1279——————==

Soul of the Evil God (Concept)

From the next day, I could see Dokgo Seong supervising Lee Kwang’s training. Lee Kwang couldn’t hide his panic as Dokgo Seong approached him.

“What’s the matter…?”

“Starting today, I will assist you in your training, Lee Kwang. This is the Village Chief’s will.”

“……!!”

Lee Kwang instantly got the situation and shot me a fierce glare from a distance, though he soon bit his lip and said,

“I trust you won’t make me do unreasonable training.”

Naturally, Lee Kwang quickly picked up on why I sent Dokgo Seong. However, Dokgo Seong was not someone to take lightly, and without changing his expression, he casually tapped the training wooden sword against his shoulder and replied,

“It’s up to you. No whining.”

Dokgo Seong pretended to keep an eye on Lee Kwang’s training while subtly increasing the amount of training he had to do, repeatedly barking at him unnecessarily.

“Lee Kwang! Focus on every thrust!!”

“I’m trying to….”

“Is that the mental state of someone focused? Get a grip!”

“…….”

Just unnecessary trouble!

As Lee Kwang put it, absurd and unreasonable training had begun. The thing is, Dokgo Seong’s goal was more about making Lee Kwang give up rather than helping him achieve 100,000 thrusts, and that was much simpler.

I could see Lee Kwang’s expression slowly turning more and more frustrated. Training alone quietly contrasted sharply with having the prestigious sect leader hounding him, leading to considerable mental fatigue.

‘Lee Kwang…. I bet he never thought he’d be bullied at this age.’

I happily watched Lee Kwang getting chewed out before heading to Jin So-cheong’s training ground. After all, I had to keep my promises.

“Jin So-cheong.”

“Yes, Grand Master.”

“As promised, I will teach you the Nine Chambers of Thunder Technique starting today. However, this training is highly confidential, so we’ll be moving the location.”

Natürlich, I couldn’t train in the village because there was a chance that either Lee Kwang or Dokgo Seong might spy on us. Jin So-cheong looked ecstatic.

“Understood!!”

Tydaht

I took Jin So-cheong with me past the next village and over two mountains to an isolated clearing in the forest. This location was one I had roughly noted during my previous life and was quite remote. I spoke to Jin So-cheong amidst the 20-odd square meter clearing.

“Jin So-cheong. I have something to ask.”

“What is it?”

I looked at him with a hint of concern and said,

“If you train in the Nine Chambers of Thunder Technique and become strong in the future, do you plan to challenge me?”

Is that too direct of a question?

But I knew I would only get a cookie-cutter answer, yet I asked because I couldn’t help but feel threatened by the fact that Jin So-cheong’s talent was of an unprecedented absolute level. Even if Mangnyang later gave him ways to suppress that talent, I wanted to ask.

‘He will probably say no…?’

Jin So-cheong’s response was beyond my expectations.

“I will definitely challenge you.”

I was momentarily taken aback and cautiously replied,

“This… this guy. I won’t go easy on anyone who challenges me, even if they’re from the same Thunder God Lineage. Maybe you should reconsider?”

“If I were to die in battle under the Sect Leader’s Tianwu, then that would be my desired end. I’m prepared to die if I lose.”

I stammered, surprised,

“…You’re saying this with no flattery at all, but what if I get angry and refuse to teach you the Nine Chambers of Thunder Technique or start messing with you?”

Jin So-cheong looked at me with clear, innocent eyes.

“I don’t believe you would do such a thing, Grand Master. That’s what I think.”

“…….”

What is this…. What does it even mean to have Jin So-cheong as a disciple?

More than my feelings of inferiority, I couldn’t understand the thought process of the genius in front of me. Jin So-cheong wasn’t an idiot; in fact, he probably had a brain far superior to that of an average person. He might even be aware that I was deliberately tormenting Lee Kwang.

Yet, despite having seen all that, he chose to provoke me with his reply?

‘No…. Understanding him just isn’t possible.’

Because he’s Jin So-cheong.

I ultimately decided to give up on understanding him. Only he or a genius who had reached his level could possibly understand him. I sighed and said,

“Fine. I might be that kind of person. Now, let’s begin the transmission of the Nine Chambers of Thunder Technique.”

I shared the essence of the Nine Chambers of Thunder Technique with him while explaining.

“To master the Nine Chambers of Thunder Technique, you need a prerequisite: to cultivate Thunder Soul (Concept) in your spirit. This Thunder Soul consumes your intent instead of human emotions. You must create a sphere of thunder energy and rotate it throughout your body. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Uh… but to cultivate Thunder Soul in your spirit, you also need the ability to handle the soul and spirit, which differs from martial arts. The essence of the Soul Exchange Technique is also included in the Nine Chambers of Thunder Technique.”

“Hm.”

“Now, I will impart the Heavenly Thunder Divine Art and simultaneously teach you the property training method.”

