Chapter 365
The Alliance Leader taught me the Thunder Stopping Divine Art all night long.
Fortunately, I had memorized all the incantations, and perhaps thanks to having learned the Six Yang Divine Art, it was not very difficult to learn the Thunder Stopping Divine Art.
Moreover, the Hwali Neidan I had eaten before.
The Hwali Neidan, which contained powerful yang energy, had been completely absorbed into my body, but it was still circulating in my body and providing tremendous help in performing martial arts of the yang energy system.
The Thunder Stopping Divine Art is also ultimately a martial art of extreme yang.
I even wonder if the Martial Alliance Leader had given me the Hwali Neidan with the intention of teaching me the Thunder Stopping Divine Art.
'Come to think of it, the Alliance Leader didn't have a disciple until the very end.'
Since Jeong Ha-rin had no great ambition for martial arts, he did not pass on the Thunder Stopping Divine Art to her, and he did not take any other disciples.
I don't know why he didn't take a disciple, but the lineage of the Alliance Leader's martial art was cut off when he passed away.
"As expected... you understand it easily, just as I thought. It took me at least three years to understand that."
"Isn't it because I have experience learning other martial arts, so it feels easier, as all things return to one? Besides, the Six Yang Divine Art I am learning is a martial art of extreme yang, just like the Thunder Stopping Divine Art. So it might seem like it's being learned more easily."
"I thought you didn't know humility, but you know how to be humble. You could just say it's talent."
"To be honest, I don't know if I can be called that talented."
"How can a martial talent like you say that?"
"Because I'm desperate."
"Desperate?"
The Alliance Leader furrowed his eyebrows and asked back.
It was because he didn't understand my meaning at once.
"Real talent isn't desperate. It seems they enjoy learning and training in martial arts just like they eat every day and take a walk every day. But I... I've never really thought that martial arts training itself is that enjoyable."
"Huh... training is not enjoyable?"
"Yes. I don't know how you'll hear it, but to me, training has always been a pain."
Why is that?
I thought that my true feelings, which I had never been able to tell my master or Maeng Gwang-gae, were pouring out.
It seems it's because it's rare for such an old master to open his heart to me first.
"But, the fruit that comes after that pain is sweet. So for that fruit, I just silently... silently move forward."
"I didn't know you were thinking that."
"To be honest, I didn't know either. I think I just realized that my heart is like that as I was talking."
The Alliance Leader chuckled and placed his hand on my head.
"Yes. All of that is you. So don't worry too much and move forward. The reason I have expectations for you is not much different. To be honest, I feel sorry for you to pour your whole life into becoming the center of the martial world or to stop a huge foreign enemy whose identity is unknown."
He let out a small sigh and continued, "But, even so, the reality is that I have no choice but to have expectations for you. So... I hope you can try a little harder."
The Alliance Leader said with a slightly uncomfortable expression.
I think I know how he feels.
Because in a way, it's no different from forcing me to sacrifice.
But, I gave him a bright smile.
"It's alright. I have decided to live like this."
"You've decided to live like this?"
"Yes. To protect the martial world by sacrificing this one life."
"......"
The Alliance Leader looked at me with wavering eyes.
It seems he was quite moved by my words.
What I just said is not just empty words.
I think of this life as a bonus, and I don't know if it's the gods of heaven and earth, the Jade Emperor, or the Primordial Heaven Supreme, but I think someone gave me a new life to protect the martial world.
So this life is a life of debt until the Demonic Cult is completely defeated.
My real life will be after that.
It will be after the Demonic Cult is completely defeated.
"To think that you are already thinking that at such a young age... I am ashamed."
"Why are you ashamed, Alliance Leader?"
"Because I never thought that at your age. Besides, until a little while ago, to be honest, I didn't have any particular thoughts about the martial world. I was just living each day the same. Seeing you trying to live so fiercely, I feel ashamed."
"If I hadn't received the revelation, I wouldn't have thought that either."
He looked at me with warm eyes.
That kind of gaze. It's a gaze I had never seen in my past life.
To think that the Alliance Leader, whom I had always thought was a cold person, could make such an expression.
If it were in the past, I would have thought this.
'As expected, since my background has improved, the Alliance Leader is also treating me better. In my past life, when I lived just as desperately, he didn't even look at me.'
But I have died once, and besides, I have spent a not-so-short time as Unhwi of the Wudang Sect, and now that I have the leisure to look around, I don't think so.
'At that time, I really had no leisure to look at anyone... When I look at the people around me first, the people around me also look at me.'
The Self-Taught Swordsman Unhwi of my past life struggled to get into people's eyes somehow.
I didn't even think of getting close to people first, but just thought that if my skills became more outstanding, they would look at me.
I just ran forward, thinking that if I accumulated greater achievements, they would look at me.
But no matter how hard I tried on my own, it was just my greed to hope that people who had not opened their hearts would look at me.
