Chapter 164: Leisurely Cultivation

“Hyung-nim, is this really right?”

Right now, Jang Woo-hyun was standing next to an overturned large cauldron lid, stir-frying meat and vegetables.

“Wipe your drool before saying that.”

At the remark, Jin Ha-un wiped his mouth with his sleeve, wearing an embarrassed expression.

“It’s too delicious, I can’t help it. But seriously, is this really the right thing?”

Still not understanding, Jin Ha-un asked again.

It had been four days since they had joined Taecheong Divine Sovereign.

Contrary to their expectations of receiving some grand enlightenment or being taught something incredible, the time spent with him was nothing out of the ordinary.

In the morning, they would wake up to perform Qi Circulation Breathing Technique and meditate, fetch water from a stream to cook rice, and then clean up the area around the thatched cottage.

Once the morning routine was over, Jang Woo-hyun and Jin Ha-un would head down to the city to have lunch and buy the items Taecheong Divine Sovereign had mentioned.

They didn’t know what the items were for, but Taecheong Divine Sovereign told them to buy various things as if assigning them homework.

Looking back on the past three days, what Jang Woo-hyun had been doing wasn’t cultivation—it was just ordinary daily life.

“There must be some meaning behind it.”

Around the second day, even Jang Woo-hyun had doubted whether this was right.

At a time when every moment seemed too precious to waste, they were fetching water and cooking rice.

But after spending another day, his thoughts changed.

‘I’ve been running too much.’

The life of a martial artist was far from ordinary.

Fighting, cultivating, fighting again, then cultivating again.

It had been like that in the Central Plains and the same in the Central Heavens.

Even when he traveled somewhere, there was always a clear purpose.

Whether it was to retrieve something, meet someone, or pursue an enemy.

He had never spent time so leisurely and ordinarily like this.

“This isn’t bad either.”

“Well, I guess so. But didn’t you say there’s a lot to do?”

“You heard him say he doesn’t have much time left. Let’s just spend time here until then. Besides, I’m sure he has something in mind.”

Taecheong Divine Sovereign was one of the few among the strongest in the Central Heavens Martial Realm.

Someone like him wouldn’t suggest living like this without any purpose.

‘There must be a reason.’

Or maybe this was simply Taecheong Divine Sovereign’s unique way of teaching someone.

Unlike the frustrated Jin Ha-un, Jang Woo-hyun thought so—at least until he asked directly.

“There’s nothing in particular I want to teach you.”

“Excuse me?”

“I just wanted you to have some time. I wanted you to take a look inside yourself.”

“Uh… then this is just rest?”

“Exactly.”

At that reply, Jang Woo-hyun’s brow furrowed. It was different from what he thought—he was simply idling away time.

“Relax your face, this time isn’t meaningless. You’ve only been running forward until now, right? So, at least once, you should lie back and spend some time for yourself. And within this kind of time, you might gain some realization or something unexpected.”

“……”

“In any case, I don’t have much time left, so think of it as me getting some rest during that time. If a string is pulled too tightly, it could snap. Think of it as advice from a senior.”

The more he listened, the more Jang Woo-hyun’s brow furrowed, but in the end, Taecheong Divine Sovereign succeeded in persuading him.

Once he decided to follow Taecheong Divine Sovereign’s words, Jang Woo-hyun completely relaxed and spent his time comfortably.

One day, he went into the city and drank with Jin Ha-un all night; on another day, he helped some people he met by chance.

On other days, he had duels with Jin Ha-un and shared serious martial discussions, or asked Taecheong Divine Sovereign questions he had been curious about.

“The reason Dragon Heaven Lord attacked Lord of the Sword Sky? I don’t know the exact reason. But I can guess.”

“What do you think it was?”

“Lord of the Sword Sky was watching over the entirety of the Central Heavens Martial Realm and blocking the monsters that came from outside. He was the guardian of the Murim.”

“What kind of monsters came from outside?”

“Either cultivators above the Fusion Stage or bizarre beings whose strength we cannot gauge. Or powerful foreign races that had settled in the Central Heavens Realm. Now that the seat of Lord of the Sword Sky is vacant, there might already be damage occurring at the outer edges of the Central Heavens Martial Realm.”

He even asked about strange movement methods.

“Are you talking about space-shifting?”

As Jin Ha-un guessed, the method of moving across space was indeed Void Movement Technique.

