Reincarnated Swordmaster

Chapter 222

Heavenly Realm

I asked the Sword Demon how I could create the Mind Technique in its strongest form. He gave a wry smile.

“That’s not something someone else can tell you; it’s a conclusion you must draw from your own life.”

“Hmm…”

“It’s the hardest stage because if you hastily define your limits, you’ll only weaken yourself. On the other hand, if you aim for too vast an imagination, your mind could recoil, and your vital energy might burst forth!”

“Isn’t that dangerous?”

Bursting vital energy sounds deadly!

With my knowledge as a physician, there was no way to save someone in such a critical condition. Cases of vital energy bursting were incredibly rare. The Sword Demon scratched his head and continued.

“Your mind isn’t such a convenient tool. If you desire power beyond your means, the backlash can shatter both your spirit and body.”

“Who wouldn’t want the world’s greatest martial art? But it’s unavoidable. Between the limits of ideals and reality, you must find the most suitable standard to maximize your own capabilities.”

“I see.”

The Mind Technique embodies the strongest form, but it has to align with one’s abilities.

Moreover, it must also stay true to one’s heart.

Satisfying these prerequisites while obtaining an excellent Mind Technique is an arduous training process in itself.

As I contemplated, the Sword Demon advised me.

“Firstly, keep meditating and reflect on your life. Think about your favorite things, what you want to do, what you must do, and your dreams. In doing so, perhaps a path will reveal itself.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Following the Sword Demon’s advice, attaining a Mind Technique was akin to proving one’s life. It could never be a hasty decision made in a day. It must be approached with the utmost caution and shaped delicately like a sculptor chiseling a piece of stone.

‘This will be a process of establishing my own martial prowess.’

I could now immerse myself deeper into my meditative training. Until now, it had merely been a tedious exercise to wield the threads of Mind, but thinking about myself proved surprisingly challenging.

‘Who am I? What am I?’

It’s a straightforward question in Zen practice, yet for me, it felt pressing.

I needed to know myself!

I must answer what the life of ‘Baek Woong’ really is!

“……”

But even after days of racking my brain, all I could do was revisit my memories. I had rushed through the first 16 lifetimes without a moment to ponder such lofty questions about who I was.

‘What am I? What am I doing?’

It’s really hard. I’d rather train my body, sweating it out, than delve into this introspective quest which felt like summoning the Heart Demon!

Seven weeks passed. The routine of meditating and sharing the Wudang Sect’s techniques with the Sword Demon continued. It seemed like the Sword Demon was developing his martial arts day by day, while I remained stuck in my head.

Eventually, I reached a rather absurd conclusion.

‘Ah, screw it! Let’s just imprint my memories onto Obsidian!’

That’s right.

While others might not, I could view my memories in the world’s most objective light, couldn’t I?

As the thought crossed my mind, I retrieved a substantial chunk of Obsidian from my throat protector just before bedtime. I had taken it from the Obsidian Mine during my time in Dongyoung with Miho. This size would allow me to capture not just my previous lives but even the detailed emotions associated with them.

“Alright.”

I placed both hands on the Obsidian and took a deep breath.

I’d store all my past life memories and review them!

Going through that process, I figured I would understand what kind of person Baek Woong was from a third-person perspective.

Vroom!!

After the memories were stored, I began to gaze at them once more.

It started from the moment I died from an arrow in the first lifetime to the abysmal state I found myself in during the last 15th life, including my recent fervent dedication to martial arts training.

Looking back at my own memories felt quite uncomfortable.

‘I… really struggled to live.’

Now I understood why Mangnyang changed so drastically after receiving the energy from the Obsidian. I wasn’t saying this because it was me, but Baek Woong had been rolling through life like crazy after obtaining the Heavenly Secret. Watching the struggles I had gone through made my throat tighten and the tears almost well up.

After examining my memories, I discovered two peculiar points.

“Huh? Why doesn’t this guy show up anymore?”

It was during the tenth lifetime when I first met Miho.

