Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 938

Tang Gwan recalled his conversation with his father.

His father had said that a true convergence of all martial paths did not exist. He remembered his father’s words that while one could become similar, it was impossible to arrive at a single, complete enlightenment.

It was a statement completely different from the beliefs of the masters of the martial world. Tang Gwan had focused on the novelty of that statement and asked why a convergence of all martial paths could not exist.

His father, the Dark King Tang Hyeong, had said it was because they were human. He had said that achieving true oneness was the realm of the gods, and therefore, a state of convergence that transcended all things could not exist in the human world, nor should it.

‘Look. The martial arts you and I have mastered are the same. However, the martial arts you have mastered are based on the Emperor’s Poison Art that I created. The Emperor’s Poison Art is ultimately the culmination of hundreds of years of Tang Family poison arts, so the martial arts you and I have mastered are, in the end, nothing more and nothing less than Tang Family martial arts.’

‘That is correct.’

‘If that is the case, then your martial arts should follow in my footsteps. Even if it is somewhat lacking or less refined, it should not be significantly different from the martial arts I wield. But how is it? Are the martial arts you wield following my martial path?’

‘No, they are not.’

‘One might say that it could be different when one reaches the ultimate, but who determines that ultimate? It is determined by people. Can the end I have defined and the end you have defined truly be the same?’

‘They can never be the same.’

‘Let’s say that your talent and mine are heaven-sent, and through fierce effort and heavenly luck, we reach the ultimate of nature that transcends the common sense of the human world. If that were to happen, would that being be a martial artist or a god?’

‘I don’t know about a god… but at least, it could be said that they have left the realm of martial arts.’

‘That is precisely it. True convergence of all martial paths means shedding the shell of the physical body and becoming one with this world. Such a being cannot be called a martial artist. Unless they are those who start as martial artists and dream of attaining the Tao [the Way, the fundamental principle of the universe] and becoming immortals, martial artists can never be free from the laws of the human world.’

Tang Hyeong’s words were definitive and full of conviction.

Regardless of what others thought, Tang Hyeong firmly believed his logic to be the truth. At least for Tang Hyeong, the statement that a convergence of all martial paths did not exist was the truth.

Then, what about me?

Whoosh!

The world slowed down.

The increasingly slow world seemed to have stopped. No, it had stopped.

It was impossible to know whether the world’s time had stopped or if his senses had become transcendentally sensitive and fast.

But that was not the important thing.

Why, at this moment, in this situation, did the conversation with his father come to mind?

The moment he wondered that, the face of Baekbyeongsingun Mak Won [Thousand Weapon Divine Lord] was superimposed over his father’s face.

Tang Gwan looked at his face and the changed surroundings.

‘Cheonghae.’

To be precise, it was the road to Cheonghae. At that time, he had had this conversation with Mak Won.

‘Hmm? Are you talking about weapons?’

‘Yes. How is it that you, senior, can wield so many weapons as if they were your own limbs?’

‘Haha, my alias is the Thousand Weapon Divine Lord; if I couldn’t handle this much, the world would laugh at me, wouldn’t it?’

‘That’s not what I mean. Senior Mak handles weapons he has never even seen before as naturally as if he had trained with them for ten thousand days. The same goes for hidden weapons. Your hidden weapon techniques are no less than those of the main family. Yet, there is no sign that you have seriously trained in hidden weapon techniques.’

‘Is there anything special about it? You swing them according to the shape of the weapon, and that leads to such natural movements.’

‘The shape of the weapon?’

‘All weapons, from the moment they are made, clearly reveal their purpose.’

‘Of course, I know that.’

‘A sword is more suitable for piercing than cutting, and a saber is more suitable for cutting than piercing. A spear has better penetrating power than a sword, but it is heavy and long, so it is not as fast and free as a sword. On the other hand, a dagger is lighter and shorter than a regular longsword, so it can perform much faster and more dynamic movements.’

‘So…’

‘What does that mean?’

‘……?’

‘The fact that the shapes of weapons are different means that the flow of power is different.’

‘……!’

‘There are sharp weapons and blunt weapons. If there are short weapons, there are also long weapons. I ask again, what does this mean?’

‘I… I don’t know.’

‘It is principle.’

‘Principle?’

‘Lightness and heaviness, speed and slowness, weakness and strength, softness and hardness.’

‘……!!’

‘The power of a heavy fist is far superior to that of a light fist. However, is there truly no use for a light fist that does not utilize its power?’

‘……That is not the case.’

‘Fast martial arts are effective in subduing or killing enemies. However, are slow movements completely unnecessary?’

‘That is also not the case. What is important is efficiency.’

‘That is precisely it. Many martial artists desire faster and stronger martial arts. However, that is not true martial arts, in my opinion. True martial arts are not just about being fast and strong, but about being able to freely manifest lightness and heaviness, strength and weakness, speed and leisure.’

‘Is that what you think true martial arts are?’

‘At the same time, it is the beginning and end of my martial arts.’

‘……!’

‘What appears frustratingly slow to our eyes is the same for turtles and earthworms. However, a turtle is bigger and slightly faster. Therefore, for an earthworm, a turtle is fast.’

‘It’s relative.’

‘It is relative. Everything in this world is like that. Therefore, being relative is absolute.’

‘You have elevated the concept of relative, which is plural, to the concept of absolute, which is singular?’

