Chapter 11 - Heaven-Sent Talent (5)

"Is this a dream?

Swoosh...

Rain is falling.

The sky is dyed in ink, and beneath it, an old man in blues is riding a cloud-shaped magical artifact, looking down at the ruined main hall of the Palace of Heavenly Demon.

Around him, dozens of Qi Building practitioners in blue robes looked down upon the scene.

Despite the rain, it seemed as if an invisible barrier surrounded them, repelling the raindrops.

In the center of the Palace, Hyung-nim, the members of the Palace of Heavenly Demons, and the elders lay covered in blood.

Coughing up blood, Hyung-nim used a broken saber as a cane and barely stood up.

“Monster... Qi Building, late stage...”

“Fought well, my ass... Handling you alone was overwhelming. The rest... even if I just executed formations...”

“Hmm, judging by your state, you seem to have reached Five Energies Converging to the Origin among martial artists. Correct?”

Coughing blood, Hyung-nim knelt on one knee.

‘Hyung-nim...’

Trapped under the debris of the collapsed building, I could only watch him.

I was pinned down by the debris, unable to move, when the building collapsed with a wave of a Qi Building cultivator’s hand.

‘It’s not a fatal injury.’

My self-diagnosis, based on my past life as a top-tier physician.

With proper treatment, I could be up in two months.

But right now, I couldn’t even slightly assist Hyung-nim.

‘Even if I weren’t trapped, I’d be of no help.’

Biting my lip, I realized my own powerlessness.

The old man in the blue robe, who declared himself a Great Perfection Qi Building cultivator, stroked his beard and spoke to my Hyung-nim.

“Although it’s abominable that you killed members of my cultivator clan and deserve death, I admire your talent. I offer you the chance to become a disciple of my clan and learn cultivation methods.”

“Cultivation... methods? Weren’t those... for your special, fancy folks... only?”

“If a martial artist reaches Five Energies, even mortals awaken a similar spiritual quality. Your Five Energies Converging to the Origin probably corresponds to our Five Energies Spiritual Root. If you learn cultivation methods, you’ll become a valuable asset to our clan.”

The other cultivators seemed taken aback by his offer.

“Ha... Grandfather. This guy is...”

Before a Qi Building cultivator could voice his displeasure, the old man murmured something, likely sending a telepathic message.

Afterwards, the disturbed Qi Building cultivators started smirking.

“Ha, indeed, mortal. You have the potential to become a cultivator, so we offer you this chance.”

“We’ll even teach you our clan’s highest cultivation methods. You’ve achieved a great feat.”

“Becoming a cultivator will grant you incomparable power and wisdom.”

They were now encouraging Hyung-nim to become a cultivator.

I noticed from their eyes that they were mocking and ridiculing him.

‘Trap...’

It was a trap. They would accept him as a cultivator, but something was left unsaid.

Coughing blood and covered in wounds, Hyung-nim stood up.

“Cultivation, right. That sounds good! Indeed, fighting you helped me reach an epiphany. Thanks to you, I was able to complete the Record of Transcending Cultivation and Exhausting Martial Arts!”

He stomped the ground powerfully.

“I’ll show you the extreme of the martial Record!”

“... With that broken saber? Your comrades are all dead, too?”

“... The dead comrades of the Palace of Heavenly Demons will also wish to strike you down.”

Hyung-nim grasped his saber stance.

‘That look...’

For a moment, I saw the overlap of Hyung-nim from my past life.

Suddenly, I felt like I understood the true intention behind the Record of Transcending Cultivation and Exhausting Martial Arts..

In my past life, Hyung-nim’s despairing look told me something.

Whoosh!

He vanished in an instant, reaching the old man's side and swung his sword.

“Hmph, futile... huh...!”

As the old man tried to cast a spell, my brother's broken saber sliced through the air next to him and cut through empty space.

However, something invisible seemed to have been 'cut.'

The old man was greatly flustered and lost hold of Young-hoon, who slipped past him and escaped through the encirclement of Qi Building cultivators.

Indeed.

This was the Record of Transcending Cultivation and Exhausting Martial Arts created by Young-hoon from my past life. A martial art born from despair and sorrow, created by the greatest martial artist upon encountering a cultivator and falling into despair.

