Chapter 15: Talent Abandoned by the Heavens (3)

Sssshhh...

I listened to the sound of the rain while taking shelter in a cave.

15 years.

15 years have passed in a blink of an eye.

It's been 15 years since Kim Young-hoon established the Wulin Alliance and became its first leader. Within three years, he had brought all of Yanguo's martial world under his control with the title of the strongest under heaven. The chaotic righteous sects stabilized, and numerous martial artists praised his achievements.

However, for a few years after that, he seemed to seclude himself from the affairs of the Wulin Alliance, engrossed in something else.

'Probably the cultivators came for him.'

Shocked by the power of cultivators, he must have been busy dealing with them using Record of Gazing Cultivation and Exceeding Martial Arts.

In the fifth year of his reign as the Alliance leader, he suddenly retired and disappeared, announcing his retreat to a remote mountain.

I roughly understood the situation.

He must have left to confront the cultivators hiding in the mountains and those scheming in the shadows of the entire martial world.

In the tenth year.

There was no news of Young-hoon, the first Wulin Alliance leader, anywhere.

'Is he dead?'

Or, like in my previous lives, is he still alive, relentlessly pursued by cultivators?

Oddly, I thought I wouldn't be too sad even if he were dead.

'Why is that?'

After 15 years of relentless dueling...

Just as scars have marked my face,

Scars might have also etched into my heart.

Within those scars, he might have become a faint existence in my life.

During these 15 years, as my body and heart changed, so did my nickname.

Infinite Fighting Madman to Infinite Fighting Monster.

But nothing else had changed.

I was still a late first-rate martial artist, and the Pinnacle Realm was still out of sight.

Still!!!

"How long more!"

I yelled at the murky sky, pouring rain, feeling inexplicable suffocation.

"How long must I keep swinging my sword! When will it be enough? Why is it that some gain enlightenment by swinging their sword, while others only gain scars!"

The sky offered no answer.

"For twenty years since my return! I've been fighting, killing, and training non-stop for twenty years! I've never let go of my sword, not even for a moment! But when will you acknowledge me! Why don't I get even a single moment of enlightenment!"

Aaaahhhh!!!

I screamed madly at the sky.

But still, the sky only poured rain.

After a while, my own screams echoed back to me.

"...I know. It's my fault."

Yes, everything is.

On the first day of my return.

Because I couldn't overcome the fear of facing the fox and dropped my sword.

If I had continued back then, perhaps I could have reached the Pinnacle Realm that very day.

Because I failed to grasp that enlightenment, I'm still like the sword chasing the leaves.

Still stuck in this realm.

To learn the Way in the morning and to be content with death in the evening.

It's because I failed to cherish that sentiment.

Crack...

I clenched my teeth, drew my sword in the cave, and practiced Severing Mountain Swordsmanship again.

Over and over.

The sword strokes I had executed countless times flowed from my hands.

The moves and secret techniques from the first to the twenty-fourth all came out.

Improving the flaws that had been shown for 15 years.

Striving to perfect the sword strokes.

Yet.

Nothing has changed.

And it seems nothing will change.

What more do you want from me!

"Ah, ahhhh... Ahhhhhh!"

I couldn't bear the torment and sat down after performing the sword strokes.

Now, there were no more weaknesses in my sword strokes.

No more room for improvement was visible.

But still, the Pinnacle Realm was nowhere in sight.

"Aaaaahhhhh!"

Why must I still remain in this state?

With these questions and anger, I just sat there, wailing in pain.

The rain stopped.

I left the cave and went to the originally planned destination, the Bangnip Sect in Soyeol County, completed my spar, and came out.

The sect leader and elders of Bangnip and I had three rounds of spars,

And I defeated all of them within five moves.

They were all late first-rate masters like me, but now no one of my level could block or break through my sword moves.

My reputation had spread across Yanguo's martial world over the years, and studies on my swordsmanship were conducted everywhere.

As a result, countermeasures to my swordsmanship were spread far and wide.

I sought out numerous martial artists who had discovered these countermeasures, and dueled with them.

Only to develop counter-countermeasures in response.

