Chapter 27: Life (2)

Chapter 27: Life (2)

I dumbfoundedly checked the faces of the children one by one.

I seemed to recognize some of them.

"...Is there no other work?"

"Other work? What do you mean?"

"I... am also skilled in medicine. I am good at handling information, and confident in administrative tasks. Or I can take charge of poison or medicine production. Or..."

"That's enough. The production of medicine and poison is not something a mere mortal can offer to a cultivator. And we already have enough people for information and administration. As a martial artist of the Three Flowers Gather at the Summit realm, you'd be more useful as a martial arts instructor."

"...Is there no other job for a martial artist of Three Flowers?"

At this, the eyebrows of the elderly Qi Refiner twitched.

"Are you objecting? Didn't you want to work with the cultivator clan?"

"...No, I misspoke."

I sighed softly and reluctantly accepted his offer.

'If this is fate...'

The children whose necks I had personally severed.

Now, I was to train those same children.

'What an ironic fate.'

I approached the instructor who was teaching the basic martial arts forms to the children.

"Now, strike down from there! Then immediately follow up with a straight..."

"Excuse me, are you the martial arts instructor for these children?"

"Uh? Who are you?"

The instructor was demonstrating with a dagger, and as soon as I saw his martial arts form, I recognized it instantly.

'The dagger technique used by the assassins in my past life, it was taught by this man.'

As soon as he realized I was a martial artist, he seemed eager to test his skills against mine, emitting red intent.

However, I quickly merged my intent with his, covering his intent with purple.

His intent was completely visible to me.

A world where all other colors disappeared.

Only blue, red, and purple intents intermingled in the empty space.

I cut off all his intents and penetrated his guard with mine.

He tried to defend hastily, but I relentlessly attacked his intended position with my intent.

After a while, having been pushed back in the struggle of intents, he sighed deeply and bowed to me.

"Phew, I didnt recognize a master of Three Flowers. Please forgive me. Yes, I am the martial arts instructor Jeok Rae-ho."

"I am Seo Eun-hyun. Nice to meet you. I was appointed as a martial arts instructor by the true cultivators of the Jin Clan. So, can you tell me how far you've taught them so I can adjust accordingly..."

"Ah, so you're the new instructor!"

His face brightened noticeably.

"Ha ha ha! Come this way, then."

He pointed to a small hut next to the training ground, apparently his quarters.

"Everyone, repeat the same movement 500 times! Ill be back after entertaining the guest!"

"....?"

After assigning the children a seemingly meaningless repetitive task, he led me to the hut.

The inside of the hut was simple.

There wasnt much that could be considered his belongings.

"First, let me pour you a cup of tea. But you seem quite young for a Three Flowers master. Are you perhaps in the legendary realm of rejuvenation?"

"Um... not rejuvenation. Just think of it as a unique method."

"I see. Even among cultivators, all sorts of strange spells circulate, so a youth-restoring method isnt surprising...It seems like the cultivator clan brought in a new expert since I'm not making much progress."

As he prepared the tea, I turned my gaze outside.

"Is teaching not going well?"

"Huh... The kids have plenty of will. Of course, they've all lost their parents and siblings to the Makli cultivator clan and they're told they can seek revenge... But will is one thing, and the kids are... tsk."

Chrrrk.

He placed a small cup in front of me and poured the tea.

"They lack talent. They weren't selected for talent, just orphaned children taken for training, so it's strange if they had any. The most talented child Ive seen can probably only reach early first-rate. Maybe they can use sword energy at best. That's their limit.

And yet, the cultivator clan thinks I'm not teaching well enough and keeps pestering me. I'm already losing personal training time to those kids as it is. It's driving me mad. So, my motivation to teach is dropping."

"Hmm..."

"I tried to resign, but the clan insists I can't leave until a new instructor is found. But honestly, the cultivator clan seems to want at least a peak master as an instructor. Where can you find peak masters as common as neighborhood dogs?

I might be stuck here, but I was once a renowned eccentric in the martial world."

