1023——————==

Soul of the Evil God

So, I decided to learn the Nine Chambers of Thunder Technique with Zhu Xian and Lee Seol-pyo. After dropping off my luggage at his house and getting ready to train, I stepped outside.

‘It’s been a while since I felt this way.’

It felt refreshing to breathe in the clear air of the Sim-San Valley while preparing for proper training. I was detached from the flamboyant world I had just experienced, but surprisingly, I didn’t feel any sense of deprivation or loss—probably because modern civilization just doesn’t suit my body yet.

Lee Seol-pyo, waiting for us, said, “Master, I’ll teach you how to create the Thunder Spirit first.”

“Go ahead.”

“First… create the Thunder Essence on your palm.”

Chhchh…

I easily conjured a glowing blue clump of Thunder Essence on my palm. This was something martial artists from most clans could do, manifesting Natural Spirit Energy. With this, I could even mimic the martial arts of other sects.

“I did it.”

“Now, absorb that Thunder Essence into your left heart and then transfer it to your other hand.”

Wooow…

“Now do it the other way around.”

I followed Lee Seol-pyo’s instructions. After a series of steps, he looked at me with a glint of surprise in his eyes.

“Indeed, Master. Those who start this usually feel intense pain every time the Thunder Essence brushes against their blood, but it seems you don’t feel a thing.”

“That’s because I have a massive amount of qi in my body that can withstand the Thunder Essence without damage… but why am I doing this self-harm?”

I showed my confusion.

“This isn’t training. Just absorbing the Thunder clump causes harm to your body.”

“……”

“Doing this shortens even a martial artist’s lifespan.”

While my internal power rivaled that of the Dharma Guardian, most martial artists only stored their qi in the Dantian, leaving their internal organs unprotected. Thus, allowing the Thunder Essence to circulate inside was pure self-harm. The pure nature of Thunder Essence could only harm a human body.

Lee Seol-pyo nodded and explained, “Right now, it is self-harm. But with a specific technique supporting it, this transforms into an excellent training method.”

“What technique?”

“I will now circulate the Thunder Essence within my body. Watch closely.”

Wooow…

Lee Seol-pyo sat cross-legged, summoning four spheres of Thunder Essence around his body. The spheres began to orbit him before vanishing into his body, where they could be seen vividly swirling from his heart down to his toes.

“……!!”

I was watching without using any special techniques, yet I could clearly see his transformation. It was a sight I had never seen before, and while I was taken aback, Lee Seol-pyo expelled the Thunder Essence, joining his hands together. The spheres merged into one and flew into the sky, exploding with a bang before disappearing.

“Did you see? As your proficiency in the Nine Chambers of Thunder Technique increases, the amount of Thunder Spirit you can control increases as well, allowing your body to interact with the Thunder Essence without injury, enhancing your recovery instead.”

“How is that possible?”

“Thanks to the Heavenly Thunder Divine Art.”

“The Heavenly Thunder Divine Art…”

“The principles are quite complex, but the fundamentals are simple. It’s not as difficult as the cipher-like principles of the Thunder Spirit. However, ascending to higher stages requires exceptional insight, so it’s regarded as having difficulty on par with the Thunder Spirit.”

Saying this, Lee Seol-pyo continued, “Simply mastering the Heavenly Thunder Divine Art will not suffice. To quickly grasp this technique, you must learn the Eight Wilds Shock of Heaven and reach at least the level of Five Insights.”

“What? Why must that be the case?”

“Because the Heavenly Thunder Divine Art is derived from the key principles of the Eight Wilds Shock of Heaven. It’s not just a formula but relies on enlightenment. Thus, reaching the level of the Eight Wilds Shock of Heaven first allows you to learn the Heavenly Thunder Divine Art for the Nine Chambers of Thunder Technique three times faster.”

“……”

I was left dumbfounded. It dawned on me that this was the reality of the Thunder God lineage.

‘Right, this is how the Thunder God lineage operates…’

An overwhelming level of difficulty that would likely deter anyone below a genius level, constantly testing practitioners and the absolute necessity of Five Insights! I shook off the bewilderment I hadn’t felt since reaching the Absolute Realm and said, “I see. So it takes a long time to learn the Nine Chambers of Thunder Technique because I need to master both the Eight Wilds Shock of Heaven and the Heavenly Thunder Divine Art.”

“Exactly. But don’t worry,” Lee Seol-pyo said, clenching his fist.

