Chapter 227: Chapter 227

Heaven’s Realm

Master Myung-ryong instructed me to practice the Six Harmonies Sword Technique until my internal energy was completely drained!

Naturally, I felt dumbfounded since I had never even thought about such a training method before.

“Why should I do that?”

Upon my question, Master Myung-ryong gazed at me thoughtfully before answering,

“What do you think are the characteristics of your martial arts?”

“Well, it’s a blend of the Thunder God Lineage’s martial arts and the Wudang Sect’s Ultimate Technique…”

“No. From my perspective, it seems there’s a mix of several other styles as well. You also have a fair amount of Mysterious Energy mixed in, and you occasionally utilize key points from other martial arts. Am I wrong?”

“……”

“Your style is quite jumbled. Unless you’re a master of the Thunder God Lineage or the Wudang Sect, it’s hard to classify you under one single faction.”

Hearing his words hit me like a lightning bolt. After all, I had indeed been integrating the secrets of Yeodongbin’sHeavenly Escape Sword Technique and combined various spear and fist techniques into my swordsmanship. Master Myung-ryong continued,

“Of course, there’s no major problem, but your martial arts have many coexisting roots rather than a singular flow. Can you accurately separate the Thunder God Lineage and Wudang Sect’s techniques in your martial arts? Do you understand their origins perfectly?”

“… No.”

“If your talent were exceptional, this wouldn’t be an issue. But since your talent is lagging, this characteristic is tying down your achievements.”

Master Myung-ryong said,

“The reason you can’t comprehend the Sword Mastery is not some other issue. It’s because the mixed memories of various martial arts are dispersing your enlightenment, preventing you from clearly distinguishing between Qi and Intent. The chaotic styles are a major obstacle to taking that massive leap forward.”

“What should I do then?”

“I just told you, didn’t I? Execute the Six Harmonies Sword Technique.”

His eyes glinted ominously.

“What you learned first in this life was the Six Harmonies Sword Technique! You need to tap into your body’s memory and purge your distractions to grasp Intent in a state where your internal energy is completely exhausted. Thankfully, the Six Harmonies Sword Technique is the simplest, so it’s perfect for this extreme training.”

“……”

“Once you eliminate distractions and forget the techniques, you will realize Sword Mastery.”

I understood the theory.

And in light of my martial arts experience, I recognized that Master Myung-ryong’s theory was quite valid and even persuasive.

‘This… is terrifying.’

But I shuddered at the realization of just how grueling the training process would be.

What is Hell Training, after all?

As the name suggests, it’s training that feels like falling into the depths of hell. It’s common for ordinary people to end up dead after enduring Hell Training.

In the past, I had undergone a month-long Hell Training with the Sword Demon, where I vomited treasure, fainted, and cried tears of dizziness and headache. Even seasoned martial artists would typically run for the hills after just a few days due to the agony involved. You end up so exhausted that your muscles feel like they’re about to give out, yet you must get back up and keep going.

And now, I was expected to endure that kind of process until an uncertain limit?

In a state of complete exhaustion, my physical stamina would dwindle even faster, leaving me to face the overwhelming fatigue and pain that enveloped my body directly. The sheer devastation of that torment is beyond mere words. One cannot understand unless they’ve heard their muscles scream, begging them to collapse and die.

Master Myung-ryong chuckled softly.

“Don’t blame me. Originally, Sword Mastery

is something learned gradually through the realization of Intent, but since your understanding is lacking, I have no choice but to prescribe this special method. You’ll have to endure it.”

“… Is there really no other way?”

“Well, you could swing your sword mindlessly for about a hundred years.”

No matter what, I couldn’t just swing a sword for a hundred years. Gritting my teeth, I finally responded,

“I’ll do it.”

What other choice did I have— dying was better than nothing. The excuse of dying doesn’t hold any ground now. But I had a reason to endure pain worse than death, so I decided to take on the challenge.

After receiving the Ground-impact Technique, I began my focused Hell Training under Master Myung-ryong.

On the first day, I had a nosebleed.

“Ugh.”

“What’s wrong? Did you think you could unleash the Six Harmonies Sword Technique without consuming internal energy?”

Master Myung-ryong’s mocking voice came from beside me.

“You know that’s not the case!”