‘You are wrong. What is relative is like the two sides of a coin. In the end, it is also just one concept. It is always people who divide one into two.’

‘……!!’

‘It is said that ten thousand paths eventually lead to one.’

‘The convergence of all martial paths.’

‘There is definitely an absolute truth that we cannot understand. How much we understand it, whether we move towards it, or whether we just know about it, is entirely up to the individual.’

‘Do you wish to reach the convergence of all martial paths?’

‘Yes. Because I believe that true martial arts ultimately converge into one.’

The principles of the world do not change.

He did not know what that principle was, but it was always people who divided the intangible truth of the world.

Mak Won’s martial philosophy was at the opposite point from Tang Hyeong’s. While there were some commonalities, their perspectives on the world and what they pursued were vastly different.

It was astonishing.

Although Tang Hyeong was superior in skill, Mak Won was also an absolute master who had made a name for himself in Seongcheon.

The two masters were sharing a similar realm but heading in completely different directions. It was a great shock and interest to Tang Gwan, and at the same time, it became an opportunity for him to reflect on himself.

‘A true convergence of all martial paths does not exist.’

Since humans cannot become gods, unless they follow the path of immortals, they cannot aspire to convergence, nor do they need to.

‘All concepts in the world contain the convergence of all martial paths.’

Dividing one and dividing it again is merely a fixed idea of humans, so the very act of trying to understand the principles of martial arts to reach one is important.

Tang Gwan could fully understand the words of both men.

However, he did not understand the countless paths that the two men had taken to reach their respective convictions.

‘What should I pursue?’

Tang Gwan thought of Tang Hyeong.

‘Where should I head?’

Tang Gwan thought of Mak Won.

‘What do I want?’

Tang Gwan thought of himself.

‘……?!’

Tang Gwan, who was looking into himself, suddenly felt a terrible sense of shame and defeat.

‘How can this be…!’

There was nothing.

Surprisingly, Tang Gwan himself did not have a single truth that he could absolutely believe in, like Tang Hyeong or Mak Won.

Until now, when teaching the disciples of the clan or his children, he had a clear conviction. He had presented a path full of conviction, saying that this should be done this way, and that should be done that way.

But what about now?

Tang Gwan was shocked that he did not have a clear understanding of anything in his life, let alone martial arts.

The master of Sichuan? The head of the Sichuan Tang Family? The Tang Family lineage? The Tang Family’s desire for revenge? The severity of poison? The danger of hidden weapons?

‘This is…’

Those were information.

Tang Gwan found it difficult to believe that he truly understood all of those things. He had come to know them, learned them, and pretended to understand them, but he had never thoroughly grasped the origins of all the information he knew.

It was surprising that he had reached this level despite that. There had been effort and anguish, but he realized that he had missed the very parts he should have been truly striving for and agonizing over, and he felt a sense of futility.

Tang Gwan recalled the words he had said to his son, who was imprisoned in the dungeon.

‘When everyone is trapped in common sense and the gaze of those around them, we challenge other fields with a focus on change and innovation, and we fly the flag of victory.’

Tang Gwan’s eyes wavered.

‘That is not me.’

It was not him who had challenged and challenged again to finally fly the flag of victory. Nor was it the ability of one outstanding ancestor.

‘It is history.’

The Sichuan Tang Family was a family built on a history of death.

‘But how could I have taken that pride as my own and lived so proudly and loudly?’

A sense of emptiness settled in Tang Gwan’s eyes.

He felt a chill run down his spine at the realization that the words and actions he had shown to others until now were not truly from his own self.

‘I am…’

Tang Gwan could not look into his true self.

Trapped by the countless pieces of information and values that were stuck around his true self, he could not see what his own desires and form were at all.

‘I am…’

What is convergence, and what is the origin?

Who is Tang Hyeong, and who is Mak Won?

Where is the martial path, and where is the path of the immortals?

Who am I? Where am I?

Sizzle.

Tang Gwan’s arms and legs began to scatter like smoke.

Tang Gwan, who could not find himself within the ‘information’ of the name given by the world, the master of the Tang clan, could not handle the truth he had discovered.

Tsutsutsutsu.

His arms and legs disappeared, and his abdomen and chest also disappeared.

His jaw and cheeks, forehead and nose disappeared, and only a small dot remained where he had been.

Thus, Tang Gwan’s soul shrank in an instant.

It was death.

Tang Gwan’s soul, unable to bear the truth beyond the crumbling wall of enlightenment, chose the path of self-destruction under the false history he had lived as if it were real.

Surprisingly, he was truly dying. His mind, which could not bear the enlightenment, began to push his body to the brink of death.

Enlightenment is always in the gap between life and death. Tang Gwan could not bear the weight of the empty shadow that had covered nearly fifty years of history.

Just as Tang Gwan was crossing the threshold of death.

A voice like a song was heard.

‘The Tang Family Head is a good person.’

The comfortable voice that was heard faintly was neither his father’s nor his children’s.

‘Even if he went astray for a while, if he is guided properly, wouldn’t he become good enough?’

‘That’s a hopeful statement.’

Who is it? Who am I talking to right now?

‘Ah!’

A familiar and very familiar voice.

It was the voice of his benefactor, who had recognized the value of his own self that even his deceased wife and friends had not understood.

‘Aren’t we always dreaming of hope?’

Whoosh!

In an instant, the scattered smoke gathered again, forming Tang Gwan’s two eyes.