Got it!
At that moment, blood spattered from Bu Eunseol's shoulder blade. The fierce rotational force of the sword cut through the flesh near his shoulder blade.
“Haah!” It was a wound so severe that an ordinary human would scream in agony, but Bu Eunseol instead let out a battle cry and unleashed his sword technique.
'Just a little more...' Having summoned the Beast Way, Bu Eunseol brought his face closer to control the spinning sword.
Swish.
The sword blade sliced past his cheek and forehead, but he paid no heed and spun his body and sword even faster.
'Just a little faster!' Bu Eunseol unleashed the Lightning form once more, and his legs began to practically spin. The rotational force passed through his waist, shoulders, arms, and fingertips.
Swish, swish.
Spinning fiercely like a top, Bu Eunseol thrust the iron sword he was holding forward with all his might.
Bang!
At that moment, a strong wind blew, and one side of the wall of the martial arts hall was completely destroyed.
Kurururur.
Along with the dust, the iron-hard wood, said to be harder than iron, was torn apart like paper, and Bu Eunseol knelt on one knee, dropping the sword.
“Ugh.” As Cheon Un-gwang uttered a groan, Bu Eunseol struggled to get up.
“I'm sorry.” Staggering to his feet, Bu Eunseol picked up the iron sword that had fallen to the ground. “I'll try again.”
A bloodthirsty glint appeared in Bu Eunseol's eyes. Even if it meant cutting off every piece of flesh on his body, he would never stop practicing sword techniques.
“Stop!” This situation had been repeating itself every day for four days.
Tired of Bu Eunseol's determination and obsession, Cheon Un-gwang waved his hand.
“You can stop now.”
“But...”
“It's okay. It seems you've already mastered the secrets of the Hwa Wu Lightning Sword.” There were two reasons why Bu Eunseol was so badly injured.
First, he couldn't control the sword as delicately and precisely as his own hands, which is “sword-hand unity.”
“The Hwa Wu Lightning Sword requires you to quickly rotate your body to alternate between the Swift Sword style and the Chain sword style. Plus, all the moves involve swinging the sword around your body, so you can't use it in real combat.” Seeing Bu Eunseol gasping for breath, drenched in blood, Cheon Un-gwang narrowed his eyes. “Yet you’re trying to use all the sword techniques in actual combat.”
The second reason.
Bu Eunseol infused every technique with a killing intent and sharpness, as if facing an enemy.
“As if you were trying to kill someone.”
Bu Eunseol, who had been gasping for breath, answered sternly. “Isn't that the purpose of sword techniques?”
“Do you carry a sword?”
“Not now.”
“Not now?”
Bu Eunseol bit his lip for a moment, then flashed a sharp look in his eyes.
“Right now, I just want to survive.”
“Hmm.” After a moment of silence, Cheon Un-gwang nodded heavily. “They said there was someone who survived alone in the Main Hall, and it was you.”
Among the trainees in Hell Island, only Bu Eunseol knew the weight of the name the Second Trial.
“Your name.” For the first time, Cheon Un-gwang was curious about the trainee's name.
“Bu Eunseol.”
“Good.” Everything was good.
Thanks to his training in the Beast Way, he possessed exceptional senses and reflexes. Moreover, he had a peculiar talent for transforming ordinary sword techniques into sharp, deadly strikes. Though his body was slender, his legs were as steady as if the sky itself couldn't shake them, and his eyes burned like the sun frozen in time.
Above all, he had an unwavering determination to master swordsmanship.
‘When in my lifetime will I ever encounter such a prodigy again?’ A fiery emotion surged within Cheon Un-gwang’s heart.
It was the desire to truly pass on the sword techniques he had mastered through his own enlightenment, rather than simply transmitting the Hwa Wu Lightning Sword as ordered by the sect.
“Hmm.” After hesitation temporarily clouded his gaze, Cheon Un-gwang opened his mouth as if he had made a decision. “You are about to walk down the wrong path.” Looking down at Bu Eunseol, who had clamped his mouth shut, he continued.
“To learn the martial arts of the Demon Sect, one must be born with a strong killing intent. However, that could be a major obstacle to learning the sword techniques of the sect.”
“I don't understand what you mean.”
“The Hwa Wu Sword is as profound and subtle as the martial arts of Shaolin. This is not only because it encompasses all the sword techniques scattered throughout the demonic arts, but also because it has abandoned the killing sword rooted in the demonic arts.”
Killing intent and killing sword.
Bu Eunseol had no idea what the difference was. Cheon Un-gwang seemed to sense this and began to explain the sword again.
“Do you know why the sword is called the ‘king of all weapons’?” Bu Eunseol had a fleeting thought but shook his head.
“I don't know.”
“It is because the sword can express all the changes and sharpness of weapons with just one blade.” Cheon Un-gwang spoke again. “What is the pinnacle of the sword? The text refers to abandoning the killing sword, which is used solely to take the enemy's life, and pursuing the ultimate way of the sword in order to reach an infinitely high realm.”
Cheon Un-gwang spoke solemnly.
“If you cannot erase the burning desire to kill from your mind, you will eventually create martial arts that harm your own body. Like the uncontrollable Hwa Wu Lightning Sword.” A self-deprecating smile appeared on his face.
Perhaps this advice was meant for himself.
“In the past, and even now, I have lived with a sword in my hand. I was unstoppable, cutting down anything that stood in my way.” His expression was calm, but pain and anguish flashed across Cheon Un-gwang's eyes. “As a result, I lost my status, my honor, and even my martial arts skills.”
