Chapter 78 - Fate (3)

"Are you saying that the realm differs for each individual?"

I ask, struggling to understand.

Kim Young-hoon, wiping his blood, begins to explain.

"More precisely, while materializing consciousness is the same, 'what' materializes differs for each person."

He pauses, seemingly in thought, then continues.

"Honestly, I've only grasped a clue, so I'm not entirely sure. But one thing's certain: the Beyond the Path to Heaven Martial Arts continuously speaks about someone's life. I don't know who that someone is, but since the realm beyond is achieved due to someone’s life experiences and since every human life is different, wouldn't there be a unique martial art for each life beyond this realm?"

"A different martial art for each life..."

That idea somehow tickles a corner of my heart.

"... But you mentioned two realizations, right? If one is that the realm beyond Ultimate Pinnacle differs for each person, what's the other?"

"Oh, the other is just a personal realization."

Kim Young-hoon says with a faint smile.

"I realized that I truly long for home. All this time, my motivation for practicing martial arts was the hope that I might one day return home to see my family."

He caresses his chest and closes his eyes.

"The faces I long to see as soon as possible... I realize only now that I've been madly practicing martial arts to forget that pain, gripping the saber until my hands tore, to achieve that goal."

Kim Young-hoon looks up at the sky with a distant gaze.

"... Hmm, I apologize. This doesn't quite seem like a martial art realization."

"No, it’s not that."

I shake my head in disagreement and explain why it can still be a martial art realization.

I explain what I felt when I reached the state of Five Energies Converging to the Origin.

"Everything I've done is part of my life. Just as heaven, earth, and man influence each other, what I've done has also been influenced by my life.

If you've realized something about your life, then it will surely blend into your martial arts, Kim hyung."

"Sometimes talking to you feels like speaking with a wise old man. Though I'm surely better in martial arts, you have something I don't..."

He looks at me with a perplexed expression.

"Maybe you, too, will reach beyond this realm as quickly as I do."

"Haha, that's unlikely. How can I match your talent, Kim Hyung?"

"Weren't you fast in reaching the extreme of Ultimate Pinnacle? That's enough talent. Of course, not as much as mine... But anyway. When I, with my superior talent, observe you, I think that if I'm a bird born to fly quickly into the sky, you are a volcano."

A volcano?

"Do you know how a volcano erupts? Well, I'm not too sure, I've just heard about it. Lava keeps rising beneath a volcano, accumulating until it can't withstand the pressure anymore, and then it explodes.

If I’m a bird naturally flying swiftly up high, you are a high mountain, and moreover, a mountain filled with lava, ready to explode with a force much more powerful than any bird when it does."

He encourages me with a smile.

"Reflect well on your life. Perhaps things you've overlooked have accumulated, creating potential you're unaware of."

'Unknowingly accumulated things.'

All I've built is merely time.

"... Anyway, let's not stay here. Let's treat you properly, Kim Hyung."

I take Kim Young-hoon for proper treatment.

And then, I start to ponder more about the topic Kim Young-hoon brought up.

Time flows on.

Before I knew it, I had fully mastered the Earth, Water, Fire, and Metal Surpassing Paths, and the Wood Surpassing Path had also taken root based on my accumulated foundation.

'The Wood Surpassing Path is the easiest...'

Perhaps it's because the other Five Elements' power properly supports it.

The Wood Surpassing Path gathers spiritual power so easily and quickly, thanks to the mutual support of the Five Elements.

It’s smooth sailing.

Now, the Wood Surpassing Path is at the level of Qi Refining 13th Star. Unified Origin.

Just a little more, and it will be complete.

I am about to fully master the Five Surpassing Paths to Cultivation.

'Of course, it's uncertain if I can enter Qi Building.'

Despite all this effort, I might not reach Qi Building in this life.

'Kim Hyung said I have potential...'

But I am a slow learner.

Perhaps even more so than he imagines.

If I can't extend my lifespan by entering Qi Building this life, reaching beyond Ultimate Pinnacle might remain a dream.

It's been almost 5 years since Kim Young-hoon grasped the clue to the Beyond the Path to Heaven Martial Arts.

He dived daily into the Beyond the Path to Heaven Martial Arts to the point of bleeding from his hands, knocking at the gates beyond Ultimate Pinnacle.