This martial art harbored a purpose:

"To my younger brother Seo Eun-hyun, please preserve this martial art for future generations, so they may have at least a lifeline in the face of the natural disaster known as cultivators."

A secret technique to create an escape in the presence of stronger, invincible cultivators. This was the original goal pursued by the Record of Transcending Cultivation and Exhausting Martial Arts.

"Catch that audacious mortal!"

Whoosh!

The old man in blue robe rode a cloud-shaped magical artifact and chased after Young-hoon, and the other Qi Building cultivators followed suit, each riding their own flying magical artifacts.

A few remaining Qi Building cultivators looked down at the ruined Palace of Heavenly Demons.

"Seems like there's a survivor down there."

Their gaze on me was palpable.

But one of the cultivators dismissively said,

"Nevermind. If they're not peak cultivators, let's leave the first and second-rate scraps and go after him. The rest can be handed over to the mortal authorities to issue a manhunt."

"Understood."

The Qi Building cultivators left me behind, soaring after Young-hoon.

Indeed, I was of no interest to them, just first-rate scraps.

Worthless, inconsequential, a mere mortal.

"Cough... Ugh...!"

Weak, useless, powerless.

Gritting my teeth, I pushed the debris off me with all my might, summoning all my internal energy.

"Ugh... Aaaah!"

Weak, yet surviving due to my insignificance.

Happy about it?

"Haah...!"

I barely crawled out of the debris and collapsed onto the rain-soaked ground.

"Aah... Aah...!"

Endlessly weak, to the extent of being of no help to anyone.

Despite learning various skills like disguise, medicine, stealth, and espionage to compensate for my weakness, I was helpless against real monsters.

"Ugh... Aah...!"

I wailed in the rain.

Squelch, squelch, squelch...

After some time, I regained some strength and crawled to where Young-hoon had jumped away.

The bodies of the elders and the peak cultivators of the Palace of Heavenly Demons were strewn about.

I searched among them for any possible survivors.

Sadly, all the members of the Palace were dead.

"Damn it."

Then, something caught my eye.

The spot where Young-hoon had jumped.

There was something there.

"This is..."

A sword mark. But it formed a shape.

It was a letter.

I hastily approached the sword mark and read the letters.

"In fifteen days... at Suak Temple..."

Suak Temple was a deserted temple outside Cheombyeok City.

The sword mark was so crudely made that only someone who knew his handwriting could understand it.

"I'll wait fifteen days."

After using my internal energy to recover in the rain, I rescued other survivors trapped under the debris, buried the elders and members of the Palace in a suitable place, and addressed the remaining force.

"Vice-leader, what do we do now?"

"If Master Young-hoon, the Palace Leader, is defeated by the cultivators..."

"We are marked as criminals in the martial world..."

"If the authorities issue a manhunt for us..."

I sighed, facing the desperate faces clinging to me.

All that were left were those who had not reached the peak stage, only up to the late stage of first-rate.

All the peak experts belonging to the Palace had died fighting the cultivators while deploying a battle formation.

'In such a situation, if the superior shows panic, it leads to great chaos.'

Among these people, some might rise in rebellion and capture me to offer my head to the authorities.

"From today on."

Currently, I was nominally the superior.

Unlike my past life, I was a mid-tier first-rate warrior.

In a group where everyone else was only first-rate, my skills were not to be underestimated.

"The Palace of Heavenly Demon changes form."

This wasn't just a state of confusion.

With the disappearance of the Extreme Heavenly Demon, Young-hoon, the focal point of the Palace, the organization's future seemed bleak, and chaos was bound to escalate.

As the last superior, I had to present at least some sort of vision.

"The Palace of Heavenly Demons is currently marked as a public enemy of the martial world, and the authorities have set bounties on most of us. The focal point, Extreme Heavenly Demon, Young-hoon, is also currently in an unknown state of life or death!"

Upon hearing this, the remaining people's eyes started to look menacing.

"If the authorities or martial factions start to pursue us, we'll be annihilated! But there is a way!"

"What is it?"