Thus, the flaws in my swordsmanship gradually disappeared, and today, my Severing Mountain Swordsmanship has almost reached flawlessness.

'Even peak masters of the major sects praised my evolved swordsmanship.'

But still, I could not measure up to peak masters.

I have dueled with peak masters.

Yet, even with my near-flawless swordsmanship, I could not defeat them.

Even deploying poison and hidden weapons was in vain.

Despite having developed counter-countermeasures, the peak masters effortlessly dismantled my sword moves as soon as I executed them.

Without a chance to deploy the counter-countermeasures, they overpowered me, and I was inevitably defeated in duels against them.

'What exactly is the barrier that separates first-rate from peak masters?'

Despite numerous defeats, I still couldn't grasp what it takes to reach the Pinnacle Realm.

I tried everything I had read about in old martial arts novels, from circulating my internal energy through every tiny blood vessel in my body to practicing external skills.

I even fought non-human beasts.

Yet, I remained a first-rate martial artist.

I had no idea what the Pinnacle Realm even was.

My internal energy's strength deepened, my array of tricks grew, my swordsmanship became more powerful, and my fame increased slightly.

Still, I remained unchanged.

"…Sigh."

Feeling utterly despondent, I went to an inn to order some drinks.

That's when it happened.

A man wearing a bamboo hat joined me at my table uninvited.

"You seem troubled, sir."

"…I'm just frustrated because I can't see a way forward."

"I understand that feeling all too well. Doing everything you need to, but there's no path in front of you. It feels suffocating, a massive pressure choking you."

"…"

"But just staying like that won't make a path appear. No matter how much you rage and scream, a non-existent path won't just emerge. So, what can you do but try everything under the sun to find a different way?"

I soon realized who he was.

"How about it, does this describe your current state of mind?"

"…Yes, great master. I'm not sure why the first leader of the Wulin Alliance would empathize with someone like me."

It was Kim Young-hoon, whom I hadn't seen in 15 years.

He took off his bamboo hat, showing a faint smile.

His face looked somewhat haggard.

"It's been a long time, Eun-hyun."

"Indeed, it has."

We shared a small laugh and ordered drinks.

"What have you been doing all these years?"

"In this world, there are beings called 'cultivators,' just like the monsters we saw flying in the sky when we first arrived in this world…"

He shared with me his experiences of fighting against cultivators.

"I could handle up to the Qi Building stage cultivators with my martial arts. But those at the Core Formation were akin to disasters. I barely managed to escape from a Core Formation cultivator by severing his hand."

"Hmm…?"

I noticed something different from my past lives.

'He 'escaped' from a Core Formation cultivator?'

In my past lives, he simply lost to them.

But this time, the outcome was different.

He had successfully escaped from a Core Formation cultivator!

'Through Record of Gazing Cultivation and Exceeding Martial Arts, he surpassed his previous life's limits!'

And much earlier, at least twenty years sooner!

My heart started to race.

'Maybe…'

Maybe in this life, martial artists could indeed defeat cultivators!

I encouraged him with a faint excitement.

"You will surely defeat the Core Formation cultivators, great master!"

"Haha, we shall see."

He seemed a bit pessimistic, but I thought it was entirely possible from my perspective.

After all, his martial talent was truly a gift from heaven.

'Different from me.'

A talent given by heaven.

A talent abandoned by heaven.

That's the difference between him and me.

I might not reach the Pinnacle Realm, but he will surely discover a higher realm in this life!

"Your words are like gold plating my face, Eun-hyun. Maybe you believe this because you haven't witnessed the power of a Core Formation cultivator. Anyway, that's not why I'm here today."

"Why did you come?"

"Well, to leave a will with you."

"…! What?"

His expression was serious.

"In the future, I will seek out Core Formation cultivators and challenge them. Through these challenges, I will hone my talents to the extreme and discover a way for martial artists to confront these cultivators. I will prove that the martial arts of our world can ascend even higher.

Due to this, my life will become incredibly unstable. If I am still alive, I will visit you every five years and entrust you with the insights I gain each time I survive these challenges."

Thump!

He handed me a book with no title.

"This contains the insights I gained while escaping a battle with a Core Formation cultivator. I've added some content to the Record of Gazing Cultivation and Exceeding Martial Arts based on these insights. Please keep this book safe and pass it on to future generations."

