“What?”
Lee Sungmin was a little surprised by Heoju’s question, because he never expected to hear the suggestion of talking to Wijihoyeon.
Heoju clicked his tongue as if he knew Lee Sungmin would react that way.
[Through your previous experiences that you’ve told me, haven’t you reached out to her in the past and helped you with your Nine Heavenly Spear techniques?]
“… Yes, she did.”
[But have you ever thought about what comes after those feelings of admiration? Don’t try to fool me since you know I’m connected to your conscience and can experience your thoughts and emotions. I know you’ve been feeling like talking to her about more than just advice.]
Lee Sungmin shut up. Heoju ignored Lee Sungmin’s silence and continued to talk.
[You call her your friend but, I’m not so sure that’s all you notice about her…I think you feel much more than just some simple friendship. You haven’t thought too much about what would happen after you defeated her, have you?]
What Heoju had said was undeniably true. That’s why Sima Ryunju was irritated with Lee Sungmin’s reluctant answer at wanting to defeat Wijihoyeon. Inside, Lee Sungmin did not want to face the emotions he would have had to deal with, when he defeated Wijihoyeon.
[Your feelings are contradictory to your actions. You were serious about wanting to defeat Wijihoyeon but, at the same time, did not want to ruin the relationship between you two. It’s like you didn’t even want to be stronger because you want to stay close to her.]
“So what?”
[Even if you did not wish for it to change, you are now at the same level as the Minor Heavenly Demon, no even stronger than her. The relationship is bound to change, whether you like it or not.]
“It doesn’t have to change.”
[No, it’s going to change. I’m sure that’s what she thinks as well.]
“Don’t say weird things.”
[Do you honestly think it’s so weird?…heheh!]
Heoju giggled maniacally and Lee Sungmin felt disturbed by it.
Lee Sungmin turned away, ignoring Heoju. He needed to find a place in the forest to rest at.
[You see, whenever you think of the Minor Heavenly Demon, this old man can sense a feeling closer to affection rather than simple friendship.]
“No.”
[It sounds like you’re complaining about my words hitting you like a blunt knife.]
Lee Sungmin couldn’t take it any longer, he decided he needed to find a toilet somewhere.
He didn’t know if fairies had bowel movements, but if they didn’t, he could simply find a bowl and shit in it, and later bound Heoju to that bowl of shit.
[Sorry.]
Heoju immediately delivered an apology.
After the fight, Lee Sungmin had been searching around in the Forest in search of Wijihoyeon.
However, no matter how hard he searched the forest, he couldn’t seem to find Wijihoyeon.
There was no indication that Wijihoyeon had left, since the fairies in the air had constantly whispered to one other around Lee Sungmin, talking about her.
[I guess she doesn’t want to see you.]
Heoju giggled and spoke out with a childish laughter, but stopped his childish antics, the second Lee Sungmin brought up the thought of a toilet.
During that week of isolation after the spar, Lee Sungmin practiced with his Nine Heavenly Spear techniques as much as possible.
Still, there was little sense of acceptance and joy about the victory. However, in the process of processing and reviewing the battle, Lee Sungmin had no choice but to admit certain facts about himself.
‘It could have been easier to win.’
If he had started the fight with his auxiliary magic from the start- no, if he had started without hiding any of his martial art techniques as well as the auxiliary magic from the start, it would have been much easier to win.
His Nine Heavenly Spear techniques were rendered more or less ineffective on their own, but when he combined them with his Blood Ring techniques, there was a much different outcome.
If he had used his higher numbered moves in the Nine Heavenly Spear techniques earlier on as well, it would have been a much easier fight.
But he had no regrets whatsoever, since if he used the 8th or even 9th move earlier on in the battle, it was highly possible he could have killed Wijihoyeon.
Well… he wasn’t entirely sure whether it would be a fatal wound or instant death, but nonetheless, it would have done him better in upcoming fights in the future, to not hold back or underestimate his opponents.
“Are you meditating?”
Woosh-
A current of air blew behind his back, and Sima Ryunju’s voice was heard.
Sima Ryunju, who had appeared through a dark current of space through his Dark Storm Martial Arts, stood behind Lee Sungmin.
“Are you back?”
Lee Sungmin lifted up his sitting body. This time again, Sima Ryunju was covering his face with a mask, a colorful one that was a pleasant sight. Still, to this moment it was unknown what Sima Ryunju’s true face looked like.
“I realized something as I looked in depth at your martial art manuals.”
Sima Ryunju opened his mouth and continued to speak.
“You’re stronger than I originally believed. If you had fought to kill the Minor Heavenly Demon in the first place, you could have done so rather easily.”
“But I had no intention of killing her.”
“Right. It’s harder to control your strength rather than to kill. I don’t mean to blame you at all. Or rather, it was fun to watch in the first place.”
Lee Sungmin could hear a laugh from the inside of the mask.
