A Deeper Realization (3)
The drinking session was truly delightful.
These two were like the wings that allowed me to soar.
Naturally, I informed Baekpyo about the presence of Cheonma.
“The Cheonma, who was attempting the Great Divorce Technique, is now residing within me.”
“What? Are you serious?”
Baekpyo was so shocked that he jumped to his feet.
His reaction was even more intense than Galsaryang’s, likely due to a difference in temperament rather than sentiment. As a martial artist, he took the idea of something inhabiting one’s body much more seriously.
“Are you really okay?”
“It’s nice not to be bored.”
“What?”
Baekpyo and Galsaryang exchanged amused glances, unable to contain their laughter.
“Only you, my lord, could say something like that in this world.”
Baekpyo shook his head at Galsaryang’s comment.
“I wouldn’t last a day.”
[They don’t recognize my true worth.]
[True worth? To them, you’re just a terrifying evil that needs to be eradicated.]
Cheonma could have easily erupted in anger, but surprisingly, he remained calm. As always, his personality was unpredictable. Cheonma asked me casually.
[And to you?]
I could sense he was hoping for a flattering response.
[What makes you think I’m any different?]
[Cold-hearted fellow.]
[Hearing that from you is quite refreshing.]
After a few rounds of drinks, Galsaryang cautiously broached the subject.
“You mentioned there was something important to discuss. What is it?”
“I’ve been wondering about something while dealing with them. Where exactly are they getting their funding?”
Galsaryang nodded at my question.
“I’ve had similar doubts. The power they’ve shown can’t be achieved with ordinary resources.”
Having run the Martial Alliance ourselves, Galsaryang and I knew precisely how much money it took to build and maintain an elite organization.
Moreover, the enemies I faced were well-organized, to the point where it was believable that the elite forces of the Demonic Cult had been resurrected.
“This isn’t an organization that a typical wealthy person in the martial world could support. There must be someone with immense wealth backing them.”
“Sung Wangbo.”
Galsaryang was taken aback by the name I uttered.
“Are you referring to the head of the Continental Trading Group and the leader of the Central Merchants’ Union?”
“Yes, that very person is connected to them.”
“How did this happen?”
I explained the situation involving Sung Wangbo. The Namhyun Escort Agency, which had been sending materials to Im Yeonjeong, who was conducting research underground in the past, was involved.
During the investigation, we discovered that the Namhyun Escort Agency had grown into a mid-sized agency in just three years, and behind it was the Continental Trading Group run by Sung Wangbo.
At the time, there were more pressing matters, so the investigation was postponed, but now it was time to delve into it thoroughly.
“Sung Wangbo is either directly involved, or someone within the Continental Trading Group is connected to them.”
“Understood. I’ll focus on digging into Sung Wangbo.”
“Once their funding is cut off, they’ll be forced to make reckless moves. That’s when we strike.”
“Yes.”
I raised my glass. Galsaryang and Baekpyo followed suit.
“The real battle begins now.”
Macheolgun sat alone in the Taesa Hall.
Ever since the report of the man’s disappearance, he couldn’t stop thinking about that mysterious woman.
He had been responsible for him, and now he was gone. If he had escaped, that would be one thing, but if he had been kidnapped?
He would have no face to show her. As the leader of the Martial Alliance, he couldn’t even protect one person.
At that moment, Teacher No entered the leader’s chamber with quick steps.
“The investigation of the prison is complete.”
“What did you find?”
“The mechanism stopped temporarily due to maintenance. That’s when they infiltrated.”
“So, the internal information of the prison was leaked.”
“Or someone with the power to stop the mechanism was on their side from the start.”
If the prison warden was on their side, stopping the mechanism temporarily would be a trivial task.
“I’ll conduct a thorough investigation to root out everyone involved in this incident.”
“Who killed the intruders? Was it the captive?”
“While it seems that way, I believe it’s more likely the work of a third party.”
“Why do you think that?”
“As you know, the suppression techniques of the Martial Alliance’s prison cannot be undone by oneself. It’s known that only the former leader, Cheonhajin, could undo them. I don’t think that young man possesses such skills.”
“I agree.”
“It seems a third party intervened, took out those who came to kill him, and rescued the captive.”
“Investigate thoroughly.”
“Yes, understood.”
“And it’s time to use Joo Cheolryong.”
“Joo Cheolryong won’t be easy to deal with. To corner him, we need to cut off his wings first.”
“The Iron Flag Leader!”
“Exactly. We need to bring the Iron Flag Leader, Ok Dangchu, to our side. Leave that to me.”
“I’m counting on you.”
“Leave it to me.”
Teacher No left the leader’s chamber.
Macheolgun’s head throbbed. He poured himself a drink from the table beside him.
It wasn’t the time to be drinking, but it was hard to endure with a clear mind. The fact that he almost became a material for the Great Technique tormented him. His pride was wounded, which fueled his anger, and the inability to control his emotions further hurt his pride, creating a vicious cycle.
He thought he could brush it off, but it wasn’t as easy as he imagined.
In times like this, he should express his inner rage, but he had never experienced such a wound or learned how to overcome it.
And then there was the added worry about her.
He kept imagining her being violated by those men.
Macheolgun emptied his glass again.
“Please be safe. I will rescue you.”
He truly wanted to see her again.
I created a new space with the Heavenly Mind Illusion Technique.
This time, I used the front yard of the safe house as the reference point, and as a result, I found myself standing in a vast open field.
In the distance, Cheonma was walking toward me.
I silently watched as he approached through the shimmering heat haze.
He was an enemy I had once killed and would have to kill again in the future.
Yet, there were times when I saw myself through him. Like now. The image of the old Cheonma walking toward me overlapped with my past self.
