Otherwise, I would have died.
The words spoken by the Divine Doctor momentarily caused my mind to waver.
That child possesses an immense amount of energy, a vast aura that others cannot even fathom. I took that to mean they had an unusually large "vessel" compared to others. Normally, having a vast aura meant something like that.
However—
You're wrong. The Divine Doctor refuted my interpretation.
That child doesn't have a vessel at all. What could that mean? I couldn’t understand the Divine Doctor's words. Not only warriors but even humans require a vessel as the source of their power.
Could that even make sense?
Yes, and that’s precisely the issue. The fact that they possess such a vast aura without a vessel. You, on the other hand, are experiencing a problem because your aura is too great for your vessel, causing it to begin cracking. But for that child… the problem was that they didn’t even have something that could be called a vessel to begin with. It wasn’t that they were completely empty inside. It was just so vast that it couldn’t be grasped.
And what do you think would happen in that case? I didn’t know. I had never heard of someone having only aura without a vessel.
An aura without a vessel will eventually disperse. And if that happens, what do you think will become of that child? I couldn’t provide an answer. I didn’t know the state Wi Seol-ah was in.
It will scatter. All I could do was suppress the pounding of my heart.
Either their physical form will disperse, or it will collapse entirely. I estimated that this would occur in about three years. Even that might be generous; truthfully, no one knows how long they’ll hold out. It’s a mystery as to how their aura has endured up to this point. That’s why the Sword Master asked me to create a vessel for the child. As I continued listening, a particular phrase caught my attention, prompting me to raise my head.
He spoke of creating a vessel. Could it really be possible to make one? If that were the case, it seemed somewhat contradictory.
The Divine Doctor had clearly told me there was no way to repair or replace my vessel.
Yet, the same Divine Doctor who had given me a terminal diagnosis was now saying he’d been asked by the Sword Master to make a vessel.
Confused, I questioned him further, and the Divine Doctor, with a somewhat somber expression, continued speaking.
I’m not sure about repairing a vessel, but creating one isn’t impossible. I’ll say this now, though; this isn’t within the realm of medicine, so don’t get too curious. Creating a vessel.
Then, what was the purpose of the Sealing Stone?
It was meant for that. The Sealing Stone was intended to create a vessel? Was it used to seal Wi Seol-ah's aura?
It’s impossible to seal that much energy. The Sealing Stone’s purpose was indeed sealing, but not for the aura. Then what could it be? What was being sealed? The Divine Doctor answered my question.
The Sealing Stone was used to create a vessel and seal it from breaking. In other words, it wasn’t used to seal Wi Seol-ah’s aura but to secure the form of a vessel. This implied that the vessel Wi Seol-ah currently possessed was an artificial one.
So, what do you think was used as the material for that vessel? What could it be? To hold such a vast amount of energy… there was one possibility that came to mind, but I hoped it wasn’t that.
If it was, it would be a monumental issue.
Unfortunately, my guess was correct.
The innate energy of a human. At the Divine Doctor's grim words, I bit my lip.
It was the possibility I dreaded.
It was the most suitable material to sustain the aura. So, that meant they used a human’s innate energy to create the vessel.
But who…? Whose innate energy was used?
Without realizing it, I furrowed my brow as I looked at the Divine Doctor. He sighed before speaking to me.
Don’t worry; I didn’t take anyone’s innate energy without permission… If anyone had suggested that, I would have refused outright. Then, who was it?
I asked the Divine Doctor, and he replied with a somewhat indifferent expression.
To hold that much energy, it required an equally powerful innate energy. And there was someone with just that nearby, wasn’t there? Could he mean…
The Leader. I swallowed dryly at the Divine Doctor’s words.
His innate energy was poured into creating that child’s vessel. Hearing this, my mouth fell open slightly.
I hadn’t imagined the Sword Master would go that far.
If the vessel is the source of a human’s power, then innate energy is the source of life itself.
The Sword Master had extracted his own innate energy and poured it into Wi Seol-ah.
Then, what condition was the Sword Master in now?
He had survived even the Celestial Demon War in his past life, so he wouldn’t die immediately, but…
Losing innate energy doesn’t lead to permanent depletion… However, the Leader’s condition probably isn’t great. No doubt, the Sword Master's power had weakened considerably.
