First, the Sword Empress went straight to the bank and withdrew tens of millions of alke. After that, she went to the Patron Merchant Guild and threw all that money down.
And a week later. The Maiden Palace perfectly regained its former appearance.
If money is insufficient, just pour in more money. She is the Sword Empress—one of the Imperial Twelve Palaces, renowned as a heroic knight, who had 'quite' faithfully carried out the imperial commands. When she, who had barely even spent the money she received, unleashed her hoarded funds, the Maiden Palace was swept away by a flood of money.
If a flood of water turns everything into chaos, a flood of money is its exact opposite. Every time people who had tasted money swept through, the Maiden Palace sparkled and grew more splendid.
Precious spiritual elixirs. Training equipment. Servants with guaranteed status and capability. Qi Gong manuals. Magical artifacts.
The Sword Empress invested an amount that was quite excessive for merely raising a single disciple, without sparing anything.
Shei recalled when she had become the Saintess. At that time too, Shei had received the Holy Imperial Court's full support. Grasping the Cheonaeng in her hand, drinking spiritual elixirs like water, she had wielded tremendous power. It was power and authority that felt omnipotent, but Shei had found it that much burdensome.
However, the support the Sword Empress was providing now was different. Unlimited, but having nothing to do with world peace or realizing justice. It was solely for Shei alone.
Burden? But the Sword Empress expects nothing from Shei. She demands nothing. She simply teaches.
"The Heaven Reversal Scripture is a Qi Gong that reaches the Origin (本) and overturns (反) the Heavenly Form (天形)."
With the sound of the Maiden Palace being repaired as a backdrop, the Sword Empress expounded on the meaning of the Heaven Reversal Scripture to Shei.
"Birds build nests and moles dig burrows. Cats land softly and dogs love humans. This is the Heavenly Form. The primal instinct engraved even before birth. Without anyone teaching, without even learning, they came forth having obtained the ability (能) to do so."
This is the initiatory rite that reveals where Qi Gong began, where it has reached, and where it must proceed. It means entrusting the intent (意) of this Qi Gong to Shei.
It was truly the Sword Empress's will to take Shei as her disciple.
"However, humans lack in Heavenly Form. No, they possess power excessive compared to their Heavenly Form. Martial arts, swordsmanship, staff arts, blade arts, even the Demonic Path (魔道) and Sincerity (誠信). Humans cannot be governed by Heavenly Form. They merely learn and practice to build martial gates. Compared to Heavenly Form, it is a trivial and crude skill."
Shei concentrated. She didn't really understand what it meant, but she tried her best to understand. If she couldn't understand, she planned to memorize entire sentences. She seemed to have failed. The mnemonic formulas of the Heaven Reversal Scripture expounded over several hours couldn't possibly be this short.
"However, even the Heavenly Form would not have been given from the beginning. Countless attempts and failures, innumerable deaths and inheritances, and finally they would have melted into the Heavenly Form they reached. If the world is truly as harsh as the cries of Darwinists, if it was obtained by discarding the eliminated among billions of lives born alongside, if the Heavenly Form was thus engraved. This too would be tempering (鍛鍊) obtained through endless forging."
However, there is no need to understand. That is not a condition of the Heaven Reversal Scripture.
Listen, swallow, melt, and contain it between bones and tissues. The Heaven Reversal Scripture is that kind of Qi Gong.
"Then, through endless tempering, what reason would there be that one cannot change the Heavenly Form?"
Billions of suffering. Death. Elimination. The alteration of Heavenly Form obtainable at the end of that.
Shei, who had been desperately trying to understand, suddenly thought the Heaven Reversal suited her.
For Shei, who dies, dies, and dies again yet revives, only to go die once more, would be the most fitting to achieve that meaning.
A week passed while informing the meaning of the Heaven Reversal Scripture, reciting the mnemonic formulas, feeding spiritual elixirs, and unifying qi. Shei felt that time was passing too quickly. Each day was fulfilling, yet time slipped through her fingers easily like grains of sand.
Just as she was growing anxious with a sense of regret, the Sword Empress, having finished the Qi Gong instruction, stood Shei up and spoke kindly.
"Disciple."
"Yes, Master."
"Receive."
"Excuse me?"
Right after the words ended, the Sword Empress's fist flew in. Shei only realized that fact after collapsing to the ground.
The Sword Empress beat Shei thoroughly every day. It contained exactly as much pain and shock as Shei could endure. Shei struggled to take or block the hits without being able to faint or collapse.
