Chapter 16: Talent Abandoned by the Heavens (4)
Absorbing and comprehending information about every space I traversed was not an ordinary task. It was dizzying, especially when combined with the practice of maintaining constant sword energy.
Now, this task included perceiving auditory information from every moment I passed through. It wasn't just about perceiving auditory information from noisy streets.
Rustle, rustle.
The sound of clothes brushing against each other.
Thud, thud.
The sound of footsteps.
Huff, huff, huff.
The sound of breathing.
I had to consciously perceive all these sounds continuously.
'Dizzying.'
Doing all this simultaneously, I felt not just a headache but dizziness to the point of near-collapse. I wondered if I could even engage in martial duels in this state.
'Especially now, when there are hardly any sects left to duel with.'
For about 30 years, I traveled all over Yanguo, challenging almost every small and medium sects to duels.
Occasionally, I even visited major sects for duelse.
As a result, there was hardly a place in Yanguo I hadn't been to.
I now resorted to battling bandits and water bandits rampaging through Yanguo, capturing them.
The problem was these evil men never fought fairly, especially when chased down. The most desperate ones even resorted to throwing explosive pellets they somehow acquired.
In this dizzy state, I had to fight such men.
'Can I even preserve my life?'
Sigh.
I sighed and firmly gripped my sword.
After all, this was the path I chose.
Even if I die, I will walk this path.
I looked at the six books piled up in front of me.
"You survived again this time."
"Yes, this time as well."
15 years had passed.
45 years since my return.
In the meantime, I met Kim Young-hoon three more times and received three more sets of insights, making a total of six volumes of insights from Kim Young-hoon.
During this time, I mastered processing not only visual and auditory information but also touch, taste, and smell continuously and adeptly.
Now, when I met a martial artist of late first-rate, my understanding of the five senses, sword energy, and immense practical experience allowed me to start with a 70% chance of winning against martial artists of the same level.
Of course, this was without considering the power of my martial arts. Including that, my winning probability reached 99%.
If it was a real fight allowing the use of toxins and hidden weapons, I could guarantee victory against any late first-rate martial artist.
Moreover, with the ability to process information using the five senses and my understanding of constantly using sword energy,
I could now face a peak master for about 10 to 20 exchanges.
Of course, it was difficult to continue beyond that.
That was the end.
I still...
hadn't...
become...
a peak...
master.
Still!!!
Still!!!
"My existence has spread among the Core Formation cultivators. It seems I'm wanted. Two Core Formation cultivators laid a trap and waited for me.
I barely escaped. Still, I managed to inflict a small wound on the cheek of one of them."
"You've gained even more insights."
"What insights. Despite all this, I still can't properly confront Core formation cultivators. Assuming I don't run away, I can't even last a hundred exchanges against them. It's impossible to inflict any meaningful damage."
He gazed at the sky with a sense of futility and mused.
"Honestly, I sometimes wonder whether the extreme of Five Energies Converging to the Origin I've reached... is the [end] for martial artists. Perhaps the martial artist who created Record of Gazing Cultivation and Exceeding Martial Arts had similar thoughts. No matter how hard we try, it's impossible to defeat cultivators with martial arts."
I quietly looked at Kim Young-hoon.
Despite writing six books full of astonishing insights, he held a small teacup, his face etched with a hollow smile.
Clearly, he possessed talent given by the heavens.
And I, talent abandoned by the heavens.
Clearly, he and I were in starkly opposite situations.
Yet, somehow, I saw my reflection in Kim Young-hoon.
Myself, who could not grasp even a hint of the Pinnacle Realm despite numerous lifetimes of effort.
His situation, where no possibility of defeating cultivators appeared despite repeated lifetimes.
Clearly, a genius given by the heavens and a dullard abandoned by the heavens.
Why then, did we seem so similar?
"By the way, I still don't understand why I haven't reached the Pinnacle Realm. It's frustrating for me too."
