Chapter 226
I decided to explain my situation to Bright Dragon as well. Of course, showing him the memories of the Obsidian like Sword Demon was way too risky, so I simply mentioned that I had been a disciple of the Thunder God Lineage and had gone through various experiences.
After a while, Bright Dragon seemed to understand, and I displayed Zhang San-bong’s techniques once again for them. For a full day, Sword Demon and Bright Dragon silently watched my performance, lost in thought.
‘They must be trying to set the course for future training.’
That night, I ate the food brought by Bright Dragon—a lovely mix of porridge, vegetables, and Wallock Dantian—before resting comfortably.
“Hey. Step out for a moment.”
The next dawn, Bright Dragon called me out telepathically, so I stepped out.
He stood by the lake at dawn and asked me, “What do you think about the Peerless Technique?”
That was an unexpected question. I thought he’d ask about the Cave-Collapsing Sword or Heavenly Contraction Sword, but here we were. I pondered for a moment and replied, “It must be incredibly overwhelming, probably with the Intent Control Technique, right?”
“But neither you nor the Sword Demon can perform the Peerless Technique.”
“Yes, that’s true.”
“What do you think is the reason?”
If I had known, I would have started training in it right away. But even after quite a while studying Zhang San-bong’s techniques, I still had no grasp of the Peerless Technique. It was the same for even the geniuses of the Thunder God Lineage and Sword Demon.
Sensing my silence, Bright Dragon continued. “Forget about the Peerless Technique for now.”
“Are you telling me not to get caught up in unnecessary matters?”
Sword Demon had mentioned that I was constantly limited under the wrong master. So, while he could doubt my words, I hoped he’d take this as genuine advice. Training while unnecessarily fixing my gaze on the Peerless Technique would only lead to negative effects.”
“…?”
Negative effects? What did that even mean?
Bright Dragon pressed on, “Even I, having dedicated my entire life to mastering Wudang techniques, might only manage to grasp the Peerless Technique at the very end of my life. For anyone among us three, mastering that technique is an arduous task. It can be considered incredibly difficult.”
“Is it really that tough?”
“Yeah.”
Bright Dragon sneaked a glance at my face and chuckled. “Well…you look puzzled, so let me lay out some criteria for you.”
“Criteria?”
“Achieve the Sword of Heaven. Only then will you qualify to study the Peerless Technique.”
What in the world is the Sword of Heaven? I tilted my head and asked, and Bright Dragon answered impatiently, “Ask that Sword Demon over there.”
Oh, what a surprise! About twenty steps away, Sword Demon was strolling over, presumably having been observing us from a distance. He chuckled and said, “Bright Dragon, if it’s just that much of a discussion, I can be here while you talk.”
“Well, you’ve been wrapped up in worrying about this kid’s training pace, so it was just a way to take some weight off your mind.”
“Haha…thanks.”
Sword Demon seemed to have been eavesdropping the whole time. With his high level of martial arts, using skills like Sky-reaching Telekinesis must have been easy for him. He approached and said, “Bright Dragon is right. Don’t even think about the Peerless Technique until you achieve the Sword of Heaven.”
“And what exactly is the Sword of Heaven?”
“It’s the stage where one embeds their intent into their basic techniques and elevates them to the level of Intent Control Technique, as I mentioned before.”
“Yes.”
“It transcends that stage where abstract imagination is manifested in reality. It refers to a stage where one can truly call their techniques Secret Techniques.”
“……!!”
Upon hearing this, I finally understood what the Sword of Heaven entailed.
The overwhelming powers like Thunder Cloud Palm, wielded by Lee Kwang or Sword Demon’s Invincible Sword, which reveal their true might in reality! The martial arts realm where one can execute such powers is what the swordsmen refer to as the Sword of Heaven. It was obviously a different dimension than merely infusing intent into basic techniques.
I recognized the depth behind his words. “So you’re saying… I need to reach an expert level like Lee Kwang?”
“You can think of it that way. The Peerless Technique is only something that someone at the peak level of the martial arts world can even think of studying.”
“…….”
I understood why these two masters were intentionally giving me this advice. The Peerless Technique is shrouded in so much mystery; if I encountered a blockage while studying the sword techniques, they thought I might get enthralled by it. So rather than being greedy for a technique I couldn’t possibly learn, they were suggesting that I concentrate solely on swordplay.
‘I need to put in the effort.’
And with all three of us gathered, our training began at dawn.