He was right. If I swung it normally without adding any power, I could practice the Six Harmonies Sword Technique all day without exhausting myself. But now, I was infusing my Thunder Shadow into the technique and rapidly draining my internal energy, pouring tremendous power into each simple stance of the Six Harmonies Sword Technique. At this rate, it was only a matter of moments before my stamina and internal energy were completely depleted.

Wiping my blood from my nose as I slumped down, Master Myung-ryong said,

“It’ll take some time to recover alone, so I’ll help.”

Fwoosh!

“……!!”

As Master Myung-ryong approached and placed a hand on my shoulder, I felt an immediate surge of energy flowing back into me at an astonishing rate! Astonished, I turned to look at him, and he simply smiled.

“It’s the power of the Unlimited Divine Art from the Wudang Sect. It accelerates recovery.”

“This… this is…”

I was left speechless. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

What incredible recovery speed!

No matter how immense my internal energy was and how rapidly I could heal on my own, the stimulation from the Unlimited Divine Art surpassed my imagination. Within less than half a moment, I felt over half of my total internal energy replenished!

Suddenly, a sense of dread filled me.

‘What? With just the Mysterious Energy of the Heavenly Divine Technique, I could create Baek Woong Gyeol by merging it with the Thunder God Lineage’s martial arts… but are you telling me there’s even more extraordinary internal energy in the Wudang Sect than the Heavenly Divine Technique?’

It could very well be the True Sect Mastery!

While the destructive power might falter compared to others, the Mysterious Energy, versatility, and potential for growth within the Wudang Sect’s internal arts were indeed equivalent! The claim that the Wudang Sect’s techniques are unparalleled in the world is not mere exaggeration.

After about a meal’s time, I was finally able to rise again and resumed training. Master Myung-ryong crossed his arms and observed me, stating,

“Focus now. You haven’t even begun.”

“Yes.”

“You think too many variables when you execute each technique. The influence of your years of training is applied directly to your execution, causing it to be slow. And since it’s a method of moving Qi, not Intent, it drags you further away from achieving Sword Mastery.”

He raised his index finger.

“First! While executing the simple Six Harmonies Sword Technique, focus solely on one thing: infusing your own Intent

into the sword’s edge!”

“Yes!”

Infusing one’s Intent into the sword’s tip!

Infusing one’s Intent into the sword’s tip!

I reiterated this mantra in my mind as I immersed myself in the Six Harmonies Sword Technique.

Suddenly, I had a thought.

‘This Six Harmonies Sword Technique won’t leave me even if I die or live!’

Could I have imagined that I would end up training the technique with such fervor now? What a tiresome connection this is. But since this is the path to strength, there’s no escaping it. After nearly half a century of practice, it eventually became second nature.

After my training with Master Myung-ryong concluded, I hurried over to learn the essence of the Ground-impact Technique from the Sword Demon. He looked at me, drenched in sweat and utterly disheveled, and said,

“There’s a stream nearby. Go wash yourself.”

“My apologies.”

After I washed up and returned, the Sword Demon remarked,

“I didn’t expect it to be this brutal… we might need to adjust the schedule.”

“Excuse me?”

“Just for today, you’ll take it easy. Starting tomorrow, you’ll train with Master Myung-ryong all day.”

“……!!”

The Sword Demon shook his head.

“At this rate, trying to impart the secrets of the Ground-impact Technique would be counterproductive.”

His words were indeed reasonable.

But inwardly, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of regret.

‘Is it because I might not achieve Sword Mastery in time that I’m learning the practical Ground-impact Technique so late?’

I felt like I was missing out on a great opportunity.

As I made a dissatisfied face, the Sword Demon chuckled heartily.

“You seem pretty drained, so let me hit you with some motivation. Do you know how much of an advantage someone with Sword Mastery has over someone without?”

“I’m not sure…”

The masters of Strong Qi I had encountered had all been far beyond my capabilities as opponents, so I lacked the capacity to even make a comparative analysis of Strong Qi’s power. My ignorance played a part in this as well.

The Sword Demon replied,

“Once you can utilize Strong Qi, your attack power multiplies several fold.”

“Uh-huh…”

“Regardless, Strong Qi is also a manifestation of Intent. It simply boasts excellent efficiency and remarkable performance as a Mind Technique.”

Suddenly, something clicked in my mind, and I asked,

“If Sword Mastery is a form of Mind Technique, then what allows me to manifest it with extreme effort?”

The Sword Demon shrugged.

