1085——————==

Soul of the Evil God

At my words, Zhu Xian tilted his head.

“Are you talking about a sword that can’t kill anything?”

“Yeah.”

“Why would you think that… Oh.”

It seemed Zhu Xian caught on to my intention right away.

“If you see ‘saving lives’ and ‘not killing’ as synonyms, I guess that’s possible.”

I nodded at that.

“If it’s a sword that doesn’t kill even when stabbed, it’s the same as saving a person!”

“……”

Zhu Xian made an expression like he was thinking deeply, then said,

“Honestly, I’m not sure if such a simple logic will work in the context of the Sword Saint’s ultimate techniques… But if you can forge that thought into a belief of your own, maybe it could be accepted?”

“Awesome! So you got it.”

“Then, if it’s a sword that can’t kill anything, it should mean it can’t cut or stab at all. Can you manifest that intent?”

As Zhu Xian looked at me with concern, I lifted a training sword and started to infuse it with my energy. After finishing the stage of gathering my sword qi, a faint thunder-like energy began to gather on the blade. Moments later, the energy completely merged into the sword form, achieving the state of Unity of Body and Sword, and I took the basic stance while choosing my breath.

“This is the preparatory move for me to unleash my ultimate attack power.”

“Very impressive. It’s smooth and fast, showing your mastery of the sword qi. Plus, you’re deliberately moving slowly to demonstrate to me, aren’t you?”

“Now, if I can revert my intent to nothingness—”

Swish!

Suddenly, not only the thunder energy but all the protective energy surrounding my body vanished. In an instant, I returned to a weak state equivalent to a third-rate martial artist, yet I didn’t feel any backlash of energy. That’s because I had complete control over the energy through intent.

“My attack power has turned to nothingness.”

“Hmm…. That’s remarkable. To have such complete control over your energy. You could completely hide your martial arts from a master.”

As Zhu Xian continued to marvel, I felt excited and continued.

“If I completely eliminate the will to kill from here, could that be the development of the mind of ‘not killing’? If I refine this helplessness through intent, it could work.”

“……”

Upon hearing what I was thinking, Zhu Xian seemed to sigh deeply for a moment. Then he said,

“There’s nothing better than the Peerless Technique in comparison. The development and subjectivity of the mind you’ve mentioned seems to have already been covered in Peerless.”

“Hah!”

“The Peerless Technique, which Jang Sam-bong called [the weakest martial arts], already realized the ultimate technique to nullify all hostile powers with Tai Chi, thus practicing not killing. Compared to that magnificent transformation, your powerlessly intended not-killing concept seems meaningless…”

Wait, what?!

I was jolted into realization as Zhu Xian said,

“Maybe you should refine your thoughts a bit more… At this rate, it might be hard to discuss it even with Cho Mu-rin or Lee Seol-pyo.”

“Y-Yeah, that makes sense. Thanks.”

I felt glad that I had consulted Zhu Xian first. This was a thought that had just popped into my head, and if I had mentioned it to Cho Mu-rin or Lee Seol-pyo, it would have just gotten me laughter or suspicion. If Zhu Xian could come up with such a flaw so quickly, it was bound to be obvious to experts like them as well. At the very least, I needed to develop this idea to the point where I could express it with confidence.

Buzz, buzz

I continued circling and practicing the Immortal Sword Technique, and after swinging a thousand times, I sat on a rock and meditated. I thought about improving the flaw Zhu Xian mentioned to materialize the “sword that kills nothing.”

“Hmmm…”

First, I hadn’t considered how to fight while completely reducing energy and intent to nothingness. For someone like me, possessing incredible internal power can create a state of nothingness, which is great, but it’s only a technical achievement; in actual combat, it’s utterly meaningless. It’s akin to having all my fangs and claws pulled out.

Furthermore, the best way to put oneself in a state of nothingness had already been provided as an answer through Peerless. It was to nullify even the opponent’s strength with that perfect transformation! Compared to that conclusion, attempting to express a mere sword that doesn’t kill is just a crude argument.

So, does that mean my thinking was pointless from the start?