"…"

"So that someday, our descendants can stand against the cultivators who roam the skies with human bodies. Prepare the way for them. This is the will I entrust to you."

"…I will keep it safe."

"Thank you."

He smiled faintly, took a sip of his drink, and stood up.

"It seems you are also frustrated, unable to cross the barrier from late first-rate to the peak. Direct training might be meaningless at this point. Let me give you a task... Try to maintain your sword energy all day. It might help."

"…Thank you."

I bowed to him with a fist and palm salute.

Shortly after, Kim Young-hoon completely disappeared from my sight.

Not by flying or using any extraordinary methods, but as if vanishing like a mirage.

'Just like the last image I saw of Young-hoon Hyung-nim in my past life.'

He had already reached the realm I saw in my past life!

Maybe, in this life, he can truly surpass the limits of martial artists.

I looked up at the sky.

Although it was still cloudy from the rain, the clouds had lightened, and patches of blue sky peeked through.

"…Yes, I too shall continue to persevere."

Six months had passed since Kim Young-hoon and I parted ways again.

Whoosh—

"Ugh…!"

I had been attempting the task he left me with.

To 'maintain sword energy all day,' but eventually I had to release it due to the exhaustion of my concentration.

'How on earth can I maintain sword energy all day?'

It wasn't just an issue of depleting my internal energy.

Sword energy had a fundamental requirement for reaching a state of unity with the sword.

In other words, maintaining sword energy all day meant maintaining this unity all day.

'Even compared to fighting against unorthodox sect members all day long, maintaining this state is difficult.'

Of course, it was theoretically possible.

Being one with the sword means completely internalizing the swordsmanship you are practicing.

If you can embody the principles of that swordsmanship in your actions all day, then it's possible.

In theory.

'But maintaining it while eating, relieving oneself, and even talking...'

That's hardly something a normal person's mental strength can handle.

'Even peak masters don't do this as far as I know.'

Honestly, maintaining unity with the sword all day is madness.

Even peak masters would protest and tell you to stop immediately if they heard of such a thing.

But.

'If you don't go mad, you can't reach it!'

Yes.

It's something even peak masters don't do. They probably didn't do such things to become peak masters either.

But.

I have to.

Because I lack talent.

'For a slow learner to catch up with a genius.'

I have to be more insane than the genius.

Vroom—

I steadied my breath and infused my sword with energy again.

'I have to be much, much crazier than a genius!'

I felt my brain almost burning up.

I could feel my energy channels twisting.

Maybe I'll die from overexertion before Kim Young-hoon, doing this insane training.

But so be it.

'If only I can gain enlightenment in the morning.'

As I maintained my sword energy longer, my breath quickened, and my energy channels surged.

My head started to feel empty, and my thoughts became unclear.

I had been infusing sword energy since lunch, maintaining it until evening.

'I'd gladly die in the evening!'

I kept maintaining my sword energy and went to a small sect to challenge them to a duel.

"It's been a long time."

"The same for you."

Another five years had passed.

Kim Young-hoon visited me again.

"You look pale. Aren't you pushing yourself too hard? Your vital energy seems to be depleting…"

"If this is what it takes to reach the Pinnacle Realm."

Indeed.

Even after practicing maintaining sword energy all day for five years and experiencing endless duels and real battles,

I was still a late first-rate martial artist.

The barrier to the next realm simply did not appear.

I still couldn't grasp it.

Kim Young-hoon looked a bit incredulous at my words.

With a small wrinkle forming on his rejuvenated, taut forehead, he asked, "You haven't stopped training, yet you haven't ascended to the next level?"

"Yes. Well, thanks to that, my understanding of sword energy is now far superior to that of my peers."

Now, I could infuse sword energy into not just swords but also into chopsticks, branches, paper, and cloth, using them like a sword.

Against first-rate martial artists of the same realm, my combat experience and understanding of sword energy alone gave me a winning chance of 30%, regardless of their martial arts.

Yet, I still couldn't last more than three seconds against peak masters.

"Hmm…"

His gaze shifted to my hand holding the sword.