In his youth, Cheon Un-gwang had been considered a candidate to succeed as the next leader of the Hwa Wu Sword Sect. However, he was unable to control his anger and murderous intent, and in the end, he had to settle for the position of deputy leader.
“The sword seems to lead one to an infinitely high realm, but in reality, it is an obstacle that blocks the path that stretches endlessly before you. From now on, you must abandon your murderous intent.” Was it because he had spoken of his past? Cheon Un-gwang's gaze, which had been as sharp as the tip of a sword, softened slightly.
Bu Eunseol, who had been listening silently, had a question.
“Martial artists hate to talk about their past.” Those were the words his grandfather, Bu Zhanyang, had once said.
Over the years, while mourning those who had died, the type of person he had seen most often was martial artists hiding their true identities.
“Why do martial artists deny their past?” After a moment, Bu Zhanyang, who had been smiling wryly, replied,
“Because the past of martial artists who live with swords is stained with sorrow and misfortune.”
At the time, Bu Eunseol did not understand those words. However, when he saw Cheon Un-gwang suffering as he spoke of his past, he suddenly understood.
‘Those who live with swords... are all filled with sorrow and misfortune…’
Perhaps that was the story of Bu Eunseol's future, who also lived with a sword.
‘Why is he telling me this story?’
Sa Woo and Jingak had sincerely passed on their martial arts skills, but they never spoke of their past. But why was Cheon Un-gwang, who was even more ruthless and filled with killing intent, telling him about his past?
“Why are you telling me this?” He asked with a puzzled expression, and Cheon Un-gwang finally answered after a long silence.
“I told you. Even the Sect Leader harbored a sword.” It was an evasive answer.
‘I can't say that your determination had ignited a fire in me, that I was so curious about how strong you would become that I was going mad.’
“And now, you have a big problem.” Cheon Un-gwang's gaze on Bu Eunseol was burning with a subtle intensity. “Even if you were to go to the upper ranks now, you wouldn’t be able to master the Hwa Wu Sword properly.”
“Why…?”
“You lack the basic foundation of martial arts.” Cheon Un-gwang had seen through Bu Eunseol’s condition.
He possessed outstanding senses, determination, and a spark of talent, but he lacked true martial arts skills and had not learned the basics of martial arts.
“Your competitors have been training in martial arts since childhood. If you were to begin learning the Hwa Wu Sword in earnest at the advanced academy, the gap would only widen further.” Cheon Un-gwang’s tone was strict, as if he were teaching a disciple.
“To bridge that gap, you must quickly master the Ascending Martial Arts and establish the foundation to learn the Hwa Wu Sword.”
Swoosh.
Cheon Un-gwang drew the sword at his waist and spoke in a low voice.
“From now on, I will teach you the Unmatched Thunderbolt.”
Unmatched Thunderbolt.
It was a unique sword technique created by Cheon Un-gwang.
Though it could not match the depth and power of the Hwa Wu Sword, it was perfectly suited to channeling sharp killing intent and destructive force. Cheon Un-gwang had made a name for himself in the martial arts world with this Unmatched Thunderbolt style, and it was also because of this sword technique that he could not become the master of the Hwa Wu Sword.
The Hwa Wu Sword must be like a fiery raindrop that consumes all martial arts. But the Unmatched Thunderbolt was a sharp sword technique like a flash of lightning.
“Thank you.” Bu Eunseol bowed with both hands, but Cheon Un-gwang waved his hand.
“There’s no need to thank me. This method might end up ruining you.” Cheon Un-gwang said with a serious expression. “If you fail to master the Thunderbolt Sword, you could lose all ten of your fingers." Cheon Un-gwang pointed to his right hand, which he had been keeping calmly at his side.
“Because I failed to master the Thunder Sword, all the nerves in my right hand were severed. That's why I use my left hand to wield the sword.”
Only then did Bu Eunseol realize why Cheon Un-gwang had always carried an ordinary long sword on his back. Carrying a sword on the right side would be the same as announcing that he had mastered left-handed swordplay.
“All living beings seek what suits their individuality. I created the best sword technique suited to my body in my later years, but...” Cheon Un-gwang looked down at his hands and grimaced in pain.
“This sword technique is as difficult as the Hwa Wu Sword and even harder to control than the Hwa Wu Lightning Sword. If you cannot quickly understand and master the essence of ascending martial arts and sword theory...” Cheon Un-gwang paused for a moment and said in a gloomy voice. “You won't become a high-ranking official, but crippled and unable to use your arms.”
The Hwa Wu Sword was the “Ten Thousand Swords” that encompassed all sword techniques, but the Unmatched Thunderbolt Sword Technique was a “Killing Sword” that greatly aroused the desire to kill.
In the end, even a sword master like Cheon Un-gwang couldn't escape the Killing Sword.
“In the end, the ultimate goal of the Sword of Killing is to slay the enemy and be slain oneself...”
However, Bu Eunseol's eyes showed no sign of wavering.
Even though he was well-versed in the human body and possessed outstanding talent, Bu Eunseol was still a novice who had only recently begun to learn martial arts. It was impossible to master the Hwa Wu Sword Technique, known as the pinnacle of sword arts, without taking risks and learning it step by step.
“Still, will you learn the Unmatched Thunderbolt Technique from your master?”
“I will.”
It doesn’t matter. Even if my hands are shattered or my arms are lost.
He had always been there for me, day and night, brewing medicine for my weak body, carrying me, and putting me to bed.
Even when others pointed fingers at him, he had always embraced him warmly...
If it meant eliminating the monster who brutally murdered Bu Zhanyang, Bu Eunseol would sacrifice not just his arms but his very soul.
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