Myst, Might, Mayhem (Novel) - Chapter 190 - Peak (4)
Chapter 190 – Peak (4)
===================
Translated by Jinmu
Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
===================
A hundred years ago.
A past so far back that she no longer remembered exactly when it had been.
She looked at the back of a man in the training ground holding up a sword-finger mudra and asked,
[What are you doing?]
A sword floated in the air before the man.
He moved that floating sword, trying to handle it more naturally.
But soon the sword drifting in midair slipped free from the control of his true qi, whirled away, and fell to one side of the training ground.
Clang.
[As expected, it is difficult.]
[Of course it is difficult. The moment the connection to the true qi outside the body is severed even slightly, the art of taking objects through the air will unravel.]
[Yes, that is why it is difficult. But if one could handle that true qi more smoothly and command a sword like a living horse, what would happen?]
[Command a sword like a horse? Would that really be possible?]
What embodies the body’s true qi is the internal power of the dantian.
Internal power, as the force of the internal school, strengthens the body, but the moment it leaves the body, that energy naturally scatters.
Because of that, to maintain true qi once it has been sent outside the body required equally vast and profound internal power and the enlightenment to keep it from scattering.
At Blue Spirit’s words, the man standing with his hands behind his back said,
[Yes. It may be impossible. But they say the grandmasters of sword intent who won fame in the old martial world were able to do it.]
[The old martial world…]
The old martial world.
She had heard that unlike the present, when the level of martial artists had fallen across the board, there had once been an age when martial arts flourished.
And judging by the oral accounts and records from that time, there had been secret arts so extraordinary as to seem fantastical.
This seemed to be one of them.
She shook her head and said,
[There can be no one even at your age who remains as obsessed with the old martial world as you are.]
[It is not obsession. I only want to recreate the glory of the old martial world.]
[Yes, yes, of course. Then in the old martial world, what did they call handling a sword as though commanding a horse with true qi?]
[That would be…]
* * *
The sword that had stopped before Mong Mu-yak, the Vice Society Leader’s son, then drew itself from the sheath and flew of its own accord.
Though she was inside the wooden puppet, the moment she saw this, Blue Spirit instinctively knew.
‘A sword-riding technique!’
That was a sword-riding technique.
Was this truly possible in reality?
Staring at it in shock, she shouted to Mok Gyeong-un as if warning him.
“It is a sword-riding technique!”
‘A sword-riding technique?’
At her cry, the already wary Mok Gyeong-un quickly twisted his body to the side and dodged the incoming sword.
But then,
Chwak.
He thought he had dodged the sword, but it suddenly changed direction as if someone were swinging it and tried to cut through Mok Gyeong-un’s neck.
At that, Mok Gyeong-un drew the Evil-Answering Sword without time to think.
Chaeng.
Chwareureureu.
The instant the swords struck, his body was shoved backward nearly five paces.
An unusual light rose in Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes at the violent sword strike that far exceeded his expectations.
Who could have guessed that a sword changing direction midway, with no one even holding it, would carry this much true qi?
But it did not end there.
Shuk.
The sword stabbed in at Mok Gyeong-un’s glabella in an instant as he was being pushed back.
Seeing this, Mok Gyeong-un hurriedly knocked his sword upward.
Chaeng.
Yet Mok Gyeong-un’s sword, after striking upward, instead bounced downward.
‘!?’
The force loaded in the sword had not weakened in the slightest.
Rather, it had grown stronger than just before.
Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes sharpened.
Because this was the main hall building where the Society Leader was present, he had adjusted his power to the level of the extreme of transcendent peak for safety’s sake, but it seemed this would be difficult to block with that alone.
“Do not meet it head-on. Dodge!”
Blue Spirit shouted urgently.
At her cry, Mok Gyeong-un hastily unfolded a lightness technique.
The footwork he used was the Ghost Yin Shadow Step he had learned from the Shadow Sect Master.
Tatatatatatak.
The Ghost Yin Shadow Step, which valued variation, made the movement of the feet as flexible as reeds.
As he dodged the sword, Mok Gyeong-un asked by voice transmission,
“What in the world is this? The true qi is handling the sword like a living swordsman.”
“It is a sword-riding technique.”
“A sword-riding technique?”
“A method of commanding a sword with qi.”
“Commanding a sword? Is it possible to handle it this precisely?”
“This is the first time even I have actually seen it… Be careful!”
Chwak.
No sooner had Blue Spirit’s warning ended than the sword brushed across Mok Gyeong-un’s chest as he executed his footwork.
Barely avoiding it, Mok Gyeong-un focused energy into the Yongcheon acupoints and kicked off the ground.
Pak.
In an instant he opened more than six paces of distance backward, then fired sharp force at the sword as it turned to change direction.
Chwachwachwak.
