Chapter 361: Eight Exalts (4)
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Looking around at the terrain, what came to my mind was, inevitably, the thoughts of a merchant.
‘The land has been completely ruined.’
Of course, there were the martial artists watching from afar, and the other Eight Exalts watching up close because they could withstand the aftermath.
And before me stood the Blue Moon Sword Exalt, Tae-seong.
Seeing that I, the actual party in this duel, was having such thoughts while everyone else was focused on the result of the duel, I thought that I could never truly shed my identity as a born merchant.
“Remarkable.”
It was Tae-seong who spoke first.
“The Taiji you showed. I have never seen it anywhere before.”
“Is that so?”
“I am someone who believes that there is no perfection in martial arts in the first place. Once you reach a certain realm, I believe it becomes a matter of expression.”
Tae-seong spoke, breathing heavily. The strength had already drained from the sword resting against mine.
“Yet when it comes to expression, you must have seen something in order to express it, after all. If one has never seen an ox, how could one describe an ox?”
“I suppose so.”
“Just what are you looking at?”
“Pardon?”
“I am asking what you have seen, or what you are looking at, to be able to display such Taiji. I can tell. You are definitely seeing what others cannot see.”
Chills ran down my spine. Certainly, I was able to see what was invisible to others.
With the Heavenly Eye, I could see the emotions of others, the energy of nature, and even the Martial Talent Shop. All of them were things invisible to others.
Right now, the Blue Moon Sword Exalt was asking about that. He was inferring something completely invisible through me. This was precisely the insight of a master who had reached the heights of attainment.
“……It is a realm that is hard to put into words.”
“Yes, it must be hard to say. Indeed, even if I heard about what I cannot see, would I even be able to understand it?”
Tae-seong nodded as if convinced.
“Seeing what others cannot see may perhaps be your mission. Think about it. Suppose I had the ability to see someone else’s secrets. Though it might bring joy at first, it would gradually transform into misfortune.”
I felt as if I had been struck on the head with a club. Until now, I had lived thinking that the Martial Talent Shop was undoubtedly a blessing, but Tae-seong was saying that it was a burden given to me instead.
“Is that so. I have never thought of it that way.”
“Talent is inherently a dreadful thing. If a talent reaches the heavens, it easily trips over a stone on the ground.”
“Thank you for the fine words.”
“Even though I say that, I too wish to see the world you see. You are living not only in my dream, but in the dreams of others as well.”
Tae-seong spoke with a smile. His voice contained both sympathy for me, who had to see what could not be seen, and envy for me, who was able to see what could not be seen. Those opposing emotions coexisted without conflicting at all, and none of it was false.
And soon, Tae-seong collapsed. We had clashed each other’s worlds against one another. It was even more so because we wielded Daoist martial arts of the same grain. However, the world I could see was broader and deeper. That was why Tae-seong could not defeat me.
“……The Blue Moon Sword Exalt…… lost.”
The powerless voice flowing from someone’s mouth spread like an epidemic in an instant.
“The Blue Moon Sword Exalt lost.”
“The Blue Moon Sword Exalt lost!”
Not only the Eight Exalts, but also the martial artists watching from afar came to realize the fact that I had won.
Even if they had heard that I had defeated the Wolf Exalt, there probably were not many who believed it at face value. At most, they would have thought I had won by sheer luck while the Wolf Exalt was weakened.
But now, I had defeated the Blue Moon Sword Exalt of the Eight Exalts. Right before everyone’s eyes, no less. Naturally, the repercussion was bound to be immense.
“The Eastern Emperor defeated the Blue Moon Sword Exalt!”
“Waaah!”
The cheers of the crowd were so loud that I wondered if they reached all across Wuhan. I looked around the assembly.
The upturned earth, the countless martial artists and spectators cheering as they looked at me, and even the dazed Eight Exalts who seemed to have felt something similar to what the Blue Moon Sword Exalt had felt. All these combined to stir a noble spirit within me.
I could see it. The fervor radiating from those countless onlookers was drawing near to me. That fervor soon infected me with the emotion of excitement.
We often feel emotions being contagious. Yet we do not know exactly why emotions are contagious. But now, I knew.
It was because the emotions they radiated actually spread with influence through this atmosphere, and I resonated with and absorbed them.
It felt as though the secrets of the world were being peeled away from me layer by layer.
This was surely something visible only to me, who possessed the Heavenly Eye. While they became elated without even knowing why their emotions were surging, I became calm instead because I knew.
If that energy entered me, I only needed to release it.
Suddenly, I was reminded of Grandmaster Hyeon-wol and the immortals I had met. They remained calm in every situation, unconcerned even in the face of the annihilation of their existence.
Setting Grandmaster Hyeon-wol aside, the reason immortals did not fear death was likely that they knew what lay beyond death.
Though I too had experienced death, I had merely returned; that could not be considered experiencing the aftermath of death. I was still afraid of what lay after death.
If so, just what were the immortals looking at that made them detached and transcendent in all matters? I became curious about that, but soon felt fear as well. Because it felt as though I was gradually drifting further away from the category of humans.
Yet at this moment, at least, I was human. My heart was responding like this to the cheers of the people. If I were an immortal, I would not be elated like this.