At that time, there was a Dongyoung warrior guarding the first floor of the building where Miho was located. That person wore a mask, so their face was hidden.

The warrior was no match for Jaryun, a peak master of the Twelve Rhythms, who easily defeated him and allowed me to pass. But then the guy tried to attack me for some reason, only to lose his head.

He definitely recognized me.

It was rather memorable, so I still faintly recalled it.

If that guy was seeking Miho for strength, then why didn’t he show up again once she became an ally? I thought perhaps it was because the causal relationships shifted with each reincarnation, but something felt off.

I debated whether or not to let it go.

‘Hmm… with those skills, it doesn’t seem that important.’

But I couldn’t focus on that right now since it was a crucial time for me to hone my Mind Technique! So I resolved to forget it for the moment. Back then, if he barely reached the first-class level, he wouldn’t stand a chance against me now. After all, he was just a half-baked goofball lingering around Miho.

There was another point that caught my attention.

‘Why has no one noticed the Heavenly Secret’s ability to reverse time?’

While this worked to my advantage, none of the beings I encountered appeared aware that I could reverse time with the Heavenly Secret. Not even the Heavenly Deity or the so-called Old Sovereign seemed to pick up on it.

… Why was that?

For supposed divine beings, it’s a bit odd they couldn’t recognize the magical capabilities of a mere grimoire. I must have been too busy achieving my goals to ponder this. I thought for a moment before coming to a conclusion.

‘Right. Since the Heavenly Secret is a grimoire… it was likely created by one of those Yijok using an unusual spell.’

With my limited knowledge of magic, that was the only angle I could ponder.

In truth, I wanted to show the Heavenly Secret to the prophet of Astana, but I feared that if I did, he might suddenly flee or attempt to escape from space and time. The reaction of the Grand Sorcerer of the Imperial Palace upon seeing the Heavenly Secret escaping was rather suspicious.

Reflecting on my life helped calm my heart.

The solution to the current issue also appeared clear.

“Great. I should visit the Wudang Sect later.”

First, I will completely teach the Wudang Sect’s techniques to the Sword Demon and then reap the rewards. After that, I’ll persuade the now confident Sword Demon to meet with the Mythical Dragon. I felt that during the meeting with the Mythical Dragon, I could gain something valuable.

Thus, about a year passed.

Should I express the passage of time as clouds drifting by? For an entire year, I was so engrossed in training and my crazy duels with the Sword Demon that I scarcely noticed the time flying by. The Sword Demon insisted that duels were the best training, so whenever the chance arose, he practiced with me using wooden swords, and we both learned during exchanges.

That day, after hastily finishing our sparring, the Sword Demon spoke to me in a serious tone.

“Something big has happened, Baek Ho-bok.”

“What’s wrong?”

The Sword Demon looked up at the sky with a glum expression.

“The Dharma Protector informed me this morning that he will be visiting the Shadowless Gate tomorrow.”

“……!!”

I expected this, but hearing it confirmed was still shocking. I said cautiously,

“Is it because you didn’t attend the last Assembly of Eight Devils?”

“Probably.”

“If the Dharma Protector attacks the Shadowless Gate, we won’t be able to hold out.”

My opinion was sincere.

Among the current Three Greats of the Dharma Protectors, whoever it was possessed truly remarkable martial arts beyond the extreme level. While the Sword Demon was indeed formidable, he couldn’t match the Dharma Protectors. The Heavenly Deity possesses infinite inner strength, so even a brief mid to long-term confrontation would give Heavenly Deity an overwhelming advantage over someone lacking that trait.

The Sword Demon nodded.

“I share your thoughts. My options are to either resist, flee, or negotiate.”

“What do you plan to do?”

“I convened with my inner circle early in the morning to discuss opinions. After listening to your thoughts, I intend to make my decision.”

My position in the Shadowless Gate was ambiguously precarious. In name, I was a Dharma Protector, but traditionally, the position didn’t exist in the Shadowless Gate. Since ancient times, the elite warriors who followed the Shadowless Gate have trained their martial arts and were known as Sword Master or Sword Wolf.

