1092——————==

Soul of the Evil God

I don’t get it. They say mastering Nirvana of the Absolute will make me the strongest, so why aren’t they teaching me? Just as I felt an urge to burst into tears again, I suddenly recalled something the old master Jang Sam-bong once said.

[If a human’s martial arts evolve to the point where a single sword can destroy the world, could we not accept that as the limit of martial arts without a hint of doubt?]

[I don’t really know, but I believe martial gods don’t just appear because one’s martial skills are high. There must be some criterion unique to their existence.]

……

Yeah, that’s right.

‘Being the strongest doesn’t mean having the best martial arts…. Jang Sam-bong enlightened me about that.’

Thinking it over, I realized that what Asura was saying was simply a continuation of the ideas shared by the old master back then.

Mastering Nirvana of the Absolute means becoming the strongest.

But once you’re the strongest, you could be stuck in the same path for millennia.

In other words – Nirvana of the Absolute can never be the ultimate martial art.

It’s a paradox that it’s the most powerful martial art, but not the best, just as I had heard about the clues from the martial gods. Understanding Asura’s words, I replied, “So you’re saying that mastering Nirvana of the Absolute pulls you further away from the peak of martial arts?”

“That’s roughly it. You’re getting it.”

“Is there a flaw in Nirvana of the Absolute itself?”

“…You really ask questions that are far too simple for something that can’t be explained in one word. It’s not that there’s a flaw, but it’s not perfect either.”

Asura scratched his head as he responded.

“I suppose I have to share at least the theory behind Nirvana of the Absolute with you, even if I won’t fully teach it. That way, you might more easily give up on it.”

“If you tell me, I’d be grateful. I’m here to learn.”

With that, Asura stood up. He lifted his sword and declared, “Nirvana of the Absolute consists of six ultimate techniques. The Moon Blade of Everlasting Supremacy was the finest swordplay passed down through the dawn goddess Ushas’ sect, while the Thousand-Hand Guanyin was the protective martial arts taught in the sect of the destructive god Shiva. The Violet Shadow Phantom Skill was the assassination technique used by the leader of the mountain hermits.”

Asura’s words flowed slowly, and his sword left an afterimage. The afterimage, lingering for a while, cast a sword shadow into the void, portraying the form of the technique.

“The Flying Heaven Essence Spirit Jewel was the unrivaled martial art of the legendary conqueror Ashoka from the ancient Maurya Empire. And the Explosive Destruction Sword is my unique martial arts technique. Lastly, the Asura’s Path of the Sky was newly created after a hundred and fifty years of training to unify those five martial arts.”

With Asura’s explanation completed, a translucent sword shadow remained in the air, representing the six martial arts that are part of Nirvana of the Absolute. Seeing the technique that Asura manifested with intent made it easy for me to understand.

“Hmmm… Four of them are the absolute martial arts of Tianzhu, and one is your original technique. The remaining one is to harmonize the five, right?”

Asura nodded.

“Thus, Nirvana of the Absolute takes the form of inner and outer wheels. The five martial arts are the outer wheel, while the Asura’s Path of the Sky is the inner wheel. It might seem like all six techniques are activated simultaneously, but first, the outer wheel’s techniques undergo changes from mutual growth, and then the Asura’s Path of the Sky releases that power externally.”

“……”

“The Asura’s Path of the Sky harmonizes five different techniques, thus lacking its own identity, which makes it formless. Because of this, the opponent has no time to decipher its nature since it appears completely colorless. Furthermore, the inner wheel contains the essence of the five wheels, unleashing overwhelming power that surpasses other absolute martial arts. That’s why Nirvana of the Absolute is strong.”

“…Impressive. How can you come up with such concepts?”

I was genuinely amazed. I had wondered how to harmonize six different absolute martial arts, and to achieve it through such a brilliant method was truly astounding. The fact that until Asura explained it, no one had ever grasped the true nature of Nirvana of the Absolute was an exceptional feat.

Asura said, “But honestly, Nirvana of the Absolute can be broken down quite easily.”

“How so?”

“The inner and outer wheels. They support each other complementarily, allowing Nirvana of the Absolute to establish itself. Therefore, if you can cause the wheels not to intersect, that’s it.”

“Ah!”

I had an ‘aha’ moment. I then proposed, “Couldn’t I use the Technique of All Things to remove one of the six wheels?”

The response came back immediately and firmly.

