Chapter 232: Challenger
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Translated by Frog in the Well
Read it only at Nineheavens.org
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One day, after more than a fortnight had quickly passed.
Jin So-myeong, who had temporarily halted his cultivation, left the eastern region.
‘She should be fine by now.’
It had been quite a while since Hong Seol woke up. Her confused mind would have settled down, and there was something he wanted to ask of her upon meeting.
He went to the eastern region where she had settled, but no one was there.
Although he had restored her with the Myriad Flows Restoration divine ability, she would not have been completely healed, so where did she suddenly go?
Out of curiosity, he made inquiries and searched, eventually finding Hong Seol standing in front of a memorial tablet.
“Master?”
“Ah… you are here.”
As he cautiously approached, the name ‘Cloud Lake Sword’ was written on the memorial tablet.
Just as he paused at the familiar name.
“He is the master who raised me since I was very young. He is no different from a father to me.”
“Ah, then he is my grandmaster.”
The memories he had seen in the True Realm of Illusory Dreams, of Hong Seol’s childhood, came to mind.
The old man who had suppressed the alien race slaughtering commoners and took Hong Seol, who had lost her family and was left alone, to the Sacred City was none other than Cloud Lake Sword.
Just as they placed incense sticks beneath the memorial tablet and silently offered a moment of silence.
“So-myeong. Do you believe in reincarnation?”
Turning his gaze at her somewhat lifeless voice, he saw Hong Seol staring blankly at the memorial tablet.
“Well. Who can be certain of what happens to a person after they die?”
Although he had memories of his past life on Earth, that did not serve as firm evidence of the existence of reincarnation.
“Is that so…”
“If you truly want to know, there is no choice but to confirm it yourself. If we reach the end of the path of cultivation, wouldn’t something be different from now?”
She, who had been standing blankly just staring at the memorial tablet, paused. After being lost in thought for a moment, she soon wore a faint smile.
“Yes. You are right.”
“In that sense, I have something to give you, Master.”
“Hm?”
He presented a jade box he had set aside in a corner of his subspace.
“It is a Rank 6 Boundary-Breaking Talisman. They say it is a talisman needed when ascending.”
Although things might change if the Human Realm and the Upper Realm became completely connected over time, under the current circumstances, one had to possess a Rank 6 Boundary-Breaking Talisman to ascend.
“…If you give this to me, what about you?”
“I have my own separate ones, so you do not have to worry.”
Combining the ones obtained from the Defeated Sage Dojo and the ones the Star-Shattering True Monarch had prepared, there were as many as four sheets. It was fine to give away one.
Watching Hong Seol stroke the jade box and silently nod, he spoke.
“And… I have one more thing to pass on to you.”
No one knew what would happen once they ascended to the Upper Realm.
Since they might encounter an overwhelming enemy and die in vain…
Perhaps this thing he was about to pass on to Hong Seol now would be the last trace he would leave behind before ascending.
‘It feels as if I am leaving a will.’
Letting out a smirk, Jin So-myeong drew his sword.
The moment he adjusted his breathing to raise his concentration and even summoned Limitless, who had been sleeping in the Secret Realm of the Mind.
“Oh my, what a truly cute child!”
Seeing Limitless pop out of the air and buzz, Hong Seol was startled, and then she was delighted, her eyes even sparkling.
“Don’t tell me you are giving this child to me as well?”
She seemed several times happier than when he gave her the Rank 6 Boundary-Breaking Talisman, to the point of causing him bewilderment.
“Of course not. Limitless is my Natal Spiritual Treasure, so how could I give it to you?”
“Ah… what a pity.”
Buzz! Buzz!
Did it not like being coveted?
Hong Seol, who could not take her eyes off Limitless as it threatened while emitting sharpness, suddenly smiled brightly.
“Actually, since you were acting like someone who was about to die, So-myeong, I just made a joke. So I hope you will tell this cute child not to be angry.”
“Uhm, yes.”
“By the way… can you really not give it to me?”
“Absolutely not.”
As he flatly refused, she pouted, and he could not tell whether it was a joke or not.
“Anyway, Limitless. It is a good name. It suits its dignified appearance well.”
“…Indeed.”
Actually, the reason he named it Limitless was because it reminded him of a certain glutton who loved to eat, but he did not bother to mention it.
“More importantly, I have something to show you, so I hope you will focus.”
After calming the angry Limitless and letting it reside back in the sword, he adjusted his breathing and raised his concentration.
Closing his eyes, he felt it.
The flame quietly burning deep within his heart, the fighting spirit nurtured amidst the fierce combat where life and death crossed.