But I refused to think that far. No matter how awkward or childish it might be, my own thoughts and feelings were incredibly important. Although I had relied on others for guidance due to a lack of talent up until now, my own reflection and sensitivity had played the most crucial role as I advanced to vital realms. Just because I lack talent doesn’t mean I should devalue my thoughts.

‘Let’s find the improvement points first. It’s premature to give up just because it doesn’t measure up to the Peerless.’

If I could have been satisfied with Peerless, I wouldn’t need to pursue this tedious training. However, given the absolute gods might have clear limitations when fighting, I had to willingly accept this desperate training to surpass those boundaries.

As I was deep in thought, I suddenly realized and murmured,

“Right. Even if I eliminate energy, the sword remains… It’s the problem that stabbing with a bare sword would still kill a person.”

All the opponents I’d faced so far had been such formidable foes that even dealing with their sword qi or strength was tough I hadn’t realized it! People can die simply by being stabbed with a sword without any energy! Even upper monsters sometimes find it hard to deal with sword strength on their skin, so it had completely slipped my mind.

If I intend to not kill, should the sword not exist?

Whoosh

I executed the Sword Flying Technique. Since I had been diligently training the Sword Flying Technique from a long time ago, my level had already surpassed the Hands Control Sword Technique and reached the Eyes Control Sword Technique, allowing my sword to reach the exact place I looked at immediately.

“…A Sword Flying Technique without a sword. Is that even possible?”

I pondered because it seemed a bit ridiculous even as I muttered it.

The intangible sword created by discarding the very concept of intent!

By doing this, it might be possible to perform it like the Sword Flying Technique, even without a physical sword. However, intent itself requires a medium or weapon to keep the consumption low, as purely creating it from nothingness entails a huge consumption. Normally, I’d be thinking about minimizing waste even under pressure; there’s no need to consider such waste now.

‘Darn it. Let’s just give it a shot.’

I concentrated deeply and began to shape a sword in the empty air.

Whooooosh

Whoooosh

After a moment, a translucent sword of intent formed in the empty air. However, when I tried to move this sword using the Sword Flying Technique, I realized that the intent was burning away at an alarming rate.

Thud

The sword of intent hit a nearby tree once and then disappeared. From that, I realized another fact.

“One way or another, the moment I formed the sword of intent, the intent of malice and will to kill was reflected in it. Once that purpose is created, it’s impossible to make it harmless…”

Moreover, it seems that just creating an impractical sword of intangible intent and moving it once drained nearly 30% of my mental strength. Normally, minimizing consumption is achieved through a long-practiced basic technique with weapons, but in this case, creating something from nothing led to a monstrous consumption.

‘What if I try changing the form? Rather than a sword, a spear or bow… No… that’s meaningless…’

Regardless, once I associate it with a weapon, the intent gets included. Intent is an expression of the purest and strongest will, with no pretense. However, would attempting to manifest intangible intent without weapons make it usable in battle?

I groaned for a long time before suddenly thinking of the Heart Control Sword.

‘Yes! The Sword Demon told me I could develop through the Hands Control Sword, Eyes Control Sword, and Heart Control Sword stages. Most martial artists stand still at the Hands Control Sword level, and reaching the Eyes Control Sword level is quite rare… And the Heart Control Sword is a legendary mastery that even the Sword Demon regarded only as a dream. So…’

I realized one fact.

Among all the martial artists on earth, only Yeodong-bin has reached the Heart Control Sword!

In the history of martial arts, Yeodong-bin was the only one to achieve the Heart Control Sword!

“……!!”

I felt a sudden rush of understanding.

‘Maybe, to grasp the meaning of the Spirit Sword’s saving will, I need to first obtain the Heart Control Sword!’

The process and result could be reversed, but it’s worth a shot. The Sword Flying Technique was something entirely different from the sword qi I had achieved, and up until now, I had only regarded it as an auxiliary tool for combat, but it made me think that advancing in the Sword Flying Technique might bring me closer to Yeodong-bin’s mastery.

So, what exactly is this final state of the Sword Flying Technique?

The Hands Control Sword stage allows one to control the sword with one’s hands.

The Eyes Control Sword stage allows one to control the sword with one’s sight.

Therefore, the Heart Control Sword stage must be about controlling the sword with one’s heart.