Being the least skilled, I took on the role of demonstrating the Cave-Collapsing Sword and Heavenly Contraction Sword to Bright Dragon. He watched my movements for half a day, absorbing my insights before commenting, “As expected, the fundamentals are not much different from those in our sect.”
“Really?”
The Cave-Collapsing Sword and Heavenly Contraction Sword seemed to be properly passed down in the Wudang Sect. Nodding, Bright Dragon continued, “If Zhang San-bong truly left behind the Cave-Collapsing Sword and Heavenly Contraction Sword, then there must have been a reason for higher applications.”
Hearing this, I searched my memory for the applications of the Cave-Collapsing Sword and Heavenly Contraction Sword from Zhang San-bong’s understanding. But nothing significant came to mind. Bright Dragon sighed slightly. “Looks like he was concerned the lineage might die out.”
“Then…”
“I have nothing more to teach you regarding the Cave-Collapsing Sword and Heavenly Contraction Sword. Please share in more detail about the True Martial Seven Cuts Classic, Heavenly Five Divine Decisions, Tai Chi Yau Ji Willow Sword, and Seven Stars Shadow.”
And so, until the sun set, I transmitted martial arts knowledge to Bright Dragon. Only when the sun dipped low did I finally get to receive formal training from Sword Demon. He grinned widely.
“Hehe. If it were up to me, I’d want to train in martial arts all day. But being tied down by Bright Dragon must feel burdensome.”
“Ah…well…”
I caught his drift. While Bright Dragon practiced the techniques he’d learned from me, he was also an incredible expert able to listen to our conversations from about fifty steps away. Sword Demon grinned, clearly enjoying the situation.
“Can’t be helped. Bright Dragon is already ahead of us when it comes to the Cave-Collapsing Sword and Heavenly Contraction Sword, so he needs to share the remaining techniques. That way, we can share in the spoils too. Don’t regret investing the next two to three months into Bright Dragon’s training.”
“Understood.”
“Alright, let’s get started.”
Oh Sound!
So, Sword Demon and I began our light sparring. Having done this before at the Shadowless Gate, nothing felt particularly new. Now, with my ability to use intent in basic offensive and defensive actions, sustaining myself for a hundred seconds was no longer tough.
After the warm-up spar, we faced each other, seated, and started chatting.
“You’ve realized that Heart (心), Intent (意), and Thought (念) are different, right? Now, get used to mixing that into your basic techniques seamlessly.”
“Yes.”
“During that process, you’ll come to understand what is the best Intent Control Technique for yourself.”
Sword Demon’s advice was akin to golden rules. Up until now, I had only used intent in basic offensive and defensive techniques, yet during my match with him, I learned how to infuse intent into my basic movements, enhancing them effectively.
As weeks passed, with me transmitting martial arts knowledge to Bright Dragon and sparring, suddenly, three whole months had flown by.
Bright Dragon, lost in contemplation of the techniques, finally spoke. “I have something to discuss with Sword Demon. Call him over.”
“Yes.”
I complied with Bright Dragon’s request and summoned Sword Demon, who had been training solo in another area. After a brief interlude, they both wandered deeper into the mountains, clearly preparing to engage in a rather confidential discussion.
After half a day, when they returned, they informed me, “From today onwards, we’re going to teach you the applications of the Cave-Collapsing Sword.”
“Applications?”
“Of course, as in the Intent Control Technique.”
This didn’t imply continuing with the symbolic effects I had been using, but rather meant diving into the essence of the Cave-Collapsing Sword. After saying this, Sword Demon glanced at Bright Dragon and added, “And once my instruction is finished, you should learn Sword Mastery from Bright Dragon.”
“……!!”
That sentence sent shivers down my spine.
Sword Mastery!
That was one of the highest realms in swordplay, and in many ways, it was not too far from the Invincible Sword! A martial artist who reached the True Power Realm would be revered anywhere, and most people never even saw one in their lifetimes.
‘Until now, I could only force it by pushing my internal power to its limits… but am I really going to learn proper Sword Mastery now!’
Actual Sword Mastery is on an entirely different level than techniques like Sword Qi or Sword Flame!
Excited inside, I asked Sword Demon, “But why do I specifically have to learn from Bright Dragon?”
