Chapter 134
Chapter 134
Youngho remained silent. And Jang Wijin accepted Youngho’s silence.
It was a silence that would soon be broken. For now, it was better to leave him to think.
However, sooner than Jang Wijin had expected, Youngho opened his mouth.
“You are my ancestor?”
“It is somewhat ambiguous to call me your ancestor, but at the very least, your martial art is one I developed over several decades. And I, too, am cultivating that martial art.”
It was something utterly impossible to believe. An Immortal was not someone just anyone could become, even if anyone might attempt it.
Thus, with an incredulous expression, Youngho met Jang Wijin’s eyes directly and spoke.
“Were you perhaps a member of the Unorthodox Faction?”
“…….”
When Jang Wijin said nothing, it felt as though the surrounding air had turned cold.
A chill that could make even a body that had reached the state of blade and sword immunity feel cold.
And Youngho took Jang Wijin’s silence as affirmation.
“Ah… I do not hold any prejudice. No matter how many of the Unorthodox Faction are scoundrels, surely there must have been one or two among them who grasped the principles of nature.”
“…I do not know what you are thinking, but you are mistaken, so do not let your thoughts wander any further.”
“Pardon? You were not of the Unorthodox Faction?”
“I was of the Orthodox Sect. It is merely that the martial art I created flowed into the Unorthodox Faction.”
“Ah….”
Indeed, these days most martial arts other than demonic arts were all stored within the secret archives of the Murim Alliance and the Unorthodox Alliance.
Even within the Unorthodox Alliance, quite a few cultivated orthodox techniques.
‘Of course, most of them died before they could grow.’
Jang Wijin let out a deep sigh—so deep that it was hard to tell how many times he had done so already.
“You are aware that your martial art is closer to orthodox techniques than to unorthodox ones, are you not? No, to begin with, it is an orthodox technique.”
“There is no way I would not know. Honestly, which unorthodox wretch would possess such refined internal energy?”
“It is fortunate that you understand.”
“More than that, I have never heard of someone like you—not in the history books, nor even in the tales enjoyed by storytellers.”
“That is only natural. I was originally a figure of the Orthodox Sect and achieved few notable feats. At best, my greatest accomplishment was cutting down the Heavenly Demon.”
“Oh….”
It sounded strange. Killing the Heavenly Demon seemed like the greatest deed imaginable…?
Yet Youngho shifted his perspective with flexible thinking.
“I suppose the Demonic Cult must have been weak at the time?”
“It was not as strong as it is now, but even by the standards of that era, the Demonic Cult was a considerable threat.”
“Ah….”
As silence once more fell between them, Jang Wijin chuckled.
“If you come to the Immortal Realm, I shall tell you the rest of the story.”
“Then I will hear it then. Though I do not know whether I will ever reach the Immortal Realm.”
“Very well. Have all your questions been answered now?”
“To be honest, I have a great many more questions.”
“Then ask.”
“Unfortunately, even at this very moment, time continues to flow.”
Youngho slowly drew his sword as he spoke.
“Please grant me your instruction.”
“Mm!”
It was a commendable resolve.
“Even so, sheath your sword again. At your current level, rather than swordsmanship, you must first break through the Wall of the Transformation Realm.”
He wondered why a sword was unnecessary for breaking through the Wall of the Transformation Realm, but he could delay no longer.
Youngho immediately followed Jang Wijin’s words and returned his sword to its sheath.
“There is one thing you are mistaken about.”
Mistaken about something? Before Youngho could voice his doubt, Jang Wijin continued.
“Your swordsmanship has certainly reached the level of a master. To speak frankly, you may be considered roughly on par with the Heavenly Demon who cultivates the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.”
“Pardon? That is…!”
“You find it unbelievable. After all, you are still no match for the Heavenly Demon.”
“That is correct.”
“So I shall tell you. The difference between you and the Heavenly Demon lies in the presence or absence of Hardened Force Manifestation.”
“…Hardened Force Manifestation, you say?”
“Indeed. You have simply yet to attain enlightenment regarding Hardened Force Manifestation.”
“Do you mean the shockwave the Heavenly Demon showed before?”
“It is good that you are aware of it.”
“How could I not? With that single strike, he could easily defeat an army of a hundred thousand.”
“Yes. That way of thinking is precisely the problem.”
“Pardon?”
“Listen carefully. Hardened Force Manifestation is ultimately an extension of Hardened Force. It follows the same principle as how one who skillfully handles Sword Qi can produce Sword Aura.”
At that, Youngho’s eyes suddenly began to shine brightly.
He believed Jang Wijin was finally about to deliver his true instruction.
Though such an eager gaze might have burdened another, Jang Wijin spoke with unwavering eyes.
“It seems you have been thinking of Hardened Force Manifestation not as an extension of Hardened Force, but as some tremendous technique newly created by the Heavenly Demon. Hardened Force is, in essence, compression. One compresses and refines qi, then wields it. Naturally, the more sharply refined qi is further compressed, the more devastating its lethality becomes.”
“Then are you saying that Hardened Force Manifestation, as an extension of Hardened Force, operates differently?”
“No, the process of forming Hardened Force is the same. However, you must compress that Hardened Force even further. To the size of an eyeball.”
“That is possible.”
“It had better be.”
“…….”
“And then you detonate the energy contained within that extremely compressed Hardened Force all at once. That is Hardened Force Manifestation.”
“Huh….”
Youngho let out an exclamation without realizing it. It was an astonishing concept. An idea so extraordinary that an ordinary expert of the Transformation Realm would never conceive of it.
“No, but then one would be unable to withstand the rampaging internal energy and would usually die, would one not?”
And rightly so. If one attempted such a thing, ten out of ten would die.