Sharp force flew at it in succession.
For an instant it seemed the sword was being blocked by those sharp currents.
Chwachwachwang.
But the true qi loaded into the sword-riding technique was so strong that the sharp force instead split apart.
It seemed that plain sharp force would be useless if he wanted to block that.
At the very least,
Chaang.
At that moment, something flew in like lightning and knocked the sword aside.
It was none other than Seop Chun, Third Guard Captain of the main hall.
The blue astral qi loaded into Frenzied Dance sent the sword, which had been rampaging on its own, crashing to the floor.
Chaenggang.
‘So it is weaker than astral qi.’
The energy loaded into the sword was above sharp force, but below astral qi.
“Whew. Hey, are you all right?”
Seop Chun waved his left hand and asked Mok Gyeong-un.
He had stepped in midway because he felt he could not just stand by and watch.
Mok Gyeong-un was about to thank him for the help, but then he shouted,
“The help… Look behind you!”
Hmph.
The instant Mok Gyeong-un spoke, Seop Chun instinctively sensed a sharp aura and unfolded a saber form.
‘Second form of the Butterfly Saber Method, Returning Circle Butterfly Warning!’
Seop Chun swung his saber and spun like a top.
At once a whirlwind of astral qi surged from the blue saber force carried on Frenzied Dance.
“That fellow too is no ordinary one.”
A note of admiration slipped from Blue Spirit’s mouth.
The saber form Seop Chun displayed was outstanding enough that it would not be amiss to call it a transcendent saber art.
No matter that it was a sword-riding technique, it looked difficult to pierce that saber form.
But then,
Shuk.
The sword shot upward.
Then from above Seop Chun, who was spinning while unfolding the saber form, it stabbed downward.
‘What?’
Seop Chun’s eyes widened.
Just as the eye of a typhoon is quiet, the only gap in Returning Circle Butterfly Warning was the space directly above where the form was being performed, and yet it had pierced that in a single stroke.
Feeling that this would not do, Seop Chun twisted the orbit of his form and unfolded a changed move.
‘Eighth form of the Butterfly Saber Method, Butterfly Dance Full Bloom!’
Chwachwachwachwa.
The saber patterns of Frenzied Dance, fluttering like butterflies, created countless afterimages and in an instant trapped the sword that had been stabbing toward Seop Chun’s crown.
Chaechaechaechaeng.
The sword, trapped within the saber form of the Butterfly Saber Method, bounced wildly away and gradually lost its power.
Seeing that, an unusual light showed in Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes.
Just from the web produced by that dazzling saber form, it was clear how outstanding Seop Chun’s combat sense was.
He was completely cutting off the connection of true qi to the sword itself.
‘Did he sever it?’
Now there would be no way to do anything more with that sword.
That was what Mok Gyeong-un thought, and Seop Chun too, while trapping the sword within his saber form, was equally certain of it.
But then,
‘!?’
Mok Gyeong-un frowned.
The true qi had been cut off, but in order to learn who was using the sword-riding technique and by what method, he opened the demonic power of Three Eyes in his right eye.
‘What in the world is this…’
It was completely unlike what he had expected.
He had thought traces of true qi connecting to the sword would remain.
But there were no traces of true qi.
“Why is that?”
“There is no trace of true qi connected to the sword.”
“What?”
If true qi had been connected to the sword, traces of it should have remained visible to that eye.
But he saw nothing.
That left him with no way of knowing who had been controlling the sword.
Did that mean the sword had really been moving on its own?
As he was puzzling over it, Blue Spirit clicked her tongue and exclaimed in admiration.
“Sword and self as one. The sword itself is being used as the medium of qi.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“It did not send true qi into the sword and connect it. It made the sword itself gather and wield the qi. That is why it can control the sword this freely. Ha!”
She was sincerely amazed.
She had even questioned whether something like a sword-riding technique was truly possible.
Yet now she was seeing the answer before her eyes.
And thanks to that, she now knew.
“Sentient being. This is not the sort of method that can be done merely by crossing a wall.”
“Then?”
“One must reach a realm where one can assimilate oneself with the surrounding qi. At the very least, the extreme of the Transformation Realm… or else one must cross beyond the wall beyond the wall.”
“That means…”
“Yes. There is only one person here capable of this degree of divine technique.”
“…The Society Leader.”
Mok Gyeong-un sent that voice transmission in a confident tone.
Even Mok Gyeong-un, who had crossed a wall, could not grasp the truth of that qi even when he opened the demonic power of Three Eyes.
That person could only be the Society Leader, one of the Six Heavens and the peak of the Heaven and Earth Society.
Blue Spirit spoke in a notably grave voice.
“One mountain beyond another.”
She had guessed he might have reached the Profound Realm beyond the wall beyond the wall.