“You can do it once you reach the Realm of Wish. It’s about twisting the laws of the world. This isn’t something that can be explained with words. You can only understand once you reach that realm yourself.”

In this way, the three of them spent their time leisurely, sharing many stories.

One day amidst the repeating daily routine, Taecheong Divine Sovereign called Jang Woo-hyun and Jin Ha-un.

“Where are you from?”

“Where I’m from? I ascended from the same place as Hyung-nim.”

“I phrased it wrong. I was curious about which sect you’re from.”

Understanding the question, Jin Ha-un said he had learned martial arts at Qingcheng Sect.

“Qingcheng Sect, huh. Did your Lower Realm also have Wudang?”

“Yes, Profound Heaven Sword King ascended Mount Wudang and realized the mysteries of Taiji, founding the Wudang Sect.”

A different setting from the Murim that Jang Woo-hyun originally knew.

The Lower Realm he had come from was similar to the well-known Murim, yet different.

‘It’s probably like a parallel world.’

Similar but different worlds. Countless of them must exist. And among those many worlds, there might be one just like the Murim that Jang Woo-hyun knew.

After asking a few more questions, Taecheong Divine Sovereign took out a thin booklet from his sleeve.

“If you’re from Qingcheng, this will help. Try mastering it.”

“Oh! Are you really giving this to me?”

“Who else would I give it to? Your sworn brother is far from being a Daoist.”

“Thank you so much!”

It was a miraculous encounter that Jin Ha-un obtained. He bowed repeatedly in gratitude and quietly stepped aside with the secret manual in hand, sensing that Taecheong Divine Sovereign had something to say to Jang Woo-hyun.

“How was it after resting?”

“It was good.”

“That’s a relief.”

Taecheong Divine Sovereign smiled and continued.

“Your experiences were too one-sided, so I deliberately told you to spend time this way. I wanted you to see, hear, and experience different things. How was the time you lived as a martial artist?”

“It was a constant stream of battles.”

Cultivation. Fights. Cultivation. Fights. It had always been like that.

“I figured as much. Even if it’s the Murim of the Sword Forest of Dosan, life isn’t supposed to be only like that.”

The life of the past few days had its own meaning from Taecheong Divine Sovereign.

“Not sure if it’ll help, but I’ll teach you one thing too. Hm? Why that face? Did you really think I wouldn’t teach you anything?”

“……No, I didn’t.”

“That’s right. What, did you think it was just the petty mischief of a senile old man?”

“…….”

“Heh heh, what are you doing not answering here? Did you really think that?”

“No, it’s just… that is…”

“No need for excuses. I don’t want to hear them.”

Though he pretended to scold Jang Woo-hyun, a smile did not leave Taecheong Divine Sovereign’s face.

“I also ascended from the Lower Realm, just like you. Everything was wondrous at first. After all, isn’t this a mysterious place? And I had no grasp whatsoever of what the Realm of Wish or the Immortal Realm were.”

Watching him ask Jin Ha-un about Wudang Sect, Jang Woo-hyun had already guessed that Taecheong Divine Sovereign was an ascendant, so he wasn’t surprised.

“The idea of twisting the Law or applying one’s own Law to the world… I never thought of that as martial arts.”

That was the same question Jang Woo-hyun had always harbored.

“You’re probably the same. But there’s no need to overthink it. Try cutting that tree there without swinging your sword.”

Jang Woo-hyun manifested his will and cut down the tree Taecheong Divine Sovereign had pointed at.

There was no need to swing a sword. Just by thinking, just by willing it— the tree was sliced.

“How did you do that just now?”

“I thought.”

“Thought what?”

“That I would cut the tree.”

“That’s it. The world moved because you willed it. Twisting the Law or applying rules— in the big picture, it’s all the same.”

“…….”

“You look like you still don’t get it. Think from the perspective of someone who hasn’t learned martial arts. From their eyes, the tree suddenly fell without you doing anything.”

It was as if he almost understood, but not quite.

“Twisting the Law. Applying the Laws of the Microcosm. It’s just a difference in expression. To put it simply, it’s embedding your Will-Form Qi into the world. Creating a new power with your will. You can think of the Microcosm itself as a clump of your will. After all, one’s inner world is a reflection of what one seeks or the goal they pursue.”

Microcosm. A clump of will and thought.

