Editor: Z0Rel
"Yes...?"
"Don't pretend you didn't understand."
"..."
I'm a bit flustered.
"While I can understand the experiment, dual cultivation seems meaningless now that I've lost the Lightning Sacred Body. Why prepare for that as well?"
"I want to see what happens when the hidden technique interacts with the conventional Lightning Path Method."
"Hmm..."
"Come on, make your choice."Curious, I ask.
"Does it really matter which one I do first?"
"Hm? It does matter. Whichever we start with, there's a lot to examine, so the other will likely be pushed to another day."
"Ah, I see."
"Hurry up and choose. I'm itching to examine your body right now."
'Should I refuse?'
Honestly, my mind is cluttered right now, so I'm not really in the mood for either option.
However, sensing my hesitance, Hong Su-ryeong took the initiative.
"If you help me in either case, I'll give you a clue to reach the Heavenly Being stage."
"Eh?"
"You're now at the Grand Perfection Nascent Soul stage, so it's about time you prepare for entering the Heavenly Being stage. I'm saying I'll share my enlightenment with you so you won't be confused when you breakthrough."
"Hmm, I could just ask my master."
"Hehe. Grand Elder Jin might be able to explain enlightenment with words, but it's hard to directly experience it. However, if you help me today, you'll be able to embody the enlightenment needed to reach the Heavenly Being stage."
At those words, I nod.
'Certainly... Hong Su-ryeong's radical method could be helpful.'
Now that I've reached the Grand Perfection Nascent Soul stage, I've used up all my accumulated knowledge. From now on, I need to strive to reach the Heavenly Being stage along with guiding Jeon Myeong-hoon to do the same. Hence this is a necessary process.
Moreover, if I can physically experience the enlightenment for reaching the Heavenly Being stage as she said, it will be a significant help.
"...Alright. I'll help you."
"Hehe, I knew you would. Now, human experimentation or dual cultivation. Choose."
I glance back and forth between the frame and the bed.
"...In that case..."
I open my mouth.
The next day arrives.
"Ugh... I feel quite stiff."
I speak as I leave Hong Su-ryeong's cave residence.
Her face is flushed as she follows me out, smiling in the morning sunlight.
"Hehe, it was very satisfying. Your body was worth examining."
"I also appreciate yesterday."
I reflect on the enlightenment needed for reaching the Heavenly Being stage that Hong Su-ryeong had let me experience the night before.
"Grand Elder Jin might have been able to explain it with words, but he couldn't have made you experience it like I did. Only I in the entire sect can make you experience it, so be thankful."
"Yes, it certainly was that kind of method."
I nod.
She let me experience the flow of her innate cultivation method, Extinguishing Lightning Inner Heavenly Temple, and her flying sword techniques, teaching me through experience.
Anyway, I somehow acquired the experience needed for reaching the Heavenly Being stage, albeit through a bit of an aggressive method.
'This is why it's good to be part of a major sect.'
This is an experience hard to come by while wandering the lower realms in seclusion.
It feels like my mind is enlightened, similar to when I learned about Understanding before Breakthrough from my master in the Cheongmun Clan.
I organize what I felt yesterday as I return to my cave residence.
'Madness. Madness is necessary.'
Observing my Nascent Soul, I noticed that unlike before, the Yin Spirit and Yang Spirit are not distinctly separated but are naturally mixed with the seven colors of the Yin and Yang and Five Elements, forming a seven-colored Nascent Soul sleeping within my Golden Core.
Having reached the Grand Perfection Nascent Soul stage, I completed my Nascent Soul by fully integrating my consciousness with the Map of the Sun, Moon, and Five Great Mountains on the Imperial Throne.
I remember what Hong Su-ryeong said last night.
—Cultivators become emotionless as they progress in their cultivation. Do you know why?
—Because they take in the nature of heaven and earth into their bodies and become one with it.
—You must have felt it now that you've reached Grand Perfection. Creating the Map of the Sun, Moon, and Five Great Mountains with the Yin and Yang and Five Elements of nature, fully merging it with your consciousness. Unknowingly, you will become increasingly emotionless and eventually lose all humanity, becoming no different from a plant, with your personality erased.
I ponder about what Hong Su-ryeong did to me last night as I massage my sore body.
—The Heavenly Being stage is also known as Heaven and Man Unity. From this stage onwards, the microcosm you created within and the macrocosm outside truly connect, allowing one to wield the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth.
—When the microcosm within opens up and comes into contact with the 'real' nature of Heaven and Earth, what do you think will happen? Your insignificant personality will be swept away by the great nature, turning you into a vegetative state.