I recited the basics of the Heavenly Thunder Divine Art and also shared the property training method I learned from Lee Seol-pyo, which took about three moments to complete. I looked at Jin So-cheong with anticipation and said,

“Jin So-cheong. Did you memorize it? The Heavenly Thunder Divine Art is complicated, so it’s usually hard to memorize in one go….”

“…….”

Jin So-cheong didn’t answer but closed his eyes as if muttering something. A moment later, thunder energy began to flow through his body, and he was performing the training as per the Heavenly Thunder Divine Art while moving a sphere of thunder energy inside himself. Shortly after, he seemed to feel pain and grimaced.

“Ugh.”

“Hehehe…. Looks like even Jin So-cheong can’t escape this.”

“What?”

“Never mind. When you first practice that technique, moving the sphere of thunder energy within your body brings considerable pain. Though as you improve, the pain decreases, for a while, there’s nothing you can do about it.”

“Hmm….”

Jin So-cheong seemed to be deep in thought before he replied,

“This is quite interesting.”

“…….”

Hey, don’t say that…. If you say it’s interesting, it’s scary!!

He’s not going to figure something out without even needing to learn the Soul Exchange Technique, is he?!

I awkwardly laughed nervously.

“Ha… ha. I’m glad you find it interesting. So, let’s call it a day for now and start the real deal from tomorrow.”

“Understood.”

After finishing teaching Jin So-cheong, I returned to the village and immediately sought out Mangnyang.

“Mangnyang! I need to see you!”

Mangnyang, who had been sound asleep since early evening, groggily woke up and said,

“You must have been shocked again by Jin So-cheong’s insane talent, so you came to ask me again for a way to suppress it.”

“Ha, how did you know?!”

“After you went to teach Jin So-cheong the Nine Chambers of Thunder Technique and returned with that pale face, what else could you possibly have to say…?”

Complaining, Mangnyang sat up on his bed and continued.

“Do you really want to know how to suppress Jin So-cheong?”

“Well, yes.”

“That’s odd. If Jin So-cheong grows stronger, it’ll benefit you too. If the various risky elements around you are eliminated by a stronger Jin So-cheong, wouldn’t that be convenient?”

“Well, that’s….”

“Is it because it’s getting harder to bully Lee Kwang?”

“Th-That’s not it.”

In fact, the hidden risk element with Jin So-cheong was that his father, Jin Cheon-hwi, was the [Coming Chaos]’s [Mask]. I wasn’t sure if the mask was hereditary, but that made me uneasy, which led me to purposely try to exclude Jin So-cheong. Not to mention, since there are no other obsidian allies right now, if Jin So-cheong were to awaken as some strange entity and cause havoc, there’d be no guarantee I could stop him.

But how could I tell Mangnyang about all this?

Explaining would require going over my adventure and encounters with the [Mask] Jin Cheon-hwi, as well as the dreadful nature of the [Coming Chaos], and I had no confidence in conveying that with words. Thus, I couldn’t help but hesitate.

‘Damn it… I need to make preparations to use the obsidian more freely, and somehow, I need to use divine power one more time.’

I needed to ensure I completely extracted the Demon Ki. Otherwise, the next life would be tough as well.

As I hesitated to answer, Mangnyang opened his mouth.

“Well, fine. I’ll tell you how. It is….”

“Go on?”

“Explain to him a level that’s two stages above you and force him to reach it. A complete pie-in-the-sky tactic. How does that sound?”

I was flabbergasted by what he said.

“Huh?! What are you talking about?! Jin So-cheong is actually an amazing genius, and if you did something like that, he’d actually reach it for real!!”

“Hm. I don’t know much about martial arts, but let me ask you again…. What is a level that’s two stages above you?”

“Huh?”

“Think specifically.”

I was bewildered by Mangnyang’s words and pondered.

‘Hmm. My level is the Absolute Realm…. I’ve surpassed the boundary, but my technique is still unrefined, so I’m currently honing it. So, a level above me would have to be the Divine Skill (Martial Arts Technique), right? But is there an even stronger level than the Divine Skill…?’

…Wait, is there such a level?

I realized, to my surprise, that I had never even seen or heard of a level above Divine Skill, and I had been working hard for decades believing that the Divine Skill was the pinnacle of martial arts. I had never even imagined what could come after that.

Seeing that I was at a loss for an answer, Mangnyang yawned, looking bored.

“Haah…. So you really are an absolute master, and this is such a tough question?”

“That’s right.”

“If that’s the case, then explain to me what can be done at a level above yours.”

I responded seriously.

“That’s the realm of the Divine Skill, and if you reach that level, you’ll be able to kill the Evil God known as the Old Ruler with martial arts.”

“Wow?! That sounds quite amazing.”

Mangnyang’s expression suddenly lit up, as if he had fully woken up. He blinked a few times and looked slightly flustered.