Time flowed slowly again. The moment she let her guard down even briefly, a fist flew before her eyes. Her body, recalling the pain, reflexively dodged that fist.
It was an attack like forging nerves. Fists that merely hurt flashed threateningly before her eyes. Shei couldn't let her guard down for even a moment. While drawing water, while cleaning, while training Qi Gong, the Sword Empress thrust her fist without any warning.
The Sword Empress literally tempered Shei.
Thus three years passed.
"Master..."
"Yeah."
"...I'm sorry."
Shei had failed to master the Heaven Reversal Scripture.
The reason was always the same reason. It was because Shei's talent was insufficient. The Heaven Reversal Scripture is the extreme of Geon and Gam Qi Gong. Only when qi is embodied in the body can fast and reflexive movements be possible.
However, Shei was a dull talent who couldn't even perfectly achieve the Geon-Kun Way. Strengthening the body with Gam Qi Gong was already overwhelming. She reacted but her body wouldn't move as intended, so she couldn't even follow the basics of the Heaven Reversal Scripture.
The first disciple she had taken, even while wasting three years, couldn't even grasp Gam Qi Gong. Feeling that this insufficient disciple was herself, Shei felt despair.
This was an emotion she hadn't experienced when she was the Saintess. At that time, Shei had rather been disappointed in the world, and only felt obligatory guilt toward those who had believed in her. But now, Shei couldn't bear resenting herself.
Looking at the thoroughly dejected Shei, the Sword Empress wore a gentle smile and stroked Shei's head.
"You are walking the path."
The Sword Empress, who even controlled her emotions with the Heaven Reversal Scripture, didn't show emotions well on her face. Such a Sword Empress's lips curled up slightly and softly. Shei felt the heavy despair sunk in her heart melting away.
"That's enough. If you keep walking, you'll reach it someday. To a place I too haven't seen, haven't reached."
"I can't even keep up with your footsteps, Master."
"I didn't teach you hoping you'd become like me. I taught you because you have the intent. If you've obtained the meaning of the Heaven Reversal Scripture, you'll arrive somewhere someday."
"Can I, who hasn't even grasped the feel of it yet, arrive somewhere?"
"I don't know. That's why it's more fun."
Shei now knew. The Sword Empress's expressionlessness was simply because she was governing herself with the Heaven Reversal Scripture, and within her heart overflowed endless consideration and love. The reason she hadn't taken disciples until now was merely because her devoted heart was too heavy to easily begin.
That Shei had the minimum talent to learn the Heaven Reversal Scripture was truly fortunate. Whether that was the Sword Empress's fortune, she didn't know....
Shei suddenly thought of something curious and asked.
"By any chance, can you teach the Saintess too?"
"To the extent of Geon-Gam Qi Gong, yes."
"Not that. The Heaven Reversal Scripture."
"The Saintess doesn't need it. Because she has prescience."
The essence of the Heaven Reversal Scripture is a Qi Gong that engraves reactions and movements into the Heavenly Form, counterattacking the moment it senses the opponent's attack. For the Saintess who possesses the power of prescience, such things were unnecessary.
"What if the Saintess demands to be taught by you?"
"I can't teach her."
"Even if it's the Saintess's request?"
"Because she's the Saintess."
The Sword Empress spoke as if it were obvious.
"I can't hit the Saintess."
***
Shei resolved even more not to act as the Saintess, but that didn't mean turning her back on the world. To prevent destruction, it was necessary to stop the disasters that led the world to destruction.
One of them. The moment Shei heard the news that Jiseon was invading, she decided to move. Shei first went to the Sword Empress and reported that fact.
"Master. Something to do has come up."
"I'm going too."
"Excuse me? But..."
"My disciple's grudge is my grudge."
The Sword Empress left the Maiden Palace behind and set out following Shei. Shei desperately held back her nose from tingling.
For some reason, Jiseon's offensive was much larger than in the previous cycle. Jiseon gathered the scattered Earth Mother followers and marched all the way to the Holy Imperial Court, and the vassal states dared not stop that massive religious group. Even the Empire, which called itself the guardian of the Holy Imperial Court,
—Politics and religion must be separated.
declared that it would not intervene in this incident. The Holy Imperial Court was placed in a position where it had to block Jiseon with only the power it possessed.
