Chapter 520
“You’re telling me you can set me on the path to the Absolute Realm in just a month?”
I felt a twinge of skepticism, but the truth was, I didn’t have much to do at the moment, according to Jin So-cheong. But really, achieving anything significant in just one month? That’s rich! While I was fretting over it, Jin So-cheong dropped a tempting proposition on me.
“Fine, I’ll bite.”
Jin So-cheong led me to the training ground and stated, “I mean, I might’ve jumped the gun a bit when I said I’ve definitely reached the Absolute Realm. I’m still not quite there yet; I need more training for a solid breakthrough. It’s more about finding the right trigger.”
“Ah, gotcha.”
As of now, it seemed Jin So-cheong was just dipping a toe into the entrance of the Absolute Realm. I couldn’t help but wonder if Yong Jun-il might be at a similar level.
“However, I felt a momentary glimpse of the essence of the Martial Soul within the vast memories you’ve accumulated in your martial journey. Based on that, I realized you’re missing some crucial foundations if you want to master the Thunder Spirit,” Jin So-cheong explained.
“Foundations?”
Jin So-cheong nodded, “To obtain the Thunder Spirit, you need a special essence that comes with tremendous difficulty. Why do you think that’s hard?”
I paused, taking a moment to think before responding, “Because you’re trying to compress a massive amount of knowledge into a brief essence?”
“Exactly! It’s about gathering dozens upon dozens of a genius’s life achievements and squeezing them into an essence to form the Thunder Spirit. So, it’s no surprise that if you’re not a genius, you can’t grasp it.”
Jin So-cheong continued, “But while I was contemplating the Thunder Spirit, I recognized that you, Baek Woong, are in need of more training.”
“Eh?”
“To grasp the Martial Soul, you will have to be taught by the masters of fist techniques, blade techniques, and spear techniques. It looks like this is just a symbolic procedure. In short, whether it’s mastering the Thunder Spirit or reaching the Martial Soul, you must establish proof that you’ve grasped ‘everything’ of the Thunder Lineage.”
“Everything…?”
“Literally everything. As a Grand Master, you must master the fist techniques, blade techniques, spear techniques, grappling, and divine techniques of the Thunder Lineage to the level of a master.”
Jin So-cheong pointed the spear inward, “Now, Lee Cheong-un has never mentioned this to you up until now. It’s probably because they assumed you’d have already picked up all the random techniques by the time you were capable of challenging for the Thunder Spirit. But from my viewpoint, there’s still a soft spot in your repertoire concerning the Thunder Lineage’s grappling or divine techniques, evidenced by your inability to fully utilize the Soul Removal Technique.”
I protested, “I use the Soul Removal Technique perfectly fine.”
“Well, you need to reach the level of mastery for the essence technique. That’s why I went through the trouble of rescuing Cheongwol, so you could properly raise your Soul Removal Technique to the master’s level before wasting your time with the Thunder Spirit. Otherwise, you’d have to push the Thunder Shadow Step or Heavenly Gathering Kill to the highest level, and that’s even harder and more time-consuming.”
“……”
“The same applies to grappling. I believe you need to make contact with Elder Nok-wol from the New Generation.”
“Nok-wol? You mean the Seven Star Thunderbolt from the Ghostly Spirit Sect?”
Jin So-cheong nodded, “Exactly. The Ghostly Spirit Sect has the most diverse techniques in the Thunder Lineage and is also quite skilled in martial arts. I surmise Lee Cheong-un has mastered most of the techniques from the Ghostly Spirit Sect.”
“Got it.”
“And one more thing. You seem to be quite ignorant of fist techniques among the blade techniques and spear techniques. Thus, you should find Jung Yun-bo, who serves as a guard in Luoyang, or Elder Jeokwol, and learn the fist techniques from them.”
As I listened to Jin So-cheong’s advice, I felt a bit overwhelmed. “Seriously… why didn’t Lee Cheong-un share this with me?”
“Well, there wasn’t enough time for him to teach you the Eight Immortals Divine Art… Plus, if you go and learn all those techniques from the Thunder Lineage without properly mastering the Eight Immortals Divine Art, you’ll just mess up your martial path again.”
“That makes sense.”
“I can’t fully assist you right now, but I’ll do what I can.”
And the training began.
Heavenly Light!
Shwooosh!
In the blink of an eye, the illusion of light burst forth with the footwork of the Soul Removal Technique, creating breathtaking movements. As soon as Jin So-cheong absorbed the lacking essence, he promptly unleashed the secret of the Soul Removal Technique. However, I had become accustomed to the incredible feats he had performed so far, so this wasn’t too shocking anymore.
After showcasing the Soul Removal Technique to me, Jin So-cheong remarked, “My method of teaching the Heavenly Light will differ from others.”