—Then, how should one prevent this? Madness. Madness is necessary. Gather human madness to stand against heaven and earth. Protect yourself with madness.
—That's why, from the Heavenly Being stage onwards, most cultivators lose their sanity. Everyone must be mad about at least one thing. Like this, like this! Like this!!!
I recall the madness Hong Su-ryeong had shown.
Last night, both she and I, influenced by her, were engulfed in madness.
'Do I have to choose something to be mad about?'
Finding something to go mad over.
That's the first step to entering Heavenly Being.
'What I desire the most…'
Is concentrating my madness on what I desire most the way?
'What I desire the most is…'
I leave the cave residence and head to find Jeon Myeong-hoon.
I had to start his training first.
"...Yes?"
Jeon Myeong-hoon's face twitches.
"From today onwards, I'll assist you in your cultivation practice."
"What in the world are you talking about…. sir?"
He looks at Seo Eun-hyun, no.
'Jin Eun-hyun,' who has changed his name, and asks,
"My master is Grand Elder Jin Jin-chan…"
"Yes, I've also received permission from your master."
"No, but…"
"Listen, Jeon Myeong-hoon."
Jin Eun-hyun looks at Jeon Myeong-hoon.
"Supreme Sect Master Jin Byuk-ho has also given his permission. Soon, a formidable threat will target the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect."
"What?"
"And the only one who can stop that threat is you, Jeon Myeong-hoon."
"What threat are you even, I mean, what is it, sir?"
"I can't tell you because your level is too low. It could harm your mind. I'll tell you once you've entered the Nascent Soul stage."
Crack.
Veins pop on Jeon Myeong-hoon's forehead.
'This guy, he's blatantly disregarding me.'
"Well, fine. No, I understand. Then, how does sir intend to teach me?"
Jeon Myeong-hoon says, emitting his pure spiritual force.
"As you can see, I've already created 6 spiritual energy stars. It won't be long until I reach Qi Building Fourth Constellation. Dual cultivation methods have been incredibly efficient so far, but is there a way to further efficiently elevate my cultivation?"
"Yes."
"Oh, what kind magnificent method is that?"
Responding to Jeon Myeong-hoon's sarcastic remark, Jin Eun-hyun silently pulls out a club from his storage bag.
"This is it."
"...Excuse me?"
Before Jeon Myeong-hoon can react, Jin Eun-hyun swings the club at him.
Whack!
"...! Aaaaaaah… huh?"
Flung away by the club, Jeon Myeong-hoon screams while clutching his shoulder. But soon after, he removes his hand, looking puzzled at his shoulder.
'What, I got hit on the shoulder?'
It hurt when he was hit, but strangely, there are no wounds and the pain is gone.
As he looks at Jin Eun-hyun in confusion, Jin Eun-hyun shows him the wooden club.
Woong!
Green spiritual energy emanates from the wooden club.
"It's the healing effect of wood spiritual energy. Wood corresponds to the Zhen (震) in the Eight Trigrams, symbolizing lightning. From now on, I'll chase you around with this club filled with wood spiritual energy and beat you relentlessly."
"..."
"And every time you get hit, I'll use my consciousness method to help you understand the Lightning Path Methods through the insights of Understanding before Breakthrough. Having successfully mastered all the methods of the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect, I'm fully qualified to teach you about the Lightning Path Method."
"..."
"Of course, you can retaliate against me. The focus of this training is to fend off my attacks while embodying the knowledge of Understanding before Breakthrough that I hammer into your head with my clubbing. I will use only the strength of the Qi Building stage to teach you, so you should be able to counterattack me sufficiently."
"..."
"Any questions?"
"…Elder, now that I think about it, I seem to have done a lot of wrong things on Earth. Please, please forgive me."
"I'm not doing this for such petty grudges."
Whack!
With that, Jin Eun-hyun begins to beat Jeon Myeong-hoon.
About a month into training Jeon Myeong-hoon.
Thump, thump, thump!
"Aaaaaah!!!"
I mercilessly beat Jeon Myeong-hoon, infusing his body with wood attribute spiritual energy everywhere.
At the same time, I inject the intricacies of the Lightning Path Method into his brain, converting the infused wood attribute energy into lightning attribute, forcing him to operate the method and forcibly embodying the Lightning Path Method throughout his body.
His Lightning Path Method is improving day by day.
Especially when I keep hammering Jeon Myeong-hoon and his anger explodes.
"You son of a biiiitch!!!"
Crackle!
Red lightning surges in all directions.
'He's grown again.'
