---

**Rebirth Sword God Volume 89, Chapter 07**

I left the place where Lee Gang-ryong was and headed to the training spot I used to practice at. Before coming to meet Lee Gang-ryong, I had expected to train here again, so this place was still full of the demon beasts born from my internal energy. I slowly walked into that demon realm.

Kieeeek

Swish

I thought as I tore apart the incoming wooden demon beasts with my Thunder Sword in one go.

‘Hmm… To think I need to use Sephiroth and Heavenly Flower Thunder Dragon Divine Arts together, how am I supposed to do that?’

To be honest, even now, it was manageable to fight the demon beasts with just my martial arts, so I didn’t feel a pressing need. Let alone using something as foreign as Sephiroth and magic; I had no clue what to do. If it weren’t for Lee Gang-ryong’s advice, I would never have thought of this training method.

After pondering for a while, I muttered.

“First, to use them together, I’ll need to master the basics of Sephiroth.”

Right now, I could only move Sephira to perform impromptu spells, but technically, that wasn’t proper Sephiroth magic. I wouldn’t even be able to initiate the training method suggested by Lee Gang-ryong unless I learned the fundamentals of traditional magic and how to utilize it.

Tydaht

Having thought that, I entered the heart of the forest and found a deep cave. I poured my strong Qi into the area, completely eradicating the nearby demon beasts, then entered the cave and began to meditate.

‘First, let’s revisit what I know about Sephiroth…’

I thought of one fact about Sephiroth’s characteristics.

[Since it’s almost the same as the Eight Extraordinary Vessels, as an expert in Qi techniques, you should be able to master Sephira quickly. Haven’t you heard that the Zhuge Clan trained in martial arts just to hone their magic skills?]

According to Cheon Woo-jin, the Sephira flowing through my body was practically identical to the Eight Extraordinary Vessels. In reality, I couldn’t even feel the difference when I manipulated Sephira. Therefore, even without having learned the correct usage, I could improvise enough to block infections from parasitic entities. This was because I was already an expert in Qi techniques, and controlling the flow of Qi was my specialty.

And from that fact, I realized one thing.

‘Then couldn’t I use Sephira just like my internal energy cultivation techniques?’

The difference from the Eight Extraordinary Vessels was that while they were channels for circulating Qi, Sephira served as a channel for the World Tree’s magical power. I slowly expanded my thoughts.

‘I’ve never operated Sephira like I do with my internal energy techniques. However, if I were to do so, I should start with the Three-Refinements Heart Technique first.’

The most basic and stable Qi technique in the Jianghu!

I began to slowly manipulate my internal energy technique, raising the power of Sephira up and down. As I did, the power of Sephira surged and started to move the magical energy according to my will, and ultimately, I was able to complete a full loop without any issues.

Wooong

After finishing a round of internal energy training, a blue light radiated all over my body, emitting a strange glow. I thought as I experienced the process.

‘This is fascinating. The Qi doesn’t move at all, yet the magical power moves as if it were Qi. Instead of stacking internal energy, I’m stacking magical power…!!’

Isn’t this just like the internal energy technique for accumulating magical power?

Incredible; Qi and magical power didn’t collide at all. No, even if I tried to force a collision, it felt impossible. While I was repeating the Three-Refinements Heart Technique for a while, I managed to understand the bizarre feeling I was experiencing.

‘Although it’s flowing through the same place as my Qi, magical power flows in a different space. Hmm… could this be what they mean by different dimensions?’

While Qi flows more closely to the body, magical power gently flows from another dimension. If I were to metaphorically describe it, it would be like having two roads forming completely different parallel lines due to their differing heights. As long as I didn’t intentionally try to fuse Qi and magical power, I didn’t have to worry about them colliding.

Well, that makes sense. If Qi and magical power were to collide, the Zhuge Clan would never have been able to master martial arts, right? It seemed there weren’t particular restrictions when it came to learning various abilities in that regard.

After continuing the Three-Refinements Heart Technique for a few more rounds, I ultimately felt a strange phenomenon occurring.

Chiiik…!!

It felt like smoke was flowing from my body, and then a faint mist-like spirit energy started to seep out of me. I could tell this spirit energy was a primal mass of [power], and I guessed that it was a result of continuously stacking magical power.

Oooooh…

The spirit energy circled around my body for a while, then slowly began to gather and take the shape of a circle. The circle grew larger outside my body but gradually shrank until it took the form of a small circle at my solar plexus.

Suddenly, with a feeling of tingling, my whole body trembled, and I realized a small pearl had formed within me.

“Hmm!”

What on earth is this? I can tell the energy condensed into a pearl, but did something physical just emerge in my body?

I tilted my head, perplexed, but I couldn’t figure out what was going on since I had never properly studied Sephiroth. Cheon Woo-jin only half-heartedly taught me the basics of Sephira, while the Zhuge Clan learned the Soul Exchange Technique instead of Sephiroth. The attack magic used by the Zhuge Clan wasn’t an inheritance of true Sephiroth but rather a self-constructed spell developed from tracing the roots of the Soul Exchange Technique due to their genius or magic books obtained from the Dark World, so it was understandable.

