“If you want to take what is most precious to me, you must offer what is most precious to you.”
At my words, the Heavenly Demon’s eyes turned fierce, glaring at me with intensity.
“Are you suggesting I hand over the Blood Thunder Heavenly Art? You must be insane! I’ve told you before, the Blood Thunder Technique operates on principles completely opposite to your orthodox methods. If you try to learn it, your veins will burst, and you’ll die.”
“I don’t need the Blood Thunder Heavenly Art.”
“What? Then what do you want?”
It was then that the Heavenly Demon seemed to realize something. His voice dropped to a low, dangerous tone.
“You bastard.”
“Yes, what I want is the Demon’s Core.”
He fell silent, and so did I. This wasn’t about who would lose more in the exchange.
The Demon’s Core was a secret passed down solely to the leader of the Blood Heaven Sect. Revealing it would feel like shaking the very foundation of one’s existence.
“Why are you so obsessed with learning the Demon’s Core?”
“Curiosity.”
“Don’t give me that nonsense!”
He was right. It wasn’t just curiosity.
When I claimed to have discovered the Celestial Crane’s hidden cave by luck, the Heavenly Demon had said it wasn’t something that could be found by mere chance. He insisted that fate had led me to learn the Celestial Crane’s art.
If everything truly was guided by fate, as he suggested, then perhaps it was my destiny as the leader of the orthodox martial alliance to learn the Heavenly Demon’s martial arts. And maybe, unraveling the secrets of the Demon’s Core was also my destiny.
“You fool! The Demon’s Core is out of the question.”
I didn’t expect to obtain it easily. But one day, I would.
“I promised you the best treatment.”
Gwangdu spoke calmly to the men lined up before him. They were the ones selected for the Taeseong Trading Company’s martial team.
Typically, martial groups within a trading company were named after the company itself. Gwangdu had named this newly formed group the Taeseong Sword Squad.
“I promised you the best because you are the best warriors.”
Each word Gwangdu spoke carried weight. No one dared to underestimate him.
Just as Song Hwarin had been, Gwangdu’s mastery of the Southern Sea’s Seven Techniques, taught by Byeokridan, was a martial art that overwhelmed his subordinates.
“We exist to protect the company’s goods. As long as we’re here, no thief will ever take what belongs to us. Understood?”
“Yes!”
The resounding response came from the warriors carefully selected with Baekpyo’s help.
While it would have been ideal to prioritize character first and skill second, the reality was that skill came first, and character second.
Baekpyo had imparted a lesson: always prioritize skill. The moment you forget that this is a martial world and get caught up in emotions, everyone suffers.
Unless someone was beyond redemption, select them for their skill first, and then use strong leadership or personal charm to change them.
Gwangdu understood that this was no easy task. He knew better than anyone the complexities of human relationships.
He took Baekpyo’s advice to heart: don’t take the easy way out just for convenience.
“Let’s show the world who the best sword squad in the Central Plains is!”
“Yes!”
The enthusiastic response filled Gwangdu with pride. He felt a change within himself. It wasn’t something he noticed when he was with familiar faces, but in this new environment, it was clear. He had changed.
He felt like a better person.
“Thank you, young master.”
Without Byeokridan, he would still be sweeping the courtyard of the Byeok family’s sword school.
Some might argue that would be a happier life, that living as a martial artist could lead to an early death.
To those doubts, Gwangdu could firmly say no.
No, he was happier now. Even if he were to die tomorrow, he was happier now.
And he would continue to change.
“For the young master, and for myself.”
I sat cross-legged in the open space behind the iron bars, immersed in my meditation.
The Celestial Martial Heart Technique was always active, except when I was asleep, but focusing on it enhanced its effects.
It had been two months and five days since I started assisting Dujung with the project. Originally expected to take three months, we anticipated completion today or tomorrow.
Dujung had been engrossed in the final stages for ten days, working alone on the most crucial tasks.
Since that day, the Heavenly Demon hadn’t spoken to me. It seemed he was sulking. I hadn’t spoken to him either.
Thanks to that, I had ten days of quiet to focus on my martial training.
Then, someone appeared from the direction of the iron bars. It was Dujung, looking exhausted and on the verge of collapse.
“It’s finally complete.”
Despite his tired appearance, joy spread across his face.
We had finished twenty-five days ahead of the three-month schedule, thanks to my full support and Dujung’s dedication.
“You’ve worked hard.”
“Come, let’s go inside.”
I followed him into the workshop.
On the table were two boxes.
“Open them.”
Dujung’s voice trembled. More than the satisfaction of completing a grueling task, he was likely anxious about whether it had been done correctly.
I opened the box on the left. Inside was a pair of seemingly ordinary armguards. They bore no markings, looking like any common armguards.
I strapped them onto my arms.
Though they appeared worn, the material was the finest, soft yet durable leather.
But the true material lay within. Compressed inside the leather was the legendary Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron, making these armguards the toughest and most resilient in the world.
However, I hadn’t brought the Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron just to make armguards.
With a swift motion, I drew out what was embedded in the armguards. It was a dagger, crafted to be incredibly thin and sharp enough to cut just by looking at it. Made from the Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron, it was the strongest and sharpest dagger in the martial world.
I swung it around in my hand.
A unique sound of wind slicing through the air followed.
The blade’s sharpness was impressive, but the balance of the entire dagger was perfect. It had been a long time since I’d seen such a well-crafted dagger.