"Yanguo is vast! Therefore, it takes time and resources for news to spread throughout Yanguo. We will exploit this gap and seize control of the martial world's information in Yanguo!"

"What do you mean by that?"

"There are those among you who have learned espionage, counter-espionage, stealth, disguise, and other miscellaneous skills from me! We'll use those skills to gather information from each faction and understand the trends of the martial world, transforming the direction of the Palace of Heavenly Demons into an organization that handles information!

From now on, information in the martial world will pass through our hands and be manipulated by us! Since we deal with information, even the information that the Palace of Heavenly Demons was our predecessor can be manipulated by us!

We will survive by circulating, supplying, and selling false information to the authorities and martial factions!"

It wasn't mere bravado.

In my past life, when I was the chief strategist of the Wulin Alliance, all information and events of the martial world were in my hands.

I was more than capable of handling information, and I even knew about many future events.

My words seemed to have given some confidence to the remaining people as the threat in their eyes began to fade.

"The sooner the better. Let's establish a new organizational structure and search the Palace building for land deeds and money. Before the night ends, we will be reborn!"

I quickly reorganized the remaining members and left Cheombyeok City with others that night.

Fifteen days passed.

I headed to Suak Temple as mentioned by Young-hoon.

'What's this? It's empty.'

I waited a long time.

Until dawn the next day, I waited for Young-hoon.

But again, the day turned to night.

Night turned to day, and after three days and nights, Young-hoon did not come.

Then, I rummaged through Suak Temple and finally found a trace left by Young-hoon.

"Phew, almost missed it."

I found a sword mark on the main beam of Suak Temple.

"Cultivators are pursuing, so I couldn't meet you and left this letter here."

I jumped up to the beam, cut it down, and dropped it.

The beam had dozens of small sword marks, each forming letters. Despite the poor handwriting, I could make it out.

I slowly read Young-hoon's letter.

"That day, I realized the true purpose of the Record of Transcending Cultivation and Exhausting Martial Arts. I thought it was a martial art created to kill cultivators, but I was completely wrong.

It was made to escape from cultivators.”

"..."

"That day, I deeply felt the despair of the creator of this martial art. Surely, the creator too must have met an overwhelming cultivator, despaired, and ended up creating a martial art not to confront but to escape from them.

I could kill cultivators with this martial art only because their level was too low. I boasted that it was the greatest martial art, but I realized it has nothing to boast about.”

"Hyung-nim..."

This letter's tone reminded me of Young-hoon from my past life.

"But I will continue to run away from the cultivators with my last pride. I'll see if martial arts can really not stand against cultivators, if the martial Record is really only about escaping, or if I can reach beyond that.

From now on, I will keep running away from cultivators, evolving the Record of Transcending Cultivation and Exhausting Martial Arts to its extreme as long as I can practice martial arts. It seems I won't see you for a while.

Cultivators are approaching. If I survive, I'll come to you someday."

That was the last sentence of the letter.

"I, too, will wait for you in the shadows, Hyung-nim."

I left Suak Temple and returned to Gwiyeonggak, the successor to the Palace of Heavenly Demons, now reorganized as an intelligence organization.

Another ten years passed.

I successfully infiltrated Gwiyeonggak into the shadows of Yanguo, controlling the information market throughout Yanguo.

My decades of experience handling information in the Wulin Alliance and knowledge of the future were immensely helpful.

Other intelligence organizations resisted us a bit, but they eventually lost in secret battles.

We were, after all, successors to the Palace of Heavenly Demons.

A group formed from the remnants of a faction designated as martial world’s greatest criminals, with each remnant being a first-rate master.

They were of the level of large faction elders or small faction sect leaders, and abundant in our ranks.

Even if others initiated secret battles, our sheer power overwhelmed them, and we easily swept away other intelligence organizations.

As for peak masters who could challenge us, they had no reason to get involved in such secret battles, preferring to establish their own factions or join large factions as honorary elders or guests.

Eventually, within five years, Gwiyeonggak completely controlled Yanguo's martial world information market, erasing any information linking us to the Palace of Heavenly Demons.

In the next five years, I stabilized Gwiyeonggak and waited patiently for Young-hoon.