“It’s my first time teaching someone, but I like your disposition and values quite a bit.”
Sima Ryunju hesitated and then continued to speak,
“That’s why I will do my best to guide you. Since you’re my only disciple, you should have the ability to follow appropriately.”
“……As you may know, I’m not very talented. Even if you do your best to guide me, I’m still bound to be worried if my progress will be adequate enough to your standards.”
“It’s all right to think so.”
Sima Ryunju answered immediately.
“Your lack of talent is a fact that I already know of, and I still accepted you despite knowing.”
“And….”
Lee Sungmin nervously looked toward Sima Ryunju. This matter of becoming a disciple had been worrying him the entire week while he reviewed his fight with Wijihoyeon and trained.
“I’m…… I’m not sure if I’ll be able to learn the Dark Storm Martial Arts. Are there other martial art techniques I can learn instead? I don’t have the confidence to learn or even utilize it well.”
“Quit saying meaningless things.”
Lee Sungmin tried to word it politely, without sounding like a defeatist, but Sima Ryunju cut him short and laughed at Lee Sungmin’s childish behavior.
“Learning high-level martial arts won’t make me stronger than I am now, will it? Rather than wearing clothes that don’t fit…….”
“Stop.”
Sima Ryunju cut off Lee Sungmin’s words once more and approached him.
“The martial arts you’ve used up until now are like children’s toys.”
“……Huh?”
“Let me make this clear then. The techniques that you have been using up till now, have been high enough level for you to fight others that are weaker than you or near your level, but the Nine Heavenly Spear techniques, your cultivation method, the Blood Rings Martial arts have not been full created with the Realm of Transcendence in mind.”
“What the hell does that mean…?”
“Those techniques are strong, but they are not enough as they are alone for you to grow, now that you have transcended your human limits.”
Sima Ryunju grinned.
“You’ll be lucky to survive in the future with these techniques alone. Most techniques that are practiced by other Transcendents, are techniques that have been used and passed down from other Transcendent level martial artists. But….”
Sima Ryunju paused and scanned Lee Sungmin up and down.
“……It will take hundreds of years for you to invent a martial art that will encapsulate the Realm of Transcendence into your current techniques with your current level of talent.”
Lee Sungmin could not refute Sima Ryunju’s words because they contained the bitter truth. Sima Ryunju examined Lee Sungmin’s silence and continued to speak.
“That’s why we need to find you a technique that will properly fit and suit your growth in order to succeed to higher realms and greater strength.”
Sima Ryunju put his hand in the arms of his robe and pulled something out. What he took out was a thick book, and the cover said ‘Self-Created breathing Technique of the Order’.
“First of all, learn how to discern the pathways and circulation of this technique. I have added the pre-existing cultivation, breathing method and flow of your current technique to suppress the dominance of the inhuman side of you. I’ve also tailored it specifically for you with the Dark Storm Arts in mind to help serve as the foundation for your new path. It may be quite tiresome, but it must be memorized. For this, I suggest you try and reduce your sleep as much as possible until you have memorized the flow of the internal energy within this technique.”
Sima Ryunju then threw the book at Lee Sungmin and Lee Sungmin caught it out of the air. Lee Sungmin looked at the book’s cover once more and then asked a question.
“Is it really so great of a technique for me if you, who wrote it, don’t use a spear or struggle with the balance of your humanity?”
“Do you even know the full extent of my strength? You may be in the Realm of Transcendence but I doubt you can truly perceive my level.”
“……I know. I’ve tried and I can’t tell. I’ve never even created a technique myself but, I can’t help but have doubts about it.”
“It’s probably because of all the hand-holding you’ve received up till now without proper guidance. If you don’t fully understand the importance of it, try to think about why the Minor Heavenly Demon had to create a new technique to fight against you while using the powers of a transcendent. Do you think she just made that technique in hindsight to her spar against you? Or do you think, even as a genius, she knew that she would face much stronger opponents in the future and had to adapt?”
Sima Ryunju asked Lee Sungmin the introspective questions while maintaining a playful tone.
Although he was wearing a ridiculous mask, Sima Ryunju, who was talking to him and asking him these investigative questions that Lee Sungmin had been avoiding asking himself, was still the strongest and most daunting martial artist that Lee Sungmin had ever met. He could not even fathom Sima Ryunju’s true strength or knowledge.
“The basis of martial arts is using the body of one while maintaining a steady breath to circulate one’s own internal energy to pull off feats that escape the limits of their bodies. However, transcending those limits as a human means that you have already transcended your human limits with just your body, and need to practice with powers that defy common logic and interfere with the very space around one’s self with that body. Martial Arts for these kinds of people, like yourself, are something that normal people cannot even fathom or afford to think within the box of common standards or logic.”
Lee Sungmin nodded his head with a blank expression. What Sima Ryunju had just said, made plenty of sense and answered numerous questions Lee Sungmin never truly looked into, even in the Trial of Time.