“Oh, really?”
“Picture the Seven Great Techniques and the Eight Immortals Divine Art in your mind, and then demonstrate them with your body.”
I did as Jin So-cheong instructed. After the demonstration, he seized his spear and said, “Now, let’s have a spar by strongly focusing on the essence of what you just demonstrated.”
I was taken aback. “A spar? Are you seriously thinking of teaching an essence technique through a fight?”
Training under a master has always seemed insufficient, yet now a spar? Although I had been training in martial arts for ages, I had never encountered a passing-on method like this.
“Trust me on this.”
“Um…”
“But you must limit your internal power by half while fighting. It’ll be more suitable that way.”
“I don’t get your intentions, but I’ll give it a shot.”
Ding! Ding!
As Jin So-cheong’s spear clashed with my sword in mid-air, it produced a loud, resonating sound. Even at half internal power, it was still much higher than his, allowing me to easily feel the upper hand in internal power. I realized that if Jin So-cheong didn’t use the Mind Control Technique, he would undoubtedly fall behind me.
But then, Jin So-cheong’s energy suddenly changed after exchanging blows for a mere ten seconds. He charged at me like a raging storm, executing slashes, thrusts, and tricks, which made me realize that this entire sequence was a sequence of grappling moves from the Mind Control Technique.
‘Impressive!’
From when I first sought him out, this was an entirely different scenario! As I struggled not to get swept up in the succession of moves, I focused on finding Jin So-cheong’s opening. However, abruptly switching to using the Heavenly Five Divine Decisions out of nowhere, he struck me, and I narrowly deflected the incoming energy with my swordplay.
Swish!
“……!!”
In that moment, I felt Jin So-cheong’s figure rushing towards me like a phantom. Not being able to discern if it was real or an illusion, I hastily adapted a defensive stance, only to find his spear piercing through the essence intended to target my bloodline directly. His movements were focused solely on striking my weaknesses. I reacted instinctively with the Soul Removal Technique, but Jin So-cheong also followed up seamlessly with his own Soul Removal Technique.
In a split second, I felt the essence of Heart Command sink in.
I sensed Jin So-cheong’s inner thoughts echoing through the stillness.
[This isn’t a spar meant for victory or defeat.]
Right as his spear move threatened to cut my throat, I realized that his attack was void of hostility—merely conveying a strong intent.
[Surrender to the flow. Understand that footwork is not just for evasion.]
As I wielded the Soul Removal Technique, Jin So-cheong began relentlessly pursuing me. I found myself wrestling against his lightning-fast close-quarters attacks without an escape in sight. The moment I attempted any technique from the Seven Greats or Eight Immortals Divine Art, he would adapt and crack my attempts without fail.
Boom!
Unable to withstand it any longer, I summoned my internal power and unleashed an energy barrier, finally managing to shake off Jin So-cheong. He flipped in mid-air, landed, and remarked, “You see, this is why I told you not to exhaust all your internal power. Your training is insufficient.”
“Ugh…”
“I will continue to pursue you while employing the Seven Great Techniques and Eight Immortals Divine Art. No matter what techniques you use, I’ll match you in close combat. You need to realize that there’s only one way to break free.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he charged at me again. And just like that, I found myself stuck in this bizarre spar the entire day. After sweating it out for six solid moments, Jin So-cheong seemed to tire first, wiping the sweat from his brow and saying, “This is far tougher than I thought. I’m going to take a short break. You use this time to analyze our spar.”
“Of course.”
Once Jin So-cheong stepped away for a breather, I took a seat and pondered long and hard. The more I thought, the more I was in awe of Jin So-cheong’s adaptability and depth in martial techniques. He moved as if he knew exactly what shift I was about to make even before it happened.
But why this spar is directly linked to obtaining the secret of the Soul Removal Technique remained a mystery. I spent half the moment nearly losing my mind over it until I finally called upon Jang Sam-bong.
[Grand Master Jang. Please help me.]
[Ha ha, I’ve witnessed that spar quite well.]
Jang Sam-bong chuckled and added, [I’d say the answer is singular. However, I hesitate to convey the essence with mere words, fearing you’ll fall into a trap.]
[Please offer your advice.]
[Hmmm… Haven’t you already attained the Three Steps?]
[I previously avoided one with the Three Treasure Technique, but then Jin So-cheong followed up with the same Three Treasure Technique.]
[Is it really the same?]
[What?]
Jang Sam-bong smirked and said, [Don’t overthink what’s easy; trust in your effort and sweat.]
In that instant, I felt something click within me.
‘Could it be…?’
Two half-moments later, Jin So-cheong returned, fully recharged. Without a word, our spar resumed.
Clang!