Ten years after the annihilation of the Palace.

Gwiyeonggak had firmly established itself as a leading information faction in Yanguo.

At the same time, we deceived the cultivators into believing that the remnants of the Palace of Heavenly Demons were completely eradicated, successfully separating us from the Palace..

As a result, we even became the privileged class in Yanguo, supported by cultivators.

In ten years, a few of the late-stage first-rate warriors had crossed the threshold into peak masters, ensuring we were not lacking in external strength.

Everything was abundant.

Except for one thing.

'My own skills.'

As I remember, I have about ten years left to live.

Shing! Shing!

The sword strokes of the Severing Mountain Swordsmanship sliced through the air.

For ten years, busy with work, I couldn't properly train my martial arts, so my martial arts level was just at the boundary between mid and late first-rate.

'I'm just one step away from reaching the late first-rate.'

But that step wouldn't cross.

I must reach the late first-rate stage within the next ten years and at least grasp the clues to the Pinnacle Realm.

'How long must I remain weak?'

I was nearing seventy, but I still felt considerably weak.

'I aim for at least the Five Energies Converging to the Origin, but I'm still not even late first-rate.'

Why is my talent so meager?

Pondering this while swinging the sword for a while, a familiar voice reached my ears.

"You still have a lot of distractions in your swordplay, Eun-hyun."

"!"

I immediately turned my head.

There he was, sitting there.

"It's been a long time, Hyung-nim."

"Enough with the greetings, just wield your sword again."

Following his instruction, I resumed the stance of the Severing Mountain Swordsmanship.

"That sword technique fits you like a glove. Used properly, it can even lead you to the peak. Show me."

I displayed the moves of the swordsmanship as he said.

Watching, he pointed out corrections, and I diligently followed, improving my form.

This guidance continued until nightfall, and then he disappeared like a ghost.

Rubbing my eyes, I looked around, but he was nowhere to be seen.

The next day, he reappeared, guiding me in martial arts, and I followed his teachings without question.

Seven days and nights later, a breakthrough occurred.

The sword felt fused with my being.

The Severing Mountain Swordsmanship seemed to blend into my soul, becoming a part of me.

Suddenly, it felt like I could perform the technique with a branch or even bare-handed.

Simultaneously, the sword energy naturally covered the sword, becoming much more stable.

It seemed I could maintain the sword energy much longer than before.

"This is... Sword and Body Unity!"

The realm of Sword and Body Unity, a symbol of the late first-rate.

"You've crossed the barrier. Congratulations."

"Hyung-nim, you are truly remarkable."

I genuinely admired him.

A boundary I couldn't cross for years, he helped me cross in just seven nights.

But he clicked his tongue and said,

"I didn't give it to you. You were almost at the boundary, so I just gave you a little push on the back."

"Still, it wasn't easy to overcome that barrier."

"I've done all I can for you. Now that you've crossed the barrier, you must sort it out yourself."

"Of course."

"And... reaching the pinnacle will not be easy. Beyond it lies a completely different world. You must not think in terms of ordinary martial arts regarding the Pinnacle Realm."

"I have heard that all my life."

"No matter how much you listen, it won't be enough. I may have crossed the pinnacle's barrier as if it was a joke, but for someone with your lack of talent, it will take thousands, tens of thousands of times more effort just to reach that barrier."

"I will keep that in mind."

"Right."

Young-hoon Hyung-nim then took out a book from his robe.

The title of the book was "Record of Gazing Cultivation and Exceeding Martial Arts" (眺修越武錄).

"I've supplemented some lacking parts of the Record of Transcending Cultivation and Exhausting Martial Arts, developed a few techniques further, and added a few more."

He said 'a few', but the book was significantly thicker than the one I had received in my previous life.

It seemed almost three times thicker.

"But still, even after gazing at cultivators, beyond ordinary martial arts, it's just a record of no significance. I never managed to surpass cultivators."

"..."

"I managed to somehow evade the early Qi Building cultivators, and finally succeeded in cutting down a late stage Qi Building cultivator. But the Core Formation cultivators... They are like natural disasters. From the Core Formation onwards, they are akin to natural phenomena in human form..."

