사신지혼 (Soul of the Evil God)

Asura’s words were absurd to the point of disbelief. Erasing intent?

Intent is a high-level stage of martial arts, honed with my very life, embodying my will into reality and representing the pinnacle of martial arts. The fighting power of those who can use intent versus those who cannot is like heaven and earth; in the Absolute Realm, we even established the Intent Heavenly Pillar to amplify our intent. The stronger the intent, the better—being weak is never a good thing.

So, after listening in a daze, I finally spoke.

“What kind of crazy talk is that?! A sword without intent is just a hunk of iron!”

Asura chuckled slyly.

“Hm? Isn’t a sword originally a hunk of iron?”

“……”

“It’s humans who give a sword its meaning. A sword is just a sword.”

I sighed heavily at Asura’s response.

“I’ve pondered the philosophy of swords to the point of exhaustion back in my training days. But that’s not the argument now. Without intent, you can never land a powerful strike.”

“Really? Have you ever seriously considered why intent makes one stronger?”

“What do you mean by ‘seriously consider’?”

“‘Why’ does intent imbue strength?”

“…Hmm.”

What? That’s such a fundamental question it caught me off guard.

But if I couldn’t answer this question, there was no way I could claim to understand the Absolute Realm, so I calmly shared my thoughts.

“Intent can change reality. It allows me to freely create the shape and power of my desired attacks, sometimes even altering the physical laws of reality itself. There’s no reason for it to be weak.”

Asura’s eyes sharpened.

“But haven’t you ever felt? That there’s a limit to the ‘strength’ of intent.”

“…….”

“With a typical strike from the Absolute Realm, it’s hard to inflict fatal wounds on a being of Demon King level or higher. Just getting into combat with a Demon King itself is remarkable for the Absolute Realm, but even so, it’s tough to match a true Demon King. No matter how powerful your intent, penetrating the horrifying defense of a Demon Body is like trying to pierce a rock with chopsticks.”

“Hmm!”

“It’s not impossible, but it’s a struggle that would take hundreds or thousands of attempts.”

Puncturing a rock with chopsticks, huh….

“Definitely.”

The battles between the former comrades Cheon Woo-jin showcased the Eight Parts of the Divine felt exactly like that. You can’t dismiss the attacks from the Absolute Realm, but the defense of the Eight Parts of the Divine could easily be likened to a rock. With a little preparation, they would often deflect or block attacks from the Absolute Realm.

“I also typically handled the Demon King’s body by simply brawling without worrying about defenses. It was trivial enough not to bother with defensive techniques. After all, the Demon King’s body is like a biological barrier—far sturdier than any normal sorcerer’s barrier. It’s a mass of wicked force conglomerated from the universe’s maliciousness, so naturally, it makes sense.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“If penetrating the Demon King’s body is challenging, then taking down the main body of the Old Ruler would be completely out of the question. Therefore, I believe we must regard the ‘strength’ of intent as having inherent limits.”

“……!!”

That’s a viewpoint I didn’t anticipate!

But I couldn’t easily accept that perspective, so I frowned in contemplation.

“No…. If I think that way…. it negates the whole purpose of me honing my martial arts. That belief can’t be the basis. And the Divine Skill can slay gods.”

“Ha ha. Of course, things change when you get to the Divine Realm. But as I mentioned, I’ve never encountered a Martial God. So I didn’t train thinking I’d discover some celestial phenomenon or anything like that.”

“Reverse?”

“I thought about ways to slay gods without their help. From my standpoint, it was only natural.”

“Wait….”

I pondered deeply and soon grasped what he meant, my expression one of surprise.

“You think intent is dependent on the Martial Gods’ assistance?”

“Yeah. I thought it was possible.”

“That’s such nonsense….”

“Don’t jump to conclusions. There’s no evidence to say otherwise, right? And if we consider a Martial God in line with the definition of ‘god’ we know, then intent could be the power bestowed by a god, so obviously, you couldn’t slay a god, right? It’s merely a granted power.”