I saw myself sitting cross-legged in the yard. I could now freely observe the real world.
I realized that even though I was reborn as Byeoklidan, I couldn’t escape from Cheonhajin. It was only natural, given that Cheonma had entered my body.
But even if I saw myself through him, I would strive.
Not to forget my past self.
But to live a life better than my past self.
Cheonma, who had walked up to me, grumbled.
“You brat! It’s too wide! I wandered around for ages.”
“As you get older, you should walk more for exercise.”
“You scoundrel, is that supposed to be a joke?”
“Haha.”
He seemed to have guessed why I chose such a wide space as the reference point.
“Is it today?”
“Yes. Let’s have a match today.”
“I’ve been waiting for this. This time, I’ll kill you.”
“Sorry, but that’s not going to happen.”
While part of the reason was to relieve his frustration, the true reason I learned the Heavenly Mind Illusion Technique was to spar with him.
“You want to face the Immortal Crane Technique directly?”
It was a bit unexpected that he wanted to face the Immortal Crane Technique. I thought he would want to confront the Soul-Chasing Sword Technique that had once defeated him.
“Sure. What about you?”
“Since you’re unarmed, I’ll fight barehanded too.”
“That might be too much for you.”
“You brat!”
We stood facing each other.
The principle of the Heavenly Mind Illusion Technique was this:
In here, we could fight as if it were real and even get injured.
But we would never die. Wounds would heal immediately, and if we sustained a fatal injury, the illusion would break.
In other words, we could fight to our heart’s content.
“Standing like this brings back memories.”
“Indeed.”
“The righteous sects preach about chivalry and justice, but in the end, people fight for themselves. You might deny it, though.”
“I don’t deny it.”
“What? That’s unexpected.”
“I became the best in the world at a very young age.”
“You say that so easily. You don’t seem like it, but you’re quite the braggart.”
“At first, I fought for my reputation.”
“And later?”
“Even later, it was for myself. Protecting the martial world and its people was ultimately for my own sake.”
“You’re quite humble too.”
“Haha. You sure like to attach ‘braggart’ to everything.”
“Men’s chatter is too long.”
“Well then, shall we have a match for old times’ sake?”
Cheonma and I stood still, watching each other. Even after being reborn as Byeoklidan, I had met many masters and overcome numerous challenges.
But no moment was as tense as this fight, where we couldn’t die no matter how we fought.
He was the rival of my life.
Losing to a rival just once? That’s not going to happen. That would be disrespecting the opponent. I would fight with all my might and win every time, even if it took a thousand battles.
I was the first to move.
From start to finish, my movements embodied the pinnacle of the Immortal Crane Technique.
Cheonma countered with the Soul-Obscuring Seven Fists, the most powerful martial art he knew. The Soul-Obscuring Seven Fists was truly a formidable technique.
Our movements were swift yet precise, fierce yet elegant. Every flick of a finger had purpose. It was intense yet graceful.
And so, the sparring match with Cheonma came to an end.
The outcome was my victory. It wasn’t a drawn-out battle, nor was it a close call. With the proper execution of the Seonhak Martial Arts, the match was decided in just over twenty seconds.
Through this duel, I came to a clear realization.
[The Seonhak Martial Arts are even more formidable than I had imagined.]
I knew I would win, but I expected a much tougher fight. Yet, it turned out to be far easier than I anticipated.
Cheonma didn’t offer any excuses or justifications for his defeat. He seemed to have expected this outcome as well.
[So, you’ve finally realized it?]
Fighting against a formidable opponent like Cheonma revealed the true value of my skills.
It was like using a knife meant for slaughtering cattle after only ever using it to catch chickens; I finally understood its true purpose.
[Where did you learn it?]
[Why are you so interested in the Seonhak Martial Arts?]
[Because it’s an impressive martial art.]
[Still, the technique that almost killed you was the Chuhon Sura Swordsmanship.]
After a brief pause, Cheonma spoke again.
[Yes, the Chuhon Sura Swordsmanship is indeed formidable. Especially that final move—it was truly overwhelming. But you know… it’s an incomplete martial art.]
[What?]
I was taken aback by his unexpected words. I could tell he was speaking sincerely.
[When we fought before, I constantly felt like I might die. But I never thought your swordsmanship was perfect. You said it yourself, didn’t you? That the final move was so dangerous you had to risk your life.]
[I did.]
[And it’s still the same now, isn’t it?]
Cheonma continued without waiting for my response, confident in his assertion.
[That’s the proof of its incompleteness. You covered up its flaws with your own skill. If anyone else had used the Chuhon Sura Swordsmanship, they would have succumbed to its dangers. Especially the final move—no one else could have succeeded with it.]
I listened silently as he spoke. Cheonma continued.
[In short, your genius in martial arts overcame the technique’s imperfections.]
Perhaps he was right. It was a thought I had entertained once or twice myself.
[Or it could be the opposite.]
[The opposite?]
[The martial art might be so perfect that our level can’t keep up with its perfection.]
[Is that optimism, or foolishness?]
[I’m saying it’s something we can’t be certain about.]
Cheonma wasn’t entirely sure either. But at least he had his own conviction.
[In any case, I believe that, as a martial art, the Seonhak Martial Arts are superior.]
[You think the Seonhak Martial Arts are more complete?]
[Yes.]
[Why are you telling me this? Helping me only brings you closer to death.]
[I’m not helping you; I’m teaching you a lesson. Isn’t it the duty of a master to teach a novice?]
I chuckled softly.
Cheonma spoke again, almost casually.
[I have a favor to ask.]
[What is it?]
[Take me to the place where you learned the Seonhak Martial Arts.]
I didn’t ask why. When it came to martial arts, any curiosity Cheonma had was deeply significant.
[Alright, let’s go.]