Chapter 186
Suddenly, a sound like the wind being sliced apart echoed through the air. Next, Jaseong's clone dispersed like smoke before it could even materialize.
"That's a failure."
Baek Cheon-gwang evaluated coldly.
"The problem lies in the distribution of Innate True Ki. You must divide your energy evenly between the main body and the clone. If it tilts toward one side, the clone cannot maintain its form."
Jaseong bit his lip. Knowing something in your mind and executing it with your body were worlds apart.
'Again!'
Jaseong performed the footwork once more.
This time, focusing even harder with the Samadhi Eyes, he concentrated on splitting the Innate True Ki into precisely equal halves. He divided his internal power and sent it out into the air.
Shushushuk!
The afterimage grew a bit more distinct. It seemed for a moment like the shape of a person could be seen.
But it was still far from tangible. It was nothing more than a shimmering mirage.
"You're still far from it. The density of energy is lacking. At that level, the slightest breeze would blow it away. It's nothing more than an illusion."
Hong Gukyul clicked his tongue and offered his advice.
Jaseong, sweating as if it were raining, continued his attempts. Once, twice, ten times, a hundred times...
He moved his body until the training room floor was soaked with sweat.
But each attempt ended in failure.
The clone would appear for only a fleeting instant before vanishing again and again.
It was like chasing an unattainable mirage.
'Damn it, why isn't it working...! I followed the mnemonic formula and circulation technique perfectly... Even though I've reached the Transformation Realm, is there really a martial art I can't master?!'
Impatience built up in Jaseong's heart. Just then, the Sword Demon, who had been silently watching, spoke.
"Hmmm. Perhaps I misjudged you."
"...?"
"I thought you had a kind of poison energy that no one else possessed. A poison energy fierce enough to shake Heaven and Earth. But since you reached a higher realm, it seems you've forgotten that fire within your heart."
"...!"
"You can only master martial arts when your heart is pure and resolute. When you learned the Heaven Evading Shadow Annihilation Sword I taught you, you didn't weaken so easily."
Jaseong's eyes flashed open.
Smack!
In the next moment, he slapped his own cheek hard with his left hand.
'... Don't spout such weak nonsense, not when you're the one who vowed to become the World's Greatest.'
He had sworn it at the grave of his eldest brother and sister-in-law.
He would become the World's Greatest, enough to intimidate the whole world; tear off the arms and legs of those who'd killed his brother and sister-in-law, and eliminate both the orthodox factions and the Demonic Cult.
He was almost there now.
All that remained was to master this secret sword immortal technique, the Heaven Evading Clone Step, and his oath would be fulfilled.
'So you must master it! Activate the Samadhi Eyes without rest—even if your head feels like it's about to burst, do not stop, not for even a moment!'
A fierce poison energy burned in Jaseong's eyes. He activated his Samadhi Eyes again, reaffirming his determination.
No matter how many weeks or months it took, he would continuously use the Samadhi Eyes.
Until he found even the slightest clue, he would live in the domain of Samadhi no matter what.
How much time passed like that?
"Huff... huff..."
Even Jaseong, who had reached the Transformation Realm, was gasping for air and retching repeatedly.
Suddenly, the world turned ashen and time slowed.
His vision broadened, and he began to see clearly inside his own body.
Flowing along his meridians was his golden internal power, and from his heart rose the white currents of Innate True Ki.
'I can see the flow of Innate True Ki more clearly than ever...!'
Jaseong could now see exactly how the Innate True Ki moved, exactly where it dissipated when forming a clone.
In the instant the energy was divided, a fine crack appeared and energy leaked away.
'This is it! I must seal this gap!'
Jaseong performed the footwork again.
This time, he perfectly controlled the flow of Innate True Ki with his Samadhi Eyes.
He blocked the leaking energy and focused on shaping the form.
Shushushuk!
The afterimage grew much more defined.
Though still faint, facial features could be glimpsed, even the folds in the clothing.
It was now nearly tangible.
'Incredible... In just three days and nights, he's grasping a sense for the Heaven Evading Clone Step that no one else could ever master...!'
'Truly, among those the Sword Immortal recognized as prodigies, he's the prodigy of prodigies... He's a monster...'
Hong Gukyul and Baek Cheon-gwang exclaimed in admiration, slapping their knees.
But it was still not perfect. The clone could not last even ten seconds before crumbling away.
It was like a soulless doll collapsing.
"What's the problem...? The form was perfect..."
Jaseong gasped and fell into deep thought.
The distribution of energy, the realization of the form—both were perfect. So why couldn't it be sustained?
It was then that the Sword Demon spoke in a low, steady voice.
"I myself have never mastered the Heaven Evading Clone Step, so I don't know the full answer. But I have heard it is necessary to breathe vitality into the clone."
"Vitality, sir?"
"Energy alone is insufficient. That's just a shell. You must imbue your will and your spirit into the clone. Only then will the clone truly become a 'living' entity."
"My will and spirit..."
Jaseong closed his eyes. He peered deep into his own heart.
What dwelled there?
The Red Light District of Ansun.
The miserable, desperate life he'd lived.
The family who had clung to one another and laughed, even amidst all that.
And the searing hatred for those who had taken them away.
Longing for his brother and sister-in-law. His obsessive desire for revenge.
The ambition to unify the world and never again lose what was precious to him.
All these feelings stirred as a great vortex within Jaseong's heart. It was both the force that propelled him and the fire that fuelled him.
'Pour all this... into the clone!'
