전생검신 Volume 88 Chapter 17

After promising to pass down martial arts to each other, I said to Lee Kwang, “First, I’ll learn the Heavenly Flower technique. Then, I’ll teach you Nirvana of the Absolute and Dark Night Slash.”

“Aren’t you being a bit shameless for a master?”

“Why are you so rude? This is just absurd…”

I couldn’t hold back my complaints and spoke up.

“Think about it. Logically, I’m teaching you 2 techniques while you only teach me 1, right? Shouldn’t I gain a little advantage in terms of order? At the very least, I should have practiced enough to learn the basics of Heavenly Flower before it’s my turn to teach.”

“…Alright, you have a point.”

Lee Kwang mumbled, then said, “From what I know, you’ve grasped the principle of how the Nine Chambers of Thunder technique enhances the Soul of the Four Gods when it’s spun rapidly. Am I right?”

I nodded in agreement.

“That’s correct. But unlike you or Shim Su-ryeok, I don’t know how to use multiple attributes simultaneously.”

This was because, while developing the theory to the enhancement stage with Shim Su-ryeok, I had pivoted towards uncovering the secrets of the Reverse Root Water Mirror. In fact, even if I could only use the enhancement of the Soul of the Four Gods, I felt no need to deepen my training since I had no real enemies in the world.

Lee Kwang continued, “You know the principle of enhancing the vessel. It’s simple: you’re concentrating the increased output from spinning the Soul of the Four Gods using the Nine Chambers of Thunder into a single vessel. Conversely, the principle of combining attributes is to keep the rotation speed consistent.”

My eyebrows twitched at Lee Kwang’s statement.

“Isn’t maintaining a constant rotation speed a part of the combined techniques? Why is that?”

“If you speed up the rotation, the limit of the vessel becomes clearer, right? No matter how much you try, in the current state, you won’t be able to maintain the Soul of the Four Gods above a certain level. Neither can I or Shim Su-ryeok.”

“True.”

As Lee Kwang said, the more the Soul of the Four Gods rotated, the more power and load it applied at the same time, making it impossible for me to keep it going. Having collapsed dozens and hundreds of times in the process, there’s no one in this world who knows it better than I do.

“If there’s a limit, simply speeding up to make it rotate faster isn’t the way to go. On the contrary, there’s a method of controlling the rotation speed to extract ‘attributes’ from a single vessel.”

“…….”

“You’re still looking confused. Let me show you.”

With that, Lee Kwang operated the Nine Chambers of Thunder and activated the Soul of the Four Gods.

Whoosh!

‘Is this his Fire Spirit state?’

I sensed an intangible heat rising from Lee Kwang’s body. However, when he brought out the Fire Spirit state, it seemed like flames erupted from his whole body, but controlling it to the degree of intangible heat showed how deeply Lee Kwang understood the Soul of the Four Gods. He maintained that state and said, “By swiftly transitioning to the next Soul of the Four Gods while accelerating in the current Fire Spirit state, you achieve the enhancement state. Especially when you complete a rotation like you do, the level of enhancement is extremely high. You understand that much, don’t you?”

“Of course, I do.”

“However, Shim Su-ryeok and I have only recently been able to perform one rotation of the Soul of the Four Gods through long training, and we don’t have power as overwhelming as yours. So we developed a technique to extract attributes from each Soul of the Four Gods and move to the next. Like this.”

Swish!

In the next moment, Lee Kwang transformed from the Fire Spirit state to the Water Spirit state. I was surprised to see that even after the transformation, one of his arms was still glowing brightly with the heat attribute.

“Wait?! How is the fire attribute still present?!”

“It’s a kind of trick. Once your control is strong enough to govern the speed of transitioning to the next Soul of the Four Gods, you can leave the attribute of the previous stage intact while adding to the next transformation. Just to clarify, this is not forbidden law, so it’s quite stable for obtaining attributes.”