The cleanup finished quickly. Namgung Hwi, who had been waiting on the perimeter, supported the fallen Tae-seong. Although the ground was completely overturned, we could not begin leveling the terrain right away.
Because although I had defeated Tae-seong for now, there were still four more people left ahead. If strictly considered, Tae-seong was close to the lowest seat among the Eight Exalts. It was clear that fighting the others would result in an even greater mess.
For now, I spoke to Zhuge Yan and sent someone to the East Lake Merchant Association, telling them not to worry since we would restore the land once the fighting was over.
“The reverberations in the martial world right now are extraordinary.”
Zhuge Yan, having delivered the message to the East Lake Merchant Association, spoke abruptly.
“What reverberations?”
“Think about it. A young man barely in his mid-twenties has defeated two of the Eight Exalts who vie for the very top seats in the martial world. How do you think others will view this?”
“……Well, that it’s amazing?”
“’Amazing’ was already surpassed long ago. Sometimes it seems Association Master does not realize just how massive a shockwave you send out.”
Was that so? To be sure, though many extraordinary geniuses had emerged in the martial world, there would indeed be none who had demonstrated achievements at such a young age as mine.
“Barely two double-hours have passed since you defeated the Blue Moon Sword Exalt, yet it is already spreading rapidly across all of the Central Plains.”
“Well, that could happen.”
“That may be so. But the people’s reactions are entirely different from before. Right now in Wuhan, there is an uproar saying that the Martial God has manifested in the flesh.”
I looked at Zhuge Yan thinking she was joking, but her expression was serious.
“Association Master’s achievements have already shattered conventional common sense completely. And when people witness something beyond common sense, how do you think they react?”
“Who knows?”
“They deem it sacred and revere it. People naturally bow their heads first before what they cannot comprehend, after all.”
“That might be true.”
“From now on, it is crucial.”
“What is it now?”
“We must make use of this.”
“What do you mean by that?”
I looked at Zhuge Yan as she spoke with complete gravity. Zhuge Yan continued speaking.
“Right now, Association Master is being called the incarnation of the Martial God not just by martial artists, but by the common people as well. We will push this narrative so that people truly regard you as the manifestation of the Martial God.”
“……That’s a bit much.”
Only then did I understand Zhuge Yan’s words. Truly, Zhuge Yan was a strategist. To think she would seek to exploit even a situation like this.
However, I was reluctant. I knew myself. I was nothing like an incarnation of the Martial God. To exploit it while knowing that full well felt slightly uncomfortable.
Yet Zhuge Yan showed no intention whatsoever of yielding her stance.
“It is a matter of justification, Association Master. Right now, public sentiment regarding the imperial authority is wavering due to the torrential rains. This is the moment to drive in the wedge. To say that the manifestation of a god desires the state name to be replaced. From that moment on, Association Master yourself becomes the justification for rebellion.”
“That’s a lie.”
“Is it really a lie?”
Zhuge Yan looked at me. There was not the slightest hint of a joke in her words.
Right now, Zhuge Yan was earnestly asking me whether I truly was the incarnation of a god.
Ordinarily, it was an absurd notion that could be laughed off, but in the current situation, that was not possible.
If even someone close to me thought that way, would it not be even more so for someone who did not know me?
“……Naturally, that makes no sense. What are you talking about?”
“If Association Master says so, then so it must be.”
“It’s the truth. How could I be the incarnation of a god?”
“Yet you have displayed countless miracles for that to be dismissed. Purging my gu worm was one of them.”
I had nothing to say. In truth, I had performed so many deeds that an ordinary person could never accomplish that they were beyond counting. Purging Zhuge Yan’s gu worm was practically a trivial matter in comparison.
“In any case, I understand. But please consider it. Since I am Association Master’s person, I have no intention of forcing something you do not wish to do. However, even if Association Master is not a god right now, there is a need to become one. Only to that degree will the common people’s resistance be lessened.”
“……Alright.”
I brought my conversation with Zhuge Yan to an end like that.
To be proposed to become a god at the very moment I felt the uncomfortable sensation of straying from humanity. It was baffling.
I was someone who had always pursued tangible substance. In my previous life, if falsely claiming to be a god had aided the Radiant Crystal Merchant Association, I would have done so as a matter of course.
But now, it was different. Even if it brought something tangible, I did not want to abandon something absolute. That was one of the things that had changed after becoming a martial artist in this life.
Yet because I had not discarded the life of a merchant either, conflict arose within me.
The desire for ascent that had dominated my entire life.
Could I climb higher? Even higher.
But if I climbed further from here, it felt as though I would transcend something. And transcending something was equivalent to losing something.
Would I too become detached from death, and treat humans as a different breed like certain immortals? I did not want that.
The countless karmic ties I had attained until now. Those were things that functioned only while I was human.
“…….”
I shook my head and brushed the thoughts aside. Right now was not the time to cling to such metaphysical matters.
Simply doing my utmost with what lay before me. That had always been my way, and that was what I needed to do right now.
I quietly sank into contemplation as I reviewed the fight with Blue Moon. Battles with the other Eight Exalts still lay ahead.
Yet for some reason, the thought of losing did not easily cross my mind.