Since this had also happened in the previous cycle, Shei considered it no big deal, but the Sword Empress offered a different opinion.
"His Majesty is trying to tame the Holy Imperial Court."
"Excuse me? Tame?"
"The Empire called itself the guardian of the Holy Imperial Court. But now the guardian is refusing to guard."
The Empire is the most prosperous nation on the continent. Having repeated development and prosperity for over a thousand years, the Empire was truly the hegemon of the continent in name and reality.
However, as historians assessed, the reason the Empire could be this prosperous was all thanks to the Holy Imperial Court.
After allying with the Holy Imperial Court during the era of the old Victorious King, the Empire, having obtained 'destiny' in its hands, advanced triumphantly. Even though several crises came, thanks to the Saintesses who saw the future warning in time, it had established the most accurate and appropriate countermeasures to protect the nation.
More population survived, more wealth accumulated, more influence was generated. People beget people, money makes money, and having become famous, they became even more famous.
Belatedly, other countries also established the Heavenly God Church as their state religion and believed in the Holy Imperial Court, but the gap had already widened. The Empire, embracing the sanctuary called the Holy Imperial Court within its territory, repeated its prosperity. Holy wars broke out several times, but the Empire overcame all those attempts and became the guardian of the Holy Imperial Court.
The Empire was the Holy Imperial Court, and the Holy Imperial Court was the Empire. Politics and religion became one and led the order of the continent....
"But, the current Emperor dislikes being interfered with. Yeah. He won't abandon it, but he'll try to tame it."
Shei recalled the previous cycle. Something similar seemed to have happened then too. When Shei had directly gone to the Imperial Twelve Palaces and demanded teachings, the Empire expressed deep regret, saying she had violated the autonomy of the Imperial Twelve Palaces.
At that time, people around had been making noise about this and that, but Shei, for whom this level of hindrance was everyday routine, had passed it off as no big deal. Thinking about it now, she seemed to understand why it had been noisy.
"If it's a conflict between religions, the Empire has a justification not to intervene. It would be a good opportunity for His Majesty."
The master was deeper in thought than expected. Feeling a strange regret, Shei headed toward the Holy Imperial Court.
Jiseon revealed the truth of the Grand Master and gathered the Earth Mother followers by misleading them. Having thus declared the revival of the Earth Mother Church, Jiseon advanced straight toward the Holy Imperial Court.
The vassal states let them pass without restraining them, saying it was a religious matter. Although the Empire had provided the justification, the bigger reason would be that they didn't want to fight Jiseon wielding the Jizan.
And though Shei hadn't known until now, the wounds Jiseon had left in her wake were larger than expected.
The Holy Imperial Court's authority begins from being flawless and lofty. But the story of the Grand Master sacrificed in the well-known tale of the Victorious King and the Hegemon King was moving and sad, striking a chord in many people's hearts. That emotion immediately changed into doubts toward the Holy Imperial Court.
Perhaps the Holy Imperial Court had monopolized wealth and power using the power of prescience.
Of course, that was only a minority, and the majority of humans raged calling it blasphemy. The Holy Imperial Court had served humanity for a long time until now, and wisely overcame disasters that struck the world. Those achievements do not disappear, and the faith deeply rooted in their hearts was firm.
Nevertheless, cracks forming was unavoidable.
Amidst a bit of watching, expectation, and interest, just before Jiseon reached the Holy Imperial Court. Shei barely arrived a little earlier. Just as Shei, having set foot in Rakion, was about to head to the confessional, a faint cluster of light appeared before her.
The Heavenly Saintess, Meiel.
She, who had remained asleep and not awakened in the previous cycle, recognized Shei first this time.
[Shei. You've finally come.]
"Uh... How do you... know me?"
[I saw you in my prescience. It was a very faint and distant prescience, but you alone, Shei, were grasping destiny there. Seeing that you would eventually reach here, I kept waiting. Though you arrived much later than the prescience.]
"Ah, I had things to do."
[I'm not blaming you. That too would be fate. Obtaining the fateful encounter of the Maiden Palace Lord was your fate, Shei. Being delayed a bit to obtain that...]
The Sword Empress pointed at Meiel who had appeared without a sign and asked.
"Someone you know?"
"Ah, yes, that..."
"The Saintess, someone you know...?"
"Yes. The Heavenly Saintess, Meiel."
The Sword Empress whose expression never changed, but that time was different. Shei saw the Sword Empress's horrified expression for the first time in that cycle.