“A good idea, but that won’t work.”

“Why not?”

“Baek Woong. Can you steal my realm of martial arts using the Technique of All Things?”

“……”

That was a rather sudden question. I was caught off guard for a moment before responding.

“I’ve never tried, but I probably can’t.”

“Why do you think that?”

“If it were possible, the Divine Thief would have stolen Yeodong-bin’s Heavenly Escape Sword Technique.”

“Hoh.”

After organizing my thoughts, I continued.

“The Divine Thief had a talent to instantly mimic all the opponent’s martial arts, but for some reason, they could never replicate Yeodong-bin’s Heavenly Escape Sword Technique. If they couldn’t copy abilities through talent, then they should have attempted to steal Yeodong-bin’s martial realm using the Technique of All Things, but the Divine Thief didn’t. No, they probably couldn’t have.”

“……”

“I have never tested it, but I believe there must be limits to the Technique of All Things. Also, I don’t think one can ever steal an opponent’s martial arts realm. This is proven by the fact that the Divine Thief could never use Yeodong-bin’s Heavenly Escape Sword Technique.”

Asura seemed surprised.

“I suppose I owe you an apology. Everyone was calling you dense, and I thought you were just foolish, but you seem to have thought this far on your own?”

“Damn! Don’t underestimate people so carelessly. It’s just that my companions are all geniuses; I’m at least above average!”

As I screamed in indignation, Asura waved his hands dismissively.

“Alright, let’s say you’re right. The Technique of All Things probably can’t steal an opponent’s martial arts realm. But what about intent or the intent techniques?”

“Um… that’s…”

I had never attempted such a thing because I had never actively used the Technique of All Things in battle and had only confronted opponents face-to-face without trying any tricks.

“I probably can’t do it.”

Asura’s firm statement led me to question.

“Why do you think that?”

“Think about it. So far, you’ve used the Technique of All Things to steal concepts that don’t tangibly exist in reality. The [size] of the Divine Soul, the [durability] of the Eternal Wall, even stole the essence of Jin So-cheong who fused with the phoenix. The Divine Thief even mimicked the form of the divine and transformed. It seems nearly omnipotent, so why can’t you steal a martial arts realm?”

“……”

“Have you ever found it contradictory? Why can you steal some things with the Technique of All Things but not others?”

Of course, I had never thought that deeply. I simply assumed that the Technique of All Things wasn’t omnipotent. As I fell silent, Asura continued.

“I believe the Technique of All Things could originally steal everything, but someone must have imposed a [restriction] on it.”

“Restriction?”

Asura nodded.

“I think the basic concepts that form the foundation of martial arts, such as martial arts realms, intent, and intent techniques… cannot be stolen with the Technique of All Things. If you could steal those, you could no longer refer to the Technique of All Things as a form of martial arts, as it would mean you couldn’t compete in martial conflict.”

“……?!”

“I suppose talents wouldn’t typically be something you could replicate with the Technique of All Things. Seeing how the Divine Thief functioned as a [mask] in the special situation likely allowed that momentary success.”

What on earth is he talking about?

I was struggling to grasp the flow of the conversation when Asura said, “It’s just a hypothesis, but I believe the Technique of All Things was never meant to be martial arts, and various restrictions were placed on it to make it so. I think the nature of martial conflict itself sets the limits of the Technique of All Things.”

I was flabbergasted as I replied, “What’s your basis? Who put such restrictions on it?”

“Well… I don’t know either.”

Asura seemed to want to brush it off. While I tilted my head in confusion, Asura continued.

“Anyway, without needing to test it, you can’t steal the very essence of Intent Heavenly Pillar with your Technique of All Things. There’s no way you could omit just one of the six techniques of Nirvana of the Absolute.”

“Hmmm….”

“The true weakness of Nirvana of the Absolute lies within the junction of the wheels.”

“The junction?”

“There’s a moment, albeit brief, just before Nirvana of the Absolute is manifested when the five outer techniques and the intent of the inner Asura’s Path of the Sky interlock. At that time, the fragile junction becomes exposed.”

As I listened, I felt a bit off and said, “Wait a minute. Saying ‘junction’ makes it sound like a real wheel… Is that just a metaphor, or are you saying it’s six different martial arts materializing into Nirvana of the Absolute? The junction isn’t visible to the naked eye, right?”