"How strange. You've become one with your sword more than ever before, yet you haven't reached the Pinnacle Realm. I thought the task I gave you would be sufficient for someone with your practical experience to reach the next stage…"

"…"

I smiled bitterly.

Yes, this is my talent.

A talent discarded by the heavens.

"…Sigh. Don't be too disheartened. With your determination, you'll surely reach the Pinnacle Realm someday. Honestly, I didn't expect you to actually accomplish such a crazy task."

"Thank you."

I softly smiled, infusing my sword with energy.

Now, I could maintain sword energy without a break for half a day.

After that, though, my head would start to hurt, and my energy channels would surge chaotically. I could still push it for another half a day in that state.

As I did so, my energy channels would begin to twist, and I'd start to bleed from my nose about once every hour.

Yet, I could still endure it with my willpower.

But knowing that pushing beyond that might lead to death, I didn't force myself further.

'I don't want to die pointlessly without even a glimmer of enlightenment.'

I stopped maintaining sword energy and took a rest at that point.

"If I can really maintain sword energy all day without strain, maybe a path will appear then."

"…Yes. I hope you succeed. And here."

After chatting, Kim Young-hoon handed me another untitled book.

"This contains the insights I gained while battling and escaping from a Core Formation cultivator. I have managed to gauge my abilities precisely and endured the cultivator's techniques as long as possible before escaping."

"Insights from just escaping… is this much?"

I was slightly surprised, looking at the thickness of the book, comparable to the complete volume of Record of Gazing Cultivation and Exceeding Martial Arts.

"A Core Formation cultivator is akin to a natural disaster. These insights are natural."

"Wow…"

I was amazed as I received the insights.

"…I'll keep it safe for future generations."

"Thank you, Eun-hyun."

He laughed heartily, drank his liquor, and then stood up.

"Then I'll go and search for Core Formation cultivators again. I hope we can meet again next time. And… for your next task, try to always keep in mind all of the surrounding scenery you pass by."

"All the surrounding scenery?"

"Yes, in battle or martial arts spars, you always keep the surrounding terrain and features in mind to utilize them. Now, try to do that all the time, not just during battles."

"That's what…"

The task he set this time, like the previous one about maintaining sword energy, seemed insane.

He was essentially asking me to become a human CCTV, keeping constant spatial awareness.

'I hope my head doesn't explode.'

I shook my head, clearing these foreboding thoughts.

'Alright. Kim Young-hoon, who reached a realm never before attained by any martial artist, has a reason for setting such tasks.'

From that day forward, I began to memorize everything I saw and the location of every object and feature in my surroundings.

30 years since my return.

And five years of constantly keeping spatial awareness.

Now, I can proudly say that my understanding of sword energy is higher than anyone else's.

Maintaining sword energy all the time, an insane feat, has become second nature to me, except when sleeping.

Spatial awareness, though initially painful, has become a habit.

At first, my head felt like it would split, but it became manageable as I adapted.

I can guarantee a 40% winning rate against other first-rate martial artists of the same realm relying on my spatial awareness, combat experience, and understanding of sword energy alone.

And the most encouraging thing.

'I successfully lasted four seconds against a peak master!'

It was an encouraging achievement.

It meant that I could exchange at least one more move with peak masters.

Yes.

I am growing, albeit slowly.

Someday, I will surely reach the Pinnacle Realm!

I met Kim Young-hoon again.

Seeing Kim Young-hoon after a long time, I noticed he had acquired a scar or two on his face.

"Those scars…"

"They're from battling a Core Formation cultivator."

It was astonishing.

Until now, across several lifetimes, he had never sustained scars. He had never been injured while mastering martial arts.

Even when fighting against cultivators, he never bore a scar from any near-fatal wounds.

Such a scarred appearance was a rare sight to see on him.

"This time…"

But contrary to the scars, his face was full of life.

"I managed to cut off the hands of a Core Formation cultivator twice in a row! And I still managed to escape! Ha! Hahaha!"

"…!"

"Hahaha, you should have seen it. The dignified cultivator enraged and losing his mind after being bested by a mere mortal!"

I was genuinely astonished.

He was gradually surpassing the limits of martial artists.

