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“The Soul of the Evil God.”

Zhuge Sa chuckled at my words.

“Before we dive in, there are a few things we need to discuss. So, what method do you want to use to wield the Thunder God’s Martial Art again?”

“Hmmm…”

After pondering Zhuge’s words for a moment, I replied, “Honestly, it was just a fleeting sensation; I can’t just whip it out like other martial arts. I think I’ll need to reach a state of total integration to tap back into the Thunder God’s Martial Art.”

“So, can you achieve that state with just meditation and focus?”

“Guess I’ll have to try.”

“Alright. Set it up for me.”

Once Zhuge Sa prepared a training ground inside Jangryeong Valley, I settled into a wide area and began my meditation. For an expert, meditation is the means to refine qi, and it serves as the best training to achieve total integration.

Hrrrummm…

As I gathered my qi to the maximum, I thought, ‘So the tablet of the Constellation given by Xiang Yu has disappeared… Did the Divine Thief sacrifice it to summon a ruler?’

Though a tad disappointed, I should view it as a price paid for overcoming that perilous situation. I could feel the vast qi flowing through my body without any interference, and this sensation was quite different from what I’d felt during the Rebirth of Flesh.

As my qi peaked, my focus sharpened, and a tremendous qi seemed to take tangible form around me, creating a pillar connecting to the heavens. As the Intent Heavenly Pillar stood firm, I felt myself swiftly reconnecting to the sensation of the Thunder God’s Martial Art I had experienced before.

‘Here it comes!!’

Crash!!

With a sensation akin to something striking the Upper Dantian, I sensed my spirit separating from my body and reaching a higher dimension. As I enjoyed that bizarre buoyancy, I perceived the presence of the White Throne again.

If I can reach that Royal Court, would that mean I’ve obtained the seat of a God…!!

Desperately, I reached out towards the Royal Court. I wasn’t certain, but I knew that the moment I touched it, everything would change.

Floundering…

But I wasn’t getting any closer to that White Throne, which felt just within reach. It felt like the more I tried to advance, the further away it got. Instinctively, I recognized that I couldn’t reach it this way.

… It’s not enough.

Something’s lacking…

What could it be…?

Even the original owners of the White Throne cast faint shadows, showing no interest in me at all. It was as if they knew I wasn’t ready to reach the throne yet. I continued my efforts, but at some point, I felt all my strength drain away.

‘Ugh!! The Intent Heavenly Pillar… is running out…’

The Intent Heavenly Pillar is not infinite. It symbolizes the Absolute Realm, a powerful force capable of distorting the laws of reality, but it clearly has limits when used by humans. I’d been thrusting my soul into a higher dimension, with the Intent Heavenly Pillar helping me, but if I run out of that intent, I might not be able to return to my original self.

Shhhwooosh!!

“Gah!!”

As I finished my focus and returned to reality, I ended up coughing up blood. As the fresh blood pressed against my throat, I instinctively covered my mouth. Kneeling while I spat up blood, Zhuge Sa said,

“Didn’t work, huh?”

“… Damn it.”

“I had a hunch.”

“What?”

I looked up at Zhuge Sa, who was pulling a chair nearby and sat down with a dignified posture, saying,

“I’m not a martial artist, but from what I gather, the Thunder God’s Martial Art isn’t a technique you created. Even if you’ve reached the Absolute Realm, it’s unclear if the Thunder God’s Martial Art qualifies as an Absolute Realm technique. Based on the current scenario, the Thunder God’s Martial Art seems to be on a different level altogether.”

“……”

“However, if I speculate that the Thunder God’s Martial Art might be a Divine Skill, then it wouldn’t explain your previous experience using it. I think the Thunder God’s Martial Art is indeed a Divine Skill, but perhaps it’s a technique that can be utilized in the Absolute Realm under special conditions.”

“Hmm!!”

“Also, if you concentrate to the point of performing the Thunder God’s Martial Art as you did before, then it’s likely that reaching the God’s Seat could be a basic condition for its use.”

“I get that much. That’s why I tried this time…”

I awkwardly confessed the despair I felt when I couldn’t reach. Zhuge Sa spoke slowly.

“Think about the situation when you executed the Thunder God’s Martial Art. You used the Peerless Technique to get through a hellish time, right?”

