Chapter 92
[The Ninth Form Sword Art—Ultimate Move]
The new words written on the next section of the Heaven Evading Way took on this form.
It was a simple sentence, but the meaning within it fiercely shook Jaseong's heart.
'An ultimate move... So there was an ultimate move within the Heaven Evading Way?'
Jaseong's eyes subconsciously flashed.
Until now, the sword arts he had learned were the Heaven Evading Three Talents Sword Technique and the Heaven Evading Flash Sword.
Both of these sword forms possessed tremendous power, renowned throughout the martial world, but neither had a technique specifically titled "ultimate move".
'I must go and master it right away.'
Without hesitation, Jaseong rose from his seat.
Naturally, his steps led him to the rear of White Fragrant Pavilion.
There, concealed perfectly from outside eyes, was a secret main training yard.
An area fully 100 jang wide, a space reserved solely for Jaseong.
But the moment Jaseong entered the secret training yard—
Whoooosh—
An unusual wind suddenly swept around the training yard.
Next, a heat surged across his crown of the head as the Samadhi Eyes activated on their own.
Saaa—
As Jaseong's consciousness entered the Samadhi State, he saw beams of light pouring forth, tearing through the empty air.
The "executor of Heaven's Mandate" who would transmit martial arts to him had arrived.
'I wonder what kind of executor of Heaven's Mandate will appear this time... Last time, it was always Baek Cheon-gwang who came, so maybe this time as well...?'
Soon, the curtain of light faded.
But when he saw the newly appeared executor of Heaven's Mandate, Jaseong's eyes widened slightly.
'... I've never seen this person before.'
The person who appeared was someone Jaseong had never encountered.
A middle-aged man with shaggy hair that fell to his waist.
His beard was so thick it obscured his very facial features.
His ragged grey robes made him resemble a mad hermit who had lived deep in the mountains for decades.
"Who are you?"
Jaseong asked, gazing at the shaggy-haired middle-aged man.
To this, the man stared back at Jaseong in silence.
There was something chilling within his gaze.
His eyes were like a bottomless abyss.
Above all—
Goooo!
The sheer energy emanating from his body was on a level that even Yeom Musa, the fourth disciple of the Heavenly Demon, could never hope to match.
An absolute confidence, as though he could topple all under heaven with just his sword, radiated from him.
Eventually, the middle-aged man slowly spoke.
"I am the sixth executor of Heaven's Mandate, and in the martial world I was called the Sword Demon—Yeon Muhan."
... Sword Demon?
Jaseong's eyes widened again involuntarily.
For in all the centuries of the martial world's history, there had only been one person known by the title "Sword Demon."
He who once brought all the sects under his sword, considered at one time the greatest under heaven.
At that moment, Jaseong recalled what he'd read about the Sword Demon.
'... Among the Evil Path Association's Four Great Clans and Seven Sects, the Black Star Sect was considered the greatest.
The Sword Demon was a disciple there.
But for some reason, he left the Black Star Sect, became hunted by both the Black Star Sect and the Evil Path Association.
He wandered the martial world, defeating countless experts, both righteous and evil, earning unimaginable Prestige.
That is how he became called the Sword Demon...'
Abruptly, the Sword Demon spoke.
"I heard it in the darkness of eternity."
"?"
"That you are said to possess the greatest natural talent among any executor of Heaven's Mandate."
"......."
"But now that I see you, I am a little disappointed."
"... What do you mean by that?"
"I expected to see the Heavenly Martial Physique, but clearly that is not so."
Heavenly Martial Physique.
A physique able to learn any martial art dozens or hundreds of times faster and deeper than others.
In short, a body born solely for mastering martial arts.
Jaseong never thought he possessed a Heavenly Martial Physique.
However, he did know he had been able to master every martial art he'd encountered at a remarkable pace, and for that reason, he thought himself to have considerable martial talent.
In fact, those around Jaseong had often insisted he must have the Heavenly Martial Physique.
And yet, to hear someone say they were "disappointed" after seeing him?
"You were not born with martial bones. Instead, here—you were born with a developed upper dantian."
The Sword Demon pressed a finger into the crown of Jaseong's head as he spoke.
"Normally, someone like you, with a developed upper dantian, would become a shaman of the Deviant Path. But you picked up a sword instead, wearing a suit that doesn't fit."
"......."
"A suit that doesn't fit will soon begin to show its limitations. The more you try to surpass your realm, the more you will confront those limitations."
Jaseong frowned.
Limitations?
Baek Cheon-gwang, Hong Gukyul, even Immortal Physician Dongfang Hwabin—all the former executors of Heaven's Mandate he'd met thus far had highly praised his talent.
But this Sword Demon outright denied Jaseong's martial talent.