“……!!”

“If you can sequentially acquire attributes like this…”

Swoosh!

Lee Kwang then shifted from the Water Spirit to the Wind Spirit, and next to the Thunder Spirit. At that stage, different colored auras swirled around each of his limbs, symbolizing different attributes. Lee Kwang glanced at his arms and legs and exclaimed.

“Whoa!”

Suddenly, the various auras that were around him converged in the palm of his right hand, forming a floating sphere. The sight of these four differently colored spheres drifting in the air was so otherworldly that I was left wide-eyed in astonishment. Lee Kwang grinned and continued, “I can handle all four attributes at once. Of course, handling just two or three is also possible.”

“Whoa…!!”

“The key is to change the speed of the attributes much more slowly than before and to adjust the speed equally. However, the sensation becomes more precise every time you transition beyond one Soul of the Four Gods, so it won’t be acquired quickly.”

“Is that so?”

I could tell just from listening that this was an extreme art!

A technique created solely for the sake of technique!

Lee Kwang spoke casually, but in fact, it would take an ordinary genius decades of grueling effort to achieve this. However, since I had managed to acquire many incredibly challenging martial arts up to this point, I resolved that no matter how long it took, I would master it, even if it took hundreds of years.

Instead, I voiced a question that had just arisen.

“I’m curious, though; I understand how to acquire four different attributes. But how do you refine the attributes of the Soul of the Four Gods into a spear shape like you did?”

I couldn’t grasp that part at all. In truth, I had seen Shim Su-ryeok use three attributes simultaneously during our duel before, so it wasn’t entirely new to me. But Lee Kwang’s skill transcended just combining attributes; he was molding attributes into tangible forms. This couldn’t simply be explained by the theory of combining attributes he had just shared.

Lee Kwang then replied bluntly, “You’re trying to fly without even being able to crawl. To do that, you need to be able to gather at least four attributes, and your speed must be stable and fast enough to use the combination skill without strain in real combat. You haven’t even crawled yet, and how are you asking about the top-tier techniques?”

I couldn’t help but scoff at Lee Kwang’s response.

“Come on, you could at least share a bit! Are you trying to keep secrets from me and play me for a fool?”

“Crazy… Do you think I’m that petty?”

Feeling belittled, Lee Kwang trembled a bit, and I quickly nodded in affirmation.

“Yes!! You’re that kind of person!”

“…”

“Isn’t that right?!”

I replied so adamantly that Lee Kwang seemed momentarily stunned. Yet I could answer anyone the same way.

He really is that type of person!!

I know it because I’ve experienced it firsthand!

As I gazed at Lee Kwang with suspicious eyes, he awkwardly cleared his throat.

“Ahem… Fine. I don’t mind sharing.”

“Let’s hear it.”

“There are times when you gather the combination skills and focus your power, and you can feel each one starting to ‘pop’. When you respond to that recoil and infuse your intent into it, the Soul of the Four Gods shapes itself according to my will.”

“……?”

“I call this the ultimate technique achievable through combination skills, the Heavenly Flower level.”

What? ‘Pop’? What does that mean?

Seeing my bewildered expression, Lee Kwang seemed to anticipate my confusion.

“The realm of sensations in combination techniques is something that’s hard to explain even after mastering them. How about focusing on perfecting what I’ve taught and then asking again?”

“You wouldn’t be lying, would you?”

“Damn it… You really don’t hold back, do you? I swear on my name, I’m not lying!! Got it?!”

Unable to contain his anger, Lee Kwang exploded in a fit of rage. Yet I still couldn’t easily trust him, narrowing my eyes suspiciously before speaking again.

“One more thing. Let’s say that after four transformations of the Soul of the Four Gods, I gather all four attributes. If I attempt a fifth time, will I end up with five attributes after a complete rotation?”

“Hmm!”