“Yeah.”

“The concentration you had back then can’t be compared to the concentration you hold during meditation now. The circumstances are different. Logically speaking… You need to manifest the enormous concentration and chaos equivalent to what you had back then.”

“……”

Can I do that?

‘… I feel like I’ll die at least 20 times trying…’

In my 27th life, I had managed to fend off the relentless assault of Tezcatlipoca using the Peerless Technique, but now that I think about it, that was nothing short of a miracle. Against a major opponent, using the Peerless Technique to completely nullify everything has a limit of only two or three times, and anything beyond that is nearly impossible. Plus, back then, what attacked me wasn’t just a physical assault, but intangible sorcery or curses, making the challenge significantly greater.

Reattempting that training feels like stacking an incredibly slim probability, leaving me utterly hesitant to try it all again. Assuming I had infinite time, I might consider it, but there’s no way I could meet the training requirements in just a short span.

Zhuge Sa, resting his chin on his fist, said,

“However, this case also raises a question.”

“A question?”

“When you defeated Tezcatlipoca, your concentration was indeed remarkable. But from a third-party perspective, you’ve gone through dozens or hundreds of life-and-death situations, continuously refining your focus at the very limits of existence. Simply gaining access to the Divine Skill’s realm based on concentration alone doesn’t seem coherent. You’ve faced countless situations where life was hanging by a thread before, right? No matter how many times you used the Peerless Technique, that situation alone doesn’t prove it was special.”

“… That is true.”

“I suspect there’s some special condition we don’t know about. One that probably belongs specifically to the Thunder God’s Martial Art. We need to uncover that.”

Zhuge Sa’s words rang true.

‘Hmm… Looks like this will be my future task. But it shouldn’t be impossible. I think I can handle it calmly.’

As I organized his words within myself without rashly questioning him, Zhuge Sa continued,

“For now, let’s set the Thunder God’s Martial Art aside. But I want to see something about your Four Great Spirit Deities.”

“Got it.”

I brought out the Vajra from within the realm of my mind and showed it to Zhuge Sa. He seemed intrigued and reached out to touch it, but suddenly, his face stiffened, and he quickly retracted his hand.

“What’s wrong?”

“It has the extreme property of magical power. If I touch it, I’d instantly be fried by the Thunder God.”

Shwoosh…

The Vajra vanished moments later. Zhuge Sa, gazing at the scene with a distant expression, remarked,

“It’s a persuasive tool, but it’s slightly lacking.”

He thought for a while before saying,

“No, it’s worth challenging.”

So saying, Zhuge Sa quickly commanded me,

“Baek Woong. For now, put other tasks aside. Let’s go to the main hall of the White Lotus Sect and meet the Master of the White Lotus Sect!”

I quickly nodded in agreement.

“… Let’s go!!”

With a bang, I set off with Zhuge Sa using the Golden Lamp technique to head towards the main hall of the White Lotus Sect. As Zhuge Sa and I entered the Hall of the Sect Leader, a wave of killing intent burst forth from the experts of the Elder Council, who had been lying in wait.

Upon sensing the killing intent, Zhuge Sa chuckled.

“Baek Woong. Honestly, if it were you before, overcoming these guys using only martial arts without external aid would have been tough. Especially considering Heuk Woong isn’t here right now. Together, the strength of these Elder Council members would be enough to destroy the Nine Great Sects three times over.”

“……”

“Is it possible to break through with the power of the Absolute Realm?”

“What do you take me for?”

Grumbling, I slowly drew my sword.

“I’ll finish this quickly.”

After fighting the Old Ruler, I found a sense of ease in the human realm.

As if triggered by my words, Ilro (一老), who was in Half-Transition Master mode, suddenly shouted.

“How rude!! Kill those brats!!”

Whoosh!

As the command finished, fifteen shadowy figures rushed towards me all at once. Since each of them was an Elder Council expert ruling as a Peak Expert in Jianghu, it was undoubtedly a terrifying joint attack. Among the known experts in Jianghu, there’s no way anyone could withstand their combined assault alone.

‘But still…’

Somehow, I didn’t want to use a grand secret technique in this scenario.

Is it pride?

I felt that even with basic swordplay techniques, I could sufficiently repulse them.

