Chapter: 714
One day, while training, Geomjon said to Wi Seol-ah.
– “Seol-ah, you should always consider what you will fill your sword with, not just how to swing it.”
Upon hearing this, Wi Seol-ah tilted her head.
It just didn’t make sense to her.
What do you mean ‘put something in the sword’?
It’s not like a sword is a vessel or anything. What on earth could it hold?
As a child, Wi Seol-ah couldn’t comprehend this.
No, perhaps it was more accurate to say she didn’t want to understand at all.
Back then, she was too impatient to spare a thought for anything else.
Thus, it was only when Wi Seol-ah finally grasped her grandfather’s meaning that she had already surpassed the Hwa-gyeong.
What kind of sword dance should I be doing?
What kind of sword path should I follow?
Where should I put my strength and how should I gather my energy?
Before worrying about these things, one should consider what they’re putting into the sword.
What should I think about? With what mindset should I approach the sword?
The Heavenly Lord, who was teaching Wi Seol-ah, said:
– “Martial artists can be divided into realms, but being a swordsman cannot simply be categorized that way.”
– “How much of yourself can you put into the sword? That matters far more to a swordsman.”
How much of myself can I contain?
It’s a truly difficult statement, yet it rings true.
Isn’t it referred to as the union of the new swords?
A dream for swordsmen to become one with their sword.
It was when she had a grasp on this idea that she slightly understood the meaning behind those words.
However.
“Put me in the sword…”
Then, what is ‘I’ in the first place?
The reason I couldn’t reach it, even after obtaining it, is probably that I don’t know what I am.
What am I?
What am I, exactly?
Wi Seol-ah kept pondering, but despite all her thoughts, she still didn’t know.
If I keep thinking silently, will I figure it out one day?
And if she were to become sure of what she is.
Will anything change because of that?
For some reason, that thought frightened Wi Seol-ah.
“…”
Her closed eyes flutter open.
As she lifted her heavy eyelids, she first noticed a hazy, trembling field of vision.
A few seconds later.
Wi Seol-ah realized someone was holding her.
While surprised, she didn’t flinch.
Because instinctively, she knew who was holding her.
“Are you awake?”
As he walked, the owner of those arms, Gu Yangcheon, spoke to Wi Seol-ah.
“…Yes.”
A weak reply.
Thanks to her incredibly fatigued body, she just slumped down.
In the midst of all this, Wi Seol-ah asked Gu Yangcheon.
“…Did I lose?”
“Yeah. You lost.”
She nodded at his blunt response.
Seeing that, Gu Yangcheon chuckled and asked.
“Are you feeling regretful?”
She must feel a certain regret.
Losing by such a close margin was truly a pity.
“Such a shame it was indeed!”
Just a hair’s breadth of a difference.
If only Wi Seol-ah could have swung one more sword.
Or if she could have infused just a little more will into that final strike.
The winner would have been Wi Seol-ah, not the Divine Dragon.
“Hmmm.”
Gu Yangcheon swallowed at the shallow pain stirring inside him.
In a hurry, he opened his internal defenses to shield against the impact.
He blocked it all, but still incurred a minor internal injury.
But the injury itself wasn’t much of an issue. It would fade in less than a day.
The problem is.
“I’m saying I’ve been injured.”
The clash between the two—it had resulted in repercussions severe enough to affect him directly.
He was strangely more contemplative about reaching that level.
“I understand Wi Seol-ah, though…”
She was someone who had been ranked the best in the world in her past life.
It was hardly surprising, knowing the extent of her power in her prime.
No matter how much he wished he hadn’t picked up a sword, he knew this was the inevitable outcome now that he had.
But.
“What on earth is this Divine Dragon?”
What is that guy?
Each piercing strike from the Hundred Steps Divine Fist wrapped around a sharp intention.
It didn’t seem intentional, yet he managed to convey his thoughts through his actions.
If he were to compare, Punglim or whatever would fall easily.
And it wouldn’t take long to deal with the grenade launcher either.
“That’s merely the bare minimum?”
How absurd.
While Gu Yangcheon had acquired some benefits from his regression.
That guy was exhibiting superiority far beyond his previous lifetime.
“Weaker than when I first returned, but it’s entirely different from my past life.”
The name of the Divine Dragon.
Even having received that title, it felt like too much.
Even more.
“…I didn’t even sense the aura of the Blood Demon.”
He still hadn’t felt the aspect he was doubtful about.
Naturally, he thought the likes of Yoo Seong would have been taken down long ago.
However, that guy displayed none of such signs.
“Could it be that I just didn’t notice?”
