Chapter 1055
From the Sky to the Ground
A beam of light descends.
A line drawn across a scarlet sky. Following that line, the man’s body is sliced apart.
My vision twists.
One side up. The other side down.
In that moment, the upper body is split in two.
The body suddenly snaps back to its original state, and my sight returns to normal.
“Gah…!”
A gasp escapes. The man clutches his heart and his eyes tremble.
“Whoo… Hoo….”
He recalls the sensation from just moments ago, regaining his breath.
It was clear. He had just been on the brink of death.
“What…”
What is this feeling? To have nearly experienced death.
“I have ascended to a higher rank…!”
His body has been raised to a noble stature. But what just happened?
<Creek—!>
Grinding his teeth, the man looks straight ahead.
And there, he sees the one responsible for slicing him with a single stroke. An elder with unkempt white hair down to his waist, a bushy beard that wasn’t trimmed.
With scarlet eyes, he looks down at him with a weary expression.
An acquaintance.
Their touchpoint wasn’t deep, but he was unforgettable.
“…It has been a while.”
Just as the man was about to mention the name he heard from the elder—
“Shin Cheol.”
It was the elder, Shin Cheol, who spoke first.
“My name is Shin Cheol.”
“…”
“Call me that.”
“Shin Cheol…”
As the man uttered the name, he raised the corners of his mouth. It didn’t matter what he was called anyway.
“I’ve felt it for a long time; you are truly an outlandish fellow.”
A name holds no meaning. What’s important is what that guy is.
“Surely, you are of an incredibly low rank, yet you walk with your head held high. That power too.”
What had long been felt was that Shin Cheol, whom the duryeong called a stranger, was strangely strong.
Even when he briefly assumed the title of General under his master.
Generals in their original world were among the most powerful beings.
And now, they were placed beneath their master in Mankye.
Yet among them, Shin Cheol was conspicuous.
When the ambitious Yusa, with his low rank, charged at Shin Cheol and proclaimed him a general, he never dared to challenge him again thereafter.
Only they knew what happened, but it could be inferred from Yusa’s changed demeanor.
If not for that—
“Even the world’s duryeong was reluctant to fight.”
Even that foolish duryeong was hesitant to engage with him. It was remarkable. He was aware that his master had not granted any powers upon the generals brought in.
Was that the condition? It likely was.
Furthermore.
“Even so.”
When he fled with the Divine Tree in hand, no one could stop him. Even when the generals banded together and attacked before his master ordered not to capture him, they could not win.
Truly overwhelming strength.
In the end, his master had to step in personally to put a leash on him.
Countless shackles were laid down, but the most important were:
‘Do not interfere with Mankye’s affairs.’
‘Do not initiate combat first.’
All of these were among those shackles, and because of that, the old man could remain in Mankye until now.
“Well, well.”
The man chuckled bitterly.
One blow.
With a single stroke, he nearly encountered death.
“How ridiculous.”
Even with this elevation bestowed by heaven, he could still experience such a thing.
Wooosh—
A breeze stirred, brushing flower scents against his nose.
As leaves fluttered down before the man—
“What is?”
“…!”
A voice rang out right in front of him.
The trident gripped in his hand jerked. The weapon charged towards Shin Cheol, light illuminating its edges.
“Are you deaf or something?”
Sshhh—
With a sound of slicing, the spear cleanly cut through.
The issue was—
“You don’t answer my question?”
“Gah!”
Along with the spear, the man’s body was once again severed.
His body swayed. Just as he was about to be cut again, he was seized and restored to his original state.
“Hmm.”
Shin Cheol narrowed his eyes at the sight. In that instant—
<Shwaaaarrr—!!!>
“Gah—!!”
Petals scattered. The black sword wielded by Shin Cheol whirled like a tempest. It mowed through the man’s body, a torrent of countless cuts falling upon him.
No hindrance at all. Pain invaded him countless times, yet he regenerated each time.
“You bastard—!!”
The man gritted his teeth. To move his body, that very joint had already been carved.
His regeneration had sealed his flesh.
While he managed to block the dangerous parts, it was still disconcerting.
Unable to endure any longer, the man finally bit down hard on his lips and spoke.
“Stop…!”
A command shot through the air aiming for Shin Cheol. His body was caught in place, but—
“Gah!”
Bang—!
“What the…?”
As he let out a ki, the shackles binding him shattered. The man widened his eyes.
What did I just do? Did I release my command?
How?
He wore a look of shock, but there was no time to maintain it.
A scarlet line blossomed from the sword tip and fell.
<Slash—!!>
“Gah!”
The man expelled a sound of pain. His arm was smoothly severed, flying through the air. It was close; if he hadn’t dodged just now, it would have been different.
