Chapter 10 - Heaven-Sent Talent (4)

The Palace of Heavenly Demons had made a move.

While the entire martial world tensed up again, the Palace of Heavenly Demons merely burned down a small estate in a small city called Hoguk city and disappeared.

People gossiped about the capricious acts of the Extreme Heavenly Demon, but those who knew the truth were solemn.

Extreme Heavenly Demon had slaughtered a cultivator!

The top echelons of the martial world.

The highest ranks of the business and political realms.

And the royal family.

They were the ones who knew about cultivators and understood how terrifying they were.

To them, the news of the Extreme Heavenly Demon slaughtering a cultivator was like the sky turning upside down.

"Yanguo is engulfed in chaos."

On the surface, it seemed calm.

All Extreme Heavenly Demon Young-hoon did was burn down an estate.

But those in the know were visibly shaken.

"Depending on Hyung-nim's movements, the turmoil will likely escalate."

"Well, that level of turmoil doesn't matter."

The one who had actually slain the cultivator was unbothered.

"The bizarre spells they cast are something that any peak master can counter once they get used to them. Slaughtering such beings won't help me further advance my understanding of the Record of Transcending Cultivation and Exhausting Martial Arts. I need to seek out more stronger ones."

"Don't worry about that... There are still many cultivators left."

I smirked, unfolding a map of Yanguo.

Based on research from my past life, the number of cultivators lurking in Yanguo was more than enough to satisfy Young-hoon.

"I'll guide us to our next target."

Six months later.

Palace of Heavenly Demons rampaged through Yanguo, slaughtering one cultivator after another.

Most of the cultivators matched an ordinary peak master in strength, and it was rare to see any as powerful as those who had reached Three Flowers Gather at the Summit.

Therefore, not even the elders, let alone Hyung-nim, had to join the battles. It was only the peak masters of the Palace of Heavenly Demons who exerted their power.

'But this isn't all.'

As far as I knew, the cultivators we had encountered so far were the bottom rung in the Cultivation hierarchy, merely dealing with menial tasks in the mortal world.

In other words, even the lowest of the low among the cultivators were comparable to peak masters.

'It's about time the high-ranking cultivators start appearing.'

My prediction proved accurate.

Three months later.

Palace of Heavenly Demons encountered a cultivator of a different caliber.

"Word has it that a group of mortals, ignorant of their place, are slaughtering cultivators of the clan. Is that you lot?"

One day.

While heading to slaughter a cultivator residing in Chamgyo city, on a mountain path, a young man in blue robes blocked the way of the Palace of Heavenly Demons, smiling slyly.

However, none of the Palace of Heavenly Demons’ members underestimated him.

The tingling sensation of his aura and the pressure he exuded were signs of a powerful cultivator.

"According to our intelligence, it is the cultivators who plan to annihilate the Palace of Heavenly Demons in collaboration with the martial world and the government. We're just struggling to survive. If you're a messenger of the cultivator clan, convey this message: If they stop persecuting us, we will cease slaughtering cultivators!"

Young-hoon yelled powerfully at the young man.

And then, the young man's expression changed.

"Ha, haha..."

He suddenly burst into a mad laugh.

"Ahahaha! Hahaha! Haha! Really, really... Ahahaha!"

Thud, thud...

Another young boy in blue robes and a beautiful woman in blue armor walked out.

All of them possessed auras similar to that of the young man.

"Hahaha... It's utterly hilarious. It seems you have a big misunderstanding. Since you made me laugh, I'll tell you one basic fact about the cultivation world."

The young man spread his left hand.

On it appeared the character for "refining qi."

"In the stages of cultivation, the lowest stage is called Qi Refining. The cultivators you've been defeating until now..."

"Are they Qi Refining cultivators?"

"No, no. Listen to the end. The Qi Refining Phase is divided into 14 levels, from 1-star to 14-star. The higher the number, the closer to the next realm. A 14th level Qi Refining cultivator is highly regarded in the cultivator clan, while a 1st level is considered the dregs. And..."

