Chapter 90. A Man’s Resolve Is His Insight.

To sum it up, it was like this.

The Sword Demon had not yet crossed hands with the Alliance Leader.

It seemed that after he fought the Alliance Leader, he would receive the Alliance Leader’s invitation to join the Alliance. As for when that would be, even I could not know.

If I assumed that the Sword Demon trained after crossing hands with the Alliance Leader and then went off in search of another powerful expert, then it would be safe to say that was when news of the Sword Demon was cut off.

If the Sword Demon who beat people down with a wooden sword disappeared, and afterward that bastard disciple of his, the Left Envoy, ran wild, was branded the Lust Demon, and joined the Cult to kill the Cult Leader, then the situation roughly made sense.

In truth, the question-and-answer sparring was over. However, when the Sword Demon told me to ask if there was anything I was curious about, I immediately threw out a question.

“In an unusual martial arts manual this junior obtained, there is a realm called the Thunder Sword Form. What do you think of it, Senior?”

The Sword Demon smiled faintly.

Seeing me ask directly about martial arts without the slightest pretense of modesty seemed both amusing and strange to him.

The Sword Demon replied.

“What does it say about the Thunder Sword Form? There should be an explanation.”

“Sword qi turns into a thunderstorm.”

“……That is all?”

I nodded.

‘So I wasn’t the only one who found it strange.’

It was so brief that even the Sword Demon was slightly taken aback. How on earth could anyone learn the Wuji Sword Art like that?

But the Sword Demon asked me more about what came before and after.

“If Thunder Sword Form is the name of a realm, then what comes before and after it?”

I steadied my breathing for a moment.

I hesitated briefly over whether I should tell him, but this was, after all, the moment I was seeking instruction. Of course, it was right to speak.

“The stages are divided. In order, it said Long Sword Form, Short Sword Form, Ten Thousand Swords Form, Sword-Drawing Form, and then Thunder Sword Form.”

“And after that?”

“Wooden Sword Form, Qi Sword Form, Wuji Form.”

After thinking for a moment, the Sword Demon nodded.

“It is systematic. It names realms that one can reach while studying the sword, and at the same time, it is unusual in that it does not regard sword arts as a collection of complex techniques. Wuji Form should most likely be seen as the most powerful ultimate art of the person who created that sword art. But I have never heard of a sect that divides only the core so simply like this. He seems to have been an expert from an era at least a hundred years in the past.”

“I would think so.”

The Left Envoy, whose forehead had swollen after being struck by the wooden sword, had also returned to sitting quietly on the bench.

Since the Sword Demon was lost in thought, I also crossed my arms and closed my eyes for a moment. The three of us each thought about the question Giseongja had thrown out.

The Sword Demon said.

“I will tell you my opinion.”

I opened my eyes.

The Sword Demon continued.

“This is only my conjecture, so take it merely as reference. There is no need to be bound by the words Thunder Sword Form. This senior likely accumulated internal energy of extreme yang. Naturally, if his sword qi reached its peak and attacked enemies in an explosive form, he would have given it a fitting name. Qi often resembles the forms of nature, so he called it Thunder Sword according to its shape. However, that means you do not necessarily need to use sword qi that looks like a thunderstorm. Do you understand?”

“I understand.”

“Explain the Wooden Sword Form as well.”

I answered at once.

“The realm in which everything from Long Sword Form to Thunder Sword Form can be performed with a wooden sword.”

The Sword Demon wore an admiring expression.

“Ah……. It is as though it is describing my current state. Then is Qi Sword Form handling it in the form of qi, without a wooden sword?”

I nodded toward the sharp-witted man.

The Sword Demon frowned and muttered.

“So the wooden sword is not the end. Is this sword art perhaps the martial art of some former greatest under heaven?”

“I do not know that. They said it was Ouyang Wuji’s sword art, but it is a name I have never heard before.”

The Sword Demon nodded.

“He seems to have been an expert of the righteous path. Later, I will ask the Alliance Leader, and if I obtain any proper information, I will let you know as well.”

Hearing the Sword Demon’s words, I found myself nodding too. The Alliance Leader would probably know. The records of an organization like the Alliance were exceptionally thorough.

I realized that my realm was not blocked by the Thunder Sword Form.

This was merely a matter of internal energy.

Since I was currently drawing on the power of the Heavenly Jade to build my internal energy, it meant that, with the passage of time, I would naturally be able to use the Thunder Sword Form.