“It’s hard to understand…… yes. Think of it as humans learning to fly. Humans have attempted to create methods to fly for several millennia, but they don’t truly know or perceive how a bird-like creature flies from their absence of experience. Transcending your limits is like being that human who suddenly acquired wings and needs to learn how to use them to fly properly.”
Sima Ryunju raised his hand and pointed to the self-created technique manual, held in Lee Sungmin’s hand.
“That’s why you have to relearn all of the basics from scratch. Don’t protest and complain, and simply focus on learning. Perhaps…… there will be no need for the help of this old man in order for you to master the breathing technique. You’ve already entered the Realm of Transcendence, and as you’ve reached that point, you’ve already established some familiarity with how the inner workings of your body work. Moreover, since you are not having to create a technique from scratch but being taught the technique second-hand, it should be much easier.”
“I understand.”
“So get used to that mentality that you are already beyond normal standards, and humble yourself to learn a new set of tools like that technique. Only a bare few have reached where you are, and almost all martial artists in Eria, have not even reached where the level of you are at right now. First, let’s do the most basic exercises and work from there, afterwards we’ll start to work on the more complex teachings and forms I have yet to show you.”
Sima Ryunju finished his words and then disappeared through the dark void of lightning once again. This time, he had disappeared whilst leaving Lee Sungmin with a proper explanation.
Lee Sungmin knew that Sima Ryunju was used to leaving him abruptly, but this time he knew that Sima Ryunju had prepared him everything he needed with proper explanation as well. So, Lee Sungmin sat down cross-legged once more, and opened his booklet containing the new technique he would learn with a serious expression.
After taking a long time to read the booklet carefully to the end, Lee Sungmin sighed.
As he read through the technique carefully and the notes explained and added by Sima Ryunju, he understood that not all techniques used by Transcendent Realm Martial Artists were of the same caliber.
Learning the technique itself might not be difficult for Lee Sungmin thanks to the added help of the booklet and notes from Sima Ryunju, but actually using the technique, was completely different from using it.
[Would you like to start?]
After hearing Heoju’s suggestive remark, Lee Sungmin immediately opened his eyes from his seated position and his internal energy roared to life within his dantian. Then, to maintain his concentration, Lee Sungmin took a deep breath and started to regulate his breathing in a practiced manner.
The improved cultivation technique from Sima Ryunju, started to circulate his internal energy and mix it efficiently with the power sourced from Heoju, deep within his dantian as his internal circuits churned with might.
Ssssss!
Lee Sungmin heard a sound within his body of his internal circuitry whirring to life like a steam engine.
His main internal circuits had widened, and he had expanded the minor ones and branched out his internal energy in more detail across his body, as his body was starting to access his dantian in a renewed vigor.
His blood vessels started to palpitate healthily and his body started to feel as if he was tapping into a vast reservoir of power within himself, that he had never had as much access to in the past. Lee Sungmin’s irises glistened, and he exclaimed suddenly at the rejuvenating feeling.
Lee Sungmin hurriedly raised himself up because he felt that it was not enough to simply circulate his internal energy and regulate his breathing without being able to apply it into his martial arts.
Wuuuooonng!
In an instant, a coating of his internal energy wrapped around his body in a sleek but thick barrier. However, there was something fundamentally different. His purple and golden energy that frightened almost all the practitioners he had met before, had a renewed gleam to it, as well as a black current of lightning tendrils coursing throughout the air around his body, due to the Dark Storm Martial Arts.
Lee Sungmin held the spear with both hands and gripped it tightly, coalescing the energy into the shaft of the orichalcum spear.
He could instinctively feel it.
In an instant, a strong energy swirled and gushed around the spear .
It was much faster than before, and did not feel like he was creating a loose coating around it like before with his prior efficiency.
The new circulation technique drove Lee Sungmin’s heart to pound with excitement.
He could tell that with these slight modifications it was an entirely different technique altogether. The improvement was so significant, that he would be able to achieve new heights he had never imagined possible.
Until nightfall, Lee Sungmin practiced the technique with his spear with newfound excitement.
Lee Sungmin was not going to be in too much of a hurry though to master it, even though he was going to practice for most of the night.
He recalled the reaction from Oslo, and was seriously having doubts about some things. He was mostly concerned about himself being this so-called ‘Apostle of the Apocalypse’. And if he was, who was the entity known as the ‘Apocalypse’ and what was their motive for interfering with Lee Sungmin, for good or bad.
As Heoju had mentioned earlier, Lee Sungmin was going to be faithful to what he had to do right now in the present, rather than thinking about the distant future that he wasn’t even sure would come to fruition.
“That technique.”
Right as Lee Sungmin was about to finish up his practice for the night, and was wiping off the sweat from his forehead, he heard a voice from behind him.
“It’s the cultivation technique that Sima Ryunju gave you, right?”
Wijohoyeon stood underneath the tree nearest to Lee Sungmin, staring at him.