Chapter 58

It was a move demonstrated by the old man.

Is that grandpa the Great Master Mucheondae?

It’s not just a single thought stuck in my head.

The lone wolf Doko Gukgeom can’t use the Jayu training ground.

Instead, with each piece of information filled through Jeolgeumbyeok of the other old schools, achievements increase by one star.

And once all nine are collected, reaching nine stars allows you to take on a special mission to achieve the tenth star.

This was information I had neither seen nor heard before.

Is there anything more unpleasant than having this stuck in my head?

Martial Arts Inventory, here we go again?

It’s really frustrating.

However, feeling a bit dirty after encountering the brain-eating monster state wasn’t as overwhelming.

Something happened midway. Something? Something uncertain?

It felt like there was a chance for something great?

But it seemed like someone interrupted it?

Or did they? But I don’t know?

Actually, Qing had opened the door to the Entrance to Demon and stepped in just a couple of steps before turning back.

Entrance to Demon!

It was a sort of hole where supreme martial artists dived in instead of the Realm of Transformation.

It’s much easier than crossing the wall of the Realm of Transformation.

However, the side effects were pretty severe.

Typical symptoms include murderous impulses, sadistic tendencies, and cannibalistic appetites.

All things considered, it wasn’t really that different from Qing’s current state.

Anyway, entering that realm would drive anyone insane and turn them into a demon.

Until they reached the next realm, continuously.

Only when a demon crosses the wall and enters the Realm of Spirit can they finally regain their sanity.

This was called the Demonic Return.

However, throughout the ancient history of the Martial World, very few have returned from the Demonic state.

He was the fool who easily crossed the wall through a hole.

And now, he had to cross an even higher wall, leading to many more hardships than normal warriors who ascended to the Realm of Transformation.

In any case, Qing, who was about to fall forever into the pit of demons, managed to come back.

This was thanks to the great leadership of the legendary Great Master Mucheondae.

Unfortunately, Qing had no memory of it.

People often erase their memories after hitting strong shocks for recovery.

The ultimate technique: “How about we just pretend that didn’t happen?”

The experience where the entire universe turns hostile was beyond what Qing’s fragile and pitiful mind could withstand, having already surpassed that level.

Anyway, without memory, there was nothing to know.

Qing doesn’t deeply think about things she doesn’t know.

After all, if you forcefully grasp it, it won’t come back to you.

She was already aware that if left alone, memories would surface naturally.

Just like that time when lying down suddenly reminded a grandpa of his inside jokes and he burst out laughing.

Seeing her companions look at her with worried eyes, Qing offered a sheepish smile.

“I’m fine. Sorry for worrying you.”

Pang Dae-san frowned.

“Are you really okay? You seem to have lost quite a bit of blood.”

“Me?”

Pang Dae-san pointed instead of answering.

There was a dark pool of blood at the tip of his finger.

That was an extraordinary amount to have come from a person.

Isn’t that a death sentence if you cough up that much blood?

Qing shook her head.

“What? That’s not my blood!”

“…Didn’t you just throw up?”

“Huh? I have no idea about that!”

“You asked me to pat your back.”

“Did I?”

Qing discreetly hid the blood-stained sleeve behind her back.

“Can we not be serious? Just to be safe, let’s check my qi.”

Qing obediently followed Pang Dae-san’s suggestion.

Qi overflowed in her dantian, gracefully moving through her whole body.

It felt much more natural than before.

Even though the speed of her qi traveling increased, controlling the flow seemed even easier now.

She was able to push in much more inner strength in one go than she could before.

“Oh? This feels really good, doesn’t it?”

“Good?”

“Does throwing up do this? If I throw up again, will I skyrocket to supreme levels? Is this enlightenment?”

Qing was quite the exciteable one.

Pang Dae-san was experiencing firsthand that when humans are struck with utter disbelief, they sometimes lose the ability to speak altogether.

At that moment, Qing turned her gaze to Master Yuha.

“Sect Leader, that’s a trace left by the Great Master Mucheondae. They call it the Transformation of Heaven and Earth.”

Yuha’s eyebrows perked up.

“Transformation of Heaven and Earth? What does that mean?”

“That technique. The martial arts name is Doko Gukgeom,”

“The sword seeking to be lonely! No way! In this world! Swordsman! How can such a beautiful sentiment come from such a rough and outrageous mouth! What could this mean for the Great Master Mucheondae… Um.”

Namgoong Shin-jae interrupted.

Spitting thoughts with a fierce gaze, once caught in Yuha’s sharp glare, he smoothly transitioned into behaving like a serious young man.

But? Wait? What about the unnecessary details?

I felt like I was getting a bit disrespected here?

As Qing tilted her head, she replayed Namgoong Shin-jae’s words in her mind, and Yuha urged her on.

“Young disciple, please elaborate.”

“I saw something like an illusion. An old man seemed to transform into a sword? The sword-fate was vast and endless.”

“Divine Sword Merging! Sword-fate! Truly from the Great Master Mucheondae… um.”

“Can’t you just stay quiet for a moment?!”

“Sorry! It just slipped out…”

Namgoong Shin-jae became polite again.

However, this politeness felt a bit different from Qing’s.

It wasn’t out of fear of Master Yuha’s power.

It was respect for someone considered one of the top swordsmen in the Jianghu.

Master Yuha was deserving of the admiration as a ‘true swordsman.’

While Namgoong Shin-jae shrunk down, Qing described the old man’s move from her vision to Master Yuha.

It was a promise she made after all.

She decided to share anything that came to her mind.

Since it was a single move she had earned without effort, might as well enjoy the spoils from the Great Master Mucheondae.

