Хүн гэж юу вэ (11)

It seems like she's resorting to some tricks since I kept resisting her attempts to win me over.

But the tricks she's playing are really cute compared to the ones Seo Hweol had used.

"Therefore, I'm sorry Lady Hon, but I wish we could stop discussing the matter of marriage."

"Ha, you think I'll give up? I'll keep coming to you until you accept me!"

Hon Wei leaves with a sullen expression, seemingly displeased, and flies away using the Flying Escape Technique.

'...What a ludicrous formation.'

It's a formation that induces the dragon vein.

If I hadn't laid the circuits of the Mad Lord everywhere, hadn't learned the Silica Earth Great Wall Practice sensitive to the flow of dragon veins, and hadn't learned about formations from Cheongmun Ryeong, I would not have noticed it.'If activated properly, it's a formation that can perfectly suppress a Heavenly Being cultivator. Especially so for an Earth-attribute Heavenly Being cultivator; it can even instantly reduce them to mere mortals. Furthermore...'

The flow of this formation is literally created to restrict Hon Wei herself.

'Why would she set up such a formation?'

I decide to think from her perspective.

'She wants to win me over. So she keeps giving me spirit stones to show her affection and lets others know about it. At the same time, she lays a formation that can suppress herself in an emergency.'

Why would she create such a formation?

Obviously, it's made to be used.

Who is it intended for?

From her point of view, I am a genius in the Lightning Path Method.

There's no reason for her to specifically lay a formation that suppresses Earth attributes to subdue me.

'It's likely to suppress someone from her own Penglai Palace.'

It's a formation that perfectly counteracts the methods she practiced.

Then why would she lay such a formation here?

'If she lures someone from Penglai Palace here and uses the formation...'

The person from Penglai Palace will instantly become unable to resist.

'Is she planning to suppress a faction within Penglai Palace that opposes her and shift the blame to the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect? No. She truly wants to have me. There's no love, but the desire is real.'

Then, the purpose of that formation is...

'...Perhaps it's intended for use on herself.'

She waits for a moment when we are alone.

Then, she activates the formation to incapacitate herself.

If, at the right moment, another person from Penglai Place witnesses the scene, they might misunderstand that I am attempting something on her.

'If that happens, the reputation of the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect will hit rock bottom for attempting something on the daughter of an Integration stage Grand Cultivator... And I might be forced to marry her as an apology.'

It's a pretty cunning move.

'But this is just one trap, and there might be two or three more layers of traps behind it.'

Perhaps this formation is just a test to gauge my abilities.

'Well, from here on, I'll have to use the Mysterious Bizarre Gu.'

I immediately start using the Mysterious Bizarre Gu to monitor her.

________________________________________

"Is the aphrodisiac ready?"

A cold voice asks.

[Yes, Master. We've successfully obtained a top-grade aphrodisiac produced by the Yin Soul Ghost Sect. Even a late-stage Heavenly Being cultivator will immediately lose their senses upon inhaling it.]

A soul echoing sound resonates.

"If it's used on someone at the Grand Perfection Nascent Soul, they'd lose their senses and rush in."

[Of course.]

"Between next month and the month after, I'll create an opportunity to be alone with Jin Eun-hyun. Can you hit him from a distance with a dart filled with the aphrodisiac?"

[It's entirely possible. What is the extent of his consciousness domain?]

"Twenty li is the range of his consciousness."

[A Grand Perfection Nascent Soul stage with the consciousness domain of an early to mid Heavenly Being stage... Still, I can accurately hit the target from 50 li away, so please don't worry.]

"Excellent. There must be no mistakes. When he tries to pounce on me, you must appear at the scene with the record."

[How could there be any doubt.]

"Once it's perceived that he attempted to violate the bloodline of a Grand Cultivator, control will be mine. I will definitely... obtain the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect!"

________________________________________

"...Is that all?"

I chuckle wryly while monitoring her and her guard through the Mysterious Bizarre Gu.

If it's Seo Hweol, there would be a 100% chance there's something more behind this formation.

But seeing her only play such conspicuous tricks before leaving, it almost seems cute.

No, it's because it's me that I saw through the tricks. A normal cultivator at the Grand Perfection Nascent Soul stage probably couldn't have.'

She did her best to play her scheme.

But it seems my standards have become too high.

Well, then I suppose I should just let such tricks slide...'

It's while I'm pondering how to counter her scheme.

Boom!

"You're still far from..."

Puh-ack!

"...!?"

Jeon Myeong-hoon's fist, along with lightning, pierces through my guard and strikes my face.

"Finally!"

"...Huh?"

I touch my cheek in disbelief.

"...How did you do it?"

There's no way this guy should have been able to reach me with his level.

Even against Jin Byuk-ho or Azure Tiger Saint without their dharma treasures, I'm confident I can win fairly easily.

Unless there's a miracle, Jeon Myeong-hoon can absolutely not reach me.

But, he did.

'How?'

Rather than feeling annoyed, I look at Jeon Myeong-hoon with wonder.

"That technique just now... wasn't your usual attack, was it? Who did you learn it from?"

The attack that had just caught me off guard felt more like the essence of martial arts rather than a cultivation method.

"Was it Hong Su-ryeong?"

