Chapter 72
“You are quite a peculiar person, Baek Woong.”
I entered the separate room while recalling Han Baek-ryeong’s sword techniques. There were eyes watching me, but soon enough, they vanished like ghosts. After pondering for a while without any breakthroughs, I let out a sigh.
“Hoo…”
I had no idea what was going on.
‘Is it really about the Fire Spirit Techniques?’
It was one of the martial arts sects that upheld the White Lotus Sect, just like the Wind Spirit Sect. Without a chance to question it right there, I brushed it off, but if that’s the case, it meant Han Baek-ryeong’s martial skills were also linked to the White Lotus Sect.
I hadn’t heard much about the Fire Spirit Techniques from Lee Kwang. Unlike the annoying archenemy, the Wind Spirit Sect, he would only mention them casually. Asking about them would clearly annoy him.
Thinking back now, it felt more like he didn’t want to talk about it rather than simply not knowing. This alone proved that Lee Kwang actually knew a lot about the Fire Spirit Techniques.
While my mind wandered like this, Han Jin-seong, the young master of the Han Clan, entered through the door of the separate room.
He still had an appearance so dazzling it was almost blinding. Startled by his unexpected visit, I sat up slightly, and he spoke.
“In the last ten years, I’ve never seen our clan leader take such an interest in anyone else. Let alone showing off a secret technique, it’s truly remarkable.”
“What do you mean? Just watching one technique isn’t going to boost my martial arts. I’m not that incredible of a genius.”
I snapped at him, feeling like he was mocking me.
With only two days until the Dark Realm Martial Arts Tournament, thinking I’d suddenly gain power from just one sword technique felt straight out of a novel. I briefly considered if both Han Baek-ryeong and Han Jin-seong were just here to mess with me.
However, Han Jin-seong laughed oddly and touched his fingers together.
Then, two beautiful women walked in from beyond the door, carrying a large wooden board to place on the floor. Curious, I leaned closer to see nineteen lines drawn across it. I murmured,
“Go?”
It was a game where black and white stones were placed alternately, fighting for territory, ultimately deciding the winner based on who had more control. While it sounded simple, it required considerable brainpower and judgment, making it a favorite among scholars. I had played it a couple of times with Mangnyang during my three years studying under him, mostly to clear my head.
Han Jin-seong asked,
“Do you know how to play?”
“I know the basics. But why did you bring this?”
“Excuse me, but I thought we could have a light match.”
I glanced at the game board and shot back,
“No thanks. My head is killing me. Why would I want to do this?”
“Ha ha. Haven’t you taken risks countless times before? If you spend some time on this little adventure with me, you might gain something.”
“……”
I could tell Han Jin-seong had some ulterior motive for wanting to play, so scrounging for an excuse, I begrudgingly sat down. I was in such a muddled state that a light distraction was welcomed.
“Fine.”
“You take black. I’ll stick with white.”
“Black is more advantageous. Are you sure about that?”
“You said you just know the basics, right?”
“I’m not so easy to underestimate.”
Despite losing every time I played against Mangnyang, who was a genius at go, he had always praised my skills. Whether it was genuine or just pity, I had some confidence in my strategic vision. Han Jin-seong continued,
“A match without bets is boring, so let’s wager on it.”
“What’s the wager?”
“The loser grants the winner one wish.”
“…Alright.”
Han Jin-seong, as the young master of the Han Clan, could command my life as casually as a piece of paper if he wanted, so I accepted without hesitation. I felt half resigned to my fate anyway.
The match began soon after. I calmly placed my stones according to the standard opening moves. About fifty moves in, Han Jin-seong exclaimed,
“You’re certainly good at this! I may be one of the better players among the scholars of Luoyang…”
“Just focus.”
“Ha ha…”
With a grin, Han Jin-seong placed a stone down.
Thwack!
“The great battle has begun!”
As he said, each of our stones clashed fiercely on the board, as Han Jin-seong refused to stick with quiet tactics and went for broke instead. It was impossible to read who would win this fight. I shot Han Jin-seong a glance, and he replied,
“It’s all or nothing, right?”
“I intend to survive!”
“Well then, give it your best shot.”
Thwack!
Thwack!
In an instant, ten moves had passed. I was playing as I usually did, but suddenly the situation shifted, and things got tricky. ‘Atari’ had occurred, with multiple points needing critical defense, making it doubly difficult.