“Of course you must stabilize that internal energy. No—rather than stabilizing it, you should be able to form it as naturally as breathing. Naturally, creating a perfect Hardened Force Manifestation takes a bit of time, but there is nothing more powerful.”
His mind kept growing hazy.
Jang Wijin looked at Youngho’s dazed expression and said,
“First, you must make the method by which you operate your internal energy far more efficient.”
“I believe I already handle my internal energy quite well.”
“And that is precisely why you cannot defeat the Heavenly Demon. You certainly know how to use Hardened Force Manifestation. However, the amount of internal energy contained within it is far too little. For example, do you remember when the Green Forest King and the Demonic Cult targeted you?”
“Yes. It was the major turning point that allowed the Asura Squad to grow. There were no casualties.”
“Indeed. At that time, you used Hardened Force Manifestation to summon the Asura Squad as well as Mount Hua and Zhongnan. But the internal energy contained within that manifestation was not even a quarter of what the Heavenly Demon unleashed in earnest during the Dragon–Phoenix Gathering. Even then, you could not endure the rampaging internal energy for long and released it immediately.”
“Then is the Heavenly Demon ultimately stronger because his method of operating internal energy is far superior to mine?”
“Yes. Did I not say so? Of course, internal cultivation is included within martial arts, but the Heavenly Demon’s fist techniques and your swordsmanship may be considered equal.”
“That is at least some comforting news.”
“No, that was a lie. To be honest, the Heavenly Demon is slightly superior.”
“…….”
Even when Youngho looked at him with a sour expression, Jang Wijin remained unapologetic.
“Did I say anything incorrect?”
“…No.”
“In short, from this moment on, you must train to maintain Hardened Force Manifestation.”
“Hmm… Understood.”
“And I intend to explain it in greater detail, so listen further before you begin training.”
Jang Wijin briefly fell into contemplation. His appearance was so serious that even the normally indifferent Youngho did not dare disturb him.
“Yes. When compressing the Hardened Force, instead of simply forcing it into a circular shape, compress it with the sensation of rotating your internal energy. It will work better.”
“Do I rotate it in only one direction?”
“No. If you do that, you will reach a limit. Rotate and counter-rotate simultaneously.”
It was a difficult instruction. Only someone at the level of Han Yonghu, the Murim Alliance Leader, could even comprehend it—let alone put it into practice.
However, thanks to Regression, Youngho possessed vast knowledge and had personally crossed hands with numerous masters. He immediately understood Jang Wijin’s words.
And he put them into action at once.
Wooooong—!
A large sphere of Hardened Force Manifestation formed above Youngho’s palm. At first it was the size of a human face, but as it slowly compressed, it shrank to the size of a Night Pearl.
Seeing this, Jang Wijin could not conceal his excitement as he spoke.
“You are doing well! Your talent surpasses my expectations! Already you have compressed your Hardened Force to half the level of the Heavenly Demon’s manifestation!”
Youngho exerted intense concentration, striving not to miss a single word Jang Wijin said.
“Is that so? But how do I maintain this?”
“Why maintain it? Simply detonate it.”
“Pardon?”
“Did I not tell you? Hardened Force Manifestation is the technique of compressing Hardened Force to an extreme degree and then exploding that energy.”
“But in this state, I will be caught in the explosion as well.”
“Is that not precisely what this training is for? Now, detonate it in the manner you desire.”
“Maintaining it alone is already overwhelming.”
“Then do not detonate it. Slowly draw the energy back in.”
“Please wait a moment.”
By the time Youngho succeeded in dissolving the manifestation, One Dakyung had already passed.
“Why are you dispersing it so slowly?”
“Can an Immortal throw a punch with full strength and immediately return to proper stance?”
“Impossible. Even back-alley thugs who throw punches while drunk often collapse outright.”
“That is precisely it. When one expends energy at full force, even withdrawing it at full force inevitably requires time.”
“Do you think I speak without knowing that? It is because your method is too inefficient.”
“Pardon? What do you mean?”
“There is much I wish to tell you, but you must attain enlightenment yourself, so I will refrain.”
“Is the extension of Hardened Force truly so difficult?”
“Before your Regression, did you not struggle with Sword Aura, which is an extension of Sword Qi? At least I did.”
“…I understand completely.”
“That is good. Now then, this time reduce the power of the manifestation you just created by half.”
“You mean to practice exploding the energy without the caster being caught in it?”
“Exactly.”
“But come to think of it, could you not simply demonstrate it yourself? If you are stronger than the Heavenly Demon, then the level of your Hardened Force Manifestation must be extraordinary as well.”
“That is indeed a fine suggestion. If I were to create a manifestation and absorb all the Immortal Energy in the vicinity of Mount Kunlun, I would immediately have to return to the Immortal Realm.”
“…Must you truly be so sarcastic?”
“Then simply deploy your manifestation properly. You cannot even control such a trivial amount of energy.”
“Immortal. Is that your natural manner of speech?”
“Does it sound unnatural?”
“No. It is surprisingly familiar.”
“When you converse with a fellow named Jongpal, you always use such a manner of speaking.”
“…….”
Youngho thought of Jongpal, who was likely still in the Unorthodox Alliance, swinging his sword with heavy weights attached to it.
‘I am sorry, Jongpal. I will treat you better from now on.’
I did not realize I was such an irritating person.
“You are lost in idle thoughts again. Create the manifestation once more.”
“Yes.”
Before he could fully sink into his musings, Jang Wijin drew Youngho’s consciousness back to the surface.
“Just a little better will suffice. As you continue rotating your internal energy, small empty gaps will form within it. Pay careful attention to those areas as well and compress the internal energy tightly into them.”
Exactly one Shijin had passed since Youngho met Jang Wijin. And Youngho was obtaining the greatest fortuitous encounter under heaven.