Kim Young-hoon looked at me with a slightly bitter expression.
"Why can't you reach that realm despite mimicking the world of peak masters, including sword energy... I can't grasp what's missing."
He let out a hollow laugh and stood up.
"Let's have a sparring session after a long time."
"That sounds like good news."
Kim Young-hoon and I left the guesthouse and headed towards a nearby forest.
Upon reaching a suitable clearing, I unsheathed my sword without a word.
The sword energy, which I had been maintaining continuously for seven days and nights, flickered on my sword.
"Your understanding of sword energy is considerable. You'd quickly reach the stage of Sword Silk once you attain the Pinnacle Realm," Kim Young-hoon observed, noticing the aura of my sword.
I smiled bitterly.
The hypothesis after reaching the Pinnacle Realm was meaningless.
It was already the 45th year since my return.
I only had about five years of life left, and the likelihood of becoming a peak master within that time was slim.
A realm that I couldn't reach despite dedicating my entire life.
Would any special enlightenment come within these five years?
"Then, let's begin."
I took up a fighting stance, my expression intense.
Severing Mountain Swordsmanship.
Sixteenth move.
Mountain Tiger.
Swoosh!
Six sword energies from the upper left to the lower right.
Six from the upper right to the lower left.
A total of twelve sword energies converged towards Kim Young-hoon's heart.
Ting!
Kim Young-hoon didn't even draw his saber. He simply flicked his finger, and my technique dissipated instantly.
However, I didn't panic and immediately launched another move.
Severing Mountain Swordsmanship.
Twelfth Move.
Nine Lights Emerging Peak.
A more evolved sword technique that sent nine sword energies his way.
"You've significantly reduced your vulnerabilities."
Swoosh!
Kim Young-hoon quickly deployed his movement technique, dodging all my sword energies and quietly commended me.
I didn't respond but quickly took another fighting stance.
Severing Mountain Swordsmanship.
Seventeenth Move.
Mountain and Valley Transformation.
Boom, bang, bang!
I sent sword energies in all directions, absorbing them into the earth with the principle of infiltration and then detonating them after a delay, a decisive move of the Severing Mountain Swordsmanship.
Boom, bang!
The surrounding terrain transformed under my will.
Sword energies emerging from the ground surged towards Kim Young-hoon.
Whoosh!
But when he swiped his finger horizontally, the sword energies I launched lost their power and scattered into the air.
"Severing Vein Saber Method, Eighth Move, Mountain Scream."
Whoosh!
He extended his finger towards me again.
Boom!
The saber energy emanating from his finger overturned the ground as it surged towards me.
Severing Mountain Swordsmanship.
Eighteenth Move.
Echoing Valley.
Whoosh!
I infused sword energy into my sword, and simultaneously, I withdrew all force from it.
Though it sounded absurd, Echoing Valley required just that.
I filled my sword with energy while maintaining its form, removing all intent and miscellaneous forces, leaving only a hollow form of energy.
"Haah!"
With all my concentration, I maintained the emptiness in my sword and faced the incoming saber energy.
Grr!
Immense pressure traveled up my arm, but simultaneously, the saber energy that surged towards me was absorbed into my sword.
I emptied my intent from the sword and filled it with the opponent's intent.
Then, with a swift turn, I exerted all my strength to fling the energy in another direction.
Boom!
The Mountain Scream Kim Young-hoon launched destroyed several trees and shattered a huge rock.
"Heugh, heugh!"
I sweat profusely and trembling. Echoing Valley was originally a counterattack technique that absorbed the opponent's energy and intent, returning it back to them. However, I could only manage to deflect the attack.
'Still far off.'
Gritting my teeth, I took up my stance again and charged.
Severing Mountain Swordsmanship.
Nineteenth Move.
Mountain Echoes, Valley Responds.
Whoosh!
My sword vibrated, and my sword energy morphed into waves, spreading in all directions before suddenly converging towards Kim Young-hoon.
