Chapter 15: Talent Abandoned by the Heavens (3)

Chapter 15: Talent Abandoned by the Heavens (3) Sssshhh... I listened to the sound of the rain while taking shelter in a cave. 15 years. 15 years have passed in a blink of an eye. It's been 15 years since Kim Young-hoon established the Wulin Alliance and became its first leader. Within three years, he had brought all of Yanguo's martial world under his control with the title of the strongest under heaven. The chaotic righteous sects stabilized, and numerous martial artists praised his achievements. However, for a few years after that, he seemed to seclude himself from the affairs of the Wulin Alliance, engrossed in something else. 'Probably the cultivators came for him.' Shocked by the power of cultivators, he must have been busy dealing with them using Record of Gazing Cultivation and Exceeding Martial Arts. In the fifth year of his reign as the Alliance leader, he suddenly retired and disappeared, announcing his retreat to a remote mountain. I roughly understood the situation. He must have left to confront the cultivators hiding in the mountains and those scheming in the shadows of the entire martial world. In the tenth year. There was no news of Young-hoon, the first Wulin Alliance leader, anywhere. 'Is he dead?' Or, like in my previous lives, is he still alive, relentlessly pursued by cultivators? Oddly, I thought I wouldn't be too sad even if he were dead. 'Why is that?' After 15 years of relentless dueling... Just as scars have marked my face, Scars might have also etched into my heart. Within those scars, he might have become a faint existence in my life. During these 15 years, as my body and heart changed, so did my nickname. Infinite Fighting Madman to Infinite Fighting Monster. But nothing else had changed. I was still a late first-rate martial artist, and the Pinnacle Realm was still out of sight. Still!!! "How long more!" I yelled at the murky sky, pouring rain, feeling inexplicable suffocation. "How long must I keep swinging my sword! When will it be enough? Why is it that some gain enlightenment by swinging their sword, while others only gain scars!" The sky offered no answer. "For twenty years since my return! I've been fighting, killing, and training non-stop for twenty years! I've never let go of my sword, not even for a moment! But when will you acknowledge me! Why dont I get even a single moment of enlightenment!" Aaaahhhh!!! I screamed madly at the sky. But still, the sky only poured rain. After a while, my own screams echoed back to me. "...I know. It's my fault." Yes, everything is. On the first day of my return. Because I couldnt overcome the fear of facing the fox and dropped my sword. If I had continued back then, perhaps I could have reached the Pinnacle Realm that very day. Because I failed to grasp that enlightenment, Im still like the sword chasing the leaves. Still stuck in this realm. To learn the Way in the morning and to be content with death in the evening. Its because I failed to cherish that sentiment. Crack... I clenched my teeth, drew my sword in the cave, and practiced Severing Mountain Swordsmanship again. Over and over. The sword strokes I had executed countless times flowed from my hands. The moves and secret techniques from the first to the twenty-fourth all came out. Improving the flaws that had been shown for 15 years. Striving to perfect the sword strokes. Yet. Nothing has changed. And it seems nothing will change. What more do you want from me! "Ah, ahhhh... Ahhhhhh!" I couldnt bear the torment and sat down after performing the sword strokes. Now, there were no more weaknesses in my sword strokes. No more room for improvement was visible. But still, the Pinnacle Realm was nowhere in sight. "Aaaaahhhhh!" Why must I still remain in this state? With these questions and anger, I just sat there, wailing in pain. The rain stopped. I left the cave and went to the originally planned destination, the Bangnip Sect in Soyeol County, completed my spar, and came out. The sect leader and elders of Bangnip and I had three rounds of spars, And I defeated all of them within five moves. They were all late first-rate masters like me, but now no one of my level could block or break through my sword moves. My reputation had spread across Yanguo's martial world over the years, and studies on my swordsmanship were conducted everywhere. As a result, countermeasures to my swordsmanship were spread far and wide. I sought out numerous martial artists who had discovered these countermeasures, and dueled with them. Only to develop counter-countermeasures in response. Thus, the flaws in my swordsmanship gradually disappeared, and today, my Severing Mountain Swordsmanship has almost reached flawlessness. 'Even peak masters of the major sects praised my evolved swordsmanship.' But still, I could not measure up to peak masters. I have dueled with peak masters. Yet, even with my near-flawless swordsmanship, I could not defeat them. Even deploying poison and hidden weapons was in vain. Despite having developed counter-countermeasures, the peak masters effortlessly dismantled my sword moves as soon as I executed them. Without a chance to deploy the counter-countermeasures, they overpowered me, and I was inevitably defeated in duels against them. 