Was it that the Sword Demon's standards were simply higher, or had Jaseong really been pushing himself to master martial arts with an ill-suited body?
Whatever the case, it didn't matter.
Jaseong stared directly at the Sword Demon's eyes.
"Whether I possess martial bones or not, it makes no difference to me."
"?"
"When others swing their swords once, I'll swing mine ten thousand times."
Jaseong replied, his eyes burning with his characteristic fierceness.
The Sword Demon stared right back at Jaseong.
"... Good. I shall see if you can maintain such resolve."
He walked slowly to the center of the training yard and reached out a hand.
The hem of his ragged robe fluttered in the wind.
"What I will pass on to you is one of the ultimate moves of the Heaven Evading Flash Sword— Heaven Evading Shadow Annihilation Sword."
"Heaven Evading Shadow Annihilation Sword...?"
"An ultimate move with the meaning of even erasing the opponent's shadow. With this move alone, I made countless martial experts submit in an instant."
"......!"
With those words, the Sword Demon took up his stance.
His posture was bizarre to behold.
He crouched extremely low, leveled his sword horizontally, frozen in place like a beast about to pounce.
His gaze was locked, piercing a single point in the air.
And then, in the next moment:
Shushushushushushushushushushushushu!!
A startling sight unfolded.
Though the Sword Demon wielded only a single sword, simultaneous thrusts struck in all twelve directions ahead.
A superspeed thrust that seemed as if twelve swordsmen were attacking at once.
Unable to speak at the fantastic spectacle, Jaseong was stunned.
'... There's no way anyone caught in that could evade it... Wherever you dodge, the sword's tip is already waiting!'
Witnessing the ultimate move—shattering the air itself—Jaseong felt a chill run down his spine.
"Hoo...."
With that, sword Demon finished his demonstration, releasing a long exhale.
"What do you think?"
"... It's truly an incredible martial art."
"A superspeed thrust that lashes out in twelve directions simultaneously with a single sword. No one caught in it can escape."
"How does one execute such a thrust?"
In response, the Sword Demon reached into empty air.
At that moment—
Whoooosh!
A translucent greatsword appeared in the Sword Demon's hand.
It was easily over 10 feet long—immense in scale.
"Take it."
"What is this?"
"It is a provision from the Sword Immortal, meant to bring you to the threshold of the Heaven Evading Shadow Annihilation Sword, the highest level of the Heaven Evading Flash Sword."
... Provision from the Sword Immortal?
Jaseong received the translucent greatsword, looking puzzled.
At that instant—
"Urk!"
A cry escaped Jaseong's lips before he realized it.
It was unimaginably heavy, as if holding a chunk of solid rock.
"... Why is this greatsword so heavy?"
"With that, you are to practice the form of the Heaven Evading Shadow Annihilation Sword that I demonstrated. Do not use any inner power."
"Huh...? You want me to not use inner power?"
"As I said before, the essence of the Heaven Evading Shadow Annihilation Sword is the superspeed thrust. The way to achieve that speed is simple. If you attain the secret of Speed(快) with a weighty sword like that, when you pick up a lighter one, you will possess an even swifter sense, and thus reach superspeed."
... But even so, to swing a sword this heavy without using any inner power.
It was truly a savage form of training.
"And as I said, you were not born with martial bones. Thus, through this extreme external training, you must forge martial bones for yourself."
That was all the Sword Demon explained.
He then sat and crossed his legs.
With closed eyes, he entered meditation.
The atmosphere was distinctly different from the other executors of Heaven's Mandate Jaseong had met so far.
Baek Cheon-gwang, Hong Gukyul, and Dongfang Hwabin had always delighted in the air and scenery upon their return to the world.
But not the Sword Demon.
He merely focused solely on his meditation, showing no attachment or interest to anything around him.
'What an unusual executor of Heaven's Mandate. Perhaps that's why he earned the title of Sword Demon...'
In any case, Jaseong lifted the greatsword.
If it meant he could become stronger, he would endure any hardship.
* * *
Thus began Jaseong's training.
"Huff... Huff...."
The training yard was filled with Jaseong's ragged breathing.
Swinging a greatsword many times heavier than himself without using inner power sent agony through his entire body.
"Hrrrrgh!"
Gritting his teeth, Jaseong once again assumed the ready stance for the Heaven Evading Shadow Annihilation Sword.
He copied the bizarre posture the Sword Demon had shown him—lowering his body as far as possible and leveling the sword.
Just like a crouching beast.
"Kuugh...."
Because of the sword's crushing weight, groans escaped him unbidden.
It felt as if his arms would be torn off, his wrists on the verge of breaking.
Yet, Jaseong persevered.
Once he managed to recreate the stance, he practiced the thrust.
