Upon reaching the Supreme Peak Realm, one gains the ability to wield Qi Manipulation.
This alone makes a martial artist at the Supreme Peak level capable of slaughtering those below their level.
Beyond that, upon attaining the Fiery Realm, one gains the ability to control a domain. Additionally, the development of divine essence (Shin) accelerates thought processes, making them exponentially faster.
A martial artist of the Fiery Realm, who can traverse the air as though it were solid ground, is nearly impossible for someone at the Supreme Peak Realm to face.
Then, what about the Extreme Demon Realm? What does one achieve by binding Essence, Energy, and Spirit into demonic energy?
The answer is simple: Demon (魔) itself.
The overflowing demonic energy at this pinnacle enhances the speed and strength of the martial artist.
By becoming one with demonic energy, the merged Essence, Energy, and Spirit extend their influence outward, transforming the surrounding environment into demonic territory under the martial artist’s control.
In Seo-jun’s case, by achieving the Fiery Demon Realm, his control over demonic energy had grown even stronger, while retaining all the abilities of the Extreme Demon Realm.
This was why Seo-jun could now wield dozens of Reversal Sun and Moon Qi Blades simultaneously, which he had previously struggled to manifest as singular blades on his sword.
"Even this alone is ridiculous," Seo-jun thought.
Even ordinary Qi Manipulation struggled to stand against the Reversal Sun and Moon Qi Blade. A direct clash could result in the opponent being cut apart along with their Qi.
But dozens of such blades?
If Seo-jun mastered Sword Control, he could face and overwhelm dozens of Supreme Peak martial artists simultaneously.
And then there was the Predator’s Twin-Sourced Technique.
A demonic martial art from the Greedy Demon, it belonged to the category of devouring techniques.
What’s the difference between this and Northern Divine Arts? The distinction was vast.
Unlike the Northern Divine Arts, which absorbed the internal energy of opponents, the Predator’s Twin-Sourced Technique consumed anything and everything.
Whatever it devoured could become Seo-jun’s flesh and blood or, with less efficiency, be converted into internal energy.
Since he also had the Northern Divine Arts, he would never lack internal energy. Thus, the Predator’s Twin-Sourced Technique primarily served to drastically enhance his regenerative abilities.
As Seo-jun mulled over his newfound insights, Namgung Sua became fascinated by the floating petals around him.
“Oh my, how cute.”
When she stroked one of the petals, its embedded eyes and mouths wriggled with joy.
“You think that’s cute? Sister, you have a weird taste, you know?” Chun-bong grimaced and stepped back, visibly uncomfortable.
“You don’t think it’s cute?”
“It’s creepy.”
Considering Chun-bong liked things with six arms, her aversion to this was puzzling. Seo-jun couldn’t make sense of her standards.
“What martial art is this?” Namgung Sua asked.
Seo-jun flicked his finger, causing the mouths on the petals to snap their teeth with sharp clicking sounds.
“With this, it can devour anything—Qi, people, buildings, you name it.”
“Ah…” Namgung Sua quietly withdrew her hand, while the petals trembled as though disappointed.
"At this rate, I’m almost invincible on the battlefield."
Corpses would undoubtedly litter the field. By using the Predator’s Twin-Sourced Technique to devour them, Seo-jun could heal most injuries in an instant.
Even if his limbs were obliterated, they’d likely regenerate within a minute.
Perhaps even a shattered head might have a chance of recovery.
Of course, he wasn’t planning to test that theory. If it failed, he’d die for real.
Over the next few days, Seo-jun guided Chun-bong and Namgung Sua in their training while deepening his understanding of his own abilities.
One thing was certain: he had grown far stronger.
If the first opponents he faced after attaining the Fiery Demon Realm hadn’t been the Seven Demonic Masters, he would’ve been the one wiping the floor with them instead of the other way around.
Occasionally, Seo-jun also received lessons from Namgung Jincheon on Sword Control.
After declaring his intent to marry both Chun-bong and Namgung Sua, there had been some initial awkwardness between Seo-jun and Namgung Jincheon. However, Jincheon’s composed demeanor quickly dispelled the tension.
Seo-jun was deeply grateful.
Truly, Jincheon was a great man—a living Buddha, a saint who, had he joined Shaolin, would’ve high-fived the Buddha himself before ascending to enlightenment.
"I have to do my best to live up to this man."
Namgung Jincheon, who could masterfully control swords with just one blade, had mentioned that there were martial artists in the martial arts world who could control thousands of swords simultaneously using Sword Control.
“Thousands of swords? How do they even carry that many?” Seo-jun asked.
“Their weapon is unique. Normally, it takes the shape of a large sword, but at a command, thin blades separate from it like petals.”
“Oh…” Seo-jun imagined it in his mind. That sounded absurdly cool.
“Are they from an orthodox sect?”
“They belong to the Black Lotus Union…”
“Ah.”
What a pity.
“They were once the leader of the Sword Sect.”
“Oh, the Sword Sect. They were always skilled with swords.”
As the name implied, the Sword Sect seemed dedicated to mastering the art of the blade. Seo-jun recalled how adept its members had been with swords.
“By the way, Son-in-law, about the Blood Sky Ten Thousand Heavens investigation…”
“Yes?”
Namgung Jincheon stroked his chin, his eyes narrowing as he gazed into the distance.
“I conducted a thorough investigation but found no trace of them.”
“Which means…?”
“The complete lack of traces only confirms that a secret organization exists. However, it’s certainly not the Blood Sect. Of that, I’m sure.”