I don't know if I had become the best in the world.
I don't know if I had accumulated enough achievements to stop the invasion of the Demonic Cult on my own.
But, I fell short of that, and in the end, I just blamed others and kicked away the opportunity to build new relationships.
'The best thing I did in this life... wasn't it that I opened my heart to these amazing people first and approached them?'
Of course, to be very honest, I didn't try to get close to these people with a pure heart.
Because in this life, I approached people first with the thought of actively getting close to them and picking up the crumbs that fell.
But now it's different. As I get closer to each person, I get to know their stories and thoughts, and I also think of them sincerely.
The other person who feels my sincerity also opens their heart and treats me sincerely.
Why couldn't I do this easy thing in my past life?
'The one who discriminated against me the most because of my poor background... might have been myself. I have to become stronger because my background is not good, I have to accumulate more achievements because my background is not good... Since I couldn't even soothe my own heart and open my heart, there was no way I could have approached others first.'
I realized it anew.
I could have realized it sooner, but it seems that the Martial Alliance Leader treating me sincerely was a much bigger deal than I thought.
Now that I can finally look back on my past self and my present self.
"Alliance Leader. Really... thank you."
"No. I'm the one who's grateful... because the lineage of the Thunder Stopping Divine Art will not be cut off like this. Unhwi-ya. Can I ask you a favor?"
"Yes. Please speak."
"In the future, as you live in the martial world... when you meet someone who is a little stubborn and simple, but can protect justice, can you pass on the Thunder Stopping Divine Art to him?"
I didn't hesitate and nodded my head readily.
"Of course. No, I will definitely do so. I will definitely find a successor who is suitable for the martial art and who will please the Alliance Leader, so that the lineage of the Thunder Stopping Divine Art will not be cut off."
"Since you say you'll find one, it seems you'll really do it. Thank you. Just saying that gives me faith."
He looked up at the sky and continued, "It's getting late. When are you thinking of returning to Wudang?"
"If there's nothing major, I was thinking of tomorrow or the day after."
"Is that so? Then stay for just two more days. In my opinion, at the speed you're learning now, if I teach you for just two more days, you'll be able to cross a certain level."
"I will do so, Alliance Leader."
"Then I'll be on my way for today. I'll see you here at the same time tomorrow."
"Yes. I'll be waiting."
The Alliance Leader returned as silently as he had come.
I went down to the room where my senior brothers were sleeping with a light heart and closed my eyes for a while.
Although there was only about one shichen left until morning, I felt that sleeping that much would be enough.
***
For two days after that night, I spent the day making memories with my senior brothers, wandering around Kaifeng, and at night, I received the Thunder Stopping Divine Art from the Alliance Leader.
As a result. As the Alliance Leader had said, I succeeded in imbuing my sword with the power of lightning to some extent.
Every time I swung my sword, a sound like thunder echoed.
That's not all. When I moved my body while performing the Thunder Stopping Divine Art, I could move as fast as if I had become a streak of lightning.
Of course, it wasn't all good.
The Thunder Stopping Divine Art was a martial art that consumed an enormous amount of internal energy more than anything else.
"This is a martial art that even I couldn't perform at will until I was sixty. Because until then, the amount of my internal energy was not as sufficient as it is now. So it would be good to use it as a final, critical attack at a decisive moment."
"Thank you, Alliance Leader."
"With this... I have taught you everything I can teach you for now. The rest depends on how much more you train and utilize it."
"Thanks to you, Alliance Leader, I am confident that my survival rate has increased several times."
"Hehe... I hope so. To be honest, I want to feed you all the elixirs in the Martial Alliance, but at your current level, it seems that an ordinary elixir won't even tickle your liver. It's a pity."
"No. A sandcastle built easily will eventually collapse easily. I will build a strong castle that will not collapse with time and effort."
He, as if he liked my words, looked at me with affectionate eyes for a long time, and then opened his mouth again.
"You'll be returning to the Wudang Sect this afternoon."
"Yes. That's the plan."
"As I said before, we are now close seniors and juniors in the martial world, aren't we?"
"That's... what you could say, right? Didn't you say that last time?"
"Right? But, by any chance, do you have any thoughts of taking that relationship one step further?"
"What do you mean by taking it further?"
I said with a bright smile. It's a chance to get closer to the Martial Alliance Leader.
If I miss this opportunity, I would be a fool.
But the Alliance Leader's next words were enough to make me a fool.
"No matter how much I think about it, it's a waste. Instead of a close junior of the Martial Alliance Leader, how about the grandson-in-law of the Martial Alliance Leader?"
"Yes...?!"
Although I was dumbfounded, he continued without caring, "Think about it carefully. Our Ha-rin. Although her personality is a little angular, that has also been fixed a lot, and isn't she pretty? I think I could marry Ha-rin off to you."
Somehow... it seemed the Alliance Leader was saying that with all his heart.
(End of Chapter)