Two months had passed since the spar with Father.
In that time, I reached the eleventh star of the Soaring Sky Sword Art. It was through the enlightenment gained from the spar with Father and One-Stroke Sword Sovereign that I ascended to the next level.
Now only one step remained.
The final step, like those before it, would require some kind of trigger.
It might come from another spar, or a real battle; perhaps while viewing flowers with One-Stroke Sword Sovereign, or reading a poetry collection beside Blood Heaven Blade Demon, or maybe taking a moonlit walk with Ian. That was the realm of the twelfth star’s completion—utterly unpredictable.
Leaving the completion of the Soaring Sky Sword Art to another twist of fate, I devoted myself to training in the Spacetime Exchange Art.
When practicing martial arts, there are moments when you feel it—a tingling sensation stimulating your entire body, the art itself whispering, “Just a little more.” That is the moment you grow to the next level.
That stimulation came constantly with the Spacetime Exchange Art.
Over ten days ago, I had reduced the time needed to unfold space to slowly counting to about one hundred. After that, as if the restrictions had been lifted, the time decreased every time I performed the Spacetime Exchange Art.
If there is compatibility between a martial artist and a martial art, then this Spacetime Exchange Art suited me all too well.
Perhaps it was because this art itself valued enlightenment and talent more than training duration. And in those two aspects, I had ascended to nearly the highest realm.
The more I trained, the more the time continued to decrease.
From one hundred to ninety-nine, ninety-eight, ninety-seven…….
I didn’t stop, pushing all the way to the end. I created space like a madman, as if riding a galloping carriage. At this rate, I thought, if I took a wrong turn, the carriage might fall off a cliff, but I continued to refine it without rest.
Training and training again.
And finally, the carriage arrived at its last station. The horse did not collapse, and I did not fall from the carriage either.
Snap!
The moment I flicked my fingers, my surroundings changed.
At the same time, a cheer burst from my lips.
“I did it!”
I could now perform the Spacetime Exchange Art instantly. It unfolded so naturally, as if it had been my martial art all along.
Right now, I was standing on a white sandy beach with an endlessly stretching blue sea. The sky was blue, and the sun was hot. On the beach stood a broad-leaved tree, and beneath its shade sat a chair that looked comfortable even at a glance. In the distance, seagulls were flying.
This was the space of my dreams, belonging only to me.
It was perfect.
Just as the time to create it had decreased, the internal energy required to maintain this place had also lessened.
I leaned back comfortably in the chair for a moment, then took off my clothes and ran into the sea.
After swimming for a while, I lay back and looked at the sky. Watching the drifting clouds, my mind was incredibly at peace.
It was a perfect time belonging only to me, undisturbed by anyone. I was happy.
Then, suddenly, a thought occurred to me.
What if I could make time pass more slowly here than outside? Then what if I could train in martial arts here? Even if I couldn’t stop time completely, what if I could slow it down by even half?
It was a dream-like thought, but from the beginning, wasn’t creating a space like this itself a dream-like feat?
I thought that when the Wind Sky Cult Leader returned, I should discuss this with him. Though he would probably say it was nonsense, of course.
I had been lying on the beach enjoying my freedom for quite some time when I sensed someone arriving outside the Spacetime Exchange Art.
When I had entered spaces created by the Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord or the Wind Sky Cult Leader, I couldn’t sense the outside situation at all; but since I was creating the space myself, I could perceive what was happening outside.
I immediately dispelled the Spacetime Exchange Art and revealed myself.
“Young Master, are you there?”
The one calling for me at the door was Jang Ho.
“I’m here.”
When I appeared suddenly from behind him, Jang Ho started and turned around.
“Young Master? Where were you?”
On a beach with surging blue waves.
I forced myself to swallow the urge to answer like that.
“I was briefly training in a concealment art. But what brings you here?”
“A message has come from the Iron Workshop. They have finished crafting the item you entrusted to them, made from ten-thousand-year cold iron.”
“Then I must trouble you. Go fetch the item, and gather everyone who was here that day.”
“Understood.”
* * *
Seven people stood in a circle, looking down at the objects placed on the table.
Including me, the other six were Ian, Seo Dae-ryong, Jang Ho, Blood Heaven Blade Demon and One-Stroke Sword Sovereign, and Go Wol.