Strangely, Jeon Myeong-hoon's cultivation reacts and grows faster whenever he gets angry.
'Does the Heavenly Golden Thunder Body grow faster with more anger?'
If there's a constitution designed for those with anger management issues, it would probably be the Heavenly Golden Thunder Body.
Kugugugu!
Before his red lightning bolt hits at me, I dodge it by reading his intent and move under Jeon Myeong-hoon's left side to swing up my club.
Whack!
"Aaaaaaack!"
Unable to dodge a single hit and continually getting beaten, his eyes roll back as he spews lightning.
I swing my club, cutting through all the lightning bolts.
Woong!
The Gang Qi wrapped around the club crackles.
'The power of his lightning has grown stronger.'
The growth of his cultivation method is smooth.
As I endlessly infuse him with wood attribute spiritual energy and the insights of Understanding before Breakthrough, Jeon Myeong-hoon is visibly growing.
To the extent that he entered Qi Building Second Constellation in just a month.
However, something is strange.
'This guy, why on earth...'
Red lightning is being emitted.
I delved into his weakness, guiding him with wood attribute spiritual energy towards the next stage of the "Seven Lightning Quaking Scripture" he is learning.
But Jeon Myeong-hoon, in a state of rage, only spews red lightning.
Red, red, red.
'Why... Why can't he advance to the next stage of the Seven Lightning Quaking Scripture?'
No matter how much I beat him, Jeon Myeong-hoon can't surpass the first stage of the "Seven Lightning Quaking Scripture," the "Red Lightning Quaking Scripture."
By now, it's time to move to the next stage, the 'Vermilion Lightning.'
I also infused him with the intricacies of the Vermilion Lightning.
'Normally, he should have entered Vermilion Lightning as soon as he reached the second stage of Qi Building.'
However, Jeon Myeong-hoon has already created 10 spiritual energy stars and still can't use Vermilion Lightning.
It's a problem with understanding.
'It feels like he can't embody it at all.'
It's not like my teaching method is purely brutish, beating him senselessly.
In the evenings, I healed Jeon Myeong-hoon, explaining the intricacies of Understanding before Breakthrough he had been infused with throughout the day until he understood them.
Jeon Myeong-hoon understood the concepts, and his understanding of the method increased.
However, even though his understanding increased, the embodiment of the method in his body is slow.
'He can't use Vermilion Lightning with his body, so he can't advance to it.'
Yes, I understand that far.
It can be the case if he is a slow learner.
But what puzzles me the most is this.
'...But then, how is he continuing to advance beyond the second stage of Qi Building?'
The Red Lightning Quaking Scripture and the Vermilion Lightning are methods learned during the Qi Building stage.
Among them, the Red Lightning Quaking Scripture is only learned during the first stage of Qi Building, and one must move to Vermilion Lightning to reach the peak of Qi Building.
Yet, Jeon Myeong-hoon somehow continues to advance to higher stages with only the Red Lightning Quaking Scripture.
Thump!
"Argh! Damn it!"
Kugugugu!
Jeon Myeong-hoon extends his hand to shoot lightning at me.
Bo-oong!
I swing the club, slicing through the lightning.
'The power has increased again.'
Now, he's beginning to use attacks that are above his cultivation level.
It's a late Qi Building stage attack.
'…This guy… he's evolving the Red Lightning Quaking Scripture by being angry.'
I chuckle as I watch Jeon Myeong-hoon enveloped in red lightning.
'He's supposed to advance to the next stage of the method, but since he can't, is he evolving the stage he's stuck in into a different method altogether….?'
What kind of talent is this?
Crack!
The next moment, Jeon Myeong-hoon transforms into red lightning itself and charges at me. I easily dodge before swinging my club towards the back of his head.
Thump!
"Aaaaack!"
Jeon Myeong-hoon rolls away as he is knocked down.
The Red Lightning Quaking Scripture he is operating disperses as well.
But I can't help but laugh incredulously.
"...The method has dispersed, but why does it feel like his spiritual power has increased?"
"...This... Seo Eun-hyun, you damn bastard..."
"Crazy... How does simply getting angry increase spiritual power?"
"Shut up!!!"
Kugugugu!
I smirk as I watch Jeon Myeong-hoon speed up and swing my club at him.
'Good, keep growing!'
Under my guidance, Jeon Myeong-hoon is growing at a pace incomparable to his previous life.
"Phew…"
Night fell.
At night, Jeon Myeong-hoon would take a short break and then return to his own cave residence to start cultivation with Jin So-hae.