“Hmm… I don’t quite grasp the meaning of the Heart Control Sword.”

I had reached the Eyes Control Sword stage long ago. As the level of my intent grew, so did my methods using the Sword Flying Technique, allowing me to control the sword with just my gaze. However, it had been so convenient to control the sword with my eyes that I couldn’t see why controlling it with my heart was better than the Eyes Control Sword.

‘Is it a matter of range?’

I knew that once my line of sight was breached, the Eyes Control Sword would quickly lose its power. However, when in battle, one should naturally be able to keep the opponent within sight, so I never thought of that flaw. If I was at a distance where the Eyes Control Sword would not apply, it instinctively made sense to bridge the distance rather than think about increasing its range.

If that were true, reaching the Heart Control Sword would mean even if one used the Sword Flying Technique from several leagues away, it wouldn’t lose its original strength. It would be an utterly fantastical stage, but if that were possible, the sword would feel as though it was alive and moving!

I expanded my thoughts to that point but got stuck in contemplation, feeling stagnant for three days, lost in fantasies. And finally, after ten days had passed, unable to hold on any longer, I headed to find Cho Mu-rin.

Thud

Cho Mu-rin was nearby at a lake, fishing for carps. With the caught fish laid out, Cho Mu-rin glanced over at me, gripping the fishing rod.

“Do you have something to say?”

“Is it permitted for a divine being like you to casually kill fish like that?”

Cho Mu-rin replied curtly.

“Whether it’s a person or a carp, it’s just a life. As a divine being, I have the authority to kill earthly beings at will, so what’s the problem?”

“……”

That sounds like a figure of speech, but it’s not like they got permission to fish…

Looking at me with incredulity, Cho Mu-rin continued, seemingly feeling guilty.

“But it’s way healthier than chopping off hundreds of people’s heads.”

“Coming from someone who’s actually beheaded thousands of martial artists, that feels odd.”

“What? If you dislike me fishing for carps so much, come at me! This time, I’ll take you down as the Eight Desolate Heavenly Demon.”

“Nah, that’s fine. Enjoy your carp fishing. I came with other business.”

“What business?”

After all, chatting with Cho Mu-rin wouldn’t help with my current situation. I waved my hand, addressing my purpose.

“Cho Mu-rin. Is there anyone among the divine beings who has reached the level of the Heart Control Sword aside from Yeodong-bin?”

“Oh? The Heart Control Sword… You’re bringing an interesting topic.”

Rarely did Cho Mu-rin show an expression of interest. Setting his fishing rod aside, he turned to me.

“As far as I know, no. To begin with, those stronger than Yeodong-bin among the divine beings were powers from the Mythological Age and didn’t have to practice human martial arts separately. And those like me, who became divine beings from the martial world, haven’t attained the Heart Control Sword.”

“That makes sense.”

“Why are you asking about the Heart Control Sword?”

“I’m wondering if the Spirit Sword’s saving will might reside in the Heart Control Sword.”

“……? Tell me the detailed progress.”

I shared with Cho Mu-rin the thought process that led me to focus on the Heart Control Sword. As he listened, Cho Mu-rin let out a chuckle.

“If you’re attempting to reach the Spirit Sword’s saving will in the way you are, it’ll be impossible unless you practice all martial arts for thousands of years. It’s not a flawed theory, but how many times are you going to take a detour?”

“……”

“You’re learning the Nine Chambers of Thunder Technique, then the Immortal Sword Technique, and now the Heart Control Sword… To master all three, even a millennia wouldn’t be enough.”

“I know I’m going around in circles. But it doesn’t feel like it’s something that can be given through shortcuts, so I figure patching up my deficiencies and doing my best would be the faster route.”

“That’s a sound thought, but the issue is the lack of talent. Hehehe… Even the greatest genius might reject such tedious training.”

As Cho Mu-rin chuckled softly, he continued,

“First of all, it’s definitely worth paying attention to the Heart Control Sword as you mentioned. Because Yeodong-bin’s Sword Flying Technique is also a culmination of the Heart Control Sword, markedly different from others’ Sword Flying Techniques.”

“Huh…? What do you mean by different?”