His eyes rolled. Dodging was good, but now problems arose.
“What the hell…!”
The severed arm couldn’t regenerate. Could it be that this too was a power that strikes at the divine status? No, it wasn’t that. There was no anomaly regarding the rank.
So, what is this? Just as he began to question, the man realized the cause.
“The energy…”
Energy was surging from the severed surface. It was continuously inflicting damage to prevent regeneration.
“This is absurd.”
It was as if the energy itself possessed a will, persistently hindering regeneration. This was not merely power possessed by the energy itself.
It was an extreme concentration and control of energy.
“How can a lowly ranked fellow use this to such an extent? A mortal who hasn’t even lived a millennium.”
Creech.
Gritting his teeth as if to crush them, he moved the trident.
Sssh—!
He cut the severed edge once more. Finally, the energy binding it was sliced away, allowing for regeneration.
Feeling his body restore, he widened the distance.
For now, creating space seemed paramount. With that thought, he distanced himself further.
Even then, Shin Cheol merely kept his sword lowered, watching the man.
“What in the world…?”
What was that gap?
At the moment he attained divine status and became his master’s vessel. Yet, what had just happened with this lowly being who barely qualified as a general?
Moreover.
“Why did my command not work?”
Something that should have worked did not. It was clear the rank was low, yet the order failed to resonate.
No, it wasn’t that it didn’t resonate. The order had clearly gone through, but—
“He released it.”
He unleashed it with his ki. What kind of insanity is this?
“That bastard…”
What the hell was he?
“What is your identity?”
“Hmm?”
At the man’s question, Shin Cheol tilted his head.
Identity?
“Well…”
There isn’t much he can say about identity.
Shin Cheol.
Leader of the Hwasan Sect.
The hero who saved the Central Plains.
The greatest swordsman of all time.
All kinds of titles came to mind, yet those would ultimately fade into oblivion.
He recalled the essence.
“It’s a recent revelation for me.”
How many years since he came to Mankye?
A physique that neither grows nor decays.
Energy that neither increases nor decreases. The body neither deteriorates nor improves.
There were issues with the soul, but aside from that, Shin Cheol retained everything he had before death.
That was the agreement.
Thus, he never longed for growth.
Honestly, what desire for growth could a dead man harbor? He thought for a moment, yet—
“Even in this old head of mine, greed arose.”
Shin Cheol discovered what he hadn’t known after coming to Mankye.
“What?”
“No matter how much I remember, my roots are embedded into my body, and I can’t escape that. Thinking like that made me improve a bit.”
“What’s that supposed to mean…?”
“Did you ask what my identity is?”
Shin Cheol shifted his stance. He faced the man directly, lifting the sword he had rested down.
The grandest plum tree of the Hwasan Sect.
He declared regarding his identity.
“Martial Artist (武人).”
“Huh?”
Martial Artist? What does that mean?
Just as the man pondered in confusion—
“Never cease to strive and grow. No matter what wall blocks your path, you shall inevitably surpass it.”
A martial artist is a being like that.
There are no dead ends. What seems like a dead end is merely a wall.
The wall blocking the path can be crossed or smashed.
The essence of a martial artist is growth and enlightenment.
To Shin Cheol, a martial artist was just that. Even in a life where he could gain nothing in Mankye, he sought to obtain something.
The body that does not grow.
But what about the spirit?
He pursued it.
He longed for it.
What does martial (武) signify?
What is the sword, what is Hwasan, and what value and meaning do the things he built hold?
As he pondered these countless inquiries, he ultimately arrived at one conclusion.
There is no end to martial knowledge (武學).
That means, as a martial artist, there are no limits.
Vaguely, he realized that he had ultimately met his death, so he had been using it as an excuse to halt.
The weight of the excuse merely weighed down the steps he was taking.
So, he let it go.
Swoosh.
Shin Cheol’s sword shot into the sky.
The man widened his eyes at the sight. He had to block that.
With that thought, instinctively, his body lunged forward.
White energy wrapped around him, and light shimmered in his blue eyes.
“It matters not what you are.”
Even recognizing him as an extraordinary opponent, Shin Cheol’s reflection ended there.
What does it matter who or what the opponent is?
“Regardless, it’s about to break.”
Unfortunately, he could not take many steps forward.
But just one step.
Shin Cheol felt he had taken one single step forward.
That was enough.
He didn’t stop after all, so that was sufficient.
His sword would not fail to cleave.
He lived his days to convey that meaning, and it was wholly captured within the blade.
Plum Blossom Sword Technique (梅華劍法). Swordsmanship of Harmony (華道一劒).
Shin Cheol’s refinement.
Plum Blossom Late Sword (梅華晩劍).
Sshhh.
The sluggish blade carved through the man.
And just like that, the world split apart.