Given that the Shadowless Gate was so elite, their number didn’t exceed twenty when pooled together, and there were only around a dozen. Even so, they could claim to be the sky of the Demonic Sect for a reason. Each of them was either at peak mastery or reached the pinnacle. Thus, the pride of those in the Shadowless Gate was sky-high.

Yet, even those warriors hesitated to treat me casually, often bowing stiffly. It turned out they all knew I was the lifesaver of the famed Seo Mun-hye, and the Sword Demon, Seo Mun-dae-ryong, had been mentoring me like a direct disciple all day. Due to that, they seemed to feel a wall between us and never had a proper conversation with me.

I couldn’t help but ponder.

‘How would Mangnyang have responded in this scenario?’

Whenever significant issues arose, I always sought Mangnyang’s opinion first, for he often had the wiser insight. However, in this life, I hadn’t established ties with Mangnyang, fully relying on my own judgment and decision-making. I recalled the mentality I held during past solo adventures and took a deep breath.

After a moment, I spoke.

“Don’t worry, speak with the Dharma Protector first.”

“What’s your reason?”

I grinned and showed him the throat protector and Golden Floating.

“No matter what happens, we can escape.”

“…….?”

“This is the throat protector and this is the Golden Floating.”

I demonstrated the powers of the throat protector and Golden Floating to the Sword Demon after a moment. Upon witnessing the Golden Floating’s teleportation ability and the throat protector’s storage capability, he looked utterly shocked. He spoke with a trembling voice.

“W-What? I’ve never seen such treasures in my life!”

It appeared he was somewhat aware of the throat protector’s existence from Seo Mun-hye’s mentions, but it seems this was the first time he learned about the Golden Floating.

That makes sense, as I hadn’t mentioned those treasures since entering the Shadowless Gate. I had worried he might become greedy over the treasures and cause unnecessary events, so I kept them to myself. But now, with my training time in danger, I had no choice but to reveal them.

“If things go wrong, everyone can escape safely.”

“I see! That’s perfect.”

The Sword Demon nodded and continued speaking.

“Then when we meet the Dharma Protector tomorrow, let’s just have the two of us meet him. The rest of the members will be stored within the throat protector.”

“That’ll work.”

“I trust you.”

I thought the Sword Demon was quite bold. Indeed, his plan was the best way to protect the Shadowless Gate. However, by letting such valuable members’ lives hinge on the throat protector, he chose to trust me. Even the life of the famous Seo Mun-hye was at risk!

‘He truly trusts me.’

In this life, I vowed never to betray the Sword Demon. Even if I end up disappointing him, I would face it head-on and accept the consequences. It was another moment where I swore that to myself.

The next day, as planned, I stored all the Shadowless Gate members in the throat protector. The Sword Demon and I lingered at the main entrance of the Shadowless Gate building, where it was empty, waiting for the Dharma Protector. Since no one was around, we had to act as the gatekeepers to meet the Dharma Protector swiftly.

As noon approached, a massive storm cloud suddenly approached the Shadowless Gate.

Rumble rumble

The storm brought torrential rain and soon blurred my vision with drops and fog. It was like a dragon spitting out a cloud, engulfed in dense fog. As the raindrops ceased entirely, there was nothing but eerie mist all around when a powerful voice resonated.

[It’s been a while, Sword Demon.]

Swish!

In the next moment, a figure appeared before us.

He wore a golden dragon mask, a symbol unique to the Dharma Protector. He appeared to be around a twenty-something male with a slender build. Seeing him made me let out a quiet hum, and the Sword Demon had a somber expression.

When he faced the figure, the Sword Demon politely bowed.

“Thank you for coming a long way, Dugu Jun.”

Indeed.

It was none other than the Dharma Protector of the Water Spirit Lineage, Dugu Jun, who showed up amid the mysterious fog! He was the Black Lotus Sect’s representative and the most formidable Dharma Protector of the Water Spirit Lineage, come to talk with the Sword Demon!