“Great Immortal from the Celestial Realm and other strong beings sometimes use the Sword Flying Technique, but it’s merely one method of making the sword float. However, Yeodong-bin’s Sword Flying Technique moves solely with intent alone. That’s proof that he has fully achieved the Heart Control Sword.”

Cho Mu-rin continued,

“When Yeodong-bin performs his Sword Flying Technique, he can fly for thousands of leagues at a time. Can you do that?”

“……”

“You can’t, right? You might imitate and use intent to lift the sword and get on it to move, but it’s unlikely you can fly for thousands of leagues. That’s because you haven’t reached the level of the Heart Control Sword, so while you’re merely imitating the Sword Flying Technique, you can’t fully cast it.”

“Hmm. I can’t believe that…”

I was inwardly shocked. So Yeodong-bin’s Sword Flying Technique is proof of reaching the Heart Control Sword level!

Until now, I had thought that not only Yeodong-bin but also Fire Dragon Incarnate and Cheon Gong-pyo were using the Sword Flying Technique, believing it had its own methods. But finding out that what they performed was merely a similar form and entirely different had just dawned on me. Even when Yeodong-bin force-summoned upon my body, I had no feeling about that at all.

Cho Mu-rin glared at me and after a brief hesitation, he said,

“If you keep wandering in your martial arts training, Lord Hyunheogung might scold me, so I’ll drop a hint. It’s related to the Four Great Spirit Deities, so you deserve that much.”

“A hint?”

“Yeah. It’s a hint that only I know since I’ve fought against Yeodong-bin for a long time.”

“…Please tell me!”

“Hehe.”

Cho Mu-rin grinned and spoke something unexpected.

“Yeodong-bin’s sword possesses a separate will and spirit. Even in a state where Yeodong-bin’s intent is fully depleted, the sword moves on its own. Therein lies the secret of the Heart Control Sword.”

“……?!”

I shouted in disbelief.

“That can’t be! How can that happen? How can the sword move without the wielder’s intent…?”

“It’s true. Didn’t I mention that I fought against Yeodong-bin three consecutive days and nights in the Celestial Realm?”

Cho Mu-rin folded his arms and added,

“In those times, when clashing against Yeodong-bin head-on, I was mostly in the lead, pushing him back many times. He would deflect my strong attacks with his subtle techniques like the Heavenly Escape Sword Technique, but in pure clash power, I was superior, so I often pushed him to a crisis. During that pressure, he almost dropped his sword.”

Cho Mu-rin took a complex expression, recalling the moment.

“Even though Yeodong-bin’s energy was depleted, his sword was still charged with spirit and counter-attacked me. No matter how I looked at it, the level of intent it could wield seemed impossible for him to use. The reason I lost lies in that point too.”

“Hmm… Was Yeodong-bin’s sword a treasure-level divine sword?”

I quickly pulled out the Divine Sword to show them.

“Even the Seven Luminaries can fight on their own with their will.”

“Not at all. The sword Yeodong-bin used was indeed a divine sword of the Celestial Realm but one lying around in the Celestial Armory. Even more so, it wasn’t a divine sword like the Fire Dragon Sword. My Thunder Sword is much stronger.”

“……”

“I’ve given you your hint. The rest is up to you.”

“Thank you.”

Ignoring my words, Cho Mu-rin resumed his effort to fish for carp. It seemed like he was killing time on purpose when he clearly could use intent techniques to catch all the fish in the pond at once.

‘The fact that his sword can move on its own…’

Yeodong-bin’s sword can fight by itself.

Yeodong-bin’s Sword Flying Technique is a Heart Control Sword that can fly thousands of leagues at once.

It felt like this fact held some significant secret. I contemplated the matter as I returned to the training area and continued practicing the Immortal Sword Technique and the Nine Chambers of Thunder Technique.

Yet again, feeling stymied, I released a Lion’s Roar.

“Ah!! I don’t get it!!!”

What’s so hard about this!

I pondered so much that my head felt like it was going to explode. Eventually, feeling so stifled, I pulled out the Water Spirit and called to him.

“Xuyou!! Come out!”

Whoosh

The spirit of Xuyou appeared in response to my call, tilting its head.

[What’s going on, Baek Woong.]