Of course, I had never studied the sword deeply, nor had I often handled qi through a sword, so the outward form of that sword qi probably would not resemble a thunderstorm.

The Sword Demon had explained to me that this did not matter.

Then, suddenly, I thought of the plum tree.

‘Unless the sword qi scatters like plum blossoms…….’

Plum blossoms and thunderstorms could not be subjects of comparison to determine superiority. They would merely be characteristics born of a person’s disposition.

In the end, if I interpreted the Thunder Sword Form of the Wuji Sword Art in my own way, it would be something like the Plum Blossom Sword Form. If I combined that again with the Flame Realm of the Golden Turtle Carefree Art, it would become Plum Blossom Fragrance.

However, the power of that sword form would have to be as intense as a bolt of lightning striking down for it to be a meaningful technique.

The conversation was mostly between the Sword Demon and me, but the Left Envoy beside us was also sunk in contemplation. Since he did not use a sword, he was likely reinterpreting his master’s words and mine based on ice arts.

At a truly subtle moment, the Sword Demon brought up these words.

“Junior, my real name lost its meaning long ago, so I no longer use it.”

I wondered what he meant, but he was telling me to reveal my identity. I revealed the identity most important to the Sword Demon.

“I am Hao Gate Master I Jaha.”

“Did you create Hao Gate?”

When I nodded, the Sword Demon spoke to his disciple.

“From now on, do not touch those who belong to Hao Gate, nor insult them with that frivolous tongue of yours. You will end up in conflict with the Gate Master. Be especially careful with women.”

The Left Envoy glanced around and replied.

“Understood.”

The Sword Demon propped his chin on his hand, then issued an order for us to leave in frank terms.

“Because of what the Gate Master said today, I doubt I will be able to sleep all night. I intend to ponder it happily, so my disciple and the Hao Gate Master should give me some time alone.”

The Sword Demon looked at me.

“Gate Master, will we be able to meet again?”

I nodded, then replied.

“Senior and I will likely have much to discuss from now on.”

The Sword Demon, who had maintained a calm expression from beginning to end, lifted the corners of his mouth slightly.

“Let us meet again.”

His manner of speaking was dignified, but he was not the type to concern himself with formalities.

The Sword Demon stood, clasped his hands behind his back, and bid farewell to the Left Envoy as well.

“You must have gained something too, so stay quietly shut up at home today. With the smell of alcohol you give off, that fellow called enlightenment will come all the way to your door, then run away.”

From the look of it, they seemed to be the kind of master and disciple where the master offered teachings in broad strokes, and the Left Envoy came to realization on his own. This method of instruction was possible because the Left Envoy was already an expert.

Since all three of us were blunt men, we parted roughly without any affectionate words.

But as soon as the Left Emissary and I stepped outside, we glared at each other as if it were only natural.

The Left Emissary spoke to me in a low, heavy tone.

“You bumpkin. Count yourself lucky. To think you even received Master’s teachings.”

I retorted to the Left Emissary.

“You little shit, shall we find out who was really lucky?”

Just then, the Sword Demon’s deep voice rang out from inside the house.

“I have something to say, so you little shit, come back in.”

The Left Emissary, who had been stoking the tension, hurried back inside.

“You called, Master.”

Having lost my opponent, I smacked my lips a few times before turning around with no other choice. As I returned to my quarters, I soon erased the little shit from my head and replayed the conversation I had shared with the Sword Demon.

I hadn’t obtained the Ice Arts immediately, but it felt as though I had gained a sword instead.

I hadn’t wielded a sword often in my previous life.

By the Sword Demon’s standards, it was probably true that I had no exceptional martial arts. If another’s criticism stings, it is right to accept it. In fact, if I had to name the martial arts I was most confident in, it would be the techniques I had performed with unbreakable conviction, wielding the unidentified staff passed down to me by Gwangseung. Yet that advantage was likely due to the staff being insanely durable.

The fact that the Sword Demon’s realm appeared slightly higher than mine was also rather unpleasant.

However, since the time since my regression had been extremely short, it was true that my overall martial arts development speed meant I had grown abnormally fast.

Therefore, there was no need to rush or compare myself to others.

Of the established practitioner’s opinions, I deliberately did not ask about martial heroes.

The Sword Demon walked a different path.

Perhaps because he was a man walking a path completely ill-suited to a martial hero, I felt he was one of the pillars of the Demonic Path.

A man with little interest in heroism, pursuing only martial might.

