Chapter 51
The damp darkness of the cliffside cave soaked the stone walls.
Drip—drip— Jaseong sat cross-legged, droplets from the ceiling landing on him.
His gaze moved down the manual of Shadowless Divine Thief, reading through the pages of the Shadowless Body Technique.
[Shadowless Body Technique: Achieve the steps of divinity without casting a shadow....]
[All is Mind: When one's heart moves, even the shadow disappears.]
[Begin with nothingness, and return to nothingness. Steps ride upon the wind, the body borrows from the clouds, and the energy of heaven and earth propels the person onward.]
[Here lies the "lightest step in the Central Plains."]
As the final manual left behind by the martial world's legend, Shadowless Divine Thief, there was a profound mystery within its pages that was not easily understood.
'The energy of heaven and earth moves a person... Is this the secret behind the commotion caused in the Central Plains by Shadowless Divine Thief, who stole Mount Hua Sect's Plum Blossom Footwork and the Demonic Cult's manual?'
Jaseong etched the mnemonic formula into his heart and activated his special ability, the Samadhi Eyes.
Sssaa—
When Samadhi Eyes were activated, he could see threads of green energy flowing from the old manual.
It was the intention Shadowless Divine Thief had infused into his manual.
A similar phenomenon had occurred when he learned the Celestial Gate Opening Art not long ago.
Jaseong drew up the golden ki from his dantian and circulated his energy as instructed by the intention within Shadowless Divine Thief's manual, following the true ki flow path.
In the slowed-down time of Samadhi Eyes, he controlled his energy with even greater precision.
Thanks to this, the Yongcheon point on the soles of his feet trembled slightly as energy surged outward.
'I feel like my body has become lighter.'
In that state, Jaseong moved his steps one by one to the rhythm of the Shadowless Body Technique's incantation.
However,
'... As expected, this isn't easy.'
Although it was easy to grasp the true ki flow path, internalizing the actual movements did not go as smoothly as hoped.
As this was his first time training in a movement technique, things didn't go as he wished.
Meanwhile, Lee Rin and Gu Janghu also began training in the Shadowless Body Technique.
'Thanks to great hero Jaseong, I've obtained a superb movement technique even the North Sea rarely sees... Following the great hero to expand my horizons in the Central Plains was the best decision ever!'
'The legendary movement technique of Shadowless Divine Thief. To have the fortune to learn this... I'm only grateful to our leader.'
Lee Rin applied the North Sea Ice Palace's light movement art, Ice White Condensing Step, to emulate the steps of the Shadowless Body Technique.
Ice White Condensing Step was an advanced movement art that let one glide over ice, which was well aligned with the light steps of the Shadowless Body Technique.
Gu Janghu, on the other hand, trained in the Shadowless Body Technique based on the Concealed Shadow Drifting Art of Killing Valley.
Since the stealthy movement characteristics of assassins and thieves were similar, he grasped the key to the Shadowless Body Technique quickly.
At this rate, it looked like Gu Janghu and Lee Rin would master the Shadowless Body Technique before Jaseong.
Unlike Jaseong, who had no experience with movement techniques, both of them had already mastered advanced forms.
What's more, both had exceptional martial prowess.
Lee Rin was hailed as the greatest genius in the history of the North Sea Ice Palace, and Gu Janghu was considered the rising star of Killing Valley, personally receiving the black lotus tattoo from the master of Killing Valley.
"Hm. The Shadowless Body Technique is divided into five stages. They say that even mastering the first stage allows you to display one-tenth of its true power...."
After about 2 hours, Lee Rin commented, studying the manual again.
Just as she said, the Shadowless Body Technique was composed of five stages.
[First Stage: Light Spirit True Step – Nearly not setting foot, a step so light it barely lands. Move using only true ki through the Yongcheon point on the sole of the foot with no strength applied. The origin of the lightest step.]