Jaseong performed the footwork again.
This time, not only his Innate True Ki, but his very will, too, was poured into the clone.
His rage, his sorrow, and his passions were all torn from within him and breathed into the air.
Shushushuk!
The afterimage grew denser and denser.
It was no longer just a mass of energy. A murderous aura raged, and martial spirit burst forth.
How much more time passed like this?
Saaaa—
After a long, long struggle, another Jaseong appeared at his side.
"I've done it...!"
Baek Cheon-gwang, Hong Gukyul, and the Sword Demon all wore shocked expressions.
"You actually did it!"
The clone wore the same face as Jaseong.
But its gaze was not empty.
It harbored the same razor-sharp poison energy as Jaseong's own eyes.
The clone moved perfectly in sync with the original.
When the main body drew his sword, the clone also drew its sword. When the main body breathed, the clone also breathed.
But the clone dissipated smoothly after just three seconds.
"The duration is still short."
Jaseong spoke, breathless. His mind was so exhausted that he thought his skull would split open.
"But... I succeeded."
Baek Cheon-gwang nodded with an approving expression.
"Indeed. The first success matters most. Now, as you continue practicing, both the duration and the number of clones will increase."
Jaseong gave himself no rest. Once more, he performed the footwork. Once, twice, ten times, a hundred times...
Night passed into dawn, then night fell again. Forgetting the passage of time, he trained unceasingly.
The duration, which was at first three seconds, increased to five, ten, and then thirty seconds.
And finally—
Shushushuk!
Two clones appeared beside Jaseong!
"Dual Shadow Clone, already...!"
Hong Gukyul gasped in astonishment.
The two clones stood at Jaseong's left and right, swinging their swords in perfect harmony.
The sword dance displayed by the three Jaseongs was a truly magnificent spectacle.
"This is... the realm we dreamed of our whole lives...!"
The Sword Demon's voice trembled. The very realm they had never attained, the young successor had finally reached.
"Now... I think I can finally put this to use."
Baek Cheon-gwang spoke, nearly in tears.
"Splendid, student. You are truly the one destined to fulfill Heaven's Mandate!"
Hong Gukyul chimed in.
"Keep refining it. One day, you too may produce a hundred clones like the Sword Immortal. When that day comes, no one in the world will be able to stop you."
The Sword Demon concluded. A deep trust shone in his eyes.
"It's time for us to depart. May fortune be with you on your path. Use your strength to cut through the darkness of the jianghu."
The three figures began to fade. A halo of light enveloped them as they soared toward the heavens.
Jaseong bowed deeply.
"Thank you, all of you. I will never forget your teachings."
Shoooooong!
The three vanished, swept away by the light. Silence once again filled the training chamber.
Alone in the underground training room of Black Union City, Jaseong continued to practice the Heaven Evading Clone Step.
It was the prologue to the birth of the "One-man Legion" that would rewrite jianghu history.
* * *
One day, as Jaseong was deep in training in the underground chamber of Black Union City...
Knock knock knock—
A knock shattered the silence.
Jaseong retracted his internal energy and steadied his breath. The clones faded away like smoke.
"Come in."
The door opened and Hyang-I entered, carrying a silk-wrapped, heavy box.
"Sect Leader. The items you requested have been prepared."
Jaseong's eyes flashed. At last, what he'd been waiting for.
"Well done. Let's go straight to the office."
Without even wiping his sweat, Jaseong stood and headed out. As he walked, he gave the attendant a short order.
"Summon Lee Rin and Gu Janghu."
The attendant bowed swiftly and rushed out.
A short while later, in Jaseong's office, Lee Rin and Gu Janghu arrived.
Both looked puzzled by the sudden summons after his reclusive training.
"Sect Leader, what's this about? You ended secluded training just to call us urgently?"
Gu Janghu asked. Lee Rin widened her eyes at Jaseong from the side.
"Did something happen, great hero?"
Instead of replying, Jaseong simply nodded and gestured to the table.
"I have something to give to the two of you."
At that moment, Hyang-I carefully approached and placed two jade boxes on the table.
Exquisitely carved dragons and phoenixes adorned their surfaces.
"What are these?"
At Lee Rin's question, Jaseong reached out and opened the lid of a box.
Clatter.
Instantly, the air in the office changed. A deep, pure fragrance filled the room.
It was no ordinary medicinal scent.
ust smelling it cleared one's mind and made the dantian stir—a scent infused with the concentrated essence of Heaven and Earth.
"Th-this is...?"
Lee Rin's eyes widened in disbelief. Gu Janghu also stared, shocked, into the box.
Inside each box sat a mystical pill, glowing red and blue, respectively. Wisps of energy curled around the pills.
Even someone unversed in martial arts could tell these were extraordinary treasures.
Hyang-I calmly explained.
"These are miracle elixirs purchased with all the Tianxia Association's profits from the past several years. You couldn't buy them for a king's ransom. It took months of scouring the world, mobilizing the full network of the Hao Sect, before we finally obtained them."
"...!"
Hyang-I pointed to the red pill on the left.
"This is the Blood Jade Pill, crafted by compressing Snow Ginseng that's a thousand years old and refining it nine times. It explosively increases your energy channels and can raise your internal power by at least one sixty-year cycle."
Then she pointed to the blue pill on the right.
"This is the Breaking Barrier Pill, made from the very essence of Ten-thousand-year Spiritual Ganoderma. It opens the Ren and Du meridians and forcibly breaks down bottlenecks in martial arts."
"...!"
"...!!"