"..."

"I managed to cut off one wrist of a Core Formation cultivator. But that was it, the wrist grew back as soon as the cultivator chanted a few spells, and I was on the verge of life-and-death several times."

He looked up at the sky with a bitter expression.

I couldn't hide my own bitter feelings.

He rose to the top of the world faster than in my previous life.

Even after mastering the Record of Transcending Cultivation and Exhausting Martial Arts, his previous cycle's legacy.

It was the same result as I had heard in my past life.

"Probably the creator of the Record of Transcending Cultivation and Exhausting Martial Arts felt the same as I did. That this is '[the end]'. That martial artists cannot go beyond this... He must have felt that..."

He brushed his face with a look of devastation.

"I... I was highly regarded by the Core Formation cultivator who subdued me. I was admitted to his cultivation clan. I was the best in the martial world, but in the clan, I would be the junior. Haha... Since entering the cultivation clan means cutting ties with the secular world, I came to see you one last time."

"Then, if that's '[the end]', why did you give this to me?"

I looked at the Record of Gazing Cultivation and Exceeding Martial Arts with a gloomy expression and asked.

"After all, even if you master it, you can't reach cultivators."

"Haha, that's true. But..."

He spoke with a sorrowful expression.

"For the future generation, to at least secure their minimum rights in front of cultivators. This martial art is left for that purpose. I don't even consider it a lifeline. It's just the minimum 'power' for beings like us, mere mortals, to be recognized as entities by cultivators."

He smiled sorrowfully and continued.

"There are many more cruel and brutal cultivators than you think. This martial art provides a brief moment of respite in front of such people... It's that kind of martial art."

Swoosh...

Suddenly, he disappeared completely from my sight.

As if he had become a phantom, I was astonished.

"This is..."

"One of the miscellaneous techniques created while developing Record of Gazing Cultivation and Exceeding Martial Arts. This Record, like the Record of Transcending Cultivation and Exhausting Martial Arts, requires the martial artist to reach the level of Three Flowers Gather at the Summit. Take it to a martial artist who has reached that level, and they will recognize its value. I also left another gift for you, so continue to diligently strive and reach the pinnacle."

Whoosh...

After leaving these words, Young-hoon Hyung-nim never appeared in front of me again.

Young-hoon Hyung-nim left something else for me.

On the wall of my training ground.

There, sword marks were engraved, forming a martial arts technique.

"This is..."

It was the Severing Mountain Swordsmanship.

But... tailored to my level, having reached the late first-rate, it was once again revised.

The original swordsmanship which consisted of 12 moves, had 12 more added, making a total of 24 forms.

Fortunately, the added moves were connected to the original Severing Mountain Swordsmanship, so it wasn't difficult to learn.

Perhaps because I had reached the state of 'Sword and Body Unity,' the proficiency of the swordsmanship seemed to increase very quickly.

"Thank you, Hyung-nim."

As I learned the revised swordsmanship, I quietly thanked Young-hoon Hyung-nim.

My life slowly drained away.

But I wielded my sword relentlessly, even with an aging body.

From the late first-rate, striving to break through to the Pinnacle Realm.

I memorized the techniques of the Record of Gazing Cultivation and Exceeding Martial Arts, transcribed them, and secretly distributed them to major factions around Yanguo.

I hoped that the peak masters who got the record would slightly improve their realm and gain strength to oppose cultivators.

My body was gradually losing vitality.

It no longer obeyed me as before.

But I gritted my teeth and swung my sword.

I can't be weak anymore.

I mustn't be weak.

Repeating life doesn't mean there's no meaning in a repeated life.

That's why I lived this life to the fullest.

And for the life I may live again...

I mustn't feel powerless in that lifetime.

I cannot be weak!

Years flew by quickly.

On the day I died, I was still wielding my sword.

Thus, I concluded my tenacious life with swordsmanship.

That was my third return.

So phonetically, the names of the records are Wol-su-gung-mu-rok and Jo-su-wol-mu-rok respectively.

However, to better show the difference between the two records I used different words that have similar meanings and fit the context, 'Transcending' and 'Exceeding.'