Pajijik...
I quietly return to the side of the throne and watch Baek Woon break the lightning prison that was triggered by Jeon Myeong-hoon's touch.
I bow my head to her.
"Even though today's unfortunate events occurred due to our differing interests, please know that I bear no particular grudge against the Sacred Master."
As the lightning prison shatters, the throne where Baek Woon had just been is revealed.
There lies Baek Woon's 'shell,' dried and shriveled like an old tree, the one that had been confronting us just moments ago.
It seems like she momentarily shed her skin, like a golden cicada escaping its husk, and evaded Jeon Myeong-hoon's attack.
She reabsorbs the shell and pushes Jeon Myeong-hoon towards me without even glancing in my direction.
'She must have temporarily hidden the lightning spear in her body's dimension.'
I realize that confronting her in her current state would make her even more difficult to handle.Of course, judging from her condition, it seems she doesn't particularly want to continue fighting me either, but pushing further could truly be dangerous.
After offering her a respectful bow, I lift Jeon Myeong-hoon in the frozen world and turn my back.
At that moment, I hear Baek Woon's voice from behind.
[Yu Oh was looking for you. I received contact when you drove that Star Shattering monster into the Astral Realm. She wants to invite you. Since her invitations are rare, you should visit the Nether Ghost Realm at an appropriate time.]
When I turn around, Baek Woon is already gone.
Tstststss—
When I trace the energy she left behind, it seems she has already entered somewhere deep within Heavenly Lotus Mountain.
Paaaaat!
At the same time, the White Jade Pavilion I am standing on starts to dissipate into a mass of white light and scatters.
Flash!
When I regain my senses, the world is already moving again.
Chuaaaa—
It seems that the White Jade Pavilion itself is a special authority of Baek Woon.
Once again, I offer a respectful bow and take a step forward.
Paaat!
Placing Jeon Myeong-hoon into my domain and rising to the Plane of Soul, the world changes.
Kurururururu—
If the Plane of Qi is the ordinary world we know, then from the Plane of Soul onward, the world becomes vastly different.
Clouds (雲) are scattered everywhere.
The colors of the clouds that fill Heaven, Earth and the Four Directions constantly shift.
I gaze at the clouds where I'm standing.
My current location is Heavenly Lotus Mountain and its surroundings.
The clouds near Heavenly Lotus Mountain have a bright red hue.
'It's the Tall Tree Race.'
To the Tall Tree Race, Sacred Master Baek Woon is probably no different from a goddess.
Seeing their goddess being tortured by a madman with 21 heads in front of them, it's no wonder they're enraged.
'I'm sorry, Sacred Master.'
I feel a sense of guilt towards Baek Woon and the Tall Tree Race.
Among the hues of the Tall Tree Race, about one-twentieth of them display a sticky combination of pale pink and black, likely belonging to those who practice some unusual methods. Still, the vast majority of the Tall Tree Race is clearly furious, as evidenced by the vivid red intent they emanate.
Even though I did my best to avoid entanglements with [those above], Baek Woon's honor was tarnished as a result. I will likely need to find an appropriate time later to apologize and offer compensation.
'I'll have to find the right time to make amends.'
With that thought in mind, I tread forward in this world of clouds.
Step, step...
In the higher dimensions, even small movements cover much greater distances than they would in the lower ones.
'What a strange feeling...being completely in the Plane of Soul...'
The countless clouds that appear before me.
Each and every particle of those clouds is the emotions of a living being.
Thinking back, after defeating Kang Min-hee and becoming an Esteemed One, I immediately went into seclusion to stabilize my realm.
Once I emerged from seclusion, I almost immediately fought Baek Woon.
Because of that, this is practically the first time I've had the chance to study my current realm.
'A person's heart...is much like the clouds.'
It seems to have form, yet it does not.
It obscures the sun, blocking out the light.
It brings rain that fosters life,
And sends down lightning to judge the earth.
When gathered in great numbers, it becomes a storm that shakes the world.
'Come to think of it...the Integration stage cultivation formulae can all be interpreted in connection to clouds.'
Rain, Sunlight, Heat, Cold, Wind, Time.
Rain represents the clouds gathering and the sky closing,
Sunlight represents the clouds dispersing and the sky opening,
Heat is when the open sky remains for a long time,
Cold is when the closed sky remains for a long time,
Wind is the force that regulates all of these phenomena,
And all these changes combine to create Time.
In the Integration Stage, the dharma treasure created by merging with one's domain is called the Refining Void Dharma Treasure.
And this Refining Void Dharma Treasure becomes partially connected to one's heart essence.
Heart essence is ultimately a cloud.
'I see.'
As I grasp the connection between the Refining Void Dharma Treasure, the Integration stage formula, and the Plane of Soul, I feel my understanding of the cultivation realm itself deepens.
The Integration stage formula and the Refining Void Dharma Treasure are interconnected.
Most cultivators at the Integration stage would understand the formula of Rain, Sunlight, Heat, Cold, Wind, and Time as 'a formula that applies the phenomena of Heaven and Earth to one's domain.'
But now I understand.