“Since there are a total of four Souls of the Four Gods, wouldn’t acquiring the fourth attribute mean that the fifth attempt yields something from either the Thunder Transference or Water Wind without overlapping with the existing attributes?”

“You’ve pointed out something more important than I expected. You must truly be an extraordinary martial artist, Master.”

Lee Kwang stroked his chin and began to speak slowly.

“Of course, I’ve tried that too. It’s a bit tough to perform one complete rotation of the Soul of the Four Gods with my current abilities, but I somehow managed. However, the result is that the combination skill disappears.”

I raised my eyebrows at Lee Kwang’s words.

“The combination skill disappears? What does that mean?”

“Even if you’ve gathered four attributes, if you complete a rotation on the fifth attempt and start a new cycle, all the power from the four attributes you previously gathered vanishes.”

“……!!”

“It simply morphs into an ordinary enhancement state.”

Was there such a trait?

Since I hadn’t known anything about this before, I found myself secretly surprised. Lee Kwang looked at me and continued.

“The reason is unclear, but Shim Su-ryeok, who was researching the Soul of the Four Gods with me, concluded that this was the limit of humanity.”

“The limit of humanity…”

“That’s when he started getting fixated on Chi You’s heart. He probably thought that continuing to refine techniques was meaningless.”

Lee Kwang said that with a hint of mockery. I glanced at him and asked, “So, do you believe that by perfecting the skills of the Soul of the Four Gods, you can surpass Shim Su-ryeok’s infinite power?”

“I can’t really guarantee that; his strength is just too formidable… But if I can finish the fight within the first three breaths before he unleashes his infinite power, there might be a chance.”

“Oh, I see…”

“I’ve told you everything I know. Now it’s your turn to teach me about Nirvana of the Absolute and Dark Night Slash.”

“Are you playing dumb, acting like you’ve taught me everything just because you explained the theory?”

“…No way.”

“I already told you, right? I at least need the basics down.”

Lee Kwang frowned, clearly annoyed. But eventually, he reluctantly opened his mouth.

“…Alright. Hurry and start your training.”

I then attempted to change the Soul of the Four Gods at a slow and equal speed as Lee Kwang instructed. However, after trying thirty times without properly acquiring the attributes, Lee Kwang spoke.

“Your speed is too fast. You need to slow it down a lot more.”

“Slowing it down even more? Won’t that make it impractical?”

“At the foundational stage, what matters is obtaining the attributes first; there’s no need to consider that now. After you learn the method for acquiring attributes, you can gradually raise the speed.”

Hmm, is that so?

Following Lee Kwang’s guidance, I practiced for about twenty moments.

…

Damn it… I don’t understand anything… This is hard…

After twenty moments of training without acquiring any attributes, Lee Kwang finally began to lose his temper.

“What the hell… Master, why are you so untalented? At most, I was hoping you’d get the hang of it within a single moment, and I’d prepare advice for the next stage! How is it that after twenty moments of nonstop practice, you still have no clue?! Where are you even processing my words?!”

This was all too familiar. Having been scolded by Lee Kwang hundreds of times in my past life, I felt a strange sense of nostalgia.

I casually replied with a smirk.

“You’re upset? Still, I’m the Master here, so don’t raise your voice at me.”

“Ugh…!! Just do better!!”

“Even if I try to keep a slow and equal speed, acceleration keeps creeping in!”

“I think the overwhelming energy your foundational power’s creating is too massive. Just control that!”

“Hmm.”

Lee Kwang’s remark hinted that I had a glimpse of the problem.

‘It’s partly because my talent is lackluster… but also because I possess an overwhelmingly strong foundational power compared to Lee Kwang and Shim Su-ryeok. If their Nine Chambers of Thunder powers are at 1, then mine exceeds 50… It’s tougher to slow down my power and maintain consistency because it’s just too overwhelming.’

This really was a pathetic situation. I was lacking in talent, yet my exceptional foundational condition was hindering my ability to acquire techniques! But I couldn’t separate the foundational power that had long since internalized within me, so I found myself lost in thought.