Chuckle...

The young man gave a twisted smile and showed his right hand, on which the number one was inscribed.

"The ones you've been proudly defeating were just 1st level Qi Refining cultivators – embarrassingly low, even for cultivator standards. They were assigned to handle the petty affairs of the mortal world."

"..."

I was shocked as if I had been hit on the head.

I never had the chance to learn such information in my past life.

'I knew there were stages like Qi Refining, Qi Building, and Core Formation..'

But to think that the cultivators lurking around, each comparable to a peak master, were actually the very bottom of the Qi Refining Phase!

"By the way, my friends and I have reached the 3rd level of Qi Refining. We are a different class compared to the trash you've been dealing with..."

"So, even among 14 levels, you're just a lowly 3-star."

Young-hoon interrupted him with a smirk.

"The same bottom-dwellers mocking 1st level ones, that's hilariously pathetic. At least the ones I met fought me with the resolve to die. You just blabber away. Is that the extent of your cultivated skills?"

"Eek!"

The young man's face contorted.

"Fine, you impudent fool. If you so desire, I'll show you my power. I'll demonstrate what it means to be a 3rd level Qi Refining cultivator!"

A powerful pressure emanated from the young man and his two companions.

But Young-hoon merely clicked his tongue and turned away.

"It'll be a bit troublesome. Heavenly Demon force! Prepare the formation!"

Simultaneously, the peak masters of Palace of Heavenly Demons, trained in techniques derived from Record of Transcending Cultivation and Exhausting Martial Arts, surrounded the three cultivators.

Flash!

The cultivators started casting spells without chanting, their techniques shining like stars.

'Fast!'

They were indeed different from those we had encountered so far.

'No chanting and still such powerful spells!'

Typically, cultivators would always chant mantras before engaging in combat. But these ones didn't, and yet their spells were more powerful than any we'd seen.

'But still...'

Yes, they were strong.

But I didn't feel like we were going to lose.

Because...

"Deploy the formation!"

"Transcending Cultivation formation, open!"

Record of Transcending Cultivation and Exhausting Martial arts was invincible,

And everything derived from it was

"The strongest!"

Palace of Heavenly Demons's tactics, based on the teachings of the martial Record, were unsurpassed.

The battle ended after an hour.

Thanks to the combined techniques of the peak masters, we barely managed to kill the three cultivators.

"Stronger cultivators will come to us in the future. Those we just faced were only weak, at the 3rd level of Qi Refining Phase."

"Still, the elders didn't need to step in. Those who have reached Three Flowers Gather at the Summit can easily handle such opponents."

"But..."

"I've taught the elders the martial Record. Even if stronger monsters appear, it won't be a problem."

Young-hoon brushed off my concerns with absolute confidence.

"The more I see the cultivators fight, the more I'm convinced. The Record of Transcending Cultivation and Exhausting Martial Arts was created to kill these creatures. No matter how strong they are, the martial Record will always find their weakness!"

Record of Transcending Cultivation and Exhausting Martial Arts.

It's indeed a remarkable martial art.

But I remembered my previous life.

Young-hoon, the creator of the martial Record.

'In my past life, Young-hoon Hyung-nim never intended to defeat cultivators with the record. He only described it as a lifeline to save one’s life.'

I felt an ominous premonition about his current overconfidence and could only advise him to stay alert.

Gradually, the cultivators blocking our path grew stronger.

At first, we faced cultivators like the young man in blue, at the 3rd level of Qi Refining Phase.

As we swiftly cut down such foes, a 4th level cultivator came after us.

A single cultivator of Qi Refining 4-star faced the combined techniques of 300 Palace of Heavenly Demon members and was only killed by an elder who had reached Three Flowers.

Next, we encountered a 6-star cultivator.