But for me, it’s entirely different.

Even while practicing cultivation methods, I never ceased to train in martial arts whenever I had a moment.

I never slackened for a single moment, never letting go of the sword from my hand.

Even after reaching Ultimate Pinnacle, where a sword becomes unnecessary, I always maintained a sharp spirit, never forgetting the feel of practicing swordsmanship.

For the past 40 years, I wasn’t just focused solely on cultivation methods.

Not just in this life, but in the previous ones too...

Suddenly, I begin to confuse how many lives I have lived.

"Is this the ninth? Tenth? Ah, I've undergone nine returns."

During these returns, how many years did I live?

"No, don't think about it."

How many years did I practice martial arts, and how many years did I cultivate?

"It's the early signs of a heart demon. Don't think more!"

In each of the nine returns, I nearly lived close to 50 years in each life.

Even considering the lives where I died earlier, when I add up all the lives I've lived so far...

"No!"

Around 500 years.

Roughly, a life span of 500 years.

"Ugh, huff..."

Wolkwak!

Blood spills as energy and blood twists.

-Even after 500 years of practicing martial arts, I still can't grasp beyond this point.

Gang Qi uncontrollably escapes from my body, splitting into nine pieces.

In the world of intent, nine versions of myself surround me, each uttering gloomy words.

-How about gradually letting go of martial arts now?

-After all, the initial goal of reaching Five Energies Converging to the Origin and breaking through divine consciousness has been achieved.

-Now, I'm at least not so weak to be torn apart by a fox.

-Martial arts are not my talent. Isn't it better to focus on one thing instead of forcing what doesn't work?

It isn't that I have a split personality.

They are all me.

The voices are my own self-talking.

-Honestly, how much of Kim Young-hoon's advice do I even understand?

Wolkwak!

I try to control my emotions, but I vomit blood again.

-Even a genius like Kim Young-hoon, unprecedented for a thousand years before and after, remained at the extreme of Ultimate Pinnacle for several lives.

-I've barely managed to pass on knowledge and enlightenment to get to this point, but that's Kim Young-hoon's story.

-How many more years will it take for someone without talent like me to reach Kim Young-hoon's level? Another 500 years of training?

Ughh Krghhh

I bleed a little more and then heal my internal injuries.

-Let's face it. What have I achieved in these 500 years? Haven't I just wasted time?

Thoughts storm through my mind.

The words being uttered by the Gang Sphere avatars are the immediate, dark thoughts made manifest.

-Why am I practicing martial arts?

Suddenly, such a question echoes in my mind.

"Because I need power."

The moment I hear that question, the storm of scattered thoughts somewhat clear.

"It's simple, isn't it?"

The words of Mad Lord come to mind.

One overcomes fate’s attraction with a power that surpasses it.

"I've just done everything I could. What more do you want from me..."

Within the boundaries of humanity, I've struggled and tried to overcome fate.

That is all.

"I know. Perhaps entering Qi Building in this life is just my vain hope. Even if I enter Qi Building and practice for hundreds of years, I might not even step beyond Ultimate Pinnacle.

I'm no different from dust under this vast sky. But even if I'm just a bug or dust, I cherish each and every life..."

As I speak and sort out my thoughts, the clouds in my mind seem to clear bit by bit.

"Martial arts have become one with my life, I cherish them too."

I raise my head.

The intent avatars that coldly spoke to me disappeared, leaving only the spheres of Gang Qi in front of me.

I disperse the Gang Sphere and clench my fist.

"It doesn't matter how many years it takes. I cherish my life... Even if everything goes back to square one, all I will have left is the memory that I did my best."

My energy and blood stabilize.

I might not have gained a great enlightenment, but I fended off the heart demon.

However, I still feel a slight tightness in my chest.

'I feel like I could have realized something...'

Not realizing it might also be due to my lack of talent.

"I can't help it. I have to pour more time into it."

As my energy and blood settle, the powers I had cultivated over the years begin to stir.

"Still, I've finally reached here after pouring in so much time..."

Kugugugugu!

The wood attribute energy surges, creating a point of spiritual power.

And then, it explodes.

Boom!

A shockwave erupts from my lower dantian, and a cloud of green energy, the color of the wood element rises up.

Yellow, black, red, white, green.