“To kill a god with martial arts…. Is that really possible? You’re not making this up, right?”

“Of course. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. However… it seems that overly powerful [Ruler] are hard to take down even with Divine Skill.”

I had witnessed Yeodong-bin defeating the Old Ruler with Divine Skill at the end of my 28th life. There was no doubt.

“Well, martial arts are certainly impressive.”

“So, what do you mean to do about this?”

“Hm…. Then I’ll arbitrarily set the level above as I see fit.”

“What is that?”

“The level where you can slash through [Time] with a sword and travel to the past or future! How about that?”

“…….”

Wait… could that even happen…?

Is it possible to achieve that with martial arts?

It’s absolutely impossible to manifest that in the Absolute Realm with Intent Heavenly Pillar. Could it even be possible with Divine Skill?

It sounds absurd…

Seeing me with a confused expression, Mangnyang grinned.

“Hehe. Whether such a level actually exists or not is irrelevant. What’s important is to implant an unrealistic dream into Jin So-cheong.”

“A dream?”

“Right. Do you know when outstanding geniuses hit a wall?”

“I’m not a genius, so I’m not too sure.”

“It happens when they set an unrealistic fantasy that they can’t reach with their own abilities. Even geniuses have limits to their abilities. When they chase after that unfounded dream, they often end up exhausting their talents as they blindly pursue it. Unlike when they diligently build their basics and climb the staircase themselves, chasing after someone else’s fantasy won’t suit their temperament, and they’ll end up wasting their talents.”

“Wow…? Is that even possible?”

“It happens quite often. In the realms of martial arts and academia, some geniuses have ended up wasting their abilities because they fell into such a pit.”

“Hmm.”

“Go ahead and give it a try. No matter how much of a genius Jin So-cheong is, there’s no way he can manage that.”

I thought there was merit in what Mangnyang said. So, I nodded.

“Alright!”

The next morning, I instructed Jin So-cheong, who had come out for early training, with Mangnyang’s ridiculous level as a target.

“Jin So-cheong, from now on, train in the Nine Chambers of Thunder Technique to cut through [Time] and traverse the boundaries of time!”

“…….”

“That’s going to be the goal of your martial arts life! If you manage that, you can surpass me!”

Even Jin So-cheong, despite being a genius, seemed somewhat taken aback, blinking in surprise. Then he asked,

“Why should we move through time?”

“Huh? Well, uh….”

This was just nonsense I concocted with Mangnyang, and I struggled to find a proper explanation….

In a panic, I spoke out the first thought that popped into my head.

“Umm… because those goddamn bastards deserve to die, and you don’t need a reason.”

“…….”

“If we kill all the gods, peace will come to the world, or so said Dharma.”

“Hmm….”

Jin So-cheong, who had listened to my outrageous story with a bewildered expression, eventually nodded solemnly and formed a fist.

“Grand Master, you are the best expert I have seen so far. As a disciple of the Thunder God Lineage, Jin So-cheong will believe those words and devote himself to training from now on!!”

“Oh, great!! You’re thinking well!!”

“One day, I will slice through time!”

“Yeah, sure!! Do your best!”

I patted Jin So-cheong’s shoulder while sweating coldly.

‘Wow, this actually worked….’

Unfortunately, Jin So-cheong’s wish could never be fulfilled.

How could a person cut through time?

If he attempted such nonsense, his genius talent would be wasted, making it even harder for him to reach the Absolute Realm.

‘Sigh, Mangnyang… how cruel….’

I shook my head internally and, after finishing coaching Jin So-cheong, went to Bangil to teach him more eagerly. Since the Tianzhu trip had gotten too busy, I intended to give him extra training time at Soeul Village.

However, unlike when I taught Jin So-cheong, I found Bangil’s progress to be too slow, which left me feeling a bit frustrated. I pressed him on.

“Bangil! How can you mess up the movements I taught you just now?”

“Ugh… I’m sorry.”

“I went through each technique of the basic skills one by one. If you don’t understand any of it….”

“I’m sorry.”

“And another thing….”

Just as I was about to berate him, I suddenly saw my own reflection in Bangil.

‘… Did I not used to get scolded like this when I couldn’t learn properly?’

I knew better than anyone that just scolding wouldn’t help in achieving better results.

I collected my temper and began to calmly teach Bangil from the start.

“Let’s try it again.”

That day, Bangil trained all day but didn’t manage to memorize a single basic technique. It was only then that I could understand how my own teachers must have felt.

The foolish man moves the mountain (愚公移山).

It’s like facing the absurd despair of having to move a mountain with just human hands someday!

Is that why they scolded me so much?!

“Haa…. No.”

I shook my head and made a determination.

“I will make Bangil a master, no matter how many years it takes…!!”

And one day, I would have him defeat Lee Kwang.

That would be the completion of my revenge in this life!