It could be a possibility, but Gu Yangcheon dismissed it as unlikely.
A result purely of raw talent and unyielding effort.
The Divine Dragon must have climbed there by sheer ability.
If that’s the case… Really…
“Isn’t he insane?”
Surely, he must be crazy! Gu Yangcheon was convinced of this.
“What on earth has he done to deserve this? What kind of lunacy is this?”
He had known that guy called Ddaengjung since he started gobbling dumplings.
It’s a guy beyond imagination!
“A fella without even hair!”
An embodiment of talent—a prodigy gifted from the heavens, transcending eras.
Even if one were to attach all those accolades, they could never attain that level.
That’s the reality.
“You really must carve away flesh and bone!”
You must dedicate your entire life to training while equipped with such talent.
Otherwise, it would be utterly impossible to reach that level at such a young age only through pure energy.
“Though it seems they’ve excessively indulged in Daehwandan given how pure their energy is.”
Would gluttonously consuming dozens really raise one’s standing?
That too, has its limitations.
“If such were the case, I ought to have transcended them long ago.”
Dokcheondan, which was professed to rival Daehwandan.
Gu Yangcheon often stuffed it in his mouth whenever he was bored.
“…That guy is the real deal.”
The most genuine of the genuine.
He may very well possess talent on par with Wi Seol-ah.
In a present where fakes run rampant, he seemed one of the scant genuine seeds of martial arts in Gu Yangcheon’s eyes.
So, he simply let it slide.
“I tried to rush in and tear them apart whenever they meddled.”
I was enraged by their antics in the wilderness and had half a mind to burn down the entire place.
But I held back, knowing the Dragon was no fraud.
It was also a form of apology for secretly undermining him.
“It wasn’t so bad.”
The Huang A River.
I glimpsed the Shaolin’s secret techniques I never saw in my former life.
Gui Seung had never employed these arts of the Shaolin, hence had never laid eyes on them.
“…This life seems quite different.”
Even if the current Divine Dragon was weaker than the previous one, he now contained infinite potential.
Even Gu Yangcheon, who was generally distant from martial artists, felt an inkling of enthusiasm when observing him.
The Divine Dragon is a substantial being.
Thus, he mused.
“Will this hinder me?”
Will the current Divine Dragon obstruct the plans he has devised for the future?
If so, I will eliminate him beforehand. He meticulously contemplated.
“Not sure yet.”
He wasn’t entirely certain.
“I feel like I need to keep watch for a bit longer.”
“What in blazes transpired?”
What misfortune did he stumble into that transformed the Divine Dragon so?
Was it the dumplings? Was the dumpling the issue?
Then was it that I didn’t eat dumplings in my previous life?
The issue was that this monk was eating dumplings in the first place.
“Which fool fed him that?”
Surely, the Divine Dragon wouldn’t have stuffed his face with dumplings all alone. He desperately wished to catch a glimpse of that person.
He’s undoubtedly not an ordinary character.
At that moment.
“…How regrettable.”
Wi Seol-ah, who had been nestled against him, voiced her thoughts.
What does she mean by that? Gu Yangcheon pondered for a moment, then recalled.
“Ah, I’d asked her.”
That’s right. He inquired if she felt disappointed.
Surely she feels regret too. Wi Seol-ah must be aware of how she narrowly lost.
Having directly engaged in the duel, there was no way she wouldn’t know. Yet.
“Ah… It’s not that I regret losing the match.”
He raised an eyebrow at her words, questioning what Wi Seol-ah meant.
“Huh? Then what are you feeling regretful about?”
“…”
Not regretting losing the match isn’t the norm? Then what on earth is bothering her?
Gu Yangcheon couldn’t unravel the mystery and asked again, but Wi Seol-ah remained silent.
She simply averted her gaze.
“…What gives?”
What is it?
With her cryptic silence leaving him scratching his head, he wasn’t sure why she wouldn’t answer.
Even so, he didn’t make a fuss to ask a second time.
At face value, it seemed unlikely he would get a reply anyway.
Wi Seol-ah’s ears flushed red.
He nearly reached out to touch them, but refrained. He instead offered a light smile.
“Let’s go get some food after getting treated. She’s been waiting.”
Namgung Bi-ah had already stepped outside to wait.
“…Yes…”
“Anything you want to eat?”
“I want to eat meat.”
“Oh, um… Let’s get that then.”
Seeing Wi Seol-ah like that, Gu Yangcheon felt a quiet sense of relief.
Wi Seol-ah remained reassuringly the same.
And that alone was enough.
For Gu Yangcheon, that was always sufficient.
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