In the Heart of the Sky (1)

A shadowy figure bent over, gazing intently at a jade Buddha statue. The statue was crafted with such exquisite detail that it seemed as if it might come to life at any moment. Perhaps that was why the half-closed eyes of the Buddha appeared to look upon the figure with a sense of pity.

Just then, a voice echoed from the void.

“The Dark Master has arrived. Shall I ask him to wait?”

“Let him in.”

The voice in the void sounded surprised, seeking confirmation.

“Here? Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Understood.”

Moments later, the Dark Master entered the room.

He was inwardly tense. Though he had known the Shadowy Figure for over twenty years, he had never been invited to this place before.

And for good reason. This was where the Shadowy Figure displayed his collection of priceless artifacts amassed over the years.

The pristine hall was filled with all sorts of art. Paintings adorned the walls, and various bowls, statues, and carved stones were scattered throughout. There were weapons, garments, books, and even rare jewels. It was a treasure trove of the rare and valuable.

The Dark Master had passed through numerous security measures to reach this place, witnessing defenses that no intruder could breach.

“I feel truly happy here. It reminds me that I’m alive.”

The fact that the Shadowy Figure had revealed this place to him indicated a significant shift in his mindset. It was a time to tread carefully, especially when the person in question held the power of life and death over him.

The Shadowy Figure turned to the Dark Master and added, “I don’t want to give up this happiness.”

The Dark Master approached with a sly grin. “I understand. I have my own treasures that mean the world to me.”

“Ha ha ha.”

Standing beside him, the Dark Master looked at the jade Buddha and asked, “Do you know how much this is worth?”

“It was thirteen million nyang when it was sold.”

“It’s now worth around forty million. It’s tripled in value over the past decade.”

“That’s impressive.”

“It’s not me that’s impressive, but this Buddha.”

The Shadowy Figure began to walk again, and the Dark Master followed cautiously.

He stopped in front of a painting, a famous work by the renowned artist Yang Gongbaek, known as “Beauty Under the Moon.”

“My goodness! You bought Yang’s ‘Beauty Under the Moon’?”

“Indeed.”

“There were rumors it sold for fifty million nyang back then. Now, it must be worth a hundred million.”

“That doesn’t matter. There are only a handful of people in this world who could afford it.”

The Shadowy Figure looked at the Dark Master and asked, “Interested? I’d consider selling it to you.”

The Dark Master waved his hands dismissively. “Where would I get that kind of money?”

“You have plenty. You could buy several paintings like this.”

“You misunderstand. All the money I’ve earned has gone into maintaining this hefty body of mine.”

The Shadowy Figure chuckled, knowing full well that wasn’t true. The Dark Master was known for his insatiable greed, hidden behind his unassuming appearance and lighthearted banter.

“You don’t need to pretend. I know you’re not particularly interested in art.”

“Ha ha ha. To be honest, I don’t see the point in spending so much on paintings. They could be forgeries.”

“If you see them as mere objects, they’re hard to buy. You have to see them as art.”

A hint of a smirk crossed the Dark Master’s face, and he didn’t bother to hide it. The Shadowy Figure didn’t mind either.

In fact, the Shadowy Figure confessed, “I admit there’s a bit of a vulgar compensation complex at play. I can’t shake the inferiority complex of being just a money-obsessed fool.”

The Dark Master responded with his usual sly grin. “So what if you’re a bit uncultured? You’re the richest man in the world.”

“Being the richest means I should have some refinement, don’t you think?”

“Ha ha, you can be the refined one. I’m too busy spending money.”

They laughed together, respecting each other’s way of life without interference.

They moved on, and the Dark Master stopped in front of a dazzling blue gem.

“Oh my! The Blue Dragon’s Eye is here. I was going to buy it, but someone beat me to it.”

“The early bird gets the worm, as they say.”

“Indeed. Hesitation has its price.”

