859——————==

True Martial Home

In a state mimicking Lee Cheong-un, I conjured up a Thunder Whip and swung it at Musashi. Among the martial arts passed down in the Thunder God Lineage, there were also unconventional techniques, and I thought I’d take a shot at it using Thunder Spirit Technique.

Whoosh!

The whip of lightning momentarily surrounded Musashi’s body, aiming to strike him down, but he casually sliced through it. Seizing the moment while he was in motion, I activated the essence of the Thunder Spirit Soul.

Thunder Spirit!

Zhen Kun Trigram!

Crackle…

The I Ching can be interpreted in three ways: unchanging, simplicity, and transformation. Lee Cheong-un had also explained that the Thunder Spirit is an absolute martial art that integrates symbols into human combat and represents one of the many forms of the Eight Trigrams. Furthermore, it naturally allows the user to transform into lightning like cogs meshing together perfectly.

Though I hadn’t reached that transcendent state of transforming into lightning, I continually received research results on the formula from Lee Cheong-un and Jin So-cheong. Therefore, it was entirely possible to extract the Zhen Kun Trigram from the main techniques temporarily to amplify my Thunder Spirit Technique. After all, the Thunder Spirit also stems from the study of the Eight Trigrams, and the knowledge of Ji-seon Mang-nyang lay deep within me.

Zing!!!

The Thunder Spirit surrounding my entire body blazed with an electric blue light, making me look like some kind of lightning man. Of course, this was merely wrapping myself in the Thunder Spirit; it wasn’t true transformation. I channeled the Thunder Spirit to my forehead and unleashed a Thunderclap, bending the lightning from the heavens to my will.

‘Lightning belongs to me!’

Boom!

In an instant, a lightning bolt struck exactly where I directed my will! Musashi, having anticipated the aura of the lightning with his speed, dodged it but stared at me with palpable surprise.

“You can control lightning?”

“You can read my intent, but you won’t be able to escape this time.”

I replied shortly and focused my mind. This time, I traced my intent as I spun the Zhen Kun Trigram, feeling the primal source of nature as if it were something tangible. A moment later, I opened my eyes wide.

Crash!

At that moment, a striking blue light descended, engulfing Musashi’s body. This time, he couldn’t escape, and despite being a wonderful expert, as a human, he couldn’t avoid the strike to his brain. Particularly, since I erased my intent and attacked, how could he dodge?

However—at that split second, it felt as if Musashi was dancing the Sword Dance within the time and space of legendary experts.

‘No….’

It seemed Musashi anticipated my attack. He received the lightning strike aimed to hit him with his long saber, dissipating the Thunder Force through the bridge of his nose, effortlessly brushing off the residual Thunder Spirit. The last smooth movement was a [Slash], and just seeing it sent chills down my spine.

‘He’s going to slice lightning?!’

Whirr!

Unbelievable. The intangible aspect of lightning, something that could almost be regarded as nature itself, was being cut by Musashi’s blade as if it were silk. At first, I thought it was an optical illusion, but I was concentrating all my vision using the Fire Eye Golden Spirit, so that couldn’t be it.

Good lord! While it’s true if you wield intent, you could slice through waves or waterfalls, the challenge in slicing lightning is on another level altogether! Does reaching the apex of Dongyoung Sword Techniques allow for such divine powers?

Having sliced the lightning completely apart with two strikes, Musashi smoothly charged towards me, attacking with over a hundred thrusts at astonishing speed.

Hozoin Ryu Spear Techniques!

Hundred Thunder Annihilation!

Crack crack crack!

“Ugh.”

What is this?!

‘I’ve never seen such martial arts before.’

Did he transform spear techniques into swordsmanship? One thing was clear: it was far superior and more precise than the sickle technique I faced earlier. Realizing I had to counter with the Ninety-Nine Rational Returns technique against such a ferocious attack, I braced myself to defend against Musashi’s deadly assaults, which were focusing on killing me in every single thrust.

Crack!

Crack!

My blood boiled. Musashi’s innate killing intent was so intense that I couldn’t take my eyes off him. It was hard to believe that a mere human could emit such a terrifying aura. He wasn’t some spectral being; how could he have such lethal intent from birth? Watching the blood glow in his eyes made me feel like my fighting spirit was about to shatter.

‘But… not this time.’

Splack!

As I sensed Musashi’s attacks beginning to breach my defense, I took the opportunity to use the Soul Removal Technique and retreated. As I accelerated back, distancing myself from him, he halted his swordplay and stood still. Musashi looked puzzled again and spoke.

“What was that technique?”

“Thunder God Lineage, Soul Removal Technique!”

“Wudang Sect and Thunder God Lineage… this martial arts origin is something else.”

“I’m not here to chat.”

I grumbled, then removed Lee Cheong-un’s mask and donned another.

Sssss

Shadowless Soul-Removing Sword Technique!

This time, I charged at Musashi again. He attempted to use his Fast Sword to slash my throat as I advanced, but I formed a barrier with the Spirit Sword to withstand his counterattack and aimed for his vital point. Musashi, taking a breath too late, managed to block the Shadowless Soul-Removing Sword, but at that moment, he leaped into the air, dodging away.