From Taecheong Divine Sovereign’s expression, Jang Woo-hyun felt something click.

“The name of the Microcosm I showed you last time is [Circulating Taeguk]. I believe everything follows its natural course, revolving and returning to one.”

Then what was his own belief? What did he pursue?

It wasn’t a difficult question. He had already found the answer once in the Sword Forest of Dosan.

‘If cut, one dies.’

An absolute Law.

Then was what he sought a sword that could cut everything? No, perhaps he dreamt of becoming a sword himself.

‘Become the sword.’

And cut down everything.

Humans, monsters, and even beings called gods.

Before he knew it, the scene in Jang Woo-hyun’s eyes had changed.

Clang, clatter.

The sound of countless blades clashing.

Jang Woo-hyun had once again entered his inner world.

Seeing the endless land of blades and mountains of swords, he reached his hand out to the side.

Just as he was about to grab a blade—

【That’s far enough.】

Taecheong Divine Sovereign’s voice rang out, and Jang Woo-hyun returned to where he was.

Something had been within reach, but he lost it because of that voice just now.

As Jang Woo-hyun looked toward Taecheong Divine Sovereign to ask why, the man, now with a hardened expression, spoke.

“You are not a sword.”

It was a weighty statement, different from anything he had said before.

Even after that, Taecheong Divine Sovereign gave repeated warnings.

—You are not a sword.

Though Jang Woo-hyun couldn’t fully understand the meaning, he engraved those words in his mind due to Taecheong Divine Sovereign’s serious demeanor.

Several days of cultivation passed, but perhaps because he had missed a golden opportunity, Jang Woo-hyun could no longer see his Microcosm.

As they continued training, Taecheong Divine Sovereign suddenly spoke.

“There’s not much time left now.”

Then, for their farewell, he told them to stop by a village far from where they were and bring back a jar of wine.

In truth, Taecheong Divine Sovereign had forcibly sent Jang Woo-hyun out to get some air after noticing his growing impatience.

At his request, Jang Woo-hyun had no choice but to descend the mountain with Jin Ha-un. Since they had plenty of time, the two of them did not use a Flying Apparatus, but instead used movement arts.

When they arrived at the village Taecheong Divine Sovereign had mentioned and visited the brewery—

“You’re from the Taeguk Sect, aren’t you? Sorry, it’ll take about another two hours.”

The owner asked them to wait a little.

“That’s fine. We’ll come back in about two hours.”

Jang Woo-hyun and Jin Ha-un found a spot near the brewery at a street stall.

With nothing else to do, they watched children playing in the alley.

The children, perhaps pretending to be martial artists, each held a wooden stick or two.

One child opened his mouth wide and made a biting motion toward the air.

“I’m Saber-Toothed Wolf! Waaang!”

That child seemed to be mimicking Kang Yong.

“Then I’ll be Blue-Red Sword Demon.”

Another child holding two wooden sticks shouted.

Jang Woo-hyun glanced at Jin Ha-un, who puffed out his chest as if to boast while sitting.

One child said he was the Taeguk Sword Emperor, while another shouted out a different alias.

As each child took turns naming themselves after martial artists’ aliases, only one small child in the corner said nothing and fidgeted with his fingers.

The other children turned their gazes toward that child.

“What about you?”

“Me?”

“Yeah? Don’t you like any alias?”

The small child looked around at his friends and cautiously opened his mouth.

“I… I’ll just be me.”

Though soft-spoken, there was firmness in that voice.

“You? Who’s ‘me’? Is there a martial hero like that?”

“No, it’s not that… I just want to be me. Someday, I’ll make my name known! I’ll become a martial artist and make my name known, so for now, I’ll just be me!”

The child’s voice grew louder and his posture more confident as he spoke of his dream.

The other children buzzed, wondering what he meant.

Then one child copied him.

“Then me too. I’ll just be me!”

“Huh? Then me too!”

“Me too! I’ll make my own alias!”

Whether it was thanks to the small child’s influence, other children started saying they’d be themselves instead of mimicking others.

Seeing the children like that, a smile formed on Jin Ha-un’s face.

“Hyung-nim, today’s kids sure are… huh? Hyung-nim?”

As Jin Ha-un turned toward Jang Woo-hyun, he widened his eyes.

His sworn brother had fallen into deep thought with unfocused eyes, as if realizing something from the children’s conversation.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep