전생검신 91권 11화

The Primordial Void Ruler stared at me, seemingly baffled, before suddenly speaking up.

[You surely gave up your Qi to obtain a few lifetimes’ worth of luck, yet… are you saying that’s not enough?]

“Yeah. I need more.”

[… I can give it, but how on earth did you summon me? Can someone summon me without my permission?!]

The Primordial Void Ruler looked at me in disbelief. And rightly so! Unlike Cheon Woo-jin’s formal offering of an altar during the 9th round, I just yanked his real body from the Celestial Realm.

Not wanting to grovel to the Primordial Void Ruler, I decided to be blunt.

“Take a good look. You’ve seen something like this before.”

Woosh!

In the next moment, I manifested the Jade Emperor’s Cloak. The cloak is the exclusive treasure and attire of the Jade Emperor, something only he could wear—a flowing silk garment of azure! The sight of me in the cloak left the Primordial Void Ruler dumbfounded.

[Jade Emperor’s Cloak?!]

“I am no different from the Jade Emperor. I’ve transferred that position from Fuxi. With that ability, I summoned you.”

The Jade Emperor had the power to call forth all beings in the Celestial Realm to himself. I gained that same power when I received the Jade Emperor’s position from Fuxi back in the 28th round. Normally, using such abilities would attract the attention of all high beings, but here, I had no need to be discreet, so I just went for it.

After hearing my explanation, the Primordial Void Ruler stood there in shock before responding.

[This is preposterous. The Jade Emperor never reveals himself, and his essence exists separately—no one has ever transferred that position. And Fuxi…? How could this be?]

I couldn’t help but smirk at the Primordial Void Ruler’s words.

“Listen to how you’re talking. Given what you’re saying, you already know the secrets of the Jade Emperor and Fuxi by this point, huh? You little rascal.”

[……]

“Shut up and just hand over the blessing of great luck. I won’t be asking for it with empty hands.”

[…… If you tell me who you are, I might consider it.]

“You want to guess who the greatest schemer in the Celestial Realm is? Ah, but you wouldn’t know because you’re only talking to the ‘mask of Coming Chaos,’ right?”

[……!!]

As I outright disclosed the Primordial Void Ruler’s secret, his panic was clear.

He stared at me with eyes radiating a killing intent for a moment. Then, after a pause, he seemed to realize something and spoke.

[You possess incredible divine power… Are you some kind of god?]

“No, not a god.”

[…… Hmmm… I guess it doesn’t matter. I feel like this could be entertaining.]

Suddenly, the Primordial Void Ruler regained his composure and spoke with a slick demeanor.

[Very well. I will bestow the blessing of great luck to you once more. But there’s a condition.]

“What condition?”

[If you answer my question correctly, I’ll give you my divine power without any conditions. However, if you fail, I will take half of your power. This is a pact made with the Great Chaos.]

“……”

Hmm… what now… half of my power?

‘As long as it doesn’t get reflected in history, does it even matter?’

But somehow, betting it against the ‘Great Chaos’ shook me a little. If this wager with the Primordial Void Ruler resets and I end up losing half of my power, that’s a big, big loss. Is it really worth this kind of risk to bet against him?

When I looked at the Primordial Void Ruler with keen eyes, he grinned wickedly.

[It’s not a difficult question. You just need to guess the value I hold most dear……]

“…… Let’s do it. Lay it on me.”

For some reason, I felt a strong intuition that I could guess the question the Primordial Void Ruler would pose, so I was determined to take the challenge. Plus, I figured that even if I got it wrong, I’d generally reset the bet.

[I take your acceptance. Then……]

After a moment, the Primordial Void Ruler spoke slowly.

[If you were to compress the fun of this world into a single character, what would it be?]

“……!!”

[The answer I have in mind is singular. If you come up with an amusing answer, it will also count as correct…… Hehehe.]

While the Primordial Void Ruler said this as if being generous, the moment he finished speaking, I firmly shouted.

“Shock (驚)!”

[……?!]

“Fun can only be found through others!”

In that moment, the Primordial Void Ruler’s eyes nearly popped out, and his mouth fell open in disbelief.

Such a reaction was something I had never seen throughout my countless lives.

Stunned into silence, the Primordial Void Ruler stumbled over his words.

[H-how…?!]

“Heh.”

I couldn’t help but smile triumphantly. Just from that reaction, I knew I had given his unique answer.

‘Primordial Void Ruler, the last time we had a drink, you went on about fun and all that!’

