Chapter 271: Drawing a Picture
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A spacious area illuminated by the light of the fire starter.
There was nothing deep inside it.
Cheol Ryu-heun, having inspected every corner, laughed wryly.
‘I’ve been blindsided.’
What had been stored here, unknown to anyone, had vanished.
Adamantine Unbreakable Iron.
A rare mineral said to rival Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron.
That’s right.
The very thing that was as difficult to obtain as finding a needle buried in a sandy field.
Over five hundred years ago, the owner of the Divine Martial Sword at the time, the unorthodox strongman Sword Heaven Evil Lord Gu Cha-gi, discovered Adamantine Unbreakable Iron through heaven’s fortune.
It wasn’t that large a lump.
It was roughly enough to make about ten swords.
But considering the rarity of Adamantine Unbreakable Iron, it was practically a massive quantity.
So he hid it deep in this cave.
The reason was simple.
To use as material for a replacement sword in case he ever lost the Divine Martial Sword in the future.
Since ancient times, this was a remote mountain backwater with absolutely no trace of humans, so the possibility of discovery by others was extremely low.
However, he lost his life not long after.
By the hands of the newly emerged unorthodox strongman Hidden Dragon Sword Tak Wi-yeon…
Sword Heaven Evil Lord Gu Cha-gi died instantly after one hundred rounds of contest when his major death points ruptured.
Hidden Dragon Sword Tak Wi-yeon’s talent was exceptional from the start.
Because he was the owner of the legendary physique Nine Grade Martial Bones, who appeared three hundred years after Sword Emperor Buk Ga-shin’s death.
Thus, the cave where the Adamantine Unbreakable Iron was stored became buried in secrecy due to Gu Cha-gi’s death.
Only Cheol Ryu-heun, who had been the Divine Martial Sword in the past, knew its exact location.
A high mountain within the White Peak Mountain Range connecting the south of the Shaanxi region and the west of the Hubei region.
It was a mountain that didn’t even have an official name.
Cheol Ryu-heun had remembered it and come here.
Yet to think someone had already taken it.
The Adamantine Unbreakable Iron that had been here was originally meant to be given to the Yaksha Squad.
As a reward when Tae Sa-ja achieved martial accomplishment through his Blood Star Physique, and when the remaining personnel reached a certain target level…
“Tsk. It was a wasted trip.”
Cheol Ryu-heun, having scratched the back of his head, immediately turned around.
He doesn’t dwell on what has already disappeared.
There’s no need to.
Why?
Because he can just find more.
Indeed.
He knows a place where an even greater quantity is stored.
JEOBEOJEOBEO.
Cheol Ryu-heun thought while heading toward the cave entrance.
‘Currently in the martial world, there are only two masters who possess weapons made of Adamantine Unbreakable Iron – one in the Orthodox and one in the Unorthodox.’
No other Adamantine Unbreakable Iron weapons had appeared yet.
‘Then where is the one who took what was here…?’
Suddenly, a peculiar premonition assaulted his mind.
‘Could it be the mysterious group?’
It was merely a question arising from intuition.
But he couldn’t ignore that possibility.
‘Well, we’ll find out if we wait and see.’
Eventually, Cheol Ryu-heun emerged outside and stretched long.
“Alright, shall I head back?”
At that, Divine Wind, who was positioned nearby, shook both ears as if ready.
Right at that moment.
‘Again…’
It surfaced in his mind once more.
The appearance of the woman from his dream.
Her, wiping tears while leaning against a large tree under the moonlight.
It was completely identical to the unfamiliar memory that had suddenly come to mind while looking at the sky on the night he had created the texts for the Sword Emperor Buk Ga-shin and Sword Empress Mong Ye.
It was truly an incomprehensible phenomenon.
It had no connection to Cheol Ryu-heun before he became a vegetative state.
Nor was it a memory from when he had been the Divine Martial Sword.
-You’ve come.
-It’s me.
-So you finally became a sword. You wished for it so earnestly…
The words of the woman from his dream.
It was clearly a fragment of memory, but the origin and substance were unclear.
The woman’s attire was from an ancient era of unknown time.
