전생검신 88권 20화

There are two ways to break through the ‘wall’ that’s blocking me.

First, I could find another principle of the Three Talents and layer them onto the ones I’ve gathered so far. That way, I’d have three principles, and theoretically, that could strengthen the balance of the Three Talents.

“But I can’t think of any principles for the Three Talents right now…”

I pondered for a moment before considering the second solution.

“The second is… cancellation. By using the principles of the Three Talents to eliminate the overly concentrated power, I could move on to the next step.”

I felt it when I just reached the cycle. I was trying to control and uplift the power as much as possible with the principles of the Three Talents, but if I could reverse those principles ( 易 ) used for control and apply them to cancellation, then it would be possible to massively reduce the power that had built up until that point.

With that, the burden of moving on to the next step would greatly lessen since my power would significantly decrease. I had a feeling I could get through to the ‘sixth’ rotation somehow.

But this was a highly daunting task. I somewhat understood how to apply the Three Talents in reverse, but a mistake could lead to unforeseen side effects. More importantly, if I used an axis that had been used for control for this purpose, then my control over it would be greatly diminished afterward.

“Hmm… I feel like I just don’t have a clear answer right now.”

I sat there pondering. As I did so, I noticed Lee Kwang approaching swiftly with his Light Body Technique, making a whooshing sound.

“You’re surprisingly still alive. Have you made any progress?”

I glanced at Lee Kwang and smiled back.

“I have.”

“……”

“Quite a significant achievement.”

“Really?”

Lee Kwang frowned at my confident words. As I confirmed that he didn’t seem particularly pleased with my success, I felt a smirk creeping up inside me. However, I tried to keep my tone calm and asked him.

“Care for a lesson?”

Lee Kwang frowned even more and replied.

“…It looks like you’ve pulled the ‘basics’ together, but that means you owe me a favor, don’t you?”

Now he didn’t want to teach me the Heavenly Flower anymore and wanted me to go over the Nirvana of the Absolute and Dark Night Slash instead.

Of course, that was absolutely absurd, so I cheekily retorted.

“Don’t be presumptuous. You’ve merely grasped the sensation; whether you can achieve the ‘attributes’ you mentioned is something that still needs to be tested.”

“I see. Once you’ve got the basics down, it’s only fair that you pass on the martial arts to me, so don’t go saying something different later.”

“Keheh.”

Realizing that Lee Kwang was getting all riled up, I chuckled internally.

‘He must know how formidable the Nirvana of the Absolute and Dark Night Slash are. He’s probably losing his mind wanting to learn.’

But I had no reason to just hand anything over to him, so I planned to teach him only after I had sufficiently acquired the attributes of the Soul of the Evil God.

Whoosh!

I turned the cycle of the Soul of the Evil God again, but this time instead of raising power, it was a small rotation. Earlier, I pulled up all my strength; now I was barely raising about a tenth! With the smaller rotation, the load was lighter, and I was able to progress without any significant pain this time.

Tzzzzzzz…!!

“Wow.”

I watched as my qi slowly moved, and at the same time, a little orb floated above my palm, leading me to exclaim in awe.

‘I can definitely understand what Lee Kwang was talking about now.’

Instead of spinning my qi wildly, controlling it with a constant speed made the attributes drip out slowly, much like squeezing juice from a fruit. If I rotated too quickly, I would jump to the next stage before this phenomenon could happen, making it only fuel for the next rotation, so I needed to take my time with it.

‘But I need to keep the speed constant… I think I understand why.’

Tzzzzzzz

I realized this in the third rotation of the Soul of the Evil God. If the speed wasn’t uniform, then the qi wouldn’t be evenly extracted, leading to inconsistency in the strength. During this attempt, I accidentally failed to adjust the speed, yielding a smaller orb compared to the initial size I’d achieved.

‘Right now, it might not matter, but if the size of the orb isn’t consistent, the attributes won’t balance each other out. Then I wouldn’t be able to use advanced applications like Heavenly Flower.’

Attributes need to counter and balance each other effectively.

The stronger the martial arts, like the Soul of the Evil God, the more pronounced the demand for balance will be.

Wooosh.

I stopped the Soul of the Evil God, realizing that with my current skill level, I had hit a wall. I’d definitely need to practice extensively to stabilize the constant motion and obtain the attributes.

I turned to Lee Kwang, who had been watching.

“Lee Kwang. The technique called Heavenly Flower requires all these attributes to be combined evenly and balanced, right?”

“You’ve figured it out. That’s exactly it.”

Lee Kwang leaned against a pillar, holding his spear, and continued.

“Of course, that’s not all of it, but it seems like you caught on during that big rotation.”

“As I said earlier, if you want, I’m willing to share my achievements with you.”