“No. Intent is completely different from divine power! It can’t be divine power.”

I firmly denied it, but Asura only gave a meaningful smile, then launched into his explanation.

“Do you truly believe that if intent disappears, you’d become weak? I’ll say again that this is merely a fixed mindset.”

“I can’t believe that.”

“That’s your choice. But to master the Dark Night Slash, you must discard that premise and completely empty your mind.”

Asura’s gaze intensified.

“Baek Woong. Now decide. If you choose not to learn the Dark Night Slash, I’ll redirect your training elsewhere immediately.”

“…….”

I remained silent.

Naturally, logically, I should declare my intention to shatter my fixed mindset and learn the Dark Night Slash. But this was not as simple as it sounds. Words can be said rashly, but genuine training requires the practitioner to resonate with that sincerity; there lies the challenge. I could not deceive myself with nonsense.

If I entertain doubts, then even a century of training could turn into naught.

I was truly aware of this fact, so I wrestled with my thoughts. Can I truly accept Asura’s perspective and abandon my fixed mindset?

After a while, I nodded my head.

“Fine. I’ll learn it!”

Let’s give it a shot!

Asura nodded as if he expected me to say that and said, “To learn the reverse wheel of the Dark Night Slash, first, you need to recognize the ‘ring.’”

“The ring?”

“When you eliminate the intent from a weapon, how do you go about it?”

I answered immediately without hesitation.

“First, I eliminate the Qi and then withdraw the intent.”

“And why is that? Why must you eliminate the Qi first?”

“Isn’t it obvious? If the Qi doesn’t dissipate, the intent won’t vanish either.”

“That’s correct. That’s the strange property of the relationship between Qi and intent. But on the flip side, when eliminating intent, you can’t ignore the presence of Qi, which causes the process to slow down.”

Zhung—

Asura blackened the sword once more. Then he said with conviction:

“However, if you can reverse the actual ‘ring,’ you can eliminate intent without particularly controlling the Qi. One process is eliminated, and consequently, the user gains leeway.”

“……?!”

“The blackening of the sword is merely a phenomenon that occurs temporarily during the reversal.”

You can eliminate intent while leaving Qi alone?!

Hearing something I’d never encountered before left me slightly stunned.

“What’s the ring?”

“It’s the fundamental connection that exists in all things. If you can manipulate the ring, you can separate intent from Qi and control them independently.”

“I have no clue. I’ve never heard of such martial discussions in my life. Yeodong-bin and Jang Sam-bong never mentioned this….”

Honestly, this was a first for me. Seeing me bewildered, Asura remarked:

“Those who reached the Divine Realm through conventional methods likely didn’t need to refine this technique separately. This is what I call an apostate path I’ve created.”

“Don’t need to refine it separately?”

“They already recognize the Primordial Void, so there’s no need for a tedious method, but for you and me, we need to try this to ‘reach’ it.”

“……?”

“Well, for now, you don’t need to understand all of it. Just let me teach you the key techniques, and the talented will interpret the rest.”

Asura continued, “First off, let me teach you the key to blackening the sword through the reversal technique. This key originally requires a fair bit of insight, but for now, I’ll only impart the technique itself.”

“Got it. How much practice do I need?”

“One thousand times a day.”

“…You’re kidding, right? Asking me to train without eating or sleeping?”

“What do you mean? Be grateful I’m not asking you for a hundred thousand times. What kind of gluttonous talk is this from someone who only stumbles upon the Absolute Realm by sheer luck?”

“…….”

“Since you’ve been wasting time as a Reborn Person, if you don’t focus, you’ll accomplish nothing.”

Ugh, I had nothing to say.

Asura brusquely continued, “One more thing. Remember well. The Dark Night Slash will ultimately be linked to the Immortal Sword Technique you’ve been practicing. The extremes are bound to connect, so don’t think they’re entirely different techniques; always keep in mind how they correlate.”

“Huh? Linked? How?”