Whoooom—
But because of the sword's weight, his movements were impossibly sluggish.
There was no hope of grasping the secret of Speed(快), as the Sword Demon described.
'What a monstrous sword...!'
Jaseong ground his teeth and pressed on, lifting the greatsword again.
His entire musculature had already exceeded its limits, trembling violently, yet he ignored it, relentlessly drilling the first move of the Heaven Evading Shadow Annihilation Sword.
After three days and nights, he succeeded in simply holding the stance of the Heaven Evading Shadow Annihilation Sword.
After ten days and nights, he just barely managed a single thrust.
After two weeks, he attempted three consecutive thrusts, but failed.
As time passed, Jaseong's arms developed bulging muscles, entirely different from before.
With this new strength, he could barely manage the sword a little better than at first.
But even so, he still couldn't approach the secret of Speed(快) with such a heavy greatsword.
Handling this monstrous blade freely, without inner power, was virtually impossible.
'What... is the point of this training?'
Tormented by pain as if his arms would be torn off, Jaseong suddenly felt doubt.
And at that moment—
Clang!
The translucent greatsword came free from Jaseong's grasp.
Sparks flew and a gouge was left on the floor of the training yard.
'This was an impossible regimen from the start... To handle this monstrous blade like a pair of chopsticks, without using any inner power, how could that possibly be done...!'
Jaseong's expression was one of resignation.
Watching him, the Sword Demon Yeon Muhan gazed on in silence.
Though he pretended to be meditating, from beneath his closed eyelids he was tracking Jaseong's every movement.
'The Heaven Evading Shadow Annihilation Sword is a martial art unsuited for this one's constitution. It would have been better for him to learn another ultimate move instead... So why did the Sword Immortal instruct me to pass on this sword to him?'
As the Sword Demon muttered to himself, he knew Jaseong's talent did not fit the Heaven Evading Shadow Annihilation Sword.
His Samadhi Eyes were superb at reading the flow of true ki and realizing enlightenment in an instant, but the Heaven Evading Shadow Annihilation Sword demanded pure physical prowess.
In other words, one had to be born with extraordinary martial bones.
That was why the Sword Demon had been disappointed when he first saw Jaseong.
Without martial bones on the level of the Heavenly Martial Physique, one could never reach the ultimate superspeed the Heaven Evading Shadow Annihilation Sword required.
'At this rate, he'll give up before long.'
The Sword Demon thought to himself.
But at that moment—
Smaaaack!
Out of nowhere, Jaseong did something unexpected.
He filled one hand with inner power and slapped himself hard across the face.
'... What is that kid doing?'
The Sword Demon's brows twitched slightly.
But what followed was even more surprising.
Though utterly exhausted, Jaseong once more took up the massive greatsword.
His arms trembled, but his gaze was now burning with an even deeper madness than before.
"Uraaah!!"
Letting out a beastly shout, Jaseong resumed his training with even greater ferocity than previously, focusing on the Heaven Evading Shadow Annihilation Sword.
Whoom! Whoom!
His palms burst and blistered from the strain, the wounds breaking open again to leak blood.
A nauseous feeling welled up inside, but Jaseong gritted his teeth and continued to swing the greatsword.
His gaze only grew darker and more intense.
Watching this, the Sword Demon recalled the words Jaseong had spoken earlier.
'Whether I possess martial bones or not—that doesn't matter to me.'
'.......'
'When others swing their sword once, I'll swing mine ten thousand times.'
With eyes filled with iron determination, madly swinging the greatsword, Jaseong was proving with his entire being that those words were not mere bravado.
Seeing this, the Sword Demon felt an involuntary chill run down his back.
'... Prodigies are rare, but they exist across the continent. However, not all prodigies become great martial artists. Because they learn everything easily, they forget what it means to struggle. Thus, when they inevitably hit the wall of enlightenment, they crumble in defeat.'
The Sword Demon had seen countless prodigies over his long years.
Most of them showed dazzling growth at first but, at a certain point, upon hitting their limits, succumbed to despair.
What came easily was lost just as easily.
'But... this one is different.'
Jaseong certainly did not possess the Heavenly Martial Physique.
Yet, within him there was something even rarer and more powerful than the gifts of the Heavengifted.
That was an unbreakable will.
An obsession so fierce that it would crush both the righteous sects and the demonic cult as he rose to become a master over all—a vicious determination that was Jaseong's true weapon.
"Continue, student. Your ten thousand swings will never be in vain."
The Sword Demon muttered in a low voice.
Jaseong did not hear him.
Caught in the throes of his insane practice, he was focused solely on taking his first steps with the Heaven Evading Shadow Annihilation Sword.
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
I have seen it several the times...
Geniuses never become true experts because they surrender and crumble when they encounter an insurmountable wall...
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】