Not the Blood Sect, yet wielding blood-related martial arts. What could this imply?
“If the Blood Sky Ten Thousand Heavens are connected to the Tang Clan, as suspected… it’s possible they’re tied to an event from six hundred years ago.”
“Six hundred years ago?”
“Yes. I only know of it from stories, but back then, many Fiery Realm martial artists banded together to eradicate the Blood Sect.”
Namgung Jincheon shook his head, as though brushing aside the thought.
“In any case, I’ll let you know if I uncover more. For now, it’s just conjecture bordering on fantasy.”
****
The completion of the elixir crafted from the Green Bamboo Sage’s horn was nearing.
Seo-jun juggled Chun-bong and Namgung Sua’s training, his own cultivation, his sessions with Namgung Jincheon, and the creation of a new martial art.
It might be said that his work-life balance had been tossed into a gutter, but for a Fiery Demon Realm grandmaster, such trifles were insignificant.
Moreover, by saving time on eating and sleeping, he managed to “duplicate” free hours, so it didn’t feel overwhelmingly busy.
Once someone reached the Fiery Realm, they could largely forgo basic physiological needs. Depending on the martial arts mastered, some practitioners required no sustenance or sleep at all.
Seo-jun was no exception. He remained fully energized even without food or rest.
If eating and sleeping were solely about survival, he would have simply stopped altogether. Why waste time when skipping such activities effectively “cloned” hours for productivity?
However, those hours were about more than survival. Shared meals and his precious, “legal” Chun-bong hugs during sleep were not things to sacrifice entirely.
While reducing such activities was acceptable, eliminating them would strip away much of life’s joys, leaving only a hollow sense of existence.
Thus, Seo-jun balanced his time, cutting back only slightly on food and sleep while maintaining a serene state of mind, like a laborer finding peace amidst the grind.
"What have I created so far? The Thunderblade Heart Arts and the Thirteen Blades of Thunderstrike?"
The Heavenly Altar Technique and Life-and-Death Flow Arts were excluded from his current list of projects—they didn’t align with the martial art he intended to create this time.
This new martial art would be, in essence, a “bribe.”
A man with a conscience couldn’t help but feel something when marrying his father-in-law’s daughter and another woman simultaneously.
Even as a grandmaster of the demonic path, Seo-jun’s moral compass had an unusually sharp edge. So, he resolved to create a small token of appreciation for his father-in-law, leveraging his abilities.
"No need for basic techniques anymore."
The Thunderblade Heart Arts and Thirteen Blades of Thunderstrike were more than sufficient for fundamental training. Anyone who couldn’t master the basics with those two should give up martial arts and take up farming in a remote area.
"I want to create a Qi-based technique… but most of Namgung Clan’s martial arts are sword-focused."
Apart from essential techniques like internal cultivation methods and movement arts, the Namgung Clan had relatively few martial arts unrelated to swordsmanship.
As a family devoted to the sword for generations, they saw little need to diversify their arsenal.
"Naturally, Qi arts are nearly non-existent."
While the Celestial Thunder Qi technique used Qi manipulation to some extent, most of their martial arts didn’t. Even Imperial Sword Form wasn’t heavily reliant on Qi arts.
"It has to be based on Qi arts…"
Seo-jun wasn’t particularly skilled in swordsmanship. Though he had learned the Imperial Sword Form and Golden Cloud Divine Sword, his grasp of them was shallow, more akin to skimming the surface.
The essence of both techniques lay in swordsmanship, which Seo-jun had improvised with Qi arts. Naturally, his skill couldn’t compare to that of a true swordmaster.
Now, things were different. After creating the Heavenly Demon Divine Sword, he had gained insights into the fundamental elements of the sword: Heaven, Earth, and Man.
This had rapidly improved his proficiency in previously learned sword arts.
Even so, he remained no match for Namgung Jincheon. Seo-jun’s true strength lay in Qi arts, not swordsmanship.
“Mind if I read this for a moment?”
Seo-jun, deep in thought, visited the Celestial Martial Pavilion to review the manual for Celestial Thunder Qi.
The technique was one of the Namgung Clan’s only true Qi arts. While it was considered advanced, no one questioned Seo-jun’s request to study it, given that he had already mastered techniques like the Imperial Sword Form.
Namgung Baek, the pavilion master, seemed intrigued.
“Are you planning to learn Celestial Thunder Qi? I’ve heard that your proficiency in Qi arts is extraordinary, so this might not be particularly useful to you.”
“Oh, I’m not planning to master it. I’m just using it as a reference to create a new Qi art.”
“…!”
Namgung Baek’s face lit up, and he laughed heartily.
“In that case, why not take it back to your room? In fact, is there anything else you need? Any manuals at all?”
The creator of the Thunderblade Heart Arts and Thirteen Blades of Thunderstrike stood before him. What remarkable martial art would he create this time?
Imagining the honor of housing another masterpiece in the pavilion, Namgung Baek could barely contain his excitement, though he managed to maintain his composure.
“No, I’m fine. I’ve already seen enough.”
In less than five minutes, Seo-jun had completely absorbed the contents of Celestial Thunder Qi and left the pavilion.
Namgung Baek, wearing a bittersweet expression, saw him off.
Three days later.
“Hooh…!”
Namgung Baek, now in his private quarters, roared in excitement as he reviewed the new martial art Seo-jun had created.
The Namgung Clan was once again turned upside down.