Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 852

A soft cooing sound drifted from somewhere. It was a vibrant sound, a melody that seemed to defy the lingering cold of the weather. It was a somewhat monotonous, yet strangely captivating song.

“Do you enjoy tea?”

“I drink anything well.”

“It seems you don’t have a particular preference.”

“I have a very simple palate, so I’m not picky.”

He carefully cooled the boiled water and poured it into a teacup.

The deep green tea gradually lightened, becoming transparent.

“Even if you’re not picky, you should know how to distinguish things.”

“I can distinguish alcohol quite well.”

“If you’re not going to live alone, etiquette is essential. Some refined people are so sensitive about such things that they’d risk their lives over it, which is tiring, but it’s still better than not knowing.”

“Is that so?”

“Knowing is important. It’s difficult to be humble and not show what you know.”

“I’m not good at that, so I try not to learn unnecessary things.”

“That’s a good way of putting it. Have some.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong brought the teacup to his lips.

He didn’t know much about tea, but he could tell that Namgoong Seung was skilled. The ability to bring out the rich aroma with subtle temperature differences; if one wasn’t interested in tea, they wouldn’t be able to draw out such a deep fragrance.

“That’s unexpected.”

“What is?”

“I thought you were someone who wouldn’t be interested in anything other than the sword.”

“That’s not wrong.”

Namgoong Seung took a sip of tea and looked out the window.

He couldn’t see him, but he knew Namgoong Pyo was outside the door. The heavy yet sharp aura unique to the Namgoong family was present, but his mind was troubled, and his energy was a bit erratic.

Namgoong Seung’s eyes deepened.

“Born as the son of a prestigious family, from the moment I first started learning the sword, I had no interest in anything else. As the eldest son of the family, I naturally became the successor, but I wasn’t even interested in the position of family head. Such things weren’t important to me.”

“…….”

“But how can a person live in isolation? Especially since I was born carrying the weight of the family, I had to give up some things for the family that put a sword in my hand.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled wryly.

“You’re definitely much more mature than someone like me.”

“There’s no need to compare yourself to me. Regardless of who’s better, we stand in different places. The world we see, the circumstances we’re in, even where we were born are different.”

“That’s true, but…”

“To truly be free, you have to let go of everything. But we can’t do that. If you truly want to let go of everything, you have to forget what you’ve learned and even let go of the habits ingrained in your body, but that wouldn’t be me anymore.”

Letting go of everything.

The family, the bloodline, the studies learned and practiced, and ultimately, even forgetting oneself.

Achieving true freedom would be no different from the Taoist concept of ascension or the Buddhist concept of enlightenment.

“In the end, life is about doing your best in your own circumstances. It’s just a matter of how much you can expand the scope of that ‘best’.”

“I suppose so.”

It was a conversation that could have been trivial, but for some reason, it stuck in his mind.

Rather, for Yeon Ho-Jeong now, it was a much more impressive lesson than swinging an axe or throwing a punch. If you look at it from the perspective that life is martial arts.

“So, do you have a specific reason for seeing me?”

Namgoong Seung chuckled.

“You’re impatient.”

“If you’re going to hold your position for a long time, give me something to chew on. I’m usually very hungry.”

To Yeon Ho-Jeong, Namgoong Seung was quite a unique person. He had similarities to the people he had seen so far, but there were also many completely different aspects.

Conversely, to Namgoong Seung, Yeon Ho-Jeong was an infinitely unique person. Putting aside the fact that he had reached the level of a Saintly Heaven [a very high level of martial arts mastery] at a young age, it was extremely rare for someone to show such an honest personality in front of a senior in the martial world.

Was it because they had sparred once?

Namgoong Seung didn’t think of Yeon Ho-Jeong’s behavior as arrogance.

‘Is he comfortable?’

A martial artist proves themselves through their martial arts.

Most people think of this as proving their worth as a martial artist, but Namgoong Seung was different.

Those who have elevated martial arts to the realm of art put their lives into the martial arts they practice. That’s why you can get a glimpse of the other person’s character just by sparring a few moves, and even infer their past life.

In Namgoong Seung’s eyes, Yeon Ho-Jeong was far from arrogant. Although his words and actions might seem arrogant, he was simply honest and bold.

People with incompatible personalities would find it difficult to become close, but if there was enough understanding to accept each other, he was a talent who could become close enough.

Namgoong Seung smiled and said,

“Are you out there? Bring out a few dishes.”

A short while later.

Four simply presented dishes were brought out. There were many items, but the plates themselves were very small.

“It seems you eat sparingly?”

“I’ve never eaten my fill in my entire life. It’s past lunchtime, so just fill your stomach. It’ll be dinner soon.”

“Still, it’s a relief that there’s alcohol.”

Namgoong Seung, who was watching Yeon Ho-Jeong move his chopsticks, chuckled.

“How’s the taste?”

“It’s plain and good. I’ve only been eating stimulating things, so it’s refreshing.”

“You know how to eat.”

Namgoong Seung didn’t pick up his chopsticks. A cup of tea was enough for him.

How much time had passed?

“Have you finished eating?”

“My hunger is gone.”

“If your hunger is gone, it’s time to get out of your delusion.”

It was an unexpected remark.

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had wiped his mouth with a clean cloth, quietly looked at Namgoong Seung.

