Seo Jinha spent an entire day without sleep, constantly immersed in meditation.
Because he had been living back and forth between the identities of Bu Eunseol and Seon Woojin until now, he needed time to adapt to his original self.
“I am neither Bu Eunseol nor Seon Woojin.”
Originally, Seo Jinha’s ultimate technique was poison arts.
The poison arts of the Hell's Blood Fortress did not cause any ill effects to the body even if one became a Poison Man; one could nurture and operate poison energy like internal energy without consuming large amounts of poison. He was able to climb step-by-step toward the realm of the Saint of All Poisons.
However, as he mastered the vacuum martial arts to become the shadow of Bu Eunseol, his poison arts could no longer progress.
“Actually, I wanted to be a swordsman.”
Seo Jinha looked toward the distant sky.
“Like my father.”
Although his father never met a good master, he steadily developed the Cloud-Gathering Swordsmanship, a second-rate martial art. Eventually, he became skilled enough to face peak masters.
However, he accidentally ended up in a duel with the righteous sword hero, Gu Jawon, and his knee cartilage was damaged as a result.
No, it wasn't just damaged; it was removed through a vicious method. Gu Jawon felt that Seo Muwung’s martial talent was extraordinary, and after defeating him, he intentionally removed his knee cartilage. Seo Muwung, with his cartilage gone, found it difficult to sit, stand, or run, and suffered from extreme pain and inflammation whenever he moved.
Ultimately, after that day, he retired from the martial world and opened a small martial arts hall in a village. Knowing these facts, Seo Jinha hoped to carry on his father's unfulfilled dream—the desire to dominate the martial world with a single sword.
“Only the chosen ones can command the martial world with the sword and blade.”
That was what Jeok Yahon, the Vice Lord of the Hell's Blood Fortress, told him back when he selected Seo Jinha to be a member of the Ten Demon Warriors. Although Seo Jinha had practiced sword techniques without rest since childhood, his skills were quickly overtaken even by Bu Eunseol, who had not properly learned martial arts at the time.
From then on, Seo Jinha could feel it. He knew Jeok Yahon’s words were not wrong.
“I truly have no talent for the sword.”
No matter how hard he practiced, the limits were clearly visible. When Bu Eunseol first taught him the Supreme Heavenly Flow, his sword achievements were not much different from his own. But now, as time passed, a gap as wide as heaven and earth had formed between them.
“No matter how hard I try, I probably can't become a master who commands the world with a sword.”
The reason the sword became the primary weapon of the strong was not because of its great power or any specific advantage. The sword is weaker than a blade and has a shorter reach than a spear. It lacks the destructive power of heavy weapons like axes or hammers. It cannot match the freedom and versatility of whips or poles, and it lacks the solidity of a shield.
Yet, there was only one reason why the world's strongest chose the sword.
If one has outstanding talent, they can take the advantages of all those weapons with a single sword. Furthermore, upon reaching a higher realm, one can transcend even the limitations of the sword as a weapon. This is precisely why masters who claim invincibility always use a sword or even fight bare-handed.
“But I will seek revenge with a sword.”
Seo Jinha looked at the sword tied to his waist.
“With my father’s Cloud-Gathering Swordsmanship.”
It didn't matter if he couldn't command the world. His father wanted him to hold a sword... so he wanted to take his revenge with a sword, no matter what.
‘Father had talent, but he learned martial arts too late and never met a good master.’
His father was said to have accidentally obtained the secret manual of the Drunken Sword Gate and learned internal energy and sword techniques only after turning twenty.
‘Even so, father won against masters who were a level higher.’
Combat is not a ranking of martial arts realms. In a life-or-death battle where lives are on the line, one can lose to an enemy a level below or win against a master a level above. Whatever method is used, one just needs to kill the enemy and survive.
Moreover, if one is prepared for a mutual certain death, they can sufficiently face an enemy several levels stronger.
* * *
Another ten days passed.
During that time, he calmed his troubled heart and developed his sword techniques to a somewhat satisfying degree.
But it was as expected. He could not defeat Yeop Jeokhwa just by practicing sword techniques. Even if he practiced here for ten years, the result would be the same.
“In the end, is a mutual certain death the only way?”
Actually, he had known from the beginning. This was the only way. The reason he prepared the large wooden box in the straw hut was to practice the Broken Sword Flight, a self-destructive sword art that was a legendary mutual-death technique and an absolute taboo in the martial world.
However, to leave no lingering regrets, he practiced one more time without hesitation.
Seo Jinha opened the wooden box. Inside, it was packed with small, house-shaped hidden weapons dyed red. He stepped out of the hut carrying the box. The sky was clear, and a pleasant breeze blew from somewhere. Winter had passed, and spring was arriving.