‘Ugh, he’s sharp.’

The terror of the Shadowless Soul-Removing Sword Technique lies in its ability to blend false and true—once you think you’ve blocked, the invisible shadow sword targets your opponent’s vital point. I intended to inflict damage using this subtlety, but he seemed to grasp it in just a second. With careful observation, such a realization was possible, but recognizing it so quickly in this high-speed combat was a talent akin to being a ghost. Truly, he might be a genius on par with Jin So-cheong.

‘Retreat again….’

Splack!

Realizing that if I continued to attack with the still-limited Shadowless Soul-Removing Sword Technique, I’d end up ensnared by Musashi’s extraordinary prowess, I used the Soul Removal Technique to create more distance. Were I a master of the technique reaching the Absolute Realm, it might have been feasible to confront Musashi, but I needed at least a hundred more years to pull that off.

As I stepped back, Musashi spoke, seeming displeased:

“What are you doing? Thinking you can win with such flimsy tricks? If you’re going to rush in, then go all the way!”

“Are you angry?”

“…….”

“Better make it even angrier!”

Pawbat!

This time, I put on the mask of Hong Gil-dong, a scion of the Dan clan, to mimic his skill, the Empty Phantom One Hundred Eight. However, only four clones showed up, leaving me flabbergasted. No matter it’s just mimicry; that’s quite a gap in strength, isn’t it?

‘Cheh. Guess there’s a marked difference in skills with clone techniques….’

I licked my lips and distributed my energy equally among the four clones, charging towards Musashi.

“Go!”

Musashi wrinkled his brow and said,

“The Grand Master Hong Gil-dong’s technique? What’s your relation to him?”

Thwack!

With a single stroke, Musashi sliced through all four of my clones with hardly an effort. I summoned more clones, and he casually cut through them again like cutting straw. I figured this tactic was pointless, but out of nowhere, Musashi’s body flickered, seemingly teleporting forward to slash my neck.

…Sword Drawing Technique!

The speed of his attack was so swift that I almost lost my head, but thanks to my martial training, I sensed the moment, dodging by the slimmest margin.

Tch!

A long streak of blood marked my throat, and I used the Soul Removal Technique to evade back. Thankfully, it seemed Musashi, due to whatever secret technique he possessed, couldn’t chase me down while I retreated with my Soul Removal.

‘Hmm, he doesn’t seem exhausted….’

Musashi might be expressing annoyance, but his spirit and technique showed no signs of faltering. Externally, he was releasing feelings, while internally, he strictly controlled his emotions to maintain peak combat capability, indicating he was truly a top-tier swordsman. A thought crossed my mind: maybe I could hold out as I had against Yong Jun-il, waiting for him to wear down completely. But, that felt like an awfully naive notion.

Musashi was different from Yong Jun-il. While Yong Jun-il’s Divine Kill Slash indeed was excellent swordsmanship, it lacked the overwhelming pressure of reaching the Absolute Realm. In contrast, Musashi had the drive to share the same fate as his opponent, even at the brink of death, so if I were too reckless, it could be my own end.

“Musashi. How about we settle this once and for all with your technique and my Peerless Technique? If you block, I win; if not, you win.”

When I proposed, Musashi scoffed at me.

“Do you think I’m an idiot? To face an art that negates everything through the harmony of Yin and Yang without making any openings?”

“…….”

“It seems you have a bunch of techniques too, but I don’t care. Let’s see it through to the end!”

“Okay, got it.”

I gritted my teeth and changed masks again. This time, it was the mask of the Thunderbolt Three Saints, Red Moon.

“Take this!”

Thunder God Lineage, Rotating Fist!

Lee Cheong-un had forced the Thunderbolt Three Saints to reveal this technique! This martial art, primarily used by Jeong Yun-bo, reaches an apex where it shoots out thunderous winds. The whirlwind caused by the rotating fist devastated the surrounding palace and disoriented Musashi as he sidestepped to slice through the rotating area. I pulled the Red Moon mask down fully and extended my palm forward.

Thunder Spirit Seal!

Boom!

When the simple destructive force of the Thunder Spirit Seal unleashed, Musashi couldn’t cut through it head-on, merely glancing it off his nose like before. Though wearing the Red Moon mask helped, I’d often practiced the Thunder Spirit Seal in my past life and honed it to a high level of skill.

Nine Nether Qi!

Hell King’s Hand!

Continuing from the Thunder Spirit Seal, I amassed immense internal power to launch a formidable strike. Musashi didn’t avoid this, but began slicing through all my attacks with his intent-infused sword. The moment he created an opening, I changed my mask again. This time, as I donned the Blue Moon mask of the Thunderbolt Three Saints, I cast a different technique.

Soul Removal Technique, Ultimate!

Heaven’s Light!

The light-created clones swirled in the cyclone of my palm wind as twelve struck out. At glance, it appeared similar to Hong Gil-dong’s clone technique, but Heavenly Light wasn’t aiming towards mere clones. I recalled the explanation given to me by the Divine Thief seated at the Thunder God Lineage.