The 6-star cultivator fought evenly with an elder who had reached Three Flowers, but we barely managed to win thanks to the elder's close combat strategy.

"Without the martial Record, I would have struggled against a cultivator just one level lower."

An elder who had reached Three Flowers testified to the toughness of the Qi Refining cultivators after the battle.

Two months later, we faced a 7-star cultivator.

To defeat the 7-star cultivator, five elders who had reached Three Flowers and learned the martial Record had to join forces.

Although we barely managed to kill the 7-star cultivator, the elders' faces were grim.

"Lord Extreme Heavenly Demon, the 7-star cultivators…Even those in the mid-range were a challenge for us. If stronger ones appear..."

"Can we really defeat cultivators beyond that level?"

Young-hoon was unflinching in his response.

"Push the Record of Transcending Cultivation and Exhausting Martial Arts to its limits. It's a martial art designed to kill cultivators. It can find their weak points! Have confidence!"

Time passed.

After killing the 7-star cultivator, no cultivators above the 4th level approached us for a while.

During that time, we established a base in Cheombyeok city and rebuilt the headquarters of the Palace of Heavenly Demons.

We seized control of the area around the city and re-established our sect formally.

Occasionally, cultivators of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd levels of Qi Refining Phase attacked our headquarters, but that was all.

The majority of the Qi Refining cultivators were caught and killed by the peak masters of Three Flowers Gather at the Summit.

Thus, a quiet period, like the calm before a storm, lasted for several years.

Whoom, whoom!

As I practiced the Severing Mountain Swordsmanship, I realized I had finally reached the realm I had been striving for.

Beyond just seeking freedom in swordsmanship, I now had the leisure to try something more.

In that leisure, I honed my internal energy to its extreme.

The sword and my hand felt as one.

Whoom!

Shwick!

The sword sharply cut through the air.

Invisible, sharp energy.

A mist enveloping the sword.

It was sword energy.

"Ha, haha... Hahahaha!"

I swung the Severing Mountain Swordsmanship and tried cutting a rock the size of a person set up for practice.

Shwick!

The rock cleanly split in half, like tofu.

"Finally... Mid-level of First Grade!"

Sword energy isn't just about enhancing the sword with internal energy.

It's about refining one's martial art to its extreme, then releasing that energy.

Thus, strengthening the specific characteristics of that martial art to their utmost.

That's what sword energy is.

The Severing Mountain Swordsmanship, in this case, is a martial art with the strongest characteristic of 'cutting', hence this trait was significantly enhanced. With practice, the many hidden traits of the Severing Mountain Swordsmanship could also be enhanced with sword energy and unleashed.

"It took ten years. Ten years to progress from the early stages of the first grade to this point."

It has been 30 years since this life began. My physical age had now reached fifty-nine. I was almost sixty years old before I reached the mid-level of the first grade.

"My lifespan is only about 20 years left."

Can I reach the status of a peak master within that time? I managed to reach the first-grade master with relentless effort and gathering information that was available to the public.

But reaching the status of a peak master is said to be an unreachable realm without extreme talent, even known to the world. The peak masters of Palace of Heavenly Demons were able to reach that level because they originally had tremendous talent.

"Is it possible in this lifetime?"

I looked down at my wrinkled hands and sighed lightly.

Let's not think about whether it's possible. If what I can do is wield a sword, then I will just keep swinging it.

It was when I was about to practice the Severing Mountain Swordsmanship again.

Boom!

One of the Palace’s pavilions exploded.

"This level of explosion..."

It's a cultivator!

As I hurriedly looked up into the sky, a cultivator standing on a leaf-shaped magical instrument was looking down at the main branch of the Palace with calm eyes.

"Head of Palace of Heavenly Demons, the Extreme Heavenly demon, come out and face your punishment."

The cultivator's voice resonated throughout the main branch.

Tingling, tingling...

I felt an electric sensation all over my body.

'Dangerous.'

The cultivators I had encountered so far were of a completely different dimension.

