera Troupe’s tent and woke up the next day, practicing Utilizing Transformation and Mouse Escape once more.

A month went by like this.

‘Wow… time flies.’

I was surprised at how long it was taking me to learn the so-called third-rate martial arts of Utilizing Transformation and Mouse Escape. Moreover, regardless of my talent, I found learning it quite enjoyable and intriguing. The notion of living life as a professional thief and stealing at will seemed entertaining.

Clap!

It was when I managed to switch between about nine masks within three steps using Utilizing Transformation. Gui Ling clapped his hands and said, “Well done! Now you can practice on your own.”

“No. I want to keep practicing.”

Now is the time to train.

Zhuge Sa asked me to capture Musashi, but the situation wasn’t so urgent that I had to do it immediately. Instead, I aimed to take sufficient time to prepare, planning to focus on refining the Hundred Transformations martial arts for about a year, using it to prepare for tracking the Divine Thief’s traces later.

Just then, Gui Ling said with a grin, “I would like to do that too, but it seems this mask has exhausted its purpose…”

“What?”

“The charm has become unachievable.”

Snap!

“Huh!”

In that moment, the practice mask Gui Ling gave me shattered into sand and scattered. As I stared in shock at the remnants of the mask, Gui Ling gathered the sand with his hands and said, “I’m truly satisfied to meet a noble, drawn by great cause-and-effect. The secret manual could greatly change your destiny, so I hope you practice diligently and resolve the great misfortune blocking your path as a noble…”

“……?”

“However… what’s peculiar is this misfortune… It’s truly unique. Normally, misfortune would be dealt with merely by removing it… but it’s twisted itself into your mirror image… Your mask… perhaps it is your other essence… Even after living countless eras, this is the first fortune I’ve seen… Hehe… Even Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen was never this chaotic.”

I felt an odd sensation.

I then asked Gui Ling, “What are you?”

“I was a spirit of the ancient times and a servant of the emperor… a diviner who could not choose ascension and remained on this land.”

Gui Ling scattered the mask’s sand in the air and began walking away.

“Farewell, nameless one…”

Clap!

In that moment, I found myself transported from the Moon Opera Troupe’s tent back to the streets of Luoyang. I then asked a passerby in front of me, “Excuse me! Have you heard of the Moon Opera Troupe?”

“I haven’t.”

However, unlike before, no one recognized the Moon Opera Troupe. I had heard it was a famous troupe performing in Luoyang, but it seemed as though it had never existed. Furthermore, what stunned me even more was that not a single moment had passed since I had begun my training a month ago. The time I spent in Luoyang hadn’t changed at all; it was as if a mirage had passed through that one month.

‘Could it be that Gui Ling distorted my time and space?’

If so, then he essentially gave me a free month of training.

What kind of being is he, anyway?

I felt dazed and returned to Zhuge Sa to tell him about the bizarre occurrences I had experienced. Upon hearing my story, Zhuge Sa immediately said, “That must be the spirit of the Four Spirits, Eungui.”

“Four Spirits?”

“Did you forget? The Four Spirits: the Qilin, Phoenix, Turtle, and Dragon. They are the most revered divine beasts in history. Among them, Feng is the Phoenix, and Long is the Shenglong you know.”

“……!!”

“You’ve even reversed their names. So, you didn’t notice.”

Oh right!

Upon hearing Zhuge Sa’s words, I gasped in surprise and exclaimed, “So, Eungui… are you saying that it was the tortoise that supported the Mount Penglai during the Mythological Age?”

“Exactly. He is likely on par with Shenglong, the divine spirit that has lived as long as the Mother of Earth Deity. He manipulated the Small Cycle to grant you training time and predict your future fortunes. He is also the top diviner in the world.”

Zhuge Sa replied excitedly as if it were interesting.

“However, I had no idea that Eungui had served the emperor. Nowadays, he wanders this world, having given up on ascension in the Divine Temple.”

“……”

Hearing Zhuge Sa’s words, I felt a heavy heart as I said, “Zhuge Sa. The fact that the spirit Eungui was drawn here by the cause-and-effect means…”

“Of course, it means that the Heavenly Secret and your past life are beginning to show a strong gravitational pull. Strong cause-and-effect holds a strong attraction.”

“Hmm.”

“That’s not a good phenomenon. The collision with that ‘singularity’ will be even more intense.”

“Damn it…”

“But there are positive aspects.”

“What’s that?”

Zhuge Sa chuckled.

“The Hundred Transformations secret manual has within it the power to change your fate significantly. After all, it was certified by a being of Eungui’s caliber.”