I might not remember every bit of incoherent drivel, but nailing the answer made everything else moot!

After some time standing dumbfounded, the Primordial Void Ruler suddenly snapped back to reality.

[That’s correct… You truly are an amusing one!]

“I appreciate the compliment, now hurry up and give me the blessing.”

[…… Do you know what happens when the blessing is stacked?]

“I have a rough idea. But it seems manageable to me.”

[Hehehe, really… Then I’ll have to show my sincerity as well.]

With an unknown, sinister grin, the Primordial Void Ruler began to shine with light from all over his body and shouted.

[In the name of the Primordial Void Ruler… I call upon the Great Chaos… transforming all of my causal laws into luck and bestowing them upon this individual!]

Bam!

In the next moment, the Primordial Void Ruler was gone from the hall.

And my body was suffused with a brilliant white light, flowing like life’s essence, visible even without the need for a spiritual eye. Seeing the immense aura, Han Jin-seong beside me was astonished.

“What is that white light?”

“It means the great luck has been stacked. I have become the most fortunate person in the world.”

“Whoa…!!”

Indeed.

Stacking great luck!

This phenomenon occurs when you receive the blessing of great luck two times in a row, elevating someone usually extremely lucky to the absolute pinnacle of fortune! I had previously achieved immense success in the imperial palace using the blessings of great luck.

I told Han Jin-seong, “Of course, while I possess this immense fortune, I will face greater misfortune once this blessing ends.”

“No!! So that means you’ll die? Why such a double-edged blade…?”

“Because there’s something I want to test. I’m heading to Gabi Pavilion now.”

“Good luck.”

“See you next time.”

Boom!

I dashed off towards Gabi Pavilion, the agreed rendezvous point. Upon arriving, I was taken aback by an unexpected presence.

“Han Baek-ryeong?”

Indeed, Han Baek-ryeong was standing there wearing a fox mask. With her arms crossed, she was already waiting, looking at me from behind the mask.

“Didn’t I say you shouldn’t hold back on help? If I participate, your victory will come more easily.”

“…… No need to go that far… But you are participating, right?”

“Yes.”

“……”

Is it okay for Han Baek-ryeong to join?

As I was inwardly perplexed, the Black Snake Society Leader entered the hall.

“……Please follow me. I’ll lead you to the conference room.”

“Why is your face swollen?”

“Uh… well…”

The Black Snake Society Leader looked like he’d been severely beaten, bruises covering his face. As he glanced anxiously at Han Baek-ryeong, I pieced together the situation.

‘So he got beaten by Han Baek-ryeong…’

It was a relief that he wasn’t dead, so I said, “Lead the way.”

“Yes.”

Before long, we arrived at the location where the Dark Realm Martial Arts Tournament would be held. Surprisingly, it was not in a specific building but in an open field on the outskirts of Luoyang, and soon after, a huge crimson light curtain spread in the air, transforming the area into a gigantic martial arts arena.

Woosh!!

Whoa—

Wow—

As the space shifted and cheers from the crowd reached me, I mumbled to myself.

“This feels like the boundary that unfolded at the slave market of the Otherworldly Race.”

It was probably a magic barrier created by that race! One unable to enter without an invitation and seeing inside was impossible. The caster could alter the internal space as desired. Since the Wind Spirit Sect was allied with that race, it made sense for the Dark Realm Martial Arts Tournament to have been conducted secretly all along.

“Participants, this way….”

After a bit, guided by the announcements, I stood where the contestants were waiting. Soon enough, names were called, and one by one, participants began their battles until finally, it was my turn.

Tap, tap.

When I stepped outside, there stood Tuma.

“……?”

Huh? Tuma, the Eight Demons of Martial Daos and the organizer of this tournament, is my opponent for the first round?

As I stood shocked, Tuma burst out laughing, a gleam in his eye.

“Ha-ha-hah!! The brackets just changed! The little brat Baek Woong, whom the Han Clan has been holding back, is you?”

“Indeed.”

With a sinister smile plastered on his face, Tuma leveled his blade at me.

“If you lose to me, you’ll be sold at the slave market! Can’t wait to see the arrogant Han Clan humiliated!”

“……”

This… is ridiculous…

‘Could this really be happening?’

The moment I heard Tuma’s words, I felt dazed.

‘If I had disregarded Han Jin-seong and Han Baek-ryeong’s warnings and forced myself into the Dark Realm Martial Arts Tournament, I would’ve faced Tuma in the first round and lost!’