"I heard that the Extreme Heavenly Demon, a mortal, has killed the Qi Refining juniors of my clan. As a Qi Building investigator of my clan, I will deal with you."

Young-hoon approached me and whispered.

"First, evacuate outside the Palace. Notify others as well."

"Hyung-nim?"

"A Qi Building investigator... Incomparable to those we've faced before."

"Hyung-nim, are you in danger?"

"Hahaha, that's unlikely."

He chuckled.

"Anyone who has reached the state of Five Energies Converging to the Origin could somewhat match him. And... I have reached Five Energies and continued to practice the martial Record."

Kukukukuku!

A terrifying force emanated from him.

His eyes sparkled with indescribable excitement.

"Don't worry... I will never lose!"

Boom!

He leaped off the ground, stepping through the air towards the Qi Building cultivator floating above.

Zoom!

A bright light burst with a thunderous sound.

Following his orders, I evacuated others and left the Palace.

From above the buildings, countless lights and explosions burst forth, and the figures of the Qi Building cultivator and Young-hoon flickered in the air.

The Qi Building cultivator, riding a magical instrument in the air, was opposing Young-hoon, who was stepping on the air, pressing him with the martial arts of the Record of Transcending Cultivation and Exhausting Martial Arts.

Boom!

However, when the Qi Building cultivator took out a giant fan the size of a yard and waved it, Young-hoon started to be pushed back.

The cultivator began to use a variety of strange magical instruments, and it seemed Young-hoon was being overpowered.

Soon after, the cultivator's face paled as he tried to retreat.

At that moment.

Young-hoon vanished.

Immediately after, the cultivator's head fell off.

"Are you alright, Hyung-nim!"

The elders and I, who had been watching the battle from nearby, rushed to the site.

"Huff... Huff..."

There stood Young-hoon, panting for the first time after fighting anyone.

"Lord!"

"Extreme Heavenly Demon!"

"Hyung-nim!"

As we hurriedly approached him, he suddenly thrust out his saber.

"Look!"

"What should we look at?"

"The blade, look at the blade!"

"Blade...? Ah...!"

His blade was edgeless.

Until now, he had never used special weapons like treasure swords. He simply bought a saber from the local blacksmith whenever he needed a new one.

With the mindset that a craftsman does not blame his tools, he had always displayed peerless martial arts with ordinary sabers.

Until now, against any martial artist or cultivator, his weapon had never lost its edge.

"Ha, hahaha... Hahahaha!"

Young-hoon burst into hearty laughter.

"All this time, with the thought that a craftsman does not blame his tools, I've been using shabby weapons. Seeing that cultivator recklessly use bizarre magical weapons made me realize, weapons too are part of a martial artist's strength. I almost couldn't cut that monstrous Qi Building cultivator; I was just a little short on power!"

"Hmm... So he was that strong..."

The elders' faces darkened.

However, Young-hoon’s face was beaming more than ever.

"Yes, he was incredibly strong. Probably anyone who hasn't reached Five Energies Converging to the Origin, even if they practiced Record of Transcending Cultivation and Exhausting Martial Arts, can't face him. The difference in class was too big! He naturally used defensive magic on top of defensive Qi arts, causing the edge of my saber to fall off... But."

His eyes were shining brightly.

"We can win! If we fully master the Record of Transcending Cultivation and Exhausting Martial Arts! Even those monstrous creatures can be killed!!!"

"Ah..."

"Ahah!"

The elders too started to show signs of hope.

"Martial artists too! Can defeat cultivators!!!"

Young-hoon, holding the edgeless saber, shouted loudly.

I too, feeling some kind of hope from him, felt my heart surge.

"We will drive out the cultivators lurking in Yanguo and make the martial world ours!"

Young-hoon boldly declared, raising his sword towards the sky.

Everyone was compelled to agree with his ideology.

He showed them hope.

Two months passed.

Fifty Qi Building cultivators came at us.