Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 370

“Hmm, so that’s what happened.”

“Yes.”

Yeon-wi clicked his tongue.

“I wondered why your expression had changed so much. You didn’t even tell me, but you had such a conversation with him.”

Gang Ryang, after taking a sip of tea, spoke with an awkward expression.

“I’m worried I might have said something unnecessary.”

“Don’t say that. You said what you needed to say. Rather, it’s my fault for not giving you advice at the right time.”

“Ah, you don’t have to say it like that…”

“No, it’s not. I’ve been too focused on external matters lately and haven’t been able to strengthen our internal affairs. I need to pay more attention from now on.”

Yeon-wi sighed quietly, then smiled and examined Gang Ryang’s body.

“Anyway, it seems you’ve been diligently training. The energy you’re emitting is well-refined, not scattered like before.”

He hadn’t seen his actual swordsmanship, but he could gauge his opponent’s skill just by the energy they emitted. Moreover, as a fellow swordsman, Gang Ryang couldn’t hide it from Yeon-wi’s eyes.

Gang Ryang shook his head.

“I’m still lacking in many ways. I’m far from enough.”

“Do you think so?”

“When I was even more clumsy than now, I didn’t know what the problem was or what parts were lacking. At least now it’s different. The shortcomings of the power I’ve gained keep catching my eye, and I’m agonizing between what I need to improve and the path I need to take.”

His tone had become more mature. His voice, which seemed much more serious and profound than before, was impressive.

‘He’s catching up.’

Yeon-wi’s gaze towards Gang Ryang was filled with affection and concern.

‘He’s seriously pursuing the way of the sword. He’s living the life of a seeker, not caring about the eyes of others, but only for his own perfection.’

Amazing.

The changed energy, the anguish felt in his voice, and yet the unwavering gaze were like that of a practitioner trying to complete only one path.

It was a face rarely seen in a young man who had just turned twenty. Regardless of his skills, such a profound martial artist’s face would not be found easily even if one searched the entire Central Plains [a term referring to the heartland of China, often used in martial arts stories].

Yeon-wi opened his mouth.

“The martial art you’ve learned, was it called the Ghost Sword?”

A sword possessed by a ghost. It was quite a gruesome name.

Gang Ryang nodded.

“More precisely, it’s called the Ghost King Martial Art. It’s a martial art that encompasses divine power, swordsmanship, and footwork, and if you perfectly master the lower stages, you can advance to the higher stages.”

The Ghost King True Energy [a type of internal energy cultivation] was once considered a supreme divine art, ranked among the top ten in the history of the Black Path [a term referring to unorthodox or evil martial arts].

However, as times change, so do people. The Ghost King True Energy had also been improved over time, with its weaknesses being compensated for and its strengths enhanced.

As a result, the current Ghost King True Energy was no exaggeration to call it the greatest masterpiece in the history of the Ghost Iron Sword Clan. In the White Path [a term referring to orthodox or righteous martial arts] martial world, it could be compared to the best secret arts of the Nine Great Sects [the most prestigious martial arts schools].

“The Ghost Sword you showed me before was very murderous and sharp, but it was a swordsmanship that crushed enemies by focusing on the unparalleled powerful strikes hidden within.”

“That’s right.”

“But the energy you’re showing now is a bit different. Have you temporarily put aside the fundamental dominance and focused more on sharpness?”

Gang Ryang smiled.

“You’re amazing as always. You see right through it.”

“Knowing what your sword and the martial art you’ve learned pursue is very important. That’s why most martial artists tend to walk the path by identifying the path their martial art pursues with their own.”

“I don’t think it’s bad. To understand a martial art, you must be able to see the end it has set.”

“That’s true. But you’ve already surpassed that. While seeing the end that the Ghost King Martial Art pursues, you yourself have deviated from that path.”

Yeon-wi nodded.

“It may be a bit difficult, but if your efforts are the same as now, you will surely get unexpected results. I believe that.”

“Thank you.”

“Hmm.”