As he presented the tea, I asked while savoring the aroma.

"So, Instructor Jeok, now that Ive arrived, are you planning to resign?"

"Ha ha, yes, something like that. I've talked too much. I laid some foundation, so you should manage fine. I came for the high salary, but I don't want to waste time teaching those kids anymore. Ha ha ha, I'll be on my way then."

After finishing his tea, Jeok Rae-ho quickly packed his things and left the hut.

He seemed very eager to avoid further teaching responsibilities.

"......"

'I didnt expect this...'

I thought I would at least be able to teach alongside him, but on the first day, the other instructor ran away.

'What kind of person is he...'

I finished my tea with a sense of disbelief and went out to the training ground.

The children were still repetitively practicing stabbing motions with their daggers.

"...Everyone, stop!"

When I shouted with my internal energy, the children looked at me in surprise.

"Former instructor Jeok Rae-ho resigned and left. Now, I am your new martial arts..."

I was about to say 'instructor' but swallowed my words and said,

"Martial arts 'master'! From today, I will be teaching you!"

At my words, they all stopped their movements, stood in their spots in a well-arranged posture, and saluted me with a martial arts bow.

'I thought he taught them the basics, but did he teach them how to hold greet?'

By my estimate, there were about 500 children.

According to Jeok Rae-ho, besides this place, there were other training grounds where assassins were being trained.

'Why did he teach saluting to assassins?'

After clearing my mind of these thoughts, I went down to the training ground and approached the child at the front.

"What's your name?"

"My name is Fourteen..."

"I asked for your name, not your number. Don't you have a name given by your parents?"

At the mention of parents, the child's breathing seemed to become slightly rougher.

"...Man-ho."

"Alright. Everyone except Man-ho, go to the side of the training ground and rest! From now on, I'll be examining each of your levels!"

At my command, the children seemed to stir briefly before sitting down next to the training ground.

"Come at me. Attack me with the intent to kill, as if I were a cultivator of the Makli Clan."

Man-ho hesitated for a moment, then glared at me and kicked the ground, throwing sand in my eyes.

'Good judgment. He knows he can't compete in strength, so he attacks by blinding me with sand.'

However,

'It's useless against a peak master.'

I closed my eyes and sensed Man-ho's intent, catching the end of his dagger and disarming him.

"I understand your level. You may go. Next, you come out."

The next child to come out hesitated briefly before saluting me.

"Don't salute. Would you salute your enemy in a real fight? Attack me with the intention to kill."

The child grabbed ahis dagger and thrust it at me quickly.

I moved slightly to dodge and disarmed him.

"Good thrust. What's your name?"

"...Yeo-lo."

"Alright, Yeo-lo, go back. Next, come out."

I continued to call the children out for sparring to assess their levels.

By the time I called the two hundred thirty-third child and was about to call the next one,

I was startled!

I was startled to see the face of the next child who came out.

She was a girl, and quite pretty, but her expression was filled with murderous intent.

I knew that face.

'The day I realized Sword Silk.'

She was the female assassin I had personally beheaded.

"...What's your name?"

"Kae-hwa."

"...Alright. Attack."

Swoosh!

Kae-hwa attacked me with quick hand movements, thrusting her dagger.

She was among the fastest I had seen.

But,

'Something's off.'

I deflected Kae-hwa's dagger with the tip of my foot and thought.

Fast, but that's all.

Her form was poor, and her internal energy was weak.

Third-rate, and early third-rate at that.

She has some talent among the children, but...

'No real talent.'

This level of talent would only be slightly above average in a local dojo.

How could such talent have threatened me in my past life?

'Did the cultivators use some strange ability?'

In my past life, Kim Young-hoon had mentioned that spirits were used to awaken the assassins' talents.

'Forced awakening of talent... I don't know how that works, so it's hard to predict their future growth.'

I finished my thoughts, sent Kae-hwa back, and continued testing the children.

By the time I had tested all 500 children, it was evening.