“No, that’s unnecessary. Surely, this must be a realm you’ve attained with your own theories, so what good would it do for me to hear about it?”

Lee Kwang replied gruffly.

“Anyway, it’s true that you’ve achieved great things, so let me give you another tip for training Heavenly Flower. Pay close attention.”

Ta-dah!

Boom!

Upon ascending to the training ground, Lee Kwang swung his spear widely and took a stance. He had transitioned into the basic posture of Thunder God Lineage spear techniques while continuing to speak.

“Master. I’ve actually not only trained here in this training world.”

“Oh?”

“This realm perfectly copies the reality world, but it’s one where only humans and sentient beings don’t exist. So, doesn’t that mean the rare artifacts and ruins from the other world would remain intact?”

“Exactly. Hence why Shim Su-ryeok also sought after Chi You’s heart.”

“I spent about three years searching for traces of Lee Gang-ryong, the founding figure of Thunder God Lineage in the Barren Lands. This man, who could be called my real Master.”

“……?!”

What?!

I couldn’t help but be taken aback by Lee Kwang’s unexpected claim.

Lee Gang-ryong!!

He was the previous Master of Lee Cheong-un from Thunder God Lineage, someone who truly would merit being called a ‘great master’ for Lee Kwang. I only knew of him as a figure from stories I had heard from Lee Cheong-un regarding the history of Thunder God Lineage, and even in my thirty lives, I had never actually seen Lee Gang-ryong. To be accurate, I didn’t even know whether he was alive or dead.

‘In this, my 30th life, I was just thinking of bringing a legendary figure in for some leverage…’

I can’t believe Lee Kwang found traces of the legendary Lee Gang-ryong!

However, recalling a prior fib I’d told, I tried to avoid showing too much surprise.

“…Oh wow, you actually found him.”

“He met his end within a nameless cave in the Barren Lands. In the area where the fiercest gales sweep through… Why did the Master allow that esteemed figure to pass away in such a place? At the very least, they should have collected his remains and buried him back home.”

“……”

Aw, damn… I never thought my old lies would come back to bite me!

I sensed that if I kept talking, I’d only put myself deeper into this corner with Lee Kwang’s sharp eye, so I just looked toward the sky with a melancholic expression and said.

“It was his wish.”

“……Is that so? Hmmm… I could see that being possible.”

Lee Kwang seemed to let it slide without pressing too much.

“I acquired a technique he left behind, which could be called the legacy of Lee Gang-ryong, the Heavenly Flower Thunder Dragon Divine Arts. And from there, I derived insights and incorporated them into the Soul of the Evil God, naming the level I attained from the main line’s master as Heavenly Flower.”

“……”

“You must be aware of the Heavenly Flower Thunder Dragon Divine Arts by now, so I won’t need to explain it further. But those who have mastered it will easily infer the general insights behind the Heavenly Flower from this one move.”

Ta-at!!

As soon as he finished that sentence, Lee Kwang made a large step and leaped into the air. With the speed of the Heavenly Sovereign’s Light Body Technique, he leapt five times before shooting up dozens of feet, and from that position, he swung his spear down towards the earth with great force.

Heavenly Flower!

Heavenly Dragon One Strike!

Boom!!!

With a flash of light, a tremendous sound echoed, and thick smoke filled the training ground. From afar, it looked like the scope was narrower than I had anticipated for such a mighty technique, but since I had witnessed the moment the Heavenly Dragon One Strike landed, I couldn’t help but widen my eyes.

‘No way… The destructive power surged at the very last moment of impact!!’

Even from a distance, it was clear to see. While the training ground only bore the small traces of impact of the spearhead, the latent concentration behind it held tremendous potential!

In battles between experts, what’s needed isn’t wide-area destruction that can change the terrain, but absolute attack power capable of breaking through a master’s defense. Given that, Lee Kwang’s Heavenly Dragon One Strike was extraordinarily powerful.

‘In terms of destructive power… It ranks among the top three of my martial arts mastery.’

I thought back to the spear strike that Lee Kwang had shot at me during our first encounter, and I was amazed that I had managed to block it.

While I was internally assessing the Heavenly Flower Heavenly Dragon One Strike, Lee Kwang, who had landed, remarked.

“You must’ve felt it, but the mechanism behind the power of the Heavenly Dragon One Strike is a combination of the Returning Dragon One Strike and Thunder Sky Strike. Simply synchronize the rotation of the Soul of the Evil God with the spinning motion and force it in. This way, the rotation accelerates and extracts the potential of the attribute to its maximum, amplifying the destructive power to a single point.”