“You are a genius on par with Jin So-cheong! You should master the Eight Wilds Shock of Heaven in no more than six months! I’ll keep thinking and paying attention to match your talent, so don’t worry.”

“Phew… hahaha…”

I let out a hollow laugh, secretly resenting my companions.

‘You guys, how can you make such a ridiculous claim!’

But since there was no way around it, I resolved to maintain my composure and finish this training. I couldn’t back out now.

“Well then, I’ll start teaching you the Eight Wilds Shock of Heaven…”

And right there, Lee Seol-pyo proceeded to recite the entirety of the Eight Wilds Shock of Heaven’s key principles in one go, taking up almost half a moment. It was a hefty challenge to listen to and memorize thousands of words all at once, so I stared at him in confusion and interjected.

“H-Hey. Are you passing it all on at once?!”

“……? Is there a problem?”

“Usually, the teachings are given in segments according to progress over time.”

Lee Seol-pyo chuckled at my bewilderment.

“The legendary genius Jin So-cheong memorized everything in one go and never asked for a repeat. It wasn’t just Jin So-cheong; even the previous master, Lee Cheong-un, had the same capability. I figured I needn’t slow you down just because I worried about your abilities.”

“……”

I couldn’t memorize it all!

Even with the Thunder Essence activated constantly, how could I memorize something that long all at once!?

I swiftly sent a message to Zhu Xian beside me.

[Hey. Did you memorize it all?]

[Huh? U-Um, yes.]

[Good.]

I planned to learn from Zhu Xian later. Once Lee Seol-pyo finished transmitting the key principles, he immediately started demonstrating the basic techniques using the Eight Wilds Shock of Heaven.

“The basics of the Eight Wilds Shock of Heaven require sufficient internal power to support them. However, since you’ve already met that condition, you only need to learn the foundational techniques of the Fog-shrouded Sky Royal Shadow 108 Techniques.”

“Fog-shrouded Sky Royal Shadow 108 Techniques? That’s quite a lot… do we really need this many basic techniques?”

“The master who created this martial art started with a whip. Even after mastering sword, fist, and spear techniques, he found that the whip suited his nature more, so he integrated all the martial arts he learned into whip techniques, hence the large number of basics.”

“Interesting…”

“Thus, the Fog-shrouded Sky Royal Shadow 108 Techniques are versatile and can be adapted freely to sword, fist, or spear techniques.”

Swoosh…

“It consists of 36 techniques each for the front, middle, and back, so watch closely.”

Rustle…

Lee Seol-pyo swiftly performed the Fog-shrouded Sky Royal Shadow 108 Techniques. Unlike earlier, this demonstration was quite interesting to watch as I was an expert. I could perceive his movements and flow of internal power clearly, significantly enhancing my understanding of martial arts.

‘Fog-shrouded Sky Royal Shadow 108 Techniques… I can understand the essence. It’s starting to click.’

I felt it was pretty easy to grasp without just relying on talent. Though I couldn’t memorize every detail of the techniques, I had a clear idea of their meanings and how they were applied. My prior experiences manifesting numerous techniques in the Absolute Realm helped me instinctively catch up with the realm of innate talent.

I began to think that the Fog-shrouded Sky Royal Shadow 108 Techniques might suit me well. I mainly used sword techniques but had learned many arts, so I often blended spear and fist techniques into my repertoire. Thus, a martial art with great versatility felt like a perfect fit for me.

“Are you ready?”

After completing the demonstration, Lee Seol-pyo said, “Then today, feel free to focus on mastering the principles or practicing the martial arts…”

“…Huh? You’re not going to guide me or correct my technique?”

“How could I dare instruct a master of the Absolute Realm? It’s absurd for underlings to teach experts. I’m concerned it might interfere with your thoughts and intent, so I’ll take my leave.”

“Wait, that’s not—”

“You don’t need to worry about me, so please train autonomously at your leisure.”

With that, Lee Seol-pyo smiled contentedly.

“Ah, teaching a genius is quite convenient.”

“…….”

I instinctively knew that if I gave up on this, my progress would absolutely stall.

“Hey!! I might be fine, but Zhu Xian lacks some talent… uh… right, he’s not as talented as me! You should teach him closely!”

“……!!”

Lee Seol-pyo looked shocked.

“Master…!! Are you genuinely worried about this lousy Thunder God disciple, even after reaching the Absolute Realm?”

“Y-Yeah. You should teach Zhu Xian closely, exactly how to do it. This is a direct order from your master.”

“Ooh…!! Understood!”