[Those who witness the apex of the Soul Removal Technique can evolve the Heavenly Light Technique.]

[Evolve?]

[The true power of the evolved Heavenly Light is….]

Skratch!

It was the moment Musashi was about to slice through the luminous bodies of the Heavenly Light that approached him.

I can see the path leading to the light!

This is the pinnacle of the Soul Removal Technique!

In that instant, I immediately teleported to where that luminous body was, landing a strike at the back of Musashi’s neck. While he counter-attacked my surprise attack, I then teleported to another Heavenly Light, gaining an entirely different angle.

Heavenly Light!

Soul Removal, Chaotic Dance!

Swish swish swish swish!

“Ugh!”

As the luminous entities from the Heavenly Light swept by once, I emerged unexpectedly like a goblin, launching surprise attacks from every direction, causing Musashi to look somewhat flustered. No matter how fast his technique, appearing without any premonition to strike was outside his expectations. The extreme apex of the Soul Removal Technique from the Divine Thief of the Thunder God Lineage was proving to be more powerful than I thought.

“An opening is visible!”

Boom!

But Musashi shouted and crashed through the space spanning my chaotic dance with a sword infused with intent, quickly deploying his greatest technique.

Divine Kill Slash!

“……!!”

All of Musashi’s strength coalesced into the form of a Heart Sword, shooting out like one monumental divine sword. He had manifested the Divine Kill Slash in a manner resembling the merging of a divine sword. Even so, was he trying to tip his hand already?!

Yet I quickly realized that Musashi had executed his gambit in a rather opportune moment.

Up until just now, it had looked like I was forcing him at bay with my chaotic dance. But I realized I had unintentionally approached the range of his attacks too closely. The opening created while utilizing the chaotic dance had been spot on.

‘Gah…’

Woosh!

I immediately shifted into the Peerless Technique stance and harmonized the powers of Yin and Yang to generate the greatest strength within me. I sank into unconsciousness and unleashed the Peerless Technique.

The intersection of Yin and Yang.

I felt the Peerless Technique absorbing the Divine Kill Slash while Musashi’s blade pressed heavily upon the Tai Chi. Then the line of the turning point of Yin and Yang approached, twisting Musashi’s Divine Kill Slash, picturing the Tai Chi in reverse.

What is he doing?

But then I felt Musashi’s Divine Kill Slash nudging with precision through a very minuscule gap that existed due to the intersection of Yin and Yang, trying to penetrate through my Peerless Technique. I was caught off guard because I hadn’t expected such a flaw could even exist.

‘No?! How…?’

How could he slice through my Tai Chi?!

It’s not even a solid entity nor is it a manifestation like a sword aura or strong energy. It’s nothing but a concept, how could…

Yet, it was happening right before my eyes. And as Musashi split my Tai Chi’s harmony while dividing the Yin and Yang, I recalled the words of the Divine Thief.

[That’s a fixed idea. Martial arts have life and a mind.]

[To a top-notch thief like me, that message appears, and the heart can be read… well, it’s a talent I’ve had since childhood! It’s not exactly reading hearts, but it’s more like hearing it!]

[To steal what doesn’t exist, you must first make it appear. You create that existence in your own heart. Once the intangible transforms into the tangible, you grip it like an object, stealing it as you envision it… that’s the apex of the Absolute Realm, the Technique of All Things.]

In order to steal what doesn’t exist, you have to make the intangible tangible. Concepts also possess life and a mind.

I must hear that message.

…Could it be that Musashi has reached the level where he can contact a blade simply by listening to the sound of the impermanent?

Crunch!!

At that moment, my hand was drenched in blood as I stepped back five paces. I caught sight of Musashi in front of me, laboring to breathe heavily. He had consumed physical and mental energy with the Divine Kill Slash, yet his expression was filled with vitality.

“I’m awakened.”

“…….”

“Let’s call it half-broken.”

The situation favored me. While my hand was hurt, the energy Musashi expended was greater. However, my mouth clicked shut, overwhelmed by the shock of having my Peerless Technique broken upfront. Back when I faced the Celestial Sage, he had simply misled me with his illusion; yet now, Musashi had brutally thrust his blade into my Tai Chi, forcibly widening it.

‘That monster….’

Suddenly, my pride as a martial artist kicked in.

The moment my best defense, the Peerless Technique, shattered, it felt like my dignity was about to crumble too, and I felt compelled to preserve my own esteem. Surely, if I only dragged the fight out while hiding behind a mask and unleashing all sorts of techniques, I could win, but winning like that felt hollow.

To think that I couldn’t even defeat Musashi face to face at this stage.

I didn’t even want to entertain the thought.

Crunch!

With my blood-splattered hand, I grasped the Iron Sword tightly. Slowly, I shifted my mask.

This would probably be my last mask in this fight.

My body gradually caught the formula of the Heavenly Escape Sword Technique.

I wanted to see myself in the mirror.

‘Is the You Dong-bin inside me smiling?’

Six Intent Saintly Heaven Diagram

Cloud Decision

And so, I charged straight towards Musashi.