“Ah, it’s a perfect day to embed the Broken Swords.”
Looking at the distant sky, Seo Jinha picked up a red-dyed hidden weapon, a Broken Sword, from the box.
Pook!
And he began to embed them one by one into his own pressure points. Since he was a Poison Man who had mastered the poison arts of the Hell's Blood Fortress, he could devastate the surroundings for dozens of yards using a technique like the Soul-Scattering Poison.
However, that alone could not perfectly kill Yeop Jeokhwa. Therefore, he intended to simultaneously unfold the ultimate secret art of Annihilation, the Broken Sword Flight, which involves embedding a million hidden weapons into one's body and firing them.
“With this technique, no matter how great a master Yeop Jeokhwa is, he won't be able to stop it.”
Again, Seo Jinha continuously embedded the Broken Swords into his pressure points. At one point, he thought, ‘Should I just stay here and practice until my martial arts improve?’
But only after practicing the Cloud-Gathering Swordsmanship this time did he realize... that it would take at least ten more years to kill Yeop Jeokhwa with a sword.
“Of course, ten years isn't necessarily a long time, but...”
Even though he knew the identity and location of the culprit, practicing martial arts for ten years was too painful. Therefore, Seo Jinha intended to master the self-destructive secret art that could kill Yeop Jeokhwa in a short time and go to hell with him.
“Urgh.”
Every time he embedded a Broken Sword, his mind grew faint and his vision blurred.
The Broken Sword Flight was a technique of bizarre and evil nature that transcended common sense. It could only be performed by someone with at least five cycles of internal energy, and it was a cruel technique where one personally embeds pea-sized hidden weapons—Broken Swords—into their own pressure points and detonates them.
In short, it was a self-destructive secret art where a master at a level capable of being a regional lord throws away their life... so the history of the Broken Sword Flight being used in the martial world was extremely rare. Usually, one would use medicine to dull the pain while practicing the Broken Sword Flight, but Seo Jinha was embedding the Broken Swords into his pressure points while completely conscious.
“Huu, huu.”
Red resentment flowed from the eyes of Seo Jinha, who was bleeding all over his body while inserting the swords. Now, with just one more, the Broken Sword Flight would be complete. With that, the perfect preparation to kill Yeop Jeokhwa would be finished.
Swoosh.
Finally, the moment he tried to embed the last sword into his dantian—
Whish!
Suddenly, the Broken Sword he held in his hand soared into the air.
Crackle, pop!
At the same time, it turned into gray powder and scattered into the air.
Seo Jinha had a dazed expression.
The Broken Swords were made of a mixture of five-colored gold and blood-jade stone, taking six months to manufacture. Furthermore, if a hundred and eight of them were not embedded consecutively within fifteen minutes, the great law would immediately fail.
Since one was now destroyed, he would need at least six months to perform the Broken Sword Flight again.
“Who is it!”
He had fought numerous battles and was a new generation master who had entered the beginning stages of the Supreme Heavenly Realm.
How could he stand there dazed while his hidden weapon was snatched by someone who hadn't even shown themselves? Just who could demonstrate such terrifying god-like skill?
Kwareung!
At that moment, with a sound like thunder, a figure dressed in black descended from the air like a heavenly god.
“Bu Eunseol?”
Seo Jinha’s mouth hung open.
To think that the person who snatched and crushed the Broken Sword was none other than Bu Eunseol.
‘His martial arts have improved even more in the meantime.’
Bu Eunseol arrived at the scene long after he had already crushed the Broken Sword. In other words, he had not only seen Seo Jinha embedding the hidden weapons from miles away, but he had also used his power from that great distance to crush the sword in Seo Jinha's hand. From Seo Jinha’s perspective, this god-like skill felt like an ability used by an immortal in a legend.
“How are you here...”
Seo Jinha couldn't finish his sentence. This was because the gaze firing from the pair of red eyes was filled with fury.
“Your leave is over.”
“What?” Seo Jinha remarked with a bit of a joke. “It hasn't even been a month yet.”
“I ended it with my authority.”
Bu Eunseol stared intently at Seo Jinha and said solemnly, “Circumstances were captured showing that you used the Death Spirit Corps’s information network personally for a long time.”
“You are a heartless superior.”
Seo Jinha shook his head.
“But this time, I can't help it.”
Unlike his usual self, Seo Jinha’s eyes were infinitely lonely and filled with silence.
“Because I’ve already decided.”
“Even if you use the Broken Sword Flight, you cannot kill the Sect Leader of the Hundred Swords Sect.”