“I think I need to try it directly. So, let’s do the Sword Flying Technique together!!”

[……]

Xuyou’s spirit looked extremely uncomfortable.

“Let’s fly thousands of leagues once!”

[…I’ve been watching and hearing all the worries you’ve been going through lately… But isn’t this a completely different matter? Of course, I’m a spirit of the Seven Luminaries, so even if your intent is depleted, I could fight for you, but that has nothing to do with the level of the Heart Control Sword.]

“But still, let’s give it a try!! I can’t just keep wasting time like this.”

[Alright….]

Whoosh

I mounted Xuyou and executed the Sword Flying Technique. Although it was called the Sword Flying Technique, I simply lifted Xuyou with the Eyes Control Sword and flew on top of it. Continuing to infuse my intent into Xuyou, I flew through the sky, easily covering about ten leagues.

Whoooosh

After flying nearly thirty leagues, I suddenly felt my mental strength draining to the point my head felt empty.

“Huff…. Ugh….”

What’s going on?! Why is this so difficult?!

I thought flying about twenty leagues while continuing to use my intent with the Eyes Control Sword would be a breeze, but why is it so hard?! As I began to waver from exhaustion, Xuyou beneath me said,

[Baek Woong. Are you reaching your limits now?]

“Yeah…. It feels like I could use internal power instead of intent.”

[Then that would make the current experiment meaningless. I’ll use my strength to fly the rest of the distance.]

“Got it.”

Whoosh

[Hmm. It’s my limit now!]

With Xuyou’s energy, we managed to fly about ten more leagues before we had no choice but to land on the ground. As I lay on the ground panting, the spirit of Xuyou revealed itself and said,

[Squeezing all my powers, I can only reach a limit of fifty leagues. Even if you change your internal power to intent, you won’t reach past a hundred leagues. Has this confirmed your experiment?]

“Huff, puff….”

[To be honest, there was no need to do something so foolish to test it, though….]

“But… there is something I gained.”

[What’s that?]

I wiped the sweat from my forehead, stood up, and smiled broadly.

“If I could use the Heart Control Sword, I’d be over twice as strong! That’s what I wanted to confirm.”

[……!! I see. I understand now. No matter how much you pour into the Sword Flying Technique, there will be such a difference in efficiency that you can’t overcome it. Therefore, if you attain the Heart Control Sword, you’ll become immeasurably stronger.]

“……”

I gazed blankly at Xuyou.

[What’s wrong?]

“I don’t know, it’s just that you understood me too easily. You’re pretty smart.”

[Thanks for the compliment.]

That’s right.

If I could wield the Heart Control Sword, I had a hunch it would result in an immense improvement in efficiency!

Feeling like I had stumbled upon an unexpected breakthrough as I collided with various thoughts, I realized I was filled with overwhelming excitement. I still didn’t have a clue about the Spirit Sword’s saving will, but merely finding my way forward through this level of verification felt like success.

And I went straight to Yeodong-bin.

Whoosh

Yeodong-bin was watching the sunrise on Mount Ye when he turned to glance at me.

“What brings you here?”

“Yeodong-bin! I think the Heart Control Sword might be a clue to the Spirit Sword’s saving will.”

“……”

“I came to verify how the Eyes Control Sword and Heart Control Sword differ and whether it’s right to use the Sword Flying Technique with the Heart Control Sword!”

“……”

Yeodong-bin stared at me silently for some time with an emotionless gaze.

Then he spoke.

“You certainly are taking a long, complicated road…. How is it that from practicing the Immortal Sword Technique, you give me a conclusion like that?”

“……”

“But perhaps that effort may lead you one step closer to becoming a Martial God.”

I was flustered.

“Huh?! Did I miss the mark again?”

Hearing Cho Mu-rin’s mocking was one thing, but being told such by Yeodong-bin felt different, leaving me a little unsettled.

“No. While it’s not a straight line, this could still be a path. I have no right to state whether that path isn’t valid for you.”

As Yeodong-bin replied, suddenly he threw his sword over the cliff.

Whooooosh –

After discarding his weapon, Yeodong-bin said,

“A hundred hearsay is not as good as one sight. I shall face you with the Heart Control Sword you desire. Come at me with all your strength.”