However, that alone made it difficult to gauge a clear time period.
‘Who exactly are you?’
Having muttered briefly to himself, Cheol Ryu-heun immediately closed both eyes.
Standing still.
An attitude of entering meditation.
‘Let me probe a little.’
He intended to apply the essence of great techniques that stimulate the brain, the pivot of the upper dantian, by concentrating his spirit.
A kind of shock therapy, you might say.
Precisely, it was one of the essences of ‘Heaven Illuminating Divine Light Great Technique,’ created by Beom Gyu the Celestial Sword Sovereign, a figure from over four hundred years ago who was famous for his unrivaled medical arts and Sword techniques, and was the master of Martial Immortal Dongbang Ya.
It was a supreme art belonging to the spiritual domain, and in truth, for the current Cheol Ryu-heun, it was difficult to fully exert the essence’s wondrous function.
Because of insufficient ability?
What nonsense, no.
It was because using the mysterious spirit elixir called Heaven Dragon Spirit Elixir was necessary to fully operate it.
That’s right.
Literally, the inner core of a dragon, the legendary divine beast, was required.
In his childhood, Beom Gyu consumed the Heaven Dragon Spirit Elixir through an ancient fortuitous encounter, which caused his medical arts to reach the pinnacle level, and afterward, he also possessed the Divine Martial Sword and became the era’s strongest of the martial world with the epithet Celestial Sword Sovereign.
Heaven Illuminating Divine Light Great Technique was created during that process.
Its purpose of creation was one.
Brain Power Awakening.
Simply put, it was a kind of secret method to maximize the abilities of the upper dantian, which had developed exceptionally due to consuming the Heaven Dragon Spirit Elixir.
In other words, to elevate a series of talents accompanying brain power – such as insight, memorization, and comprehension – to the ultimate level.
Thus, Celestial Sword Sovereign Beom Gyu was not satisfied with the present and strived for self-improvement.
Thus, the Absolute art called Heaven Illuminating Divine Light Great Technique was precisely the fruit of such effort.
However, it couldn’t be applied to others.
Why?
Because it was a great technique optimized for Beom Gyu’s own upper dantian characteristics, which had consumed the Heaven Dragon Spirit Elixir.
There was exactly one exceptional case.
Beom Gyu’s disciple, Martial Immortal Dongbang Ya.
He appropriately applied a portion of the Heaven Illuminating Divine Light Great Technique essence left by his master to awaken the divine power inherent in the Divine Martial Sword.
Of course, the result was a great success.
As a result, the glorious epithet of Martial Immortal rose to join the ranks of the strongest in martial history, like the previous era’s Heavenly Demon, Sword Emperor, and Evil Emperor.
However, even in the exceptional case of Dongbang Ya, he could only apply an extremely small portion of the essence.
Because his body had not consumed the Heaven Dragon Spirit Elixir.
In truth, seeing any effect at all was heaven’s fortune and a miracle.
It was the victory of pure talent.
Thus, consuming the Heaven Dragon Spirit Elixir was an essential condition for fully operating the essence of the Heaven Illuminating Divine Light Great Technique.
Even Cheol Ryu-heun had no way to obtain the inner core of the Heaven Dragon, the so-called legendary divine beast.
However, he did have one alternative.
The very bizarre divine power inherent to the Divine Martial Sword.
He intended to use that power to substitute for the mysterious wondrous function of the Heaven Dragon Spirit Elixir.
It would be somewhat dangerous, though.
Of course.
Because he would be applying stimulation to the interior of his head.
Naturally, even if he operated the divine power, only an extremely small portion of the Heaven Illuminating Divine Light Great Technique’s essence would be applicable.
Cheol Ryu-heun, standing with eyes closed, soon stepped into the mental realm created by samadhi.
All directions were darkness.
Amid that, Cheol Ryu-heun cast his gaze forward.
‘Shall I begin?’
A portion of the essence at the beginner stage of Heaven Illuminating Divine Light Great Technique.
‘First, I create a scroll. Like a door crossing to another space… as large as possible…’
Simultaneously with Cheol Ryu-heun’s thought, a white dot was generated above his head.