'What exactly is the barrier that separates first-rate from peak masters?' Despite numerous defeats, I still couldn't grasp what it takes to reach the Pinnacle Realm. I tried everything I had read about in old martial arts novels, from circulating my internal energy through every tiny blood vessel in my body to practicing external skills. I even fought non-human beasts. Yet, I remained a first-rate martial artist. I had no idea what the Pinnacle Realm even was. My internal energy's strength deepened, my array of tricks grew, my swordsmanship became more powerful, and my fame increased slightly. Still, I remained unchanged. "Sigh." Feeling utterly despondent, I went to an inn to order some drinks. That's when it happened. A man wearing a bamboo hat joined me at my table uninvited. "You seem troubled, sir." "I'm just frustrated because I can't see a way forward." "I understand that feeling all too well. Doing everything you need to, but there's no path in front of you. It feels suffocating, a massive pressure choking you." "" "But just staying like that won't make a path appear. No matter how much you rage and scream, a non-existent path won't just emerge. So, what can you do but try everything under the sun to find a different way?" I soon realized who he was. "How about it, does this describe your current state of mind?" "Yes, great master. I'm not sure why the first leader of the Wulin Alliance would empathize with someone like me." It was Kim Young-hoon, whom I hadn't seen in 15 years.The source of this content nov(el)bi((n)) He took off his bamboo hat, showing a faint smile. His face looked somewhat haggard. "It's been a long time, Eun-hyun." "Indeed, it has." We shared a small laugh and ordered drinks. "What have you been doing all these years?" "In this world, there are beings called 'cultivators,' just like the monsters we saw flying in the sky when we first arrived in this world" He shared with me his experiences of fighting against cultivators. "I could handle up to the Qi Building stage cultivators with my martial arts. But those at the Core Formation were akin to disasters. I barely managed to escape from a Core Formation cultivator by severing his hand." "Hmm?" I noticed something different from my past lives. 'He 'escaped' from a Core Formation cultivator?' In my past lives, he simply lost to them. But this time, the outcome was different. He had successfully escaped from a Core Formation cultivator! 'Through Record of Gazing Cultivation and Exceeding Martial Arts, he surpassed his previous lifes limits!' And much earlier, at least twenty years sooner! I was slightly surprised, looking at the thickness of the book, comparable to the complete volume of Record of Gazing Cultivation and Exceeding Martial Arts. "A Core Formation cultivator is akin to a natural disaster. These insights are natural." "Wow" I was amazed as I received the insights. "I'll keep it safe for future generations." "Thank you, Eun-hyun." He laughed heartily, drank his liquor, and then stood up. "Then I'll go and search for Core Formation cultivators again. I hope we can meet again next time. And for your next task, try to always keep in mind all of the surrounding scenery you pass by." "All the surrounding scenery?" "Yes, in battle or martial arts spars, you always keep the surrounding terrain and features in mind to utilize them. Now, try to do that all the time, not just during battles." "That's what" The task he set this time, like the previous one about maintaining sword energy, seemed insane. He was essentially asking me to become a human CCTV, keeping constant spatial awareness. 'I hope my head doesnt explode.' I shook my head, clearing these foreboding thoughts. 'Alright. Kim Young-hoon, who reached a realm never before attained by any martial artist, has a reason for setting such tasks.' From that day forward, I began to memorize everything I saw and the location of every object and feature in my surroundings. 30 years since my return. And five years of constantly keeping spatial awareness. Now, I can proudly say that my understanding of sword energy is higher than anyone else's. Maintaining sword energy all the time, an insane feat, has become second nature to me, except when sleeping. Spatial awareness, though initially painful, has become a habit. At first, my head felt like it would split, but it became manageable as I adapted. I can guarantee a 40% winning rate against other first-rate martial artists of the same realm relying on my spatial awareness, combat experience, and understanding of sword energy alone. And the most encouraging thing. 'I successfully lasted four seconds against a peak master!' It was an encouraging achievement. It meant that I could exchange at least one more move with peak masters. Yes. I am growing, albeit slowly. Someday, I will surely reach the Pinnacle Realm! I met Kim Young-hoon again. Seeing Kim Young-hoon after a long time, I noticed he had acquired a scar or two on his face. "Those scars" "They're from battling a Core Formation cultivator." It was astonishing. Until now, across several lifetimes, he had never sustained scars. He had never been injured while mastering martial arts. Even when fighting against cultivators, he never bore a scar from any near-fatal wounds. Such a scarred appearance was a rare sight to see on him. "This time" But contrary to the scars, his face was full of life. "I managed to cut off the hands of a Core Formation cultivator twice in a row! And I still managed to escape! Ha! Hahaha!" "!" "Hahaha, you should have seen it. The dignified cultivator enraged and losing his mind after being bested by a mere mortal!" I was genuinely astonished. He was gradually surpassing the limits of martial artists. 