851——————==

True Martial Home

What the… am I being attacked…?!

I was in a bit of a panic, yet at the same time, I focused on boosting my vitality. To compensate for my lost heart, I tried to enhance my blood flow, blocking any leakage of my spirit energy.

But for some reason, it didn’t work. As all my attempts at the Moving Meditation Technique fell flat, blood just kept pouring out of my heart. In the midst of my bewilderment, I suddenly realized I felt no pain at all.

As I stood there, the Divine Thief chuckled slyly.

“You’re looking a bit daft, yet you have some awareness.”

“Since this isn’t reality, even injuries here are meaningless?”

“Right. This place exists to serve that purpose. To you, in the real world, this is hardly more than a fleeting moment.”

“…”

I see.

Having encountered bizarre spaces like this a few times when meeting figures like Jeon Wook or divine beings, I quickly adapted. As I remained still, my heart that had been torn out returned to its original state, and my wounds and pools of blood vanished as if washed away. Once I regained my composure, the Divine Thief spoke again.

“Nonetheless, the fact remains—you died instantly from my manipulation.”

“Isn’t that a trick? If you’re a divine being in this space, you could easily manipulate time and space to do something similar.”

When I shot him a suspicious look, the Divine Thief shook his head.

“No. While I can use divine powers in this place, that just means I can practice the Divine Skill without disregarding the Law of Cause and Effect; it’s not much help otherwise.”

“…Divine Skill!!”

I yelled at the Divine Thief.

“Can you really use it? The technique that even transcends the Absolute Realm…?”

“Ah, of course I can use it.”

“……!!”

If the opponent’s technique, One Hand Take Heart, was indeed the Divine Skill, I could understand how I’d been defeated in one hit. At the same time, the thought of finally having a chance to learn the existence of the Divine Skill, which I could only trace in my endless rebirths, excited me. After all, the Divine Thief wasn’t my enemy.

“Please tell me what the Divine Skill is.”

“Does it even matter if you don’t have the Absolute Realm yet?”

“Still, I want to know.”

“Hmmm… this is a secret of sorts. Is it okay for me to share?”

The Divine Thief scratched his cheek.

“I was generous. I’ll need to mention it once when imparting my True Martial Arts anyway, so let me give you a broad idea.”

“Thank you.”

“But before I explain, how did you come to know the existence of the Divine Skill?”

“That’s…”

I shared the story of my bond with Yeodong-bin and the caster of the Divine Skill, Jin So-cheong, and every detail I could recall. Although I worried about the dark chi buried in the tale, the opponent before me, even if just a lingering thought, was a divine being, so I wasn’t too concerned.

After a while of listening, the Divine Thief replied.

“I see. Honestly, it’s curious how you found out about the Divine Skill, as it shouldn’t be known in the Martial Arts World or the outside realm.”

“It shouldn’t be known?”

“The fact that the Absolute Realm exists was well-known a thousand years ago when I lived. Many talented individuals and prodigies have passed this info down through the ages. But the Divine Skill is different.”

The Divine Thief crossed his arms.

“The only way to learn about the Divine Skill is when the chosen ones open the [Gate] and enter. Once those who have entered do so, they lose interest in the earthly Martial Arts and solely seek the transcendental martial arts, thus creating an obligation to keep the secret. It can’t be shared easily.”

“…….”

I thought over the Divine Thief’s words before replying.

“Divine Thief, there’s something odd here.”

“What is it?”

“When I looked into Yeodong-bin’s memories, he heard from the Martial God that a hundred people opened the [Gate] together. But you said you can only reach a divine seat by opening the [Gate], which creates a contradiction. Why would they open a door that was already opened?”

“Hahaha…”

The Divine Thief chuckled.

“I can’t explain that fully, but let’s just say those are two different [Gates].”

“Different?”

“If you later officially qualify to come here, you’ll understand what I mean.”

“Hmm.”

“Anyway, the Divine Skill is, as the name suggests, a realm and technique created for mortals to set foot in the territory of the gods.”

“A much higher state than the Absolute Realm.”

“Higher…? You could say that, but that’s not its essence.”

The Divine Thief began walking slowly as he continued.

“It was created to combat the evil and great divine beings that dominate the entire universe with martial power. Naturally, we sought greater power to defeat the gods; saying that the Divine Skill must be above the Absolute Realm from the start isn’t correct.”

“I don’t get it. Isn’t that the same thing?”

“Not at all. What is the Absolute Realm?”

“It’s a state where you alter the world’s laws using the Heavenly Pillar of your will to reach an extraordinary level in martial arts.”

“There are many techniques among the Divine Skills that don’t deviate greatly from that principle. You could use the Divine Skill, but its physical destructive force or power could actually be weaker than that of techniques from the Absolute Realm.”

“……!!”

“The key point is whether you can step into the domain of the gods using that technique. It’s crucial whether you can conquer chaos with the primordial void. Increasing power or scale is merely a secondary element to eliminate that chaos.”

“Hmm…”

That explanation felt like it made sense, yet still didn’t.

‘So, what you’re saying is that conquering the gods is paramount….’

Yet, I felt something gnawing at me.

It seemed like the Divine Thief had given a lot of explanation regarding the Divine Skill, but did not touch on what felt truly significant.

‘Is he hiding the essence of the Divine Skill?’

The difference between it and the Absolute Realm could not simply be brushed aside as a difference in purpose. It felt like there was something more there, yet I sensed he wouldn’t answer if I asked. So, I opted for another question.

“Then, you mean that the Martial God is gathering a hundred people because he wants to defeat the Old Ruler?”

“Well, who knows?”

“Well, what do you mean by that? Didn’t you just say the Divine Skill is meant to defeat the gods?”

“Right. But I can’t say if that’s truly the Martial God’s intention.”

“What do you mean?”

“The Martial God doesn’t specifically reveal himself. Even as the one who occupies the divine seat, no one has seen the true form of the Martial God or had a genuine conversation. He’s so profoundly non-personal that one can’t dare to measure his intentions.”

In other words, he’s such a great being that even trying to figure out what he desires could be blasphemous. At the same time, I realized another fact.

‘Even a divine seat doesn’t guarantee a meeting with the Martial God.’

So then, what is the purpose of this divine seat?

As I continued pondering, the Divine Thief said,

“You seem to have many questions, but I can’t explain everything, nor do I wish to. You’ve gotten enough info about the Divine Skill; let’s just start practicing some martial arts now.”

“You mentioned the True Martial Arts; what kind will you teach me?”

“Well, for example, the principle behind tearing your heart out just now. Or maybe I’ll pluck out an eye.”

One Hand Take Eye

Boom!

In the next moment, I realized one of my eyeballs had been ripped out in the blink of an eye. Watching the Divine Thief play with it as if it were a toy left me speechless, but much like before, I couldn’t even react.

I was dumbfounded and said, “This is absurd! I could sense a moment even against the strongest of the Absolute Realm. What kind of technique is powerful enough to not let me notice?”

“Hmmm… I don’t know what your Peerless Technique is, but isn’t there a simpler explanation?”

Boom!

As the

 

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