“……”
As I pondered my next moves, Han Jin-seong asked,
“Can you see it?”
“Honestly, I can’t tell where this is going.”
“Most players wouldn’t be able to read this position. I designed it to be complicated.”
My eyebrows twitched.
“Are you saying this was intentional?”
“Exactly. I led you this way.”
“Stop with the bravado. You think I wouldn’t notice if you had set this up?”
Han Jin-seong merely smiled at me.
“If you don’t believe me, I can end this game without a winner.”
“That’s nonsense!”
That shouldn’t even be possible. I felt no hints of such outcomes. Gripping my teeth, I determinedly focused on rescuing my stones, working hard to turn the tables. About half a moment later,
Thwack!
“……!!”
I was struck by a wave of despair at Han Jin-seong’s single move.
‘No way… It’s a draw.’
I didn’t need to confirm it. My large block of stones seemed to teeter on the brink of death yet somehow survived, while Han Jin-seong’s territory regained its balance. We ended up with the exact same setups on the board, a perfect draw.
At a loss for words, Han Jin-seong remarked,
“Well? What do you think?”
“…So what now? Did you come here at night just to boast about your skill against me?”
“Hoo… you still don’t understand.” Han Jin-seong sighed and said.
“After I live, I can inflict death upon others. Only after ensuring my own survival can I plan to take out others. I didn’t twist the game; I simply managed to stifle your aggressive attacks because you were so busy disregarding your own safety. That alone allowed me to impound your weaknesses while looking for ways to keep your situation stable.”
“……!!”
My face flushed with shame. Han Jin-seong’s words hit too close to home. I had blithely charged forward, thinking I was using brilliant tactics, only to realize all my moves were readable to him. This was less a matter of skill difference than a matter of attitude towards the game.
As I closed my mouth, Han Jin-seong continued.
“Go is like life. Winning is fundamental, but you must also find ways to not lose. Losing is akin to death; without plotting the way to survive, you can never hope to defeat your opponent.”
“Are you trying to advise me?”
“What if this were a fight using martial arts instead of go? If you burned your spirit without restraint, could you accept your own death with a word? Is that what you call your life?”
“……”
My subconscious recognized that truth, and I felt a sting of realization. I had charged forward like a wild boar too many times, and now I had no comeback. I had tried repeatedly to control myself but had always failed thanks to my temper.
Han Jin-seong added,
“I don’t know who your opponent is. However, that person likely possesses significant power, considerable wisdom, and tremendous influence. Otherwise, you wouldn’t feel so impatient with your current martial arts.”
“Which means, because you’re facing someone like that, you must find your way to live on,” he emphasized. “No matter how strong they are, every powerful person has weaknesses. To exploit them, you’ll need the icy rationality of a strategist, coupled with incredible patience. You can’t hope to topple someone like that by sheer luck.”
Every word rang true. Even though it was a different perspective from what Mangnyang had advised, I saw the wisdom in it. While Mangnyang focused on righteousness, Han Jin-seong’s counsel had a broader, more detached view of the situation. As I leaned in to listen attentively, he said
“Remember this. Surviving can mean winning.”
“Surviving means winning…?”
That notion, unfamiliar to me until now, left me flabbergasted. Han Jin-seong nodded.
“Rushing in to duel for life and death is not tough. Even a child with a knife might charge at an adult. The crucial part is deciding when and how that knife should be used. Otherwise, you’ll end up trampled by the strong, ridiculed, and have your will snuffed out. That’s life.”
“……”
“We of the Han Clan will exercise our right over your participation in the Dark Realm Martial Arts Tournament. While the Eight Demons of Martial Daos seemingly pressure contestants to withdraw, that bunch certainly cannot touch the Han Clan. From now on, I advise you to stay within this separate room and focus on self-cultivation.”
The Eight Demons were the strongest sect with notorious power, to the extent of even having the Shura Sect under their thumb. However, Han Jin-seong’s dismissive attitude towards the demons implied the Han Clan’s formidable reputation. When I found myself speechless, Han Jin-seong cleared the board, casually saying,
“You really are quite lucky. By randomly bumping into things, you’ve become a guest of the Han Clan, caught the eyes of the clan leader, had access to secret techniques, and received our help in tackling the Eight Demons. You’re the first person I’ve seen who’s so fortunate that I felt compelled to share my advice.”