‘If I had known this, I should have consulted Lee Gang-ryong about the training methods for Sephiroth…’

I shook my head again, trying to hold back weak thoughts.

No matter what, I couldn’t rely on him that much. If I couldn’t overcome this single hurdle, what would I do when even greater tribulations come my way in the future? I resolved to find out Sephiroth’s training method on my own.

I tried moving the small pearl that had formed at my solar plexus and attempted to bring it outside my body. The pearl moved according to my will, rolling along my blood vessels until it finally settled at the tip of my finger. I squinted and stared at the pearl; unexpectedly, it was an incredibly dense, misty orb of energy. I let out a breath upon seeing it.

“Hmm.”

Isn’t this like the Qi mass you feel when training Qi arts?

The more I looked at it, the more it resembled Qi, and I started feeling confused. After a moment, I brushed away the round energy that was gathered at the tip of my finger.

Deguuru…

As I did so, the round energy shone and eventually transformed into a physical spherical pearl. I picked up the sphere and observed it for a moment before realizing something.

“What is this? It’s not a mass of magical power.”

I naturally assumed the sphere would be a collection of magical power since it was a result of training magical power, but unexpectedly, the formed sphere didn’t feel like magical power at all. Its components were unknown, and it felt smooth. It was strangely soft, making it impossible to identify the sphere’s true nature.

“…”

What on earth should I do with this sphere?

After pondering for a moment, I cleared my mind.

‘Forget it. I can’t just throw it away, so I might as well eat it.’

Gulp

I swallowed the sphere. Shortly after, I felt it vibrate and return to where my solar plexus was, and suddenly, I sensed magical power surging within me.

Tzuuaaa!!

“Uh… huh?!”

At the same time, the sphere shattered into pieces and melted away, while the Sephira in my body started beating wildly. I panicked at the sudden surge through my entire body but soon figured out what was happening.

‘My vitality… is strengthening!’

The reason Sephira itself seemed to throb with life was simple. It was because potent nutrients were being supplied!

While the Sephira throbbed, I suddenly caught a glimpse of a vision flickering in my mind.

“……!!”

A gigantic tree that seemed endless!

I found myself standing at the base of the tree, feeling as small as an ant compared to it. In fact, that was a generous description; my existence could scarcely be called a speck. The tree was so immense it exceeded the size of a planet. Unlike the ordinary trees I knew, it had an incredibly mystical and strange appearance.

From the very base, I could see circles etched as symbols, and I could vividly understand that the Sephira I possessed originated from this tree.

Flash

I returned to reality from the vision and realized what I had seen just now.

“The Tree of Sephirot… the Tree of Life from Kabbalah and the World Tree!!”

A being that does not exist in this world, an entity from the outer universe!

The World Tree with infinite magical power, the source of Sephirot!

It looked like, thanks to the intense magical power supplied by my Sephira, I was briefly connected mentally to that [source], the World Tree. Finally, I grasped what kind of magic Sephirot was.

‘Ah! I can summon the World Tree’s magical power using this Sephira, but… I could also send my power back to the World Tree!’

Previously, by using Sephira to generate my own magical power, I effectively performed the act of [eating], sending my magical power to the World Tree!

And likely, due to the countless Sephira Cheon Woo-jin bestowed upon me, I could easily connect my mind to the World Tree.

‘In that case… that circular symbol I saw just now could it be the high-level magic stage known as Sephira?’

I instinctively came to understand the training process for Sephirot’s magic.

I was still only a novice in the lowest stage, but as I climbed up towards the World Tree, reaching the circle symbol in the middle, my magical rank would rise.

In other words, climbing the tree itself was the training for Sephirot’s magic!

Understanding the essence of it all, I fell deep into thought.

‘Hmm. If I train a more advanced internal energy technique to quickly gather a lot of magical power and then send it to the Sephirot, would I be able to climb the tree?’

That was still uncertain. I had no clear idea about how to ascend the tree. Instead, I recalled the small pearl I had just created.

‘The pearl had no magical power… but the moment I consumed it, the vitality surged through me… That means…’

Could it not be said that the pearl was vitality itself?

‘So, I just purified my magical power to create vitality…?’

I felt like I was beginning to grasp the relationship between Sephirot and Sephira. Since Sephirot possessed infinite magical power, it likely did not need any more power to sustain itself.

In other words, what I sent to the Sephirot might not be magical power, but rather vitality!

If this hypothesis is correct, it could be that Sephirot valued vitality more than magical power.

“……”

I needed more evidence to support my thoughts.

“If I can smoothly utilize the Three-Refinements Heart Technique with Sephira, then perhaps I should try a more advanced internal energy technique.”

This time, I operated the Thunder Dragon One Qi Technique through Sephira. It was a first-rate technique that was far more powerful and efficient in accumulating internal energy compared to the Three-Refinements Heart Technique. As I began to move magical power through the somewhat intricate flow of the Eight Extraordinary Vessels with the Thunder Dragon One Qi Technique, the magical power flowed smoothly through my internal body like a rushing stream.