Moreover, if he used such innate energy to create a vessel, would that vessel be stable?
As I mentioned, it’s only a temporary solution. Naturally, the Divine Doctor didn’t think so.
Like you, it’s probably something he has to endure by regularly taking medicine. And if he doesn’t?
I don’t know what method you used to create a new vessel, but… given how different your situations are, I doubt there will be a favorable outcome. It was a harsh truth.
Wi Seol-ah remained in a precarious state.
However, if, as you said, she has altered her own vessel… even I can’t be sure. An exception has occurred. It wasn’t certainty, but suspicion. Still, this didn’t improve the situation.
‘…What should I do?’
I pondered as I walked quickly.
After finishing the conversation with the Divine Doctor, I stepped outside. He said he’d examine my condition and give me the White Demon Stone later.
Now that I knew Wi Seol-ah had been secretly taking medicine, and I was aware of her condition, there was no way to help.
Perhaps she might experience changes similar to the breaking of my own vessel.
‘Could an artificial vessel be included in this?’
The question was whether this applied to Wi Seol-ah, who initially had no vessel at all. I didn’t know.
Was the Divine Sword in my past life also in this kind of situation?
Probably.
That’s why—
‘That bastard, Jang Seon-yeon, must’ve used this against me.’
Grinding my teeth, I remembered how he had threatened me by bringing up Wi Seol-ah’s condition.
It was infuriating. Even after going through regression and becoming stronger, the fundamental issues remained the same.
It was incredibly frustrating.
‘I need to push myself harder.’
I needed to push myself beyond my limits.
Grinding away, somehow, I’d produce results. I had to.
[Calm down. Your temper’s flaring too much.]
Shin Noya cautioned me. Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes.
Just as he said, I felt how overheated I’d become. I cooled my emotions by focusing inward, keeping the situation from spiraling out of control.
It helped me feel a bit more grounded.
‘…Thank you.’
After expressing my gratitude to Noya, I glanced back at those following me. There were so many tasks to handle one by one; it was overwhelming to think of everything at once.
At the moment, I was traveling with others.
I turned to Woo-hyuk and asked.
“…What’s that you’re carrying?”
“Hm?”
Woo-hyuk, who was using his light-footed technique, was carrying something on his shoulder.
Looking closely, it appeared to be a wild boar.
Upon hearing my question, Woo-hyuk grinned at me.
“Oh, this? It’s a gift for Master.”
“…A wild boar?”
“Master loves wild boar meat.”
“…”
I frowned.
Aren’t you supposed to be a Taoist? Why do you keep eating meat…?
I wanted to yell that out but managed to hold back.
That crazy guy had done strange things before, so it wasn’t surprising if his master was odd as well.
Better to just give up. It was easier that way.
I sighed lightly and looked beside Woo-hyuk.
There was another person, Namgung Bi-ah.
I turned to the ever-drowsy-looking Namgung Bi-ah who was following us.
“Why are you even coming along?”
Namgung Bi-ah met my gaze.
“…Am I not allowed?”
Her characteristic drowsy voice reached my ears.
“No, it’s not that… I’m not even sure if it’s allowed.”
I tried to say it wasn’t prohibited, but I changed my words, uncertain.
I was currently on my way to meet the Hermit with Woo-hyuk.
The Hermit had invited me to meet, and we hadn’t yet finished our conversation.
But was it okay to bring Namgung Bi-ah along?
As I was preparing to meet the Hermit, Namgung Bi-ah decided to accompany me, saying she wanted to come too.
Thinking about it, I hadn’t even asked Woo-hyuk if he was okay with it.
On this topic, Woo-hyuk replied nonchalantly.
“It should be fine. Master doesn’t concern himself with those things.”
“Well, that’s a relief…”
It did cross my mind that the Hermit was originally from the Namgung family.
Had there been no issues with his family, he wouldn’t have left and joined Wudang.
‘He told me himself not to worry too much. It should be fine, right?’
Since the Hermit had mentioned it before, I decided to believe it would be fine.
However—
As always,
Nothing ever went as I expected.