In reality, if you saw Nirvana of the Absolute up close, it would just seem like Asura swinging his sword and a blinding light erupting. The five techniques form the wheel, and any changes from the Asura’s Path of the Sky occur so rapidly that human senses wouldn’t even pick up on it.

Even at that primal level of absolute martial arts, only those with sufficient prowess could detect the initiation of Nirvana of the Absolute; those with lower levels wouldn’t know what hit them before being struck down.

Furthermore, how on earth could anyone notice such a subtle junction!

“That’s sharp. You have a point. The weakness of the junction indeed cannot be seen with the naked eye.”

Asura chuckled slyly.

“Listen closely. It’s all about the [flow]. With five different intents joining together to form a single flow creates a necessary artificial rhythm. If the opponent can grasp that singular flow and cut at the junction…”

First Strike

Dark Night Slash

In that instant, Asura smoothly swung his sword. It was merely a light first strike, yet the flow of that single strike instantly sliced through the myriad sword shadows that filled the air. It wasn’t packed with tremendous force, yet it perfectly divided the very essence of the intent like it was pulling the world apart.

“……!!”

“Then Nirvana of the Absolute becomes completely powerless.”

I couldn’t help but acknowledge this.

Asura had just proven he could break down Nirvana of the Absolute with a single sword!

While it was merely dispersing sword shadows and cutting through them, I instinctively sensed that Asura indeed had the capability to do so as an absolute martial artist. But the actual issue lay not with the junction of Nirvana of the Absolute itself but with Asura’s extraordinary swordsmanship that tore it apart.

“Oh.”

As I continued to replay the flow of the sword in my mind, I suddenly realized something and addressed Asura.

“Hey! That’s not a weakness of Nirvana of the Absolute. If you have the skill to read that flow and cut through it, then you could slice through other ultimate techniques as well, not just Nirvana of the Absolute!”

“Well, that’s true,” Asura replied, sheathing his sword.

“I can teach you how to discern that flow specifically. It’s just for Nirvana of the Absolute though. That would then qualify as a breakdown method.”

“Hmmm.”

“Also, while imparting the breakdown method, I genuinely want to emphasize….”

Asura turned his head and added, “Absolutely do not try to learn Nirvana of the Absolute in your next life. If a character like you learns it, you might become the strongest, but you should never reach such a state of strength.”

I chuckled at Asura’s remarks.

“Not the strongest anyway. I could just use Dark Night Slash to hack it apart.”

“No, if you combine the Nine Chambers of Thunder Technique with Nirvana of the Absolute, you’d be finished. Even your method of slicing the junction wouldn’t work if the Nine Chambers of Thunder backs it up. The only reason I’m sharing the breakdown method of Nirvana of the Absolute with you is so you can make it easier for me to overpower you in your early next life.”

“…What the heck!! Your words don’t even make sense!”

I was flabbergasted, and Asura spoke gloomily.

“Just roll with it. Honestly, I feel like Nirvana of the Absolute is the biggest mistake of my life and just want to forget it.”

“That seems a bit extreme.”

“……”

Asura didn’t say anything further. After a long pause, he finally spoke.

“Alright, let’s get started.”

Following Asura’s directives, I began learning how to read the flow against Nirvana of the Absolute. Asura demonstrated it slowly enough to be visible and made sure I was becoming accustomed to Nirvana of the Absolute gradually. He taught me how to sense the moments when each of the six techniques intertwined.

After about six moments of focus nonstop learning the breakdown method, I took a break. I turned to the resting Asura and asked, “Asura, by the way, how did you end up under Chi You?”

“Are you asking about my past?”

Asura, sitting cross-legged in meditation, replied with his eyes closed.

“I was born around three thousand-some years ago. It was during the transitional period from the Shang dynasty towards the Zhou in Central Plains’ history.”

“What? Yusevik is your hometown?”

“My clan belonged to the Kalpa civilization. Back in ancient times, we followed the ancient god Vishnu; after his defeat, we wandered the entire continent for thousands of years. Then I trained alone with the ancient martial arts secret manual left in Yusevik, became an expert, and upon gaining sufficient strength, met Lord Chi You. I recognized him as my king and became his subject.”

“I don’t quite get it.”

“What don’t you understand?”

“You’ve never cared about anything other than martial arts, so why did you pledge your loyalty to Chi You just because he talks about saving the world? I don’t get why he’d even want to become one of the Eight Parts of the Divine.”

To my words, Asura leaned back against a pillar and replied.