This question might have sounded audacious and rude to Bright Dragon, but it was something I absolutely needed to clarify. Sword Demon sighed helplessly at my question. “Sure, I could teach you Sword Mastery, but no matter what, it’s not comparable to Bright Dragon, who inherits the profound techniques of the Wudang sect. It’s a matter of systematic teaching versus a collection of individual experiences.”
“Ah…”
“He’s one of the few who can teach advanced swordplay in the simplest way possible. He’ll teach you much more quickly and easily than I can.”
Bright Dragon, standing nearby, interjected tersely, “Kid, consider it an honor. Nobody’s learned true Sword Mastery from me besides Cheongpungja.”
“Yes…”
With him saying something like that, I had no retort. Cheongpungja was the peak expert in the martial arts world and the leader of the Wudang sect, and Bright Dragon considered him a kid too.
I first learned the applications of the Cave-Collapsing Sword from Sword Demon.
“Up until now, you’ve only used the Cave-Collapsing Sword to slightly alter the trajectory of your basic moves. But that’s not its true power.”
Whoosh!
Sword Demon initiated the Shadowless Soul-Removing Sword. When it was about halfway through, suddenly, all the sword paths twisted and distorted in unpredictable ways—an unimaginable development in typical swordplay! Before I knew it, Sword Demon created two or three Splitting Shadows and launched his sword qi, leaving me unable to predict the paths at all.
Bang bang bang!
Just twelve basic moves in, how many changes could there be? As I stared blankly at that wondrous program, Sword Demon stopped and spoke, “The true power of the Cave-Collapsing Sword lies in its ability to distort space at any moment using intent and alter the direction of the attack. Fully mastering the Cave-Collapsing Sword means you’ll excel in change (變) and illusion (幻).”
“That’s amazing…”
“Now that you have grown familiar with utilizing intent, you’ll be able to learn this application. Starting today, invest at least a year into learning the Cave-Collapsing Sword’s application.”
“Yes!”
“After finishing this, I’ll also teach you the Heavenly Contraction Sword.”
After learning the application of the Cave-Collapsing Sword, I continued under the torchlight from Bright Dragon, where I learned the essence of Sword Mastery. He spoke sternly, “You’ve made a mistake! You foolish child!”
Wham!
Suddenly, he charged and kicked me. I was hit and flew back, managing to stabilize myself mid-air and land again. The speed of his strikes was incredibly overwhelming, making it challenging to resist; indeed, Bright Dragon was an extraordinary expert.
“What was wrong?” I protested. “I tried my best to make the sword qi as strong as possible, just like you told me.”
“Ugh…you said you knew how to use intent! What the hell did you learn?!”
Bright Dragon smacked his chest in frustration. “Not qi! Do it with intent! If you’re forming the qi by pouring in internal power, no matter how big and strong it is, it’s just sword qi! It’s not true Sword Mastery!”
“……”
“Damn it! Pay attention to what I’m saying, you fool!!”
Bright Dragon desperately began to teach me the essence of Sword Mastery, even sharing internal secret techniques from the Wudang sect with me. Yet, no matter how much he explained, I couldn’t grasp what Sword Mastery was. Frustrated, I finally forced myself, pouring every bit of internal power to awkwardly form Sword Mastery.
Swish—
Crash!!
“Is this what you were talking about? This is Sword Mastery, right?”
“……?”
Bright Dragon looked utterly exasperated, rubbing his head. “It’s Sword Mastery, but…you simply broke through the limit! That won’t help you in real combat!”
“Ugh…”
“Hah…now I finally understand why I called you a dullard.”
Bright Dragon scratched his head in distress. As someone chosen from the best talents in the Wudang sect, he had overcome countless rivals to reach this highest level. Teaching a dullard like me must feel like talking to a wall.
Finally, he said, “Let’s proceed in a way that suits you.”
“How do we do that?”
“What swordplay did you learn first after being born?”
Thinking hard, I responded, “The Six Harmonies Sword Technique.”
“How long did it take you to learn?”
“About ten years.”
So I hadn’t merely trained martial arts in my first life. The true training time was probably around that ten-year mark or a bit less.
Bright Dragon’s eyes lit up at this. “Oh? That’s interesting.”
“What’s so interesting about it?”
The Six Harmonies Sword Technique was the most common swordplay in Jianghu, only including the simplest basic moves. A child could easily mimic the moves after only seeing them a few times. But Bright Dragon disagreed and replied, “With that level of mastery, it’s worth trying. Starting today, infuse intent into the Six Harmonies Sword Technique until your internal power is exhausted.”