The Shadowy Figure chuckled, knowing the Dark Master was referring to his refusal to unleash the full power of the Dark Ten to deal with the Biryudan.

“But it turned out for the best.”

He was referring to the Heavenly King Army. Reports had come in that Cheon So-seon had attacked the Martial Alliance with a young man, who he was certain was the Heavenly King Army. The man had succeeded in a great technique, becoming younger and immensely powerful. They should have dealt with him sooner, but the opportunity had slipped away.

“What about the Heavenly King Army?”

“They’ve completely taken over the Martial Alliance. Those who opposed him are dead, and only those who swore loyalty remain.”

“And Ma Cheol-gun?”

“He’s alive.”

“Why didn’t they kill him? Even a child could see his loyalty isn’t genuine.”

“They must see some use in him. Either to trap us or to deal with the Biryudan.”

“That makes sense.”

“You’ve probably heard that the Heavenly King Army’s martial arts have surpassed human limits. Those who witnessed his divine presence are calling him a Heavenly God.”

“Is he really that powerful?”

“He took over the Martial Alliance in less time than it takes to drink a cup of tea. If anything, he’s more powerful than that.”

“Not a Heavenly God, but a natural disaster.”

Having wealth can grant immense power, but only to a certain extent. It cannot grant the kind of overwhelming force that transcends ‘immense.’ Such power cannot be kept close, for the moment it desires more, it will take everything away.

As wealth grows, trust diminishes. That’s the limit of humanity and the devilish nature of money.

Ultimately, one must possess such power themselves. If one had the talent to become so powerful, they would have become a warrior, not a merchant.

In any case, the Heavenly King Army had become something beyond immense, slipping completely out of his control.

“What will you do now?”

The Dark Master had once suggested mobilizing the hidden power of the Dark Ten, but he no longer mentioned it. It was a fight he deemed unwinnable.

After staring at a painting on the wall for a long time, the Shadowy Figure suddenly spoke.

“I’ll declare bankruptcy for the entire underground market.”

Declaring bankruptcy meant ceasing all money-making activities and disappearing to a place unknown. They were already in the shadows, but now they would leave the market entirely.

The Dark Master nodded. “A wise decision. No matter how fierce the storm, it eventually passes. That’s why we’ve survived for so long.”

Despite the hopeful words, the Shadowy Figure let out a deep sigh.

“I’ll be the first Shadowy Figure to declare both a night market opening and bankruptcy.”

＊＊＊

Swoosh!

The speed at which I plummeted from the sky naturally slowed.

The Demonic Wind Step, or rather, the Demonic Shadow Wind Step, was truly an incredible martial art. It allowed me to maneuver my inner energy in the sky as naturally as if I were on the ground.

As I descended closer to the ground, I could see what lay beneath me. To my surprise, it was a field where crops were being cultivated. Various grains and vegetables were being grown.

Just before I touched the ground, I executed a graceful spin and landed lightly. It was a landing so smooth that no one would believe I had descended from such a great height.

I had landed in the center of the cultivation area.

Something special was being grown there.

Tall crops surrounded the area, making it difficult to spot from the outside. It was a place that could only be reached by descending directly from the sky to the center of the field.

“My goodness!”

A gasp of astonishment escaped my lips.

[Am I seeing things?]

The Heavenly Demon responded to my question.

[It must be an illusion. There’s no way this could be real.]

The Heavenly Demon was just as shocked.

Before me lay a field of the legendary Divine Three-White Grass. Or more accurately, a field of Divine Three-White Grass.

The Divine Three-White Grass was a rare herb known to grant a martial artist an entire lifetime’s worth of inner energy in an instant. It was said to be impossible to obtain, even with money, yet here it was, growing in abundance.

Martial artists often joked over drinks that a lucky man could fall off a cliff and land in a field of rare herbs.

That was me now.

[How many roots are there?]

[Let’s count.]

My body floated slightly above the ground. I didn’t want to risk stepping on the precious herbs.