“As expected, you came knowing everything.”
Seo Jinha wore a bitter expression.
“I thought it was impossible to completely deceive you from the start.”
“It is nothing special,” Bu Eunseol said calmly. “As a superior, I must naturally understand everything about the subordinates who entrust me with their lives.”
Bu Eunseol understood the detailed history and circumstances of not only Seo Jinha but also the leaders of the Death Shadow Corps, including Yoo Unryong and Myo Cheonwoo, as well as each member.
If his subordinates were to go wrong, he would have to fulfill the goals or grudges they left unachieved. That was the duty that must be performed as a superior who holds the lives of his subordinates.
“I appreciate the sentiment, but this is my personal business. I have no intention of borrowing anyone's hand.”
“I won't lend it.”
“Huh?”
“Do it yourself,” Bu Eunseol said in a low voice. “I am just telling you that the Broken Sword Flight will not work.”
When one reaches a stable Supreme Heavenly Realm, they can think and move about five times faster than ordinary martial artists. However, since Seo Jinha was only looking toward the beginning of the Supreme Heavenly Realm, he would not be able to divide time as finely as Yeop Jeokhwa. Even if he used a more vicious method than the Broken Sword Flight, it would be useless.
“I already know. That there is a large time difference in thought and action.”
Seo Jinha said firmly, “I will take that into account when I perform it.”
“It is not just thought and action.”
Bu Eunseol spoke calmly.
“Observation, intuition, and all other abilities are amplified several times over. Furthermore, the reason a peak master is treated as a treasure of the martial world is not just because of their sharpness, but because they have the ability to detect an enemy's killing intent in advance.”
In the end, even if Seo Jinha performed the Broken Sword Flight, the Sect Leader of the Hundred Swords Sect would likely notice or avoid it.
“Even so, it doesn't matter.”
Seo Jinha shook his head.
“As you well know, a life-or-death battle is not simply a comparison of the height of one's martial arts.”
Then he said firmly, “I don't need help. Revenge will be done with my own hands.”
If the only goal was to kill Yeop Jeokhwa, he would have asked Bu Eunseol a long time ago. Bu Eunseol could have handled someone like Yeop Jeokhwa in an instant without leaving a trace. But Seo Jinha had no intention of achieving his father's long-desired revenge through someone else's hands.
“You’ve been mistaken about something for a while. I said I ended your leave with my authority,” Bu Eunseol said. “From now on, for the next fifteen days, you must receive training as a Hall Leader of the Death Shadow Corps.”
“What?”
Just as Seo Jinha was about to speak with an absurd expression—
Fwoo-shik!
Suddenly, sharp sounds of breaking air echoed from all directions. At the same time, shadows landed one by one from the air. It was none other than Myo Cheonwoo and Yoo Unryong, and Do Cheonlin, who is the Mercenary Corps Leader of the Martial Soul Society.
“You guys...”
Seo Jinha’s mouth hung open.
“Why did you come here?”
They were once members of the Ten Demon Warriors who fought with their lives on the line, and now they were colleagues gathered by the focal point that is Bu Eunseol. However, because each had a strong individuality and personality, they tended not to be overly close even though they acknowledged each other.
“Wow, you have it easy.”
Looking around the hut, Myo Cheonwoo saw the piled-up dried rations and shook his head.
“Are you already trying to act like a hidden master in seclusion?”
Then Yoo Unryong took those words.
“What hidden master? It’s so obvious this is his first time in closed-door cultivation.”
He clicked his tongue while looking at the piled-up rations.
“To live in seclusion in the mountains for a long time, you must find food yourself and make tools yourself to adapt to the environment.”
He spoke fluently, like the tactician he was.
“It is foolish to depend on limited resources that will inevitably be consumed over time.”
Then Do Cheonlin, who was standing with his arms crossed, let out a snort.
“Something has changed since I saw you on Hell Island.”
Just when one might have thought he was offering a compliment, he was laying out curses with a serious expression.
“I heard you were the Lord's shadow, so I thought you were serious and thoughtful, but you have a dazed face.”
Seo Jinha had a blank expression. What on earth were they all doing coming here in a crowd?
“What is this?”
Seo Jinha looked at Bu Eunseol with an absurd expression.
“Are you saying we’re having a Ten Demon Warriors meeting here?”
“We will do it together.”
“Revenge?”
“Training.”
Bu Eunseol said calmly, “From now on, we will grow stronger together.”
Yoo Unryong, Myo Cheonwoo, and Do Cheonlin had entered the Supreme Heavenly Realm long ago, but they had not reached a stable state. Bu Eunseol knew that, but there had been no way to help them. This was because once you reach the Supreme Heavenly Realm, you can only progress according to your own enlightenment and realizations.