An inescapable decisive technique!
But he just smiled, lifting his hand, and saber energy burst from his fingertips.
Whoosh, bang, bang, bang!
Spinning and dancing, he flicked his hand each time, deflecting the converging sword energies.
Whoosh, thump, thump, thump!
He deflected countless sword energies and then extended his finger towards me again.
"Severing Vein Saber Method, Ninth Move, Dragon's Mound."
Rumble!
The fearsome saber energy, twisting like a dragon, flew towards me.
'Can I withstand it?'
No, even trying to deflect it with my sword would tear me apart due to the intricate changes in his technique.
'I need to take a risk.'
I confront it head-on.
Severing Mountain Swordsmanship.
Twentieth Move.
Nine Mountains, Eight Seas.
I spun in place with my sword, once, twice, thrice, then again.
With each spin, the speed and power of my sword grew exponentially.
After nine spins, the power within my sword had become terrifyingly immense.
With every bit of my being, I slashed at the oncoming saber energy in all directions.
Boom!
A massive explosion sounded, and I witnessed my sword shatter.
Flung backward by the shockwave, I crashed into a large tree, spitting blood and kneeling.
My defeat was evident.
"Damn it... What seems to be the problem?"
"Hmm..."
Kim Young-hoon sighed softly.
"I don't know. You... I can't fathom why you're still in this realm. You should have become a peak master long ago."
"What do you mean?"
I asked, catching my breath.
It was absurd.
I had never even come close to enlightenment, let alone reach the Pinnacle Realm.
"Intriguing. Why is this happening? Hmm..."
After pondering, Kim Young-hoon looked at me thoughtfully and suggested,
"Perhaps you lack a catalyst."
"A catalyst?"
"Yes, a catalyst. Like desperation or a driving force. Something that would push your talent beyond its limits with extreme concentration..."
"What kind of catalyst are you talking about!"
I cut him off, yelling furiously with veins bulging in my eyes.
"I've wielded a sword for over 50 years! My entire life! I've longed to transcend to the next realm! You're telling me I need to be more desperate? How much more!"
I screamed as if in agony, disregarding the pain in my entire body.
"I've struggled my whole life to break free from being first-rate! What am I lacking? What more do I need to do? I've unblocked all my meridians.I even sleep with my hand on my sword, flowing sword energy!
I've reached a point where I even collect and process information in my dreams! But why! Why!!! Why won't the heavens show me the next realm!
Why!!!"
I thrashed about, screaming at the sky.
I knew it was undignified for someone nearly seventy.
But.
Having pursued the sword and yearned for the Pinnacle Realm all my life, yet never even grasping what that realm might be.
How could I not be in anguish?
"Why... just why..."
Sobbing, I looked up at the sky.
Kim Young-hoon watched me with a heavy heart, then flicked his finger towards the tree I had crashed into.
Splat!
Immediately, a significant volume of martial arts techniques filled the tree.
"I've created martial arts to supplement your weaknesses during our spar. It's hardly a consolation, but I hope you'll master them and find some peace."
After speaking, Kim Young-hoon disappeared like a phantom again.
I gazed at the sky for a while before turning my attention to the martial art techniques he left.
There were two: Mountain Lord Martial Arts and Transcending Peaks Step.
In just a short sparring session, he had effortlessly created two martial arts.
I marveled at his incredible talent for martial arts and slowly studied the two techniques.
Mountain Lord Martial Arts was a body technique.
It dealt with pressuring the enemy with the presence of a Mountain Lord, creating movements like a tiger.
Transcending Peaks Step was a footwork technique.
Uniquely, it allowed one to take any step and assume the stance of the first move of Severing Mountain Swordsmanship, Transcending Peaks. Given the nature of Severing Mountain Swordsmanship, any subsequent move could follow, allowing for endless combinations.
'Using Mountain Lord Martial Arts and Transcending Peaks Step together.'