From above, I could see that the surrounding area was filled with ordinary grains and vegetables. The entire cultivation area was quite large, making it impossible to find this exact spot without a clear purpose or intent.

I realized that this second trial was much more difficult than the first. I had to master the Demonic Shadow Wind Step while searching for this place, and then descend accurately from the sky to the center of the field.

I counted the roots of the mystical ginseng. Seventeen in total. Each one promised sixty years of internal energy, so theoretically, consuming them all would grant me a thousand and twenty years of power.

Of course, I already possessed the energy equivalent to four cycles of the zodiac, or two hundred and forty years, so I couldn’t absorb all of it. The more energy one has, the less effective these mystical herbs become. Moreover, since they were all the same type, their effectiveness would diminish even further.

What I needed was exactly two hundred and forty years’ worth of energy.

Could I really gain that much from this?

I had no choice but to leave it to fate.

I gathered all the mystical ginseng from the area, brushed off the dirt, and washed them clean in the nearby stream.

Seventeen roots of mystical ginseng.

Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I’d consume them all at once.

“Ah, I’m nervous.”

“Why are you nervous?”

“It’s always more nerve-wracking to watch than to be in the fight.”

“Haha. Well, here goes.”

I began consuming the mystical ginseng.

I decided to use the Blood Thunder Technique to absorb the effects. After all, my martial arts were based on this technique.

There were two ways to consume them: one by one or all at once. I chose the latter.

Typically, even when consumed all at once, the energy naturally flows through the meridians in sequence.

But this time, I did it differently.

I gathered the energy in one place instead of letting it flow through the meridians. This was to minimize the diminishing effect of consuming the same type of herb consecutively. It wasn’t easy, but I managed.

I consumed all seventeen roots in succession and released the gathered energy into my meridians at once.

It was like a tidal wave of energy coursing through my veins.

Roaring like a storm.

I quickly circulated my internal energy to match its speed.

Feeling the wild energy galloping like a wild horse, I was tense. The reaction inside my body was more intense than I had anticipated.

I didn’t lose control of the reins of this wild horse. In such a critical situation, not making mistakes is what true masters do. I had to corral these wild horses into the stable of my dantian.

Once the fierce energy had made a full circuit through my body, I didn’t immediately direct it into my dantian.

I circulated it through my meridians again, trying to tame the energy as much as possible. It was a risky move, but by doing so, I could gain a bit more internal energy than if I had just directed it straight into my dantian.

After several circulations, I finally directed the energy into my dantian.

“Phew.”

I let out a sigh of relief.

“That was a close call.”

As the Heavenly Demon said, it was indeed dangerous. Not just a little, but quite a lot. If anything had gone wrong, all my efforts would have resulted in minimal gains.

With a tense heart, I examined the energy in my dantian.

“Ah!”

The Heavenly Demon quickly asked at my exclamation.

“What? Did you fail?”

“I failed.”

“Damn it! How much are you short?”

“I aimed for exactly eight cycles, but I ended up with ten.”

“What?”

A moment of silence passed.

“Oh, you crazy fool! Hahaha! You succeeded!”

“Yes! I succeeded.”

And it was a resounding success. I had expected to reach exactly eight cycles.

But by releasing the energy all at once and not immediately directing it into my dantian, I managed to gain an additional cycle of energy. The synergy between the Blood Thunder Technique and the mystical ginseng played a significant role.

“Hahaha. I never thought I’d witness ten cycles of internal energy with my own eyes.”

The Heavenly Demon was as delighted as if it were his own achievement.

I was thrilled too. Although the trial of the Demonic Arts was still ongoing, at least in this moment, I wanted to savor the joy.

I pushed off the ground and soared into the sky.

The speed was incredible. A passing bird was startled and veered off in the opposite direction.

Reaching the limits of my internal energy, I felt a wind I’d never experienced before and laughed heartily.

“Hahaha!”