"I've fully mastered the Five Surpassing Paths to Cultivation...!"

Whew...

As I exhale, clouds of five colors swirl around me.

"Should I try to break through to Qi Building?"

I close my eyes with a smile.

The Five Elements are tailing each other, dramatically increasing my recovery rate.

I wonder what will happen if I attempt Qi Building this time...

Kugugugu!

I absorb the clouds of five colors, filling my lower dantian to the brim.

The clouds of five colors spin inside, converging towards the center.

"Here goes!"

Kugugugu!

I, a fool, have climbed up in the most ignorant way, pouring in accumulated time.

No matter how thick the wall of Qi Building might be, can it really stand against all my time?

Boom!

A star of five colors lit up inside me.

But the star of five colors keep vibrating with slight changes stemming from my Five Elements Spiritual Roots, and once again, cracks form in the star.

Crack, snap!

Boom!

Eventually, another explosion occurs, the star shatters, and all the spiritual clouds I have accumulated for the Qi Building attempt dissipate.

The cultivation I had built up to 14th Star of Qi Refining falls back to 12th Star.

"Whew..."

It’s another failure.

But then.

"Whew, whew..."

It was after about twenty breaths.

Kugugugu

Power began to surge back into my lower abdomen.

When I had fully mastered four methods, my recovery rate of spiritual power was already fast enough to restore all my cultivation in half a day.

Now that I have mastered all five elemental methods, the recovery rate of my spiritual power is so fast that the cultivation of 14th Star Qi Refining can be fully recovered in the time it takes for twenty breaths.

"Let's go again."

Kugugugugu!

Having quickly recovered the cloud of five colors, I once again attempted Qi Building.

Koong Koong Koong!

With each explosion of the star, I observe the flow of the Five Elements.

The changes in the Five Elements correspond precisely to the five elemental methods I have mastered.

With each failure, I begin to see clear reasons for the failure.

A life of nothing but failure upon failure upon failure.

The rotten failures are accumulating, and someday will sprout a seed.

Simultaneously, each time I observe the flow of the Five Elements, the power of the Five Surpassing Paths to Cultivation settled inside me seems to gradually find balance.

Among the methods I have learned so far, the Earth Surpassing Path had a little more spiritual power than the others, and there were slight differences in energy according to the order in which they were learned.

Although the difference was so slight it was barely noticeable, these tiny differences are gradually being filled, moving towards perfect balance.

Every time these small gaps are filled, I found that my recovery rate improved slightly, little by little.

From around twenty breaths, to nineteen and a half.

"Go further."

Kooong!

I focused on my lower dantian and continue my training.

"There are about ten more years left."

Within that time, I must break through!

I enter a cave deep in Shattered Heaven Peak and continually challenge Qi Building, adjusting the slight ratio of spiritual power in the Five Surpassing Paths to Cultivation.

Kim Young-hoon, too, did not come to visit, likely caught up in his own intense training and realizations somewhere.

And then, a few months passed.

"Eun-hyun, come out."

"Yes, Kim Hyung. What's... Wow!"

I'm startled by Kim Young-hoon's appearance.

He’s so emaciated that his bones are showing, and dark circles have sunk deep under his eyes, making him look like a living skeleton.

His hands are also covered in scabs, gripping a saber so that the scabs seem to merge with the saber, giving the impression that his hand and the saber are connected.

"For the past 50 or so days, I've survived on the energy of my Inner Core alone, swinging my saber like a madman. And, Eun-hyun..."

A single tear trickles down Kim Young-hoon's gaunt face.

"After 40 years of hard training...finally. Finally, I've reached it."

"......"

Engrossed in my cultivation practice, I have been unaware of Kim Young-hoon's activities.

"From now on, I will begin my ascent. I came to show you."

"Yes."

I stop my cultivation, rise from my place, and follow Kim Young-hoon.

We go to the front of a small peak located at the lower part of Shattered Heaven Peak.

Kim Young-hoon, gaunt and emaciated, lifts his saber.

"Let me explain slowly. About the realm beyond..."

He begins his explanation.

"The key to reaching the stage beyond lies in finding the form of consciousness that best suits humans.

The founder of Beyond the Path to Heaven Martial Arts tried to transform human consciousness into the same form as humans, like the demon beast methods, but abandoned it feeling it wasn't the way of martial arts.