There was no doubt about it. Meeting Tuma while I was in a state of stacked good luck indicated that this was the original course of history!

At that time, I wouldn’t even have barely surpassed the peak level, so there was no way I could defeat Tuma, the peak expert and Eight Demons of Martial Daos! I probably wouldn’t have even managed to hit him with a single attack. If I had lost and been sold at the slave market, it would have been a fate worse than death.

‘…This good luck really comes in handy. Avoiding defeat in this tournament allowed me to rejoin the Thunder God Lineage and learn the Absolute Slash from Lee Kwang.’

Just thinking about it made it feel like heaven and earth! Shuddering, I spoke to Tuma.

“I’d love to crush you right now, but this is also training, so I can’t just do that.”

“Crack… Training? What kind of training do you plan to do before this lord?”

“Well…”

Closing my eyes for a moment, I cast off all my internal power, entering a state of complete natural body. From there, I traced a circle on the ground with my foot, standing three steps apart before stating calmly.

“I’ll only use one arm and one leg. And I won’t step outside the circle I’m standing in.”

“……?!”

Tuma seemed taken aback. I waved at him.

“Tuma, let’s play Go.”

This was the training method Yu Gun had suggested for me.

In life-or-death combat, impose as many restrictions as possible and practice as if reading the flow of Go against the opponent!

While engaging with my opponent, I needed to adhere strictly to all restrictions and mentally think about playing Go.

This sort of training would surely help me more than any game against Yu Gun.

“You crazy bastard!! I’m just going to kill you!”

Boom!!

Tuma yelled angrily and charged at me, swinging his sword with full force, making it clear he intended to slice me in an instant due to his irritation. But Tuma’s charge was just laughable, and I hardly paid it any mind as I kept thinking about Go.

“Hmm… would this be a small move?”

Ting!

The moment I snapped my fingers, Tuma’s blade broke, flying into the air, and Tuma’s body swayed before he collapsed to the ground.

Thud.

“……?!”

Tuma panicked, rising to his feet, while I was deep in thought.

‘Without my internal power and intent, I still registered an overwhelming amount of strength in my finger. Could that be due to my divine power enhancing my body?’

If that’s the case, I need to drain my internal power as much as possible. As I continued to focus on shedding my strength, Tuma resumed his assault with a series of blade swings.

“Ah! You’ve got some talent there!”

Ting! Ting! Ting!

Every swing of his blade shattered against my flicked fingers until eventually, the weapon he wielded was left half its original size.

‘This! Even reducing my strength tenfold, he’s still holding up?! Just how strong is my divine power…?!’

Even while I was reducing my power, Tuma’s attacks felt laughably easy to dismantle, and I felt confused. At this rate, even a light flick from me would surely shatter Tuma into pieces!

‘Gotta… stay cautious. One wrong move and he might get hurt!’

Yet strangely, Tuma stopped attacking. Using my Qi Sense, I sensed that he was standing still, seemingly trembling in fear.

“Gah… It’s a monster…?!”

“What’s wrong? Keep attacking. I’m not done training.”

“AAAHHH!!”

Tuma screamed and then turned tail to flee.

“Hey, wait a second!”

I was startled and, wanting to stop him, formed my will into a hand that grabbed his ankle and pulled him back. But the moment I did, his ankle twisted right off!

Pop!

“Whoa! My bad.”

“Ugh.”

Was my intent too strong? Tuma lay rolling in a pool of blood with his dislocated ankle. I looked at him in disbelief.

‘Why is this guy so weak when I’ve been trying so hard to hold back? I’ve been reducing my power, yet he’s still fragile…’

Like a mere bug.

“……”

“P-please spare me… I didn’t know the deceased person was like this…”

Seeing Tuma begging with his head in the dirt, my fighting spirit evaporated.

I shook my head and let out a sigh.

“Hah.”

Now I realized that my secret strategy had been thwarted right before my eyes.

‘No matter how much I rely on the blessing of great luck… I can’t gain mastery through luck!’

That was the issue.

What I aimed for was to reach a breakthrough in martial arts using the blessing of great luck!

Until now, I assumed it was a workaround, but maybe this blessing of luck could help me ascend to a higher realm of martial arts as Yu Gun suggested by imposing restrictions and practicing Go.

But the problem was that Tuma was simply too weak. No matter how much I controlled my strength, he crumbled too easily and gave me no chance to feel any kind of enlightenment! It felt as if I was trying my best not to step on an ant.

‘No. While Tuma is weak… the real problem is that I’m not feeling any enlightenment at all. Enlightenment can’t be obtained through luck.’