“You’re right. I never cared about saving the world. But Lord Chi You said you’d lack the time to achieve the strongest martial arts as a mere human. He suggested living longer to train as much martial art as you desire.”

“What?”

“I’ve lived my life doing what I want since ages ago. And that’s thanks to Lord Chi You granting me the divine body, allowing me to enjoy immortality. I merely pledged my loyalty in gratitude for the blessing I received.”

“……..”

“Doing as much as you’ve received is what loyalty is all about.”

I stared at Asura incredulously. In a sense, he might be the coldest toward Chi You among the Eight Parts of the Divine? Saying it’s a favor when it’s actually an emotional debt to Chi You doesn’t quite count as loyalty.

‘So that’s why the other Eight Parts of the Divine kept their distance even while trying to revive Chi You…’

I shot Asura a guarded look.

“Hey… You do realize that Chi You now…”

Asura replied indifferently, “I know. He got consumed by the Heavenly Secret you possess and was obliterated. Now you cease to exist as soon as you reincarnate.”

“……”

“It’s strange; even after witnessing that memory through Cheon Woo-jin, I didn’t feel any anger at all. All I thought was that it made sense. Because I always believed Lord Chi You would either ascend or perish due to his overwhelming ambition.”

Asura, having said that, glanced at me and added, “That’s ancient history. I don’t want to talk about him anymore. Let’s just focus on training.”

I continued to learn the breakdown of Nirvana of the Absolute under Asura’s guidance. After about four days, having learned to sense the flow of the junction to a satisfactory degree, Asura said, “Next, we’ll tackle the improved Eight Immortals Divine Art.”

It seemed Asura had significantly transformed the Eight Immortals Divine Art, as the overall techniques had changed quite a bit. He even added several interpretations to a single basic technique, creating new operational methods comprising multiple forms. I knew I had to learn at least a hundred variations, which made me feel a bit overwhelmed, causing Asura to say, “Well, since you lack talent, you probably won’t excel even if you train hard for a decade. So don’t push yourself too much. There’s no need to focus solely on this when you’ll truly learn other things.”

“…Isn’t that a bit too laid back?”

“Laid back? No way. I’ve seen your memories, and I know pushing you to strive harder will only be meaningless without talent. Many have suffered frustration without ever improving.”

“……”

“Even if I pushed you by bashing your talents, nothing would really change. It’s better to shift your mindset from the get-go.”

Asura’s response was more about accepting reality, almost as if resigned rather than dismissive, leaving me with complicated feelings.

“Once you can use the breakdown method and Eight Immortals Divine Art adequately, we’ll proceed to the next step.”

“And what’s the next step?”

“Endless Sparring.”

Asura leaned against the wall, holding a book he must have bought somewhere.

“Your level is already quite high, so I can’t just keep teaching you. Also, my understanding isn’t something I can convey through words or theories. So later on, aside from eating and sleeping, we’ll be constantly sparring. Through those battles, you will process what you possess to the fullest.”

“Hmmm.”

I easily understood this kind of training since I had received a lot of it in Thunder God Lineage.

“So, will my skills increase?”

“To some extent.”

Asura glanced at me and continued, “I should say you’ll have to think for yourself about what you’ve learned up until now while revisiting what you had before.”

“Got it.”

“And after training, refine your techniques.”

“Eh?”

Refine my techniques?

I widened my eyes in surprise while Asura closed the book titled [Raid Manual: 100 Things a Tank Should Do in a Dungeon].

“Well, you’ve got to resurrect Heuk Woong, right? Only then can you properly utilize Spirit Power.”

“Ah…!!”

“It’ll just be a simple practice of memorizing spells and repeating training, but there’s no helping it. Even if you can’t revive him, do what you can. This place is great for repeated training, so quietly practice your incantations and drills.”

“Understood.”

I nodded, but then I sensed something off about it and asked, “Um, it’s true that I should do this, but… why are you recommending I train in spells along with martial arts? People say there’s barely enough time to get proficient in martial arts already…”

Asura added, “Didn’t you say you’d join the Celestial Exploration Team after this training? And to join that team, you’ll need to have your skills verified by Heavenly Demon Sagong Lin.”

“It’s true.”

“I see you still don’t quite grasp what kind of presence Sagong Lin is… Without Heuk Woong, you won’t last ten seconds against her. If she blocks your way, absolute martial arts alone will be meaningless. You need to muster as much strength as you can…”