Is this also a situation where the acquisition of techniques was obstructed by my power?

‘If I compared it to a car from the era of the Great Bear Empire… it would be like trying to go at a crawl with an engine meant for a massive train… but I can’t just remove the engine… What should I do…’

As I pondered, something clicked, and my eyes widened.

“Aha!”

“Now, did you figure something out?”

I turned to Lee Kwang and said, “Lee Kwang. You and Shim Su-ryeok can manage a single rotation of the Soul of the Four Gods, but… I assume you aren’t using the Three-Refinements Heart Technique as a foundation, right?”

“……?”

Lee Kwang looked at me as if I were crazy, puzzled by what I was suggesting.

“Why on earth would I use the Three-Refinements Heart Technique? What do you even mean…?”

“Hmph, I thought so.”

I realized the fundamental difference between myself and them.

While I had to scatter my power with the Three-Refinements Heart Technique, Lee Kwang seemed completely unaware of the technique’s methods.

That implies his power amplification rate is low enough that he doesn’t even need to scatter power!

‘While both Lee Kwang and I can manage a rotation of the Soul of the Four Gods… the difficulty of doing so is entirely different! Since Lee Kwang and Shim Su-ryeok have lower foundational power, their amplification rate is lower, allowing them to rotate comfortably after gaining mental training and practicing techniques… I, on the other hand, started with an overwhelming foundational power, making it exponentially harder for me!’

It’s only natural that an enormous power makes the massive rotation more difficult!

And now, having gotten used to such great power, performing the precise maneuvers required by Lee Kwang was near impossible!

And then, I realized what I needed to do.

Fwoooosh!

I assumed a meditative stance, pulling forth all my power to its peak. As I started to draw forth my true internal power, Lee Kwang looked at me with disbelief.

“Lee Kwang. From now on, I’m going to rotate the Soul of the Four Gods with all my energy. If you don’t want to get caught up and die, you better get out of the way.”

“…You don’t mean that.”

Lee Kwang said, unable to accept the reality of what I was proposing.

“You plan to gather enough attributes to the level of the ‘fifth’ Soul of the Four Gods?!”

“Well, being a genius, you figured out my intentions in an instant.”

“You’re insane. Neither I nor Shim Su-ryeok could even think of gathering attributes at that level! We had to release power due to the overwhelming force threatening to burst our bodies! You have such overwhelming foundational power, the pressure must be dozens of times worse for you!”

“That’s why I need to rotate the Soul of the Four Gods at a ‘balanced’ speed to match that great force, right? Once I master that sensation, I should be able to implement it for smaller rotations too.”

“……”

Lee Kwang wore a face of disbelief before quickly turning his head away.

“Damn it! If the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School explodes, you better be the one to rebuild it!”

Whoosh!

As Lee Kwang swiftly distanced himself, I couldn’t help but smirk at his retreating figure.

‘How pathetic, Lee Kwang.’

While you easily gained a high level in the realm of technique as a genius, your heart hasn’t changed much.

Standing close to the Divine Realm now shows just how immature you really are as a martial artist.

‘Martial arts are something that requires a willingness to face death to barely touch…’

For someone like me, it’s even more demanding, putting in countless efforts and enduring injustices!

How many times have I reflected on this during my thirty lifetimes?

‘But… even that injustice is… martial arts!’

Boom!!

The first explosion sounded.

As I started to rotate the Soul of the Four Gods with all my power, the formidable strength I had accumulated began to respond, drawing in every energy present in the land’s ley lines. I felt the very axis of the continent shake and sense countless energies in the air being absorbed by me.

Even my blood vessels began to ache, but I ignited the inner flame within myself.

‘Here I go.’

Even if I have to die a hundred times, I will manage to grasp the realm of the Heavenly Flower technique and reach the level beyond that!