Jeon Myeong-hoon, pulling up red lightning, smirks.

"Do you think a man would be so loose-lipped? I'm not telling you, you bastard."

"Oh..."

'He's also growing.'

Feeling intrigued, I lift my club.

And a moment later.

"Aaagh! Aaack! I'll talk! I'll tell you!"

"...Didn't you say something about men not being loose-lipped?"

"I meant women, damn it."

"..."

I click my tongue and ask..

"So, who is it? It's Hong Su-ryeong, right?"

The only person who can teach something resembling martial arts in the Golden Divine Heavenly Thunder Sect is Hong Su-ryeong. It's almost certainly her.

'Recently, Hong Su-ryeong and I did share some insights on martial arts...'

Has she already grown to the point of teaching Jeon Myeong-hoon something like this in the meantime?

It's when I'm puzzled.

"Hong Fan."

"Huh?"

"I learned it from Hong Fan. He kindly told me about your weaknesses and habits, and how to exploit them to find openings."

"...What?"

I'm momentarily dumbfounded and ask again.

"You learned that move just now from Hong Fan?"

"Yes."

"..."

I never taught Hong Fan anything like martial arts.

'Of course, I did practice martial arts a lot in front of Hong Fan...'

And Jeon Myeong-hoon isn't lying.

'So... Hong Fan just watched me practice martial arts and understood the essence of martial arts enough to teach it to Jeon Myeong-hoon?'

What exactly is this centipede?

"To defeat you, I even knelt before a bug! I may be beaten like a dog now... but I will, I definitely will surpass you!"

Crackle!

Jeon Myeong-hoon, lying beneath me, emits red lightning.

"...Ah."

I lift my foot off Jeon Myeong-hoon.

Realizing something, I burst into laughter.

"...? What, have you lost it, Seo Eun-hyun?"

"Haha... Thank you, Jeon Myeong-hoon."

"What?"

I feel a tickling in my chest.

It feels as if the demons plaguing my mind are instantly cleared away.

'Even Jeon Myeong-hoon found something to learn from Hong Fan.'

Then.

Even if, as Yang Su-jin said, the entire world is filled with non-humans, worse than bugs.

Even if the connections I've made are nothing but trash.

'They have taught me.'

Even if it's merely a speck of dust, there's something to learn from it.

"Truly, thank you."

I open my mouth and pull out the Colorless Glass Sword.

"If you're thankful, why are you pulling out a sword...?"

"Your actions have given me sudden enlightenment."

What does it matter if it's human or non-human?

Even if all those feelings are just parts of a scripted plot we're following.

I have become my own person within that script, and I have found meaning within it.

If we can exchange meanings, isn't that what being human is about?.

Silently, I start to perform a sword dance.

'It's not enough.'

This sword dance will never allow me to advance to the next stage.

The Sudden Enlightenment (頓悟) is sufficient.

But, the Gradual Cultivation (漸修) is lacking.

However, that also means, if I only fill up the Gradual Cultivation, I can reach [Above]!

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Immersed in a trance, I recall Jang Ik's words.

―I will tell you how to reach the third stage of Manifestation.

―The power of the Heart Tribe begins by imposing one's heart, one's ideal self, upon the world.

―My ideal of Fighting Spirit is precision and destruction taken to the extreme. By imposing that power of destruction on the world, I crossed the three stages.

―What is the ideal of your martial arts?

Imposing one's ideal upon the world.

At first, I didn't understand what that meant.

Now I can finally grasp it.

"Wait a minute. Seo Eun-hyun, what are you doing?"

Jeon Myeong-hoon hastily flees upon sensing the aura emanating from me.

Woosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Kururung―

Even though I'm supposed to have lost the Lightning Path Methods, lightning begins to rumble around me.

'Imposing... one's ideal upon the world.'

It means engraving the pinnacle that my martial arts can reach into the laws of the world.

Then, what is the pinnacle of my martial arts?

How can I advance to the next stage?

What is the meaning of my martial arts?

'It means nothing.'

Because meaning is something one assigns.

Only now do I finally understand.

It's not only me who has a heart.

My martial arts have a heart and meaning as well.

The meaning I have upheld all my life is embedded in my martial arts.

Awakening the meaning one has pursued all their life.

This is the stage beyond Treading Heavens!

'I'm starting to enter!'

Boom!

I swing the Colorless Glass Sword.

Without even drawing the Formless Sword, an enormous thunderclap follows, and a small mountain range far away is cleanly sliced through.

An unbelievable force shakes the mountains and rivers, sending a massive rumble through the world.

The clouds are torn asunder, and Heavenly Being stage Grand Elders practicing in the distance hastily look around.

"What's going on here!"

"An attack!?"

"No, someone seems to be practicing Lightning Path Methods?"

"No, it's Heavenly Tribulation! The aura of Heavenly Tribulation!?"

The overwhelming power displayed even while holding back to the level of the Qi Refining stage!

Kururung....

The resounding thunder around me gradually subsides.

'It's lacking.'

I didn't reach the next stage.

But, I'm no longer lacking in enlightenment.

What's needed is effort, and more effort!

The confidence to impose one's will upon the world!

In this life, I might not ascend to the Heavenly Being stage.

But it's clear.

I'm truly just one step away from the stage beyond Treading Heavens.