'Little by little, it's being passed down.' Not only I, but also a genius of the millennium, benefits from my return. Bit by bit. Slowly overcoming their limits and paving a path beyond. Clack I accepted the insights he handed me, insights gained while he repeatedly cut off the hands of a Core Formation cultivator. 'If I pass these insights on to Kim Young-hoon in the next life' Maybe he'll break his limits again? Given his heaven-sent martial talent. Continuously exploring new paths might someday 'Possibly bring martial artists to dominate the world of cultivators' My primary goal has always been to reach the state of Five Energies Converging to the Origin, become a cultivator, elevate my realm, and return to the previous world to live a life without the ability to return. So, defeating cultivators as a martial artist wasn't my life's sole purpose. But watching his feats made me wonder. Martial arts. How far can such martial prowess, achievable by the human body and not cultivators, really go? Such questions and expectations welled up in me. "I'll take care of these insights as well." I accepted his insights, and Kim Young-hoon smiled wryly as he raised his glass. "But you" There was a hint of sympathy in his gaze as he looked at me. "You still haven't reached the Pinnacle Realm." "Can you tell just by looking?" "Yes. I can tell just by your gaze. You'll understand once you reach the peak. In fact, constantly maintaining sword energy or keeping spatial awareness active is merely an attempt to mimic the [vision] one gains in the Pinnacle Realm using your physical senses. But despite mimicking the Pinnacle Realm to that extent, I dont understand why your vision hasnt progressed beyond mere imitation" "" He sighed softly. "I knew your talent was dull, but this is almost as if you're inherently unsuited for martial arts." "" Kim Young-hoon took another drink as he saw my downcast expression. I, too, drank silently. "Alright, then. I have no choice but to keep trying to make you mimic the vision of the peak. As you've been doing. You remember the space. So now remember the sounds, the temperature and touch on your skin, even the taste. Activate all your senses continuously, training them to their limits, constantly absorbing information. In that state, keep maintaining sword energy and continue to experience real battles. This is the only way for someone without talent like you to enter the realm of the peak!" The 'vision' of peak masters. "Why are you telling me these things?" Until now, martial artists at the Pinnacle Realm have never spoken about it to those below first-rate. Because explaining it would be incomprehensible to them, potentially leading to delusions. There's only one case where they impart information about the Pinnacle Realm to first-rate masters. "Is it because I can reach the Pinnacle Realm?" At the top of first-rate. For those who are looking to the realm of the pinnacle. The super first-rate martial artists. "Honestly, I don't understand why you're still a late first-rate looking at your hands." Kim Young-hoon looked at my hand holding the sword. "You wouldn't know, but martial artists in the Pinnacle Realm have a completely different vision from those below. It's the same with Three Flowers Gather at the Summit and Five Energies Converging to the Origin. And from my perspective, at the extreme of Five Energies. Your sword and hand are half melted into each other. Usually, a first-rate martial artist reaches the peak at this point, but I don't understand why your 'vision' hasn't opened yet. Thats why I'm giving you this fragmented information." My sword and hand are half melted into each other... I looked at my hand. It just seemed to be resting on the sword scabbard. It wasn't actually so. But what he mentioned was something I had recently started to feel. As if the sword and my hand had melted into one... 'But can a master at the level of Five Energies read my thoughts?' It's far. How far do I have to go to reach that realm? No. Dont think about that. "Thank you. I will continue to train tirelessly based on your valuable advice." Nod. He softly smiled and nodded, then vanished like a phantom right before my eyes. After finishing the meal I ordered at the inn, I stood up. 'Remember the space, and next' Yes, let's remember the sounds. I began to absorb every bit of miscellaneous noise around me into my mind. It felt like my brain would explode, but this too would become familiar. As the sounds became more familiar, next, I would remember information about temperature, humidity, touch. Then, information about taste. Absorbing and reabsorbing countless pieces of information, while continuously experiencing real battles. 'I will definitely reach the Pinnacle Realm!' Translator notes: Another long chapter...I like 'First Day' chapters the best cuz they the easiest and shortest. *** Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried Link to donations in the discord!