In the Heart of the Sky (2)
I had begun to truly immerse myself in mastering the Demonic Breath Technique.
Despite my internal energy reaching the tenth level, the technique remained elusive.
While an increase in internal energy undeniably strengthens a martial artist, it isn’t the be-all and end-all. It allows one to use techniques previously out of reach and fight longer, but it doesn’t mean that going from the fourth to the tenth level makes you two and a half times stronger.
Take my current situation, for instance.
I still couldn’t wield the Demonic Breath Technique freely. My energy didn’t flow as it should, and my body felt as heavy as if I were wearing waterlogged clothes. Every small movement was filled with doubt, leading to a lack of confidence.
So, I recited the incantations of the Demonic Breath Technique over and over. I memorized them so thoroughly that if someone poked me in the side, I could recite them without hesitation.
Days passed, then weeks, yet I made no progress.
Just when I thought I understood, I’d find myself lost again.
Unable to watch any longer, the Heavenly Demon chimed in.
“Isn’t your method wrong? Why not try a different approach?”
“I don’t think I should be reckless.”
“Why is this so difficult!”
I had pondered this myself. My conclusion was this:
“Perhaps… we’ve become too accustomed to easy martial arts?”
“What? Easy martial arts? Are you belittling the Blood Thunder Heavenly Art?”
“Don’t misunderstand. That’s not what I mean.”
“Then what are you saying?”
“When you see a martial art, how long does it take you to learn it?”
“A moment? At most, half an hour?”
“Exactly. You understand the incantations at a glance. After a few tries, you can use the techniques. A few days of focus, and you master it. That’s our skill level, right?”
“Right.”
“But was it like that when we first learned martial arts?”
“What?”
“Do you remember the first day you learned martial arts? I do. I was so confused, regretting my decision to learn it.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“Maybe the Demonic Breath Technique is like that. The gap between this technique and us is as vast as when we first started learning martial arts.”
In other words, the Demonic Breath Technique is on a much higher level. Our current level is akin to that of a child first learning martial arts.
Thinking this way, I could somewhat understand why the Demonic Breath Technique was so challenging. How could it not be difficult to learn a martial art of a completely different level and system?
“Still, with constant repetition, it’s better than at first. We just have to keep practicing.”
I practiced relentlessly.
But it was incredibly difficult. No matter how positively I tried to think, this wasn’t working.
“I can’t do this.”
“Are you giving up? Don’t give up!”
“I’m not giving up. I need to try something new.”
“What are you planning?”
“I need to meet you through the Heavenly Mind Illusion Technique.”
“You’re going to use the Heavenly Mind Illusion Technique here? No way!”
“What’s the worst that could happen? Break the mold!”
“You madman, don’t do it!”
Despite the Heavenly Demon’s protests, I activated the Heavenly Mind Illusion Technique.
Whoosh.
In an instant, I created a space centered around the training ground.
I looked around the empty space, but no one was there.
“Did I fail? Hey, where are you?”
Then, from afar, the Heavenly Demon walked toward me, speaking.
“If you had failed, I would have teased you endlessly. What are you doing without any plan? What if the test ends in failure?”
“You know this isn’t a test that ends so easily. And life doesn’t always need a plan.”
“You’re going from being a stickler to living recklessly.”
“Hahaha.”
Seeing him made me incredibly happy. I hadn’t seen him since coming here.
“And didn’t I tell you before? Make a smaller space; my legs hurt.”
“Sorry. There wasn’t a good reference point.”
The Heavenly Demon walked up to me. Despite his nagging, he was clearly pleased to see me.
“I need your help.”
He smiled warmly and replied.
“Of course.”
Cheonwanggun sat in the grand hall.
Cheon Soseon watched him. The sense of unfamiliarity grew stronger by the day. It was more than just a change in appearance; the distance between them widened daily.
Sometimes, she sensed a strange aura emanating from Cheonwanggun. It was an inexplicable energy that never felt good.
’…Grandfather.’
She wasn’t a good person either. In the martial world, she was considered a villain. Her grandfather was the same.
But despite being bad people, at least they were human.
Yet, looking at her grandfather now… there were times he didn’t seem human. Perhaps it was due to his overwhelming martial arts, but when she met his emotionless gaze, she couldn’t shake the feeling of something inhuman pretending to be human.
“Soseon.”
“Yes.”
When he called her like this, he was the grandfather she remembered.
“Come in a different form.”
“What?”
“Come as a woman.”
Cheon Soseon’s heart sank. Her grandfather had never made such a request before.
He had always been troubled by her living as both a man and a woman, feeling guilty about it. He had tried not to mention it.
But what was this brazen attitude?
“Are you serious?”
“I am.”
Cheon Soseon held onto a sliver of hope.
Could he be trying to cure her heavenly punishment? Her grandfather possessed abilities beyond human limits.
“Yes, I understand.”
Despite the cold gaze, it was an order she couldn’t refuse.
A moment later, Cheon Soseon reappeared. She was the beautiful woman who had once captivated Ma Cheolgun.
“You look good.”
Cheon Soseon didn’t know how to take Cheonwanggun’s compliment, so she remained silent. In contrast, Cheonwanggun was unrestrained.
“From now on, stay in this form.”
“Live like this?”
“Yes.”
“Is that all? Weren’t you going to fix me?”
Cheonwanggun tilted his head and asked Cheon Soseon.
“Why fix something that looks better now?”
Cheon Soseon’s body froze. Her grandfather was genuinely puzzled. He had no consideration for his grandchild.