'There are eighty of them.'

The number of children I had personally beheaded and confirmed in my past life.

Adding the assassins whose faces I hadn't seen, the number would be much more.

I felt a complex emotion.

In my past life, I had merely done my duty, but in this life, that duty feels like a sin.

'...Can't help it. The past is the past.'

If I can't wash away this unease, then I'll do my duty to the best of my ability in this life too.

"Listen well, everyone. From now on, you'll come out one by one and demonstrate martial arts in front of me, starting with Man-ho!"

"Instructor..."

"Call me 'Master' or 'Teacher.'"

"Yes... Master. The previous instructor used to let us practice internal energy after sunset..."

"Internal energy?"

I chuckled and said,

I read his intent, understood his purpose, and swung my sword.

Severing Vein Saber Method

Mountain Wind!

Beyond the purple intent that connected us, it seemed like I could hear Kim Young-hoon's martial art moves.

Swish!

An incredibly fast thrust aimed at me.

Severing Mountain Swordsmanship

Entering Mountain!

Boom!

I switched to a low stance to dodge his thrust and then...

Severing Mountain Swordsmanship

Qi Mountain, Heart Heaven

I opened my meridians and extended the length of my sword, aiming for Kim Young-hoon's ankle.

Severing Vein Saber Method

Mountain Echo!

Ting!

The sound of the saber resonated.

Kim Young-hoon's energy vibrated through his saber blade.

The subtly vibrating blade aimed straight at my sword silk.

'I mustn't let it touch.'

My sword silk wouldn't be able to handle it!

Boom!

I infused my sword silk with intent, connecting with Kim Young-hoon's intent, and turning it into Sword Gang.

Whoom-

As his vibrating saber touched my Sword Gang, my Sword Gang visibly faded, and its speed slowed.

'If I hadn't converted it to Sword Gang, it wouldn't just have dispersed; the sword silk would have shattered, and the impact would have reached me.'

Kim Young-hoon's intent spread widely.

Severing Vein Saber Method

Mountain Sound

The energy flowing from his saber spread out like waves.

Seemingly resonating in all directions but ultimately focusing a single powerful blow at me!

Such a technique couldn't be blocked by ordinary martial arts.

Severing Mountain Swordsmanship

Mountain Echoes, Valley Responds

I also transformed my sword energy into a waveform, neutralizing his technique.

Beyond Mountain Sound, numerous intents whirled as Kim Young-hoon slowly approached.

Exhilarating.

His steps were free, yet each movement avoided even the slightest disturbance in the air, approaching along the utmost efficient trajectory.

Severing Vein Saber Method

Mountain Bird

His movement was akin to a small bird.

As I read the trajectory of his intent and prepared to respond to his next move...

"...?"

From the depths of Kim Young-hoon's emotions, the intent of love burst forth, intertwining with the trajectory of intent I was trying to discern. Simultaneously, the trajectory of intent I had been reading became a chaotic mess, making it difficult to understand.

As he approached with Mountain Bird, his saber was already swinging right in front of me.

'What...!'

To counter his trajectory, I first used Transcendent Peaks Step to pressurize his movements and responded to his Mountain Bird.

As Kim Young-hoon came closer to me, he seemed to smile slightly and thrust his saber.

Severing Vein Saber Method

Mountain Opening

Chwaak!

Numerous saber blades whirled around.

I countered with Landscape Painting and exchanged blows with him.

From one technique to the next, his intent surged forth, and my intent countered his.

With every exchange of techniques, countless lines intersected in the world of intent, engaging in a battle of harmony.

It was when my blue thread blocked his red trajectory.

Whoosh!

Kim Young-hoon's red trajectory turned into a dark crimson hue.

The intent of hatred.

This intent of hatred easily penetrated my blue intent and disrupted my inner harmony, leading to an actual collision between my sword and his saber.

The energy on his saber blazed as if on fire.

Just like in the world of intent, his blade cut through my sword and aimed straight for my heart.

Boom!

Our sparring ended there.