This is not about applying the phenomena of Heaven and Earth to one's domain.
Rather, it's a formula that makes you realize that the phenomena of Heaven and Earth already exist within your own heart.
'Ah...I see.'
I have grasped one crucial truth.
'Was I truly such a fool...?'
Although it feels like a new understanding, it's one I keep realizing over and over again.
But this time, it doesn't end with simply 'me' being the fool.
'Including me, all cultivators in this world...are ultimately just fools.'
In a past life, I thought I had fully mastered the divine abilities of the six formulas.
But I hadn't.
I hadn't even glimpsed a fragment of the divine ability of the Integration stage.
From the Integration Stage onwards, the convenient shortcut of raising one's realm through Breakthrough before Understanding no longer works.
'I always wondered why so few reach the Star Shattering stage.'
Was it because of this?
Step, step...
I walk a few steps and traverse tens of millions of li through the Plane of Soul to arrive at the Heart Tribe territory.
The 'clouds' in the Heart Tribe territory have a slightly different form compared to those in other territories.
Each and every particle composing the 'clouds' in the Heart Tribe territory is glowing.
I look at the countless glowing cloud particles.
'That's the Pinnacle and the Three Flowers Gather at the Summit.'
Souls that have just entered the threshold of intent.
These souls are moving more actively within the clouds.
'That's Five Energies Converging to the Origin...'
Those who have attained consciousness by acknowledging the boundlessness of intent.
The changes in the colors of their souls seem more natural.
The countless clouds I see in the Plane of Soul are part of a 'collective unconscious,' and when certain souls radiate strong emotions, those emotions would spread and affect others.
However, souls at the level of Five Energies Converging to the Origin and above are slower to be affected by the collective unconscious, and even when they are, the changes in their colors are much more natural.
'That's Entering Heavens...'
The first stage of Manifestation.
By my standards, the souls of those who reached Entering Heavens are quite peculiar.
'They're rotating...'
The souls of those who reached Entering Heavens are spinning vigorously among the grains of clouds in the Plane of Soul.
Through that rotational force, I see them drawing power from the Plane of Soul down to the lower planes.
'Is that Treading Heavens?'
I observe the particles of clouds which are spinning with increasingly greater force.
Some of the cloud particles spin so powerfully that their force affects the surrounding clouds.
I come to understand the principle of heart language gained from Entering Heavens and Treading Heavens.
'I see. Heart language is the act of pulling nearby clouds within the sphere of one's own rotational force.'
And Tribulating Heavens.
Wo-woong—
I look at the clouds that have reached Tribulating Heavens.
The ones called the third stage of Manifestation.
Kurururung—
The nightmares of the Heaven and Earth Tribes, known to number only ten thousand among the entire Heart Tribe.
'...I see.'
I fully grasp how the power of a Heart Tribe at the third stage of Manifestation takes the form of 'Heavenly Tribulation.'
The soul of a Heart Tribe who has risen to Tribulating Heavens takes the shape of a massive helix (螺旋) through its rotational force, pulling and converging the surrounding cloud particles.
Furthermore, a Heart Tribe at the third stage of Manifestation is no longer a single 'cloud particle' but a 'cloud mass', formed by the merging of the collective unconsciousness.
Why does a Heavenly Tribulation become added when a cultivator opposes a martial artist of Tribulating Heavens?
A Heavenly Tribulation is Heavenly Punishment.
Heavenly Punishment falls only upon those who have committed acts of defying the heavens.
Acts of defying the heavens are actions that 'distort the principles of the world,' actions that alter the fates of countless beings.
Martial artists of Tribulating Heavens complete themselves by embracing the 'hearts of countless beings' within their own heart.
Thus, to oppose a martial artist at Tribulating Heavens means to oppose 'the hearts of countless beings,' and to those who defy such an existence, Heavenly Punishment falls.
"And...those must be Jang Ik's disciples."
I gaze at the souls of the disciples of First Step Before the Throne.
Each of their souls is a massive mass of clouds.
From within those masses of clouds, I see a faint illusion.
No, it's not an illusion.
That is the First Step Before the Throne Heart Tribe's domain.
Just as a cultivator at the Integration stage possesses their own Integrated Dao Domain, a Heart Tribe at the First Step Before the Throne manifests their own Heart Essence Domain within the Plane of Soul.
'So then I...'
I reflect upon my own form.
In the Plane of Soul, my form is a light shining pure white.
'I see.'
The clouds gather and condense, and at their center, a light begins to emerge.
During the time of Seated Detachment, Entering Hope, I must have appeared like the disciples of Jang Ik, with illusions flickering within a massive cloud mass.
But now, that illusion has entered within this light.
This light, as it connects with countless others, will gradually grow brighter until it eventually shines like the sun.
'Ah...I understand.'
I look alternately at the planes of Qi and Fate from within the Plane of Soul.
The Plane of Qi is explosions.
Explosions of countless time and space, creating each moment and flowing them away in an ever-changing world.
The Plane of Soul is clouds.
Clouds of ashes and dust left behind after the explosions.
The Plane of Fate is light.
Dust gathers and gathers until it eventually becomes a star in the sky, a star that shines brightly and illuminates the dark void.