'Little by little, it's being passed down.'

Not only I, but also a genius of the millennium, benefits from my return.

Bit by bit.

Slowly overcoming their limits and paving a path beyond.

Clack—

I accepted the insights he handed me, insights gained while he repeatedly cut off the hands of a Core Formation cultivator.

'If I pass these insights on to Kim Young-hoon in the next life…'

Maybe he'll break his limits again?

Given his heaven-sent martial talent.

Continuously exploring new paths might someday…

'Possibly bring martial artists to dominate the world of cultivators…'

My primary goal has always been to reach the state of Five Energies Converging to the Origin, become a cultivator, elevate my realm, and return to the previous world to live a life without the ability to return.

So, defeating cultivators as a martial artist wasn't my life's sole purpose.

But watching his feats made me wonder.

Martial arts.

How far can such martial prowess, achievable by the human body and not cultivators, really go?

Such questions and expectations welled up in me.

"…I'll take care of these insights as well."

I accepted his insights, and Kim Young-hoon smiled wryly as he raised his glass.

"But you…"

There was a hint of sympathy in his gaze as he looked at me.

"…You still haven't reached the Pinnacle Realm."

"Can you tell just by looking?"

"Yes. I can tell just by your gaze. You'll understand once you reach the peak. In fact, constantly maintaining sword energy or keeping spatial awareness active is merely an attempt to mimic the [vision] one gains in the Pinnacle Realm using your physical senses.

But despite mimicking the Pinnacle Realm to that extent, I don't understand why your vision hasn't progressed beyond mere imitation…"

"…"

He sighed softly.

"I knew your talent was dull, but this is almost as if… you're inherently unsuited for martial arts."

"…"

Kim Young-hoon took another drink as he saw my downcast expression. I, too, drank silently.

"Alright, then. I have no choice but to keep trying to make you mimic the vision of the peak. As you've been doing.

You remember the space. So now remember the sounds, the temperature and touch on your skin, even the taste.

Activate all your senses continuously, training them to their limits, constantly absorbing information. In that state, keep maintaining sword energy and continue to experience real battles. This is the only way for someone without talent like you to enter the realm of the peak!"

The 'vision' of peak masters.

"…Why are you telling me these things?"

Until now, martial artists at the Pinnacle Realm have never spoken about it to those below first-rate.

Because explaining it would be incomprehensible to them, potentially leading to delusions.

There's only one case where they impart information about the Pinnacle Realm to first-rate masters.

"Is it because I can reach the Pinnacle Realm?"

At the top of first-rate.

For those who are looking to the realm of the pinnacle.

The super first-rate martial artists.

"…Honestly, I don't understand why you're still a late first-rate looking at your hands."

Kim Young-hoon looked at my hand holding the sword.

"You wouldn't know, but martial artists in the Pinnacle Realm have a completely different vision from those below. It's the same with Three Flowers Gather at the Summit and Five Energies Converging to the Origin. And… from my perspective, at the extreme of Five Energies.

Your sword and hand are half melted into each other. Usually, a first-rate martial artist reaches the peak at this point, but I don't understand why your 'vision' hasn't opened yet. That's why I'm giving you this fragmented information."

My sword and hand are half melted into each other...

I looked at my hand.

It just seemed to be resting on the sword scabbard.

It wasn't actually so.

But what he mentioned was something I had recently started to feel.

As if the sword and my hand had melted into one...

'But can a master at the level of Five Energies read my thoughts?'

It's far.

How far do I have to go to reach that realm?

No.

Don't think about that.

"…Thank you. I will continue to train tirelessly based on your valuable advice."

Nod.

He softly smiled and nodded, then vanished like a phantom right before my eyes.

After finishing the meal I ordered at the inn, I stood up.

'Remember the space, and next…'

Yes, let's remember the sounds.

I began to absorb every bit of miscellaneous noise around me into my mind.

It felt like my brain would explode, but this too would become familiar.

As the sounds became more familiar, next, I would remember information about temperature, humidity, touch.

Then, information about taste.

Absorbing and reabsorbing countless pieces of information, while continuously experiencing real battles.

'I will definitely reach the Pinnacle Realm!'