"...What was that just now?"

"You saw it, didn't you?"

Kim Young-hoon smiled.

"Emotions can be infused in martial arts."

"......"

I couldn't calm my shaken mind for a moment and asked him in return.

"Does it mean that martial arts are alive when you say emotions exist in martial arts?"

He smiled and asked back.

"What do you think? Is martial arts alive?"

"...No."

I spoke of what I felt while practicing martial arts, the realization I had when I understood Sword Silk.

"Martial arts are not alive. It's me who's alive, and it's only martial arts when I infuse my intent into it."

"Right. The sword isn't alive. But the martial artist wielding and swinging it is alive. Sword Silk is the intent infused by the martial artist, and the Sword Gang is the communication of that intent with the world. Then..."

He continued.

"If infusing our own intent into martial arts means that martial arts becomes a part of ourselves, then emotions like love and hatred, integral to our being, are also a part of us. Even though you said that they have no meaning in the pursuit of martial arts, we are ultimately made of such emotions."

"...Ah..."

Somehow, it made sense.

"Martial arts aren't alive, but the human wielding them is. What makes up that human are emotions. So, the more we delves into martial arts, we also deepen our understanding of ourselves, exploring the very core of our existence.

If understanding oneself reaches a certain level, like I just did, it's possible to influence the trajectory of intent."

"...Thank you for the advice."

"Hahaha. If blue and red is the level of survival instinct, and purple is the level of true understanding, then the colors beyond them are about ourselves. And..."

He looked up at the sky and said.

"When we understand all the colors that humans possess, we earn the right to see the colors beyond human reach. That is..."

"Five Energies Converging to the Origin."

Kim Young-hoon nodded.

"Thanks to the Secrets of Gazing Cultivation and Exceeding Martial Arts, I'm qualified to challenge Five Energies. So, I wonder... could you stand guard for me?"

I nodded.

"Of course."

In the manor where no one else was present, Kim Young-hoon immediately sat in meditation and began his challenge to transcend the realm.

I also watched intently, hoping to see him crossover.

The vision of a peak master.

Blue and red.

Beyond is the vision of Three Flowers.

Purple and many other different colors.

'Those are the colors Kim Young-hoon has realized.'

In my sight, only pale pink and dark crimson of Kim Young-hoon's intents were visible.

However, I could guess his other intents through these two hues.

Intents not visible to me, writhing beyond love and hatred.

'Ah...!'

His red intent began to branch out.

Up to this point, it was a sight I had seen in my past life.

But now, having reached Three Flowers, I saw another realm.

The intent of love and hatred intertwined, filling the gaps in his red intent.

They began to connect.

Many other invisible intents must be doing the same.

The red intent expanded, the dark crimson brushed past, and the pale pink filled the interior.

Beautiful.

Eventually, all his intent converged and overtook the surrounding area.

Whoong-

Energy from the surroundings was drawn in.

Though I couldn't see it in detail, I surmised that Kim Young-hoon was already seeing another world.

The energies gathered around him soon clustered above his head into five circles, then merged into a five-colored cloud that flowed into Kim Young-hoon's mouth and nose.

A moment later.

Crack, crackle-

Kim Young-hoon's body began a transformation, undergoing a metamorphosis.

I observed this process, pushing my brain to its limits.

His skin cleared, wrinkles smoothed out.

Dead cells revived, and hair grew on his head.

His aged face became younger, even younger than mine.

A complete rejuvenation!

Kim Young-hoon, who had succeeded in rejuvenation, half-opened his eyes.

"Did you see it, Eun-hyun?"

"...Yes. It's beautiful."

"I hope it was helpful to you."

"Thank you."

I bowed to him in gratitude.

The scene I had just witnessed would be immensely helpful for when I reach Five Energies Converging to the Origin.

I spent a few days discussing martial arts with him and then returned to the Jin Clan's territory.

On the way back, I realized another intent.

The color was gold.

It was the intent of joy.

***

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Link to donations in the discord!