[Second Stage: Floating Breeze Formless – Ride the wind and read the flow of the air. Footsteps vanish, presence becomes faint, and instant acceleration is possible.]
[Third Stage: Divine Seamless Movement – Move as though unbound by space. Dash up vertical walls as though running on flat ground.]
[Fourth Stage: True Shadowless Body – Achieving the state of ultimate shadowlessness. Not even a shadow is cast.]
[Fifth Stage: Heavens and Earth as One – Attune with the energy of heaven and earth, transcending spatial restrictions.]
It was truly a fearsome movement technique.
Gazing upon these, Lee Rin spoke again.
"The first stage of the Shadowless Body Technique can supposedly be grasped instantly if your internal power is above 30-year cycle and you have outstanding talent.... Hm. Why is this so hard? 'The lightest step in the Central Plains' that nearly doesn't set foot... How is that possible?"
Gu Janghu answered her complaint.
"It's the movement technique of Shadowless Divine Thief. Would it be so easily mastered? Even the first stage would take at least a few months. To reach true mastery, you'd need at least several years, maybe a decade or more of training."
"We have to master this movement art if we want to escape this place, that's why I'm saying this. Haaa. Reading the manual, it looks like at least the third stage is needed...."
But just as Lee Rin complained,
Sssak!
Suddenly, a wind whipped through the cave.
Lee Rin and Gu Janghu looked back in surprise all at once.
In the spot where the sudden gust blew stood Jaseong.
"Great hero... What did you just do...?"
Lee Rin asked, bewildered.
Rather than answering, Jaseong performed the strange movement once more.
Sssak!
Jaseong's form brushed through the cave like the wind.
It was just like when the White-haired Blade Elder had instantly scaled the cliff using the Shadowless Body Technique.
His nearly unweighted steps left no trace on the floor, and not even a shadow flickered on the wall.
"Leader. Don't tell me... Have you mastered the first stage of the Shadowless Body Technique...?"
Gu Janghu stared at Jaseong with shocked eyes.
To that, Jaseong nodded unemotionally.
"Wha, what...! R-really...?!"
In just two hours, he had mastered the first stage—Light Spirit True Step—of the Shadowless Body Technique.
When he first opened the manual, Jaseong had wandered aimlessly, having no experience with movement arts.
So how had he reached mastery before Gu Janghu and Lee Rin?
How had he done in two hours what the two geniuses of the North Sea and Killing Valley would need months to achieve?!
The secret was, surprisingly simple.
'The Shadowless Body Technique of Shadowless Divine Thief... This is strikingly similar to the mystery of the Heaven Evading Phantom Step.'
As written in the manual, the essence of the Shadowless Body Technique is the "light step" that never forcefully touches the ground.
Heaven Evading Phantom Step was just the same.
Completely relax the legs and use only true ki through the Yongcheon point to step—the "lightest step in the world" is precisely Heaven Evading Phantom Step.
Back in the day, Jaseong had nearly died falling into a swamp dozens of times to learn this, finally grasping the secret of the "light step".
Recalling that experience allowed him to master the very first step of the Shadowless Body Technique at once.
'Shadowless Body Technique is a movement art, Heaven Evading Phantom Step is a footwork art. Their applications differ, but their essence is similar... Just as All Streams Return To The Source suggests, martial arts that reach their peak ultimately return to one fundamental principle...'
In this moment, Jaseong reached a profound enlightenment.
After mastering the first incantation of the Shadowless Body Technique, Jaseong moved through the cave like the wind.
Watching him, Lee Rin and Gu Janghu could barely regain their composure.
"G—great hero, is this even possible...? How does someone just pick up a martial art like that in such a short time...?"
Lee Rin took off her bamboo hat, her face incredulous.
"I've never seen such a thing before... Even the basic Three Talent Sword Technique of the marketplace is difficult to master so quickly... But the peerless martial skill of Shadowless Divine Thief..."