Among the items on the table, I first picked up the fan and handed it to Go Wol.
“This is the fan you requested. I examined it, and it was well made.”
“Thank you so very much.”
“The materials are valuable, but what makes it more precious is that it was crafted by the finest artisan of our cult.”
“I truly didn’t think you would have it made for me.”
I had also made daggers in the number of people gathered that day, so I gave him a dagger as well. Upon receiving both the fan and the dagger, Go Wol looked apologetic.
“I am receiving two things.”
“These are daggers that wouldn’t have existed in the first place if not for you. Consider them a gift from you to everyone.”
“That’s not true. It was you, Young Master, for whom the Wind Sky Cult Leader removed those shackles. Thank you. I will never forget this tremendous gift.”
It was indeed a great gift.
Ten-thousand-year cold iron daggers were incomparably sharp and absolutely unbreakable, making them truly priceless. If they could be sold at proper value, the money would be enough for several large families to live on without working.
But the gifts for him did not end there.
I untied the supreme-grade heavenly silkworm thread from the hilt of the Black Demon Sword. I cut just enough to fill the fan and handed it to Go Wol.
“This is supreme-grade heavenly silkworm thread. If you attach this to the fan, it will become an excellent weapon.”
Go Wol’s pupils trembled with emotion. These three gifts were truly things one couldn’t receive in a lifetime.
“I will repay this grace with my life if necessary.”
“There is no need. I give this because I believe it holds that much value for me now, not as collateral for future loyalty or your life.”
I said this to Go Wol, but at the same time, it was also a message to the others.
I distributed the remaining daggers to everyone.
“Thank you for standing by my side.”
“Thank you.”
“I will use it well.”
“Thank you.”
Everyone received the daggers gladly.
Seo Dae-ryong looked down at his dagger and spoke worriedly.
“I’m afraid I might lose it.”
“Train harder in martial arts. The stronger you become, the less likely you are to lose it. When training is difficult, look at that dagger.”
“Yes.”
At my words, Seo Dae-ryong nodded vigorously. These daggers would come to hold various meanings for each of them.
Then Blood Heaven Blade Demon needlessly picked a fight with Go Wol.
“If that frail scholar has one, what are you worried about?”
Just then, someone entered the room and spoke.
“Rather than me, isn’t your own disciple more frail?”
The one who entered was none other than the Wind Sky Cult Leader.
I asked him with a surprised expression.
“Have you returned already?”
He had come back earlier than I thought. I had assumed it would take at least six months.
“I am an impatient man by nature.”
As he spoke, he glanced at Go Wol. At the appearance of his staunch supporter, Go Wol smiled.
“You seem to have starved wherever you went. Returning precisely on the fateful day to receive a dagger? Give me my dagger.”
The Wind Sky Cult Leader examined the dagger.
“It really is well made. This could be considered a divine weapon. Thank you for getting one for me as well.”
“You are too kind. In the first place, we could make them because you graciously removed the shackles, Cult Leader.”
I welcomed his return with pleasant words. He had returned on a fateful day, as he said. But that fate was not the day to receive a dagger.
Someone opened the door and entered.
The visitor was tall, with features that anyone would call handsome. Dressed in a white ceremonial robe embroidered with splendid yet refined patterns, he was my elder brother, the First Young Master, Geom Mu-yang.
Everyone’s attention focused on him. Three people followed behind Geom Mu-yang.
The first to enter was Ma Bul, and after him came an old man and a young man together.
Geom Mu-yang, spotting me among the crowd, spread his arms wide and strode over briskly.
“Little brother, have you been well?”
That’s right. This was how my brother was. A man who was brimming with confidence and keenly aware of his own superiority.
His tendency to consider himself clever often became a problem, but he also had the knack of making his arrogance appear as confidence to those on his side.
“I’ve been well. It’s been a while, Brother.”
I embraced my brother tightly. Not with pretense, but with genuine feeling. I could sense him slightly flustered by my reaction. He wouldn’t know what I was thinking right now.
‘Brother, I’ll make sure I don’t embrace your corpse and regret it. I’ll make sure you don’t walk Father’s path.’
I know. Go Wol said the outcome depends on my brother, but that’s not true. This matter depends on my effort.
‘So I’ll work hard. Not for my brother, but for myself.’
Perhaps because I felt quite different from when I left the cult, a strange light flickered in Geom Mu-yang’s eyes.