Yeon-wi, who had been stroking his chin, smiled and got up from his seat.

“In this operation, there was a sword strike I used against the enemy. I created it as my own secret technique, but in fact, it was based on the Three Swords.”

“……?”

“I created one of the swords, but it’s not yet complete. The power is complete, but the time it takes to execute it is long, and the consumption of true energy is also excessive, which is a problem.”

“Yes?”

“Would you like to see it? The sword I created.”

“Is, is that alright?”

“What is there to hide? The reason I haven’t shown this sword to Ji-pyeong yet is because Ji-pyeong hasn’t found his own way of the sword yet. I thought that if he was careless, he might get caught up in this sword power and it could negatively affect his growth.”

Yeon-wi pointed to the door with his hand.

“Take a look. If there’s anything you can learn from this sword, feel free to take it. Furthermore, if you see any shortcomings in me, I hope you’ll tell me without hesitation.”

* * *

“Cough!”

Yeon Ho-Jeong, covered in blood, coughed up a mouthful of blood. His whole body was a mess.

He had tried to minimize his power, reduce the poison, and slow down the speed, but it was still a secret technique. He had deflected most of the hidden weapons, but the impact continued to accumulate, and the more it did, the more wounds he received.

It was fortunate that Tang Gwan hadn’t used the final chapter, the ultimate secret technique among the secret techniques. In the first place, he hadn’t even completed half of it, so it wasn’t in a state to be used.

But even considering that, it was amazing that he had only reached this point.

Tang Gwan was dumbfounded.

‘What kind of guy is this?’

The Full Sky Art and the Flower Rain Art each consisted of three chapters of secret techniques, and he had only been able to implement up to the middle chapter of the two martial arts. He hadn’t even grasped the feeling of the final chapter.

Tang Gwan’s ultimate goal was to combine Full Sky and Flower Rain into one and freely use hidden weapon techniques. Of course, that didn’t mean that the power of the two martial arts he had currently mastered up to the middle chapter was weak.

‘He took the Flower Rain’s first and middle chapters, and the Full Sky’s middle chapter? And he only ended up like this?’

The sight of Yeon Ho-Jeong covered in blood was so gruesome that it made one shudder.

But Tang Gwan could tell. Compared to what he saw, Yeon Ho-Jeong wasn’t that badly hurt. There was quite a bit of internal damage and considerable external wounds due to the poison and penetration, but if he received treatment, he would be able to move without difficulty even two days later.

It was an absurd result. Whether it was the first or middle chapter, this secret technique was a powerful martial art that could wipe out an entire unit as soon as it was implemented.

And he had taken it all alone, even though he had reduced the power, poison, and speed. Moreover, he was wielding an unfamiliar pair of axes!

“Cough! Kah, ptoo! Ugh, I really came back from the brink of death.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong plopped down on the spot.

It wasn’t a serious internal or external injury, but he was completely drained. He had exhausted his mental energy trying to grasp the movement of the hidden weapons and the flow of true energy while swinging his axes.

Clang.

Yeon Ho-Jeong put down the Black and White Twin Dragons [referring to his axes] and grumbled.

“It’s truly a terrifying martial art. There probably aren’t many people in the current martial world who could withstand it.”

“……”

“You adjusted the power to the maximum, right?”

“……That’s right.”

Chiiiiik!

The Yeon Family Divine Pill [a medicinal pill] rapidly rotated, increasing the size of the Vermilion Bird Fire [a type of internal energy]. The poison that had penetrated his entire body quickly evaporated. He had been told to sit in a meditative posture and dispel the poison, but since Tang Gwan had suppressed the poison as much as possible, there was no need to focus on removing it.

Still, it was amazing that he was talking so normally. Tang Gwan said in admiration.

“You’re a true iron man. Honestly, I thought you’d be carried away when you took the last middle chapter of Flower Rain.”

“It’s thanks to you holding back.”

“Just because I held back doesn’t mean it’s an easy martial art that anyone can block. It’s definitely because you’re amazing.”