He'd cultivate until late into the night, sleep a little at dawn, and then start training again.
This has been Jeon Myeong-hoon's training schedule lately.
Well, almost no sleep is not a problem after reaching the Qi Building stage thanks to pure spiritual force.
If it were the Qi Refining stage, I would have let him rest a bit more considering his physical condition, but since it's the Qi Building stage, he can withstand this intensity.
I return to my cave residence and contemplate my Nascent Soul.
'To enter the Heavenly Being stage, I need madness.'
Then, what madness do I need?
What can I go mad over?
"..."
It should have been an easy answer.
The Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections proved it.
I could've gone mad over preserving the preciousness of the connections I had made.
But, after hearing Yang Su-jin's words, I felt uncomfortable.
—The essence is 'freedom'. Only beings that possess 'freedom' or have the potential to acquire 'freedom' are [Human], and thus have the right to enjoy the privileges of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
—Thus, only we Enders are [Humans], and all other beings in this world, including True Immortals, are [Non-Humans]!
Non-humans.
Puppets moving as fate dictates.
I remember Seo Hweol's words.
—This world is a play under fate, and we are merely actors acting within this play. Why would you say acting by an actor is not emotion?
Seo Hweol's claim that emotions don't exist.
And Yang Su-jin's statement that even the Heart Tribe, who prove their emotions to the extreme to rise in strength, are slaves of fate.
'...What's what?'
If emotions don't exist and the connections I've made are just part of a play dancing under fate, then what exactly have I been doing all this time?
Recently, while training Jeon Myeong-hoon in the Azure Heaven Creation Sect's method, there's a reason why I specifically chose to beat him with a club.
The Azure Heaven Creation Sect's method is sufficient with just two fists, but there is a reason I wielded a club.
To review the basics of Severing Mountain Swordsmanship with the club, to empty my mind and leap beyond Treading Heavens. It feels like I could counter Yang Su-jin and Seo Hweol's words if I do so.
'Damn it...'
It's as if I'm caught by a Heart Demon.
Woong, boong, boong!
I grasp the Colorless Glass Sword and perform the Severing Mountain Swordsmanship from beginning to end.
Practicing martial arts seems to slightly alleviate my worries.
Just when I stop repeating the Severing Mountain Swordsmanship from the 1st move to the 26th move after who knows how many times,
—[Non-Human]!
Yang Su-jin's voice seems to echo in my ears.
I grit my teeth while looking at the Colorless Glass Sword.
"Damn... Stop spouting nonsense!"
By mind has been in turmoil since meeting Yang Su-jin.
'If the connections existing in this world are nothing but puppets…'
I clench the Colorless Glass Sword tightly, gazing at its transparent blade.
'Who have I loved?'
What exactly are the connections I've built?
It's not enough to simply dismiss it as Yang Su-jin's extreme ideology. Yang Su-jin is someone who likely saw the truth of the world after reaching the pinnacle among True Immortals.
Seo Hweol, presumed to have been an exceedingly high-level being, said something similar as well.
'So, what exactly have I been doing?'
Yang Su-jin's words and Seo Hweol's voice circle in my mind.
To reach the Heavenly Being stage, madness is necessary.
It's a stage where one must go mad over something, lest the mind dissipate into the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth.
What I can go mad over are the connections I've built.
Yet, these great beings declare the connections I've made are nothing but lies.
Then, what should I do?
Thud....
I let the Colorless Glass Sword dangle to the ground.
I don't have the strength to swing the sword.
'Day by day... the Heart Demon gets worse.'
I stare out blankly at the moon outside my cave residence.
'What should I do...'
As I'm lost in my contemplation.
Ziiiing―
"...Huh?"
From somewhere far away, I feel something stimulating my consciousness.
And at the same time.
"...!"
Tsssst!
I feel my consciousness being pulled somewhere.
'This is...!'
In a space tinged with colorful hues, I open my eyes.
'This place is...'
Someone's dream.
And I immediately know whose dream it is.
Woong!
I operate the Wonderfully Mysterious Innate Heart Canon, aligning my consciousness with the wavelength of the dream.
In this dream, due to my Wonderfully Mysterious Innate Heart Canon, the surroundings that had been fluctuating stabilize into a calm space.
I speak to the being who had 'called' me.
"Finally, you've succeeded."
From within the white light, someone walks towards this place.
Wearing a pink palace attire.
"Yeon-ah."
It's Kim Yeon.
She has finally mastered the Wonderfully Mysterious Innate Heart Canon and, through the Mysterious Bizarre Gu I had connected to her, summoned me into her dream.
***
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