“……”
“Please rest easy.”
With that, Han Jin-seong left the room.
I mulled over his words.
Luck?
‘Oh… now that you mention it, I’ve been incredibly lucky this time.’
It felt like a bucket of cold water had splashed over me, as I realized this entire sequence of events since arriving in Luoyang had been one stroke of fortune after another. Had that official not mentioned the Han Clan, and had I not considered joining as a guest, what could have happened? Right now, dozens, even hundreds of experts from Luoyang could have been engaged in bloody battles over my head, seeking to claim my life and a gold bar. If experts from the Shura Sect had gotten involved, I could have easily ended up dead and buried somewhere with no one to recall my demise.
Avoiding such a future, being provided with a safe hideout, gaining information about the Dark Realm Martial Arts Tournament, and on top of that, getting to see the secret techniques of the Fire Spirit were nothing short of miraculous luck. If I had chosen any other path, I would undoubtedly be dead by now.
Looking back, it felt like I was showered with probabilities of millions to one. This was a stroke of luck I had scarcely felt in my past lives, leaving me a bit dazed as I reviewed my history.
“Could it be?”
I suddenly recalled a conversation with Cheon Woo-jin.
[Yes. I sent off the curse with the method of offering the Water Element Divine Sword to the Primordial Void Ruler. Because of that, you, who will become the owner of the Water Element Divine Sword, will receive a significant gift from the Primordial Void Ruler.]
[Gift? What’s that?]
[I don’t know that either. But Primordial Void Ruler is a deity that interferes with fate, so I thought it might be related.]
“……!!”
I widened my eyes in shock.
With such extraordinary luck, there was only one possibility I could think of.
The Primordial Void Ruler intervened in my fate and bestowed luck upon me! I had been bumbling through life as though it didn’t matter if I were to die at any moment, but somehow, my life remained intact, and I was grasping at threads of fortuity – that had to be a result of the offering I made to the Water Element Divine Sword!
‘Ah, no, could it really be…’
But soon, I found myself solidifying that guess.
Bam!!
“……!!”
After around eight weeks of hiding away in the separate room, meditating occasionally and practicing while pondering Han Baek-ryeong’s sword forms, I sensed something unusual. Some masters from the Shura Sect, claiming to have come for the Dark Realm Martial Arts Tournament, seemed to have been pressured away by the prominence of the Han Clan. As I continued my seemingly endless training days, an unexpected revelation struck me.
I was startled by the sudden clarity of my thoughts. I realized I had been fumbling with the Thunder Shadow Technique’s Heavenly Gathering Kill this whole time.
That’s right.
If my talent was insufficient, I could always adapt the Hyun Cheon Divine Art!
Unlike the Thunder Spirit Technique, the Wudang Sect’s Hyun Cheon Divine Art flowed along an alternative vein supporting my Eight Extraordinary Vessels. I had been using it merely as a conduit for my overflowing Qi, but upon reflection, I saw that the Hyun Cheon Divine Art also offered cognitive enhancement to understand the flow of Yin and Yang easily. This was indeed a traditional characteristic of Wudang Sect’s martial arts.
This is great!
I tested my theory by performing the Thunder Shadow Technique’s Heavenly Gathering Kill while channeling the secrets of the Hyun Cheon Divine Art. My brain adapted seamlessly, enabling me to manage multiple calculations at once! The combinations of direction changes and power adjustments that had previously seemed incredibly complicated became so much easier to execute! It dawned on me that I had made it through the beginner’s stage of the Thunder Shadow Technique in a flash.
Moreover, the inspiration I had gained watching Han Baek-ryeong’s sword techniques connected with the Thunder Shadow Sword Technique, intensifying its illusions and transformations. All my previously clumsy attempts felt like a lie as I swiftly levelled up in martial arts.
This wasn’t merely thanks to my keen insights; it felt like a stroke of sheer providence, occurring only once in a million attempts! This couldn’t have been orchestrated!
“Darn it…!!”
I punched the air, overwhelmed with tears of joy.
Completely out of nowhere, I sensed that thanks to the Water Element Divine Sword, my path in this new life was about to become a whole lot smoother!