“So you read that man’s sword mark! Master Yuha! Truly! Now, could we perhaps see it once?”

“Of course!”

Qing bravely drew her sword.

And according to what her brain and body remembered—

Remembered….

Qing merely stared at the worthless Moonlight Sword (8th level).

“Uh. Um…”

“What’s wrong? Young disciple.”

“I don’t know how to merge with the sword. Can’t even use my qi…”

The technique she had just barely mastered was completely useless.

There was no way a martial artist at the peak level could reproduce the ultimate qi technique that the Great Master Mucheondae mastered in his later years.

Qing’s shoulders drooped.

“Ah…”

Master Yuha sighed.

Though she read the sword markings, it was impossible to reproduce them with her current peak-level skills.

“To understand the subtleties of Divine Sword Merging requires more experience than what you have, dear disciple.”

However, Master Yuha didn’t look disappointed.

“As your realm rises, you will understand it naturally in the future. Surely the profound insights of the Great Master Mucheondae will help you break through.”

“Really?”

“Of course.”

Master Yuha’s evaluation of Qing rose dramatically in his heart.

From a promising candidate with a strong backing, she was now seen as a potential number one in the next generation and a true swordsman.

Building relationships with influential individuals was a unique instinct of the Chinese people.

“You must be exhausted from spitting blood. Get plenty of rest, and at dinner, let’s have a big feast to replenish your strength. How about it?”

Food!

Qing’s eyes sparkled.

—-

Qing had an absolutely delightful week.

It was the sincere hospitality of the Sect Leader of Hwasan.

So much so that there were rumors floating around that the Hwasan Sect Leader must have found a long-lost daughter to dote on.

In addition to the sect members, many guests were residing in Hwasan.

During the week of grand banquets, of course, those guests also took turns taking their seats.

As a result, it became like a martial arts event with the great master Seomun Sulin’s renowned disciple officially participating.

Master Yuha was genuinely going overboard with his hospitality; if one were to pinpoint the peak of it, it would be this:

“She is truly the embodiment of the Moon Lady; it wouldn’t be long before she would be the world’s true treasure known as the Divine Sword!”

There were various ways for someone to earn a moniker in the Martial World.

And among those, sometimes it was granted with great authority from a specific someone.

And Master Yuha was going way overboard.

Guests who visited Hwasan beheld the sect leader’s prominent disciple and mistakenly remembered her as a moniker.

Moonlight Divine Sword!

A trait of martial artists was usually a compulsive need to tell others secret information they alone possessed.

Later, the guests departing Hwasan would speak of Master Mucheondae’s lavish praises and that divine-like swordswoman and would never cease.

Of course, they wouldn’t know the swordsmanship was actively wielded by someone who had a taste for murder using demonic arts.

In any case, Qing was happy, and joy always comes to an end eventually.

“So, what are our young disciples planning to do now?”

Qing had been promoted from being a young disciple to being ‘our’ little sister in no time.

“I plan to return to the Divine Maiden Sect. It’s been quite a while since I last saw my master. I mentioned I’d return when it started getting cold.”

“Very well. Please visit anytime you want. This old man often feels lonely and would enjoy sharing stories of the world.”

It was the Sect Leader of Hwasan personally seeing her off.

Other sect leaders from various schools would have shaken their heads and frowned at such behavior.

How could one act so shamelessly and petty?

However, Master Yuha had always garnered a reputation for being strangely worldly.

The prosperity of Hwasan now stemmed from just that, so Master Yuha felt justified.

“Chang-bin is doing well too. See you again someday.”

“Young Lady Seomun, please take care…”

Chang-bin hesitated, glancing at the Sect Leader.

The elder of the family line, Chang-bin had to return to training at Hwasan for a while.

And.

“I should return to my family now.”

“Indeed. It’s about time your father’s anger should have died down. We can’t stay away for long.”

“What’s this, mountain! Swordmaster! Are you saying you want to leave me?”

Pang Dae-san let out a deep sigh.

He held the nickname Oki-rin in contempt because he had self-confidence in being the best among the late-level martial artists.

However, that pride was utterly shattered.

Now, burning within Pang Dae-san’s heart was a fierce desire to train and aspire for the next realm.

More than anything else, he didn’t want to lose to her.

He couldn’t shake the boiling anger provoked by Qing’s frequent taunts of, “You are weaker than me.”

As that feeling of anger began to resurface, Pang Dae-san took a deep breath to calm himself.

“If you visit Hebei, please stop by my family’s house. I’ll make sure you eat until you can’t anymore.”

Pang Dae-san retrieved a wooden token from his pocket and handed a piece to Qing.

“Oh. What’s this?”

“What exactly is that way of speaking… Never mind.”

Qing accepted the token Pang Dae-san offered.

It was a wooden piece engraved with the name Pang family.

“This is proof that you’re a guest of the Pang clan. Even if I’m not around, they’ll treat you well at the family.”

“Okay, that makes sense! Swordmaster, I’ll also give you one. If you ever pass through Anhui, you should stop by my family. Every swordsman should visit the number one swordsman family at least once.”

Qing received two tokens.

Well, it seems they’re like business cards. That’s what I think.

And it turns out that’s not too far off.

However, there are levels of tokens.

What Qing didn’t know was that the tokens she received were the top-tier special guest tokens given to honored guests.

Thus, the group parted ways and headed back to their own homes.

There was no need to feel sad.

If fate allows, they will meet again.

Or they could always come to visit as they said.

Any enjoyable game eventually reaches an end, and one must return home.

More than anything, now she had a home to return to.

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