“When you reach a level where you can use the Dark Night Slash in actual combat, you’ll understand why.”

“…Alright. I’ll practice.”

It seemed the current gap in level between Asura and me was so vast I wouldn’t grasp his explanation. I resolved to hone the technique Asura was teaching me until it became part of me, committing to staying awake and training through the night.

Woooon!

As I began eliminating the intent infused in my sword according to the key, an unusual resonance erupted. Hearing the sound, Asura shook his head.

“The Qi has moved. Do it again.”

“You want me not to move the Qi? How could I…?”

I shouted, astonished.

“Hey! Telling me to eliminate intent without moving Qi is like saying take the egg out without cracking the shell!”

“Hoho, pretty nice analogy there. It’s exactly that.”

“It’s contradictory; how am I supposed to do this?!”

“Even if it’s contradictory, that’s what makes it a technique. I can do it.”

“Ugh, then at least give me a clue on how…”

“Finding a hint yourself is also training. It would be meaningless for me to tell you. You have to rely on insight and intuition; understanding merely through thought won’t suffice.”

“……”

“You’re running out of time if you plan to complete one thousand today.”

“Fine.”

After frantically practicing, I repeated the key to the Dark Night Slash a thousand times at least, and about three time frames later, Asura stood up.

Swish.

“Is he finally going to teach me properly now!”

But contrary to my expectations, Asura said something else.

“Well then, train hard. I have to go somewhere for a few days.”

“Where are you going?”

Asura replied with a serious expression, “I need to catch the world’s first hidden boss… I mean, the Great Demon King, Berwinst, who’ll be making an appearance soon.”

“What…!! There’s such a Demon King?”

I couldn’t help but be shocked. Could it be true that such a guy still existed in this world?!

“Ah, yes. I need to catch him at the Ruhabi Valley at 9 PM tonight with my comrades.”

“Comrades?”

“True companions of the heart. We’ll face life and death together.”

“Hm. How strong is this Demon King? Are you saying he’s powerful enough that you can’t beat him alone?”

No way. For Asura to need the aid of humans against such a powerful Demon King! If that was the case, he was nearly on the level of Halchi Olleifra from the past.

“Of course! No matter how powerful I am, I can only hold my ground, not defeat him. While I block his attacks, the others need to deal the damage.”

I was surprised. He was far stronger than I imagined.

“That strong, huh…. I’m in! I’ll hit him with the Seven Luminaries!”

I had to help somehow! But then Asura waved his hand dismissively.

“Oh, no need. You’re unnecessary.”

“Huh?! Me, unnecessary?!”

“You won’t even land a single hit on him. You can’t use the Seven Luminaries, and all martial arts are ineffective against that Demon King. You don’t even qualify to face him.”

“……?!”

“Such a Demon King exists.”

What kind of nonsense is that?! Such a monster exists too?

As I was flabbergasted, Asura continued.

“Time has flown by while I monitored your training… There’s far too little time to study the Demon King Berwinst’s weaknesses and patterns.”

“What? You can study his weaknesses and patterns? What kind of considerate Demon King is that?”

“Hmm… Since you can challenge him multiple times.”

“What?! He lets the defeated go? If I were a Demon King, I’d just kill everyone.”

“Right. But there’s a way to ensure survival. You could return without even a scratch, so don’t worry about that.”

“Impressive, Asura….”

He really was the strongest Demon King of the Eight Parts of the Divine.

“Anyway, I’ll lead other humans and strike first to take him down. We need to tread carefully or risk total annihilation.”

“To challenge such a dangerous foe…. What’s the reason?”

With his arms crossed, Asura spoke with a serious gaze.

“To achieve the world’s first accomplishment. It’s a task only I can achieve.”

What a solemn attitude. Since I’d never seen Asura this serious, I nodded with determination.

“Alright. I’ll risk my life for my training as well. Don’t worry—go catch that Demon King, Asura!”

Asura made an awkward face at my admiration and said.

“Um… no need to cheer that much…”

“Huh?”