He channeled the fleeting moment when he had cast aside everything he possessed, not even sparing his own life, to eventually overcome a powerful enemy, into the tip of his sword and thrust it out.
Swish…!
A dazzlingly brilliant light resided in the blade that cut through the air.
“A Single Flash Lightens the Heavens. It is the first divine ability of the sword art called the Light-Moon Silent-Life Sword.”
Hong Seol, who had completely erased her playful demeanor before he knew it, narrowed her brows.
She carefully observed the pure white light shimmering on the sword and then flicked her finger, sending flying various spells, including Sword Qi, to collide with A Single Flash Lightens the Heavens.
As all the spells that touched the pure white light vanished silently, she could not hide her astonished expression.
“It does not seem to be simple Sword Qi. The aura felt from it is weak, but it is inexplicably powerful.”
“They say the Light-Moon Silent-Life Sword is the essence of humanity’s cultivation civilization. It is a sword art powerful enough that it is not embarrassing to be called that.”
After hesitating for a moment, he even told her the story of the Star-Shattering True Monarch, and Hong Seol, who had been silent for quite a long time, sighed.
“For such a thing to happen… I understand now why the Heavenly Venerable could not tolerate me.”
“I also do not know to what extent it is the truth, but it is certainly a powerful sword art, so I will pass it on to you if you wish.”
“You are going to pass on the Light-Moon Silent-Life Sword to me?”
“Yes.”
Hong Seol, who stood frozen with her lips merely trembling, shook her head.
“I am not a pure human, but a hybrid of the Artifact Spirit Race. How can you pass on a cultivation method developed for the human race to me?”
“Well. I believe there are things more important than race.”
“…”
“Isn’t how one lives more important than the race determined congenitally? Since you have shown me unconditional goodwill, Master, that is reason enough.”
Looking at her hesitating, he added one more word.
“If it weighs on your mind, find a talented person someday and pass on the Light-Moon Silent-Life Sword to them. So that this sword art is not cut off.”
“…Understood.”
Jin So-myeong, who wore a faint smile, opened his mouth.
“Cleaving heaven and earth, piercing through dharma, and ultimately severing life.”
Starting with the first sentence symbolizing the Light-Moon Silent-Life Sword, he recited the thirty million characters of the dharmic text without resting for even a single moment.
This process alone took a month, but he did not stop.
Just as the Star-Shattering True Monarch had once done in front of tens of thousands of sword cultivators,
he drew his sword and displayed A Single Flash Lightens the Heavens.
He showed it repeatedly, over and over, until A Single Flash Lightens the Heavens would rise from Hong Seol’s sword someday.
However…
an unexpected result came from this process.
As the saying goes that one learns by teaching, the more times he displayed A Single Flash Lightens the Heavens, the more distinct and sophisticated the pure white light shimmering on the sword became.
It felt as if he was transitioning from the entry level to the proficient stage.
Although miracles such as completely reflecting attacks launched by enemies were still out of his reach, he became able to display A Single Flash Lightens the Heavens at any time, at least for the purpose of amplifying sharpness.
Regardless of his subconscious state, at any time.
Was it because the sensation of handling sharpness had been engraved into his instincts? Or was it simply because he had grown accustomed to it?
Whatever the reason, it was certain that his A Single Flash Lightens the Heavens had advanced one step further.
As time flowed on and on, another month passed by before they knew it.
One day, while he was focusing all his mind on displaying A Single Flash Lightens the Heavens.
The moment the exactly 1,217th demonstration ended, a pure white light rose from Hong Seol’s sword.
“Ah…”
Hong Seol, who had entered the path of the Light-Moon Silent-Life Sword, stared spellbound at A Single Flash Lightens the Heavens wrapped around her sword and muttered.
“This is just like… a power that grants what one earnestly desires.”
“A desire?”
“It might be my misconception, but I get the feeling that if A Single Flash Lightens the Heavens reaches its peak, one could achieve anything.”
As there seemed to be truth in Hong Seol’s words, he fell into deep thought.
‘The power to achieve what one desires… It is like a degraded version of the Supreme Great Ability…’
He could understand what lay at the ultimate end pursued by the cultivators who created the Light-Moon Silent-Life Sword.
Suddenly, the interpretation of A Single Flash Lightens the Heavens left by the Star-Shattering True Monarch came to mind.
[The key is obsession. You may call it a maniacal conviction.]
[If you can cast aside even your life for the Dao, you will be able to cleave heaven and earth, pierce through dharma, and ultimately sever life.]