Slice!

Thunder God Lineage.

Thunder Dragon Sword.

Main Sword Dance.

I unleashed my first basic technique. Then, with utmost flair, the Main Sword Dance erupted, manifesting around ten sword blooms in the air. The three Elder Council experts facing the sword blooms charged forward, trying to break them with their weapons, infused with powerful qi.

Crash!!

“Whoa!!”

“No way, how…?”

Despite their profound internal power stacked above the Sacred Lotus, their combined attack failed to shatter the sword blooms, resulting in their weapons shattering instead. The swirling sword blooms morphed into Thunder Spears, piercing directly through their acupoints.

Bang!

“Argh!”

In an instant, three of them lay battered and bleeding on the floor, and taking advantage of the moment, five more rushed in, unleashing their techniques.

“Die!!”

The swirling storm of strong qi dazzled the air. Each of them was a Peak Expert, so I could sense the killing intent embedded in their secret techniques. However, as attacks rained down on me with no chance to retreat, I remained unfazed and activated my next technique.

Thunder God Lineage.

Ten Thousand Success Sword Technique.

Gray-scaled Dragon Burst.

With a swish… my sword seemed to elongate, and the long sword qi gained power and shot upward. Cleaving forward, the grayish sword strength smoothed out the space before me to nothingness, injuring two attackers in the abdomen and shoulder as they collapsed.

‘I can easily take out another one…’

I spun on the spot, pivoting off my left foot, releasing a sword dragon from the tip of my blade, and with a boom, two more experts fell.

There was no time for them to unleash their Protection Energy before the sword dragon struck their chests.

Crash!

As I merged both offense and defense during the Gray-scaled Dragon Burst, I effortlessly evaded the remaining attacks, brushing past and overpowering the last remaining Elder Council expert who turned to look, only to meet a dazed expression before falling over.

“Ugh…”

In that fleeting moment, I knocked him out with the sword’s handle against his acupoint, and he clearly hadn’t realized it was happening while I took down eight of them with no injuries.

As the last Elder Council expert fell, I sheathed my sword and thought,

‘Hmm… Definitely not 10 seconds. I finished even faster.’

Have I developed a tendency to overestimate my opponents?

If they were strong experts of the Absolute Realm, they would have been taken down right as I’d predicted, but I felt like I was still too inexperienced. Some bitterness filled me as I turned to Zhuge Sa, who was watching from a distance.

“Let’s go.”

Zhuge Sa chuckled.

“Haha… You take them all out in one blow. Is this your way of not using a grand technique against small fry?”

“That’s about the gist of it.”

With determined steps, we quickly made our way to the garden where the Master of the White Lotus Sect awaited, leaning against a massive tree with folded arms.

The Master of the White Lotus Sect spoke.

[I am pleased. And I commend you for your martial prowess.]

“……”

[In this world, I thought the only ones who could stand against me were the Heaven-Defying Sages or the Master of the Twelve Joules… I never imagined there’d be an absolute expert like you existing.]

As I looked at the mask of the Master of the White Lotus Sect, I replied.

“Master of the White Lotus Sect, we haven’t come to fight.”

[Then what have you come for?]

“I’ve come to discuss the truth about True Martial Home.”

It’d be better to ease into the main topic rather than diving straight into the story of the Four Great Spirit Deities.

[……]

The Master of the White Lotus Sect fell silent before asking,

[What is your name?]

“Baek Woong.”

[Baek Woong… You’ve certainly come to discuss something significant. However, before we get into that…]

Hrrrum…

I felt an overwhelming infinite internal power radiating from the Master of the White Lotus Sect. An aura of chaos emanated tangentially from his mask. Simultaneously, I felt the notion that time was sharply slowing down, enveloping me with immense pressure.

[I wish to converse with you through martial means.]

“……”

He’s fully unleashing his Primordial Spirit…

I could sense the Master of the White Lotus Sect was sincerely intrigued. He possessed a remarkable perceptual capability so he must have witnessed my battle against the Elder Council experts and used that process to deduce my martial prowess.

Clearly, he wanted to challenge me as a martial artist more than simply negotiating or gathering information after I mentioned True Martial Home.

There was no way to dodge this.

I nodded.

“Let’s do it.”

 

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