Before Jaseong's astounding natural talent, Lee Rin and Gu Janghu were demoralized.
The two once praised as geniuses of the North Sea and Killing Valley felt, in this instant, like the dullest dullards.
Of course, what Jaseong had mastered was only the first stage, Light Spirit True Step, of the Shadowless Body Technique.
And with merely the first stage, he could only exhibit one-tenth of the technique's true power.
Naturally, that alone was not enough to escape this sheer cliff.
But in the next moment, Jaseong came up with an idea beyond imagination—
A way to scale this perilous cliff using only the first stage, Light Spirit True Step, of the Shadowless Body Technique.
* * *
At that moment, in a humble house in the Wandering Warrior Village, not far from where Jaseong was...
On a rooftop bathed in moonlight, killing intent whirled like a storm.
Shattered shards of roof tile scattered in the wind, sinister shadows stretched out beneath the moonlight.
The White-haired Blade Elder stood tall on the roof, eyes set on three men in black clothes.
His white hair gleamed silver under the moon, and a subtle energy flowed from the old blade in his hand.
"All these years, you have at least kept one of my teachings."
He began calmly.
"I told you: avoid fights that bring no gain, and do not fall into vanity."
At his words, Third Soul nodded silently and answered, "Thanks to that, I've survived this long, master."
"But aside from that, you've broken every other precept."
"......"
"You kill for money, commit massacres as casually as eating, and in the end, you kidnap and sell children... Those who earnestly seek virtue are favored by heaven, but those who fumble in search of evil find only evil. Have you forgotten this?"
Second Soul gave a derisive laugh.
"Master, do you still believe such old-fashioned sayings?"
"Old-fashioned? Look at yourselves, and you don't see?"
"What about us?"
"Blinded by greed, you've become the scorn of the martial world, wandering the Central Plains to escape the Murim Alliance! You've become exactly as my old sayings warned. Seeking out evil, having become evil itself!"
With a rasp, the White-haired Blade Elder drew his blade.
"And so... I shall deal with you myself. This is my duty as your master."
Assuming a sword-ready stance, a well-controlled blade energy emanated from his weapon.
Within his raised eyes was a mixture of emptiness and anger at his disciples.
Just as the fight was about to break out, First Soul suddenly spoke.
"Master. We have a reason for returning to this Wandering Warrior Village."
"A reason?"
"We came for the manuals you have left. If you hand them over, maybe we'll let you live."
With greedy eyes gleaming under his masked face, First Soul spoke.
In response, the White-haired Blade Elder simply gave a hollow laugh.
"... Why do you laugh?"
"You've come on a fool's errand."
"A fool's errand?"
"I have already burned every single manual I ever created."
"... You burned them all?"
"I couldn't stand to create another generation of degenerates like you."
First Soul's gaze faltered, furious.
Second Soul and Third Soul glared as well.
"Has this old man lost his mind?! Do you know how many sects in the Central Plains covet your manuals?!"
As they shouted, First Soul glared with rage.
"... To burn the manuals that should have been inherited by your disciples... Shadowless Divine Thief, this is why we left you. You never once treated us as real disciples."
Sshak!
First Soul immediately drew his sword and charged the White-haired Blade Elder.
His blade energy writhed like a snake, aiming straight for the White-haired Blade Elder's vital points.
Shuak! Shuak!
Second Soul and Third Soul followed, swords at the ready.
Their blade energies coiled and darted like snakes, targeting the White-haired Blade Elder's left and right.
All of these were forms of the Shadowless Sword Art the White-haired Blade Elder had taught them.
Seeing the sequence, the White-haired Blade Elder recalled an old friend's words.
'... Venerable Hyeongwang. You were right. These children born with the Heaven-Killing Star cannot be changed.'
His sword light flowed like a cloud beneath the moon and shattered the sword energies of all three in one stroke.
Looking upon his disciples, who now raised swords against him, his eyes held not anger, but a sorrow deeper than wrath.