It would be possible to pressure the enemy with the presence of a Mountain Lord and relentlessly attack with Transcending Peaks Step.
A technique to dry up and kill the opponent.
'These two perfectly complement the Severing Mountain Swordsmanship.'
As so, they were also relatively easy to learn.
I suddenly reflected on my martial prowess.
"Now... Against a first-rate martial artist, I can guarantee a 100% win rate without resorting to tricks."
I had completely surpassed the first-rate level.
Yet, I still hadn't reached the Pinnacle Realm.
Somewhere between first-rate and the pinnacle.
That was my current level of skill.
How long must I remain in this realm?
"Catalyst..."
I mulled over Kim Young-hoon's words.
What am I lacking?
I couldn't figure it out.
Time flowed on like a river.
Once again.
50 years have passed since my return.
My days were numbered.
I had surpassed the first-rate level but was still not at the Pinnacle Realm.
I was tired of wielding the sword.
In my past life, I swung my sword until my dying breath.
But in this life, despite being more skilled than before, swinging the sword felt burdensome.
I guessed the reason.
'There's no meaning to it, that's why.'
For 50 years, I wielded the sword.
Yet, I never became a peak master.
What's the point of swinging the sword when death is near?
It would all be the same anyway.
"Is he... dead?"
That day, I swung my sword and looked up at the sky.
Kim Young-hoon hadn't appeared for almost five years.
The last time we met, he was being pursued by Core Formation cultivators. Perhaps he was caught and killed by one or two of them.
"This must be our fate, his and mine."
When was my death due?
Perhaps in a few days, my vital energy would be exhausted, and I would die.
Even now, swinging the sword was an act of willpower.
"To overcome."
Whoosh!
"The limits."
Whoosh!
"As a human."
Whoosh!
"There's only so far... you can go."
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
I sighed and gazed aimlessly at the sky.
"With my talent, struggling all this time was my limit. And his talent too had its limits."
Yes.
Starting from the next life, I should try a different approach.
Knowing that I couldn't become a peak in a lifetime, I might as well beg cultivators for some elixir to attain spiritual quality.
That would be the best I could do.
"Even if mortals struggle, they can't escape the destiny set by the heavens..."
"Cough!"
"Ah!"
Suddenly, Kim Young-hoon appeared beside me like a phantom.
Coughing up blood.
"Cough, cough... What nonsense are you spouting, Seo Eun-hyun?"
"No, it's not that..."
"Cough... Gagging..."
Despite coughing up blood, he was laughing.
Both his arms were severed, and one eye was missing, scarred by a cut.
"Damn it, what happened? You're in bad shape."
I was startled by his sudden appearance and hurried to check his pulse and fetch medical tools.
Then, something grabbed my nape.
"Eh?"
What is this?
Weren't his arms severed?
Something invisible was holding my nape.
And Kim Young-hoon, despite coughing up blood, was laughing hysterically.
"Look! The price for blowing off one of the Core Formation cultivator's arms!!! I, I have inflicted significant damage on a Core Formation cultivator!"
"What...?"
"I, I have seen the realm beyond the Five Energies Converging to the Origin with my own two eyes!"
He continued speaking while spewing blood.
"I reached it by risking my life, burning my life! Look, Eun-hyun, I traveled hundreds of miles to show you. I decided to entrust my last words to you!"
Whoosh!
Above Kim Young-hoon's head, a concentration of saber energy formed.
I wasn't particularly surprised.
Projecting internal energy into the air was a feat he'd shown several times after reaching the Pinnacle Realm.
Gradually, the sword energy began to shine and change.
It was Gang Qi.
'This is something he's done even in the Five Energies realm.'
But then, the Gang Qi began to change again.
"This is..."
The Gang Qi started compressing into a sphere.
It was a change I'd never seen before in my several lifetimes following Kim Young-hoon.
Like the day he first entered the Five Energies realm.