It made me wonder if this might not be an incredibly ancient Demonic Path.

The Way was originally something whose boundaries could not be definitively determined.

If a man of the Sword Demon’s caliber called himself the Demonic Path, then he was the Demonic Path.

But as for me…

I had loved the saying that one fought the Cult Leader to determine who was the true Demonic Path. Only after meeting the Sword Demon in person could I understand the meaning of those words.

For a man, one must at least be at that level…

Such thoughts raged in my heart incessantly.

***

The Sword Demon sighed on the wooden platform.

“My disciple.”

“Yes.”

“Sending the two of you out at the same time was my mistake. I called you back because I felt you would start another pointless brawl.”

The Left Emissary nodded with a troubled expression.

“Truthfully, I believe we would have come to blows.”

“Mongrang.”

“Please speak, Master.”

“I am a personal and selfish man. Setting aside time for you is not an easy matter for me. It may be difficult for you to understand, being sociable by nature.”

“No. I understand.”

“Have you recently lost interest in training?”

“It feels like facing a wall, so yes, in truth.”

“Hitting a wall during training is something anyone learning martial arts experiences.”

“I suppose so.”

“How you overcome it, how you view and solve the problem—that is actually what martial artists call comprehension. Many mistakenly think that having outstanding comprehension simply means learning martial arts quickly, but that is not so. Genius-level memorization, analysis, learning ability, and understanding are not comprehension; they are simply being intelligent. They are gifts from one’s parents. Like you….”

“….”

“‘Don’t drink, stay away from women, this is like this and that is like that.’ What do you think when you see the Hao Sect Leader of your generation growing stronger without a teacher, even as I instruct you? You have been called a genius since childhood, but do you truly have greater comprehension than that fellow Ijaha?”

“I cannot say for certain regarding comprehension.”

“You heard what he was saying earlier. That fellow is going around saying he will create a new martial art. I do not know what kind of sect the Hao Sect is, but his goal is martial arts, first and foremost. He will go to kill the Cult Leader when he is thoroughly prepared. But he knows it will not be easy. Do you remember what that fellow said then?”

“Yes.”

“What was it?”

“He said what matters is harboring the killing intent toward the one you will kill.”

“You train while embracing women, while he trains harboring killing intent. A year passes, two years pass, and when you exchange words and nerves at the front gate again—will you be able to face the Hao Sect Leader as confidently as you do now?”

The Left Emissary listened with a sullen expression.

“….”

“Disciple, look at the long term. I do not speak in wordplay; think of the future that will befall you. If the one who fed you laxatives grows far stronger than you, how will you live with that shame? Will you, who were called a genius, endure such humiliation? That fellow suddenly appearing before you is a blessing. The martial world has always been thus. One grows stronger only when they have a rival.”

“Yes.”

“One who grows strong easily because of outstanding comprehension. That is you.”

“Yes.”

“But if Ijaha defeats you, what use is that comprehension? Seeing the young fellow maintain caution throughout our conversation as if trying to hide his intentions from me, I nearly sighed several times. Who in the world taught him such wariness? Go back and ponder. What is the method to defeat Ijaha in one year? How will you defeat Ijaha in two or three years? What is the methodology that surpasses that reckless killing intent? In the end, that mindset and a man’s resolution itself are comprehension.”

The Left Emissary stepped down from the platform and bowed to the Sword Demon.

“I will think deeply, Master.”

“I too will meditate for several days to grasp the clue to enlightenment, so know this.”

“Yes.”

“Upon closer inspection, he is one suppressing madness, so do not fight him rashly. Call him a bumpkin, and you hear ‘little shit’ in return. One with such a foul temper that he might call you senior only if you address him as Sect Leader. A mad dog is not to be provoked. He seeks to kill the Cult Leader, so in a broad sense, regard him as both an ally and a rival. And how many people in this world can hold deep conversations with you and me? Do not treat him carelessly.”

“Yes. As expected, the answer is not to provoke a mad dog.”

“Correct. If our disciple calls Ijaha a mad dog again, he will likely call you a dog in heat. Leave.”

The disciple, having taken a beating from his master until the very end, lowered his head deeply with a tearful expression.

“Master, this worthless disciple will take his leave.”

The Sword Demon nodded with a solemn expression.

“So long as you know.”

The disciple staggered once as soon as he stood up, then headed toward the main gate like a defeated soldier. The sigh of his master coming from behind became a sword that pierced the disciple’s heart once more.