Namgoong Seung looked out the window and said,

“Do you remember what I said earlier? That a person cannot live in isolation.”

“I remember.”

“Humans can never truly grasp the meaning of freedom. The moment you understand freedom, that freedom oppresses you.”

If you think about the meaning of freedom, there could be no more contradictory statement.

“However, small freedoms can be grasped depending on your efforts.”

“Small freedoms.”

“You boldly demanded food from the former head of the Namgoong family to escape your hunger. I granted that request, and as a result, you escaped your hunger.”

“……?”

“An enemy appeared to harm me. I killed him to protect my life. By eliminating the one who tried to oppress my freedom of life, I gained another freedom.”

“……!”

“Small, small, and even smaller freedoms have come together to make me. It must be the same for you.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes wavered.

Namgoong Seung slowly turned his head to look at Yeon Ho-Jeong.

His eyes were indifferent. Like someone who had achieved complete freedom and could no longer feel anything.

“Compared to that, how insignificant is the process of abandoning your existing martial arts, which you thought were your strengths and characteristics, and gaining something new?”

Thump!

“Isn’t it just my prejudice to think that it will be difficult and arduous? If you think of it as simply letting go rather than giving up, it might be difficult, but it wouldn’t be impossible.”

Thump-thump!

“I understood the essence of the Myriad Swords [a complex sword technique], but I didn’t even change the heavy and dignified sword style that was the foundation of the Limitless Sky Sword. Was it because I couldn’t change it? No. There was no need to change it. Just by adding numerous essences to that sword style, I reached the ultimate level of the Limitless Sword.”

Namgoong Seung’s indifferent eyes gradually turned blue.

“I wanted to go beyond that, so I created the Imperial Sword Form. There were many trials and errors, but by letting go of the things I thought were my own unique skills and strengths, I was finally able to obtain a martial art that was so much like me.”

“……!”

“Why can’t you do that?”

“I…”

“Even if each of the four colors of energy has distinct characteristics, that’s not everything. Although it assumes offense, defense, evasion, and counterattack, martial arts is not just that.”

Whoooom!

“Is a martial art that assumes all combat techniques truly the end of the martial path you see?”

“……!!”

“Is martial arts limited to just combat techniques that involve moving your limbs? Is there nothing more than that?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes shook greatly.

Namgoong Seung suddenly started talking about martial arts theory. The question of why he was saying such things gradually disappeared due to the words he was continuously uttering.

“Your combat techniques were perfect. There was nothing to add or subtract. The attacks were strong, and the defense was solid. Evasion and counterattacks were flexible, and the killing techniques were as fierce as fire. Perhaps no one in the world could use such perfect combat techniques like you.”

“…….”

“But if a stronger person than that defeats you, what are you going to do?”

“……!!”

“Are you going to try to solve it with combat techniques that have already reached perfection? In front of an opponent who has the power to crush even that perfection?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong swallowed unconsciously.

“The realm of perfection is ultimately within the martial path that you yourself have drawn. Whether you break through perfection and move beyond it, or let go of perfection and move towards another completion, is entirely up to you.”

“……Perfection.”

“Do you know why I’m bothering to say these things?”

“I don’t know.”

Flash!

Namgoong Seung’s eyes blazed.

“How can you know less about yourself than a third party!”

The voice echoed loudly in the room.

Yeon Ho-Jeong flinched for a moment at the sudden outburst.

“If you hadn’t had enough contemplation about yourself, you wouldn’t have reached such a level! Yet, you don’t know where your martial path is heading. Is there anything more ridiculous and pathetic in the world!”

“What is that supposed to mean…?”

“Martial arts is originally one! Even if one divides into two, four, and eight, it will eventually return to one! That is the truth that no martial art in the world can escape!”

“……?!”

“Why didn’t I overhaul the Limitless Sky Sword after realizing the essence of the Myriad Swords? Why did I bother to create a new sword?”

“……!!”

“Because the Limitless Sky Sword was perfect in itself! At least for me! But, are those four martial arts truly perfect for you? Is there truly no foundation for those four martial arts to return to?!”

Namgoong Seung’s expression became stern.

“Open your eyes! Stop dwelling on killing and look for the foundation that has made you grow like this!”

“……Foundation.”

“The foundation is the truth and the destination you must reach! Can’t you still see it? You’re diligently searching for the place where those four energies should return, but you still haven’t realized it!”

“……?!”

“Can you truly be confident that you have reached the ultimate level of that martial art?!”

It was then.

Flash!

Yeon Ho-Jeong felt the world change in an instant.

‘Huh?!’

It wasn’t just a feeling. The scenery he saw with his eyes actually changed completely.

The secluded room of the Mugok Pavilion, which had a beautiful atmosphere, had suddenly turned into a barren land with no end in sight.

A land where not even a single blade of grass grew, and the dark sky looked like it would rain at any moment.

And Yeon Ho-Jeong was standing alone on that desolate and dark land.

Whoosh.

The wind that blew began to toy with the dirt and sand that covered the ground.

‘Earth’…

The foundation of life.

The ancient martial art that originated from this vast land and was later given the name of the best in the world, but still hasn’t developed and is just circling in place.

Thump!

The ground shook.

Something beyond imagination was moving beneath the ground.