Five small spheres hovered above his head.
The Gang Qi morphed into a small spherical shape.
"With this, I could blow off a Core Formation cultivator's arm. Before, I could only fight Qi Building cultivators using ambushes or surprise attacks, but with this, I can face them head-on in a battle of strength! Look, Eun-hyun! This is the result of surpassing the martial arts of the martial world I've pursued my whole life!"
Whoosh!
Kim Young-hoon launched the spherical mass of Gang Qi towards the back of my house.
Boom!
An enormous explosion sounded, and the house I had built with all the money I had gathered over 50 years was destroyed in a second.
"My... house..."
For a moment, I felt a mix of numbness and rage, but I managed to suppress it and examined the power of the martial art he displayed.
'The three-story building exploded completely. There's hardly any debris left. Luckily, there were no servants around, otherwise, it could have killed hundreds in one blow.'
Most importantly.
The hundreds, thousands, even tens of thousands of saber marks in the 'remaining' debris.
That Gang Qi Sphere contained tens of thousands of saber energies.
'The power is unimaginable. It's stronger than any martial art Kim Young-hoon has shown since reaching the Five Energies realm.'
His claim about being able to confront cultivators in a head-on battle of strength seemed plausible.
Moreover, his martial arts, which began with Record of Transcending Cultivation and Exhausting Martial Arts, were primarily designed for ambush and escape, so ambushing a Core Formation cultivator with this could have easily blown off an arm.
"I... came... to show you... Eun-hyun..."
He whispered faintly, reciting some martial formulas.
"Remember... these formulas... They are... the essence of my realizations, compressed... Please, pass on my martial arts... to future generations..."
"Don't speak. I'll treat you."
I applied pressure points to stop his bleeding and was about to take him to a nearby doctor.
Whoosh!
A middle-aged man in blue robes appeared in the sky above my house.
"I've found you. Extreme Monster. So, you've been hiding here. Listen, mortal! This man has committed grave crimes against the celestial clan of cultivators. Leave him and go!"
"You've come to punish him?"
"Yes. Don't tell me you're an associate of this Extreme Monster? Planning to protect him? Useless..."
Thud!
Before the man could finish speaking, I hoisted Kim Young-hoon on my back and dashed towards a nearby mountain range.
"Tsk, he seems to be an associate of the Extreme Monster. Didn't he hear from the Extreme Monster about us cultivators?"
The middle-aged man's voice seemed to echo everywhere.
"Ha, well. Let's enjoy this last bit of entertainment. Run, if you can."
Swoosh!
From the direction where the middle-aged man was, light burst, and several black masses fell to the ground.
Thud, thud, thud!
The masses that fell to the ground rose up and started chasing after me.
'Are those... corpses?'
Moving corpses.
Jiangshi (Chinese Zombies).
Aaah!
Grrr!
Waaargh!
The Jiangshi chased after me.
Unlike old me, these dead things didn't tire and kept charging.
"By the way, Extreme Monster, is that a nickname given by the cultivators? Unique."
"..."
I kept talking to keep the barely conscious Kim Young-hoon awake while fleeing.
"Two 'monsters' being chased by Jiangshi in their old age, what a peculiar sight."
"Damn it, I knew this would happen when you started picking fights with those cultivators."
"But if you were going to do that, you should have won outright. Why just blow off an arm? What's the point?"
Aaaah!
A Jiangshi that had gotten close extended its claws at me.
"Damn it, corpses are immune to poison."
Thwack!
I threw a hidden weapon, hitting the Jiangshi's ankle joint precisely.
The Jiangshi stumbled and fell, and I took the opportunity to flee even farther.
"Damn it. Shouldn't you be carrying me and running, given you've reverted to a younger body? I'm out of breath. Why are your arms cut off anyway?"
Aaaaah!
The Jiangshi relentlessly pursued me.
I gritted my teeth and kept running.
Morning passed, noon passed, and night fell.