“I heard you made quite a name for yourself while I was away?”
“A fox reigns as king in a valley without a tiger.”
“How can a younger brother be a fox when his elder brother is a tiger? You need not act humble before me.”
At a glance, he truly looked like an affectionate elder brother who cherished his younger sibling.
But in my past life, my brother had tormented me relentlessly. At the time, I hadn’t realized it was torment.
Ever since I was very young, Brother had tried to instill negative impressions of martial arts and power.
Stories of martial artists killing each other in battle, stories of going mad after falling into demonic cultivation, stories of demon lords betraying the Heavenly Demon.
Most of the stories he told me were cruel and negative. If I ever tried to open the Conception and Governing Vessels, he would shake my heart with tales of my blood vessels bursting and dying.
I overcame it with innate resilience, but it had undoubtedly affected me negatively, knowingly or unknowingly.
I can’t fault using all means and methods in a succession struggle, but you shouldn’t do that to a younger brother of seven or eight years old, Brother.
Then Ma Bul interjected.
“Second Young Master. Now that the First Young Master has returned, you must help your elder brother greatly. Who is there in this harsh martial world to look after one another? Humans betray as easily as they eat, so there is no one to trust.”
As he spoke, Ma Bul looked at Blood Heaven Blade Demon. He had aimed those words at him from the start, openly criticizing Blood Heaven Blade Demon, who had supported Geom Mu-yang before turning to me.
Blood Heaven Blade Demon, feeling guilty toward the First Young Master, merely snorted.
Unlike the provocative Ma Bul, Geom Mu-yang was courteous to Blood Heaven Blade Demon.
“Have you been well, Elder?”
“I’ve been well, thanks to you. Are you on your way back now?”
“Yes. I have just arrived.”
“Have you seen the Cult Leader?”
“Father had already retired to his quarters, so I was unable to see him. I suppose I must pay my respects tomorrow morning.”
“The Cult Leader will be pleased.”
After exchanging greetings, Geom Mu-yang spoke nonchalantly.
“I heard you have been helping my younger brother a great deal recently, Elder.”
“Old men are notoriously fickle by nature. You must understand.”
“Not at all. My brother’s affairs are my affairs, and the cult’s affairs. As his elder brother, I thank you.”
“Thank you for understanding it that way.”
This time, Geom Mu-yang spoke to One-Stroke Sword Sovereign.
“You are still as beautiful as ever.”
“As expected of brothers, our First Young Master is also quite the ladies’ man.”
Geom Mu-yang took something from the sleeve of his robe and handed it to One-Stroke Sword Sovereign.
“It is a cosmetic I obtained with difficulty from outside the realm. It is said to be far superior to what the women of the Central Plains use, so please try it.”
“Thank you, First Young Master.”
As if he would have brought a gift only for One-Stroke Sword Sovereign? He would have bought plenty to suit the tastes of the other demon lords as well.
Even in this brief greeting, I could clearly see why my brother had been surpassing me around this time. Back then, I hadn’t known my brother was taking such meticulous care of the demon lords. I must have only been looking at myself. I must have lived only seeing my own greed.
“Lord Jang, though belated, congratulations on becoming a lord.”
“Thank you, First Young Master.”
That was the end of the greetings. He did not exchange greetings with Ian and Seo Dae-ryong. My brother was a thorough authoritarian. His philosophy was that if he secured his superiors, the subordinates would naturally follow.
After Geom Mu-yang finished greeting the two demon lords, Ma Bul stepped forward this time.
When he saw the Wind Sky Cult Leader, he immediately picked a fight.
“Did someone smear honey on the cult’s pillar? Why do you keep lingering around?”
Of course, the Wind Sky Cult Leader was no pushover either.
“Because someone took a shit and didn’t clean up. A small, cute golden shit, that is.”
Ma Bul’s expression instantly stiffened. The two glared at each other as if they wanted to kill. As if to show that while closeness between people takes ages, estrangement takes but a moment, the two who had been closest were now so divided.
As the two formed a taut tension, Geom Mu-yang signaled with his eyes to the two people behind him.
Then the old man and young man who had entered with Ma Bul came forward to greet.
A cold smile formed at the corners of my lips. The moment these two entered was what I had been waiting for the most. In fact, I had waited decades for this moment.