“……”

“There are plenty of other applications possible too. Since you’ve grasped the Heavenly Flower Thunder Dragon Divine Arts, you should already know about Earth Dragon One Strike or Brilliant Rain Heat Light Fist, right? You can either extend the range or switch to rapid strikes… Once you familiarize yourself with the method of absorbing attributes into this, you’ll reach Heavenly Flower in no time.”

“……”

“Hmmm… I never figured I’d be explaining this so thoroughly to a master like you. Not that I’m looking down on you, but I too want to boast a little about the martial arts I’ve mastered, so please understand.”

Lee Kwang seemed awkwardly shy about his detailed explanation. He probably thought that by explaining so much to me, I might be looking down on him.

‘That’s not it…’

Damn… I don’t understand a single word of what he’s saying…

I had never actually learned Lee Gang-ryong’s Heavenly Flower Thunder Dragon Divine Arts, and since the Returning Dragon One Strike and Thunder Sky Strike were likely included within those arts, Lee Kwang’s explanation must have sounded like alien language to me. But bringing that up and asking for clarification would be embarrassing since I’d already pretended to be a disciple of Lee Gang-ryong.

Now that I had finally reached a level where I could tease Lee Kwang, I wasn’t about to ruin that by losing face!

Still, I couldn’t just skim over this crucial technique like Heavenly Flower. That would ultimately be my loss. I was certain that mastering this Heavenly Flower technique would be vital for fully understanding the fights with the Soul of the Evil God. Moreover, I would be the one receiving the benefits of Lee Kwang’s decades of research, so I must not miss out on that while getting overly concerned about my pride.

How could I maintain my dignity while also reaping the benefits?

“……!!”

Suddenly, a great idea popped into my mind. So, with a bright smile, I turned to Lee Kwang and said.

“Of course. I understood as soon as you mentioned it, so no need to worry, haha.”

“Really…? You got that from just one listening? Annoying, but you truly live up to being a master of Thunder God Lineage.”

I decided to pivot the conversation quickly.

“Right! Now that I feel I’ve practiced the basics sufficiently, I’ll honor my promise and teach you the Nirvana of the Absolute and Dark Night Slash. Which would you like to learn first?”

“Definitely the Nirvana of the Absolute!”

“Without hesitation, huh? Why do you want to learn that first instead of Dark Night Slash?”

“The Nirvana of the Absolute is said to hold the supreme power, the absolute martial skill on the ground, according to what I’ve heard from Asura in the past. If I can combine it with the Heavenly Flower, it should be able to pierce through Shim Su-ryeok’s defenses easily enough!”

“……Alright, I’ll teach you the Nirvana of the Absolute.”

I then spent about seven nights teaching him the six major techniques that made up the Nirvana of the Absolute, including the training methods. While I hadn’t actually learned the Nirvana of the Absolute myself, I had learned its principles and the Fahe Technique thoroughly, so I knew the theory behind it well enough.

Like the genius he was, it seemed Lee Kwang memorized everything I taught him in just about seven nights. He was deep in thought before eventually bursting with joy.

“With this… I can do it. I can definitely take down Shim Su-ryeok!”

“Is that so?”

“Haven’t you mastered the Nirvana of the Absolute?”

“Yeah, I know the theory, but haven’t practiced it.”

“What a loss that is. If you learned it, you could easily become the strongest.”

“The strongest, huh…”

I responded while contemplating.

‘Lee Kwang… If it were me, I would have chosen Dark Night Slash over the Nirvana of the Absolute.’

That wasn’t a baseless criticism. Being in the Divine Realm, I could see and feel things differently.

Perhaps Lee Kwang’s Nirvana of the Absolute could become strong enough to breach Shim Su-ryeok’s latent defenses; however, it would never be the solution. While I couldn’t precisely articulate why, I just felt that the Nirvana of the Absolute had its limits.

On the other hand, Dark Night Slash may not show as much outward destructive force compared to the Nirvana of the Absolute. Lee Kwang must have chosen the latter, knowing that, but that wasn’t the right choice. Dark Night Slash had attributes that could genuinely be seen as the nemesis of Shim Su-ryeok.

In that moment, the words Asura had once said flashed in my mind.

[I can’t teach you the Nirvana of the Absolute. I absolutely won’t.]

[Once you learn it, you’ll definitely become the strongest in one-on-one battles. If combined with the Nine Chambers of Thunder Technique, it would certainly be the case. But ultimately, you’d be going down a wrong path for thousands of years, which is why I won’t teach you from the start.]

…

At that time, I couldn’t understand what Asura meant. Why wouldn’t they want to teach me something that would make me the strongest?

But now I finally understood the meaning behind his words.

Before me, I could see the actual example of what could happen if I chose the Nirvana of the Absolute.

If I had resolved to learn the Nirvana of the Absolute back then, there’s no way I would’ve reached the stage of reading ‘the flow’. Asura must have already known exactly how things would unfold back then.