When the entirety of one’s life looks toward only one purpose. Did he say that A Single Flash Lightens the Heavens could finally perform miracles that transcend even reason?
“A thought suddenly occurred to me. If cleaving heaven and earth refers to physical destruction, then the next would be piercing through dharma.”
“Piercing through dharma. Does it mean transcending reason? The more I chew on it, the more absurd it sounds.”
“In my opinion…”
As they shared the suddenly raised topics and exchanged realizations about the Light-Moon Silent-Life Sword, it felt as if their progress, which had been blocked by a wall, was clearing up.
It was certainly good to cooperate with someone trustworthy when learning and researching something.
***
Meanwhile. Yungui Mountain City located on the outskirts of the Middle Province.
In that secluded mountain city, a young man with sharp features who was sitting cross-legged finished his meditation.
“Finally…”
Elation and joy, the sense of achievement of having attained his goal.
Muttering in a slightly trembling voice concentrated with numerous emotions, he soared higher than the clouds.
The moment he extended his finger toward a high mountain situated near the horizon.
Uuuuuung!
The swirling and gathering spiritual Qi was endlessly compressed and became a bright red sphere.
It instantly grew in scale, becoming as huge as the sun, and fell vertically, evaporating an entire mountain along with a booming roar.
The one who altered the terrain with a single gesture of his hand was none other than the Soul-Tempering Division Leader, who had declared not long ago that he would challenge the Soul Formation stage.
“…”
As he closed his eyes tightly, an undeniable agitation could be felt from his trembling forehead.
Indeed, it was understandable.
The sun that had just erased an entire mountain was truly a Soul Formation-grade spell, something that could not be cast without ascending to the Soul Formation stage.
‘With this… I should have at least the minimum qualifications.’
He had already refined the dharmic power that had become unstable while breaking through the major boundary.
Since he had also grown accustomed to the authority unique to the Soul Formation stage…controlling the surrounding spiritual Qi and handling it like dharmic power…his preparations were complete.
Now it was time to challenge Jin So-myeong.
Of course, he did not expect that he could win.
Jin So-myeong had defeated the previous Divine Wood Lord, who was in the late Soul Formation stage, right after he ascended to the Soul Formation stage.
Since he was an existence so strong that it was impossible to judge by common sense, the chances of winning were slim.
Despite that, the reason he challenged was only one.
To make Jin So-myeong feel a slight bit of trouble. Thereby, his goal was to make him wary of the rapid increase in Soul Formation cultivators.
As the Soul-Tempering Division Leader, whose eyes hardened, tapped his storage pouch, hundreds of gold-tinted scales popped out, covered his entire body, and became armor.
This armor was specially prepared to face Jin So-myeong, manufactured from a mineral that possessed strong resistance to lightning Qi.
Besides this, he also had several secret schemes to block him from closing in.
He believed that if he blocked close combat, which was Jin So-myeong’s specialty, and forced a long-range battle, he could at least inflict a slight wound, even if he could not win.
‘Huu…’
Calming his boiling emotions with a brief deep breath, the Soul-Tempering Division Leader headed straight to the Sacred City.
“Congratulations on your great success in the Soul Formation stage!”
“Thank you. Where is the Divine Wood Lord now?”
“…He should be near Cloud Snow Peak together with Senior Hong.”
Although colleagues he encountered along the way offered congratulations, he only responded briefly and did not drag out the time.
He went straight to where Jin So-myeong was, and before long, he met a man and a woman who were training in the sword while facing each other.
“I greet the Divine Wood Lord. And… Fellow Daoist Hong, it has been a long time.”
Although Hong Seol, who had been expelled by the previous Divine Wood Lord, had returned as a Soul Formation cultivator, it was not important now, so he focused on Jin So-myeong.
As he stared blankly to the point of being considered rude, Jin So-myeong, whose gaze met his, wore a peculiar smile.
“Congratulations on ascending to the Soul Formation stage. But looking at you, it seems you have business with me.”
“I wish to request guidance from the Divine Wood Lord, so please accept it.”
Jin So-myeong, who offered a brief exclamation of “Oh,” nodded and asked back.
“So… are you saying we should have a fight?”
“Does one need a reason to compete and see who is stronger?”
What was so amusing?
Even though it was a blatant challenge that could have displeased him, the smile forming at the corner of his mouth only grew deeper.
“No, it is not. Shall we do it right now?”
“I am ready.”
“Good. Then let us begin right away.”
It was refreshingly straightforward to the point of being baffling. The battle began with a single nod of his head, and
Shiiing…!
The tip of the sword softly drawn out was aimed at the throat of the Soul-Tempering Division Leader.
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