“Never mind. See you later.”

Pa-at!

Asura vanished, and I steeled my resolve.

“Alright! If Asura is risking his life to fight, then I’m going to dedicate myself to training!”

No time to sleep or relax!

Just like when I was training with the Peerless Technique, I would put forth my utmost effort!

For about ten days, I trained tirelessly, eating and sleeping little, practicing the key techniques that Asura taught me, aiming for ten thousand repetitions each day. However, days would pass without hitting that target, and I was lucky to manage five thousand reps daily. It wasn’t just simple repetition; I also had to ponder to extract the true essence of the Dark Night Slash while following my instincts.

How do I eliminate intent?

I had repeated the core techniques of the Dark Night Slash thousands of times already, yet I still couldn’t align with Asura’s request of eliminating intent without moving the Qi. After much struggle, one day, a sudden thought passed through my mind.

“The ring… He said to reverse the ring. So I must first recognize the ring?”

But what exactly is this ring?

I recognized this as the true challenge Asura had set for me. I recalled Asura’s earlier explanations.

The fundamental connection existing in all things.

“……”

That’s far too abstract…

I wondered how I could overcome the contradiction of the Dark Night Slash with that. After another three sleepless nights of training and contemplation, I ultimately succumbed to frustration.

‘Damn it! Let’s just focus on simple training.’

When has insight ever come easily? In cases like this, it’s better to empty your head and just move your body!

Woooon!

How many tens of thousands of times had I trained like that…

About a month later, Asura came to find me. He asked, “Baek Woong. How’s the training?”

“I think I’ve done at least ten thousand attempts.”

I was sitting cross-legged, staring at my sword intently as I replied.

“But I don’t see the answer.”

“That’s part of the process.”

“By the way, did you take down that Berwinst Demon King?”

At my question, Asura sighed.

“Due to a healer dying to an area attack, we failed. No, after that, we tried again and succeeded, but we failed to achieve the world’s first accomplishment.”

“I see…. Well, it can’t be helped. Just taking down a Demon King is something, right?”

“Ugh! The world’s first is what matters! Damn!”

Huh? What’s the big deal?

Do I just need to defeat the Demon King?

I didn’t understand. Yet, it seemed Asura felt tremendously disappointed.

“Even though we keep stumbling, it seems you’ve become fairly accustomed to the techniques.”

“Asura, can you finally tell me the answer? I just can’t eliminate intent without moving the Qi.”

Asura looked at me and said, “Qi remains still yet moves in stillness; this is a famous proverb in the Martial Arts World.”

“……?”

“Then why is it said to move while remaining still? It’d be better to take a good look at the nature of Qi itself.”

“What…”

I could no longer hold it in and shouted, “Hey! I’ve only been training the techniques; how can I possibly use the Dark Night Slash?! Isn’t this just wasting my time?!”

“…Seems like a lack of talent since you can’t figure it out yourself. Then let me help you a bit.”

Asura said this, then instructed me, “Try to activate the technique again. But this time, manifest the intent of the Immortal Sword over the sword.”

Woooom!

“……!!”

Wait! Is this working?

Suddenly, as my sword became pitch black, I was taken aback. How could something that had been unsuccessful for tens of thousands of attempts be working now?!

Then Asura chuckled lightly.

“Just as I thought. When the Immortal Sword blackened, I had an inkling.”

“What?”

“You still can’t properly use the Dark Night Slash yet. While realization allows for the usage without any depletion, right now, you can activate the Dark Night Slash at the cost of using the Immortal Sword.”

“The Immortal Sword…?”

“It’s a workaround, but with this, you’ll eventually grasp the essence of the Dark Night Slash through practice. Someday.”

Activating the Dark Night Slash by borrowing the Immortal Sword?

It was an unexpected method of activation, and as I was taken aback, Asura continued.

“Don’t worry and just train, Baek Woong.”

Asura looked to the sky.

“As long as you don’t abandon your martial pursuits, they won’t abandon you either.”

 

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