How many times had the sun risen and set?
"Huff, huff..."
I ended up cornered in a dead-end.
A large cliff behind me blocked the way, and Jiangshi surrounded me in front.
"Amazing. A mere mortal withstanding my Jiangshi for three days and nights."
"Huff... Huff..."
I looked up at the middle-aged man floating in the sky, gasping for breath.
"Now you have nowhere to run, and there's no need. The Extreme Monster is already dead, isn't he? Mortal."
"Huff... Huff..."
Sweat poured down like rain.
My legs trembled.
But with the last of my willpower from 50 years of training, I spoke to the cultivator.
"I know...Any first-rate doctor can recognize a corpse. That Kim Young-hoon, this madman, died of excessive bleeding... I know that."
"Then why did you run? Mortal, I'm only interested in the Extreme Monster's head. Your insignificant life means nothing to me. You should have just left the body and fled."
"Ha, ha ha... Ha ha ha."
I laughed crazily and slowly laid down Kim Young-hoon's body.
"This man... was my martial arts master. Is it right to hand over my master's body to an outsider, even if you are a cultivator?"
Severing Mountain Swordsmanship.
Dragon Vein Qi Method.
Mountain Lord Martial Arts and Transcending Peaks Step.
And everything else that helped me reach this level.
It was all thanks to Kim Young-hoon's teachings.
He was a fellow countryman and also my martial arts master.
"If you want my master's head, you'll have to take mine first!"
"Hmm, how dare you speak so boldly to a practitioner of the Dao. You've got some nerve. It seems like your vital energy is depleting, and you don't have much time left. Are you being brave because you're about to die?"
My shout seemed to irk the middle-aged man in blue robes.
"These mortals, ignorant of what it means to be a Daoist cultivator. It seems they don't understand what we are capable of. Are you not afraid of death? Or do you not value your life? In that case, I'll show you. Cultivators of the Dao have the power to inflict suffering worse than death…"
The man in blue robes began muttering some incantation, extending his hand towards me.
I hastily dodged, anticipating an attack, but his spell targeted not me, but something else.
"…What is this?"
The cultivator's spell had settled into Kim Young-hoon's corpse, and the dead man began to rise again.
The surrounding Jiangshi, each detached an arm and threw it towards the reanimating corpse of Kim Young-hoon.
The arms of the Jiangshi attached to the shoulders of Kim Young-hoon's corpse.
"A Jiangshi…?"
The cultivator had turned Kim Young-hoon into a Jiangshi with his spell
"You wretched mortal, how dare you scream in the presence of a Daoist cultivator. Now pay the price. Go on, Extreme Monster, kill this disciple of yours with your own hands."
"Grrr… Ahhh…"
The corpse of Kim Young-hoon staggered and then lunged at me. I quickly drew my sword to block his strike and retreated.
"This… vile cultivator…!"
To dishonor the spirit of the deceased in such a way!
I gritted my teeth, blocking each attack from the transformed Jiangshi.
"Fortunately, he can't use his martial arts from his lifetime."
He was only pushing me with the strength and speed of a Jiangshi.
Naturally, the strength infused by the cultivator seemed formidable, imposing a tremendous burden on my aged body with its sheer power and speed.
"Damn it, damn it!"
With each strike of my sword, my eyes reddened in rage.
Every slash I made at Kim Young-hoon's body felt like a tremendous insult.
"I'm sorry."
But I steeled my heart and took my fighting stance.
If this is how it is.
Let's end it quickly.
Severing Mountain Swordsmanship,
Twenty-First Move.
Heavenly Lake!
Old memories rushed in.
―Why is the twenty-first move of Severing Mountain Swordsmanship called Heavenly Lake? All other stances have names related to valleys, peaks, or mountains, but why this one?
Early in this life.
I had asked Kim Young-hoon, wondering if he knew since the revised Severing Mountain Swordsmanship included this stance by his previous cycle's self.