However, he pondered why demon beasts transform their consciousness into the same form as their species, referencing the demon beast methods.

He concluded that it was to amplify their inherent wild nature, responding to the energy and thus strengthening the body to its limits."

As he explains, he slowly and languidly begins to perform the Severing Vein Saber Method.

Gradually, his form of consciousness begins to change, stimulating my upper dantian.

"Why did the founder of Beyond the Path to Heaven Martial Arts conclude that this was not the inherent form of human consciousness? I pondered this repeatedly and then realized something while delving into the profound subjectivity of the Beyond the Path to Heaven Martial Arts."

His slow saber dance movements gradually pick up pace.

"Humans are inherently unique beings. Demon beasts, initially lacking intelligence and gaining it through spiritual awakening, did not need to ponder their lives and thus chose to enhance their wildness.

But we, inherently intelligent, are beings who ponder. If we live lives full of pondering, each person's worries and lives will inevitably differ."

His consciousness begins to be suffused with light.

"Therefore, the most suitable form of consciousness for humans is inevitably linked to what each individual has most profoundly pondered in their life."

It’s a golden light.

Unlike the previous life's Kim Young-hoon, who simply burned his life to leap forward, the Kim Young-hoon who had rightly pondered his goal all his life is showing a much more stable level of achievement.

I feel like I could glimpse the happiest times of his life through that golden consciousness.

Times spent sleeping with his family, eating meals, and leading a normal everyday life.

All those times.

Around Kim Young-hoon, nine versions of himself appear.

Nine Gang Spheres rotate around him.

Gradually, they begin to merge into his consciousness.

"What I most wanted and wished for in my lifelong martial arts training was to cross the sky like a beam of light to return to my family."

Eun-hyun, you said that life melts into martial arts. You were right. The characteristic of my martial arts being swift was imbued with my desire to return to my family even faster..."

'Ah...'

His consciousness materializes and condenses.

I thought his consciousness had merged into his blade as a solid line.

But looking again, his consciousness itself has become the blade.

The form of consciousness that best suits Kim Young-hoon is a golden saber.

The blade of consciousness merges with the saber that Kim Young-hoon is holding.

The final movement of the Severing Vein Saber Method ends.

Observing his every move in a flash, not missing even a moment, I watch everything about him.

In the world of an instant.

In that world, my consciousness communicates with Kim Young-hoon, who holds a blazing golden blade.

[What is the name of that place?]

In the world of an instant, my consciousness and his engage in dialogue.

[What do you think it is?]

[Tell me, please.]

[I pondered and pondered. But it was so clear.]

He smiles slightly.

[This realm, built upon the blood and tears of the founder of Beyond the Path to Heaven Martial Arts. I can’t ignore it I can't even imagine the pain and history it took to pioneer this realm.]

From the Record of Transcending Cultivation and Exhausting Martial Arts to reaching the Beyond the Path to Heaven Martial Arts.

The new history of martial arts, forged in Kim Young-hoon's blood.

[Even though Ultimate Pinnacle was a fictional realm, this surpasses even fiction. Then, it's only right that the first pioneer is qualified to name it. I don't have the qualifications. Therefore, this realm shall follow the will of its founder...]

Just as the saber of golden consciousness and the saber steeped in Kim Young-hoon's blood merge.

The image of Kim Young-hoon from past cycles seems to overlap with the current Kim Young-hoon.

No, the corpses of Kim Young-hoon from all past lives are behind him.

The history of martial arts he created, made from his blood, becomes one with the new realm.

[It shall be called Beyond the Path to Heaven (越道入天).]

The next moment.

In the world of an instant, the saber of light swings at a speed that even my tenfold accelerated thought can not follow, illuminating the four corners of Heaven and Earth with golden brilliance.

"Beyond the Path to Heaven, the Surpassing Radiant Saber!!!"

The beam of radiance cuts through space, splitting the peak before us in half.

The sound of the explosion follows belatedly, and soon after, the explosion roars.

"This is my own path of life I have reached."

Kim Young-hoon, with tears in his eyes, turns to look at me.

"I only now understand that life is joy. To all the predecessors who made me who I am now, to my family, and to life itself, I am grateful."

Amidst the dust clouds created by the collapsing peak, Kim Young-hoon laughs and laughs again.