“Think simply. If you shape Sword Mastery using Intent, you get 100 power for 1 effort; use internal energy, and it remains 100 power for 100 effort. It’s just a matter of efficiency.”

“……”

“Of course, there may be deviations based on the characteristics of the martial arts or internal energy you’ve learned…”

With that heavy remark, the Sword Demon added,

“One thing is certain: if you want to defeat Lee Kwang, you must master Sword Mastery.”

He understood my inner thoughts. I nodded without hesitation.

“That’s true.”

“Lee Kwang doesn’t just generate Strong Qi with a spear; he can also utilize Mind Techniques, special attacks, and even freely manipulate the visceral realm of the mind. I wouldn’t be able to determine a winner either if I fought him…”

My face grew heavy.

Such realizations were a given, even without him saying them. After observing for decades, I understood all too well. There aren’t many experts in the realm who could defeat Lee Kwang!

Even my current martial arts could easily dispatch most peak experts, but whether I could endure even Lee Kwang’s most earnest attacks for over a hundred seconds remained uncertain. He merely disguised himself as a military officer while being a transcendent master capable of casually roaming the world.

‘But I will defeat him. I will hit him with the ultimate blow!’

Thus, I was able to withstand the tortures of Hell Training. I believed that as I slowly built my strength, I would eventually reach my goal.

At the very least, I needed to reach a level where I could counter Lee Kwang’sThunder-Dragon Strike with my Sword Mastery! If not, then there was no way I could even step onto that battlefield against him. As my eyes determinedly met that goal, the Sword Demon said,

“Stay strong.”

He chuckled heartily.

“This too shall pass!”

This too would pass.

In his words, I felt a twitch of comfort. Regardless of how immense the pain and despair might be, it is ultimately just a fleeting moment in the grand flow of life. His words provided hope far more significant than any others I had encountered, as though they were spoken for the sake of my past life!

And so, the next day, I engaged in a cycle of near-death as I repeated the Six Harmonies Sword Technique again and again.

“AAAAAAAH!!”

Letting out a scream, I collapsed after my fiftieth attempt, completely exhausted. Tears and snot poured down my face, and the taste of Divine Artifact was bitter on my tongue. My body was screaming that it had reached its limit.

‘This is madness!!’

Comparing this to the time I had to perform a hundred thousand slashes seemed laughably trivial, but in another light, it meant I had completely exhausted my internal energy and stamina fifty times. No warrior in this world would go through such consumption and recovery in a single day!

And this monumental recovery count was only made possible through Master Myung-ryong’sUnlimited Divine Art. As he rejuvenated my stamina and internal energy, Master Myung-ryong chuckled.

“Ever heard of Super Recovery?”

“……”

Unable to respond from my spot on the ground, I received further exposition from him.

“You know, muscles often become stronger once they recover after extreme exertion, right? I personally call this Super Recovery. It’s known to apply to overall stamina—not just muscles.”

“……”

I had no energy left to answer.

“Of course, it may not apply well to you as a master of internal energy since your body instinctively uses Qi to protect itself before your muscles reach critical exhaustion. But I believe this Super Recovery can also extend to abstract martial experience.”

“What… are you saying…?”

“By consistently repeating the cycle of using up everything to the brink of death and just barely clinging to life, I theorize that one’s martial arts will improve regardless of talent or understanding!”

In that moment, I was flabbergasted.

Could it be he threw me into this endless cycle of torturous consumption based on that one theory? If I were to fail, I might lose my body, or worse, truly die?! No matter how confident he was in his Unlimited Divine Art ability to recover me, that seemed too unreasonable!

Master Myung-ryong wore a particularly wicked grin.

“Now it’s fifty times.”

I managed to lift my head to respond.

“W-What exactly are you asking me to do, making me repeat this madness…?”

Despite my mental preparations, my voice trembled.

The fatigue I had felt thus far was akin to the exhaustion I experienced when crossing the Arctic for the first time. In other words, I would rather run across the Arctic than endure this hellish training!

As I murmured in despair, Master Myung-ryong said,

“Hm… I’m not entirely sure either. But I mean, no matter how dull-witted you are, you’ll find a way to succeed after about a thousand tries, right? That much should be somewhere in your capabilities?”

“……!!”

Despite having experienced countless deaths, his words sent chills down my spine.

“Now, let’s get started!”