―Hmm, Heavenly Lake? It reminds me of Baekdu Mountain's Heavenly Lake.
―Baekdu Mountain?
―Haha, yes. Does this world also have a Heavenly Lake like Baekdu Mountain? Or maybe someone from Korea like us named this move.
―Hahaha… I guess so.
Heavenly Lake (天池).
A vast lake reflecting the sky.
A vast pool located at the highest mountain peak.
The spirit of that terrain naturally emanated from me.
Imagery of Heavenly Lake, along with the countless memories of being taught martial arts by Kim Young-hoon, came to mind.
The essence of Severing Mountain Swordsmanship flowed through my memory.
The Heavenly Lake holds the myriad forms of the heavens, yet it itself never changes.
In essence, the symbolized heaven represents the object I contend with.
The lake that contains it signifies my single strike.
Crash!
Sword energy swept over Kim Young-hoon's entire body, and my sword was sheathed back into its scabbard.
In an instant, his movements froze.
The twenty-first move of Severing Mountain Swordsmanship, Heavenly Lake, is a technique that momentarily suppresses the opponent's movements by drawing in all the 'power' flowing through their meridians into my sword energy, trapping it within my sword.
A skill that could only be executed by someone who is both a first-rate doctor and an expert in the Eight Extraordinary Meridians.
A martial art exclusively tailored for me, an extraordinary move that no one but I could perform.
Rumble!
Within the sheathed sword, the briefly stolen power surged.
Left alone, it would eventually dissipate, but I chose to preserve this energy and resumed the stance for the next move.
"Severing Mountain Swordsmanship, Twenty-second Move."
Excluding the twenty-third and twenty-fourth moves, which are more conceptual and theoretical.
The true secret technique (奧義) of Severing Mountain Swordsmanship.
'If the corpse is intact, it could be used by the cultivator as a zombie.'
Therefore, I have to leave no corpse behind.
'Rest in peace.'
Severing Mountain Swordsmanship.
The secret technique.
"Severing Mountain."
The content of the Severing Mountain Swordsmanship's secret technique was not grandiose.
True to its purpose of cutting through mountains, it was simply about making brute sword cuts.
Starting from the first move, Transcending Peaks, all the way to the twenty-first move, Heavenly Lake, pouring all the moves at once on the opponent!
That was the secret technique of Severing Mountain Swordsmanship, Severing Mountain.
The first move, Transcending Peaks.
With the unsheathing of the sword, I rode the flow of power stolen from Kim Young-hoon's body, cutting him horizontally.
The second move, Entering Mountain.
Quickly switching to a lower stance to strike his legs.
The third move, Ascending Vein.
Cutting upward while holding the sword from the lower stance.
The fourth move, Flowing Ridge.
Sending winding sword energy to stab.
The fifth move, Bouldered Cliff.
Rotating and delivering several slashing strikes.
The sixth move, Strange Stone.
Changing the grip and adding a deceptive move.
The seventh move, Deep Mountain.
Returning into a defensive posture and cutting diagonally upward.
The eighth move, Secluded Valley.
Twisting and nullifying the opponent's force aimed at me.
The ninth move, Landscape Painting.
Delivering diagonal sword energy strikes from left and right, totaling six slashes.
The tenth move, Dragon Vein.
Drawing up energy to make a large cut.
The eleventh move, Cliff Edge.
Cutting again from below upward.
The twelfth move, Nine Lights Emerging Peak.
Sending nine streams of sword energy beyond.
By this point, Kim Young-hoon's body was completely tattered.
'To completely obliterate it.'
So that the cultivator could not revive any part and desecrate the spirit!
Even in its tattered state, it writhed and attacked me again.
Tremendous power and speed!
'I must avoid it!'
No, what's the point of avoiding?
My life is already at its end.
A life already destined for death.
At this moment, to ensure that my master's legacy is no longer insulted, burn everything!
"Arrgh!"