I now understand why Jang Ik, despite not even reaching the peak of Second Step Before the Throne, defined the realm up to the Third Step Before the Throne.
One day, Jang Ik must have thought that when this light reaches the stars in the Plane of Fate, it will become possible to twist fate even with the power of the Heart Tribe.
'The correlation between the realms of the Heart Tribe and the realms of the Heaven Earth Tribes is quite precise.'
I now understand what Jang Ik saw.
At the same time, I understand how the world is layered.
The Source River exists as a shadow of the 'clouds of the nonliving' among the clouds in the Plane of Soul, under the light of the Plane of Fate, layered upon the Plane of Qi and shadowing above it.
The Underworld is draped and layered beneath the light as the shadow of the 'clouds of the living' among the clouds.
The Eastern Heaven Flower Field lies below both the Source River and the Underworld, as the shadow of the Plane of Qi itself.
The shadow of the Interdimensional Void is not visible, but it must exist somewhere.
'Is it cast as a shadow through the light of the Plane of Fate...?'
The shadows each exert their own force of attraction.
'It really could've been dangerous...'
Had I fully risen to the Plane of Soul with only Nether Perception, I have a feeling I would have been instantly sucked into the Underworld the moment I stepped on the Underworld's 'shadow.'
Since I am stepping on both the shadow of the Underworld and the shadow of the Source River at the same time, and still belong to this world, I haven't been pulled in either direction.
As I suddenly become aware of that fact, I simultaneously realize something chilling.
'...Wait.'
Why must the titles of the Bright Cold Realm Esteemed ones include the characters for Light (光) and Heaven (天)?
Shudder!
If previously I simply refused out of discomfort, it's only after internalizing my realm that I realize how fortunate I had been to reject Baek Woon's name.
The Plane of Fate, which symbolizes the heavens, is light itself from the perspective of the Heart Tribe.
If that's the case, doesn't that mean that the heavens and light are essentially the same existence?
I turn around.
Heavenly Lotus Mountain, where Baek Woon resides.
There, I can see Baek Woon's soul.
Her soul is being intensely illuminated by light descending from the heavens.
In the Plane of Soul, I look towards the Plane of Fate that is filled with light, and I instinctively feel a chill creeping into my chest.
'Let's not think about it.'
I exhale a sigh, avoiding further glances at the Plane of Fate.
In hindsight, I should have realized it earlier.
To see color (色) means that light (光) must be present.
Without light, color ultimately has no meaning and is merely black.
I quickly adjust my mind, erasing all thoughts of the light.
If I think about it too long, [those above] might notice.
Step—
I take another step down from the Plane of Soul.
Tststststst—
I'm back in the familiar Cedar Wood Grove.
I empty my mind of all the complex truths like the Plane of Fate, the Source River, the Underworld, and the Eastern Heaven Flower Field, and instead collect the insights I gained from the Plane of Soul.
'The power of the Heart Tribe draws in the hearts of others.'
Then, is it an act of devouring the souls of others?
No, it's not.
'As a Heart Tribe, what we draw in is not their soul, but their heart.'
A person's heart is never completed by their own alone.
Just as a person cannot exist solely as an individual, the stronger the Heart Tribe member becomes, the more they complete their heart essence through the hearts of many.
The reason I couldn't reach Entering Heavens for several years while standing next to Kim Young-hoon.
Even though Kim Young-hoon told me, 'It's already within you,' that wasn't quite true.
Even if it was within me, without Kim Young-hoon, I wouldn't have been able to attain it.
The Heart Tribe completes itself by drawing in the hearts of others.
The countless people who gave their hearts to the Heart Tribe, helping to complete the Heart Tribe's heart essence, also gain the possibility of reaching a higher realm just by being in the presence of a higher realm Heart Tribe.
In other words, the path of a martial artist cannot be completed alone. It must be completed with the presence of a higher person who stands ahead.
'It turns out Hyung-nim was the strange one for reaching Entering Heavens on his own.'
I give a wry smile in the direction of the one who had told me in the distant past to 'swing.'
The clouds of the Heart Tribe territory, though I referred to them as 'hearts,' are likely closer to 'moments.'
The essence of lightning is the moment.
The essence of the heart is also the moment.
Our lives are composed of countless moments.
These moments connect together and ultimately form our lives.
And to fully repent, enlighten (repentant enlightenment), and understand that life.
That is the very essence of Martial Arts (武).
Paaaatt!
As I grasp the essence of Martial Arts, I feel the formula of Time in my Integrated Dao Domain fully activate.
"I've understood Time."
As I place Jeon Myeong-hoon, who has exhausted all his energy after battling Sacred Master Baek Woon, down beside me, I look around Cedar Wood Grove.
I understand clearly.
The fastest way to complete the Integrated Dao Domain is not 'Breakthrough before Understanding,' but 'Understanding before Breakthrough.'
I must fully understand my own heart.
Therefore,
'I'll need to face the remaining four.'
Recalling the feeling I had when Gyeong Chang died, I make up my mind to seek out the remaining four of Jang Ik's disciples.