It was a rare compliment. If he didn’t have absolute confidence in his secret techniques, such a compliment wouldn’t have come out.

“Then let’s say that’s the case. Anyway…”

Yeon Ho-Jeong stroked his chin.

Tang Gwan’s eyes sparkled.

“How is it? Did you see any areas for improvement?”

“Yes, I did. I did see some, but I don’t know if I should say it.”

“That’s ridiculous. No matter what you say, if I don’t think I need to digest it, I’ll just dismiss it. Speak without hesitation.”

There was a reason why Yeon Ho-Jeong was hesitating.

‘What if I mess it up?’

The invincible secret technique of the Poison Master Tang Gwan, the legendary secret art called the Full Sky Flower Rain, which would be called the strongest martial art in the history of the Tang family, was a martial art that the predecessors had laid the foundation for and Tang Gwan had completed by grinding his bones [a metaphor for intense effort].

Even without his advice, Tang Gwan would eventually be able to complete the Full Sky Flower Rain.

The problem was now. He was worried that his rash advice might harm the invincible ultimate technique that would bloom in the future.

‘History can change with a single trivial word. My advice might unnecessarily delay the martial art’s development, or in the worst case, it might not be completed at all.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s face clouded over.

‘I should have thought about it before accepting. I’ve received a truly burdensome request.’

After a moment of thought, Yeon Ho-Jeong shook his head.

‘No. History has already changed since the moment I died and came back. The Myeong family fell by my hand, and the Martial Alliance was established earlier than in the original history. The flow of the world is already different from the past, so there’s no need to worry about this.’

It was already water under the bridge [a metaphor for something that cannot be changed]. Then, living faithfully in the present was the answer.

Yeon Ho-Jeong made up his mind.

“Then, I’ll start with the Flower Rain Art. In the first chapter of Flower Rain…”

He told him without holding back the weaknesses of the Full Sky Flower Rain that he had discerned.

Listening to his words, Tang Gwan was greatly surprised every moment.

Even if one was relatively stronger, at this level, the insights they had gained would inevitably be different. Even a relatively strong person could show a lack of knowledge in the specialized field of a weaker person.

The opposite was also true.

The flaws in the Full Sky Art and Flower Rain Art that Yeon Ho-Jeong pointed out were parts that Tang Gwan had never expected. Furthermore, while pointing out the parts, he didn’t miss the big picture, which showed how much Yeon Ho-Jeong had focused on this martial art.

That was because Yeon Ho-Jeong’s insights were those of the Dark Emperor, and he was able to grasp the parts that Tang Gwan had missed or was creatively lacking with amazing insight.

“In other words, if you just grasp the connection between the first and middle chapters that I mentioned, the flow up to the final chapter will open up naturally. Of course, you’ll have to create the incantations and methods to control that flow yourself, Clan Leader.”

Tang Gwan muttered with a serious face.

“Reducing the true energy consumed by telekinesis… inducing diffuse reflection… the diversity of flow due to the impact between fragments…”

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled.

The sight of Tang Gwan standing still and muttering was quite refreshing. He seemed to be completely focused.

Yeon Ho-Jeong carefully picked up the Black and White Twin Dragons and stood up. He didn’t want to disturb Tang Gwan for no reason.

Just as he turned to leave the training ground.

“Wait!”

“Huh?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong turned around.

Tang Gwan came running in a hurry.

“Do you have time? If so, come and have a cup of tea with me.”

“……I need to treat my injuries.”

“I’ll take care of the treatment, so stop talking and follow me!”

Tang Gwan was, after all, a martial artist.

In the end, Yeon Ho-Jeong was held by Tang Gwan until dawn the next day, improving the Full Sky Flower Rain together, and then he fainted again. It was because he had lost too much blood.

Only then did Tang Gwan click his tongue, pick up Yeon Ho-Jeong, and head towards Gi Woo-Hee.

“For a young man to be so weak, tsk. In my day, I would spill three bowls of blood and still be drunk for three days…”