The thirteenth move, Joy of Mountains and Peaks.
Striking down five slashes and then another five.
Ten slashes in total, enveloping him from all directions.
Kyaaah!
The Jaingshi's hand broke through the barrage of slashes, attacking me.
I'm going to die.
'I can't die yet.'
More, just a bit more!
Draw more energy!
My brain processed and input information faster.
The surrounding space, sound, smell, the humidity and temperature, the taste of blood on my tongue.
It felt like my brain would explode.
'Let it burst.'
More and more!
Until my brain burns completely!
The fourteenth move, Qi Mountain Heart Heaven.
The Dragon Vein Qi Method surged, and my momentum grew immense.
Simultaneously, sword energy condensed, taking the form of Sword Silk!
In this situation, a direct strike was inevitable.
And then.
Crackle―
My brain, under the pressure of impending death, burst through something.
Ah―
Is this my imagination?
Red.
And blue.
All the colors of the world vanished, leaving only these two.
Red.
And blue.
Ah―
Is this...
A red line extended from Kim Young-hoon's fingertips to my head.
Instinctively, I sensed it was [the next attack].
Whoosh!
I avoided the attack with minimal movement and raised my sword.
A blue line stretched from my sword to his ribs.
Instinctively, I sensed it was [the optimal path for me].
Entranced, I followed the blue line with my sword.
Slash!
My sword cut through his upper body.
Somehow, Kim Young-hoon's face seemed to be smiling faintly.
Seeing that faint smile,
I repeated a thought I had before.
A genius bestowed by heaven.
And a dunce abandoned by heaven.
Poles apart, yet we seemed alike.
The reason was.
Because in the fate given by the heavens, we both struggled desperately.
Here, there are neither geniuses nor dunces.
Only those who spent their lives resisting fate and those who will die doing the same.
Yes.
As long as we live in the fate given by the heavens, talent is irrelevant. We are similar humans.
―Is this how you're ending it?
On his corpse, it seemed Kim Young-hoon's face from his living days was reflected.
'Of course not.'
As if bewitched, I continued to unleash my sword.
The fifteenth move, Layered Mountains.
Thousands of sword energies thinly split, becoming a storm that enveloped his entire body.
A defensive move originally used to nullify the opponent's energy evolved into a lethal strike, optimized for the situation.
The sixteenth move, Mountain Tiger.
The claws and fangs of the tiger living in the Layered Mountains concentrated at a single point, tearing through his body.
The seventeenth move, Mountain and Valley Transformation.
Sword energy sent to the ground changed the terrain, shaking his foundation.
The eighteenth move, Echoing Valley.
Emptying my intent in the sword energy to counter and strike back.
The nineteenth move, Mountains Echoes, Valleys Respond.
Sword energy transformed into a wave, delivering a strike that he couldn't avoid, shredding his body.
The twentieth move, Nine Mountains, Eight Seas.
Rotating several times on the spot and delivering cuts in all directions, tearing apart his form,
The twenty-first move, Heavenly Lake.
Swinging the sword again, gathering all the waves, flows, and power I had unleashed into the sword.
Rumble!
The power of all the waves, flows, and power from the twenty moves of Severing Mountain Swordsmanship were gathered.
This vast energy was suppressed inside the sheathed sword.
I unsheathed my sword again, just like at the beginning.
Concentrating all this power into a single slashing strike.
Severing Mountain Swordsmanship.
"My twenty-second move."
The secret technique.
"Severing Mountain!"
The essence of Severing Mountain Swordsmanship in a single strike!
Releasing this final strike, I saw the the passing of my life before my eyes.
Ah, yes.
This is the end.
Flash!
With my strike, Kim Young-hoon's body completely shattered, scattering in all directions.
Now, even if a cultivator comes, his body cannot be further desecrated.
Thus, I ascended to the new realm I had longed for.
And concluded this tenacious life.
That was my fourth return (回歸).