Then, as Lee Seol-pyo started teaching Zhu Xian, I secretly messaged him.

[Hey. Ask to go over the second half of the Fog-shrouded Sky Royal Shadow 108 Techniques again.]

[Understood.]

[And also request to recite the key principles from start to finish once more.]

[Got it.]

That day, after about six half-moments of training, we returned to the lodging. It seemed Lee Seol-pyo had prepared a guesthouse for us, and Zhu Xian and I settled down for the night. While covering ourselves with blankets, Zhu Xian suddenly said, “Your Majesty… thank you.”

“…For what?”

“I feel like I’ve made significant progress in martial arts today, all thanks to your consideration. It’s as if the walls that had been blocking me have finally crumbled.”

“……”

“Today, I finally realized that Your Majesty is a hero, on par with Sagong Lin.”

“Ha… now you see?”

I grinned, feeling a little smug.

“Zhu Xian, I’m also testing you right now.”

“Eh?”

“Earlier, I kept asking you to recite the principles and the techniques again. I did that to see if you truly understood.”

“……!!”

“I plan to keep testing you. I’ll act like a talentless trainee to give you a hard time, so if you can’t answer my questions correctly, it’ll be tough for you to become the successor of the Thunder God. Can you actually teach me—someone who acts like a fool?”

With a resolute voice, Zhu Xian responded, “I’m ready! Ask me anything!”

“Alright! Stand up for a moment. Before sleeping, let’s go over those principles… no, ten times again.”

“Understood.”

I couldn’t help but smile.

‘Awesome…. At least I can slide through the Eight Wilds Shock of Heaven without much hassle….’

For about a month, alongside Zhu Xian, I trained rigorously under Lee Seol-pyo. Memorizing the principles was just the start; actually embedding the martial arts into my body would take additional time, and memorizing every technique took more than a month.

After a month, Lee Seol-pyo seemed somewhat vexed as he said, “Master… you don’t need to disguise yourself like a fool. You’ve just now finished memorizing the techniques; I never imagined your progress would be this sluggish. I thought a genius like you would grasp these basics in two days…”

“Ha! Really?”

I responded with surprising confidence.

“I’m also keeping up with Zhu Xian’s training, so don’t worry.”

“What do you mean?”

I repeated Zhu Xian’s excuse to Lee Seol-pyo, who frowned in seriousness.

“Hmm…!! As a master of the Thunder God lineage, shouldn’t you be more detached? Whether Zhu Xian is here or not, it has nothing to do with the Thunder God’s fate.”

“That’s not how it works. You never know who might play a critical role in the future. Zhu Xian may help me save the world one day!”

“Even so, you shouldn’t let your progress drag.”

“Ha.”

“Ugh… I thought I was teaching a dimwitted fool. Don’t shock me further.”

“……”

Lee Seol-pyo sighed, seemingly juggling his skepticism. He then continued, “Typically, you shouldn’t begin proper training in the Heavenly Thunder Divine Art until you’ve achieved the Five Insights in the Eight Wilds Shock of Heaven, but I’ll consider your internal power and understanding sufficient to start the teachings from today.”

Finally, it was happening.

“The Heavenly Thunder Divine Art, as demonstrated on the first day, begins and ends with circulating the Thunder Essence within your body. Start by circulating a small Thunder Essence over a short distance, gradually progressing to larger essences over longer distances.”

“Hmm.”

“If you reach mastery in this practice, you’ll eventually be able to contain Thunder Essence spheres within your body, indicating that your Thunder Spirit has sufficiently developed. At that point, you will be ready to execute the Nine Chambers of Thunder Technique.”

Lee Seol-pyo explained the foundational training methods and then shared the principles with me.

“Now, operate your internal power according to the principles while focusing your intent….”

Wooow…

I began to calmly maneuver my internal power following the 1,500-plus-word principles of the Heavenly Thunder Divine Art. But suddenly, I felt something odd.

It’s splitting.

The Thunder Spirit within me suddenly felt like it split in half, dividing my body right down the middle along my skull. Startled by the unfamiliar sensation, I noticed the Thunder Essence slowly entering my body.

Zzzzz…

With an unpleasant feeling, the Thunder Essence completed a full circuit around my heart before returning. After completing one cycle, I quickly glanced at Lee Seol-pyo and spoke.

“Lee Seol-pyo.”

“What’s the matter?”

“What the heck is happening…?”

I said tremulously, “This feels just like the Soul Exchange Technique.”