Cheon Soseon realized this wasn’t a personal issue between grandfather and grandchild. Her grandfather had no empathy or consideration for others.
At least not at this moment.
’…This isn’t my grandfather.’
Was it a side effect of the great technique? Or was this the result of the technique itself? If so, then what?
“Will you do it?”
Cheon Soseon quickly bowed her head and replied.
“Yes, I will follow your words.”
She couldn’t meet her grandfather’s gaze. The look he gave her wasn’t that of a grandfather to a grandchild, but of a man to a woman.
Her gaze, now directed at the ground, deepened like an abyss.
I began earnest training with the Heavenly Demon.
Talking in my mind was one thing, but training together, moving our bodies, and brainstorming was on a different level.
“Let me try.”
The Heavenly Demon took the lead, demonstrating the martial art.
“This part is indeed strange.”
The Heavenly Demon and I performed various movements together, discussing the results. We agreed on some points and differed on others. Both scenarios were beneficial for our training.
I didn’t rush. I didn’t let impatience take over.
I adopted this mindset:
I was a beginner just starting to learn martial arts.
Ten days had passed since I started training with the Heavenly Demon.
I landed on the ground after soaring through the air.
Boom!
Crack.
A powerful step sent spiderweb-like cracks across the ground.
A tremendous sword energy shot from my blade.
Whoosh!
The energy flew across the training ground, reaching the distant fortress wall.
Boom!
The wall shattered completely, crumbling to the ground.
I soared into the air again, unleashing the Suramyeongwang Sword in all directions.
Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!
Dozens of sword energies tore through the surroundings. The ground was ripped apart, and the walls collapsed.
After unleashing a storm of sword energy, I landed on the ground.
The Heavenly Demon, watching from the side, spoke.
“At least it’s better than at first.”
Indeed, it was different from the beginning. With practice, things gradually improved.
Repeated practice made awkward movements smoother. Misunderstood parts were corrected.
No matter how difficult the Demonic Breath Technique was, the Heavenly Demon and I were working hard together.
Being able to destroy everything without worry was possible because we were inside the Heavenly Mind Illusion Technique. In reality, I couldn’t just demolish the Demonic Castle like this.
After a round of training, I took a break, and the Heavenly Demon suddenly asked.
“Aren’t you worried?”
“Worried about what?”
“What would a playboy worry about? The women you left behind.”
“They’ll be fine. And they’re not just women; they’re family.”
“Haha. Well, if something happens, you can always find new women.”
I shook my head, exasperated.
How could I not worry?
But I was trying my best not to.
Worrying wouldn’t solve anything.
“Less than ten percent of people’s worries are truly necessary. Most are about things that won’t happen, and the rest are unnecessary and pointless.”
“You’re carefree.”
“I’d call it being positive.”
I stood up and resumed training. The only thing sustaining this positivity was my utmost effort.
Another month passed.
I stood in the center of the training ground, gazing at the grand building before me.
The sword at my waist, the Suramyungwang Sword, slid out effortlessly and hovered in midair.
It pointed straight ahead, as if I were about to unleash a powerful sword technique. But that wasn’t my intention.
With a soft, almost imperceptible sound, the Suramyungwang Sword began to split. It wasn’t creating another physical sword, but rather, sword auras in the shape of the Suramyungwang Sword started to form.
One, two, three, four… seven, eight.
A total of eight sword auras, all resembling the Suramyungwang Sword, formed a circle around the original. Now, there were nine swords aimed forward.
The moment I opened my eyes wide, the surrounding sword auras began to spin and launch.
Whoosh!
The sword aura flew and embedded itself in the building ahead. It was unlike any ordinary sword aura.
Upon impact, the sword aura in the shape of the Suramyungwang Sword exploded.
Boom!
The explosion was so powerful that an entire side of the building was blown away.
But the attack was just beginning.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The central Suramyungwang Sword continued to generate sword-shaped auras, which spun in a circle and kept firing.
With a deafening roar, the buildings crumbled.
Even after reducing the building in front to dust, the sword auras continued to launch. The building behind it shattered, and the one behind that collapsed as well.
The sword auras, seemingly endless, flew with increasing speed.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The sword auras in the shape of the Suramyungwang Sword destroyed everything in sight.
Eventually, the spinning sword auras slowed and sent out one final strike.
The Suramyungwang Sword, which had been floating in the air, returned to its sheath.
There was no need to release any more sword auras.
Everything had vanished.
The area where the sword auras had flown was utterly devastated. Buildings, walls, rocks… all had been reduced to dust and scattered.
[You did it!]
[Yes, finally.]
This incredible attack was the first form of the demonic sword technique, Masin Sword’s First Form: Ring of Swords, Heavenly Explosion.
After about forty days of intense training, I had finally succeeded in executing the first form.
[To think this is just the first form! It’s unbelievable.]
The Masin Sword technique comprised seven forms in total. The first form, Ring of Swords, Heavenly Explosion, was grand, dazzling, and immensely powerful for an opening move.
As I emerged from the illusionary realm, the intact castle and walls reappeared before my eyes. Thanks to the illusionary realm, I had witnessed the full might of the form.
The first step is always the hardest.
[Now that you’ve mastered the first form, let’s pick up the pace!]
[Haha, sounds good.]
Even the Heavenly Demon was exhilarated. How could his heart not race at the sight of such formidable martial arts?
I hadn’t yet expressed my gratitude to him.
I glanced back at the central building.
It was the very building where the second trial was taking place.
Wait for me. I’ll return as quickly as I can.