Tzutsutsutsu

Suddenly, the magical power became more intense in its flow, and soon, I felt a ringing sensation in my head. It was a refreshing feeling, as if a new space had widened within my brain! I was startled at how my thought processes expanded in an instant.

‘Huh?! What is this…?’

It felt as though the magical power were expanding my mental world. I was briefly confused until I realized what was happening.

‘… Upper Dantian! Sephira’s magic is directly impacting my Upper Dantian now!’

Considering magic thrived on the Upper Dantian like martial arts techniques, it made sense. Magic users likely developed their high-level magic by repeatedly refining this process. Since it felt more like experiencing ecstasy, it wasn’t too hard to endure.

Boom!

Once again, the mist-like spirit energy began generating a circular Qi mass and quickly compressed it to form a pearl within me. This time, I started repeating the full loop of the Thunder Dragon One Qi Technique without trying to bring out the pearl.

‘The essence of internal energy training is to repeat as long as physical strength allows! Let’s see what happens when I continuously accumulate pearls.’

Woong woong woong woong

I could feel that the process of spirit energy flowing out and generating pearls was consistently repeating. Over three or four cycles, my perceptive abilities expanded so much that I could vividly sense the surrounding flora and fauna, even up to a hundred paces away. I also detected the presence of demon beasts lurking nearby, but oddly, they seemed deterred and started moving away from me.

I quickly figured out why the demon beasts kept their distance from me.

‘As my spirit energy deepens, I’m emitting deeper energy. The demon beasts that sensed this unusual spirit energy instinctively felt danger and chose to retreat.

Right now, I was intentionally restricting my divine power and internal energy, so I wasn’t radiating that level of intimidation. This meant that the spirit energy from the Sephirot I was training with was strong enough to overwhelm the demon beasts in this forest. I narrowed my eyes and immersed myself in my training, losing track of time.

…

Woooooo……

Before I knew it, there were six pearls gathered at my solar plexus. At that moment, I sensed the pearls merging together and fusing into one. As the combined pearl started to have an effect on my body, I felt a sense of unease.

‘Hmm… something… feels like if I accumulate any more pearls, I won’t be able to control them…’

Trusting my instincts, I decided to stop accumulating pearls. Then, just like before, I tried to create a pearl at the tip of my finger again. I noticed that the newly formed pearl was somewhat crimson in color, so I swallowed it right away.

Gulp

Hwaaaaaaa!!

At that moment, I saw the vision of the tree again. I noticed that the massive Sephirot tree loomed above me, raising me upwards effortlessly.

‘Oh?’

Was this how you ascend the tree?

While I was fascinated, I realized I had climbed quite high already. In front of me, there was a circular symbol engraved, and without thinking, I reached out my hand toward it.

Swish!

Just as I touched the symbol, I found myself standing in a wide, white space. The sky of this space was adorned with strange, metaphysical characters, and across from me, a serpent stared at me.

… A snake?

From the snake, I didn’t sense any hostility or goodwill. If I had to express it, it felt like an empty, pure white something. As I quietly observed the spiritual being that was undoubtedly a snake, it conveyed [will] itself to me.

[Welcome to the first Sephira, Malkuth, practitioner of Kabbalah.]

I unknowingly replied.

“Malkuth? Who are you?”

[……!!]

The serpent appeared to be taken aback, shivering, and then stretched its neck to observe me.

[Could it be that a being possessing a mortal body can speak within the Sephira…? You have obtained incredible divinity! This hasn’t happened since Sephirot was created!!]

“No, I said who you are.”

[After living through eons, I didn’t expect to be introducing myself… I am Seraphim, the Flame Serpent.]

Fwoosh

After the self-introduction of the Flame Serpent, several flames fluttered around me. When I glanced at the flames, the Seraphim spoke.

[For all beings striving for Kabbalah, an inner flame is present that leads to the Ain Soph. In the human realm, it is commonly referred to as the soul.]

“Hm.”

[However, as you climb this tree, you’ll face perilous trials, and the power of that soul will easily be consumed… I, Seraphim, shall share additional souls to those who reach Malkuth, so they do not easily give up.]

“Wait… what?”

[Now, receive the flame of the soul.]

Huwoosh!!

In the next instant, flames surrounding me suddenly surged toward me.

“Gah!”

Peerless Technique!

Tydaht

Unintentionally, I read the [flow] of the divine realm and used the Peerless Technique to bounce all the flames away.

[……]

“……”

The Flame Serpent looked flabbergasted.

[To think that you could repel the flame I grant… why did you do that?]

I awkwardly scratched my head.

“I was surprised when the flames came at me… it was a reflexive reaction.”

[It is not an attack, so do not worry and accept it.]

“Does it hurt?”

[It may be a bit painful as it tests the inner self of practitioners. Once you endure the pain of your soul burning, you will achieve great improvement in your divinity!]

Huwoosh!!

As the flames leapt toward me again, I once again focused with extreme concentration and used the Peerless Technique.

Tydaht

[……]

“……”

A brief, uncomfortable silence followed, and I awkwardly spoke up.

“I honestly don’t think I need to accept that…”