Following that.
CHYUCHYUCHYUCHYU…
Moving forward, it created a white line against the darkness of the mental realm as background.
The shape was exactly like a neat rectangular scroll.
There was nothing inside it.
It was empty.
Only the white rectangular lines forming the frame were visible.
At that moment.
The lines reminiscent of a scroll rapidly expanded.
CHWACHWACHWACHWA, CHWACHWACHWACHWA-
As if separating the space in front.
Cheol Ryu-heun was quite satisfied.
‘It’s stable.’
The lines forming the frame didn’t waver even slightly.
That meant the mental power maintaining the meditation was solid.
‘Second, I give myself suggestions. That everything I’ve seen is inside this… And then I set one target.’
Cheol Ryu-heun immediately conjured the unidentified woman.
He planned to restore the scene from the dream he had when he stayed overnight at a mountain hermitage in the past.
Cheol Ryu-heun, having fixed his gaze on the dark space inside the scroll, concentrated his spirit and continuously attempted self-suggestion.
Everything is there.
Everything I’ve seen and heard.
Yes.
Without missing a single thing.
Indeed, it must definitely be there.
I simply haven’t been aware of it until now.
While thinking that way for quite some time.
KKUMTEULKKUMTEUL.
Red light was birthing.
In the dark space inside the scroll frame.
It was the Divine Martial Sword’s divine power.
Energy that would substitute for the mysterious wondrous function of the Heaven Dragon Spirit Elixir.
In other words, the divine power that Cheol Ryu-heun operated had begun stimulating his brain.
From now on was a continuous succession of perilous moments.
If he lost even a little concentration, his brain would be damaged.
So he must think of it as a life-or-death battle and maintain high-level meditation.
‘I can do this.’
Cheol Ryu-heun steeling his resolve.
He believed.
In his own ability.
Although the divine power was still incomplete, it would still produce a certain effect.
A little time passed from then, and what had been pitch dark was entirely dyed red.
It felt as if the sky at sunset had been captured within.
Self-suggestion continued.
For him, it was making thorough preparations.
‘I can do it… I can do it… I can do it!’
Before he knew it, large beads of sweat had formed on his forehead and were streaming down.
It was a phenomenon of fatigue accompanying the consumption of mental power.
The sweat wasn’t real.
But the sensation felt genuine.
After a while.
“Huuu.”
Having regulated his breathing, Cheol Ryu-heun finally moved his steps.
CHEOK, CHEOK, CHEOK…
He headed into the scroll without hesitation.
When he crossed the frame at the bottom, the red-dyed space swayed like waves and softly wrapped around his body.
He still couldn’t see anything with his two eyes.
Only the red space was all there was.
Having stopped walking, Cheol Ryu-heun muttered internally.
‘The third essence… Now I shall draw a picture here. One by one… step by step… Impatience is forbidden. If I fill it in that way, I shall reach what I desire.’
What’s before his eyes is paper.
Truly enormous paper.
He just needs to begin the series of work with that thought.
SEUK-
Cheol Ryu-heun extended his right hand upward.
‘Starting with the background.’
He recalls the dream.
He follows exactly what he saw then.
Other parts aren’t necessary.
Because useless idle thoughts would only assault his mental imagery.
The unfamiliar scenes from within the dream.
He concentrates only on that.
The time was night.
Black sky and hazy moonlight.
When Cheol Ryu-heun extended his hand and conjured that, the upper area changed.
Ink-black pigment was endlessly sprayed like the night sky.
CHWAHAAAK-
The upper space instantly transformed into a pitch-dark night sky.
Following that, when he lightly waved his extended hands here and there.
SEUK, SEUSEUK-
A large moon and countless stars became embedded in the night sky.
It was similar to reality.
It felt as if a night sky truly adorned with moon and stars had appeared here.
‘Done.’
The next task was to establish the approximate outline.
Having briefly regulated his breathing, Cheol Ryu-heun extended both hands.
Forward.
Immediately after, various colors faintly spread and colored the space.
Amid that, Cheol Ryu-heun’s eyes flashed.
‘Let me properly find out. What lies at the end of this picture.’