However, recently, his martial arts level had risen dramatically. Through the enlightenment he gained while practicing the Hwa Wu Sword there, he had now reached a level where he could enhance the martial arts of outstanding talents like Seo Jinha.
In the meantime, he had realized that Seo Jinha’s constant personal use of the information network was for revenge, and he learned that Seo Jinha had finished preparations to take Yeop Jeokhwa to the grave with him.
Since things had turned out this way, Bu Eunseol intended to help not only Seo Jinha but also Yoo Unryong and the others raise their martial arts to enter a stable Supreme Heavenly Realm all at once.
* * *
Individuality refers to the unique personality, attitude, or way of behavior possessed by an individual or group, and it can be said to be a unique characteristic that distinguishes them from others. And this individuality is formed by the influence of acquired factors such as experience, environment, and education, as well as innate temperament.
Bu Eunseol had long placed importance on this concept of individuality. He also immediately saw through the fact that the reason the warriors of the Death Shadow Corps, who used to be called the Rootless Brigade, were ignored and could not find a place in the Majeon was because of their intense and unique individuality.
That's why he believed that they were not only strong now, but could become even stronger in the future. Having a strong individuality meant having the potential to change and grow significantly depending on the environment and experience.
“...Even so, when learning martial arts, you must eliminate all individuality and specific traits you possess.”
However, in 'martial arts training', that individuality had to be killed.
As an example, Bu Eunseol had no concept of right or wrong, no sense of belonging to a sect, and no perceptions or prejudices about martial arts. To him, martial arts were simply survival techniques he had to learn for revenge and to stay alive. Because of this perspective, he was able to adapt quickly to any situation and learn martial arts quickly.
On the other hand, Seo Jinha, Yoo Unryong, Myo Cheonwoo, and Do Cheonlin had stronger individualities than anyone else, and that was clearly revealed in their martial arts.
Even just looking at their weapons: Yoo Unryong used a Ten-Section Staff, Myo Cheonwoo used his palms, Do Cheonlin used a blade, and Seo Jinha’s actual specialty was poison arts.
In terms of personality, Yoo Unryong was meticulous but tried to solve everything with his head alone. Myo Cheonwoo was hearty but too honest. Do Cheonlin was multi-talented but cynical about everything and colder than necessary. Seo Jinha hated being old-fashioned or bound by rules, so he generally relied on improvisation during battle.
“Of course, you were able to develop as quickly as you have now because of those individualities.”
Bu Eunseol said firmly, “But now, those individualities are getting in the way.”
‘You all have outstanding individualities. That has led you to this high realm, but to reach a higher realm, you must now discard that individuality,’ was what he was saying.
‘I don't know what he's talking about.’
At Bu Eunseol’s words, all four of them smacked their lips with bitter expressions.
In fact, it was just that Bu Eunseol was building up his martial arts mastery so quickly, transcending generations. All four of them had entered the beginning of the Supreme Heavenly Realm before even reaching their thirties. In other words, they were not at all behind the development speed of the super-strong masters who were currently dominating the martial world.
“From now on, you will each start training to fill your deficiencies in different locations.”
Bu Eunseol continued his explanation.
“To kill your individualities, which can be called your weaknesses.”
They were calm words, but Seo Jinha and the others somehow felt a chill down their spines and swallowed hard. Bu Eunseol’s eyes exactly resembled the expressions of the martial arts instructors who had harshly taught the new trainees on Hell Island in the past.
An eerie and fierce energy bloomed from his eyes, which contained a frostiness.
“I will begin.”
Gulp.
Yoo Unryong and the others unconsciously swallowed their dry saliva. This was because a burning energy spread from Bu Eunseol’s entire body, and his cold voice seemed to become a sharp icicle piercing their hearts. But on the other hand, their cheeks were flushed red with excitement.
A new generation master who inherited the teachings and wisdom of the world’s greatest blade-master, and who was born with the dual bloodlines of the Baekri and True Demon families... a master with unprecedented power and internal energy.
Just what would Bu Eunseol teach them, and how great would those things be?
Thump, thump.
They stared at Bu Eunseol, clenching their fists while suppressing their pounding hearts.
No one knew at this point, that by raising Seo Jinha’s martial arts and helping him with his revenge, he would learn the hidden history of the Nangyang Pavilion and some of the secrets of the True Demon and the Three Sects... and that after that, he would end up destroying two of the Ten Demonic Sects, including the Hwa Wu Sword Sect, with his own hands.
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