Dujung had certainly lived up to my expectations, surpassing even his father’s skills.
After a few swings, I sheathed the dagger. This time, I drew two daggers and swung them with both hands before sheathing them again.
With practiced ease, the daggers disappeared back into the armguards.
There were six daggers in each armguard, making a total of twelve.
Since the daggers were made of Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron, they also served to protect my arms. In other words, they provided double protection.
This time, I drew the daggers in succession and hurled them into the air.
Twelve daggers embedded themselves in a line on the wall. The wall was solid, but the daggers pierced it as if it were nothing.
Dujung’s eyes widened in amazement at my skill. Though he hadn’t seen how the daggers were drawn and embedded in the wall, he was satisfied, knowing his creation was performing as intended.
After retrieving the daggers and sheathing them in the armguards, I opened the second box.
Inside was a pair of gloves. Made of thin leather, the palms and backs were reinforced with Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron. They could crush weapons with bare hands and deflect sword energy or sword strikes with the palm or back of the hand.
These were combat gloves designed for the Celestial Crane’s art.
Crafted to be extremely thin, they didn’t hinder hand movements at all. Moreover, sharp blades made of Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron were attached to the knuckles, designed to tear through an opponent’s protective energy.
With a flick, a line unraveled from the wrist of the gloves. It was the fishing line I had originally wrapped around my wrist, now integrated into the gloves to unravel instantly.
As I infused the line with my internal energy, it vibrated subtly. If it wrapped around an opponent’s arm or neck, it would slice through effortlessly.
In a battle between masters, would such things be necessary?
Yes, they would.
Against weaker opponents, these would be unnecessary.
But in a close match, they could be invaluable. Who would expect me to sever their arm with a fishing line?
“Thank you. I’m truly satisfied.”
Finally, Dujung’s face lit up with joy.
“I’m glad you’re satisfied, truly glad.”
The long journey of two months and five days had finally borne fruit.
Dujung placed a small box on the table.
Inside were spare daggers, identical to those in the armguards.
“These are spare daggers made from the remaining Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron. There are thirty in total, so use them if you ever lose any.”
“Thank you.”
I took out four daggers and handed them to him.
“This is a token of my gratitude for your work.”
“It’s alright. Just having the opportunity to work with Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron is reward enough for me.”
“Twenty-six daggers are more than enough for me.”
In truth, even that would last a lifetime.
I would never fail to retrieve a dagger made of Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron, and even if I couldn’t, how often would such a situation arise?
I insisted on giving him the daggers.
“Use them as you see fit, whether to melt them down for something else or use them as they are.”
The Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron in those four daggers was priceless. It was a gift more valuable than money.
“Thank you, truly.”
“I’ll be back with more requests in the future.”
“Come anytime.”
After bidding him farewell, I gathered the dagger box and left.
The Heavenly Demon suddenly spoke. After sulking for a while, he finally broke his silence.
“What on earth did you make those for?”
“To maximize the effects of the Celestial Crane Technique, right?”
“I hate to admit it, but your current skills are more than enough.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“What do you mean?”
“Until recently, I never imagined I might die, end up in this body, fight against the forces controlling the Martial Alliance, or that you would end up inside me.”
The Heavenly Demon listened quietly. He must have his own past that aligns with my words. He probably never imagined he’d end up in my body either.
“Who will we meet at the end of all this?”
What if someone beyond my ability to handle appears? If someone I can’t even imagine is waiting for me, just like in my life so far? I could lose everything. Everyone I care about.
Then the Heavenly Demon spoke.
“The final enemy is me.”
When I didn’t respond, he raised his voice.
“Isn’t it obvious? I am the Heavenly Demon.”
After a brief pause, I replied.
“Yeah, it would be you.”
“You brat! You don’t sound sincere!”
“Haha.”
Maybe it really is him. Whether I can reach the state of mind to defeat him, or if I can even cut him down with it, remains uncertain.
But what if it’s not him? What if something even more terrifying and formidable awaits?
The Heavenly Demon suggested, almost playfully, “Let’s make peace.”
“We haven’t even fought.”
“Forget that nonsense and let’s reconcile.”
“Alright.”
“In that spirit, why don’t you teach me the Celestial Crane Technique? Come on, I’m ready. Just recite the incantation.”
He tried to be sly, but I wasn’t having it. I yanked the snake’s tail and threw it to the ground.
“Let’s head home now.”
“Are you really not going to teach me?”
“No. Don’t waste your energy on pointless things. If you truly want to learn the Celestial Crane Technique, just consider whether you’ll share the secret of the Demonic Heart with me.”
“Persistent brat! The secret of the Demonic Heart is something even past leaders couldn’t unravel. I’m no different. Why are you so keen on it?”
“Then you can tell me. I probably won’t solve it anyway.”
“You little…”
The Heavenly Demon fell silent for a while.
How long did we walk? This time, I spoke first.
“Hey, Cheongwang.”
“Don’t call me by that name!”
“You believe it too, right? That all of this is guided by fate.”
He couldn’t answer immediately. He was someone who believed in destiny. I understood him. How could he ignore fate when he was reborn through reincarnation? I felt the same way.
“That’s why I want the Demonic Heart. It all feels like destiny.”
After a long pause, the Heavenly Demon finally spoke.
”…That’s why I don’t want to tell you.”