Normally, when the effects of great luck stack up, good fortune should come flooding in. But this situation felt more like bad luck, so essentially, the luck related to martial arts had utterly failed to surface.

Why was that?

When becoming a peak expert and transitioning to the next realm, there were often moments of sudden enlightenment through pure luck. I thought I could achieve a breakthrough with the blessing of great luck and… alas, it turns out martial arts aren’t handed to you via luck, huh?

Just then—

“To dare lay a hand on my subordinate Tuma, you’ve got some guts!”

I turned towards the source of the voice.

Yong Bi-cheon was there.

“……?”

What are you doing here?

Isn’t this the Dark Realm Martial Arts Tournament?

Yong Bi-cheon helped Tuma back to his feet and spoke.

“The head of the Hui Clan reported that your life was in danger. What luck that I caught this just in time.”

“Guh… that guy’s a monster!”

What kind of situation is this?

Boom!

While I was inwardly bewildered, Yong Bi-cheon surrounded me with three other experts in formation. His expression was somewhat tense as he shouted.

“It seems you are a master from Beyond Heaven, so don’t you dare call it cowardly to work together with the elders of the Wind Spirit Sect!”

I rejoiced at Yong Bi-cheon’s words.

“Not cowardly at all!! Please bring it on!”

Despite possessing infinite internal power, I was grateful that Yong Bi-cheon, under these circumstances, was ready to forge an alliance!

Boom! Boom!

Finally, I felt that it was time for some real training as I faced the elders from the Wind Spirit Sect alongside Yong Bi-cheon in a 4-to-1 matchup.

‘It feels like a four-sided siege!’

Images of a Go board unfolded in my mind. I was simultaneously playing against four opponents, reading their attacks with fluidity as I translated each martial arts move into Go strategy. Immersed, I focused all my attention on this practice.

‘Though I can’t quite visualize the board layout in my head… I get the sense of the game well enough.’

Could it be that the blessing of great luck was finally activating?

Though, it felt all too ambiguous and dubious.

I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was less about divine luck and more about the inherent value of the training I had pursued.

As I fought them for over five hundred breaths while imposing my restrictions, suddenly, Yong Bi-cheon halted and respectfully postured towards me.

“I meet the absolute master of Jianghu. This is Yong Bi-cheon, and I have never encountered a master of your caliber in my life outside of the Sect Leader.”

Thud! Thud!

The elders from the Wind Spirit Sect also took turns bowing to me. I recognized they were showing genuine reverence as martial artists, clearly acknowledging my strength. They too were notable masters, so they knew I would’ve killed them in a heartbeat if I had dropped my restrictions.

But the ambiguity of the results frustrated me, prompting me to speak out.

“Seriously? This is it after stacking the blessings of great luck? Did you trick me, Primordial Void Ruler? There’s no extraordinary luck at all…”

Before I could finish my thought, a booming voice echoed throughout the hall.

“Hahaha!! I just received news from an undercover agent and was curious what was going on… and here I find a master who piques my interest after a long time!”

Bang!!

With that shout, a figure burst into the hall. The sight of this figure caused Yong Bi-cheon to gasp in shock.

“……Master of the Twelve Joules?!”

Indeed.

The Master of the Twelve Joules, Cheon Woo-jin, wearing a beast mask!

He unfurled his Cosmic Fragment, projecting his fierce will towards me.

“While I had already secured my victory in this tournament, I used spatial manipulation just to come and spar with you. Please entertain me.”

Glancing around, I noticed not only Cheon Woo-jin, but also Miyamoto Musashi and the elders of the Twelve Joules were present.

…Could it be?

Did stacking great luck invite someone who wouldn’t typically participate in this tournament?

Now I understood how this great luck stacking worked.

‘While I couldn’t receive enlightenment in martial arts, it seems I inadvertently summoned crazily fortuitous sparring partners!’

Realizing this was a perfect opportunity to enhance my Go training, I fixed my gaze on the Master of the Twelve Joules and said, “Master of the Twelve Joules, one condition.”

“What is it?”

“Let’s duel in the form of Go!!”

“……?”

“Whoever wins here is the champion of the Dark Realm Martial Arts Tournament.”

The Master of the Twelve Joules, momentarily bewildered by my proposal, quickly agreed after hearing my rules.

“I’m game!!”

“Do you have confidence?”

Unimpressed by his confidence, I let it slip.

“Are you sure? Because I’m pretty good at Go!”

“`

 

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