But now that she knew it for certain like this, she could not help feeling that the road to revenge was still far off.
Perhaps Mok Gyeong-un felt much the same.
Just then, Mok Gyeong-un’s shoulders trembled faintly.
‘This brat?’
Had he perhaps just tasted the wall?
It seemed to be the first time she had seen him react like this.
Watching him, Blue Spirit inwardly found it understandable.
‘When one collides with a being whose capacity has no end, it is only natural to feel awe or fear. After all, sentient being, you too are human…’
Twitch, twitch.
‘!?’
Blue Spirit could not hide her puzzlement.
That was because as Mok Gyeong-un’s shoulders shook more and more, she could see the corners of his mouth twitching.
‘Is this brat smiling?’
Was he not afraid because he had been stopped by the wall?
He could smile in this situation?
She wondered if she had seen it wrong, but the corners of Mok Gyeong-un’s mouth were indeed faintly raised.
“Sentient being, are you really smiling?”
“Ah? Was I smiling?”
“What? You are saying you did not even know what expression you were making?”
“Ahhh. I nearly made a mistake.”
“A mistake? Why in the world did you smile?”
“No reason.”
“No reason?”
“Yes. It simply seems that martial arts have even more room to be explored than I had thought.”
At that answer from Mok Gyeong-un, Blue Spirit was inwardly astonished.
To this sentient being, martial arts had been nothing more than a tool for revenge.
Yet upon facing a higher order of martial arts, he had not been blocked by the wall but had instead shown interest.
‘Ha.’
Did he even know?
How much his own way of thinking had changed?
Still, there was no need to say it aloud.
Because this was flowing in a remarkably good direction.
It was just at that moment.
Chaenggang.
“What?”
At that moment the sword revived and stabbed toward his shoulder.
There had been no time to avoid it.
But then,
Chaenggeurang.
The sword that had been trying to stab his shoulder suddenly lost its strength and fell to the ground.
‘Hm?’
What was going on?
Had the one who was moving the sword perhaps released the true qi connected to it?
Still puzzled, Seop Chun immediately leaped backward and widened the distance.
Then he looked toward the entrance of the training ground.
He thought the person moving the sword with true qi might be there.
But no one was at the entrance.
‘Who in the world is it?’
As far as his qi sense could tell, he felt no kind of energy nearby.
Then at that very moment,
Seureuk.
At some point, there was a person standing in the middle of the training ground with hands clasped behind his back, his face wrapped all over in something like bandages.
The moment he saw him, Seop Chun’s eyes widened, and then at once,
Pak. Kung.
Dropping to one knee, he clasped both hands and lowered his head as he cried out,
“This humble Third Guard Captain of the main hall, Seop Chun, pays respect before the Society Leader of the great Heaven and Earth Society!”
‘!!!!!!!!’
No sooner had those words ended than Mong Mu-yak too, startled out of his wits, dropped to one knee and offered the same formal salute as Seop Chun.
“I pay my respects to the Society Leader!”
‘The Society Leader? This man?’
Mok Gyeong-un’s right eyelid twitched faintly.
Could everyone present here see this?
The energy gathered within that body was so powerful and so thrilling that no energy he had seen until now could compare.
It was enough to make him wonder what in the world would happen if that energy burst out.
Was this truly the peak of the Heaven and Earth Society?
He was still marveling when,
“Gyeong-un!”
Seop Chun, Third Guard Captain of the main hall, hurriedly called to Mok Gyeong-un.
With the Society Leader himself standing before them, it violated all propriety for him alone to remain standing blankly like that.
At that, Mok Gyeong-un followed them and dropped to one knee, showing the proper respect.
Seeing that, Seop Chun let out a sigh of relief.
Then,
Step, step.
The sound of footsteps was heard, and the Society Leader’s legs came to a stop directly before him.
Seop Chun lowered his head even more, his face tense.
Then a voice spoke.
“Cough, cough. How was it done?”
‘Ah!’
At that voice, Seop Chun’s pupils trembled.
Could it be that the divine technique of the sword moving on its own a moment ago had been the Society Leader testing them?
He had wondered why they had been called here, but had never imagined it was for something like this.
Parrrr.
‘So it was a test after all.’
Thinking it a great honor, Seop Chun answered in a voice full of excitement,
“It was but pitiful skill. I merely did my utmost…”
“No. Not you.”
“Pardon?”
Startled, Seop Chun slightly lifted his head.
Yet the Society Leader’s gaze, from behind the face wrapped all over in bandages, was fixed on Mok Gyeong-un.
And it was a gaze filled with considerable interest.
‘Why in the world?’
Why was the Society Leader reacting like this?
As he stood there in confusion, the Society Leader spoke again.
“How did you disperse the true qi loaded into the sword?”
‘What?’