‘Asura… Thank you.’

I felt gratitude mixed with a fluttering in my heart.

It was only now that I began to understand the stage that Asura had reached back then, and I realized I was still far from matching him.

Now I truly felt it.

In reality, I would only earn the right to say I was a Sword God after surpassing the Asura of that time.

“Lee Kwang, you truly haven’t forgotten about [power].”

“What nonsense is that? The opponent wields infinite power, so I’m trying to win with techniques. There’s no way I could overlook the importance of sheer power!”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“……?”

Lee Kwang frowned, but I just chuckled without further responding.

I thought he’d gained a profound realization, but in reality, I knew it had only been an extension of techniques tailored to match opponents.

Instead, I said to Lee Kwang.

“It might be uncomfortable if we’re training together. I’ll go find my own place to train separately.”

“Was just thinking that’s what I wanted to hear. Good luck.”

“I’ll drop by if I get stuck while training.”

“Don’t come!”

Lee Kwang was getting all flushed with irritation, but I ignored him and used my divine power to teleport.

Boom!

Before I knew it, I arrived at the Barren Lands. Once I reached the barren desert in the Barren Lands, I significantly amplified my divine power and activated the Fire Eye Golden Spirit.

Whoosh!

‘Let’s see… According to Lee Kwang, this should be the area where the fiercest gales blow. Then I’ll look for an area with strong winds.’

Whoooosh!

For about three days, I soared through the sky, scanning the Barren Lands with the Fire Eye Golden Spirit. After thorough exploration, I finally uncovered a landscape resembling what Lee Kwang described.

‘This is it!’

A vast, barren desert where fierce winds frequently whip up, coupled with natural craggy rock caves scattered about!

Thinking this had to be the right spot, I used the Fire Eye Golden Spirit to look inside, checking for anything suspicious. While searching, I stumbled into what seemed to be a space where someone had once stayed.

Step, step.

“Lee Kwang, looks like he swept away the remains and the secrets. At least he had some respect for the former Master.”

That said, remnants of his belongings and various signs of life were still there.

As I examined the traces left behind, I reached out.

“With just this much evidence, summoning the spirit related to it shouldn’t be difficult.”

Soul Exchange Technique!!

I reached out to the article, drawing in the essence of the Bai (魄) that lingered within it. The fact that I could do this meant that the master of the Soul Exchange Technique possessed the world’s best soul-calling technique. Yet, as I pulled in the essence, I realized that instead of the spirit, a million Bai were gathering.

“Eh? Why is there no spirit but a million Bai… Oh!!”

I was puzzled until it suddenly clicked.

‘Oh right!! This world doesn’t have living beings or sentient beings… Spirits aren’t recognized as one within this realm, so of course, they wouldn’t be around! But the Nine Chambers of Thunder Technique can still operate smoothly because Bai, a different concept from spirits, exists perfectly fine here…!!’

Could this also be possible?

Bai is just a trace of the soul; in a way, it’s merely an energy mass—could that alone suffice?

After learning the Soul Exchange technique, I was flustered by this unprecedented situation. Yet, I thought of just going for it, and thrust my hands forward while shouting.

“……I, Baek Woong, command you to awaken!!”

Regardless, I held the power of the king of the underworld. I couldn’t just give up because of this small hindrance!

Boom!!

As I infused my divine power while shouting according to the techniques I had learned from Fuxi, a dark smoke began to waft up from what appeared to be an empty area. Soon after, the smoke started to shape into a human form, slowly gaining volume and becoming alight in reality.

After about a moment passed, the form completely took on a human appearance. Standing there was a robust man who looked like a hero (豪傑), with distinctly handsome features—he was quite the looker. He was so tall he looked like he was at least two heads taller than your average Joe.

He looked like he had just awoken from a dream, with a dazed expression before rubbing his eyes and staring at me.

“…Where is this? And why do I look so young?”

“……”

“It feels like I’m walking through a dream… But more importantly, who are you? Can you explain it to me?”

I stared at him for a moment before finally speaking up.

“Are you Lee Gang-ryong, Master of Thunder God Lineage?”

“……?”

He blinked, taken aback, before replying.

“Yes, I am Lee Gang-ryong. And who are you?”

I promptly bowed before him, putting on my best behavior.

“I am Baek Woong, the later master of Thunder God Lineage!!”

This way, I found a simple method to maintain my pride and serve my interests while dealing with Lee Kwang.

‘Let’s turn this fib into a fact!!’

If I could revive Lee Gang-ryong, the founding Master of Thunder God Lineage, and learn the Heavenly Flower Thunder Dragon Divine Arts directly from him, that would be all I needed!