I felt the intensity of Jin So-cheong as he charged in once again. If I tried to push him off, he’d surely counterattack. I figured I might be wrong and decided to unleash the Three Treasure Technique with everything I had.
Whoosh!
As if he was waiting for this moment, Jin So-cheong executed the Three Treasure Technique and slipped through my range of attack. When it came to skill, Jin So-cheong was definitely leagues ahead of me.
‘Can I do it?’
I watched intently as Jin So-cheong attacked with his spear. This time, I unleashed the Soul Removal Technique in conjunction with the Three Treasure Technique. To be honest, engaging the Soul Removal Technique felt instinctive during movement, but applying the Three Treasure Technique just hadn’t occurred to me until Jang Sam-bong’s words resonated.
Boom!
“……!!”
In that moment, I found myself a considerable distance away from Jin So-cheong, face-to-face with him. He didn’t come after me but rested his spear on his shoulder and remarked, “You’ve figured it out.”
“The way to combine the Soul Removal Technique and the Three Treasure Technique… is this the method to obtain the secret of the Essence Technique?”
“That can’t be everything. Share your revelation.”
With determination, I raised my sword and declared, “I will speak through my sword!”
Boom!
The moment I made my declaration, the clash resumed with sparks flying as our techniques collided. The Bowing Sky Slash exploded into action, weaving the visuals of the Heavenly Ruler and the Seven Star Thunderbolt across the air. In a state of trance, I unleashed all the techniques I had learned in sync with Jin So-cheong’s movements, maintaining precise spacing unlike before.
After roughly two hundred beats of time passed, Jin So-cheong lowered his weapon and said, “Alright, now show me the Heavenly Light.”
Thud!
As soon as he finished speaking, I unleashed the Heavenly Light using the Soul Removal Technique to create a dazzling array of brilliance that disrupted heaven and earth. The supreme secret technique, Heavenly Light, had finally become mine. Jin So-cheong smiled at me, “You learned it in a day. Guess I’m not too shabby at teaching.”
I wryly nodded, “That’s true. But there’s one thing I still don’t get…”
“What’s that?”
“While I did fuse the two techniques based on feeling, how does that lead to acquiring the essence technique? I can grasp the Heavenly Light’s essence now, but…”
Jin So-cheong replied, “The moment you grasped the Three Steps, it was as if you obtained the Soul Removal Technique. Because the Three Steps is essentially an enhanced version of all footwork, those who master the ultimate form of footwork can do anything!”
“Ah…”
“Yet you got too trapped in the thought of evading with the Three Steps and neglected its offensive applications.”
“I see.”
“You’ve only just shattered your fixed mindset, understanding that footwork is also for offense. Your hands and feet should always work together, so once you grasped the essence of footwork, you really acquired everything.”
“I think I understand.”
I nodded and continued, “The Three Treasure Technique and Bowing Sky Slash both possess the ability to dominate spatial authority.”
Without needing any further explanation from Jin So-cheong, I realized that to reach the Absolute Realm required understandings far beyond the ordinary Mind Control Techniques. That level of enlightenment demanded proficiency even higher than a master or an expert in martial arts. By fully realizing the Three Treasure Technique and Bowing Sky Slash, I managed to establish a small pillar. By reinforcing this understanding, I could firm up my foundation and eventually reach the Thunder Spirit. The fragments of the Thunder Spirit had become visible within me.
Jin So-cheong continued, “Let’s keep sparring with this momentum. For at least seven nights.”
“What? I’ve already acquired the technique…”
“Based on our earlier spar, it’s clear you haven’t absorbed even half of the combat experience you gained while battling. If you had assimilated just half of that, you should’ve been able to dispose of me easily. Thus, this means you completely dropped the ball on understanding the principles of combat; you basically left everything to Jang Sam-bong or Yeodong-bin.”
“……”
There was no retort left for me.
“You and I have shared techniques learned from the Obsidian. While we spar together, I’ll focus on infusing skills into your experience. If you manage that, you’ll reach your true state much quicker.”
“Understood.”
“Ah…!!”
Suddenly, Jin So-cheong gasped. I felt a jolt of fear at his surprise. “What’s wrong? Did you realize something…?”
“No, that’s not it!”
He appeared slightly flustered and exclaimed, “I’m lacking energy for training. Hand over any remaining Spiritual Pills you have.”
“……”
Is it only Jin So-cheong asking for these top-tier pills for physical training, seriously?
Reluctantly, I pulled out every single Spiritual Pill I had saved up and handed them to him. Jin So-cheong picked a couple and said, “As soon as the Sword Demon wraps up his work and returns, he’ll torment you… I mean train you. The rest I’ll let the Sword Demon use.”
“……”
There was no doubt about it. I was about to face Hell Training again.
